Latest developments in Arab political unrest stretching from North Africa to Per

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Latest developments in Arab political unrest stretching from North Africa to

Persian Gulf

By The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 1 hour 15 minutes ago

A look at the latest developments in political unrest across the Middle East on

Wednesday:

___

LIBYA

Outgunned rebels retreat from the vital oil port of Ras Lanouf under heavy fire

from ruler Moammar Gadhafi's forces, who close in on Brega, another oil depot.

Rebels complain of lack of air support from NATO bombers. Uganda offers asylum

to Gadhafi, but there is no indication that he is considering leaving Libya.

___

SYRIA

President Bashar Assad delivers a speech to parliament, his first since

pro-democracy demonstrations erupted two weeks ago. Despite expectations, he

does not announce cancellation or easing of despised emergency regulations that

allow police to arrest people without charges. Instead, he blames " conspirators "

for setting off the demonstrations. Within hours, protests resume in the port

city of Latakia.

___

BAHRAIN

A main Shiite opposition leader demands that a Saudi-led force leave the country

immediately. The Sunni king of Bahrain invited the force, now at more than 1,500

soldiers, as pro-democracy and sectarian unrest swept the tiny but strategic

island. The Shiites, a majority, sees the Gulf ation Council force as

directed against them. Bahrain authorities arrest a prominent blogger, a sign

that the crackdown against dissent continues.

___

YEMEN

Hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrate in the streets of several

cities, demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who withdrew

an offer to step down by the end of the year as political talks collapsed. The

head of Yemen's largest tribe, of which Saleh is a member, guaranteed that Saleh

would not be harmed if he steps down, an attempt to arrange a peaceful

transition.

___

EGYPT

The ruling military council declares that presidential elections will be held by

November to pick a successor to ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Parliamentary

elections are set for September. The council also publishes an interim

constitution that liberalizes election laws to allow new parties to form.