Tunisia police teargas protesters

Police in Tunisia have fired tear gas at hundreds of Islamists demonstrating in the capital, Tunis, reports say.

One of the protests took place outside a private TV station which has angered Islamists by screening an animated film which critics accuse of blasphemy for including an image of God.

It was the second rally outside the Nessma TV station in a week after it broadcast "Persepolis", which deals with Iran's 1979 revolution.

Tunisia goes to the polls next week.

The elections, for a constitutional assembly, will be held on 23 October.

These will be the first polls in Tunisia since long-time President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in an uprising in January.

Correspondents say that with the autocratic government of Ben Ali gone, more conservative Muslims are making themselves heard.

Syria uprising: UN says protest death toll hits 3,000

Protests, as here in Amude, have been continuing against President Assad for seven months

The United Nations has said 3,000 people have been killed in Syria, in the protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said at least 187 children were among the dead.

The UN also says hundreds have been arrested since the protests began seven months ago.

Activists say at least seven more protesters were shot dead by security forces following Friday prayers.

The UN report said 100 people had died in the past 10 days.

The government in Damascus blames armed "terrorist gangs" for the trouble, and says 1,100 members of the security forces have been killed.

Resolution vetoed
Ms Pillay warned that Syria's "ruthless repression" threatened to drive Syria to "full-blown civil war".

"The onus is on all members of the international community to take protective action in a collective manner," she said.

UN spokesman Rupert Colville added that hundreds of Syrians had been detained and tortured or had disappeared.

He said that families who supported the opposition had been targeted by the Syrian government both inside the country and abroad.

A European-drafted UN resolution threatening "measures" against the Syrian regime if it did not end its repression of the protests was vetoed this month by China and Russia.
But both Beijing and Moscow have also recently urged Damascus to adopt promised reforms swiftly - a sign, correspondents say, that they too may be losing patience with the Assad government.

Mr Colville said that the diplomatic moves so far were "not producing results and people continue to be killed every single day".

He added: "Just hoping things will get better isn't good enough, clearly."

In its reports of violence from Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said that at least 36 people had been killed, including 25 soldiers.

The worst violence was in the north-western town of Banash.

It said there were also deaths in Deraa, south of Damascus, and the central city of Homs, which has been one of the biggest flashpoints of the uprising.

On Friday, activists reported that at least seven people were killed when security forces opened fire on protesters in the town of Dael, near Deraa.

There were reports of other deaths from suburbs of Damascus and the northern town of Aleppo.

Although there has been some trouble in its suburbs, Damascus has not been so greatly affected as other areas in recent months.

Thousands of people rallied in the capital on Wednesday to back the president.

Thousands rallied in Damascus on Wednesday to support the president

Clashes in Syria leave 19 dead - rights activists

Anti-government protests have been going on since March

At least 19 people have been killed in continuing unrest across Syria, activists have said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 people died when government troops attacked the northern town of Banash.

In the southern town of Haara, armed men killed at least nine soldiers.

The UN says nearly 3,000 Syrians have died since protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad began in March.

Activists say tens of thousands of Syrians have been arrested.

The Syrian authorities have banned most foreign media, making it difficult to independently verify such reports.

The government in Damascus blames armed "terrorist gangs" for the trouble, and says 1,100 members of the security forces have been killed.

China and Russia earlier this month vetoed a European-drafted UN resolution threatening "measures" against the Syrian regime if it did not end its repression of the protests.

But both Beijing and Moscow have also recently urged Damascus to adopt promised reforms swiftly - a sign, correspondents say, that they too may be losing patience with the Assad government.

Iraq bombs: Police targeted in capital Baghdad

There has been a resurgence of suicide attacks in Baghdad

Five car bombs in Baghdad have killed at least 17 people, including police officers, officials say.

Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vehicles minutes apart in north-western Hurriya district and central al-Wiya district, reports said.

They killed 11 and at least another six died in other car bombs, police said.

The resurgence of suicide attacks inside the capital is a worrying development even by Iraqi standards, says the BBC's Rami Ruhayem in Baghdad.

It comes as the last US troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.

Police targeted
In Wednesday morning's attacks, one of the suicide bombers struck at al-Wiya police station, located at one of Baghdad's main road junctions.

Another drove his car into the police checkpoint in the Hurriya neighbourhood, a busy residential area - and reportedly a stronghold of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - which is surrounded by blast walls.

At least 42 people were injured in those two attacks.

In other attacks in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday officials said:

A car bomb targeted a police patrol in the south of the city, killing three
Two police died in a roadside bomb attack in the west of the city
Another roadside bomb, also in a western district, targeted an Iraqi army patrol but killed one civilian
There were further violent incidents which caused injuries, AFP news agency reported - a silenced pistol attack on a checkpoint and a magnetic "sticky bomb" attached to a car
A further two car bombs were detected and dismantled, according to al-Iraqiya TV in Baghdad
The military spokesman for Baghdad, Qassim al-Moussawi, blamed al-Qaeda for the attacks, saying they were an attempt to show people that the militants were still active.

"Every three months or so, al-Qaeda mobilises all its resources to launch such attacks in one day to say that al-Qaeda is still able to attack and threaten security posts," he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Wednesday's attacks will intensify concerns about the security situation in the capital as the last US forces prepare to leave - though reports suggest Washington and Baghdad are discussing whether to leave some US forces behind as trainers.

At least nine people died in three blasts in Baghdad on Monday.

Correspondents say police are especially vulnerable to such attacks as they do not boast the heavy equipment or weapons of the Iraqi army. The army has also received the bulk of US training assistance.

