Bahrain unrest: Manama erupts in violence Skip to main content

Bahrain unrest: Manama erupts in violence

Riot police fire a tear gas canister at anti-government protesters Sunday, March 13, 2011, in Manama, Bahrain The UK is warning of reports that Saudi solders will enter Bahrain
Bahraini police and protesters have clashed in several areas of the capital, Manama, in some of the worst unrest for weeks.
Security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to battle protesters who had managed to blockade main roads into the financial district.
Clashes were also reported in the city's main square and university.
Mainly Shia protesters, inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, want the reform of the Sunni monarchy.
They have threatened to march on the royal palace if their demands are not met.
Roadblocks Police killed seven protesters last month at the height of the unrest, but since then, clashes with the security forces have been rare.
But on Sunday - which is a normal working day in many countries in the region - clashes broke out in three areas of Manama.
First, protesters blocked roads into the financial district, and were tackled by police using tear gas.
"No-one was able to go to work today. Thugs and protesters were blocking the highway," one worker, Sawsan Mohammed, told the AP news agency.

Mid-East unrest: Bahrain

Map of Bahrain
  • King Hamad, 61, has been in power since 1999
  • Population 800,000
  • Ranks 48 out of 178 on corruption
  • A population with a median age of 30.4 years, and a literacy rate of 91%
  • Youth unemployment at 19.6%
  • Gross national income per head: $25,420 (World Bank 2009)
Then security forces moved to try to clear protesters from Pearl Square, which has been largely occupied by demonstrators for a month.
They fired tear gas and rubber bullets, but witnesses said thousands of protesters swarmed into the square and eventually forced the police to retreat.
There were also clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators at Bahrain University.
Bahrain's royals renewed their offers of dialogue, but moments later a speaker at Pearl Square said "no dialogue, no dialogue" to cheers from the crowd.
Bahrain - home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet - is the first Gulf country to be thrown into turmoil by the wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world.
The US called for the government to have "peaceful and meaningful dialogue with the opposition rather than resorting to the use of force".
The UK government, which is warning its citizens to stay away from Bahrain, said there were fresh reports that Saudi soldiers were about to enter the country.
Shia account for about 70% of the country's 525,000 people, but the country has been ruled by a Sunni monarchy for hundreds of years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12728765

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f