Two mid-level al-Qa'ida leaders were killed in Yemen, Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland today, the defence ministry said.

A Gulf-brokered deal to ease Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power neared collapse yesterday after he refused to sign, raising the threat of increased instability in the Arabian Peninsula state.

Yemen's president was to sign an agreement today to quit power in a month's time in exchange for immunity, a deal rejected by street protesters demanding he step down immediately and face prosecution.

My favourite comic (before I moved on to the War Picture Library) was always the Eagle.

Forces loyal to Yemen's embattled President opened fire at protesters demanding his removal yesterday, killing two demonstrators at two separate rallies and wounding at least 10 people at a third protest, activists said.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of cities throughout Yemen yesterday to denounce the granting of immunity to President Ali Abdullah Saleh as part of a deal under which he would leave office after 30 days.

Yemen's embattled President agreed last night to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand over power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution. It is a major about-face for the autocratic leader who has ruled for 32 years.

Yemeni police open fire on protesters in Sanaa as anti-government activists step up campaign to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Yemen today called home its envoy from Qatar amid a dispute over a Gulf Arab plan for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, as anti-government protesters again marched in Aden and Taiz.

Tribesmen loyal to Yemen's embattled president have clashed with a group of soldiers whose commander has sided with the opposition, leaving three tribesmen dead, according to tribal elders and military officials.

A doctor and witnesses say Yemeni troops opened fire on protesters demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in a southern city, killing one and wounding more than 30.

A powerful blast at an ammunition factory in southern Yemen left more than 100 people dead yesterday after forces loyal to the embattled President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, appeared to have been driven out of the area by Islamist militants.

A series of blasts at a bullet factory in south Yemen killed at least 110 people on Monday when residents broke in to steal ammunition a day after clashes between militants and the army in the town, doctors said.