Gilad Shalit: Israel and Palestinians welcome deal

People took to the streets in Jerusalem and Gaza City to celebrate the deal

Israelis and Palestinians have welcomed the announcement of a deal to free captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Crowds of Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem in celebration at the news, while similar scenes were played out among Palestinians in Gaza.

The deal was announced on Tuesday by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Under the terms, more than 1,000 Palestinians and Sgt Shalit, held since 2006, will be freed, beginning in days.

Sgt Shalit, aged 19 at the time, was snatched in a cross-border raid by Hamas militants who tunnelled from Gaza into Israel.

On-off negotiations for his release have taken place for several years.

'Tough decision'

At an emergency meeting on Tuesday night, Israel's cabinet voted overwhelmingly to accept a final deal.

"This is a tough decision," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I believe we reached the best deal we could at this time of turbulence in the Middle East. I do not know if in the forseeable future we will be able to reach a better deal, or any deal at all."
In Jerusalem, hundreds of young Israelis - many carrying pictures of Sgt Shalit - danced and sang in the streets following the surprise announcement.

"I think it's a deal that should happen and I'm sorry it didn't happen many many years ago," a Jerusalem resident, Nachum, told Reuters news agency.

"Every human being must be for the deal."

Yarra Vinkler, the girlfriend of Gilad Shalit's brother, told the BBC the family were relieved.

"We just congratulated the government, we thank them that it finally happened."

In Gaza, Hamas said tens of thousands of people took to the streets in celebration over the imminent Palestinian prisoner release.

Witnesses described jubilant crowds firing guns into the air and honking car horns.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, speaking from exile in Syria, said the deal was "a great achievement, a qualitative success".

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the agreement "a cause for national celebration", Reuters reported.

The breakthrough was also welcomed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who telephoned the father of Sgt Shalit, an Israeli-French national, to express his "joy that Gilad will soon be released", AFP news agency said.

Exclusions

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Jerusalem says both the Israeli government and Hamas will try to make political capital out of the deal.

In Israel most families have relatives in the military and the plight of Gilad Shalit, one of the best known faces in the country, has touched Israeli hearts, he says.
Hamas argue his case is no different though from the 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, our correspondent adds.

Several high-profile Palestinian prisoners have been excluded from the release deal, a senior Israeli official said.

They include key Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti; Ahmed Saadat, found guilty of ordering the killing of Israel's tourism minister in 2001; and Hamas' Abdullah Barghouti.

Full details of the deal have not yet been released, but Mr Meshaal said Israel had agreed to free 1,027 prisoners - including 27 women.
Publish Post
Reports said the first 450 prisoners would be freed in the coming days, with the rest being released over the next two months.

There are about 5,000 Palestinians held by Israel - some of whom have been convicted of serious crimes, but others are being held without charge.

Gilad Shalit: Israel and Hamas agree prisoner swap deal

Gilad Shalit has been held by Palestinian militants for the past five years

Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal for the release of Sgt Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage by Palestinian militants for five years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal had been reached after arduous talks, and that Sgt Shalit would be back with his family "within days".

Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Sgt Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid in 2006, and attempts to negotiate his release have failed.

Mr Netanyahu said in a national TV address: "We have concluded arduous negotiations with Hamas to release Gilad Shalit. He will be coming home in the next few days."

Sgt Shalit's continued detention is a hugely emotive issue in Israel, where his family have maintained a high profile campaign for his release.

However, there are many Israelis who have had family members killed by Palestinian militants and object in principle to any mass release of prisoners.

Several high-profile Palestinian prisoners have been excluded from the release deal, a senior Israeli offical said.

The deal was confirmed in the Israeli cabinet by a 26-3 vote, following a heated three-hour debate.

"This is a difficult decision, but leadership is tested at moments like this, on the ability to make difficult decisions," said Mr Netanyahu said in a statement.

'Window of opportunity'
The militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said in a statement that there were tens of thousands of people on the streets celebrating the deal.
Witnesses described celebratory crowds firing guns into the air and honking car horns.

The group's leader Khaled Meshaal, who is in exile in Syria, appeared on TV to hail the swap deal as a victory for the Palestinian people.

He said the Israelis had agreed to free 1,027 prisoners - including 27 women.

However, several high-profile Palestinian prisoners will not be released, Yoram Cohen, head of Israel's Shin Bet internal intelligence service, said.

Those not due for release include key Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, found guilty of ordering the killing of Israel's tourism minister in 2001, and Hamas' Abdullah Barghouti.

Reports said the first 450 prisoners would be freed in the coming days, with the rest being released over the next two months.

"It is a great achievement, a qualitative success," said Mr Meshaal.

"Because of this accord, there will no longer be any women in the jails of the enemy."

He promised to carry on working to free every Palestinian prisoner held in Israeli jails.

There are about 5,000 Palestinians held by Israel - some of whom have been convicted of serious crimes, but others are being held without charge.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Jerusalem says Sgt Shalit's family and the families of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will not believe a deal has been done until their relatives are home.

Israel's Channel 2 TV reported that both sides had shown greater flexibility in recent talks.

Indirect talks over the 25-year-old's release have been going on for years, with Egypt and Germany mediating.

In October 2009, Hamas released a video of the soldier calling on Mr Netanyahu to do everything to free him.

Egypt minister Hazem el-Beblawi quits over Coptic rally

Mr Beblawi said the government was ultimately responsible for the violence

Egypt's Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, who was appointed by the ruling military council after popular protests earlier this year, has resigned, officials and media say.

