Weekend full moon the biggest in about 20 years

If the moon looks a little bit bigger and brighter this weekend, there's a reason for that. It is.

Saturday's full moon will be a super "perigee moon" -- the biggest in almost 20 years. This celestial event is far rarer than the famed blue moon, which happens once about every two-and-a-half years.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration
"The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," said Geoff Chester with the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington. "I'd say it's worth a look."
Full moons look different because of the elliptical shape of the moon's orbit. When it's at perigee, the moon is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than when it's at the farthest point of its orbit, also known as apogee.
"Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the moon's orbit," the NASA website says.
This full moon will rise in the east at sunset and should look especially big at that time because of what's known as the "moon illusion."
"For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects," according to NASA.
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Even though it may look close enough to touch, Saturday's full moon will still be at a healthy distance -- some 211,600 miles (356,577 km) away.
As rare as it is, it may be worth a look. Miss it and you'll have to wait until 2029 to see it again.

Pakistanis Supports Bahrain Protesters

People in the Pakistani city of Karachi have protested against Saudi invasion of Bahrain and the country's participation in the brutal suppression of peaceful anti-government rallies.These demonstrators gathered here to denounce the violent crackdown in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia's military invasion. Protestors show their solidarity with Bahraini people who are calling for the ouster of Al Khalifa dynasty and express their anger over the silence of the US and the European countries over the deadly government crackdown on Shia protesters in Bahrai

ElBaradei says Egypt should say 'no' in referendum

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei is urging Egyptians to vote against constitutional amendments sponsored by the ruling military in a referendum Saturday.
ElBaradei, the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a conference in New Delhi on Friday that after decades of repression the newly formed political parties in Egypt should be given time to prepare for future parliamentary elections.
The referendum is the first major test of Egypt's transition to democracy after a popular uprising overthrew President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian rule.
ElBaradei said Egypt's fledgling political parties needed time to work through proposals to bring about democratic reforms, and adopting the military-sponsored constitutional amendments would only benefit the remnants of Mubarak's government or Muslim fundamentalist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
"We are working for a tolerant multiethnic society. We need a functioning democracy that ensures freedom of religion, speech and the right of people to lead lives of dignity," ElBaradei said.
He said such a momentous task could only be done with deliberation.
"Egypt needs to be a model for the entire Arab world as a modern, moderate state," he said.

Egyptians gear up for first post-Mubarak vote

Egypt holds a referendum on Saturday on constitutional changes in the first such vote since protests toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
The referendum, designed to usher in free legislative and presidential elections, has divided the country's reform movement between those in favor of amending the constitution and those who want it completely rewritten.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest organized opposition group, and other Islamists support the amendments.
Other opposition parties and prominent reformists, including prospective presidential candidates Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa, oppose them.
A high turnout is expected and the referendum could go a long way to restore faith in elections, which were marred by violence and vote-rigging under Mubarak's rule.
"The referendum is an important step from a democratic viewpoint because Egyptians feel the result is in their hands and no one else's," political analyst Diaa Rashwan said.
Some 45 million of Egypt's 80 million people are eligible to vote.
"Things will be different from now onwards, no more sham elections, no more thugs chasing voters away," prospective voter Youssef Ali, 29, said.
"I have never voted in my life because with Mubarak free elections were impossible. But today my vote will count."
The military council, which took power from Mubarak on February 11 after he stepped down in the face of mass protests, hopes the changes will pass, enabling it to hold parliamentary and presidential polls and cede power to an elected government within months.
It called for a high turnout and said participation in a free electoral process was more important than the outcome. The army will deploy 37,000 soldiers to help police forces secure the streets.
Rejecting the amendments will force the council to extend an interim period, which it wants to keep as short as possible, and to form a new judicial committee to re-write the constitution.
That scenario could push back a parliamentary election to December, a security source said, four months later than the September vote the military is planning at the moment. The presidential election is expected after the parliamentary one.
The European Parliament said 14 of its members will monitor the referendum and meet with Muslim Brotherhood members and activists in a short trip to Egypt, the state-run MENA news agency reported.

Libya bombs civilians despite ceasefire

Forces loyal to out-of-favor Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have pressed their attack on the strategically important western city of Misratah, despite the regime's promise of cesefire.


Forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi entered the city of Misratah on Friday, after warplanes again bombed the city.

Explosions and gunfire have also been heard in the capital, Tripoli.

Earlier, Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa declared an immediate ceasefire and halt to all military operations in the country.

Kussa said the Libyan government would respect a resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

The UN resolution backed all necessary measures to stop Gaddafi's troops from attacking opposition fighters, in addition to the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.

Some European countries have agreed to participate in a joint military operation against Libya.

However, other countries, including Russia have made clear that they will not participate.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi's regime has denied reports that it was continuing attacks on the western cities of Misratah and Zintan.

The embattled regime has asked Turkey, Malta and China to send observers to monitor the ceasefire.

