Two killed in Oman clashes

OMANI security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters demanding political reforms yesterday, killing at least two people in the strategic Gulf country, police officials said.

The clashes mark a significant escalation in two days of protests in Oman, and show that the unrest roiling the Arab world has spread to a second Gulf nation. Bahrain has been engulfed by anti-government protests for weeks.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the town of Sohar, about 120 miles north-west of the capital of Muscat. Witnesses said police tried to disperse the demonstrators, firing tear gas and rubber bullets.