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The possibility that the Presidency Council may yet veto the election law passed by parliament in early November means that the January 2010 election timetable is still in doubt. Analysts gave a cautious welcome after 141 of parliament’s 275 deputies voted for the law, saying it was an indication that the elections could be held on time. This is vital, not only to reinforce the democratic system’s legitimacy, but also to start the clock on United States’ military withdrawal and the next stage of Iraq’s political and social development.

Sarko meeting; SEC reshuffle; Swine flu; Yemen crisis, foreign meetings; Term extended

The security outlook is worrying and the political future remains cloudy with less than ten weeks to organise a general election, but some things appear to be going right for Iraq at last. Three major oil field service contracts hold out the prospect of financial stability, while MoO and leading IOCs have found common ground after years of failure, raising optimism about the second round of licensing

Re-elected

The government has stressed the Iranian connection in recent communiqués on the northern conflict. Houthi leader Badreddin Al-Houthi exposed his movement to charges of Iranian backing by contacting Shia marjas (spiritual leaders) in Najaf and Qom, drawing stern criticism of government crackdowns from Shia notables such as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. Iranian state media has strongly criticised the

Wedding

Former federal deputy prime minister Barham Saleh took over as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prime minister on 29 October, three months after parliamentary elections in the region. Saleh has cut the number of ministers from 27 to 19, and dispensed with eight ministers without portfolio.

Qatar meeting; To Geneva; Oman, The Hague; Belgium meetings; Funeral; Funeral; Not a rebel

On 2 November, King Abdullah appointed Prince Mansour Bin Mitab Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud as municipal and rural affairs minister. Mansour's father, Prince Mitab, who has a record of government service dating

Humanitarian concerns have forced a ceasefire in Yemen’s murderous Al-Houthi conflict amid signs that the Arab-Iranian ‘cold war’ is hotting up. With Saudi Arabia and Egypt joining the US in seeing wider regional significance in what has long been understood as a localised conflict, Ali Abdullah Saleh is looking to exploit a difficult situation

In an often fractious political scene, the 1962 document is the foundation upon which all Kuwaitis agree – and it is now working in favour of women’s freedoms

Egypt’s role in the alliance gathered behind Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s efforts to crush the Houthi rebellion suggests the ‘sleeping giant’ of Middle East politics has not entirely withdrawn from its central role in regional diplomacy. Cairo still plays an important part in mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, most recently in trying to heal the fratricidal rift between Fatah and Hamas. But otherwise, Egypt under 81-year-old President Hosni Mubarak seems to have long parted from its Nasserite status as a critical hub for Arab political and cultural thought and action.

Syria rapprochement; Egypt meetings; In Washington; Death; Condolences; French meetings; A number of nuptials

Despite the slow but steady progress now being made on policy issues, the prospect of an old-style ministerial grilling threatens Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed and may lead to the dissolution of parliament

Everyone from ‘Great Satan’ America to Al-Qaeda has been blamed for a suicide bombing that targeted senior IRGC commanders in Sistan va Baluchistan. The incident points to deepening confrontation in sensitive, often ethnically distinct border regions such as Khuzestan province, where Tehran has rejected all challenges to its authority