Dozens of protesters die in Yemen

The Yemen government had been quite friendly with the US in the last few years so the administration has to be following this closely.

The Guardian:

The scene was desperate and chaotic. It followed the worst day of violence in Yemen since protests against president Ali Abdullah Saleh began in earnest over a month ago. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded as security forces and plainclothes government loyalists opened fire on protesters trying to march through the capital, Sana'a.

Parliamentary opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri accused the regime of a massacre and said: "These killings will not help keep Ali Abdullah Saleh in power." Saleh responded by calling for a state of emergency, saying this meant that ordinary citizens would not be able to carry weapons.

But it was not immediately clear if Saleh has the military power to impose such an order, with the Arabian peninsula nation deeply divided and racked by weeks of civil disturbance that have left well over 70 people dead. "What happened today was very regrettable, the death of our children," the president said. Last week he had ordered his security forces to ensure the safety of protesters.