Yemen protests: Security forces fire on Sanaa marches ... Yemeni security forces opened fire on thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital, Sanaa ... Mass rallies were held in several cities in the latest wave of protests demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Earlier on Wednesday, witnesses and medics said at least two activists were shot dead in the southern city of Taiz. Meanwhile, reports suggest the country is facing a growing fuel crisis. – BBC

Dominant Social Theme: Libya is in much worse shape than Yemen.

Free-Market Analysis: Yesterday, the Internet and alternative media generally lit up with reports of a Yemeni attack on protestors. Yemeni security forces were said to have fired on protestors for a number of hours, as can be seen from the BBC report above. The protestors want the immediate resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who derives his power from the Southwest of Yemen and has held his office for some 30 years.

Despite Saleh's entrenched regime, there is a good deal of determination being shown by the Yemen protesters. But most of the information was being reported on the Internet or being carried live by various news outlets other than Western ones. Russia Today (RT) covered the protests and so did Iran's Press TV, which carried video footage of the wounded and dead. Press TV reported that young men were advancing toward Saleh's troops and sharp-shooters, while removing their shirts and thumping their chests, inviting the bullets.