Stalemate in Libya, Syria, Yemen?

Stalemate in Libya, Syria, Yemen?

Libya: The rebels continue their back-and-forth battle with Muammar Gaddafi's forces. Rebels made a major westward push early in the week, advancing close to Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, only to be pushed back by the Libyan leader's better equipped army. Gaddafi's forces quickly retook Bin Jawad and Ras Lanuf.

Gaddafi did face a diplomatic setback on Wednesday, when his foreign minister and close confidante Moussa Koussa defected to the United Kingdom. There were reports that the United States is considering a plan to send weapons to the rebels, and that CIA agents have arrived in Libya to coordinate with them.

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad finally broke his silence on Wednesday, when he delivered a much-anticipated speech to parliament on the unrest which has swept Syria for the past week. Assad blamed protests on "foreign conspirators," who he accused of trying to "divide Syria, weaken Syria." But Assad did not offer any new reforms in his speech, promising only to enact timetables for the other reforms (like ending the emergency law) announced a week earlier.

Yemen: Negotiations between president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the opposition seem to have largely stalled. In a meeting with leaders of the Islah party, Saleh reportedly offered to transfer power to a caretaker government - but he would remain in office until a new president was elected. The offer was promptly rejected. Earlier in the week, an explosion at an ammunition factory in Abyan province killed more than 100 people.

Middle East

* Egypt's ruling military junta has promised a presidential vote by the end of the year, following parliamentary elections in September.

* Israel and Islamic Jihad continue to trade fire across the Gaza border, despite a call by Hamas for a cease-fire.

Americas

* Witnesses at a US congressional hearing said American Muslims face 'growing discrimination.'

* The Canadian government, toppled by a no-confidence vote, has scheduled parliamentary elections for early May.

Asia-Pacific

* Authorities in Japan have been urged to extend the nuclear exclusion zone around the Fukushima plant.

* Dozens are dead and thousands stranded following heavy flooding in southern Thailand.

Europe

* Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi appeared in court in Milan over alleged tax offenses, his first court appearance in nearly a decade.

* Hundreds of thousands of Britons, angry about government austerity measures, took to the streets of London.

Africa

* Fighters loyal to Cote D'Ivoire's internationally recognised leader, Alassane Ouattara, advanced into the major cocoa port of San Pedro.

* The new Egyptian prime minister has promised to recognise South Sudan when it becomes independent later this year.

Opinion

* Tarak Barkawi argues that the West is "using euphemism to deny a state of war against Gaddafi under the guise of a humanitarian mission."

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