Troops Open Fire in Yemen

Al Jazeera reports:

Yemeni security forces have shot dead at least 16 anti-government demonstrators and wounded 30 in the city of Taiz, south of the capital Sanaa, medics said.

The violence began when thousands of protesters marched through Taiz toward Freedom Square, where demonstrators have been camped out.

As the march passed the governor's headquarters, troops stationed there blocked the procession, and clashes broke out, with some protesters throwing stones, witnesses said.

Troops on nearby rooftops opened fire with live ammunition on the crowd and the marchers then turned to besiege the governor's headquarters, said Bushra al-Maqtara, an opposition activist in Taiz, and other witnesses.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sanaa said "events are moving fast around the country".

"We're hearing from the doctors in a makeshift hospital that's actually a mosque in Taiz ... that they're running out of vital supplies and that they're in need of equipment in trying to deal with what's going on," said our reporter, who is not being named for security reasons.