TUNISIA

A lack of policy direction in North Africa is jeopardizing the already-sluggish economic recovery according to a report by Capital Economics.

Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, said Thursday evening he would urge President Bashar al-Assad and his foes to stop fighting and seek a political solution, drawing angry rebukes from dissidents.

The country that is perhaps most intimately connected with offering a haven for brutal (and unemployed) dictators is the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Deputy oil minister Abdo Hussameddin, the highest-ranking official to defect during the uprising, said in a YouTube video that he was joining the revolution of this dignified people.

President Moncef Marzouki made the same proposal last week, but it is unclear if Assad responded to him or not.

Few close observers of the Syrian conflict believe the uprising that began nearly a year ago is anything like over, and nor do they believe that President Bashar al-Assad can use the siege of Homs as a springboard to regain full control of the country. Yet some experts believe the authorities' brutality will lead to a drawn-out Bosnia-style war.

Tajikistan blocked local access to Facebook and two Russian-language sites that published an article critical of its long-serving president on Saturday, representatives of two Internet providers said.

Israel official said the threat of hunger would force the Iranian regime to weigh the value of their atomic ambitions.

Tunisia would be an unusual and ironic place for Assad, since the country was the first “Arab Spring” nation to depose its own long-time dictato

As Syrians head to the polls, the European Union imposed a new set of sanctions on Monday in an attempt to get President Bashar al-Assad to call off his assault on the city of Homs and on opposition protestors.

Dozens of democracy activists -- 16 Americans among them -- go on trial in Egypt Sunday in a politically charged case that has led to a crisis in relations between Cairo and Washington while threatening $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid to the North African nation.

The Syrian military took its bombardment of the rebel-held Baba Amro district of Homs into a fourth week on Saturday as the Red Cross attempted to evacuate more distressed civilians from the city. At least 28 people were killed in Syria on Saturday, including nine in Homs.

The first wounded and sick women trapped in the most embattled district of the Syrian city of Homs have been evacuated, and talks were held to evacuate more on Saturday, while pressure mounted on President Bashar al-Assad's government to call a ceasefire and let in humanitarian aid.

The first wounded and sick women trapped in the most embattled district of the Syrian city of Homs have been evacuated, and talks were held to evacuate more Saturday, while pressure mounted on President Bashar al-Assad's government to call a ceasefire and let in humanitarian aid.

Russia and China have both boycotted the Tunis summit, rejecting its aims as promoting “interference” in Syria’s internal affairs

Japan is attending the “Friends of Syria” peace summit in Tunisia, which is seeking answers to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people and to put an end to Assad’s crackdown

The UK has officially recognized the Syrian opposition as a legitimate representative of the county's citizenry.

India’s role at the summit will be “observational.”

Syrian National Council member Bassma Kodmani said unnamed countries were already providing communications equipment, body armor and night-vision goggles to the Free Syrian Army. Western governments have in the past denied claims that they're arming foes of President Bashar al Assad. The news came as the Red Cross finally reached the besieged city of Homs, evacuating women and children.

TORONTO, Feb. 23 -- Muslim countries are overthrowing fundamentalist rulers and the United States could have a Mormon presidential candidate as religion keeps a firm, inevitable foot in politics.

Five new developments in the ongoing situation in Syria, including the potential arming of the Free Syrian Army and attempts at peace.