Syria, Yemen (and Beyond): The Drumbeat of Protests and Killings

Claimed footage of snipers firing on protesters today in Sana'a, Yemen

See also Syria 1st-Hand: Life with Assad's Alawites

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2105 GMT: Al Jazeera English's Rula Amin reports via Twitter that at least seven people have died in Homs in Syria today.

Meanwhile, in Harasta, northeast of Damascus, an anti-regime protest chants in solidarity with those in other cities:

2005 GMT: Three activists who participated in protests earlier this year have been elected to Oman's 84-member consultative Shura Council.

Activists praised the election of those such as Salim al-Mashani, who was detained during demonstrations in the southern port city of Salalah in February. "That means the people were fully behind the protests and they want their voices heard democratically," Saif al-Muharbi, another former protester in Muscat, said.

Voter turnout was higher than expected, with 76% of nearly 520,000 registered voters casting ballots on Saturday. Only 28% voted in 2007.

Five people were killed in February's protests in the industrial town of Sohar. After the unrest, Sultan Qaboos promised a $2.6 billion spending package and 50,000 public sector jobs and reshuffled his cabinet three times.

1945 GMT: Protesters in Marib express solidarity with those who have been slain in Sana'a in the last two days:

1605 GMT: A 12-minute clip of an opposition rally in Nuwaidrat in Bahrain on Friday:

1545 GMT: Students in Al-Maliha Al-Sharkiye in southern Syria chant i solidarity with protesters in other towns:

And students in Al-Jizah chant, "The people want the execution of the President":

1525 GMT: Dramatic footage of protesters, with no more than stones, taking on armoured vehicles in the Syrian town of Inkhil on Saturday --- note the two men who climb aboard the speeding tank and hang on for the ride:

1445 GMT: Protests after noon prayers today in Saqba, near the Syrian capital Damascus:

1345 GMT: Back from a weekend break to find the latest from Yemen....

The death toll from today's attacks by regime forces is at least five protesters and seven opposition soldiers, hit by sniper fire and shrapnel from rocket-propelled grenades. Many were shot in the head or the chest.

The deaths follow at least 17 fatalities amongst the protesters on Saturday.

Despite the bloodshed, Walid al-Ammari, a spokesman for the protesters, said, "We will continue with our protests...even if thousands of our youth are killed. This is the only way to ensure the fall of the regime."

Ammari said activists were planning a fresh march, hoping to move within a kilometre of the Presidential Palace.

The regime forces attacked today as hundreds of thousands of protesters marched on Al-Zubeiri Street, marking the dividing line between parts of Sana'a held by troops loyal to President Saleh and those held by opposition units under the command of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar.

1200 GMT: Brian Whitaker offers a valuable overview of next Sunday's elections in Tunisia. An extract:

Next Sunday, October 23, will deliver the first tangible fruits of the uprising that toppled President Ben Ali in Tunisia when voters elect a 218-member National Constituent Assembly.

The assembly will not be a parliament as such: its main task is to draft a new constitution and prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections which will come later.

The election itself, therefore, is unlikely to be definitive. Barring a surprise result in which one party gains overall control, we can expect several months of haggling to ensue over such matters as the role of religion in public life and the eventual system of government, including the level of decentralisation. Obviously, though, the parties with the largest numbers of seats will be in the best position to determine the character of the new system – so the election is still important.

The assembly is supposed to last for one year. Beyond the task of preparing a constitution its role is not entirely clear, though it is expected to appoint a new government and act temporarily as the country's sovereign body.

The Project on Middle East Democracy has produced a useful guide to the election which describes the contesting parties and highlights some potential problems. The strongest contender appears to be the moderately Islamist (and previously banned) al-Nahda party. Opinion polls have put its support somewhere between 20% and 30%, though it's difficult to judge how reliable these polls are.

Ranged against al-Nahda are a fragmented collection of mainly left and centre-left parties which are probably less well organised in terms of getting their supporters to the polling stations.

0900 GMT: Dr. Mohammed Al-Qubati, a medic in Change Square in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, says four people have been killed and 37 injured in the attack by regime forces.

0840 GMT: Reports have been coming in that protesters have again marched in the Yemeni capital Sana'a and they have again been attacked by regime forces. One activist claimed two people have been killed and 15 injured.

The clashes reportedly occurred as marchers moved towards the "Kentucky" Roundabout. One reports says snipers are on the rooftops of the Oil Ministry and firing live rounds.

0550 GMT: Yemen seized the headlines on Saturday, as at least 13 people were killed in an attack by regime forces in the capital Sana'a and more people died in clashes between President Saleh's loyalists and military who have sided with the opposition.

Amidst the gunfire, a clip of protesters dancing:

0540 GMT: Another day in the "new normal" in Syria --- after a Friday in which more than 20 people were slain by security forces, three mourners were killed and 20 were injured when those forces fired on funeral processions, as the regime's troops pursued defectors from the military.

Another prominent activist was killed on Saturday. Ziad al-Obeidi was shot as he fled from police who stormed his home in Deir Ez Zor in the northeast, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 

Al-Obeidi's death comes a week after another activist, Meshaal Tammo, was slain by gunmen who entered his home in northeast Syria.

Saturday's funeral of Ghassan Sibai, killed by security forces, in the Bab Amr section of Homs: