Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's veteran president, declared a countrywide state of emergency after reneging on a pledge to protect demonstrators demanding an immediate end to his 32-year rule.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's veteran president, declared a countrywide state of emergency after reneging on a pledge to protect demonstrators demanding an immediate end to his 32-year rule.
Loyalist gunmen, believed to be members of the Yemeni security forces, opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters who massed outside Sana'a university, the epicentre of a month-long popular campaign to overthrow the president.
Doctors said that between 30 and 41 people were killed and over 200 more were wounded on the single bloodiest day since the eruption of the protests against Mr Saleh, a key US ally in the war against al Qaeda, which has a significant presence in Yemen.
Protesters stormed some of the buildings from where the gunfire came, seizing at least seven of the snipers.
The opposition coalition at the forefront of the demonstrations said the bloodshed had made any negotiations with Mr Saleh impossible.