Yemen names interim PM, violence kills at least 25 in north

Yemen named an opposition leader as interim prime minister under a deal aimed at ending months of protests which have brought the country to the verge of civil war.

However, unrest continued to plague Yemen with violence between Shi'ite rebels and Sunni Islamists killing at least 25 people in the north - including six foreign citizens, according to the Sunni side.

Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named as premier Mohammed Basindwa, a foreign minister from 1993 to 1994 who later joined the opposition, the state news agency Saba said.

Basindwa is to form a new government under the deal signed in Riyadh last Wednesday when President Ali Abdullah Saleh transferred his powers to his deputy.

On Saturday Hadi also called early presidential elections for Feb. 21 under the agreement with the opposition to resolve the crisis resulting from 10 months of pro-democracy demonstrations demanding an end to Saleh's 33-year rule.

If the agreement, sponsored by the Gulf states, goes according to plan, Saleh will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations that have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East.

Opposition parties agreed on Friday to nominate Basindwa, the head of an alliance that led the protests against Saleh, to form the new government. Under the Gulf-sponsored agreement, Saleh will receive immunity from prosecution and keep his title until a successor is elected.

Hundreds of people have been killed during the anti-Saleh protests. The political deadlock has reignited conflicts with separatists and militants, raising fears that al Qaeda's Yemen-based regional wing could take a foothold on the borders of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter.