One killed, eight injured as security forces shoot protesters

SANAA (AP):

Security forces in Yemen opened fire yesterday on protesters calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a march in a main street in the capital, killing one person and injuring eight others, a medical official said.

Security forces also lobbed tear gas at the protesters in the latest of four months of demonstrations calling for an end to Saleh's 33 years in power in Yemen, activist Mukhtar Abdullah said. The medical official who provided the death toll spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.

The months of protests and intense international pressure have left Saleh clinging to power. The president is in Saudi Arabia recuperating from wounds he sustained in an attack on his compound on June 3, but he has been able to maintain power through loyal figures, including a son who commands some of the country's best trained military forces.

The attack by security forces followed a separate protest by about 100 journalists earlier in the day in the capital, Sanaa.

Journalists were protesting harassment and censorship by authorities. One newspaper editor said he was forced to distribute his daily in banana boxes to avoid government censors.