Following the death and capture of Muammar Qaddafi, Libya’s new rulers said a new government would be appointed within a month and elections to an assembly would be held within eight months.

The passing of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz, heir to the Saudi throne and half-brother to King Abdullah, raised questions about the Saudi succession. The next in line to the throne is likely to be Prince Sultan’s brother, Prince Nayef, the interior minister, who is considered a staunch conservative.

Protesters in Homs, Hama and various parts of Damascus held a general strike. Supporters of President Assad rallied in his favour in Damascus. Officials of the Arab League met Mr. Assad in an effort to negotiate an end to the unrest that has rocked Syria since March.

Around 98.5% of Moroccan voters approved a new constitution proposed by King Mohammed VI, who faced pro-democracy protests earlier this year.

Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the former dictator of Tunisia, was again convicted in absentia, this time of illegally possessing drugs and weapons. Ben Ali fleed Tunisia in January and now resides in Saudi Arabia.

The German parliament questioned the sales of 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia because of the country’s poor human rights record and participation in the crackdown on protesters in Bahrain in March.

Scores died in Syria as security forces suppressed anti-regime protests, particularly in Latakia and Deraa. President Bashar Assad said he would lift the 48-year-old state of emergency, but did not say when.

Following weeks of violent protests, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to transfer his powers to a caretaker government while retaining the presidency until elections are held. Protesters declined the offer.

Sectarian relations in the Middle East soured after Nuri Al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister and a Shia himself, praised the Shia protesters in Bahrain and criticised Sunni Saudi Arabia for helping to suppress them. Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hizbullah, Lebanon’s Shia party-cum-militia, also aroused anger among Sunni governments by praising the Bahraini protesters and likening the Bahraini ruling family to Libya’s Gaddafi.

At least 55 people were killed in Tikrit, Iraq, after suicide bombers thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda to a score of hostages, including several members of the local council, prompting government forces to storm the building.

Saudi Arabia sent 2,000 troops to Bahrain to help curb a growing protest movement. Martial law was declared after police opened fire on a crowd of mainly Shia demonstrators.

Protests continued in Yemen against the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but were met with a fierce crackdown.

Protests in Yemen grew fiercer and a reported 27 people are believed to have been killed since the demonstrations began a few weeks ago.

Fighting between forces loyal to Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi and his opponents intensified. Gaddafi remains in control of Tripoli and is battling to seize back towns under rebel control.

An estimated 100,000 refugees fleeing Libya are believed to be in makeshift camps across the borders with Egypt and Tunisia. The UN suspended Libya from the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed by Libya’s leaders.

Protests by jobless and ill-paid workers in the Oman port of Sohar resulted in one death. Days later, thousands of Omanis took to the streets in support of Sultan Qaboos, who has promised reform.

Stockmarkets throughout the Middle-East tumbled amid continuing instability in the region. Saudi Arabia’s index fell to a 23-month low, while Dubai and Kuwait hit six-year lows.

Wikileaks has embarrassed several Arab leaders. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri both urged the United States to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Leading figures in Qatar and Bahrain, who remain neutral in public, expressed deep hostility towards Iran in private.

Iraq held its first big auction of gasfields since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Licenses were awarded to Kuwait and Turkey, among others. Iraq aspires to become a gas supplier to the EU, as well avert its domestic electricity shortage by building gas-powered generators.

The Obama administration has announced that it plans to sell US$ 90 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia in the coming decade. The package would be the USA’s largest-ever weapons sale, and includes dozens of fighter jets which could be used in any future confrontation with nuclear-armed Iran.

Iraq’s minister for electricity resigned after protests following a failing energy supply in certain areas. Many towns had energy for less than 3 hours per day, amid temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius.

The Baghdad headquarters of the Trader Bank of Iraq was attacked by insurgents thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda, killing at least 26 people. The assault followed the storming of the country’s central bank last week, leaving at least 18 dead.

Iraq’s Supreme Court ratified the results of Iraq’s general election, ruling that Iyad Allawi’s party had won. There are still no signs of a coalition government being formed soon.

Saudi Arabia began issuing wedding contracts in which the age of the bride must be given, in an effort to stop child marriages.