Syrian town braces for military assault

Jisr al-Shughur residents flee to Turkish border, a day after government vowed retaliation for "deadly ambush".

Switzerland to Prosecute Libya for Taking Hostages

The Swiss government has authorized prosecutors to open criminal proceedings against Libya for allegedly taking two Swiss men hostage following the 2008 arrest in Switzerland of Muammar Qaddafi's son.

Yemen: 6 policeman killed in al-Qaida attack

SANAA, 14th May: At least six Yemeni policemen were killed and another one wounded on Saturday in an al-Qaida attack in southern province of Al-Bayda, a local security official said.

The attack targeted the policemen security checkpoint in Lamsan district in Radaa town of Al-Bayda, the official told Xinhua News on condition of anonymity.

"Following the attack, the al-Qaida militants seized the policemen's weapons and two security vehicles then fled," the official added without elaborating further.

Iran: 3 Americans to go on trial

TEHRAN, 9th May: Iran will put three Americans facing espionage charges on trial on Wednesday 11th May, the state IRIB TV website has reported.

"If there is no problem, and if there is no request from the lawyer of detainees (to postpone), the trial session will be held on time," said Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholm-Hossein Mohseni- Ejei.

In February, an Iranian court held a close-door trial of three detained Americans, Josh Fattal, Sarah Shourd and Shane Bauer, who were arrested in Iran on 31st July 2009 for illegally entering Iran 's western border and were later charged with espionage. The U.S. government considered the charges totally unfounded.

Syria: 13 soldiers killed

Thirteen soldiers were killed in the central Syrian city of Homs today (9th May) in what authorities said was an ambush set by an "armed terrorist group."

Al-Jazeera TV reported they were killed in Homs, the third largest Syrian city, after troops backed by tanks were deployed there to quell anti-government protests.

Ten Syrian workers, on their way back from Lebanon to Damascus, were killed and three others wounded in an ambush by armed groups.

The assailants opened fire on them from a close distance on the Damascus-Homs highway.

Protests and ensuing violence in Syria have left more than 100 soldiers and security agents dead across the country, while protesters say hundreds of civilians have been killed.

Iraq: American soldier killed in action

A US Army soldier lost his life in Iraq on 29th April 2011 when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket propelled grenades and small arms.

Cavalry Pfc. Robert M. Friese, aged 21, from Chesterfield, Michigan, was on patrol in Al Qadisiyah province, Iraq when the incident happened. Pfc. Friese was serving with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment which is based at Fort Hood in Texas.

Syria: leave home and risk being shot

Concern is mounting for tens of thousands of Syrians trapped in a military siege imposed on their towns as party of bloody crackdown on protests.

Troops and tanks remain the town of Deraa in the south and Douma, near the capital Damascus.

Snipers are said to be shooting civilians if they leave their homes.

Read more at SkyNews

Libya: missing foreign photographer

The wife of a UK-based photographer missing in Libya has renewed appeals for help in contacting her husband.

Penny Sukhraj said she was desperate for news of Anton Hammerl who is believed to have been seized by Colonel Gaddafi loyalists along with three other journalists on the outskirts of the east Libya oil town of Brega on 5th April.

The 41-year-old - who lives in Surbiton, Surrey, but has South African and Austrian citizenship - is believed to be held separately in or around Tripoli from his captured colleagues.

Mr Hammerl's family has received no word from him since his disappearance although the three other journalists - two US correspondents and one Spanish photographer - were allowed to make a phone call to their families last weekend.

Iraq: suicide bomber hits army checkpoint

Eight people have been killed and 19 others wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Iraqi army checkpoint next to a market in the northern city of Mosul, police and hospital sources say.

A hospital source confirmed the number of dead and wounded and said Saturday's attack had taken place at a popular market in eastern Mosul, 390km from the capital, Baghdad.

"The suicide bomber exploded himself at the entrance where Iraqi soldiers were manning a checkpoint to frisk people entering the market," the source said.

Syrian troops storm mosque

Syrian forces have continued their military crackdown in the flashpoint city of Deraa, seizing control of a mosque and shooting dead the son of its imam, witnesses say. Four people were reportedly killed as the southern city came under heavy shelling and gunfire on Saturday, as residents attempted to bury those killed a day earlier during Friday's "day of rage" protests against the government.

"We are totally besieged. It is a tragedy. Many houses are levelled by shelling from the army. For the past six days we haven’t seen an ambulance," one witness told Al Jazeera via telephone, as gunfire rang out in the background.

"We are keeping the bodies of the dead in refrigerator trucks, but many bodies are still lying in the streets. Many of the bodies are bloated and are reeking."

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Iraq: 11 killed as violence spreads

At least 11 people were killed in a string of bombings and shootings in central Iraq, a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 worshippers in a Shia mosque.

The violence on Friday underlined the security concerns Iraq still faces as American troops prepare to leave the country by the end of this year.

In Baghdad, a bomb went off in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood, killing three police commandos and one civilian and wounding 24 policemen and five civilians, police and medical officials said.

As police arrived on the scene to investigate, a second bomb exploded. Armed groups often use such staged blasts to lure in security and medical personnel who arrive on the scene to help and then fall victim to the subsequent blast.

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Activists prepare new aid flotilla to Gaza

Pro-Palestinian activists say a planned convoy of aid ships to the Gaza Strip will be twice as big as a similar flotilla that was raided a year ago by Israeli forces, leaving nine people dead on a Turkish boat.

Organizers say they hope to depart around the May 31 anniversary of the fatal raid, but say it could happen later than that.

Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for an Islamic aid group in Turkey, said Tuesday that an international coalition of 22 non-governmental organizations plans to send 15 ships with a total of 1,500 people.

The goal is to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel says any attempt to reach Gaza by sea is aimed at provoking violence.

Video: Syrian army bombard Deraa

This video was recorded by a Syrian citizen 25th April 2011 as Syrian artillery began pounding the city of Deraa

Bahrain: medical centres raided

Activists in Bahrain say security forces arrested medical workers in retribution for treating protesters injured in the uprising.

Security forces have seized at least eight health workers from two separate medical facilities in Bahrain, according to Al Jazeera.

The Aali Health Centre in Manama was raided early on Tuesday morning. Medical staff working in the two centres were beaten and an unknown number were arrested.

Human rights groups have accused Bahrain of arresting patients and medical staff suspected of taking part in protests, and sacking hundreds of public workers. Bahrain says it targets only those who committed crimes during the unrest in March.

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