SYRIA Syrian security forces open fire on a funeral procession, killing up to 10 people in Homs, hit for days by some of the most severe violence seen during the country's four-month-old uprising. Dozens of people — possibly as many as 50 — have been killed in Homs since Saturday, according to activists, human rights groups and witnesses. Syria has banned independent media coverage, making it difficult to verify accounts from witnesses or Syrian authorities. ___ EGYPT Egypt's ruling generals are seeking to ensure a future role for themselves with considerable independence from civilian leaders and possibly an authority to intervene in politics. The push appears to be driven by the military's fear of losing the near-autonomous power it has enjoyed for nearly 60 years, but activists worry it will open the door for the army to dictate politics in a democratic Egypt. ___ LIBYA Government forces in trucks disguised with rebel flags shell opposition positions near the strategic eastern oil town of Brega, killing eight rebel fighters and wounding dozens more. Rebel forces have been pushing to seize the front-line town on Libya's coast for nearly a week, but they say fields of land mines planted by Moammar Gadhafi's forces have slowed the advance. ___ YEMEN Yemeni government forces shell a southern town overrun by radical Islamists, killing at least 20 militants in the past two days. In the capital Sanaa, Yemen's disparate opposition groups announce a new alliance they say will unite all forces seeking to oust longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is in Saudi Arabia for treatment of wounds from a June attack on his palace. ___ TUNISIA Tunisia's Interior Ministry says unknown assailants have blown up a pipeline carrying fuel from Algeria during growing tensions in Tunisia. A ministry statement says no one was injured in the explosion along the pipeline, 63 kilometers (39 miles) northwest of Tunis. It carries fuel to Italy.
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