Tunisians criticised Tuesday the authorities' decision to put ousted president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali on trial in absentia next week. They insist he should be made to stand in the dock. "It won't be the trial we wanted for Ben Ali," Middle-east-online.com quotes journalist Taoufik Ben Brik as saying. "He is responsible for thousands of cases of torture, he is responsible for hundreds of deaths. His family looted the country. These are serious crimes. How c... Read more »

Opposition sources in Yemen say that they have hold talks with Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the vice-president, to discuss a transfer of power. Oppositionists said they were worried that President Ali Abdullah Saleh's son and family retained too much power. According to Aljazeera.net it was the first meeting between the vice president and the opposition since Saleh left the country for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, after an attack on his residence earlier t... Read more »

Jordan's King Abdullah II has bowed to popular demands for elected governments but given no timetable, saying that sudden change could lead to "chaos and unrest'' in his kingdom. It is the first time that King Abdullah II has made such a vow to Jordanians, who have taken to the streets during six months of pro-democracy protests to demand greater political changes.In the televised speech yesterday marking his 12th year as Jordan's ruler, the monarch said th... Read more »

The Palestinian Islamist faction Hamas has rejected its rival Fatah's nomination of Salam Fayyad as prime minister in a transitional government. The move came hours after Fatah agreed to back Mr Fayyad, who currently heads the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank. Delegates from the two movements are due to meet on Tuesday in Cairo to agree the make-up of the new cabinet. The Fatah runs parts of the West Bank, while Hamas controls the Gaza Stri... Read more »

Iraqi authorities will ask the US to keep troops in the country beyond the 2011- pullout deadline. Incumbent CIA director Leon Panetta said he had "every confidence that a request like that will be forthcoming". Mr Panetta was speaking in front of a US Senate committee considering his nomination. The US now has about 47,000 troops in Iraq, none in a combat role. Under a 2008 agreement, they are expected to leave by 31 December 2011. Bbc.co.uk.

The Syrian troops have begun operations to "restore security" to the town of Jisr al-Shughour and the surrounding area where earlier in the week120 security personnel are reported to have been killed. The positioning of troops in the area have led to a flow of refugees to nearby Turkey. According to Turkish authorities more than 2,000 Syrians have crossed the border seeking refuge from Jisr al-Shughour. Syria's government has blamed the deaths of policemen ... Read more »

Western and Arab leaders are to meet in the United Arab Emirates to discuss how life in Libya might develop if Col Gaddafi were no longer in power. The so-called Contact Group is also expected to set up a fund to help the Libyan rebels. The meeting comes amid Nato intensified its air strikes on government targets in Tripoli. In a separate case, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) said there was evidence that Col Gaddafi had order... Read more »

Tunisian authorities have postponed its first election following the ouster of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, set to take place on July 24, to October 23. This statement was made by interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi on Wednesday. "We have taken into account all the views and have decided to hold the elections on October 23," Middle-east-online.com quotes Essebsi as saying. "The most important thing is the transparency of the elections," he said i... Read more »

IDF (Israel Defence Forces) killed 11 people and wounded about 220 others on Sunday as pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the Syrian side tried to cross the ceasefire line on the Golan Heights. Hundreds of protesters rushed towards the ceasefire line, attempting to cut through a line of barbed wire and head into the Golan Heights. Yesterday's protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War when Israel annexed the Golan from Syria as w... Read more »

According to the United Nations refugee agency says some 150 bodies have been recovered from the wreck of a ship that capsized off Tunisia. The ship carried migrants from Africa and Asia fleeing the conflict in Libya. Adrian Edwards from the UNHCR said on Friday that at least 578 of the estimated 850 people on board survived the sinking. "We know that many women and children are among the 150," Aljazeera.net. quotes Mr Edwards as saying. He added that the s... Read more »