Thousands rally for, against Yemen's President Saleh

Sana'a: Yemenis have turned out in massive crowds across the country to demand their embattled president immediately step down, while his loyalists are rallying in his support in the capital Sana'a.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh told tens of thousands gathered near his presidential office that their huge number gives him legitimacy and is a "rejection of chaos".

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands held an anti-regime protest after Friday prayers outside Sanaa University. There are also massive protests demanding Saleh's ouster in southern Taiz city, the port of Aden and eastern Hadramawt province.

Yemen has been wracked by protests since mid-February over lack of freedoms and extreme poverty.

More than 120 people have been killed in the uprising, inspired by Tunisian and Egyptian revolts.