"We are in contact with Turkey, Malta and China and we have asked them to send observers to monitor the ceasefire," a Libyan official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Reports widely indicate that the regime-led violence in the country has left thousands of protesters dead over the past several weeks.

Saudi Dictator warns Protesters

Saudi dictator Abdullah

warned Friday that security forces will "hit" whoever "considers" undermining the kingdom's security and stability, in a speech aired on state-run television, warned against any attempt to undermine the kingdom, as upheaval swept the Arab world.Saudi Dictator appeared to be responding to the whirlwind of regional unrest that has ousted autocratic regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and thrown Bahrain, Yemen and Libya into bloody turmoil.He praised the security forces for preventing protests that were planned for March 11."You are the hitting hand against whoever considers undermining the nation's security and stability,"dictator Abdullah said, addressing Saudi security forces.Tensions have flared since Saudi forces rolled on Monday into Bahrain to help the kimgdom's Sunni Muslim ruling dynasty crush Shiite-led unrest.
Saudi Shiites rallied Friday for a fourth consecutive day to show solidarity with protesters in Shiite-majority Bahrain and demand the release of prisoners.Witnesses said security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators in the city of Qateef where shots also rang out. Marches were also held in the cities of Tarut, Safwa and Awamiya.

Unemployment in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter was 10.5 percent last year, but was as high as 30 percent in the 20-29 age group with an estimated 450,000 Saudi citizens without jobs.
Saudi Dictator also thanked the religious establishment for helping against protests through issuing fatwas, or religious edicts, outlawing demonstrations.

PUKHTUNKHWA TIMES COMMENTS:
These warnings can not stop the revolution happen as its like a writing on the wall.Desperate attempts out of fear. They will do anything to protect their 'so called' kingdom including creating rift between muslims. Saudi dynasty has to go one day and their days are also numbered they preached hatred throughout the Muslim world now these usurpers have to face the wrath of Arab nation .This King and Saudi Arabia are the untrue face of Islam. Their bigotry has led to emergence of intolerance among the people and the rise of hatred against Muslims. Their amry cannot go fight Israel & can 'fight' with unarmed civilians and women who are Muslims and are demonstrating peacefully for their rights. Their game end is nearing .This king and Saudi arabia has taken Islam hostage. They have NO right to determine the fate of other nations including Pakistan. These so called muslims are pathetic.

Morocco: The Youth Rise Up

Bahrain razes Pearl Square to ground

Bahraini authorities have razed to the ground Manama's Pearl Square, which is considered the epicenter of anti-government protests in the country.


The iconic central structure was brought down on Friday two days after Bahraini and Saudi forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, cleared the land mark square where anti-government protesters had been camped for several weeks.

At least six people were killed and many others have been injured in the brutal crackdown on Wednesday.

Pearl square consisted of six dhows (sails) projecting up toward the sky and holding up a pearl. The dhows represent the six Persian Gulf littoral sates of Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

The pearl represents the joint heritage of these countries, whose economies were based on pearl diving before the discovery of oil.

Meanwhile, several thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in the town of Draz after the Friday Prayers, despite a government ban on demonstrations.

Demonstrators in the Shia-majority country have been demanding the ouster of the 230-year-old Sunni-led monarchy as well as constitutional reforms since February 14th.

More than 12 people have been killed and about 1,000 injured during the anti-government protests the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Bahrain is home to the US Fifth Fleet major military base.

Indians slam Saudi presence in Bahrain

A large number of Indians have demonstrated against Saudi Arabian military intervention in Bahrain aimed at cracking down anti-government protesters.


Led by the city's Friday Prayers Leader Syed Kalbe Jawad, demonstrators rallied in the Indian city of Lucknow -- the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

Jawad said that “Saudi forces are killing innocent civilians in Bahrain only for holding anti-government demonstrations.”

“I appeal for holding such protest in other parts of the country,” Jawad added.

The demonstrators warned that if the Saudi government does not pull its troops out of Bahrain they will hold a larger demonstration in the capital city of New Delhi.

“Bahraini demonstrators are being killed by bullets coming from helicopters and also with poisonous gases. The people's uprising is aimed at restoring democracy and it is justifiable. Those sitting at the helm of affairs should read the writing on the wall and pave the way for democracy,” Jawad said.

Demonstrators in the Shia-majority Bahrain have been demanding the ouster of the 230-year-old Sunni-led monarchy as well as constitutional reforms since February 14th.

More than 12 people have been killed and about 1,000 injured during the anti-government protests the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Bahrain is home to the US Fifth Fleet major military base.

UAE troops arrive in Bahrain

Troops of the United Arab Emirates have arrived in Bahrain to join the Saudi Arabian troops which have been there since earlier this week.


On Friday, Bahrain TV showed footage of a convoy of troops from the UAE arriving in the capital Manama.

Earlier, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa announced that three or four Persian Gulf countries would be sending troops to help quell the anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the country.

