In Yemen, at least 12 people are reported to have been killed and hundreds other wounded in anti-government protests in the city of Taiz when troops opened fire on demonstrators. At least 30 people are said to be in a critical condition. Many streets in Taiz are reported to be blocked and there is a very heavy security presence. There were reports that snipers had also shot at protesters during a march in the fourth largest city of Hudaida on the Red Sea. The march in Hudaida was organised in protest at the crackdown in Taiz over the weekend, which left at least two people reported dead. Police fired live rounds and tear gas at demonstrators who left in the early hours today to attempt to march on a presidential palace. Doctors at Hudaida hospital said nine people had been shot. The violence follows weeks of protests in cities across the country calling for the president to stand down. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled the country for 32 years, has signalled that he has no plans to leave.