Recap of developments in Middle East, North Africa

[Guest guest]

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Recap of developments in Middle East, North Africa

Middle East political unrestForeign 2011-03-06 16:50

CAIRO, Sunday 6 March 2011 (AFP) -- Latest developments in the unrest sweeping

the Middle East and North Africa.

LIBYA: Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi have recaptured a string of

key towns including Tobruk which controls access to the Egyptian border, a state

television channel reported Sunday.

- The key oil pipeline hub of Ras Lanuf was still in rebel hands, AFP

correspondents reported, countering claims by a state-owned television that it

had been recaptured.

- Members of the Libyan opposition also denied that loyalists of Kadhafi had

recaptured the key oil town of Tobruk in the far east of the country, saying

they were in full control.

- Heavy automatic gunfire erupted in the morning in the centre of Tripoli, as

residents said they were shooting in celebration of successes.

- Kadhafi said he wanted the UN or the African Union to probe the unrest rocking

Libya and promised investigators free access, in an interview with a French

newspaper.

- Kadhafi said three Dutch soldiers captured during an unauthorised rescue

mission were being held prisoner and added that it was " normal. "

- A British special forces unit (SAS) and a junior diplomat were being held by

rebels in eastern Libya following a bungled mission to put the envoy in touch

with them, The Sunday Times newspaper said.

- Libya's neighbours Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt mobilised to receive and

repatriate a tide of refugees fleeing the unrest, with help from European

countries and the United States.

EGYPT: A popular referendum on constitutional changes in Egypt has been set for

March 19.

- Protesters stormed several state security buildings Saturday, witnesses said,

trying to retrieve files kept on the population by the powerful regime apparatus

long accused of rights abuses.

- Once feared former interior minister Habib al-Adly pleaded not guilty to

corruption charges on Saturday, in the first trial of a member of ousted

president Hosni Mubarak's regime.

YEMEN: Yemeni security forces arrested 16 protesters in Aden on Saturday, as

thousands continued to demonstrate in the south demanding the fall of the regime

of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said on Saturday that protests

were illegal, amid various calls for demonstrations demanding change in the

ultra-conservative kingdom, state media said.

OMAN: Sultan Qaboos has replaced two ministers, days after protests erupted

demanding an end to corruption and reforms in the normally placid Gulf state,

official media reported on Saturday.

ALGERIA: Algerian police and pro-government activists on Saturday foiled another

attempt by opposition protesters to march in the capital Algiers to demand

regime change.

BAHRAIN: Thousands gathered in the centre of Manama Sunday as anti-regime

protests entered a third week amid a deadlock in talks between the government

and the opposition.

IRAQ: Thousands of protesters massed in cities and towns across Iraq on Friday

after streaming in on foot in defiance of vehicle bans for rallies over

corruption, unemployment and poor public services.

JORDAN: Thousands of Jordanians demonstrated in Amman on Friday to demand

" regime reforms, " a day after Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit rejected calls for a

constitutional monarchy.

SYRIA: Activists are demanding political reforms be made a top priority as

revolts rattle regimes across the Middle East, toppling Egypt's and Tunisia's

leaders in less than a month.

MOROCCO: Young activists are using Facebook to call for new demonstrations on

March 20 " for dignity and large scale political reforms.

TUNISIA: Tunisia will hold an election on July 24 to choose an assembly to write

a new post-revolution constitution, which was a key demand of government

critics.

[Guest guest]

Very good.

In a message dated 3/6/2011 4:07:03 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

Recap of developments in Middle East, North Africa