Saudi troops break up protests with force

Saudi security forces in the eastern city of Omran have broken up a protest rally, held to condemn the kingdom's military intervention in Bahrain.


At least ten protesters were injured after Saudi forces used batons to disperse the demonstrators peacefully marching to show solidarity with Shias in Bahrain.

Earlier this week, armed forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rolled into Bahrain to assist Manama in its crackdown on Shia-led anti-government protests against the ruling Sunni dynasty.

Similar protest rallies were also held in some other eastern Saudi cities, including Qatif, Safwa, Awamiya and al-Rabeeya.

The protesters, mainly Shias, also called for the release of “forgotten political prisoners,” who are being held unjustly and without trial, some as long as 16 years.

On Thursday, Saudi security forces fired teargas and rubber bullets at anti-government demonstrators in Qatif protesting against Saudi Arabia's military invasion of Bahrain. The protesters also called for political reforms.

Friday's protest rallies came shortly after Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, in a rare televised speech, announced massive social benefits including offering employees two months extra salary, higher unemployment benefits, better healthcare and improved housing.

He also ordered the creation of 60,000 new jobs within the security forces the setting up of a commission to fight corruption.

The Saudi king, however, coupled the handouts with a warning. The 86-year old monarch said on Friday that threats to the nation's security and stability would not be tolerated and that Saudi security forces would crackdown on any anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, his speech and the royal decrees that followed failed to make any mention of an expected cabinet shuffle or any political reforms.

CIA launches review of security officers stemming from Pakistan case

The CIA has launched an internal review of how it trains and deploys security officers overseas after a fatal shooting by one of the agency’s contractors in Pakistan triggered a diplomatic crisis and new recriminations between the two nations’ spy services, U.S. officials said.As part of the probe, the agency is expected to examine decisions on where security guards are sent, the scope of their activities in foreign assignments, and the rules of engagement that govern how and when they may use lethal force, officials said.

Officials stressed that the review is not expected to scrutinize the conduct of Raymond A. Davis, a contractor who fatally shot two Pakistani men on Jan. 27 and returned to the United States this week after being released from a Pakistani jail in Lahore.

Even so, the decision to launch an internal review suggests that the Davis case has triggered broader concerns among senior CIA officials about its vast and largely contract-hired security staff.

The aim of the review is “not how does our guy get into a shoot-out,” said a senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the probe. “It’s more how do you use security officers in the field. What’s their role? How many and where” are they used?CIA Director Leon E. Panetta ordered the the review last month “with an eye toward strengthening the ability of agency security officers to protect operations and personnel,” said a second U.S. official.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he doesn’t fault Davis’s conduct, but expressed concern over “the mistrust that has built up over this incident” between the United States and Pakistan.

“This clearly has strained the relationship,” Rogers said.

The frictions intensified after a CIA drone strike Wednesday killed as many as 40 people that Pakistani authorities said included a large number of civilians. A U.S. official disputed the claim, saying, “This was a group of terrorists. We’re not talking about a bunch of guys who were playing pinochle at the local Kiwanis club.”

The Justice Department is investigating the Davis shooting, which occurred when he was engaged in what CIA officials refer to as “area familiarization” work in a busy section of Lahore. Davis, 36, said the two men he shot were armed and attempting to rob him at a traffic signal.

Davis “did exactly what he was supposed to do,” said the U.S. official, who added that Panetta addressed the agency’s security staff last week “to thank them and express support for all they do.”

But some CIA veterans said they are puzzled as to why Davis fired as many as nine rounds from his weapon, and may have lingered at the scene before being detained — outcomes that case officers are trained specifically to avoid.

The case has also raised new concerns about the agency’s use of contractors, a practice that came under severe criticism in connection with treatment of CIA detainees — including one who was beaten to death by a contractor in Afghanistan — after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Davis worked for the CIA’s Global Response Staff, a sprawling security wing that is “heavily” dependent on contractors to fill positions providing security to operatives overseas, said a former CIA official involved in overseeing the group’s work.

3-day mourning against killing of tribal elders in drone strike

Tribal elders of Tank have announced three-day mourning against the killing of 44 civilian of Mehsud tribe in US drone strike on Thursday, Geo News reported on Friday.

The tribal elders strongly condemned the attack and demanded of the government to halt US drone attacks in North Waziristan. The demand was made in a ‘jirga’ of Mehsud tribe held at political compound of Tank.

Chief of Waziristan Malik Nasrullah demanded of the US government to provide ‘blood money’ to the heirs of victims killed in the attack.

It is pertinent to mention here that 41 tribal people were killed in US drone strike in North Waziristan on Thursday. Three of the injured also succumbed to injuries in hospital bringing the toll to 44. Condition of other eight injured is said to be critical.

