In Syria, another day, and the killing continues.
In Libya, the hunt for Gadhafi continues but the African Union rejects overtures to recognise the rebels' National Transition Council. Meanwhile diplomats from 30 or so countries meet in Turkey to discuss practical ways to support Libya.
Israel has agreed to more Egyptian troops in the Sinai peninsula, after recent cross-border attacks sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
Yemen saw almost 4,000 Somali refugees arrive in August.
Iran finds unexpected consequences of the international sanctions against them. Tourism is down.
More details after the break.
Syrian forces have opened fire on protesters marching in cities and towns across the country, calling for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.
Rights groups and activists said security forces shot at protesters Friday in areas that include the Damascus suburb of Douma, Dara'a province in the south and the eastern town of Deir Ezzor. They say at least three people were killed.
However, Syria says “hooded gunmen” opened fire on law enforcement officers in Deir Ezzor, injuring three officers. The SANA news agency says law enforcement officers responded by shooting and killing two of the gunmen. The news agency also says “gunmen” attacked a security building in Douma, injuring two guards.
Meanwhile, a United Nations humanitarian team says there is an “urgent need” to protect Syrian civilians from the use of excessive force.
Libya:
The African Union [AU] has rejected calls for recognition of Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council. The decision highlights Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s lingering influence at the continental organization he headed as recently as two years ago.
United Nations Deputy Secretary General Asha Rose Migiro opened an African Union Peace and Security summit Friday by urging the continental body to recognize Libya’s new political reality.
"We must help the country’s new leaders to establish an effective, legitimate government - a government that represents and speaks for all the country’s diverse people; a government that can deliver on its people’s hopes," said Migiro.
But in a setback for Libya’s rebel leaders, the 15-member Peace and Security Council rejected Migiro’s plea. A communiqué read by AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra called instead for a transitional government that would include Gadhafi loyalists.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul, Turkey, is hosting a high-level diplomatic meeting of some 30 countries on what support can be given to Libya following the ousting of leader Moammar Gadhafi. The attending countries belong to the Libyan Contact Group and include the United States, European, western Arab and African nations, as well as Libya's rebel government, known as the National Transitional Council [NTC]. Money topped the agenda.
The nearly 30 countries and organizations of the Libya Contact Group called for an expedited process to unfreeze the billions of dollars in Libyan assets for use by the rebels' NTC. The gathering was described as a technical meeting ahead of next week's meeting of the group in Paris. But the head of political affairs for the NTC, Fatih Baja, said concrete steps were taken to unfreeze some of the funds.
"There are not promises, but I think something on the ground is moving. I think [we'll] get $2.5 billion by the end of the month. I think we need more, but for us it's something that will help us," said Baja.
Israel:
Israel has agreed to the deployment of more Egyptian troops in the Sinai peninsula, after recent cross-border attacks sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
At least eight Israelis were killed last week when militants crossed into southern Israel from the Sinai. At least 26 others were wounded in the attacks.
Five Egyptian security men were also killed when Israeli forces pursued some of the militants who had fled to Sinai.
The number of Egyptian troops in the Sinai is limited under the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Egypt has long complained that the restrictions make it difficult to maintain security in the Sinai, which separates Israel from mainland Egypt.
An Egyptian security official said Israel agreed to allow Egypt to increase its troop presence in the peninsula, and to allow Cairo to deploy helicopters and armored vehicles there.
Yemen:
The U.N. refugee agency [UNHCR] says an increasing number of Somali refugees are now going to Yemen -- fleeing drought, famine and conflict.
It says the numbers correspond to a decrease in the number arriving in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The UNHCR says more than 3,700 refugees have reached the coast of Yemen so far in August, and more are expected in the coming months.
The route is a historically migratory one that is heavily travelled from the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen and other countries.
“What we are witnessing in [recent] weeks is that the numbers continue to be significant within the context of the overall displacement of Somalis,” said Andy Needham, the UNHCR public information officer for Somalia.
He said those who do make it across the Gulf are received by aid agencies already working in an unstable environment in Yemen.
“Our colleagues in Yemen as well as other countries in the region…have to deal with this influx of people coming on a regular basis as a result of the current famine displacements, explained Needham.
While Somalis endure banditry and a lack of food and water in walking from their home country in search of relief at refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, the journey to Yemen is far more dangerous because they must cross the Gulf to get there.
“It’s extremely dangerous. It is often fatal, sadly. People are loaded onto vastly overcrowded boats that are perhaps barely seaworthy. They make these absolutely treacherous and perilous journeys across the Gulf and many never make it to the other side, dying along the way.”
Needham added, “They are cramped into every possible nook and cranny, even in the engine room. Sadly, we have come across many cases where people have simply suffocated from fume poisoning, as well as people drowning along the way.”
Often those who offer to take people across the water are unscrupulous, said Needham. Many are smugglers and human traffickers who, for fear of being arrested, dump the passengers overboard.
“The vast majority are coming from Somalia and Ethiopia and cannot swim, so they drown.” He said many mass graves are created along the beaches where the bodies have washed up.
Iran:
Talking about travel and tourism to Iran, you can't overlook the question of U.S. and international sanctions imposed against Tehran as part of the ongoing dispute over its controversial nuclear program. The sanctions were never meant to target Iran's travel and tourism industries, but their effect is felt in numerous ways.
Travel and tourism activities are officially exempt from U.S. sanctions. But the sanctions do prevent American travel companies from sending money directly to their partners in Iran. Those wire transfers have to be cleared first through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which takes time and is limited to $10,000 per transaction.
The sanctions also influence the spending habits of tourists in Iran, because of the lack of credit card or debit card services.
The sanctions have also led to a drawdown in Western investment. Kish Island, for example, was poised in the 1970s to become a major tourist paradise. But economist Fariborz Ghadar says that potential has not been realized.
Information for these reports compiled from articles at VOA News.
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