From Libya to Yemen, no sign of Mideast unrest easing

Source Los Angeles Times

The unrest shaking the Middle East showed no signs of calming Friday as leaders proved again unable to stem the fervor of protesters determined to overthrow governments and remake a region plagued by corruption, poverty and decades of limited political freedoms. Protests that only months ago would have been unheard of have engulfed a region desperate to duplicate the toppling of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. But so far, the breadth of demonstrations in Yemen, Libya and Jordan have not reached a tipping point as leaders have relied on security forces, pro-government propaganda and intimidation to keep protesters from overwhelming them. But the death toll and the frustration grow. One person died and several dozen protesters were injured in Yemen after large anti-government protests in cities across the country turned violent for the eighth consecutive day. In the city of Taiz south of the Yemeni capital Sana, one person was killed and others injured when an assailant lobbed a grenade into a crowd of 10,000 anti-government protesters in the central square. Yemeni officials in Sana say the government had nothing to do with the attack. Local media reports also said two people were killed in Aden on Friday.