AL JAZEERA

Anti-government groups in Syria are planning massive rallies across the nation Friday, one day after the Bashar al-Assad’s regime said it would begin a process to lift emergence laws, one of the key demands of the opposition.

On the heels of the defection of former foreign minister Moussa Koussa, more high-level associated of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi have apparently abandoned him, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

Bahrain has stepped up its crackdown on anti-government protesters (almost all of whom are (Shia Muslims) by arresting at least 300 activists in one massive sweep, thereby sending untold others into hiding. Those detained included a prominent blogger, Mahmood al-Yousif.

The Syrian government will establish a judicial committee that will consider the removal of its emergency laws, according to the state news agency.

Amidst reports that the Libyan foreign minister has defected to the west, soldiers loyal to Moammar Gaddafi have recaptured the strategic oil city of Ras Lanuf from rebel factions.

A prominent Shia opposition figure in Bahrain has demanded that Saudi Arabian-dominated foreign troops who were invited by the ruling family to quell disorder leave the kingdom immediately.

In his first public address to the Syrian nation since unrest broke out two weeks ago, President Bashar al-Assad blamed “conspirators” for the ongoing violence and vowed that he would defeat the “plot” against his country.

The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, is expected to deliver a TV address to the nation for the first time since anti-regime protests erupted more than two weeks ago.

The Syrian cabinet has resigned in the face of unyielding anti-government protests, according to state-controlled television.

Crude prices traded below $104 a barrel on Tuesday in Asia as Libyan rebels announced resumption of oil exports from the sites controlled by them.

In response to the large numbers of North Africans continuing to swarm into the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean, local fishermen have barricaded the entrance of to the harbor with seagoing vessels seized from the migrants in order to stop anymore boats from coming ashore.

Libyan rebels who are seeking to capture the city of Sirte are facing a frenzied defense from government forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi for the town.

Bahrain has denied media reports that Kuwait will mediate to find a resolution to its domestic political crisis.

South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are engaging in their first high-level peace talks since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, ahead of a much-anticipated World Cup cricket match next week.

Gaddafi did more than just showering bounties on Sirte and the middle region and won some lasting loyalty. He created state-of-the-art infrastructure in the region, explicitly making it the logistical nerve center of his military. He created air bases and sea ports besides making Sirte the base of the elite special response army units. Moreover, these elite crack troops were manned by members of his own tribe and factions allied with him.

The Libyan rebels have claimed they have captured Sirte, the stronghold of the Gaddafi tribe, according to reports on Monday. Sirte was once seen as the place Gaddafi could flee to, if and when he loses Tripoli. A rebel advance into Sirte could be the heaviest blow to the tottering regime of Gaddafi since the uprising started.

Even as the reports of Syrian forces pounding protesters in coastal Latakia poured in, hopes have emerged that President Bashar al-Assad may mull lifting the half century-old emergency law.

Libyan rebel forces are reportedly advancing westward to the key city of Brega, after having taken control of oil port Ajdabiya, largely due to air strikes by western coalition forces.

About twenty people were killed by security forces and snipers in the coastal Syrian town of Latakia as anti-government protesters tried to burn down the local headquarters of the ruling Baath party as well as a police station.

Libyan rebels declared on Saturday that they had retaken the strategic crossroads town of Ajdabiya following heavy coalition airstrikes on Muammer Gaddafi's forces.

At least one person has died and more than 100 were injured after an anti-government protest in Amman, Jordan turned violent.