Date: Aug 1, 2011
Source: Associated Press
 
Latest developments in Arab world's unrest
SYRIA
Syrian security forces backed by tanks and snipers kill more than 70 people in a ferocious assault. The worst carnage is in Hama, the scene of a 1982 massacre by President Bashar Assad's late father. Corpses are scattered in the streets, and Hama hospitals are overwhelmed with bloodied casualties. President Barack Obama called the reports "horrifying" and says Assad is "completely incapable and unwilling" to respond to the legitimate grievances of the Syrian people.
___
LIBYA
Clashes between rival factions of the Libyan rebels kill four people in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, deepening the worst crisis so far for the movement after its chief military commander was killed, possibly by fighters from his own side. One rebel group overruns the base of another faction because they suspect that faction freed some supporters of Moammar Gadhafi.
___
YEMEN
Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh is calling for an end to months of street protests seeking his ouster and dialogue during the holy month of Ramadan. Saleh says taking up arms and disrupting people's daily lives won't bring about change. He released a statement from the Saudi hospital where he is being treated for wounds he suffered in an attack on the presidential compound in June.
___
EGYPT
The judge who will try Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak vows a speedy trial with all hearings broadcast live on state television. Mubarak, his security chief Habib el-Adly and six top police officers could be sentenced to death if found guilty on charges they ordered the use of lethal force against protesters during Egypt's 18-day uprising, when some 850 protesters were killed. The trial is set to begin Wednesday.