Obama to Gadhafi: Stop or face military action

President Barack Obama demanded Friday that Moammar Gadhafi halt all military attacks on civilians and said that if the Libyan leader did not stand down the United States would join other nations in launching military action against him.
But the president also stressed the United States "is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya."
In a brief appearance at the White House, Obama said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would travel to Paris on Saturday to join allies in discussing next steps in Libya, where Gadhafi has pressed a brutal crackdown against rebels trying to end his 42-year reign.
Stressing that the United States was acting in concert with European allies and Arab nations, the president said, "Our goal is focused, our cause is just and our coalition is strong."
Obama's remarks came less than 24 hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action — including a "no-fly zone" over Libya — to prevent the killing of civilians by Gadhafi's forces.
The president spoke with congressional leaders before his public statement, but an official said no request was made for formal congressional action.
Obama drew quick support from House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a longtime critic of the war in Iraq.
"I commend the president for his leadership and prudence on how our nation will proceed in regards to Libya and work in concert with European and Arab allies to address the crisis," she said in a written statement.
At the White House, Obama said there should be no doubt about Gadhafi's intentions "because he has made them clear. Just yesterday, speaking of the city of Benghazi, a city of roughly 700,000, he threatened `we will have no mercy and no pity.' No mercy on his own citizens."
The president has been criticized by some U.S. lawmakers and others for not moving more forcefully while Gadhafi has regrouped in recent days and taken the offensive against the rebels. Obama said the United States and other nations have imposed sanctions on Libya, frozen assets of the leader and delivered humanitarian supplies to bordering countries to help ease the plight of thousands fleeing the fighting.
"Now, once more, Moammar Gadhafi has a choice," Obama said, listing what he said were non-negotiable conditions laid out by the U.N. Security Council.
"If Gadhafi does not comply, the international community will impose consequences, and the resolution will be enforced through military action," Obama said.
He did not specify what responsibilities would fall to the United States if military action is carried out against Gadhafi, but officials have said previously that American forces would help enforce a no-fly zone to prevent the Libyan leader from using his air force to bomb civilians.
The president made no reference to a Libya's declaration of an immediate cease-fire on Friday — a statement that a rebel spokesman said was fiction.
Instead, Obama listed a series of demands for Gadhafi, including the halting of all attacks against civilians, a stop to military action against Benghazi and other cities and permission for humanitarian supplies to reach the civilian population of the country.
"Let me be clear, these terms are not negotiable," he said.
"Our goal is focused, our cause is just, and our coalition is strong," the president said.
He emphasized that the United States was not acting alone but in concert with Britain, France and Arab countries he did not name.
"Change in the region will not and cannot be imposed by the United States or any foreign power. Ultimately, it will be driven by the people of the Arab world," he said.
The uprising against Gadhafi is only one of many struggles being played out in the region as long-time autocratic regimes come under pressure. Protests in Tunisia and Egypt have led to the ouster of long-time rulers, and there have been demonstrations in Yemen, Jordan and Bahrain. Protests erupted in at least three parts of Syria during the day Friday, according to state television and other source
Earlier, Clinton told reporters that Gadhafi must make "a very clear set of decisions" to halt violence against anti-government rebels.
Clinton said the U.S. had seen the reports of a cease-fire by the Libyan government, but she added that the American government was not going to be "impressed by words." She said the immediate objective of any intervention was to halt the violence against civilians, but insisted that the "final result of any negotiation would have to be the decision by Col. Gadhafi to leave."
The U.S. has ships and warplanes within striking distance of Libya, including submarines and surface ships armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. If military action were to proceed, a first step likely would involve attacks on Libyan air defenses, including radar and surface-to-air missile sites along its Mediterranean coastline. That would allow aircraft enforcing a no-fly zone to maneuver with impunity.
The nearest U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, was far to the east, in the Arabian Sea supporting air operations in Afghanistan. The Pentagon gave no indication that substantial additional firepower was being moved toward Libya, even as it focused on providing humanitarian relief in stricken northern Japan.
Britain, France and NATO were holding emergency meetings Friday on using military force to enforce a no-fly zone. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance was "completing its planning to be ready to take appropriate action in support of the U.N. resolution as part of the broad international effort."
Officials announced that the leaders of Britain, France and Germany and the chiefs of the United Nations and Arab League would join other world leaders for an emergency summit on Libya in Paris on Saturday.

Miss Russia 2011 beauty pageant

Saudi Arabia paid Blood money

Saudi Arabia is believed to have arranged the blood money that allowed CIA contractor Raymond Davis to go home after nearly two months in a Lahore jail, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

They said that the Saudis joined the efforts to resolve the dispute late last month after it became obvious that Davis`s continued incarceration could do an irreparable damage to US-Pakistan relations.

The Saudis agreed to pay the money, “at least for now”, to get Davis released, the sources said, but did not clarify if and how would the Saudis be reimbursed.

“This is something that needs to be discussed between the United States and the Kingdom,” one source said. “Mr Davis`s surprise departure from Pakistan came after it became obvious that the Americans were getting impatient,” he added.

The New York Times, however, quoted US officials as saying that the money would be paid by members of the Pakistan government, and then reimbursed by the Obama administration.