Mr Beblawi, who was also deputy PM, quit over the government's handling of a Christian Coptic protest on Sunday, they said.

It ended in clashes between the army and protesters in which 25 were killed.

The ruling military council has ordered a swift inquiry into the violence.

Grievances
"Despite the fact that there might not be direct responsibility on the government's part, responsibility lies, ultimately, with the government," state news agency Mena quoted Mr Beblawi as saying.

"The current circumstances are very difficult and require a new and different way of thinking and working," he said.

His resignation came as members of the Coptic Christian community began a three-day fast to mourn those killed.

The ruling military council, which was handed the power to govern by President Hosni Mubarak before he was ousted in the popular revolt, is in temporary charge of the country while elections are organised.

The Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt's 85 million population, have a number of grievances against the interim administration.

They say the authorities have been slow to punish radical Islamists who have attacked their churches.

Sunday's protest was sparked by the burning down of a church in the southern Aswan province last month.

About 2,000 people gathered in Cairo for an initially peaceful rally to protest against its destruction. But fighting soon broke out, involving protesters, residents and troops.

Syria unrest: Medvedev urges Assad to reform or go

President Assad has blamed Syria's unrest on armed gangs

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called on Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to launch promised reforms or step down as the country's leader.

But he said this decision should be taken by the Syrian people and the Syrian leadership, and not by Nato or "certain European countries".

President Assad has used the army to try to quell months of anti-government protests but has also pledged reforms.

Activists said seven people were killed in protests after Friday prayers.

The UN estimates 2,900 people died since the protests began in March.

Mr Assad has blamed the violence on armed gangs.

"Russia wants as much as the other countries for Syria to end the bloodshed and demands that the Syrian leadership conduct the necessary reforms," Mr Medvedev said on Russian television.

"If the Syrian leadership is incapable of conducting such reforms, it will have to go, but this decision should be taken not in Nato or certain European countries, it should be taken by the Syrian people and the Syrian leadership."

Mr Medvedev has previously called for Syria to launch reforms but has stopped short of saying Mr Assad should step down if he does not implement them.

The Syrian government has said it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to opposition members.

Mr Assad has announced local elections for December and parliamentary elections for February.

Analysts warn that the protesters, who began demanding reforms but are now calling for the overthrow of Mr Assad, are increasingly resorting to the use of force.

There are reports of a number of army deserters joining the protesters.

'Terrorists'
On Tuesday, Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria for the crackdown on protesters.

The European-drafted proposal had already been watered down to try to avoid the vetoes, with a direct reference to sanctions against Damascus dropped.

But Moscow and Beijing said the draft contained no provision against outside military intervention in Syria.

They accuse Nato countries of abusing UN resolutions on Libya to launch air strikes in aid of rebel forces against Col Muammar Gaddafi's troops.

Meanwhile, activists said seven people were killed after security forces opened fire to try to disperse protests after Friday prayers.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in the central city of Homs when security forces opened fire on crowds leaving mosques.

And the group said snipers killed three people in the Damascus suburb of Douma, one of the few districts of Syria's capital to be touched by the anti-government protests.

Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said his country was "grappling with terrorist threats".

He said he would provide the 47-state Council a list "more than 1,100 people who have been killed by the terrorists", including civil servants and police.

Syrian troops 'kill Syrian farmer in Lebanon'

The Syrian army has been fighting to contain protests in cities across the country

Syrian forces have crossed into Lebanese territory and shot dead a Syrian man living in a border area, reports say.

The man killed was reportedly a farmer living in a remote area of Lebanon's eastern Bekaa region. It was not clear why he was targeted.

It follows an incursion by Syrian tanks earlier this week, raising fears that Syria's unrest is spreading.

Some 5,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon in recent months.

They include deserting soldiers and opposition members fleeing a crackdown on protesters by the Syrian government.

At least 2,900 people have died in Syria since the uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad began in March.

Porous border
According to reports, Syrian army vehicles crossed the border near Saaba, in the Bekaa region, and attacked farmers and their homes.

Witnesses said several buildings were damaged.

A Lebanese official told AFP news agency as saying the body of the Syrian man who died was left lying at the site, and that an investigation was under way.

It is unclear why the man, named as Ali al-Khatib - who was married to a Lebanese woman and living in the area - was killed.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says the border near the Bekaa region is porous and not even clearly defined.

Earlier this week, Syrian tanks entered the same region in a brief incursion.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati told AFP that a joint Syrian-Lebanese committee was looking into the issue.

"I am not being silent about this, we are dealing with the issue normally," he said.

"I don't want to blow these incidents out of proportion and I don't want to belittle them either," he added.

Lebanon has taken in several thousand Syrians fleeing the trouble in their own country.

Mr Miqati says they are being looked after on humanitarian grounds, but our correspondent says there have been reports of activists being hunted down and sent back to Syria.

China and Russia veto UN resolution condemning Syria

There have been six months of protests in Syria and reports of some 2,700 deaths

China and Russia have vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria over its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The European-drafted resolution had been watered down to try to avoid the vetoes, dropping a direct reference to sanctions against Damascus.

But Moscow and Beijing said the draft contained no provision against outside military intervention in Syria.

The US envoy to the UN said Washington was "outraged" by the vote.

The result is a huge blow to European and US efforts on the Syria issue, the BBC's Laura Trevelyan in New York says.

More than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began in March, the UN estimates.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to members of the opposition. It blames the unrest on armed gangs.

'Unacceptable'

Nine countries backed the resolution in the 15-member council, while four more abstained during the vote late on Tuesday.

