ELECTIONS

The interim Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mohammed Ghannouchi, has resigned amidst demands by protesters for the removal of all figures associated with the ousted regime of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Unrest in the Middle East has now apparently reached the Persian Gulf kingdom of Oman where two people are reported to have died following clashes between state security officers and anti-government protesters. Another ten people were wounded by police firing rubber bullets and tear gas, according to reports.

Tunisian government troops have fired tear gas and warning shots into a crowd of hundreds of protesters staging a rally outside the interior ministry in the capital Tunis.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, mired in a prostitution scandal, faces a tax fraud trial on Monday, the first of four court cases that will bring his legal woes back into the spotlight over coming months.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's embattled government will likely boost spending on social programmes in a populist budget on Monday, even as India is threatened with a potentially ballooning subsidy bill for food and fuel.

Saudi King Abdullah returned home on Wednesday after a three-month medical absence and unveiled benefits for Saudis worth some $37 billion (23 billion pounds) in an apparent bid to insulate the world's top oil exporter from an Arab protest wave.

At least 100,000 trade unionists marched through the Indian capital on Wednesday in a protest against high food prices and unemployment, piling pressure on an administration under fire over corruption scandals.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Defence Minister admitted in parliament on Wednesday flaws in his doctoral dissertation that is at the centre of a plagiarism affair weighing on her government.

Zimbabwe on Wednesday filed treason charges against dozens of political activists accused of plotting anti-government protests similar to those that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.

Nigeria's parliament has begun a detailed debate of the latest version of long-delayed reforms to Africa's biggest energy industry, just two months ahead of elections, the head of the state oil company said on Wednesday.

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will be the next mayor of Chicago, winning more than 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday to avoid a run-off.

Obama, with much of his Cabinet in tow, visited Ohio on Tuesday to try to reach out to U.S. entrepreneurs amid complaints from some small business owners that his policies inhibit growth. We're here to hear from you directly. We want your stories, your successes, your failures,

Kosovo's parliament elected a Kosovo-Swiss businessman with close ties to Moscow as president on Tuesday as part of a power-sharing deal following December elections in the impoverished Balkan country.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki ended a row over top judicial appointments that had threatened the country's fragile coalition government by saying on Tuesday that he would start the selection process afresh.

South Africa's economic growth came in higher than expected in the fourth quarter, boosted by stronger growth in the mining and agricultural sectors, according to data released on Tuesday.

Thousands of Tunisians are fleeing Libya, many across its western land border, after a bloody crackdown there on protests against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, state media reported on Tuesday.

A fascinating battle is brewing in the state of Wisconsin between the newly-elected Republican governor and thousands of public sector workers who are outraged over proposals to sharply reduce (or eliminate) the union’s right to collective bargain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday acknowledged a bitter defeat in a state election in Hamburg, which could reverberate in six more votes this year and in her response to the euro zone crisis.

Egypt's public prosecutor on Monday moved to freeze the foreign assets of Hosni Mubarak, the first sign that the deposed president would be held to account by the rulers to whom he handed power 10 days ago.

Zimbabwe has arrested dozens of activists on charges of plotting protests against long-serving President Robert Mugabe similar to those that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, police said on Monday.

Silver touched its highest USD price in 31 years and palladium a 10-year peak. Gold prices rose above $1,400 an ounce on Monday for the first time in nearly seven weeks as violence flared in north Africa and the Middle East, boosting interest in the precious metal as a haven from risk.