BBC News with David Legge
The President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, has announced that long-standing emergency laws will be lifted in the next week. In a televised address to the newly-formed Syrian government, President Assad said the measure, which has been one of the main demands of anti-government protesters, would strengthen unity in the country, but he said new security legislation would be introduced
in place of
the emergency laws.
"The law should be firm with those who are aiming to
sabotage
or follow destruction. Reform is reform; destruction is destruction; sabotage is sabotage. We cannot allow people's security to be
at stake
. People, Syrian people, is organised. It needs law. It doesn't accept chaos."
An Egyptian court has ordered the
dissolution
of the political party of the former President Hosni Mubarak. The court said the assets of the National Democratic Party will be
confiscate
d. The party has ruled Egypt for more than 30 years. Yolande Knell reports from Cairo.
The site of the National Democratic Party headquarters in flames at the edge of Tahrir Square in Cairo was one of the defining early moments of Egypt's popular uprising. Local offices across the country were also attacked in anti-government protests. Egyptian state television said the Higher Administrative Court had now ruled to officially dissolve the NDP and have its
considerable