YEMEN President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a Gulf initiative last night to hand over power to his deputy as part of a proposal to end months of protests that have pushed the Arab country to the brink of civil war.

PRESIDENT Bashar al-Assad extended a tank onslaught in Syria’s Sunni Muslim tribal heartland, residents said, in an escalating crackdown on protesters that prompted an extraordinary rebuke from the Saudi king warning the Syrian leader to adopt reforms or risk defeat.

YEMENI President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a transition of power deal yesterday, saying it would push the country toward civil war.

Twelve protesters were killed when Yemeni security forces opened fire on a massive anti-government demonstration in the capital Sanaa.

Yemen’s embattled president agreed to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a major about-face for the autocratic leader who has ruled for 32 years.

The head of a grouping of Gulf Arab nations has presented a new proposal to Yemen's embattled president to resolve the country's crisis, calling on him to hand over power to a successor of his choice and leave within a month, according to a senior government official.

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have converged in the capital for rival demonstrations, with some demanding the president's removal and others showing their support.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have converged in the capital for rival demonstrations, with some demanding the president’s removal and others showing their support.

Military forces and police snipers opened fire today on marchers calling for the removal of Yemen’s embattled president, killing at least 12 people.

BAHRAIN has foiled a “foreign plot” to target Gulf countries, King Hamad said in a possible reference to Iran, after security forces crushed Shi’ite-led unrest, the state news agency reported.

SAUDI ARABIA has sent troops into Bahrain to help put down weeks of protests by the Shi’ite Muslim majority, a move opponents of the Sunni ruling family called a declaration of war.

IRAN yesterday said the US transfer of power to Iraq was a “positive step” toward the holding of free elections and withdrawal of foreign troops.

Saudi Arabia has been quietly helping the US set up for a war against Iraq, even as it spent months vocally opposing one.

ISLAMIC leaders will gather in Qatar tomorrow Wednesday for an emergency summit in yet another 11th-hour bid by a regional organisation to convince the US to forgo plans to invade and occupy Iraq.