In Brief

Syria tank assault kills four near Turkey
AMMAN – Syrian troops shot dead four villagers yesterday, an activist said, as authorities pressed on with a tank-led assault that has already driven thousands of refugees across the northwest border with Turkey.

Yemeni jet bombs bus by mistake, 4 deadSANAA – A Yemeni air force jet mistakenly bombed a bus in a southern city controlled by Islamic militants and suspected al Qaeda members yesterday, killing four people, while clashes between militants and soldiers on the ground left 23 dead on both sides.Senegal deploys army to halt riotsDAKAR – Senegal said yesterday it had deployed the army to help end a spate of riots that destroyed state buildings and left charred vehicles in the streets of the capital Dakar.Austrian priests to disobey popeVIENNA – More than 250 Catholic priests in Austria are ready to disobey the pope and allow women to preach, the head of a progressive clergy platform confirmed yesterday.Palestinian PM sceptical of UN bidRAMALLAH – UN recognition of a Palestinian state would largely be a symbolic victory and would not change the reality of the Israeli occupation, said Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.Bin Laden son seeks to free family in PakistanDOHA – A son of Osama bin Laden. Omar bin Laden, said he is working with the United Nations to obtain his family’s release from Pakistan after the US raid that killed the former al Qaeda leader in May.Hostage recounts 462-day ordealSYDNEY – Daily beatings and prayers five times a day for over a year were all part of Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan’s harrowing ordeal at the hands of a Somali criminal gang after a 2008 kidnapping.