But the resolution - which was drafted by France with the co-operation of Britain, Germany and Portugal - was still defeated because of the vetoes from two of the council's five permanent members.

This was despite the fact that the text had been changed three times by the European allies, who had tried to accommodate Russia's and China's objections.

The resolution referred to "targeted measures" - instead of sanctions - if the clampdown in Syria continued.

But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov earlier said the resolution was "unacceptable" because it envisaged sanctions and did not call on President Assad's government to start talks with the opposition, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

Moscow also said that the draft contained no provision against outside military intervention.

China's UN ambassador Li Baodong said that Beijing opposed the idea of "interference in (Syria's) internal affairs."

He added that "sanction or threat of sanction does not help resolve the question of Syria" but "may further complicate the situation".

The Libyan conflict has sharpened divisions among Security Council members, with both Moscow and Beijing saying that the resolution authorising the use of force to protect civilians was misused by Nato to bring down Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Our correspondent says Tuesday's vote exposes the deep rift at the UN between the major powers, and the completely difference of approach in how to deal with Mr Assad's government and its crackdown.

After the vote, France's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud said the veto showed "disdain for the legitimate interests that have been fought for in Syria" since the protests in the country began.

The US envoy, Susan Rice, said: "The United States is outraged that this council has utterly failed to address an urgent moral challenge and a growing threat to regional peace and security."

Washington had said before the vote that it hoped the council would send a strong message to Syria. Germany said the world had to show solidarity with Syrians on the streets.

Saudi Arabia clashes in eastern province of Qatif

Fourteen people have been injured in clashes in eastern Saudi Arabia, state media say.

They said the unrest in the province of Qatif late on Monday had been incited by "a foreign country", without elaborating.

Saudi Arabia's minority Shia population is concentrated in the east, the scene of protests earlier this year.

State media said eight of those wounded were security personnel and three were civilians.

State news agency SPA quoted the interior ministry as saying that "a group of outlaws and rioters on motorbikes" had gathered in Al-Awamia village in Qatif province, "carrying petrol bombs".

The group was responsible for acts leading to "insecurity with incitement from a foreign country that aims to undermine the nation's security and stability", SPA reported.

Saudi mentions of foreign meddling are normally veiled references to Iran, the region's main Shia power.

France warns Syria not to intimidate activists

A protester in Jordan. There have been allegations of abuse of protesters' relatives back in Syria

France has warned Syria it will not tolerate its agents harassing those who are protesting against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The warning followed media reports that a group of activists had been filmed, insulted and attacked in Paris.

Earlier, an Amnesty International report accused Syria of a campaign of intimidation against activists abroad.

It quoted the activists as saying that Syrian embassy staff had threatened them and their relatives in Syria.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it will not support a draft resolution condemning Syria's suppression of pro-democracy protests, which is to be put to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

'Systematically harassed'
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero, quoted by Agence France-Presse, said Syrian activists had been given more police protection in the wake of the alleged intimidation, which is now being investigated.
He said: "We would not tolerate a foreign state organising acts of violence or intimidation on our territory, and we have made this known in the clearest possible terms to Syria's ambassador in Paris.

US ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, called for Syria to ''respect basic human rights''

"The right to protest freely and peacefully in safety is fully guaranteed by the French constitution, and it is also obvious that France supports the Syrian people's hopes for freedom."

Le Monde newspaper had reported an attack on a small group of Syrian protesters in a square in central Paris.

In its report entitled Syria: The long reach of the Mukhabaraat, Amnesty International details the cases of 30 Syrian activists in eight countries, in Europe and North and South America, who have been systematically monitored and harassed by Syrian embassy officials and others believed to be acting on behalf of the Syrian regime.

The report says the dissidents' relatives in Syria have also, in some cases, apparently been exposed to harassment, detention and even torture. Some activists say they were directly threatened by embassy officials.

Naima Darwish, who set up a Facebook page to call for protests outside the Syrian embassy in Santiago, Chile, told Amnesty she was contacted directly by a senior official who asked to meet her in person.

"He told me that I should not to do such things. He said I would lose the right to return to Syria if I continued."

Amnesty has called on host countries to take stronger action against the Syrian embassies accused of orchestrating the intimidation campaign.

Robert Ford, the US ambassador in Syria, also renewed criticism of the Syrian government, calling on it to stop its "incredible repression" and allow a political process of transition to move forward peacefully.

Import ban rescinded
Meanwhile, Russia said it would not support Tuesday's UN draft resolution.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Moscow "cannot support a text" that did not urge other countries not to become involved in Syria's internal affairs.

But it is unclear whether Moscow will veto the resolution.

On Tuesday, Turkish media reported that a colonel who had defected from the Syrian army was calling for a united front against Mr Assad.

"Opponent forces in Syria should get united and close ranks until the regime collapses," Col Riad al-Asaad, who is sheltering in Turkey, told the Anatolia news agency.

Separately, Syria has withdrawn a ban it imposed on many consumer goods and raw materials, amid reported discontent over rising prices.

The ban was intended to preserve foreign currency reserves.

Syria is under international pressure to stop using force to suppress protests that began six months ago.

The UN estimates that more than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began.

On Tuesday the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three soldiers and one civilian had been killed in fighting between government troops and army defectors in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in north-west Syria.

The government says it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to members of the opposition - it blames the unrest on armed gangs.

Yemen troops die after Zinjibar 'friendly fire bombing'

Yemeni troops have been fighting militants in Abyan

About 30 soldiers have been killed after an air strike by Yemeni warplanes in the south of the country, local officials and medics said, though the government has denied the reports.

