TUNISIA

Jordanian activists rallied outside government offices Saturday as they tried to step up their campaign to force Prime Minister Samir Rifai to step down.

Desperate to return to work after weeks of protests brought Tunis to a standstill, shopkeepers armed with sticks and knives guarded the entrance to the covered market on Saturday and pushed back a small gang of protesters.

Algerian food processor Cevital expects to increase raw sugar imports this year to 1.6 million tonnes to allow it to double exports of white sugar from its refinery, Cevital's chief executive said.

The government of Canada is preparing to arrest and deport Belhassen Trabelsi, a billionaire and also the brother-in-law of the recently deposed Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Saudi Arabia’s state news agency reported that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud criticized the protestors (claiming they are instigated by infiltrators) and strongly backed Mubarak

Like Don Corleone, Mubarak exudes an air of imperious placidity and cooperation (while commanding a fearsome army of killers and enforcers behind him). Also, like the godfather, he seems committed to having his son Gamal succeed him when he dies.

When Westerners unfamiliar with Egypt heard that tanks were rolling into the streets of Cairo, they assumed it was bad news

Never shy about sharing his opinion, Vice President Biden had some controversial comments about Egypt’s 30-year ruler Hosni Mubarak.

The situation in Egypt is, as they say, fluid, with rioting in Cairo, protestors clashing with police, vehicles set afire and a prominent Egyptian who returned home to foster democracy placed under house arrest. The president, Hosni Mubarak, has not been seen nor heard from in days. His wife has, by some reports, fled the country. The world is watching and no one can predict what may happen next.

Egypt has officially cut off Internet access to the country, marking the first time in the history of the Internet when a nation-state has gone dark. Other nations, though, seem reluctant to follow suit.

Richard C. Kang, chief investment officer & director of research at Emerging Global Advisors spoke to IB Times about the political unrest in North Africa and implications for investors

A live blog of Al Jazeera's coverage of the riots and unrest in Egypt.

They are young, street smart and their pride at being Egyptian trumps any religious loyalty. They have mobilized behind a single aim: the toppling of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.

The government of Syria has apparently shut down all Internet activity in the country, coming on the heels of a similar web suspension by riot-torn Egypt, according to a report in Al Arabiya.

Poverty and unemployment reared their heads at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, with speakers urging the elite audience to bridge a growing gap between booming multinationals and the jobless poor.

Egypt appears to have blocked all access to internet in the midst of anti-government demonstrations. US-based Web site Renesys said it has observed virtually simultaneous withdrawal of all routes to Egyptian networks in the Internet's global routing table, just after mid night, local time.

Escalating tensions and persistent protests have now prompted the government of Egypt to completely block all access to internet as well as SMS services.

Tunisia’s Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane has resigned from the embattled country's new interim government, according to state TV, in the wake of street demonstrations who demand the removal of any ally of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from the new regime.

Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa Thursday to demand a change of government, inspired by the unrest that has ousted Tunisia's leader and spread to Egypt this week.

Egyptian police fought protesters in two cities in eastern Egypt on Thursday and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei headed back to the country to join demonstrators trying to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

African economic growth is heading back to pre-crisis growth levels, propelled by strong demand for its resources and increased South-South investment, notably from China.