Beirut — More than 30 civilians and as many as a dozen soldiers were killed Monday in an upsurge of violence in Syria, most of them in the central city of Homs that is rapidly emerging as the epicenter of armed resistance to the government led by President Bashar al-Assad. Residents of the city and activists said fierce battles erupted in Homs before dawn when a group of Syrian soldiers defected from their army unit in the Bab Amr district. Their move triggered clashes with regime loyalists and, later in the day, a heavy tank bombardment of several city neighborhoods where defected soldiers are believed to be taking refuge. Read full article > >

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More than 40 dead in surge of violence in Syria

SANAA, Yemen — Fighting raged on Saturday in the Yemeni capital, leaving at least 40 dead as forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh battled pro-opposition soldiers and moved to clear the protest camp at a Sanaa square that has been the epicenter of the country’s uprising. The latest spasm of violence came a day after Saleh suddenly returned to Yemen after more than three months of being treated in Saudi Arabia following an assassination attempt on him in June. Saleh’s return Friday apparently aimed to ensure his grip on power as his loyalists and opponents wage urban warfare in Sanaa. Read full article > >

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Yemeni government forces launch fierce attacks on rival troops and opposition camp, killing 40

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish rescue workers and soldiers scrambled Friday to set up tents to shelter hundreds of people left homeless after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake damaged buildings in western Turkey, killing at least three people. No one was reported buried under the rubble in the town of Simav, the epicenter of the quake, but one man died after jumping out of a window in panic while an 18-year-old high school student was killed when he was hit by a falling piece of stone as he stood outside his home, the Anatolia news agency said. An elderly woman died of a heart attack in another town, Inegol, shortly after the quake rocked the region late Thursday. Read full article > >

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Turkish authorities race to set up tents to shelter victims of quake that killed 3

Protests are spreading in Muslim nations. Bahrain’s Pearl Roundabout has been adopted by protesters as their Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s revolution.

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Protests hit Libya

With the revolt entering its third week on Monday, protesters remained camped out in the central square that has been the epicenter of the uprising.

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After First Talks, Egypt Opposition Vows New Protest