YEMEN’S acting leader has put forward a new plan to end the country’s political stalemate, which would keep President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power longer than previously outlined.

YEMEN’S president has warned his country would descend into civil war if he were forced to quit and the US voiced concern about instability in the Arabian state that has become an al-Qaida stronghold.

SHOCKWAVES from the ousting of presidents in Tunisia and Egypt continued to roll across north Africa and the Middle East yesterday, with peoples long subject to autocratic rule demanding to be heard.

YEMEN will refuse to hand over a US-born, al-Qaida-linked cleric to the United States if he is captured because its law bans extradition of citizens, an official said yesterday.

YEMEN’S president said he is ready to open a dialogue with al-Qaida fighters who lay down their weapons and renounce violence, despite US pressure to crack down on the terror group.