EGYPT

Egypt's first parliamentary election since the fall of president Hosni Mubarak will be conducted in September, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) confirmed on Monday.

The triple disaster in Japan and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa likely would have only a limited impact on the global economy - provided the twin shocks of higher oil prices and the supply chain disruptions from Japan do not get much worse, market research firm IHS said.

The swelling ranks of protesters in the Syrian city of Deraa demanded the end of the cancerous regime of Bashar al-Assad and warned that the country was a bomb ready to explode.

As the western powers and some of their allies in the Middle East impose a no-fly zone over Libya in an effort to protect civilians from Moammar Gaddafi’s armies, many questions have been raised about the campaign and its long-term implications.

About 20,000 people have gathered in the southern Syrian city of Deraa for the funeral of six people killed on Wednesday allegedly by the Syrian security forces.

In a weird twist in the tale, the Egyptian government has approved a law criminalizing strikes and protest marches in the country, raising questions from various quarters whether this was the outcome expected by millions of Egyptians who passionately fought for the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's oppressive regime.

Egypt’s former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, has been charged by a court of contributing to the killing of protesters who demonstrated against the regime of the toppled President, Hosni Mubarak, state media MENA reported.

In spite of the crippling sanctions and an arms embargo approved by the international community, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi continued to show resistance and the possible reason for such confidence could 144 tons of gold that he still controls.

As many as six people were killed by Syrian forces in a mosque in the city of Deraa, a flash point in the unfolding struggle against the Baath party despotism, media reports said on Wednesday.

The head of the Arab League said on Monday that the group respected the U.N. resolution authorizing military action in Libya, a day after criticizing the coalition of nations which has been bombing Iraq since Saturday.

Egyptian voters have passed a raft of constitutional amendments by an overwhelming majority, according to official results

French fighter jets have bombed and destroyed a Libyan military target, marking the first act of enforcement of the United Nations mandate to impose a no-fly zone over Libya

The following is United Nations Resolution 1973, as passed by the Security Council on March 17, 2011 by a vote of 10-0, with 5 abstentions.

Turkey has intercepted an Iranian cargo plane flying to Syria, ordering it to land southeastern Turkey on suspicions the aircraft might have been carrying military supplies.

At least two demonstrators have been killed by security forces at an anti-government protest rally in the town of Deraa in southern Syria.

The mastermind behind the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, who has been released from prison since the fall of Hosni Mubarak regime, has plans to take part in post-Mubarak political future of Egypt, according to reports.

Crude oil prices rose in Asian trade on Friday, after the United Nations (UN) approved the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, raising fresh fears over oil exports from the country.

Bahrain, a tiny island in the western shores of the Persian Gulf, saw no reprieve from the recent anti-government protests.

Bahrain arrested several opposition leaders on Thursday as part of a crackdown on anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom, driven by majority Shiites, who are calling for democracy and civil rights.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have held rallies in Gaza City and Ramallah, West Bank, calling for unity and cooperation between Hamas and Fatah.

The decision by Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries to send armed forces to Bahrain to help quell protests is bad enough; but worse is the explanation that the move is in accordance with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) defense pact.