A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Bahrain opposition lays down terms
MANAMA – Bahrain’s main opposition groups said yesterday they would not enter talks unless the government pulled troops off the streets and freed prisoners, and insisted they stood by earlier demands for political reform.
Led by the largest Shia party Wefaq, the groups said they stood by the ambitious conditions they had set for talks last month. – (Reuters)
Yemeni president fires government as 52 protesters shot by snipers are buried
SANAA – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has seen a string of allies break ranks with him in recent days, fired his government yesterday, as he faced increasing pressure from street protests to step down.
Mourners buried some of the 52 anti-government protesters shot dead by rooftop snipers after Muslim Friday prayers in the Arabian Peninsula state, where tens of thousands of people have protested for weeks against President Saleh’s three decades-long rule. “The president of the republic has dismissed the government,” state media said, adding that efforts to form a new government were under way. Friday’s bloodshed prompted Mr Saleh, struggling to preserve his rule, to declare a state of emergency for 30 days that restricts freedom of movement and the right to assemble in public. – (Reuters)