The bombing on Saturday evening hit 119th brigade troops near Zinjibar in restive Abyan province and was followed by attacks by militants, reports say.

It is unclear how many died in the actual bombing, or if it was an error.

However, Yemeni TV said no such air strike had taken place.

Reports say the 119th brigade has joined a rebellion against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The militants, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, have exploited the chaos brought by months of anti-government protests to step up activities in the area.

The army is fighting to regain lost territory and took Zinjibar back from the militants last month.

At least 26 troops and militants died in fighting in the area on Saturday.

Opposition groups say Yemen's government has played up the al-Qaeda threat in an effort to boost international support.

Sanaa gunfire

Local residents told the BBC the plane had hit an abandoned school where the troops were taking shelter, and medical sources at a hospital in the province said they had received a number of dead bodies.

A military official told AFP that militants later attacked the base and "killed even more soldiers".

The Red Crescent confirmed that 30 had died but was unable to say how they were killed.

Violence raging in the south has sparked fears of a humanitarian crisis in the Gulf Arab republic, which has been on the brink of civil war since some military units and tribal groups joined anti-government protests in recent months.

Protesters rallied in Sanaa on Sunday to demand the removal of President Saleh, who has refused to step down despite international pressure. Hundreds of people have been killed since protests began in January.

There were also reports of gunfire near the base of rebel Gen Ali Mohsen.

Mr Saleh returned to the country more than a week ago after months of treatment in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained when his residence was bombed.

The latest incident in the south comes days after the killing of US-born Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki by a suspected US drone in the east of the country.

Seen as a key figure in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Awlaki had been on the run in Yemen since December 2007.

Syrian opposition launches National Council

Protests started in March have provided impetus for the formation of a coherent opposition body

Syria's opposition says it has agreed on the aims and structure of its newly-formed political grouping, following talks in Turkey.

After a two-day meeting, leaders said the Syrian National Council (SNC) was aiming to bring about a new, democratic Syria and was open to all citizens.

The council was created last month in an attempt to unite opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, government troops have retaken the central town of Rastan.

The town of 40,000, in the restive province of Homs, has seen days of fierce fighting between Mr Assad's forces and army defectors who refused to fire on protesters.

At least 2,700 people are believed to have been killed in six months of protests against Mr Assad, who has refused to step down.

'Struggle for liberty'
"The Syrian National Council reunites the forces of the opposition and the peaceful revolution," Burhan Ghalioun, who had earlier been named as chairman, told AFP news agency.

"It is an independent group personifying the sovereignty of the Syrian people in their struggle for liberty.


"The council rejects any outside interference that undermines the sovereignty of the Syrian people," he added.

Mr Ghalioun, a France-based academic, was named last month as the leader of the council, which has Islamist and nationalist supporters and includes the Local Coordination Committees, which organises activists on the ground.


Mr Ghalioun added that the SNC would allow "a united direction to face up to the daily massacres of civilians by the regime, especially in Rastan."

On Sunday, activists and state TV said government troops now had full control of Rastan, 160km (100 miles) north of Damascus.

Activists said the government had sent in 250 tanks and armoured vehicles in an attempt to suppress the revolt, and that 50 of those vehicles left on Sunday.

"Many houses have been destroyed there and the humanitarian situation is very bad," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"We have information that dozens of civilians were killed and buried in the gardens of houses as the army shelled the town," it added, according to AP news agency.

Foreign journalists are restricted from operating freely in Syria and reports cannot be independent verified.

Army deserters said in a statement they had been forced to retreat.

"Because of major reinforcements and the weapons used in Rastan by Assad's gangs... we have decided to withdraw in order to better wage the struggle for liberty," the statement said.

State news agency Sana reported that "stability and calm have been restored" in the town and that life had returned to normal.

Egypt's ruling council 'to amend disputed election law'

The ruling military council, led by Mohamad Tantawi, has been under pressure to deliver faster reforms

Egypt's ruling military council has decided to amend an article of an election law, state media report, following demands from protesters.

The law allows a third of seats to be filled by independent candidates rather than political parties.

Political groups - who fear the law could allow supporters of Hosni Mubarak to return to power - had threatened to boycott polls unless it was altered.

Parliamentary polls begin next month and take four months to complete.

The council, headed by Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, had been given until Sunday to change the law.

The decision came after a meeting with dozens of political parties, state media reported. No further details were given.

Emergency law

Correspondents say the interim military government, which has held power since President Mubarak was toppled in a popular revolt, is under pressure to deliver faster democratic reforms.

On Friday, thousands of people protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding a transfer to civilian rule.

A coalition of political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Equality party, had demanded that parties be allowed to contest all seats.

"We reject participation in the elections unless the article is changed," said a statement, signed by a coalition of The Democratic Alliance - which includes 37 parties - and the Freedom and Equality party.

Many Egyptian political groups say voting for a party rather than a single candidate will make it harder for former members of Mr Mubarak's now-outlawed party to run.

The council has also reportedly said it will study the status of Egypt's emergency law, which political groups want to see lifted.

The emergency laws were reactivated earlier this month after protesters ransacked the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

Earlier this week, US also called on the government to lift the state of emergency, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying it should happen before the planned date of June next year.

Elections are due to begin on 28 November.

Syria unrest: Troops 'retake most of Rastan'

Homs province has been the scene of frequent protests since the revolt began in March

Syrian forces have retaken most of the central town of Rastan after days of fighting with defectors who had joined protesters, an activist group says.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had gained ground after defectors pulled out of the town, in restive Homs province.

Dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles had entered, reports say.

Meanwhile, opposition members have met in Turkey to forge a united front against President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian National Council, a group created this year, have begun a two-day meeting to elect a leadership.

A fresh wave of protests erupted after prayers on Friday in cities across Syria, leaving at least 18 people - protesters and troops - dead, activists said.
'Heavy gunfire'
Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that after five days of fighting, Rastan, 180km (120 miles) north of Damascus, was now mostly under control of government forces.

Foreign journalists are restricted from operating freely in Syria and the report cannot be independent verified.


Reports also suggest that land and mobile phone lines in Rastan - a town of 40,000 - have been cut.

Mr Abdel-Rahman said a resident who fled Rastan early on Saturday reported heavy gunfire through the night.

State news agency Sana, citing a military official, reported on Friday that "army units have successfully fulfilled their duties" in an operation against "terrorists" in Rastan.

Seven soldiers and members of law-enforcement agencies were killed, among them two officers, while 32 others were wounded, the military officer was quoted as saying.

In a separate report on Sana, the government denied claims it had used air power.

Much of the fighting has reportedly been between the military and soldiers who defected to the opposition to protect protesters from the assault.

Correspondents say Syrian security forces have mostly remained loyal to President Assad, but deserters have formed their own units around Rastan, regarded as a recruiting ground for Sunni Muslim conscripts for the army.

The military is dominated by officers from the minority Alawite sect, of whom the Assad family are members, but most troops are Sunnis.

'Targeted measures'
Analysts have expressed concern that the revolt in Syria, which began peacefully six months ago, is evolving into an armed conflict.

On Saturday, Syria's state news agency reported that three security personnel who had tried to defuse a bomb near Damascus and two civilians working with police were killed.

Anti-government groups said two protesters were killed near Damascus.

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, on the Lebanese-Syrian border, says there was a violent element to the opposition six months ago, and that element is growing.

The question now is what proportion of those determined to overthrow President Assad believe they will only be able to do so by using weapons, he says.

On Friday, the draft of a UN Security Council resolution against the violence in Syria was watered down, with a reference to sanctions being removed in order to appease Russia.

European nations instead called for "targeted measures" in the text, which Russia and China have threatened to veto.

Mr Assad has faced mounting international criticism for his crackdown on protesters.

The UN estimates that more than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the protest movement began. Syria blames the violence on "armed gangs".

Afghanistan Haqqani militant Haji Mali Khan captured

The other main Haqqani figures are Jalaluddin Haqqani and his sons Siraj and Badruddin

A senior leader of the militant Haqqani network, Haji Mali Khan, has been captured in Afghanistan, the Nato-led international force Isaf has said.

He was detained during an operation by Afghan and coalition forces in Paktia province on Tuesday, Isaf said.

He was heavily armed but did not resist, it added.

Haji Mali Khan is the senior commander in Afghanistan for the Haqqani network, blamed for some recent Afghan attacks and accused of links to Pakistan.

He is also a revered elder of the clan, the uncle of the network's leader, Siraj Haqqani, and served as an emissary between the Haqqanis and Baitullah Mehsud, the former head of the Pakistani Taliban who was killed in a suspected US missile attack in 2009.

He is accused of setting up bases in Paktia and coordinating the transfer of money for militant operations.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Kabul says Afghan officials describe him as the brain of the network.

The Haqqani are affiliated to the Taliban and have pledged allegiance to their spiritual leader, Mullah Omar. However, some in the West believe the Haqqani also have links to Pakistan's intelligence agency, an accusation Islamabad denies.

Change of focus

Isaf said the capture was a "significant milestone in the disruption of the Haqqani network", adding that the network remained a top priority for Afghan and coalition forces.

A large number of other insurgents was captured in the operation, in Jani Khel district, including Mali Khan's deputy and bodyguard.

A senior Afghan intelligence official in Paktia province told the BBC that agents had information of a major attack that was being planned on Jani Khel.

A joint Afghan-Isaf force arrested Haji Mali Khan, whose real name was said to be Ali Khan, in the village of Mana, the official said.

A senior counter-terrorism official in Kabul told the BBC: ''Haji Mali Khan was in charge of suicide attacks, other attacks, money, finance and operations. He was not as brutal as other Haqqanis when it came to dealing with locals. For that he was liked and protected from time to time."

US officials say they are close to deciding whether to label the Haqqani as a foreign terrorist organisation, and on Thursday the treasury department announced new sanctions on five individuals it said were linked to "the most dangerous terrorist organisations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan".

Mali Khan's capture came days after the assassination of former Afghan president and negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani, which was blamed on the network.

The killing prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to say on Friday that he was focusing on talks with Pakistan rather than the Taliban.

Afghan police said an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in June that left nine attackers, two police and 11 civilians dead, "bore the hallmarks" of the Haqqani.

The Haqqani network was also accused of carrying out a 20-hour attack last month on the Isaf headquarters and the US embassy in Kabul in which some 25 people died.

The US military accused Pakistan of helping the Haqqani in that attack.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, said the network was a "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence service the ISI.

Pakistan has long denied supporting the Haqqani group, but BBC correspondents say it has a decades-old policy of pursuing foreign policy objectives through alliances with militants.

Although Islamabad denies the network has safe havens inside Pakistan, the country's former national security adviser told the BBC that it was operating in North Waziristan, in Pakistan's restive tribal belt.

"Today North Waziristan is a hot bed," said retired Maj Gen Mahmoud Durani.

The army was too overstretched to take on the Haqqanis, he added.

