American, Canadian shot in Yemen

American, Canadian shot in Yemen

YEMEN: An American, a Canadian and a Yemeni were shot dead on
Tuesday in an attack by a Yemeni gunman who then killed himself
at an oilfield east of Sanaa, local authorities said.

The assailant turned the gun on himself after having killed
his three victims in the Safer oil region, some 300 kilometers
east of Sanaa, a local official said.

The official said the American and the Canadian worked for a
Western oil company operating in Safer, situated in Marib
province, where Yemeni and U.S. forces have been cooperating in a
search for suspects in the bombing of the USS Cole warship in
October 2000 that left 17 sailors dead.

The shooting came as the United States and Britain step up
preparations to invade Iraq to overthrow President Saddam
Hussein, whom they accuse of possessing and developing weapons of
mass destruction. --AFP

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ATW-Qatar-Journalist Pardoned
Qatari emir pardons Jordanian journalist convicted of spying
JP/11/ATW

Convicted Jordanian reporter freed

QATAR: Marking a visit from Jordan's king, the leader of Qatar
pardoned a Jordanian journalist on Tuesday who had been convicted
of spying and sentenced to death, according to the official
Qatari official news agency.

Firas al-Majali, who worked as a reporter for state-owned
Qatar Television was convicted and sentenced to death in October
for spying and passing military and other information about Qatar
to Jordan. An appeals court upheld the sentence.

The news agency said the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al
Thani, issued the pardon on the occasion of King Abdullah II's
visit and in an attempt to strengthen relations between the two
nations.

Al-Majali's wife, Roula Abul-Rouss, said in a telephone
interview from Jordan that "happiness overwhelmed Firas al-
Majali's family today."

Qatari officials earlier had alleged that al-Majali, 30, had
sent information to Jordan on the status of U.S. troops in Qatar
as well as economic and social data. Cool relations between the
two countries complicated al-Majalis' case. --AP

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ATW-ZIMBABWE-STRIKE
Bus burned, motorists stoned in anti-Mugabe strike
JP/11/ATW

Anti-Mugabe strikers in riot

ZIMBABWE: Mobs burned a bus, blocked roads and stoned motorists
in the capital Harare on Tuesday on the first day of a national
strike called by the opposition to protest against President
Robert Mugabe, police said.

Factories and shops were shut as thousands of workers joined
the two-day mass action called by the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) in the first major challenge to Mugabe since his
controversial re-election a year ago.

MDC officials said the two-day protest would help to marshal
international focus on Mugabe's "repressive rule" at a time when
the world spotlight is on Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

State radio called the strike a flop with only white-owned
companies affected. A government spokesman said: "The MDC is
desperate and they are failing desperately".

Police said mobs began roaming through Harare after midnight,
blocking roads into the city center and hurling stones at passing
motorists. --Reuters