Tanks push deeper into restive Syrian area (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – At least 15 Syrian tanks pushed overnight into a rural area near the Lebanese border, where security forces have concentrated their latest crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations, human rights activists said.

The activists, who were in contact with residents, said the tanks deployed around Arida, near the Jisr al-Qomar border crossing point with northern Lebanon. Witnesses on the Lebanese side of the border told Reuters they could hear the sound of gunfire throughout the night.

Activists said Syrian troops and gunmen had entered the border town of Tel Kelakh Saturday after protests erupted against President Bashar al-Assad's autocratic rule, prompting dozens of families to flee into Lebanon.

An activists' protest group said at least seven Syrian civilians were killed Sunday when troops shelled the town and sniper fire killed another civilian Monday, raising the death toll in the army's assault since Saturday to 12.

The official Syrian state news agency said five soldiers were killed in confrontations with armed groups in Tel Kalakh.

One resident said there was intermittent shelling and machine gun fire with heavy bursts on Tel Kelakh Monday, but the army appeared not to have advanced beyond the town's outskirts.

"Tel Kelakh is a ghost town. There are no doctors. Pharmacies are shut. Snipers are on the roof of the main hospital. Phones, water and electricity are cut," Mohammad al-Dandashi told Reuters from the town through satellite phone.

A few families from another border village called Hilat streamed into Lebanon Monday as did two wounded civilians from Tel Kelakh who were seeking medical care in Lebanon, some family members said.

LEBANESE ARMY REINFORCES BORDER

Syrian soldiers and police have been trying to quell demonstrations across the country calling for Assad's overthrow for the last two months. They have tended to crack down on a flashpoint area for a few days, with tank shells, gunfire, and mass arrests, subduing it and then focusing on another area.

Troops backed by armor have now deployed in or around towns and villages across the southern Hauran plain, the central province of Homs and areas near the coast. The security grip has been also tightened in Damascus and its suburbs.

The Lebanese army said it had sent reinforcements to the border, set up checkpoints and started intensive patrols to prevent "infiltration activities on both sides."

Authorities have blamed most of the violence in the country on armed groups backed by Islamists and outside powers whom they say killed more than 120 members of the security forces.

Syrian and international rights groups say Syrian forces have killed at least 700 civilians.

International media organizations are largely banned from Syria, making it difficult to verify accounts.

Assad, who trained as an ophthalmologist, has tried a mixture of reform and repression to stem protests against his autocratic 11-year rule, which broke out in the southern city of Deraa, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world.

Authorities said Assad intends to launch national dialogue talks, a gesture rejected by opposition leaders and the main activists' protest group who say first security forces must stop shooting protesters and political prisoners must be freed.

(Additional reporting by Nazih Siddiq in Wadi Khaled, Lebanon; Editing by Peter Graff)

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Yemen thrust into deeper uncertainty after Gulf deal falls through (The Christian Science Monitor)

Sanaa, Yemen – When demonstrations began in February aimed at toppling long-ruling President Ali Abdullah Saleh, they were of a humble size, filling only the area immediately outside the entrance to Sanaa University, an area now known as Change Square.

Now as the movement enters its fourth month, the sit-in has swollen to a veritable tent city that stretches nearly two miles, shutting off traffic in a large portion of the nation's capital and resembling a shantytown. Many tents there have a permanent look, wired for electricity, satellite television and, in many cases, wireless Internet service.

Still, the demonstrators seem no closer to achieving their goal. A supposed agreement that would have had Saleh resign, brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, appears to have fallen through, with neither the demonstrators nor Saleh willing to support it.

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"How can anything headed by the GCC lead to democracy," commented Abdulrahman Abdullah al Kamadi, a demonstrator who has been camped out in the square for over two months.

"The emirates and kingdoms of the GCC are the enemy of any revolution. They cannot even admit what is going on here. This is not a political crisis: this is a revolution."

'We have no fear of violence'

On Wednesday, gunfire broke out here as army troops loyal to Saleh moved against the demonstrators in what appeared to be an effort to push them back from the huge swath of territory they've claimed over the weeks. More than a dozen protesters were killed in the four-hour firefight, but the pro-Saleh forces gained no ground, and protesters were putting up new structures Thursday.

"We have no fear of violence," said Bassem Moghram, one the leaders of the young people who make up the heart of the protest movement. "Freedom is not cheap."

Increasing hardship, uncertainty

Where the protest movement will go is uncertain. Similar tent cities have sprung up in other Yemeni cities, and the political turmoil is showing itself in growing hardship for the average Yemeni.

Gas rationing, water shortages and power outages have become commonplace in many parts of the country; and the cost of food has risen, as the value of the Yemeni rial has plunged.

RELATED: As Yemenis run low on gas and food, revolution could take off

Yemen's oil industry has been particularly affected; with production dropping nearly 50 percent, the result of damaged pipelines and the temporary closure of some oil facilities.

Amir al Aydarous, the country's oil minister, recently told the state-run news agency that continued unrest could lead to "catastrophe beyond imagination." Yemen's modest oil reserves provide nearly 70 percent of the government's revenues.

A largely leaderless movement

The movement itself remains largely leaderless. While some of the demonstrators are affiliated with opposition parties, most continue to fiercely assert their independence. Images of slain former President Ibrahim al Hamdi, who ran the country from 1974 to 1977, far outnumber images of current opposition leaders.

"We will talk about parties when we are talking about elections," said Ibrahim Yayha al Kulani. "Until then, we will remain one united front, not differentiating between party, region or sect."

Various self-described "revolutionary youth committees" have sprouted in different areas of Yemen. Notably, the past weeks have seen growing cooperation between groups in different cities, culminating in the formation this week of a single, nationwide "Media Council of the Revolution." Another group, the Supreme Coordination Council of the Revolution, has called for a series of marches, strikes and camp expansions, culminating in a march Tuesday on the Presidential Palace.

US role

For its part, the US, for which Saleh has been a key ally in the war on terror, and the European Union remain supportive of the GCC plan, which would grant Saleh immunity from prosecution for the hundreds of deaths suffered in the crackdown on the protests. The young people who've remained camped out in protest reject that idea in particular, and many Yemen observers believe the GCC plan is doomed.

"It is a mistake for the United States to continue to let the GCC take the lead on this, both for the future of Yemen as well as for U.S. security interests," commented Gregory Johnsen, a Yemen scholar at Princeton University. "The US must take the lead in constructively shaping a post-Saleh Yemen."

Others say the US support for any plan makes it unworkable.

"This is not even just a GCC plan," said Feris al Areeqi, a professor of engineering at Sanaa University. "This is a GCC-EU-USA plan. How can they intervene positively when they have supported Saleh?"

(Baron is a McClatchy special correspondent.)

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Deeper pockets in fashion for 2012 presidential race

By Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

Obama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency.

EnlargeCloseBy Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

Obama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency.

"This could easily be a $2 billion presidential election, and that's just for the nominees," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

At that level, candidates would spend as much to win the White House as the Walt Disney Co. spent on U.S. advertising in 2009, according to Advertising Age.

POLITICS: Obama quietly throws hat in 2012 ring by passing itObama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency — driven partly by small-donor enthusiasm. That's more than twice what his Republican opponent, John McCain, collected and more than four times what George W. Bush collected in 2000. This time around, Obama is aggressively courting deep-pocketed donors. Obama's campaign already has asked more than 400 fundraisers to collect at least $350,000 each by year's end.

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