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The US is hoping that the "example" of the Tunisian uprising will bring reform to other parts of the region, Jeffrey Feltman, the country's top-ranking envoy for the Middle East, has said on a visit to the capital Tunis. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian president, whom Washington considered one of its staunch allies, fled the country amid violent protests on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power. "I certainly expect that we'll be using the Tunisian example" in talks with other Arab governments, Feltman told journalists in the Tunisian capital. "The challenges being faced in many parts of the world, particularly in the Arab world, are the same and we hope people will be addressing legitimate political, social, economic grievances," he said. Feltman said he would travel to France on Wednesday for talks on the situation in Tunisia and Lebanon following the visit to Tunis. Hundreds of people rallied for the first time in support of Tunisi

1999 May: Ehud Barak of the Labour Party is elected prime minister under the One Israel banner. 2000 July: The Camp David summit between Barak, and Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority, aimed at reaching a "final status" agreement, fails after Arafat refuses to accept a proposal drafted by the US and Israeli negotiators. September: Second initifada begins after Ariel Sharon, the Israeli opposition leader, visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 2001 February 6: Sharon is elected the leader of the Likud party and refuses to continue negotiations with Arafat. June 1: A Hamas suicide bomber attacks a nightclub, killing 21 Israelis, mainly teenagers, and injuring more than 100. December: Sharon sends troops into Ramallah, shelling and surrounding the Palestinian Authority's West Bank headquarters; Arafat is unable to leave. 2002 March: Israeli army launches Operation Defensive Shield, the country's biggest military operation in the West Bank sinc

Britain's economy shrank by 0.5 per cent in the last quarter of 2010, figures reveal, raising fears of a double-dip recession. The Office for National Statistics said December's severe winter weather was largely to blame for the surprising figures, which show the first contraction of growth since the third quarter of 2009. "The disruption caused by the bad weather in December is likely to have contributed to most of the 0.5 per cent decline, that is, if there had been no disruption, GDP would be showing a flattish picture rather than declining," it said in a statement. Analysts had previously been expecting modest growth of 0.4 per cent for that quarter. The figure is likely to spark concerns over the strength of the British economy as the coalition government brings in a raft of austerity measures aimed at curbing the country's national deficit. The measures include dramatic cuts to public services including hundreds of thousands of public sector job losses

Najib Mikati has won as Prime Minister of Lebanon in an election held today (January 25, 2011). Lawmakers in Beirut voted on Tuesday to back Najib Mikati, the candidate Hezbollah had proposed, as a prime minister. He gained 68 votes to Hariri's 60, putting the Hezbollah-led opposition in a position to form a government.  The nomination of Najib Mikati is seen as a victory for Hezbollah, which is trying to fend off a U.N.-backed tribunal set up in 2005 to try the killers of statesman Rafik al-Hariri and which is expected to accuse members of the Shi'ite group. Sunni Muslims loyal to outgoing premier Saad al-Hariri, Rafik's son who has Western and Saudi backing, staged a "day of rage" to protest the appointment of Sunni billionaire Mikati, a centrist lawmaker with ties to both Saudi Arabia and Syria. Demonstrations were called across the country, with thousands gathering in the northern city of Tripoli, and on the highway linking Beirut with the southern port ci

Crude futures fell more than $1 on Tuesday after an overnight rate increase in India and a surprise contraction in the UK economy fanned concerns about the pace of the global recovery, and ahead of an expected build-up in U.S. inventories due later. By 1257 GMT, U.S. crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down $1.23 at $86.64 a barrel. Brent future prices were down $1.19 to $95.42 a barrel. India's overnight interest rate increase was accompanied by a central bank warning that stronger inflation risks remained, renewing concerns that oil-hungry emerging economies could temper their demand growth. "Everything is down today, not just crude," Commerzbank's Carsten Fritsch said, as copper fell more than two percent and gold fell to its lowest in ten weeks. "We saw a similar price move already last week when there was concern about further tightening in China, but it proved to be short-lived." A surprise contraction in fourth-quarter UK GDP also

Gold fell to a near three-month low on Tuesday, putting the metal on course for its worst monthly performance in 13 months as safe-haven demand evaporated and investors booked further profits on the 2010 rally. Spot gold fell as low as $1,322.70 an ounce and was bid at $1.327.70 an ounce at 1409 GMT, against $1,334.25 late in New York on Monday. U.S. gold futures for February delivery fell $16.80 to $1,327.70. Spot prices are on course for a 6.4 percent decline in January, which would be the biggest monthly fall since a 7-percent drop in December 2009. Selling is largely a consequence of a current run of positive economic data. "(We forecast gold) to have a bad first quarter," said Mitsubishi analyst Matthew Turner. "Economic data ended the year quite strongly and I thought if it carried on strongly, interest rate expectations would start to rise. "But maybe the economic outlook isn't as rosy as people think, and maybe we will see a recovery (in gold prices

Intel Corp (INTC.O) raised its dividend by 15 percent and authorized another $10 billion in its share buyback program after posting solid results earlier this month. The chipmaker declared a quarterly dividend of 18.12 cents per share on Monday. Intel's board also increased its share buyback program by an additional $10 billion, increasing the overall outstanding buyback to $14.2 billion. "Today's announcement signals confidence in our fundamental business strategies both today and looking forward," Paul Otellini, Intel president and chief executive, said in a statement. On January 13 Intel posted better-than expected revenue and margins for the fourth quarter, defying worries about the chipmaker's minor role in the booming smartphone and tablet computer market. Shares of Intel were up 1.4 percent at $21.12 in early trade.