Arab officials will prepare plans for sanctions against Syria on November 26 over its failure to let Arab League monitors oversee an initiative aimed at ending a violent crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

Prime Minister-designate Kamal Ganzouri on November 25 asked Egyptians to "give me a chance" as tens of thousands were rallying in Cairo against the military rulers.

The Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party on November 24 agreed on more steps to complete their reconciliation.

France and Germany agreed on November 24 to stop arguing in public over whether the European Central Bank (ECB) should do more to rescue the euro zone from a deepening sovereign debt crisis.

Kamal Ganzouri has agreed to become Egypt's prime minister and will form a new government, an Egyptian army spokesman said on November 24.  

Syria faces a deadline on November 25 to sign an Arab deal allowing monitors into the country or incur sanctions over its crackdown on protests including halting flights, curbing trade and stopping deals with the central bank.  

Iraq and Turkey have agreed to allow flights between their countries, ending a mutual ban that began with a dispute about how an Iraqi government oil company owed millions of dollars to Turkey, Iraqi officials said on November 25.  

The Pakistani Taliban says it has not declared a cease-fire or entered into peace talks with the government, as it claims responsibility for a deadly attack on a police station.

France has called for a "secured zone to protect civilians" in Syria, the first time a major Western power has suggested international intervention on the ground in the eight-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that missiles could be deployed on the EU's borders if the US pursues its missile defence plans.