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28 Feb 2011 10:42

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World: Oman’s leader trying to appease protesters very generously

  • 50,000 the number of government jobs Sultan Qaboos has promised will be installed in the country
  • $390 the amount Oman’s unemployment program would pay job-seekers each month until they find work source
  • » But it’s not working: While Sultan Qaboos doesn’t appear to be in danger of losing his leadership role, protesters are still unhappy and are pushing for political reforms in the country. “We want new faces in the government and we have a long list of social reforms,” said civil servant Habiba al-Hanay. “We just hope he will hear us and make changes.”

27 Feb 2011 11:28

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World: Next on the list of popular Middle East uprisings? Oman

  • Protests in the country turned deadly today. The country, situated between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen on the Mideast pie chart, has seen its share of anti-government protests pop up. Today, two anti-government protesters in the industrial town of Sohar were killed in clashes with police. State media claimed that the protesters were trying to storm a police station. “Police and anti-riot squads confronted this group of wreckers in a bid to protect people and their properties, which caused casualties,” the report said. The protests in the country are a little different, by the way, because they have largely emphasized loyalty with Sultan Qaboos, one of the world’s longest-serving political leaders. The sultan, in response to a prior protest, recently reshuffled his cabinet. source

22 Feb 2011 13:56

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U.S.: Protests against Yemen’s government, President continue in Aden

  • “Not even for one week”: A glimpse of what’s going on in Yemen as the tour of Middle East upheaval continues. President Ali Abdullah Saleh clearly doesn’t care for these movements against him, and isn’t being particularly coy or diplomatic about it. Yemen’s death-toll is thought to have grown to double-digits of late, and protests against Saleh continue to rage in Aden. source

21 Feb 2011 13:58

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World: Yemeni President Saleh cries incredulousness at protests

  • Why do you turn to violence? Why do you turn to the destruction of things? This is an infection, it’s not in our culture, it’s not in our tradition.
  • Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh • On the groundswell protests against his government. He also referred to the protest movement as being “like a flu,” which while a rather crude way to describe the forces stacked against him is not wholly without merit. The middle east appears to be reaching a critical mass of anti-ruling party mentality, as the victories and adversities of protesters in other states provide limitless fuel and momentum for still more revolution. So, disrespect aside, the pathological reference bears some fruit. source

17 Feb 2011 10:40

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World: Middle East update: What’s happening in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya?

  • » Journalists still in danger: Reporting from Bahrain, ABC News reporter Miguel Marquez found himself in the middle of the worst of it. “I just got beat rather badly by a gang of thugs,” he said in a phone call, as he was attempting to hide from his attackers.

13 Feb 2011 11:03

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World: Video: In Yemen, pro-government, anti-government protesters clash

  • Here’s the difference between the pro-government protesters in this clip, recorded earlier this weekend, and the anti-government protesters. The groups supporting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have clubs and knives. The people protesting against Saleh don’t. Today, anti-government protesters were prevented from marching to the presidential palace by police, who also used violent tactics against protesters. source

03 Feb 2011 21:49

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World: Dueling rallies set stage for conflict in Yemen today

See this shot here? It’s from the anti-government rally held today in Yemen. There was also a pro-government rally across town. We’re guessing less duct tape was involved. source
 

02 Feb 2011 23:44

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World: Anonymous targeting Yemeni government; Yemenis won’t notice

  • 5% of Yemeni people use the internet on a regular basis source
  • » But that’s not stopping Anonymous: At least two Yemeni government sites have possibly been attacked by the nebulous, anonymous organization, including the Yemeni Ministry of Information and the site of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. And they even have a list of sites to target and stuff, which means that those five percent of Yemenis with internet access are going to have a hard time with the interwebs for the next little bit.

02 Feb 2011 08:23

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World: Yemen’s longstanding leader pledges not to run in next election

A groundhog must’ve shown his shadow, because Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh just pledged to step down in 2013. He’s been in office for 32 years. source

27 Jan 2011 10:44

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World: Yemen gets in on the mass-revolt bandwagon; good for them

Today in the Arab world’s collective realization that they don’t have to put up with this *#(& anymore: Yemen. Hotbed of al-Qaeda. Coldbed of jobs. Home of fresh protests. source