SANAA – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has agreed to sign a Gulf-brokered power transition, called on Friday for early elections to prevent bloodshed as three months of protests raged on in the fractious country. Saleh has twice backed out of the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) transition deal, most recently on Wednesday, despite diplomatic wrangling by U.S., Gulf and European officials.

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in cities across Yemen on Friday, demanding Saleh end his three-decade rule now.
Washington and Riyadh, both targets of foiled attacks by al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, are keen to end a stalemate that has pushed Yemen further to the brink of chaos and could give the militant network more room to operate.
(Reuters)