Anti-government protesters carry away a wounded youth in Sanaa on Friday. — AFP

Sanaa, March 19
Yemen seethed with anger today as medics raised the death toll from a sniper attack on protesters to 52 and thousands rallied despite a state of emergency imposed by the autocratic regime.

The slaughter in the capital Sanaa yesterday afternoon was the bloodiest day in weeks of unrest that has shaken the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key US ally in the war against Al-Qaida militants on the Arabian Peninsula.

Witnesses said pro-Saleh “thugs” rained bullets from rooftops around a square at Sanaa University, the centre of demonstrations seeking the end of Saleh’s 32-year rule.

Many of the victims were shot in the head and more than 120 persons were wounded, medics said, in scenes that shocked the world and drew diplomatic scorn from Western powers and human rights monitors.

The toll climbed overnight as six of the critically wounded succumbed to their injuries, according to medics.

The attack suggests Saleh is fearful that the unprecedented street protests, set off by unrest across the Arab world, could unravel his 32-year grip on power in this volatile, impoverished nation.

The US, which has long relied on Saleh for help fighting terrorism, condemned the violence.

The bloodshed, however, failed to dislodge protesters from a large traffic circle they have dubbed “Taghyir Square” Arabic for “Change.” Hours after yesterday’s shooting, thousands demanding Saleh’s ouster stood their ground, many of them hurling stones at security troops and braving live fire and tear gas.

Saleh declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency that formally gave his security forces a freer hand to confront demonstrators. The declaration bars citizens from carrying and using weapons.

Elsewhere today, witnesses said police shot and wounded an anti-regime protester in the southern city of Aden as they tried to disperse demonstrators demanding Saleh’s resignation.

Three other demonstrators were injured in the clashes in Aden. Thousands of people remained camped at the square despite the ill-defined state of emergency, which Saleh announced late Friday as he offered his “regrets” for the killings.

He blamed unidentified gunmen opposed to a Saudi-backed peace initiative and denied that the police were involved.

The slaughter flew in the face of repeated US appeals for restraint and the respect of human rights in the impoverished country, which is also struggling to contain a secessionist movement and a Shiite rebellion. — AFP

Cairo, March 19
Taking the first major step towards a transition to transparent democracy, Egyptians today turned up in overwhelming numbers to vote on landmark constitutional amendments.

Tasting the joys of a free vote in decades after overthrowing the authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak, the people swarmed to polling booths since early morning to decide on a fixed tenure for the president and to appoint a deputy.

The referendum, sponsored by the ruling military, would pave the way for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held by the year end. The voters would also decide on introduction of a multiple-party system in the nation, exposed to one party rule for over three decades.

About 40 million Egyptians are eligible to cast their vote. The country’s two political blocs, the National Democratic Party and Muslim Brotherhood, back the proposals.

But, most secular groups and leading reform activists, including Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Nobel Peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, oppose the passage of the amendments, saying it would create a new dictator.

The amendments limit the presidential tenure to two terms of four years each. The amendments also have provision for judicial supervision of all elections, parliamentary and presidential.

The amendments, however, do not touch on the authorities of the president who remains the head of the judiciary, police and executive estate. He/She will also have to power to dissolve both parliament and remove the cabinet or call for the amendment of the constitution.

Pro-democracy activists say the changes do not go far enough and want the plan rejected. They say the constitution needs to be entirely rewritten before elections can be held.

Presidential candidate, Judge Hesham al-Bastawisi, has said a “new constitution to form a parliamentarian state and limit the authorities of the President is among the most important requests of the revolution”. — PTI

Tokyo, March 19
Engineers today managed to restore power at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan that is vital to reactivate the crippled cooling system of the overheated atomic fuel, amid concerns over excessive radiation detected in food supply.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) which owns and runs the plants, said it had been able to connect power cables to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactor buildings so as to cool down the overheating spent fuel.

Meanwhile, a strong quake with 6.1 magnitude rocked Ibaraki Prefecture and its vicinity in the Kanto region and the Tohoku region at 6:56 p.m. (local time), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake was also felt in Tokyo and other metropolitan area, the Kyodo news agency said.

There was no immediate report of any damage on nuclear facilities in Ibaraki, the government said, adding no tsunami warning was issued.

As Japanese authorities took vital steps to restore the power supply at the Daiichi nuclear power plant, new concerns emerged about excessive radiation found in milk and spinach in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.

Yukio Edano, Chief Cabinet Secretary, told a press conference that the detected radiation was above Japan's regulated standards. However, he said it does not immediately pose a risk to human health.

There was a glimmer of hope with engineers restoring power at one of the crippled reactors and firefighters stepping up the spraying of water at the plant in a desperate attempt to avert a meltdown.

TEPCO said the No. 2 reactor is expected to receive power tomorrow.

Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told a press conference that an examination showed the surface temperatures at the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors at 100 C or lower and that their conditions remain stable than expected.

Edano said the condition of the No. 3 reactor has become relatively stable following the water discharge and that the SDF is now preparing to spray water into the No. 4 reactor to cool its spent fuel pool.

"We are trying to get things under control, but we are still in an unpredictable situation," he was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency.

The accident severity level at the plant was raised from four to five on the 7-point international scale by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, placing the crisis two levels below Ukrain's 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Experts say restoring a stable source of electricity is considered a key step to prevent further deterioration of the situation, particularly as the No. 2 reactor has suffered a rupture at its containment vessel's pressure-suppression chamber at the bottom. — PTI