US officials, who spoke to the media, also insisted that the CIA had made no pledges to scale back covert operations in Pakistan to earn Davis`s release. The CIA also refused to give the Pakistani government or its intelligence agency a roster of American spies operating in the country, the officials said.

In an interview broadcast on Thursday by the US National Public Radio, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not clarify the situation either. “Well, you`ll have to ask him what he means by that,” said Ms Clinton when informed that Punjab`s Law Minister Rana Sanaullah was insisting that the blood money had been paid.

“And a lawyer involved in the case said it was $2.34 million. There is no money that came from anywhere?” she was asked.

“The United States did not pay any compensation,” the secretary replied. “Did someone else, to your knowledge?”

“You will have to ask whoever you are interested in asking about that,” she said.

“You`re not going to talk about it?” the interviewer insisted.

“I have nothing to answer to that,” she replied.

According to the US media, the case was resolved after Pakistani officials met family members of the victims for more than six hours on Wednesday to arrange compensation. The issue of payments was first raised with Pakistani officials by Senator John Kerry during a trip to Islamabad last month.

Since then, American and Pakistani officials had regularly discussed the matter, and CIA director Leon Panetta had spoken frequently to ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the media report said.

At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney referred reporters to the State Department when asked if he knew the blood money had been paid.

At the State Department, deputy spokesman Mark Toner said he would “go with the secretary`s statement”.

“I`m not an expert in Pakistani law, so I`m not comfortable discussing the legal process that took place. I understand that they signed a document that then pardoned Mr Davis, and the case is, in our mind, resolved,” he explained.

“I don`t think so. No,” said Mr Toner when asked if the US was in direct contact with the victims` family.

“We want to move on now and get to the issues that we`re working together with Pakistan on,” said Mr Toner when asked what would be the impact of the release on US-Pakistan relations.

Anger, Concern Over Bahrain Crackdown

Bahrain arrests the opposition leaders, no one is left for dialogue

American calls for Bahrain’s government to negotiate with protesters fell on deaf ears Thursday after the arrest of seven movement leaders in early-morning raids left it unclear who could speak for the opposition.The leaders — some of whom had for weeks dominated a stage set up in Pearl Square, which protesters had occupied until security forces cleared it Wednesday — are now behind bars. The stage was leveled Thursday along with much else, even the palm trees. And the vastly outgunned opposition appeared to have few viable options as evening curfews continued to quiet the capital.
It was not immediately clear why he resigned nor why hospitals had been ordered closed. Neither the Health Ministry nor the Interior Ministry responded to requests for explanation, but residents of the surrounding Shiite villages had an idea.

The government “wants to prove there is nothing here in Bahrain,” that there is no crackdown, said Badriya, who asked that her last name not be used, out of concern for her safety. She visited Jidhafs Maternity Center on Thursday, searching for her nephew and his friend, both of whom had been missing since Wednesday.

The gates to Naim Hospital were chained shut Thursday morning, and the maternity center was empty, with no doctors, few office workers and dozens of empty beds in the main entrance halls.

Workers said the Health Ministry ordered the facilities closed Wednesday afternoon and that many patients were transported by car to private homes. The most seriously wounded were taken to other hospitals. A security guard said most of the wounded were suffering from tear gas inhalation, that others — including one teen who arrived Thursday seeking treatment — were speckled with shotgun wounds, and that a few had more serious gunshot wounds.

At the private International Hospital of Bahrain, workers Thursday pointed out a window with a basketball-size hole in it that they said had been shot out Wednesday morning by police, and a metal sign over the main emergency-ward entrance bore markings of a shotgun blast. Hospital workers said about 40 white police cars had lined up on the street in front of the hospital Wednesday morning. They pointed to broken glass in their driveway next to blood drops, where they said police had shot at one person in a car as he brought a wounded patient to the hospital.

A neurosurgeon at the hospital said they had treated about 50 people on Wednesday, mostly for tear gas inhalation, and that all had gone home. Two patients remained at the hospital Thursday, undergoing surgery from eye wounds from shotgun blasts.

At a mosque in Sanabis, a Shiite village west of Manama, people who turned out Wednesday to tend to 50 wounded people in the mosque’s worship hall asked Thursday why the U.S. government had not done more to stop the crackdown.

“They can tell the Saudis to get out from Bahrain,” said Mansoor, a retired civil servant who gave only his first name, because he feared for his safety. “We are blaming the U.S. . . . Why aren’t they stopping this?”

Among those arrested, according to their political societies, were Ibrahim Sharif, who leads the leftist Waad political society, a secular group of mostly Sunni members, and Hassan Mushaima, head of the Haq movement, who had called for an end to the al-Khalifa monarchy.

Also Thursday, Iranian state media reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recalled Iran’s ambassador to Bahrain, a day after Bahrain recalled its ambassador.
“The future is dark,” said Matar Ebrahim Ali Matar, a member of the main opposition political society al-Wefaq who said he did not know what would become of the protest movements. He said he was not aware of any communication between opposition groups and the government since thousands of troops from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states arrived Monday.

