departure

of the president's son Gamal from his key role in the party, for years, a power base somewhat was thought to be his attempt to succeed his father as president. Along with Gamal Mubarak, the entire leadership of the party resigned, though some were re-appointed. A leading liberal in the party becomes general secretary. The aim appears to be to put a softer face on the Egyptian government.

Police in Tunisia have shot dead two people who were among a crowd which attacked a police station in the northern town of Kef. The interior ministry said they'd been demonstrating against a local police commander, accusing him of an abuse of power. In another development, the nationwide night-time curfew imposed during anti-government protests last month has been

shorten

ed by two hours.

A nuclear arms reduction treaty that's been a

cornerstone

of President Obama's attempts to rebuild US relations with Russia has

come into effect

. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged papers

ratify

ing the Start treaty during the international security conference in the German city of Munich. Sam Wilson reports.

Hillary Clinton and Sergei Lavrov grinned broadly as they exchanged the ratification documents signed by the presidents of Russia and the United States. The agreement limits the number of strategic warheads each side can possess to just over 1,500, down from 2,200.