British Foreign Secretary William Hague visits Yemen to discuss political and economic change in the country with its president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The visit is a part of the tour of Arab states. "We have discussed issues of political and constitutional reforms (as well as) how to work together for the better economic development of Yemen," Middle-east-online.com quotes Hague after after the meeting in Sanaa. Before Yemen he was welcomed in Tunisia and Jord... Read more »

Kuwait's emir has accepted the resignation of Sheikh Jaber al-Khaled al-Sabah who quit the cabinet last month over the death of a man allegedly tortured by police. According to Kuwait's news agency, he was replaced by a close relative of the head of state. The move comes amid calls for protests from opposition groups against government and its "undemocratic" practices. The youth group called Fifth Fence has urged people to rally outside the parliament on Tu... Read more »

South Sudan has officially voted for secession from the north after the results of a January referendum revealed a landslide vote for independence. Official figures published on Monday displayed that out of 3,837,406 valid ballots cast, only 44,888 votes, or 1.17 per cent, favoured to keep unity with the north. The ceremony of the announcement in the Sudanese capital was attended by Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, and Salva Kiir, the southern leader. "To... Read more »

Tunisia has suspended former ruling party Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD). Security officials in the coalition government have said there is a conspiracy by officials close to the old authorities to spread chaos and take back power. The latest deadly clashes have caused questions about whether Tunisia is returning to stability after Ben Ali's departure to Saudi Arabia. "The minister of the interior has decided to suspend all activities and all meeting... Read more »

Algeria's president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has said that 19-year state of emergency would be lifted in the "very near future". He also added Algerian television and radio controlled by the state, should give airtime to all political parties. He added that demonstrations, banned under the law of emergency, would be permitted across the country except in the capital. The repeal of emergency powers is the main demand of opposition groups in Algeria ahead of a pr... Read more »

According to analysts, Lebanon's economy should be able to survive the political storm that has seen the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed prime minister due to the strength of the country's banking system and replete foreign currency reserves. "The financial defence lines are currently the strongest in Lebanon's history," middle-east-online.com quotes Marwan Barakat, chief economist at Bank Audi as saying. The Central Bank has $30 billion (22.5 billion eur... Read more »

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president will not extend his term and pass on the reins of power to his son. This statement was made on Wednesday during an emergency session of parliament and the consultative council amid mass protests demanding his ouster. "I will not extend my mandate and I am against hereditary rule," Aljazeera.net. quotes Saleh as saying. "No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock," he added. The resign would bring an end to ... Read more »

King Abdullah of Jordan accepted PM Samir Rifai's resignation on Tuesday. He dissolved the cabinet and appointed a new prime minister Marouf Bakhit amid large street protests. The demonstrators had demanded measures on unemployment and rising prices. They blamed Rifai for the country's economic problems and low life level. The new PM’s mission was "to take practical, quick and tangible steps to launch true political reforms, enhance Jordan's democratic driv... Read more »

Oman announces to have uncovered a United Arab Emirates (UAE) spy network in the Gulf Arab state that targeted "the way Oman’s government and military work". The UAE have denied having links to any such network while experts from
the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis called allegations "very murky”. "One possibility is that the UAE wants to know more about Iran-Oman relations because of Tehran and Muscat's long ties in se... Read more »

Stock markets have negatively responded a mass revolt in Egypt. Many leading companies have interests there and on Sunday they drastically dropped. The Dubai Financial Market shed over six percent of its value. The leading traded company, Emaar Properties, possessing the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, saw its share price plummeting by nearly 10 percent. The Middle East's largest low-cost carrier Air Arabia also saw its share plunge by nearly... Read more »