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More Anti-Government Protests in Yemen


Yemeni police block the way as anti-government protestors attend a rally demanding political reform and the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, February 13, 2011
Yemeni police block the way as anti-government protestors attend a rally demanding political reform and the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, February 13, 2011

Yemen's capital of Sana'a was the scene of a third straight day of protests on Sunday against the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

There were clashes with police as several hundred protesters, many of them university students, tried to march to the presidential palace near the city's central square. Several of the protesters were beaten with batons.

Protests have also occurred in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, where 120 demonstrators were taken into custody.

Like the demonstrations in Egypt, the aim is the ouster of Saleh, who has been in power since 1978, longer than Egypt's now-ousted Hosni Mubarak.

The Yemeni leader recently announced plans to step down in 2013. He has also agreed to resume negotiations with the opposition, a step seen by analysts as an attempt to avert an Egyptian-style revolt in the Arabian peninsula country where al-Qaida continues to operate.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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