Fatal gunfight at Saudi funeral

Saudi Arabia today blamed a "foreign country" for sparking violence which has left four dead since the weekend.

Two people died today when bullets were fired at a funeral for a victim of the earlier violence.

Saudi's Interior Ministry said a gunfight broke out during protests by Shia Muslims in the eastern city of Qatif against the policies of the country's Sunni rulers. Saudi Shias complain of systematic discrimination.

Security forces claim they have been battling with groups of "unknown criminals" which the ministry today accused of working for another government - an apparent allegation that Iran was involved.

The ministry claimed mobs were exchanging gunfire with police at security checkpoints and from inside houses and in alleys.

Saudi Arabia has escaped the popular protests that have swept four Arab heads of state from power this year after offering a major package of incentives to its citizens. But small-scale protests have taken place in the Eastern Province, the centre of Saudi Arabia's oil production facilities, where most of the kingdom's Shia Muslims live.

Egypt's military rulers apologised today for the deaths of dozens of pro-democracy protesters and vowed to prosecute those responsible. It is the latest attempt to appease the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets demanding that the generals step down and allow democratic elections. Muslim clerics have negotiated a truce after five days of fierce street battles that have left nearly 40 dead.