Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been accused of meddling in his country's fragile political transition, was in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for treatment, a Yemeni diplomat said. Saleh arrived for medical tests and treatment in the Saudi capital on Monday, his party, General People's Congress (GPC), said. He spent time recovering in a Riyadh hospital in June 2011 after an attack on his compound left him seriously wounded.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Yemen to launch an independent probe into the "massacre" of 45 protesters during the 2011 uprising against ousted autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The New York-based watchdog said an earlier investigation ordered by Saleh into the killings was flawed, calling for a new probe that is "independent, impartial and meets international standards." "Several senior former and current government officials appear to have played a role in the massacre but have not been charged," it said in a 69-page report entitled "Unpunished Massacre".

Tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered Monday in Sanaa to celebrate the second anniversary of the launch of nationwide protests that pushed president Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power after 33 years in office. Jubilant Yemenis gathered in Sitin street, a capital artery that was the scene of frequent protests and confrontations between anti-regime demonstrators and police and militiamen backing the former leader.