Eight killed in Lebanon protests

Security has been stepped up in the Lebanon after eight opposition protesters were shot dead in a Shia suburb of the capital, Beirut.

A ninth person was killed in south Lebanon when hit by a car during a protest against the shootings, security sources said.

At least 29 people were wounded in the violence, which is some of the worst since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, raising tensions in a country gripped by political conflict.

All the dead were members of Hezbollah or Amal - Shia Muslim groups that have been locked in a power struggle with the anti-Damascus governing coalition for more than a year.

Pro-Syrian Hezbollah has asked for an investigation into the deaths and said any cover up would be a threat "to stability and civil peace" in Lebanon.

The Muslim Shia group has been leading an opposition campaign against Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's US-backed government and the political stalemate has left Lebanon without a president since November.

The violence was sparked after an Amal activist was shot dead when the army moved to break up a protest over powercuts.

Security sources said the army, seen as neutral in the political crisis, fired in the air to disperse the protest and that other gunmen in civilian clothes were nearby.

Prime Minister Siniora urged calm and declared Monday a day of mourning with schools and universities closed.

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