SYRIA Syria's government proclaims that it is succeeding in crushing the uprising in the city of Hama, the epicenter of anti-regime protests, showing TV images of burned buildings and rubble-strewn streets. Under a suffocating siege, residents of the city warn that medical supplies are running out and food rotting after six days without electricity. Across the country, tens of thousands of protesters march through cities, chanting their solidarity with Hama and demanding the ouster of President Bashar Assad. They are met by security forces who open fire, killing at least 13 people, activists say. LIBYA The Libyan government denies rebel reports that Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son was killed in a NATO airstrike on a front-line town in western Libya. Officials in the rebel's de facto capital of Benghazi say that unconfirmed reports indicate Khamis Gadhafi was among 32 troops killed in a NATO strike on a government operations center in Zlitan. But in Tripoli, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim says Khamis is alive and has spoken to Libyan government officials to confirm his well-being. YEMEN Yemeni government forces clash with supporters of a powerful tribe in central Sanaa, forcing residents to flee the area in fear of further fighting, witnesses say. The clashes in the Hassaba district reflect the still tense standoff between forces loyal to ailing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation, the al-Ahmar clan. Witnesses say the government's elite Republican Guards were heavily deployed in Hassaba, positioning armored vehicles on one of the district's main roads and taking over the Communication Ministry. Supporters of the powerful tribal chief Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar were also on alert. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Fighting between the two side in late May threatened to escalate into all-out war. EGYPT Egyptian military forces wielding batons and firing in the air disperse dozens of activists holding a traditional Ramadan meal in Cairo's central Tahrir square, witnesses say. The military troops forcefully drive the activists out of the square after they ended their communal meal to break the fast, which comes after sundown during the Muslim holy month. The move indicates Egypt's military rulers will no longer tolerate any gathering in the square, which served as the epicenter of the recent uprising.
