Protesters and police clash after Beirut funeral

Protesters had erected flaming roadblocks and gunmen roamed the streets of the capital on Saturday.

And today Lebanese soldiers fired machine guns and rifles into the air and lobbed volleys of tear gas at angry protesters who had attended the funeral and were besieging the government headquarters in Beirut.

As the Morning Star went to press, soldiers and police were maintaining an uneasy calm in the streets outside the prime minister's office, but hundreds of police and armoured vehicles were heading towards the area where several thousand demonstrators were demanding the resignation of the government.

Across the border in Syria, a taxi rigged with explosives blew up outside a police station in the capital Damascus, killing at least 13 people and wounding 29 others.

Meanwhile, in another part of capital, UN and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met President Assad ato discuss a ceasefire between rebels and government forces for the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid.

State news agency Sana said that President Assad assured Mr Brahimi that he supported his effort, but did not say whether he had committed to a truce.

"The president said he is open to any sincere effort to find a political solution to the crisis on the basis of respecting Syrian sovereignty and rejecting foreign interference," Sana said.

Following a closed-door meeting with Syrian opposition groups Mr Brahimi said he had received "promises" but no "commitment" from them to honour any ceasefire.