W O R L D

Tahrir Square erupts again
Protesters demand Mubarak’s trial 
Want quick transition to civilian rule
Cairo, April 10
Egyptian protesters ignored a military order to leave Cairo's main square today, a day after two people were killed as the army tried to disperse demonstrators demanding the trial of Hosni Mubarak and a quick transition to civilian rule.

People protest against military chief Hussein Tantawi, in charge since president Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, at Tahrir Square on Sunday. — AFP

Ceasefire in sight between Israel and Palestinian sides
Jerusalem, April 10
An informal ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian sides appeared in sight after three days of cross border shelling left 17 Palestinians dead, even as the Jewish state vowed to respond “most harshly” to any rocket fire on its territory by Gaza-based militants.

Battle for Ajdabiyah rages on
Tripoli: Fierce fighting on Sunday raged near the eastern town of Ajdabiyah between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and the rebels, who were pushed back from Libya's strategic city of Brega as a diplomatic mission led by African leaders called for an end to the conflict.

28 protesters killed in Syria
Nicosia: Syrian security forces have killed a total of 28 persons, human rights activists said on Sunday. Twenty-six died on Saturday at the funerals of protesters killed in and around the southern agricultural town of Daraa, while two more were shot dead in the industrial town of Homs, in west central Syria. 

1 dead, dozens shot in Yemen
Sanaa: An anti-regime protester died of gunshot wounds as Yemeni security forces shot dozens of demonstrators in overnight clashes in the cities of Taez and Sanaa, medical officers said on Sunday. 

Tahrir Square erupts again
* Protesters demand Mubarak’s trial  * Want quick transition to civilian rule

Ceasefire in sight between Israel and Palestinian sides

Jerusalem, April 10
An informal ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian sides appeared in sight after three days of cross border shelling left 17 Palestinians dead, even as the Jewish state vowed to respond “most harshly” to any rocket fire on its territory by Gaza-based militants.

In a rare direct appeal, Hamas asked Israel to halt the current cross border shelling, insisting that the faction wanted peace.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, warned of a strong response if mortar shells and rockets continue to be fired in its southern territories.

“The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) hit Hamas and the terrorist organisations hard over the weekend,” he told his ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

“If attacks against Israeli civilians and the IDF continue, the response will be most harsh,” he asserted.

The Israeli Premier was backed by by deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ellie Yishai, who called on the cabinet to agree to taking “less routine” and more “stronger” action against the Gaza Strip, to curb the onslaught of rockets.

Hamas' Deputy Foreign Minister, Ghazi Hamad, said in an interview to Israel Radio: “We are interested in calm but want the Israeli military to stop its operations”. Yishai said that he was not envisioning “another Cast Lead” operation, referring to the war between Hamas and Israel more than two years ago, but rather “an expanded air operation”. — PTI 

Battle for Ajdabiyah rages on

Tripoli: Fierce fighting on Sunday raged near the eastern town of Ajdabiyah between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and the rebels, who were pushed back from Libya's strategic city of Brega as a diplomatic mission led by African leaders called for an end to the conflict. The battle for the control of Ajdabiyah came as rebels pushed back an advance by Gaddafi's forces into Misurata. — PTI

28 protesters killed in Syria

Nicosia: Syrian security forces have killed a total of 28 persons, human rights activists said on Sunday. Twenty-six died on Saturday at the funerals of protesters killed in and around the southern agricultural town of Daraa, while two more were shot dead in the industrial town of Homs, in west central Syria. “Police and security services broke up peaceful demonstrations on Saturday by firing live ammunition, causing the death of 26 persons," six Syrian human rights group said in a joint statement. Thousands of people attended the funerals of 17 persons gunned down in Daraa, flashpoint of more than three weeks of anti-government protests, and another 10 killed in surrounding villages on Friday. In addition, the groups say the authorities have been carrying out "arbitrary arrests" in different regions, and they said that 13 people had been detained in the Mediterranean coastal towns of Latakia and Jabla. — AFP

1 dead, dozens shot in Yemen

Sanaa: An anti-regime protester died of gunshot wounds as Yemeni security forces shot dozens of demonstrators in overnight clashes in the cities of Taez and Sanaa, medical officers said on Sunday. “One protester died of his wounds late on Saturday,” said a medic treating casualties in Taezl. A total of 43 protesters were wounded by live gunfire in clashes between security forces and demonstrators calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster. — AFP