Gunmen opened fire on protesters in the southern Yemen city of Taiz on Saturday

Gunmen opened fire on protesters in the southern Yemen city of Taiz on Saturday, injuring at least seven people, witnesses said.

The non-uniformed men fired from rooftops, the witnesses said, on protesters demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh end his 33-year rule in the Arab world's poorest country.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has likely been wounded in western airstrikes

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has likely been wounded in western airstrikes and has probably left Tripoli, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Friday.

A Libyan government spokesman immediately denied that Gaddafi had been harmed.

Frattini told reporters that he believed what he had been told by Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, the Catholic bishop in Tripoli, that Gaddafi had probably left Tripoli and had probably even been wounded by NATO airstrikes.

"I tend to give credence to the comment of the bishop of Tripoli, Monsignor Martinelli, who has been in close contact over recent weeks, when he told us that Gaddafi is very probably outside Tripoli and is probably also wounded. We don't know where or how," Frattini said.

"It's nonsense," Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said in Tripoli. "The leader is in high morale. He's in good spirits. He is leading the country day by day. He hasn't been harmed at all."

Asked about the Libyan denial, Frattini said he still believed what Martinelli said.

In a separate interview published on the website of the Corriere della Sera, Frattini also said that he did not believe that Libyan TV footage of Gaddafi greeting tribal leaders on Wednesday was authentic.

"I strongly doubted that those images were taken on that day and above all in Tripoli," Frattini said.

"There are people on the ground who have the pulse of the situation ... Among many others I am referring to Bishop Martinelli, who has had, and still has, close relations with the regime," he said.

He added: "The international pressure has likely led Gaddafi to decide to seek shelter in a safe location. I tend to think that he fled Tripoli, not Libya."

An official at the NATO operations center in Naples repeated NATO's line that it was not targeting individuals in bombing raids that have hit Libyan capital and said the alliance had no way to confirm Frattini's comments.

"We can't verify that as we don't have any way of tracking his movements," the official said. "We don't have boots on the ground."

Contacted from Rome, Martinelli's office said the bishop had left Tripoli for Tunis. The bishop himself was not reachable.

As the Vatican's top official in Tripoli, Martinelli has been in contact with Gaddafi's entourage.

The Italian prelate joined a Muslim cleric in blessing the bodies of Gaddafi's youngest son and three grandchildren who were killed in a NATO air raid on April 30.

Since the start of the NATO operation, Martinelli has been highly outspoken and critical of the military strikes, saying that many civilians had been killed.

Palestinian teenager who was shot Friday during street clashes in East Jerusalem died of his wounds early Saturday

A Palestinian teenager who was shot Friday during street clashes in East Jerusalem died of his wounds early Saturday, raising tensions ahead of planned Palestinian protests marking the anniversary of the founding of Israel.

Milad Ayyash, 17, was shot in the stomach during stone-throwing confrontations in the neighborhood of Silwan between local youths and Israeli police and security guards posted at buildings housing Jewish settlers, according to witnesses. Police said they were investigating the source of the gunfire.

The youth’s funeral sparked further clashes on Saturday, and two Palestinians were reported wounded by rubber-coated bullets fired by police.

Israeli security forces are on alert for demonstrations in Palestinian areas on Sunday, the anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948. The anniversary is marked by Palestinians as the “nakba,” or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced in the war that followed Israel’s creation.

Libya's embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi has made a radio address to the nation saying he is in no worry about his life

Libya's embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi has made a radio address to the nation saying he is in no worry about his life, a day after it was reported he is wounded and fled Tripoli.

Friday Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini alleged Gaddafi was wounded by a NATO strike and has left his compound in Tripoli.

"I live in a place where there is completely impossible that I am eliminated," said the Libyan leader Saturday.

Gaddafi's message was nevertheless deeper than just stating the fact that he is located at a secured and secreted compound.

"NATO cannot come and kill me where I am. For I live in the hearts of millions," declared the Libyan leader.

Counter to all appearances, NATO has thus far been officially denying it intends to kill Gaddafi.

Opposition politicians Norbert Mao and Muhammed Kibirige were by press time still under police detention after they were arrested as they tried to access the Constitution Square in Kampala to conduct a rally.

Opposition politicians Norbert Mao and Muhammed Kibirige were by press time still under police detention after they were arrested as they tried to access the Constitution Square in Kampala to conduct a rally.

The politicians were part of a larger group that attempted to access the square in the heart of the city for a rally even after the police had insisted the area was out of bounds.

Also arrested with the politicians, who were protesting the rise in cost of basic commodities, was DP former candidate for the Budiope East parliamentary seat Moses Bigirwa.

Although other opposition figures Olara Otunnu (UPC), Salaam Musumba (FDC) and former independent presidential candidate Walter Lubega evaded arrest, they did not escape a flood of police water spray that left them dyed pink.

The group that escaped arrest relocated to UPC party headquarters at Uganda House, where they addressed the media and condemned the police action.

When contacted at Kira Road Police Station, where he was anticipating to be freed on police bond last night, Mr Mao said, “I am all pink.”

Pink town
The DP president said the spray was an irritant, but that not much had gotten on him when the group was targeted by security forces.

The Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, later told journalists at Kampala Central Police Station from where he oversaw the operation that he was happy his men had not used teargas.

He added that the same approach will be used to dissuade crowds from jamming Entebbe Road today when FDC president KizzaBesigye returns from seeking specialised medical treatment in Nairobi, saying his entourage “will be treated like a VIP convoy”.

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the decision to use water cannons over tear gas was a “tactical” one. It is the first time the measure has been used by security to disperse walk-to-work protestors since demonstrations began just over one month ago.

Identifier
“The colour is basically to identify people who are part of the riots,” she said. “Normally when we use tear gas we find everybody complaining ‘I wasn’t party’ – but this water targets the people who are part of the gathering, and you find that when you want to follow them up it is very easy for identification.”

She also said the choice to use the spray was due to the location of the demonstration.

“Because they were in central business district, we needed to use a tactic which may not affect other people not party to what was taking place,” she said.

Mr Manesh Dada, the proprietor of Dada Photo Studio, claimed that his photo printing machine worth Shs30 million was damaged during the fracas.

“In the process of stopping the protestors, police shattered my glass pane as they sprayed this liquid on the passersby,” he said, while mopping up his soaked floor.

And Ali Nakibinge, a downtown parking attendant, pointed to the stained cars with broken parts he was tasked with monitoring, as well as the vendors forced to throw away their used books on either side of him.

“All this business was affected,” he said, standing on a street corner still running with pink water.

“Of course we were scared. I wouldn’t even come to Kampala if we are not looking for something to eat,” said the 23-year-old Kabowa resident.

Journalists harassed
At least two photographers were harassed by security forces for taking pictures of the water cannons being deployed.
Daily Monitor photographer Isaac Kasamani said when he arrived on the scene, he was greeted by a scene of about 50 anti-riot and military police, some with dogs, and witnessed a colleague being pulled down from where he was perched taking photos.

“As I was taking pictures, some police came and chased me away,” he said. “I refused to go away but more police men came and told me to just get off, pushing me away from the scene.”

Constitution Square
Security forces continued to block all entrances to Constitution Square into the evening.

Ms Nabakooba said the square is off-limits for having been the site of demonstrations gone wrong in the past.
“People used to have rallies in that ground, but a lot of properties would be destroyed, people’s businesses would be looted,” she said.

The police spokesperson suggested the opposition look “in other places that are neutral” to hold their rallies. She could not, however, provide an example of a suitable ground.