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A wave of political unrest threatening Middle Eastern governments grew ominously larger Thursday as new protests shook impoverished Yemen and Egyptian authorities braced for massive anti-government demonstrations set to begin Friday.

The fresh turbulence deepened fears of a prolonged period of chaos and
uncertainty in the region while raising new questions about the
viability of autocratic governments that have been stalwart allies of
the United States for more than a generation.

In Egypt,
there were signs that the government was moving to shut down access to
the Internet and disable text-messaging services in a bid to stifle
further protests. Meanwhile, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace
laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to the country to join the protests and rally the opposition.

The tumult in Yemen, where more than 10,000 people took to the streets
of the capital, Sanaa, on Thursday, added a troubling new dimension to
the regional unrest ... >>>