Protests in Egypt have dominated international headlines of late, but signs of unrest are prevalent in several countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Emboldened by an uprising in Tunisia, which saw the nation's president of almost a quarter century flee to Saudi Arabia, protesters have staged similar demonstrations from Lebanon to Yemen to Algeria.
In Egypt, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq apologized for the violent attacks on protesters as the military took position between pro- and anti-President Hosni Mubarak supporters.
In Jordan, King Abdullah II responded to protests in his country by dismissing earlier this week his entire government, including Prime Minister Samir al-Rifai. The king directed new Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, an ex-intelligence chief, to tackle corruption, enact political reform, spur development and strengthen democracy.
In Yemen, In an apparent attempt to head off the unrest witnessed in other countries, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said recently said he would not seek re-election and would not pass power to his son.
In Syria, after seeing unrest in the region, the junior al-Assad said he would push for political reforms in his own country because waiting for protests like those in Egypt and Tunisia might make it "too late to do any reform."
In Tunisia, the north African nation of 11 million has issued an arrest warrant for its deposed president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, as well as his wife and several relatives. They face charges including maintaining and exporting foreign currency illegally, carrying weapons and ammunition without licenses and inciting armed violence among Tunisians. The ex-leader fled to Saudi Arabia last month after mass protests that left more than 100 people dead.
Sudan Already faced with the expected secession of its oil-rich south and charges of genocide against President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's government is now seeing signs of unrest. Police clashed with students in the capital Khartoum on Sunday as the protesters chanted, "Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan together as one."
In Lebanon, protests erupted last month as President Michel Suleiman appointed Najib Mikati, a Hezbollah-backed politician, as prime minister. Supporters of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri saw the move as a power grab by the Shiite movement that enjoys Iranian support and is designated a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department.
In Algeria, responding to unrest in the region, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he would lift the state of emergency in effect for nearly 20 years, CNN reported.
