Yemen rallies in support of Egypt protests

Dozens of people took to the streets in Yemen on Saturday to support the Egyptians' protest against President Hosni Mubarak. Demonstrators, including opposition politicians and journalists, marched toward the Egyptian Embassy in Sana'a, also shouting slogans against President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, media reports said. CNN said some 100 people took part in the demonstration. About ten demonstrators were seriously injured in clashes with police and Saleh's supporters, the Xinhua news agency said, quoting witnesses. Riot police blocked the street leading to the Egyptian Embassy before the demonstrators arrived, the Yemen Post newspaper said. Mass protests, the first large-scale public challenge to Saleh in his 32-year rule, broke out in Yemen last week, apparently inspired by the recent wave of protests in Tunisia. On Thursday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Sana'a demanding Saleh to step down. Saleh announced last Sunday that he would resign after his second presidential term expires in 2013. In Egypt, about 100 people have been killed and dozens were injured as police dispersed anti-government protests in Cairo and other cities. Demonstrations continued for the fifth day on Saturday in the North African country, with crowds of tens of thousands demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down after three decades in power.

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