Anwar al-Awlaki: Obama hails al-Qaeda death in Yemen

Barack Obama said the death was a "significant milestone" in the fight against al-Qaeda

US President Barack Obama has said the death of US-born al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki is a "major blow" to the organisation.

Awlaki was killed by a US drone strike in the Jawf province of Yemen, along with several of his associates.

He is believed to have taken a leading role in a number of attempts to attack the US, including plots to blow up US airliners.

Awlaki, who is of Yemeni descent, has been on the run in Yemen since 2007.

Mr Obama said that as a leading figure in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Awlaki had taken the lead in "planning and directing efforts to murder innocent Americans" and was also "directly responsible for the death of many Yemeni citizens".

The death "marks another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates", he said.

He also paid tribute to the work of both the US intelligence agencies and Yemeni security officials who had co-operated on the killing.

"This is further proof that al-Qaeda and its affiliates will find no safe haven anywhere in the world," he said, but warned that AQAP "remains a dangerous though weakened terrorist organisation".

'Online inspiration'

In a brief statement on Friday, Yemen's defence ministry statement said Awlaki had been killed in Khashef in Jawf about 140km (87 miles) east of the capital, Sanaa, "along with some of his companions".

US and Yemeni officials later named one of those as Samir Khan, also a US citizen but of Pakistani origin, who produced an online magazine promoting al-Qaeda's ideology.

US officials said Awlaki's convoy was hit by a US drone and jet strike.

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says the killing is significant because Awlaki's use of modern media meant he was able to reach out and inspire people susceptible to radicalisation.

He is accused of recruiting and preparing Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who tried but failed to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009

overseeing a failed plot to blow up two US-bound cargo planes in 2010 with explosives hidden in printer cartridges

encouraging US Maj Nidal Malik Hasan to carry out the 2009 US army base killings in Fort Hood, Texas which killed 13 people

inspiring the man who carried out a failed bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010

inspired a British women to stab her MP Stephen Timms over his support for the war in Iraq

plotting to use poisons including cyanide and ricin in attacks

repeatedly called for the killing of Americans, saying in a 2010 video online that they were from the "party of devils"

Mr Obama is said to have personally ordered Awlaki's killing in 2010, but the al-Qaeda leader has survived several attempts on his life.

Late last year, he survived an air strike in Shabwa province in which at least 30 militants were killed. He was also the target of a US drone attack on 5 May which killed two al-Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen.

The death comes amid concerns in Washington about the impact of Yemen's political crisis on its ability to tackle al-Qaeda militants.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is facing a widespread protest movement, along with an armed insurrection by renegade army units and tribal fighters.

Mr Saleh, who was injured three months ago when his residence was shelled, returned last week after treatment in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview published on Thursday, he said he would not stand down, as promised in a deal brokered by Gulf States, if his opponents are allowed to stand in elections to succeed him.

Saleh returns to Yemen as al-Awlaki was killed

President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to Yemen after medical treatment in Saudi Arabia

Anwar al-Awlaki was killed exactly one week after President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to Yemen at the end of a long period of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. Intelligence analysts say that may have been no coincidence, and that with al-Awlaki's killing, Saleh is underlining to the West -- and the Saudis -- that they still need him.

Saleh's return was something of a surprise both to Yemenis and the international community. He had been seen as the main stumbling block to political dialogue and a transition to fresh elections sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council. But several analysts consulted by CNN said the Saudis were concerned that the growing unrest in Yemen could morph into outright civil war -- in a country that shares a long and porous desert border with the kingdom.

The rationale in Riyadh, according to these analysts, was that only Saleh had the guile and stature to pull his country back from the brink, despite his injuries and his array of enemies. And at the same time, Saleh would be best placed to turn up the heat on al Qaeda, now established in at least two eastern provinces and in parts of southern Yemen.

Diplomatic sources in the Gulf say that far from being surprised by Saleh's return, the Saudi authorities sanctioned and assisted in it, providing a jet that flew him to the southern city of Aden in the early hours of Friday last week. They say Saleh did not fly directly to Sanaa, the capital, because the airport and the route into the city are not reliably under government control. In fact, the capital is now a patchwork of pro- and anti-Saleh enclaves.

A helicopter was waiting at the Aden airport to fly Saleh 200 miles to the presidential palace in Sanaa before dawn. Again, arriving by air was probably preferable to negotiating the chaotic streets of the capital.

American-born radical cleric understood the West

There has been no official comment from Saudi Arabia on how Saleh returned home from Riyadh, but sources in Sanaa and elsewhere in the Gulf say the Saudis wanted Saleh back in Yemen because they were increasingly anxious about the growing political influence of militant Islamists in Yemen seen as sympathetic to al Qaeda. They point out that Saleh met with Saudi King Abdullah a few days before he returned.

The kingdom has long been concerned by the growth of al Qaeda in Yemen, even though the number of militants may not exceed several hundred. Several prominent Saudi jihadists have joined the leadership of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which for a while in recent months took control of most of the city of Zinjibar in southern Yemen. It was also from Yemen in August 2009 that al Qaeda sent a suicide bomber -- 23-year-old Abdullah Hassan Tali al-Asiri -- to carry out an assassination attempt on Saudi Arabia´s intelligence chief, Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, in August 2009.

Analysts say that to the Saudis, and indeed to Washington, any commitment by Saleh to chase down al Qaeda's leadership in Yemen would be welcome indeed. And, they say, Saleh probably perceives a grand bargain himself: cooperate in tracking down al-Awlaki and other AQAP seniors in return for less pressure to leave office.

