Syrian security forces and government loyalists shoot dead 11 people in the city of Hama as residents there erect roadblocks, burn tires and set up sand barriers to prevent the advance of tanks, according to a rights activist.

Reconciliation talks between the Sunni monarchy and the Shiite opposition start for the first time since anti- government protests erupted in the Gulf kingdom earlier this year. The talks are to last until the end of the month, with about 300 delegates from government- linked groups and opposition parties meeting three times a week.

Moammar Gadhafi' s forces step up pressure near the port city of Misrata and a key western mountain range to try to block rebel fighters from advancing toward the capital of Tripoli. At least 11 people are killed in clashes between regime forces and rebels Monday and Tuesday, rebels say/ An Egyptian court acquits three Hosni Mubarak- era ministers of corruption charges while finding a fourth guilty in absentia.

The decision is likely to stoke anger among protesters calling for more accountability for ousted regime officials. The verdicts come a day after 10 policemen charged with killing protesters are ordered released on bail, prompting hundreds of Egyptians to attack a courtroom in Cairo.

Yemeni officials say airstrikes kill six militants and three civilians in the southern towns of Jaar and Zinjibar, seized by Islamist fighters.

The airstrikes are aimed at ousting emboldened militants from southern Yemen amid protests that broke out in February calling for the ouster of President .

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Former Speaker of the House and potential 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich joins " Fox News Sunday" this morning to talk politics, policy and thoughts on a run. Senators John Mc. Cain ( R- AZ) and Joe Lieberman ( I- CT) , two of the Senate' s leading voices on foreign policy, will give their take on the developing situation in Libya and the US role in the ongoing military operation there. A look at what we are reading this morning to prepare for the show. - Associated Press Libyan rebels have taken a key oil town in their continuing push westwards towards the capital Tripoli, backed by international air strikes.

After being stymied for weeks by the heavy weapons of Moammar Gadhafi' s army, rebels captured the city of Ajadibya Saturday and then swept into the oil town of Brega the next day. International air strikes have destroyed much of the government' s heavy weaponry in the area. - Washington Post In an apparent effort to quell anger a day after a deadly crackdown on protesters, President Bashar al- Assad released hundreds of political prisoners Saturday and pulled back security forces from the southwestern city where Syrias burgeoning unrest began last week. Associated Press Allies of Yemens president and his political opponents failed to make progress yesterday in talks on a possible exit for the man who has led the nation through 32 years of growing poverty and conflict and whose rule is now deeply imperiled by a popular uprising. As the political turmoil deepened, there were signs that Islamic militants in the remote reaches of Yemen were seeking to make gains on the situation. Residents and witnesses in Jaar said suspected Al Qaeda militants moved from the mountains yesterday to seize control there a few weeks after police fled. - New York Times Col.

Muammar el- Qaddafis forces retreated from this strategic city on Saturday, running for dozens of miles back along the coast with Libyan rebels in pursuit in their first major victory since American and European airstrikes began a week ago.

The rebels advance was the first sign that the allied attacks, directed not only against Colonel Qaddafis aircraft and defenses but also against his ground troops, were changing the dynamics of the battle for control of the country. As night fell, rebel forces had recaptured Ajdabiya, a crucial hub city in eastern Libya, and had also driven almost uncontested to the town of Brega, erasing weeks of losses as the airstrikes opened the way. - Los Angeles Times Likely Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich conceded Saturday that he made conflicting statements about U.

S. involvement in Libya, but he blamed them on contradictions in President Obama' s policy. The former House speaker called for a no- fly zone early this month after Obama said that Moammar Kadafi " must leave. " Last week, Gingrich backtracked, saying he would not have intervened using U. S. and European forces.

Addressing an audience of conservative activists, Gingrich explained that when he advocated the no- fly zone, he was merely " trying to follow Obama" and did not favor intervention. But once Obama said the Libyan dictator should go, Gingrich said, " he pitted the prestige and power of the United States against a dictator who' s been anti- American for over 40 years. " Gingrich joined other potential GOP contenders at a daylong conference in Iowa, the first state in the presidential nomination process. Politico Michele Bachmann served up red meat to the crowd at the Iowa conservative principles conference Saturday, slamming President Barack Obama as a Jimmy Carter retread, dissing the Mitch Daniels " truce" call for social issues, and saying she wants a " waiver" from the last two years of White House leadership. Talking loudly and waving her hands, a pumped Bachmann used a slide presentation of various numbers the national debt, the cost of a gallon of gas two years ago the day before Obama took office, the corporate tax rate to make her points and pull the crowd in. Suggesting that Iowa caucus voters had the power to halt Obama, Bachmann wrapped up her speech by asking, " Are you in? are you in for 2012? " SPEED READ Reuters - - Unrest in Syria and Jordan Poses New Test for U.

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