Western pressure on Syria grows

Western countries are preparing to push for a tough resolution at a UN Security Council meeting on the crisis in Syria. Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi will be asking the Council to back the League's new plan calling on President Bashar al-Assad to resign. Western foreign ministers who back the Arab plan will try to overcome Russia's threat to veto any such resolution.

Syria condemns Arab League move

The Syrian government has condemned a decision by the Arab League to suspend its monitoring mission inside Syria. The Arab League said the move was prompted by a dramatic increase in violence in recent days, but Syria accused it of trying to increase pressure for foreign intervention. The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution on Syria.

UN concerns over Libya militias

Libyan militias are out of control and holding thousands of people in secret detention centres, while the weak interim government struggles to assert its authority, the UN has heard. The Security Council was told recent violence in Tripoli, Bani Walid and Benghazi highlighted the problem. More than 8,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters are being held by militia groups, amid reports of torture, UN officials said.

Syria rejects Arab League plan

Syria has rejected an Arab League call for President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy. The league, meeting in Cairo, also called on Syria to form a national unity government with the opposition within two months. A government official called the plan "flagrant interference" in Syria's internal affairs, state TV said.

Saleh leaves country for treatment

Yemen's veteran President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has left the country to travel to the US for medical treatment, Yemeni officials say. In a televised "farewell speech" he asked for forgiveness for "any shortcomings" during his 33-year rule. His departure came a day after MPs approved a law giving him immunity from prosecution. The law was part of a deal under which President Saleh would relinquish power and leave Yemen.

Egypt's Islamist win elections

The final results in Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections confirm an overwhelming victory for Islamist parties. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won the largest number of seats under Egypt's complex electoral system. The hardline Salafist Nour party came second. The liberal New Wafd and the secular Egyptian Bloc coalition are some way behind them.

UN to train Syria Arab League monitors

The United Nations is to begin training Arab League observers monitoring the uprising in Syria. The training will begin in Cairo after Arab League foreign ministers meet this weekend to discuss the progress of the mission so far, a UN spokesperson said. The training is to be carried out by staff of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Egypt tomb holds singer's remains

Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered the tomb of a female singer in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was found by a team from the University of Basel in Switzerland who came across it by chance. The woman, Nehmes Bastet, was a temple singer during Egypt's 22nd Dynasty (approximately 945 - 712BC), according to an inscription in the tomb. The coffin found in the tomb contains an intact mummy from almost 3,000 years ago.

Fatal building collapse in Beirut

Rescue workers in Lebanon continue to search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building. The five-storey block collapsed in the Ashrafiyeh district of Beirut on Sunday evening. Thirteen bodies have been recovered, and 12 people are known to be injured. The head of Lebanon's civil defence told AFP that he believed there were a further 20 victims under the rubble. It is not yet known what caused the sudden collapse.

General amnesty by Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has granted a general amnesty for all crimes committed during the 10-month uprising, state-run media report. It would apply to army deserters who turned themselves in before the end of January, peaceful protesters and those who handed in unlicensed weapons, Sana state news agency is quoted as saying. The UN says more than 14,000 people are in detention.

ElBaradei ends bid for presidency

Egyptian politician and former head of the UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei is dropping his candidacy in presidental elections later this year. Mr ElBaradei, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, said he had taken his decision in protest at the way Egypt's military rulers governed "as though no revolution had taken place". A military council has run Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

Scientist bombed in Iran blast

A university lecturer and nuclear scientist has been killed in a car explosion in north Tehran, reports say. Iranian media sources named the casualty as Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, an academic who also worked at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The blast happened when a motorcyclist stuck a magnetic bomb on the car, said Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated in recent years, with Iran blaming Israel and the US.

US condemns Assad conspiracy speech

The US and France have condemned a speech by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad which blamed an "external conspiracy" for the mass uprising against his rule. The US state department said President Assad had thrown "responsibility on everybody but back on himself". France's foreign minister said the speech amounted to "denial of reality". In a rare public address, Mr Assad said international powers were trying to destabilise Syria, and vowed to crush "terrorists" with an "iron fist".

US warns Iran over uranium plant

The US has said Iran's enrichment of uranium at an underground site is "a further escalation" of its ongoing violation of UN resolutions. The warning comes after the UN's nuclear watchdog confirmed that Tehran had begun enriching uranium up to 20% at its northern Fordo plant. Analysts say 20% enrichment is an important step towards making uranium weapons-grade, but Tehran says it is for purely peaceful purposes.

Bashar to give rare speech

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to deliver a rare public address amid ongoing protests and bloodshed. State media said the speech would address "internal issues and international and regional developments", without giving details. Violence is continuing despite the presence of Arab League observers meant to oversee a peace plan.

ICC deadline for details of Saif trial looms

Libya's new leaders are facing a deadline to clarify the legal status of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC judges had asked for further information on Libya's request to try the influential son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in his home country, and gave the National Transitional Council until Tuesday to present their intentions.

A drafted law for Saleh immunity

Yemen's cabinet has approved a draft law which grants President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution as part of a Gulf-brokered transition deal. The law would give amnesty to Mr Saleh and his aides in "all government, civil and military departments" during his 33-year rule, state media said.

Death for a spy

An American man of Iranian descent has been sentenced to death by a court in Tehran for spying for the CIA, local media report. Amir Mirzai Hekmati was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism," semi-official Fars news agency said.

Baghdad hit by deadly bomb blasts

At least 24 people have died after explosions in Shia areas of Baghdad, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The ministry told the BBC that at least 66 people were wounded in the blasts, which occurred in the capital's Sadr City and Kadhimiya neighbourhoods. AFP news agency said one bomb was planted on a motorcycle and that there were at least three roadside devices. The attacks come amid a rise in sectarian tensions after the last US combat troops withdrew in December.

Saudi women in lingerie shops

A law allowing only women to work in lingerie shops in Saudi Arabia is coming into force. Campaigners hope this will end decades of awkwardness in the Islamic kingdom where women have always been served by male shop assistants. The heated issue of the total lack of female shop workers in Saudi Arabia has simmered for years.