Peace deal collapses in Yemen

At least five civilians were killed in the Yemen city of Taiz yesterday with the head of a new government meant to prevent civil war saying a week-old pact might unravel if bloodshed continues.

A deal to ease President Ali Abdlulah Saleh from power has yet to defuse ten months of unrest over his fate and the political future of impoverished country.

In Taiz in the south, government forces shot dead three civilians, and a battle between troops and gunmen backing protesters killed two people trapped in their homes, protest leaders said. As the violence continued, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the vice president to whom Saleh has transferred his powers, urged the provincial governor to call a truce.