The government said those who were arrested were members of a “sedition ring” who had “intelligence contacts with foreign countries,” according to a statement from Bahrain’s military that was carried by the Bahrain state news agency. They “incited . . . the killing of citizens,” the statement said.

Al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman, who was not arrested in the raids, called Thursday for Saudi troops to leave Bahrain and asked for an independent international investigation into this week’s events.

There were small scattered protests Thursday across the country, some of which were dispersed by police using tear gas and rubber bullets, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, the country’s health minister resigned, and at least two small government hospitals in Shiite areas were closed despite a need for medical care.It was not immediately clear why he resigned nor why hospitals had been ordered closed. Neither the Health Ministry nor the Interior Ministry responded to requests for explanation, but residents of the surrounding Shiite villages had an idea.

The government “wants to prove there is nothing here in Bahrain,” that there is no crackdown, said Badriya, who asked that her last name not be used, out of concern for her safety. She visited Jidhafs Maternity Center on Thursday, searching for her nephew and his friend, both of whom had been missing since Wednesday.

The gates to Naim Hospital were chained shut Thursday morning, and the maternity center was empty, with no doctors, few office workers and dozens of empty beds in the main entrance halls.

Workers said the Health Ministry ordered the facilities closed Wednesday afternoon and that many patients were transported by car to private homes. The most seriously wounded were taken to other hospitals. A security guard said most of the wounded were suffering from tear gas inhalation, that others — including one teen who arrived Thursday seeking treatment — were speckled with shotgun wounds, and that a few had more serious gunshot wounds.

At the private International Hospital of Bahrain, workers Thursday pointed out a window with a basketball-size hole in it that they said had been shot out Wednesday morning by police, and a metal sign over the main emergency-ward entrance bore markings of a shotgun blast. Hospital workers said about 40 white police cars had lined up on the street in front of the hospital Wednesday morning. They pointed to broken glass in their driveway next to blood drops, where they said police had shot at one person in a car as he brought a wounded patient to the hospital.

A neurosurgeon at the hospital said they had treated about 50 people on Wednesday, mostly for tear gas inhalation, and that all had gone home. Two patients remained at the hospital Thursday, undergoing surgery from eye wounds from shotgun blasts.

At a mosque in Sanabis, a Shiite village west of Manama, people who turned out Wednesday to tend to 50 wounded people in the mosque’s worship hall asked Thursday why the U.S. government had not done more to stop the crackdown.

“They can tell the Saudis to get out from Bahrain,” said Mansoor, a retired civil servant who gave only his first name, because he feared for his safety. “We are blaming the U.S. . . . Why aren’t they stopping this?”

Among those arrested, according to their political societies, were Ibrahim Sharif, who leads the leftist Waad political society, a secular group of mostly Sunni members, and Hassan Mushaima, head of the Haq movement, who had called for an end to the al-Khalifa monarchy.

Also Thursday, Iranian state media reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recalled Iran’s ambassador to Bahrain, a day after Bahrain recalled its ambassador.

Yemen 'state of emergency' declared

Yemen's President announces state of emergency after dozens are killed in a government crackdown on anti-government protests.

Arab world braces for Friday rallies

People across the Arab world are set to hold huge anti-government rallies following Muslim Friday Prayer rituals to once again demand an end to the US-backed autocratic rules in their respective countries.

In Bahrain, protesters have again announced plans to take to the streets on Friday to call for the ouster of Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country for almost two centuries.

Since mid-February, thousands of anti-government protesters in Bahrain have poured into streets, calling for an end to the despotic regime.

Over 12 people have been killed and 1,000 injured so far during the government clampdown on the peaceful demonstrations.

The Bahraini protesters also plan to voice their outrage over the Saudi invasion of their country and their participation in brutal suppression of peaceful anti-government rallies.

On March 13, Bahrain's fellow members of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council dispatched contingents of armed forces to the Persian Gulf island at Manama's request to help quell
countrywide protests.

In Saudi Arabia, opposition protesters have reportedly called for a massive 'million man march' -- despite a persisting official ban on demonstrations.

On Thursday, over 4,000 protesters took to the streets in the eastern city of Qatif and clamored for political reforms and the release of political prisoners.

Protesters chanted and held signs that urged the government to stay out of Bahrain, calling for a million-man-march for Friday.

Anti-government protests have recently flared up in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the eastern parts of the country, despite the state ban on demonstrations in the kingdom.

Elsewhere in Yemen, demonstrators are expected to hold rallies and repeat the demand for the ouster of the US-backed regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

On Saturday, over a dozen anti-government protesters were killed in clashes with regime forces across the country.

Scores of Yemenis have been killed and thousands more wounded since anti-government protests intensified in February.

