Articles

The winds of change sweeping the Islamic East have reached the shores of the tiny island state of Bahrain as well. The ruling Khalifa family resorted to brute force to terrorize peaceful protesters in the capital Manama’s Pearl Square on February 18 that resulted in the deaths of five protesters and left hundreds injured. The city’s Salmaniya Hospital was overwhelmed as the dead and wounded were brought in. Distraught relatives rushed to the hospital turning it into a new venue for protests.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has been forced out of office in the face of determined demands of protesters. Ghannouchi announced his resignation at a press conference in Tunis after a long rambling speech on television extolling his virtues and his record in government.

The UN Security Council passed a unanimous resolution on February 26 imposing sanctions on the Qaddafi regime freezing assets of the beleaguered ruler and his close associates as well as referring him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague for war crimes.

The Egyptian Military High Council apologised on February 26 about attacking civilians in Tahrir Square on Friday night. The protesters were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.

The Raymond Davis saga is beginning to assume the proportions of a spy thriller, literally. Presenting himself as a security contractor with the US Consulate in Lahore.

After Friday prayers, mass demonstrations were held in Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, with protesters voicing solidarity with the struggle in Libya and vowed their determination to continue struggling for their rights.

The 10-day Libyan revolution has taken a bloody turn, as Qaddafi mobilizes paramilitary groups against protesters demonstrating for regime change.

The Egyptian military is exposing its true face. Two days after Hosni Mubarak was driven from power, the old regime, including the much-despised Omar Suleiman, has been retained. Earlier in the day, a military spokesman announced they were dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution but did not lift the state of emergency.

After serving as the centre of protests for 18 days, Tahrir Square in Cairo became the place of thanks giving as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians offered their Fajr prayers on Saturday February 12. The announcement early the day before that Hosni Mubarak had resigned was greeted with outbursts of joy not in Cairo but throughout the country. Almost all major cities witnessed massive rallies of joy.

Displaying mule-like stubbornness, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's unpopular and beleaguered president, confounded critics and observers alike by refusing to quit even while his departure was much anticipated throughout the day on February 10.