The Contagion Today

US condemns Iran arrests, intimidation "It has been made clear to the world that Iran denies its citizens the same fundamental rights it continues to applaud elsewhere in the Middle East.

EU to discuss sanctions against over 80 Iranian officials The sanctions aimed to penalize only the members of the Iranian regime and military apparatus who were responsible for crushing the pro-democracy protests in 2009.

Libya violence shocks Maghreb neighbors Mauritanian youth voice outrage over the attacks on Libyan civilians; Morocco calls for an end to the bloodshed.

Tunisia – A new PM named after resignation Tunisia's interim president, Foued Mebazaa, named Beji Caid-Essebsi, a former government minister as prime minister.

Factbox: Facts about Oman (Reuters) - Police and demonstrators demanding political reform clashed in Oman on Sunday, killing two people, and protesters set government buildings and cars ablaze, witnesses said.

Middle East unrest spreads to Oman One protester killed by security forces in Omani town of Sohar, while Bahrain stages peaceful demonstration and Saudi intellectuals call on king to relinquish many powers

Yemen - President Ali Abdullah Saleh vows to resist Yemen protests SANAA: Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed to defend his three-decade regime "with every drop of blood", accusing opponents of hijacking protests in a ploy to split the nation.

Yemen - The Tribe Has Spoken: Yemen's Powerbrokers Step In As protesters continue to hit the streets of Yemen's cities, another battle is being fought behind closed doors — this one for the hearts and minds of the nation's tribal leaders. After a prominent sheikh quit the party of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh this weekend, pressure is mounting for other tribal chieftains around the country to jump off the fence and proclaim their allegiances.

Egypt to call referendum, open up politics-lawyer CAIRO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Egypt's military rulers are likely this week to lift restrictions that have long crushed political opposition and call a referendum on constitutional reforms next month, a lawyer who helped draft the changes said on Sunday. (No Bill of Rights on the horizon so far)

Libya exodus sparks border crisis Libya's border with Tunisia is being overrun with migrants, many of them from Egypt, fleeing turmoil in Libya, aid workers say. A UN refugee official told the BBC that 20,000 Egyptians were stranded and needed food and shelter. Many are sleeping in the open despite the cold.

Egypt's Moussa yet to make decision on presidency ' CAIRO Feb 27 (Reuters) - Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has yet to decide whether to run for the Egyptian presidency, an official in office said, responding to a media report that said he intended to do so.

Libya rebels form council, oppose foreign intervention BENGHAZI, Libya, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Rebels in eastern Libya said on Sunday they had formed a national council, pledging to help free areas of the country still under Muammar Gaddafi's rule and describing the council as the face of the revolution.

Libyan rebels prepare for offensive Hundreds of armed anti-government forces backed by military defectors who control the city closest to the capital Tripoli are preparing to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi surrounding Zawiya.

'Men Found Buried Alive' At Gaddafi Compound Sky News has uncovered disturbing new evidence of the barbarity of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya east, where the opposition movement has seized control.

Anti-Gaddafi Protesters Control Key Town Anti-government protesters were in control of a key town just 30 miles from the capital Tripoli as international pressure grew on Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.