IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Yemen

Security forces clash, two dead

Rival Yemeni forces clashed in Sanaa on Wednesday, killing two people, and the opposition awaited clarification from Gulf mediators on the time frame for a proposed transfer of the president's powers.

Clashes also erupted in the southern city of Aden when security forces tried to break up a protest march demanding an immediate end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule, witnesses said.

Gulf foreign ministers have said they would invite Saleh and his opponents to mediation talks on a transfer of power for the Arabian Peninsula state to end a standoff after two months of street protests.

Japan

Tainted water level drops

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), operator of the crippled nuclear power plant, says the level of contaminated water in the tunnel of the No 2 reactor has dropped 4 centimeters.

Workers at the plant had moved about 250 tons of highly radioactive water into a turbine condenser by Wednesday morning, NHK reported.

TEPCO says it is expected to take about 40 hours to relocate a total of 700 tons of contaminated water from the tunnel.

A series of aftershocks have brought more difficulties and delayed the water removal, creating another challenge to restoring the cooling system.

China Daily-AP

(China Daily 04/14/2011 page12)