Opposition candidates make gains in Kuwait election: Thursday’s parliamentary election in Kuwait returned a greater share of the vote to opposition candidates, upping pressure on the government which was hoping to defuse a standoff and press on with economic reforms, Reuters reports. Most pro-government lawmakers lost their seats to candidates from the Shi’ite bloc and the Islamic Constitutional Movement, the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Sabah accepted the government's resignation yesterday, state news agency KUNA reported.

Also worth knowing this morning:

• Lebanese political factions can’t agree on a new president: Lebanon’s parliament failed to elect a successor to replace President Michel Aoun, whose term ends on 31 October, raising the possibility that the country will be left without a head of state as it struggles through its worst financial crisis in decades. (Reuters)
• Israel and Lebanon could soon redraw their maritime borders after Israel granted preliminary approval to a US-mediated agreement that could see the two countries set up a profitsharing agreement for offshore gas exploration. (Reuters)