BBC News with Nick Kelly

President Assad of Syria has

dismiss

ed the governor of the city of Hama a day after it staged one of the biggest demonstrations yet against his rule. Lina Sinjab reports from Damascus.

The governor of Hama is believed to be at least

partially

responsible for the violence that left many dead last month, and the decision to dismiss him seems to be an attempt to

appease

popular anger, but the violence is continuing. Human rights activists say 24 people were shot dead during protests on Friday when hundreds of thousands are believed to have taken to the streets. Opposition groups in Syria say they see no way out of the crisis unless the army and security forces leave cities and towns, and peaceful demonstrations are allowed.

There have been several demonstrations in Bahrain following the formal opening of talks between the Sunni authorities and the Shia-dominated opposition. At one demonstration, protesters opposed to the talks chanted for the Bahraini monarch to step down. The talks follow months of anti-government protests, in which more than 30 people have been killed. Mike Wooldridge reports.

There's been strong pressure including from the United States, which bases the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, for reconciliation talks between the island nation's Sunni monarchy and the opposition. At the opening session today of what the government's calling a "national dialogue", the parliament speaker said the talks would have no