Saudi Arabia Demonstrations March 18, 2011

Bahrainis hold Friday rally amid ban

Several thousand of Bahraini anti-government protesters thronged the streets of the town of Draz after Friday prayers, despite a government ban on demonstrations.

This comes following announced plans the Bahraini protesters to take to the streets after Friday prayers to call for the ouster of Al Khalifa dynasty.

The protesters also plan to voice their outrage over the Saudi invasion of their country and their participation in the brutal suppression of peaceful anti-government rallies.

Led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain's fellow members of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council, dispatched armed forces to the Persian Gulf island on March 13 to assist the crackdown of anti-government uprising.

Demonstrators in the Shia-majority country have been demanding the ouster of the 230-year-old Sunni-led monarchy as well as constitutional reforms, with hundreds camping out peacefully in the capital's Pearl Square since February 14th.

More than 12 people have been killed and about 1,000 injured during the anti-government protests the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

Bahrain is home to the US Fifth Fleet major military base.

Clinton on Japan and Tunisia

Bahraini Shiites bury their dead from crackdown

Bahrain's Shiites are burying their dead amid a continued government crackdown in this Sunni-ruled island nation in the Persian Gulf.Thousands gathered on Friday for the funeral of an anti-government protester in Sitra, the hub of Bahrain's oil industry southwest of the capital Manama. A second funeral is under way in a village west of the capital.

The mourners in Sitra are carrying photographs of Ahmed Farhan and chanting slogans against the U.S.-backed monarchy. Bahrain is the home of the Navy's 5th Fleet.

Farhan was killed on Tuesday when police cracked down on opposition protesters in Sitra, just hours after Bahrain's king declared emergency rule. It gives the military wide powers to battle the Shiite-led monthlong uprising.

Arab Despots cannot turn the Clock Back

Saudi Arabia has joined the Royal family of Bahrain to crush the unrelenting mass protests being mounted for a civil society, fundamental rights, popular government and against the absolutism of the royal Khalifah family. The Saudi military army and massive military hardware is not for fighting an alien enemy or invader but essentially to suppress the internal uprising and revolt against the monarchical despotism imposed for decades on Saudi Arabia. A blessed land where the prophet of Islam was born spent his entire life in spearheading the divine mission and where caliphs were elected by popular consent is now lorded over by ruthless, wealth-greedy, cronies and lecherous families. What a remorseful downslide from the blessed ages to the time of hereditary cabals.
Saudi Arabia is ruled by a government fiat that is crafted and enforced for the sake of royal, elite, and aristocratic families and tribal chiefs. The cardinal Islamic code of equality and social justice for all citizens in an Islamic state is considered to be an unpardonable crime severely punished in those holy lands.

Bahrain is a virtual protectorate of Saudi Arabia. She is literally following in her footsteps in suppressing the people. The paramount yet patently self-serving interests of both these family fiefdoms are to advance and keep in place the abominable dictatorship of the royal families. People only eat, work and sleep besides a few more chores. But beyond that to ask for elections, empowerment of the people, or a free society or pluralist form of government is such anathemas for the ruling classes as to be countered with hair-raising reprisals. While the world beyond their frontiers is coming closer as a fraternal and closely knit village, these regimes remain islands of isolation and primitivism shorn of enlightenment, civil liberties and modernity.

Bahrain�s area is about 300 sq miles and consists of 33 islands. Demographically, its population of 1.2 million is divided 30 to 70 per cent between the Sunnis and Shias respectively. Although Bahrain is said to be a constitutional democracy, yet in practice it is not. Most of the cabinet portfolios are with the royal family including those of the king, the prime minister and the crown prince. It has a bicameral legislature, yet the upper house is entirely appointed by the king, giving it a kind of veto power over the lower house elected through popular suffrage.

In Bahrain citizens have some civil rights and there is also a semblance of oppenness. But on the whole, it is basically a kingdom or monarchy run and controlled by a royal family. There is marked and yawning discrimination for social justice and rights between Sunnis and Shias. Shias being in majority with 70 per cent of the population are treated as downtrodden and less privileged.

The protests that started from February 14 are robustly continuing without any let up and respite, despite several casualties and iron hand intimidation by the government. These uprisings are diametrically different from the prolonged protests that raged in Bahrain between 1994 and 2000 and that culminated with the formulation of the National Action Charter.

The current protests in Bahrain are a proliferation and accentuation of what is happening elsewhere in the Middle East, by which people are endeavoring to get rid of the medieval forms of government. People want fundamental human rights, the pluralist democratic dispensations that should be elected by the people, for the people and not for the coterie of individuals or group of families ruling like ancient pharaohs. The political systems in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are replicas and prototypes of each other.

It is precisely for this reason that Saudi royal family and the United Arab Emirates have sent their troops, armed cars, sharp shooters, guns and military equipment to Bahrain to suppress the popular discontent so that it does not spill over to Saudi Arabia.

