Potential New Saudi Crown Prince Seen as Hard-Line but Pragmatic

With the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia tumbling and much of the region churning this past February, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, the veteran Saudi interior minister who is expected to be elevated to crown prince this week, swept into a private Riyadh home where he had summoned leading editors and columnists to dinner. (more…)

Clinton warns Iran as US troops leave Iraq

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Iran on Sunday that the planned U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by the end of the year should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment to democracy in the region. (more…)

Assad Replaces 2 Governors in Syria’s Protest Hubs

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has replaced governors in two provinces that have seen months of protests against his 11-year rule.

Syria’s state news agency said Sunday Assad appointed new governors for the Damascus countryside and for the northern province of Idlib, bordering Turkey. It says the rural Damascus post was given to Hussein Makhlouf and the Idlib position was handed to Yasser al-Shoufi. (more…)

McCain Says U.S. May Consider Military Action in Syria

Senator John McCain said Sunday that military action to protect civilians in Syria might be considered now that NATO’s air campaign in Libya is ending.

However, President Barack Obama’s administration has made clear it has no appetite for military intervention in Syria (more…)

Transitional leader declares Libyan liberation

Libya’s transitional leader declared his country’s liberation Sunday after an 8-month civil war and set out plans for the future with an Islamist tone. The announcement was clouded, however, by international pressure to explain how ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi had been captured alive days earlier, then ended up dead from a gunshot to his head shortly afterward. (more…)

Roads in Beirut’s suburb of Dahyieh blocked

The Moqdad family members blocked roads in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahyieh, National News Agency reported on Sunday . (more…)

Turkey earthquake leaves as many as 1,000 people feared dead

Many hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey, destroying scores of buildings and leaving many victims trapped in the rubble.

Scientists from Turkey’s Kandilli earthquake institute said that given the force of the 7.2-magnitude quake, which struck at 1.41pm local time (11.41am BST), and often shoddy construction standards in the mountainous area near Turkey’s border with Iran, up to 1,000 people may have lost their lives. (more…)

Tunisia vote sees record turnout, few violations

Amid rejoicing – and with few security incidents – Tunisian voters turned out in record numbers on Sunday to cast ballots for members of the constituent assembly mandated with drawing up a new national constitution within one year. (more…)

Hezbollah: Tel Aviv would be 1st target

The leader of Hezbollah said Friday if Israel starts a war with Lebanon, Tel Aviv would be the militant group’s first target, a Lebanese newspaper reported. (more…)

Tunisia’s election through the eyes of women

The role of women in the new Tunisia has been a controversial issue throughout the transitional period, with some fearful that they would lose precious rights from the previous era, and others arguing for a return to traditional values. (more…)