document: Bashar Assad appoints Adel Safar new PM of Syria SYRIAN President Bashar Assad last night asked former agriculture minister Adel Safar to form a new government , as communications networks failed and residents in Douma prepared to bury the first of their dead . Mr Safar 's appointment came after Mr Assad fired his cabinet in a bid to quell pro-democracy protests but dashed hopes he would lift almost 50 years of emergency rule in a rare address . Mobile phone and internet networks failed yesterday in Syria '' `` due to an overload '' '' , according to a customer representative , a day after authorities had carried out a wave of arrests in protest cities , after nine people were killed in protests for reform the day before . '' `` There is an arrest campaign and phone lines are down so people suspect interference , but the government says it is a technical problem , '' '' said a resident of Douma , north of Damascus . The wave of raids targeted the southern town of Daraa , one of the centres of more than two weeks of demonstrations , as well as Douma and the industrial city of Homs . In a joint statement , eight human rights groups said 46 people had been arrested , four people had died and dozens had been wounded in the crackdown . A Douma resident said the agricultural town was calm , despite security forces withholding some bodies from the previous day 's deadly violence in an apparent bid to prevent funerals from sparking fresh protests . Witnesses said security forces had used live ammunition to disperse stone-throwing protesters after Friday prayers . Authorities denied the security forces were responsible for the deaths , blaming them on an '' `` armed group '' '' that fired from rooftops . Yusef Abu Rumiyeh , a member of parliament for Daraa , denounced security forces for opening fire on his constituents '' `` without pity '' '' and preventing the wounded from getting to hospital . '' `` The people of Hauran were waiting for President -LSB- Bashar -RSB- Assad to visit to offer his condolences . Had he done so , nothing that happened subsequently would have taken place , '' '' he said in a video posted on YouTube . '' `` Friday of Martyrs '' '' protests were also staged in the port of Latakia , Darriya , near the capital and the northeastern Kurdish towns of Qamishli and Amuda . Washington slammed the use of force and applauded the '' `` courage and dignity '' '' of demonstrators . But analysts said US President Barack Obama was not ready to throw his support behind the opposition . '' `` They are afraid that -LSB- Mr Assad -RSB- will not go gently into that good night and therefore they might try to create trouble , and that will create a civil war-type scenario , '' '' said Ammar Abdulhamid , a Washington-based Syrian dissident and democracy activist . '' '' -LSB- They fear it -RSB- will be either civil war or they will have to deal with an even more radicalised and anti-Western regime if the Assads came up in control again , '' '' he said . In Yemen , police fired teargas and live bullets at protesters holding an anti-regime demonstration in the city of Taez yesterday , killing one and wounding dozens . In the southern city of Aden , protesters hurled stones at riot police backed by tanks and duelling rallies were held in the capital Sanaa . With the US heavily invested in Yemen 's fight against al-Qa ` ida , Defence Secretary Robert Gates said a week ago the fall of Ali Abdullah Saleh 's regime could pose a '' `` real problem '' '' for the US AFP , AP
doc_bio_tags: B I I I I O B I I B I I I O O O B I I I I O O O B I O O B B O O O O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O B I O B I I I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O O B I I I I O B O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O B O B I I I O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O B I I I I I I O O O O O O B I I I O O B O O B O O B O B O B O O B I I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O B O O O O O B O O B I O O B O O O B O B I I O O O O B O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O B O B I I I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O B O B O O O B O O O O O O O B I I O B I I O O O O B O O O B O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O B O O B O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B B O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O B O B O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O