The End Of Oil Subsidies  

News of riots in Yemen may be a warning of the times ahead throughout much of the third world as governments subsidies for fuel become impossible to afford.

At least eight Yemenis were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces yesterday after the government said it would cut subsidies on oil products by more than half. Angry protesters took to the streets of the capital, Sana'a, and other cities, pelting security forces with stones, setting fire to tyres and attacking public property in defiance of the government's decision. The government said it wanted to curb a budget deficit and had postponed the cuts more than three times to avoid protests.