Mideast / Briefly

Yemen warplanes bomb town

SANAA - Yemeni forces opened fire on a protest camp and killedmore than 20 demonstrators Monday in the southern city of Taiz whilegovernment warplanes launched airstrikes on another southern townseized by radical Islamists.

The new attempts to suppress the uprising against President AliAbdullah Saleh with overwhelming force, following a weekend whenhigh-level military defectors formed a united front in support ofthe protesters, pointed to the longtime leader's increasinglytenuous grip on power.

Government jets bombed the outskirts of the southern town ofZinjibar on Monday, the loud booms sending up columns of smoke,resident Ali Dahmis said by phone. He said the army was targetingresidential areas.

Gadhafi called ready for truce

TRIPOLI - Moammar Gadhafi is ready for a truce to stop thefighting in his country, the visiting South African president saidMonday after meeting the Libyan ruler, but he listed familiarGadhafi conditions that have scuttled previous cease-fire efforts.

The South African president, Jacob Zuma, said Gadhafi is ready toaccept an African Union initiative for a cease-fire that would stopall hostilities, including NATO airstrikes in support of rebelforces. Zuma did not say Gadhafi is ready to step down - the centraldemand of the rebels.

In Rome Monday, an indication that Gadhafi's regime is losingsupport came from eight top Libyan army officers, including fivegenerals, who defected from Gadhafi's military. They appealed totheir fellow officers to join the revolt.

Snapshots

Female driver reportedly freed: A Saudi woman detained fordefying the ultraconservative kingdom's ban on female drivers wasreleased Monday after growing international pressure for herfreedom, reports said. The 32-year-old woman, Manal al-Sherif,became the center of a growing Internet campaign that also drewattention to plans for a June 17 rally calling for a mass drivingprotest to challenge the restriction.

Iraq official quits: One of Iraq's three vice presidents has quitthe post, his political party announced Monday. Vice President AdelAbdul Mehdi's decision was meant to set an example for the rest ofthe government, which has been bloated with state ministries and theexpansion this year of the vice presidency from two to threepositions, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq said.

Iranian leaves Cairo: An Iranian diplomat who was arrested byEgyptian security agents on suspicion of spying has left Cairo forIran. Qassem al-Husseini, third secretary at Iran's diplomaticmission in Cairo, was arrested on Saturday .

Shiite mosques damaged: Bahrain's Sunni Muslim governmentdemolished or seriously damaged 43 Shiite Muslim mosques orreligious structures during its crackdown on anti-governmentdemonstrations, according to an official tally compiled by the state-supported endowment that oversees Shiite sacred buildings. Twenty-eight mosques were completely leveled, of which 10 were historicstructures, according to the list by the Awaqf endowment. Anotherseven were seriously damaged, of which two were historic, accordingto the list.