But for all indications, this time the suppression is not going to produce results in favor of the ruling families. This time the virulent protests are being staged nonstop by all sections of society, leftists, liberals and Islamists, the Shias and the Sunnis. The protest are being staged with one single purpose of ending the suffocating and clannish undemocratic political order and replace it with a truly representative and accountable government, born out of the peoples consent, will and mandate. The fundamental change is that people have shed off the fear they had for these monstrous rulers.

The democratic governments around the world that forced Hosni Mubarak to abdicate power are not showing the same fervor in support of the protesting people of Bahrain for the motives that are self evident to all. One such reason is that the United States maintains its 6th fleet in Bahrain. There are prodigious military and economic interests of other European countries in Bahrain.

If these protests are allowed to fructify, it would be treated as a victory for Iran because any government that comes into being on the basis of popular vote would be those of Shias and would be ostensibly allied and aligned with Iran. It is unthinkable for the West and especially United States to allow a smooth sailing and burgeoning influence of Iran in Bahrain. That would not only raise the clout of Iran in the so called Arab land, it would also predictably pose a gubernatorial threat to its traditional enemy Saudi Arabia.

Besides, it would also pose a grave challenge to the military establishment of the countries now arrayed against Iran. As such crushing the revolt of the people in Bahrain is to forestall the advent of Iranian influence in Bahrain that is geographically so close to Iran and is located on the west of the Persian Gulf. The induction of Saudi and UAE troops in Bahrain is a violation of international laws and can provoke similar reprisal action from Iran. The incursion of Saudi and UAE troops into Bahrain violate the territorial sanctity and sovereignty of Bahrain professing to be an independent state.

It would therefore, be quite interesting and a matter of great curiosity to see, as to how the revolting people of Bahrain react to this latest unforeseen development. It should also be watched as to what could be the reaction of Iran for protecting the lives and interests of its co- faithful Shia community in Bahrain.

Incidentally the protests are also sporadically mushrooming in Saudi Arabia and the people for the first time are dauntlessly braving the state repression and cruel countermeasures unleashed to quash these protests. As stated earlier, Saudi Arabia presents the model of a medieval tribal sort of regime where dissent or asking for civil rights and parliamentary form of government is an exceptionally serious crime. To raise fingers on the extravagant and even un-Islamic life style of the royal families and chieftains is also strictly forbidden.

But despite such abominations, the western governments lend support to these unpopular regimes to stay and serve their vested interest one of which is the unhindered availability of oil to them. There is brazen duplicity and rank hypocrisy of the western democracies to selectively apply their human rights and democratic yardsticks depending upon the cronyism of these client states or otherwise.

But the clock of time cannot be rewound backward now. The spirit of time and the thrust of the present age resoundingly call for all the bonded and enslaved nations to be liberated from their past baggage of slavery and subservience imposed by the local lords or foreign imperialists. These autocratic outfits being resuscitated by foreign mavericks and distant god-fathers are destined to dissipate and be replaced with the modern states and new dispensations havng respect for their people and coming into being with their franchise.

UN warns Bahrain over crackdown

Death toll in Yemen shooting rises to 30: doctor

At least 30 people were killed when Yemeni security men and pro-government gunmen opened fire at an anti-government protest in Sanaa after Muslim prayers on Friday, a doctor said.
Security forces and government supporters opened fire on demonstrators on Friday as the largest protest so far in Yemen came under violent and sustained attack in the center of the capital, Sana. At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured, according to a doctor at a makeshift hospital near the protest.

A heavy cloud of black smoke rose over a downtown commercial district at the south end of the protest, which swelled to tens of thousands of people and stretched for a mile from its center at Sana University.

Government supporters in plain clothes fired down on the demonstration from rooftops and windows almost immediately after the protesters rose from their noon prayers, conducted en masse in the street on Friday.

The shooting dwarfed the level of violence in previous clashes between supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and protesters who have called for his ouster in weeks of large protests in cities around Yemen. But the crowd of mostly tribal men from the outskirts of the capital appeared to stand firm in the face of the chaotic attack.

A man walked through the crowd with a microphone yelling, “Peaceful, peaceful! Don’t be afraid of the bullets!”

At the same time, a large number of riot police officers massed at the south end of the protest, opening fire with guns and a water cannons in an effort to keep demonstrators from moving further into the center of the capital.

Scores of injured men were carried in bloody blankets through the crowd to a mosque transformed into a makeshift hospital, the dead and wounded lying on the floor. Many of the wounded appeared to have been caused by rocks as well as bullets.

While it could not immediately be determined whether the bullets fired were live rounds or rubber bullets, at least one protester was killed when he was shot in the head at close range.

Some of the men in the protest raided buildings where gunmen had been seen, peeking out of windows and flashing peace signs to indicate to the crowd below that they were not, themselves, snipers. In one raid at a far end of the protest, a man said to be a sniper was caught and beaten by angry demonstrators.

As the violence escalated, many in central Sana took cover. “Today is the worst day; this is a new Qaddafi,” said Khalil al-Zekry, who hunkered down in his video shop along the protest route.