Anti-government protests hit Syria

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Source: Aljazeera

The Syrian government has mobilised army units across the capital and other cities as thousands of demonstrators, demanding the ouster President Bashar al-Assad's regime took to the streets of several cities, including the coastal town of Baniyas, witnesses have said.

Activists have called for protests following Friday prayers to commemorate the killings of over 100 protesters last Friday.

Al Jazeera correspondent Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, said today's slogan is "solidarity for Deraa". "Deraa is completely surrounded by tanks and armed troops. There are snipers on the roofs of government buildings and tall buildings. They are hiding behind water tanks and some are even hiding in the minarets of mosques."

The source said not all members of the Fifth Division had defected, but those who had were attempting to protect civilians against attacks on them by the Fourth Division, led by Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad. "Those who have defected are fighting on behalf of the people, helping them with information on the army's movements and trying to protect civilians from attacks," he said.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/04/201142993412242172.html

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1. Massive rally in Yemen urges Saleh to go

Source: Aljazeera

Two days ahead of signing of Gulf peace deal, Sanaa sees one of the largest protests yet demanding president's ousting.

Vast crowds have taken to the streets across Yemen to demand the immediate resignation of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, rather than the phased handover of power envisaged by a Gulf Arab plan expected to be signed on Sunday.

On Siteen Street, the largest road in Sanaa, the capital, 100,000 anti-government protesters flooded a 5km stretch to mark a "Friday of Loyalty to the Martyrs" commemorating the deaths of at least 142 protesters killed in the past three months.

During a Muslim prayer service, an imam read out a list of those killed in the protests.

"Enough blood, enough killing, just leave, leave, leave," the imam said during the sermon. "You have to submit to the people's demands."


The opposition has warned that any more violence against demonstrators could scupper the GCC transition dea

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011429162428965468.html