Mladic taken from Serbian jail in convoy: witnesses (Reuters)

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Former Serbian military commander Ratko Mladic was taken from a Belgrade courthouse and jail complex in a police convoy on Tuesday and the road to the airport was closed to regular traffic, witnesses said.

Special police wearing face masks, bullet-proof vests and automatic rifles guarded the convoy of Land Rover vehicles. B92 television showed video of another police convoy approaching the city's main airport.

Earlier on Tuesday, Serbia's war crimes court rejected an appeal against Mladic's extradition to The Hague international war crimes tribunal, opening the way for him to face charges of genocide in the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica during the 1992-95 Bosnian War.

(Writing by Adam Tanner; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Witnesses: Yemen protesters shot

Wounded anti-government protesters receive first aid at a makeshift clinic in Taiz on May 9, 2011.NEW: 41 people are injured when forces fire on protesters in SanaaThe protesters were unarmed, according to an opposition party officialProtesters have called for a civil disobedience dayClashes also took place in the city of Taiz, where 4 were injurediReport: Send us your videos, photographs and stories to help document what's happening in Syria, but be sure not to put yourself in a dangerous situation.

(CNN) -- Three people were killed and at least 45 others injured, some critically, when Yemeni security forces shot live ammunition at protesters Wednesday in the cities of Sanaa and Taiz, according to doctors and eyewitnesses.

"The attack took place while we were chanting, 'One more week left for you, Saleh,'" said Sabir Ali, a protester in Taiz. The protesters were giving President Ali Abdullah Saleh a week to step down, saying if he does not, they will make good on a vow to march to the presidential palace.

At least 41 people were injured after security forces opened fire on protesters in Sanaa, the capital, a medical spokesman said. "Security forces are aiming for a massacre in Sanaa," said Abdul Wahab Anesi, a medical staff spokesman at a field hospital set up in Sanaa's Change Square. Four others were reported critically injured in Taiz.

Earlier, a senior security official denied that forces fired on protesters in Taiz.

"Security forces were preventing attacks on civilians led by gangs of the opposition," the official said. "Security forces did not shoot at protesters. Gangs of the JMP were the shooters." The JMP stands for the joint meeting parties, a coalition of opposition parties.

"Security forces kill people, then deny the incident," said Ahmad Bahri, head of the political office at the opposition Haq party. "This is why the Yemeni revolution is taking place."

He said the protesters were unarmed and were marching peacefully when they were shot. Those who died were shot in the head, Bahri said.

Protesters calling themselves Revolution Youth had called for a civil disobedience day on Wednesday. More than 95% of the shops in Taiz were closed, according to eyewitnesses.

Civil disobedience was also seen in the cities of Abyan, Aden, Ibb, Hodeida and Amran, according to reports.

On Monday, medical officials said at least six people were killed and hundreds wounded when teachers -- accompanied by opponents of Saleh's government -- demonstrated against salary cuts. Witnesses said security forces opened fire on the protesters and dispersed marchers with batons and tear gas before shooting at them.

CNN cannot independently verify the witness accounts.

Saleh's impoverished and unstable nation has been wracked by anti-government protests and clashes between demonstrators and security forces for many weeks.

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Witnesses: Military operation in Syria

NEW: Witness: Soldiers "are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses"3,000 soldiers are in Daraa, a witness saysDaraa is the city where the current anti-government protests beganProtesters want freedom, regime reform, and the ability to create independent political parties

(CNN) -- Fear and panic coursed through Daraa as the Syrian army launched a major military operation in the southern Syrian city Monday.

As one witness spoke to CNN by phone, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background, along with people screaming, "Allahu Akbar" -- meaning "God is great."

"There are around 3,000 soldiers in Daraa now. They are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses," the resident said. "We were sleeping and not protesting."

Another witness described an onslaught of tanks infiltrating the city.

"Before dawn prayers, around 4:30 a.m., the Syrian security forces broke into Daraa," the witness said. "There were so many tanks that entered the city from its four corners. People were heading to mosques when the attack started. People in mosques started warning the people through loud speakers, but the gunfire had already started."

The witness added that ambulances were not allowed into the city and that electricity and phone lines were down.

CNN was unable to independently verify the accounts, as it has not been granted access into Syria.

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Anti-government protests that have taken hold in many parts of Syria began in Daraa last month following a violent crackdown by security forces on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests of youths who scribbled anti-government graffiti. Protesters have asked for freedom and regime reform, and public discontent with President Bashar al-Assad's government has mounted.

Activists also want the easing of the ruling Baath Party's power and a law that would permit the establishment of independent political parties.

The Syrian government has accused protesters of shooting at security forces, while opposition activists and demonstrators accuse the government of killing demonstrators.

Reports of violence over the past several days have been particularly gruesome.

On Sunday, at least three protesters were killed when security forces and secret police raided the town of Jableh on Syria's western coast and fired at demonstrators without warning, according to an eyewitness and demonstrator.

Security forces surrounded a mosque that was being used to treat the wounded, preventing 18 seriously wounded people from being hospitalized, according to a doctor inside.

On Saturday, at least 10 people died Saturday after Syrian security forces opened fire on mourners at funeral processions in the Damascus suburb of Douma and the southern town of Izraa, according to witness accounts.

And Amnesty International reported at least 75 deaths across the country on Friday.

The Syrian government and security forces have been largely silent to international media over the past month and generally speak only through state media. There was no immediate word from the Syrian leadership about the reports from Daraa on Monday.

"The Syrian regime is killing us," one man in Daraa told CNN on Monday. "Please tell the world."

CNN's Raja Razek contributed to this report.

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