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

;AP;KOD; ANPAi..r.. 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

;REUTERS;KOD; ANPAi..r.. 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