U.S. drone killed American cleric in Yemen, officials say

Just hours before al-Awlaki's death, Saleh hinted at his own unique role in "saving" Yemen from al Qaeda, and broader coordination with allies, in an interview with the Washington Post and Time magazine.

"We are fighting the al Qaeda organization in [the southern region of] Abyan in coordination with the Americans and Saudis," he said in an interview at the presidential palace. "At the same time, American intelligence has knowledge that (al Qaeda) is in contact with both the Muslim Brotherhood (the opposition Islah party) and the military officers who are outlaws. And they (the Muslim Brotherhood and officers) told the vice president, "Give us Abyan, and we will stop the war in Abyan and the al Qaeda network there."

In other words: 'All my opponents are in league with al Qaeda.'

Al-Awlaki: Who was he?

Opposition figures in Yemen say it's unlikely that Saleh returned home, despite terrible burns and a chaotic situation, just to hand over the keys to the presidential palace. And certainly, since his return, Saleh has given little indication that he plans to go quietly. In the Time and Post interview, he launched a broadside against tribal leaders and dissident generals opposed to him.

"The GCC initiative is clear. It says to remove all the elements causing tensions," he said. "Because if we transfer power and they are there, this will mean that we have given in to a coup. If we transfer power, and they are in their positions, and they are still decision-makers, this will be very dangerous. This will lead to civil war."

Former CIA spy: Al-Awlaki "very narcissistic"

Christopher Boucek, an expert on Yemen with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says Saleh is the one political institution who is above everyone else in Yemen. He can adjudicate a dispute or solve a problem. "In my mind it is no coincidence this happened after his return," Boucek says.

Boucek adds that the dynamic inside Yemen has changed. Previously the government was reluctant to move against al-Awlaki because of fears about a hostile domestic reaction -- and the influence of his family and clan. That has changed: intelligence co-operation has improved and the killing of al-Awlaki is a way for Saleh to demonstrate that the United States still needs him.

Saleh, now in power for more than forty years and regarded as one of the wiliest politicians in the Arab world, is well aware of the dynamic. "What we see is that we are pressurized by America and the international community to speed up the process of handing over power," he told Time and the Washington Post. "And we know to where the power is going to go. It is going to al-Qaeda, which is directly and completely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood."

The shorthand: "Apres moi, la deluge."

But there is also a Yemeni saying which translates roughly as "From a pound of talk, an ounce of understanding." Suitable guidance in any exploration of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's motives and intentions.

Islamist cleric Anwar Awlaki killed in Yemen

US officials said Anwar al-Awlaki had played a significant role in attacks on US interests

US-born radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaeda leader, has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry said.

Unnamed US officials confirmed he had died in a US drone strike, but gave no further details.

Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, has been on the run in Yemen since December 2007.

The US named him a "global terrorist" and said he had played a "significant role" in plots to blow up US airliners and use poison to kill US citizens.

President Barack Obama is said to have personally ordered his killing.

Yemen's defence ministry statement said only that Awlaki had died in Khashef in Jawf province, about 140km (87 miles) east of the capital, Sanaa, "along with some of his companions".

US and Yemeni officials later named one of those as Samir Khan, also a US citizen but of Pakistani origin, who produced an online magazine promoting al-Qaeda's ideology.

The death was also announced on Yemeni TV.

Local tribal leaders told the AFP news agency that Awlaki had been moving around within Yemen in recent weeks to evade capture. Local people told AP he had been travelling between Jawf and Marib provinces when he died.

Unnamed US official said Awlaki's convoy was hit by a US drone and jet strike.

One senior official told ABC News it was "a great day for America".
He said Awlaki had been "very operational, every day he was plotting".

US intelligence had had "a very intense focus on him" for some time, he said, were waiting for him to be away from civilians so they could strike.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Awlaki had "demonstrated his intent and ability to cause mass terror" and that if confirmed, his death would be "another significant blow to al-Qaeda".

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says the killing, if confirmed, is significant, because Awlaki's use of modern media meant he was able to reach out and inspire people susceptible to radicalisation.

The reported death comes amid concerns in Washington about the impact of Yemen's political crisis on its ability to go after al-Qaeda militants.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is facing a widespread protest movement, along with an armed insurrection by renegade army units and tribal fighters.

Mr Saleh, who was injured three months ago when his residence was shelled, returned last week after treatment in Saudi Arabia.

He said in an interview published on Thursday that he will not stand down, as promised in a deal brokered by Gulf States, if his opponents are allowed to stand in elections to succeed him.

Targeted before
Awlaki is described by US officials as the "chief of external operations" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
He had played a "significant operational role in the Christmas 2009 Detroit airline bomb attempt, said officials, and in the plot which sent two bombs in printer cartridges on US-bound cargo planes in 2010. They were intercepted in the UK and Dubai.

Awalaki has been implicated in the 2009 US army base killings in Fort Hood, Texas, and a failed bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010.

Washington said he had sought to use poisons including cyanide and ricin in attacks.

When he was imam of a San Diego mosque in the 1990s, his sermons were attended by two future 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi.

He also lived in the UK from 2002-04, where he spent several months giving lectures to Muslim youth.

In a video posted in November last year he called for the killing of Americans, saying they were from the "party of devils".


Weeks later, he survived an air strike in Shabwa province in which at least 30 militants were killed.

He has been reported dead in the past following US air strikes on southern Yemen in December 2009 and November 2010. He was the target of a US drone attack that killed two al Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen on 5 May.

The official who spoke to ABC said there had been "a good opportunity to hit him" on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this year, but that "it never materialised".