blog archive

Sunday, 27 February 2011

Hot Spots: Unrest Continues In Arab World

9:38pm UK, Saturday February 26, 2011

Katie Cassidy, Sky News Online

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi appears determined to cling to power in Libya despite the growing opposition to his 40-year rule.


The United Nations has called for urgent action to stem the violence and is considering sanctions as Barack Obama froze the US assets of the Gaddafi family.

Some 1,000 people are now believed to have been killed during the unrest as the regime seeks to stamp out dissent.

Sky News has met the family of an 11-year-old Libyan girl killed by Gaddafi's forces during clashes in the eastern town of Al Bayda.

The Foreign Office has warned any British citizens still in Libya to try to get on board the last Government-chartered flight due to leave Tripoli later today.

Frigate HMS Cumberland docked in Malta overnight with 68 Britons who had travelled from Libya's second city of Benghazi.

Explore the unrest spreading in the Middle East

Unrest in other parts of the Arab world is also continuing.

:: Tunisia

Three people have been killed in clashes between Tunisian security forces and youths rioting in central Tunis, an Interior Ministry official said on Saturday.

The rally in the country's capital Tunis appeared to be the biggest since an uprising there forced Zine al Abidine Ben Ali from office on January 14.

Soldiers fired shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the tens of thousands of people demanding changes to the interim government.

The protesters want the now prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, former ally of Ben Ali, removed from his position.

:: Yemen

Reports said four people were dead and 40 others injured after police shot at protesters on Friday night.

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators again took to the streets in the capital Sanaa and the port city of Aden.

They continue to call for an end to president Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule.

Up to 21 people have now been killed in the country this month due to the political unrest.

Young boy at protests in Yemeni capital Sanaa

Anti-government protests were held after Friday prayers in Yemen's capital Sanaa

:: Bahrain

A prominent Shi'ite opposition leader was on his way back to Bahrain after months of voluntary exile in London.

Hassan Mushaima was returning to join the protest movement that has been centred at the Pearl roundabout in the capital Manama.

Bahrain's foreign minister said Mr Mushaima, who was among 25 people charged over an alleged plot to overthrow the country's Sunni rulers, has been pardoned.

As a result, he has been allowed to return home to join a national dialogue between protesters and the government.

Thousands of demonstrators were left alone by security forces in Manama on Friday in one of the biggest demonstrations since unrest erupted 10 days earlier.

:: Iraq

Two teenagers who took part in anti-government protests on Friday have died, according to reports.

Thousands of people marched on government buildings and clashed with security forces in cities across the country.

The "Day of Rage" was organised to voice anger over corruption, unemployment and failing public services from the Shi'ite-dominated government.

Elsewhere, another four people were killed in an attack by militants on Iraq's largest oil refinery.

Explosives were set off at the site in Beiji, located 155 miles north of Baghdad, sparking a fire that forced authorities to shut down production.

It took 50 fire trucks up to five hours to bring the blaze under control.

The damaged part of the refinery usually produces around 150,000 barrels per day.

:: Egypt

As the country continues to rebuild following the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's constitutional amendment committee has proposed reducing the presidential term to four years and a maximum of two terms.

The current presidential term is six years without any limit on the number of terms. The constitutional amendments are to be put to a national referendum

Mubarak had held the position since 1981.

No comments:

Post a Comment