China tries to stamp out 'Jasmine Revolution'

BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities wary of any domestic dissent staged a concerted show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.

Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some mobile phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests at 2 p.m. in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.

The campaign did not gain much traction among ordinary citizens and the chances of overthrowing the Communist government are slim, considering Beijing's tight controls over the media and Internet. A student-led, pro-democracy movement in 1989 was crushed by the military and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.

On Sunday, police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to lay down white jasmine flowers while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.

Libya protests: 140 'massacred' as Gaddafi sends in snipers to crush dissent

Snipers shot protesters, artillery and helicopter gunships were used against crowds of demonstrators, and thugs armed with hammers and swords attacked families in their homes as the Libyan regime sought to crush the uprising.

"Dozens were killed ... We are in the midst of a massacre here," a witness told Reuters. The man said he helped take victims to hospital in Benghazi.

Libyan Muslim leaders told security forces to stop killing civilians, responding to a spiralling death toll from unrest which threatens veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi's authority.

Mourners leaving a funeral for protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi came under fire, killing at least 15 people and wounding many more. A hospital official said one of those who died was apparently struck on the head by an anti-aircraft missile, and many had been shot in the head and chest.

The hospital was overwhelmed and people were streaming to the facility to donate blood. "Many of the dead and the injured are relatives of doctors here," he said. "They are crying and I keep telling them to please stand up and help us." 

Radiohead, 'The King Of Limbs' - The Conspiracy Theories Begin

Is 'The King Of Limbs' just the first part of a larger body of work? Lots of Radiohead fans seem to think so.

For a start, the album ends with ‘Separator’, so titled - perhaps - because it’s a pivot point between this album and the next. And if that’s not the case, how come they scrapped the original title, 'Mouse Bird Dog'? Though admittedly, the supposed ‘giveaway’ lyric (“If you think this is over then you’re wrong”) was in the song even then.

Then there’s the fact that the physical edition of ‘The King Of Limbs’ comes with two 10” vinyl records. As Stephen Ackroyd of This Is Fake DIY points out, that’s a red herring, since an entirely separate album would not fit on to a 10” record.

That doesn’t mean the theory itself is flimsy, however. Note that orders from the site were numbered ‘TKOL1’, suggesting there may yet be a ‘TKOL2’.

Libya unrest death toll 'tops 200'

Hundreds have been killed in Libya since protests broke out across the North African nation six days ago, according to rights watchdogs and eyewitnesses across the country.

Residents told Al Jazeera that at least 200 people had died in the eastern city of Benghazi alone, while the New York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday put the countrywide death toll at 104. The rights group said the figure was "conservative".

Protests have also reportedly broken out in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata.

In the capital, Tripoli, supporters of the government took to the streets in large numbers, and security forces prevented large demonstrations against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year reign.

Benghazi "a war zone"

Moftah, a resident of Benghazi - Libya's second largest city - who requested Al Jazeera use only his first name, said the city had become a "war zone" in recent days.

Residents have barricaded the streets with overturned trash cans and debris, and security forces have largely confined themselves to two compounds, though snipers continue to target protesters, he said.

The forces who remain are "thugs" loyal to Gaddafi, Moftah said, and they are firing high-calibre ammunition at protesters.

Mariam, a doctor speaking from a hospital in Benghazi, said the military had shot at protesters with live ammunition and that even the hospital was not safe. An eight-year-old boy who had been shot in the head was among the dead, she said.

Security forces reportedly opened fire at a funeral in the eastern, coastal city on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring scores more.

The funeral was to honour protesters killed by security forces during the ongoing protests, which began on Monday after the arrest of a prominent lawyer, and have continued to call for Gaddafi's downfall.

Another doctor from Benghazi's al-Jalah hospital said staff there had received 15 bodies and were treating numerous people following the shootings at the funeral. The hospital counted 44 deaths in three days and was struggling to treat the wounded, he said.

"This is not a well-equipped hospital and these injuries come in waves," he said. "All are very serious injuries, involving the head, the chest and the abdomen. They are bullet injuries from high-velocity rifles."

US diplomat: Arab leaders need to lead on reform

A top U.S. diplomat says that Arab leaders facing mass protests need to lead the way rather than resist reform, and she denies that the Obama administration has abandon its allies in the Middle East.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, says that the U.S. has pressed allied governments not to stage violent crackdowns on peaceful protests and has urged them to embrace the demands for democracy. She says that the U.S. has not pushed any leaders out or decided that they should stay.

Rice also says the U.S. is "very concerned" about reports of security forces firing on peaceful protesters in Libya, where nearly a week of protests have left at least 200 dead.

Rice spoke Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press."