Yemen President Saleh declared a state of emergency on Friday. Around 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after government forces opened fired on protesters in Yemen. The shots rang out after security officers tried to prevent protesters from marching in the capital Sanaa on Friday. A downtown hospital was filled with wounded following the shootings, which happened just after Friday prayers. Yemen has been rocked by weeks of protests undermining President Ali Abdullah Saleh s grip on power. Demonstrators are frustrated by rampant corruption and soaring unemployment. The Friday shootings happened as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in cities across the country. After the violence in Sanaa, President Saleh declared a state of emergency. He also said the police were not involved in the incident, claiming the gunfire was between citizens and demonstrators.
Libya Opposition leaders have since said there was no longer any way to reach a mutual understanding with the government. Ten of 15 countries on the UN Security Council have voted in favour of a no-fly zone over Libya. The resolution was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and United States. This resolution should send a strong message to Colonel Gaddafi and his regime that the violence must stop, the killing must stop and the people of Libya must be protected and have the opportunity to express themselves freely. The first operative paragraph of the resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence. The second operative paragraph demands respect for the rights of the Libyan people. Germany, India, Brazil, Russia and China abstained from the vote on grounds that the rules of the no-fly zone were not properly explained. On the other hand, in the Libyan capitol Tripoli, where Gaddafi still maintains control, a foreign ministry official spoke to a group of government supporters, and thanked the countries who abstained from the vote. Britain s ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant said the resolution had a clear message to "prevent further bloodshed in Libya and to protect the people of Libya from Gaddafi s regime". The adoption of the resolution after days of closed-door negotiations could lead to a dramatic escalation of international involvement in the conflict that erupted last month between Gaddafi loyalists and rebels trying to topple him.
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah promised a multibillion-pound package of reforms, pay rises and loans. The king has congratulated Saudis for their loyalty, national unity and facing the enemies of religion. He said that a nation which raises the word of truth was not to worry and that you were all responsible for the peace and stability of this nation adding that he would like to address heroes in all military sectors, especially security men working at the interior ministry. Amongst a wave of new spending, the decrees outlined a boost in welfare benefits, bonuses for public sector workers, including the army, and a massive drive to build new housing. In addition, the king ordered the creation of 60,000 security jobs within the interior ministry, promised more money for the religious police and, in a sign Saudi s ruling Sunni elite will tolerate no dissent, said the media must respect clerics. Saudi Arabia has mostly avoided the protests seen elsewhere in the region, but dissent has nonetheless built up and some demonstrations have taken place -- especially in the east where many Shi ite Muslims live.
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