Four killed in Syria protests

Cairo/Sana'a/Dubai: Syrian security forces killed at least four people and wounded dozens when they opened fire on protesters on Friday while hundreds of thousands of Yemenis held what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of protests and the Bahraini government detained several people in crackdowns across the nation.

Thousands of Syrians arched on Friday in the southern city of Daraa, which has become the epicentre of an extraordinary protest movement, as security forces deployed across the country, said witnesses.

Activists dubbed Friday a “Day of Martyrs” and called for mass demonstrations to honour more than 70 people killed during two weeks of protests.

President Bashar Assad dashed expectations he would announce sweeping reforms this week and instead blamed the popular fury that has gripped Syria on a foreign conspiracy.

Huge marches in Yemen

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis packed a square in Sana'a and marched in villages and cities across the nation on Friday in what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of demands the country's long-time ruler step down.

Many mosques in the capital shut down — a move unprecedented for Friday, the Muslim day of prayer.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh escalated his confrontation with the rapidly expanding uprising a week ago, taking on emergency powers that give him a freer hand to quell protests. He has been hit by a wave of defections by military commanders, ruling party members and others. The Sana'a crowd was supported by soldiers with anti-aircraft guns and rifles to prevent intrusions by the President's loyalists.

Arrests in Bahrain

Bahrain released a prominent blogger but detained several people, including a pro-opposition doctor, the latest in a series of arrests since the kingdom's crackdown on street protests, opposition sources said on Friday.

The tiny island's Sunni rulers have stepped up arrests of cyber activists and Shias, with more than 300 detained and dozens missing since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests earlier this month.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/02/stories/2011040267002000.htm

Ties with U.S. on course: Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Amid reports suggesting that the U.S. has put bilateral meetings with Pakistan on hold till Islamabad releases its “diplomat” arrested for gunning down two Pakistanis in “self-defence', the spokespersons for both countries maintained that the relationship was on course.

While there were strong indications that contact between the U.S. State Department and the Pakistan embassy in Washington had been snapped and upcoming bilateral engagements were in peril, the official line from both countries sought to contradict this. Maintaining that “we continue to have contacts with the Pakistanis'', U. S. embassy spokesperson flagged Monday's meeting of Ambassador Cameron Munter with President Asif Ali Zardari as a case in point. The spokesperson also quoted from the daily briefing of Assistant Secretary of State P. J. Crowley in Washington on Monday when he said in response to similar questions that “we continue to have contacts with our Pakistani counterparts, and we continue to emphasise the importance of resolving this case''.

As for Pakistan, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said relations were anchored in mutual interest and mutual respect. “Both our countries are committed to further strengthening the bilateral relationship to our mutual benefit. Our relations are mature enough to navigate through difficulties. We must not lose focus of the strategic imperatives of Pak-U.S. relations.''

Asked what the U.S. proposed to do if Pakistan does not yield, the embassy spokesperson remained non-committal saying “we will continue to work with the Pakistani government to resolve this issue''. But , questions are being asked about the fate of the upcoming ministerial-level trilateral conference of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S. later this month; particularly since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is understood to have cancelled a scheduled meeting with Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last week.

Adding to the woes of the Pakistan government, the provincial dispensation in Punjab — where the shooting took place and the case is registered — dug its heels in on Tuesday; asserting that it would not succumb to any kind of pressure.

Source:-http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/09/stories/2011020965242100.htm

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