Saudis rally in Rabiyia to honor victims of crackdown

Saudi protesters rally in the town of Awamiyah, Eastern Province (File photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/230817.html

Saudis have held a protest rally in the eastern town of Rabiyia to commemorate anti-government protesters killed in government crackdown since last year.

Chanting anti-Al Saud slogans, the demonstrators criticized the Riyadh government for brutally suppressing protests.

They also condemned the country’s involvement in the Bahraini crackdown on peaceful protesters, calling for the withdrawal of KSA troops from the neighboring country.

Meanwhile, Saudi crown prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz has arrived in the US for medical tests. The 79-year-old would take over the rule of the oil-rich kingdom upon the death of King Abdullah, 87, who underwent three operations within a year.

Saudi Arabia is facing growing unrest and people have been demanding justice and the release of political prisoners since last year. Anti-government protest rallies are mostly held in the Kingdom's Eastern Province but despite a violent crackdown on demonstrations, it appears that the protests are now spreading across the country.

Saudis have held peaceful demonstrations in Eastern Province, mostly in Awamiyah and Qatif, since February last year on an almost regular basis, demanding reform, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners.

Protesters also want an end to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-rich region. Several demonstrators have been killed and dozens of activists have been arrested since the beginning of protests in the region.

On February 23, protest rallies were held across the province to demand the prosecution of those who opened fire on demonstrators one week earlier. Saudi security forces broke up the rallies using force and arrested several demonstrators.

Riyadh has intensified its crackdown on protesters since the beginning of 2012.

Bahrainis hold mass anti-government rally in capital

Bahraini protesters march in an anti-government demonstration in the capital, Manama (File Photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/230778.html

Bahrainis have held a mass anti-government demonstration outside the capital, Manama, to demand an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis took the streets west of Manama on Friday in response to a call from the country’s top Shia cleric Sheikh Issa Qasim. Images coming from Bahrain show protesters filled up the main Budaiya highway in Diraz and Saar.

"We are here for the sake of our just demands that we cannot make concessions over and we stick with them because we have sacrificed for them," Sheikh Qasim said before the march in his weekly sermon in the village of Diraz.

Demonstrators also called for the immediate release of political prisoners and denounced the Bahraini dictatorship in.

"No to dictatorship and no to sectarianism. We want an elected government that represents all Bahraini citizens without any discrimination," main opposition bloc al-Wefaq said in its statement.

"Time has come for real implementation of the principle of ' people are sources of all powers' as stipulated in the National Action Charter, the constitution, and international conventions on civil and political rights," al-Wefaq stated.

Similar protest rallies were also held across the country. Activists say over 50 percent of the Bahraini population took part in the protests.

Yemenis hold demo, demand dismissal of Saleh loyalists

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229986.html

Yemenis have staged massive protest rallies across the country, demanding the expulsion of the deposed dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh’s loyalists from the Army, Press TV reports.

The huge demonstrations were held in the capital Sana’a and southern cities of Taizz and Ibb on Sunday.

Members of the military joined the protest rallies, calling on the new President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to purge the military of the associates of Saleh's regime.

The protesters also condemned the government's decision to cut salaries of the military personnel.

Last week, Saleh formally stepped down following months of anti-regime protests in the country, and was replaced by Hadi, his vice president, in a single-candidate election backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi was sworn in following the election on February 21, which pundits described as a mockery of democracy.

Yemenis have been protesting against the United States and Saudi Arabia since then, blaming them for keeping the former regime remnants in power.

Many powerful military units still remain under the control of Saleh's relatives.

Yemeni people have also been calling for the prosecution of the former ruler and his aides over the killing of protesters in a deadly crackdown against popular anti-regime protests that emerged early in 2011.

Yemeni soldiers want corrupted military chiefs out

Yemeni air force soldiers demand the ouster of corrupted military chiefs during a protest rally in Sana’a, March 1, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229487.html

Yemeni soldiers have staged protests in the capital, Sana’a, demanding the departure of the country’s military chiefs whom they accuse of corruption, Press TV reports.

The soldiers took to the streets of Sana’a on Thursday to call for the ouster of Brigadier General Hussein Khairan and Air Force Commander Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar-- a half brother of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Meanwhile, people held demonstrations in the southern cities of Taizz and al-Bayda, demanding the immediate restructuring of the army and the ouster of Saleh's relatives from power.

The protesters also chanted slogans against the United States and Saudi Arabia and blamed them for keeping the former regime remnants in power.

Washington and Riyadh pushed for a deal that transferred power from Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, in a US and Saudi-backed single-candidate election.

The deal also granted immunity from prosecution to Saleh and his close affiliates.

Yemeni people have been calling for the prosecution of the former ruler and his aides over the killing of protesters in a deadly crackdown against popular anti-regime protests that erupted in early 2011.

Dozens killed in car bomb attack in Yemen

Scene of an explosion in Yemen (file photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/228564.html

As Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi the winner of the country's single-candidate presidential vote takes office, a bomb attack in southern Yemen has killed at least 32 people.

The causalities come after a car bomb exploded outside the presidential palace in al-Mukalla located in Hadramawt Province, where Hadi was sworn in on Saturday.

Members of the elite Republican Guard are thought to be among the dead.

Al-Qaeda has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The violence comes hours after the new president replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced to resign after months of protest against his rule.

Hadi, Saleh’s ex-deputy, was the single candidate in the presidential vote that took place on Tuesday, which was described by pundits as a mockery of democracy. He will lead Yemen for a two-year interim period.

Saleh, who returned home from a “medical visit” to the United States late on Friday, is set to formally hand over power to Hadi in a ceremony at the presidential palace on Monday.

Hadi pledged to continue the fight against al-Qaeda, which he called a "national and religious duty" in a live broadcast speech on television. "If we don't restore security, the only outcome will be chaos," he said.

Meanwhile, people took to the streets in the city of Taizz once again to renew their demand for a free Yemen and the prosecution of the 69-year-old Saleh and his aides.

In the southern Yemeni port city of Aden regime forces reportedly used live bullets against protesters.

Saleh's deputy takes oath of office after sham election

Yemen's new President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi arrives to take the oath of office during a ceremony at the parliament, Sana’a, February 25, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/228516.html

The former deputy of Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh has been sworn in as the country’s new president after winning a US-backed one-man vote.

Saleh’s ex-deputy Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi was the single candidate in the presidential vote that took place on Tuesday, which was described by pundits as a mockery of democracy. He will lead Yemen for a two-year interim period.

"It is a patriotic and religious duty to continue the battle against Al-Qaeda," claimed the new Yemeni president.

"If we don't restore security, the only outcome will be chaos," Hadi said.

Saleh, who returned home from a “medical visit” to the United States late on Friday, is set to formally hand over power to Hadi in a ceremony at the presidential palace on Monday.

Saleh traveled to New York in late January allegedly to receive treatment for wounds sustained in an attack on his palace last year. The Yemeni people have slammed the US government for sheltering a man whom they blame for the deaths of a large number of protesters since a revolution began in January 2011.

The protesters now want the prosecution of the 69-year-old Saleh and his aides over the regime's deadly crackdown on peaceful demonstrators during the past year.

Polls open in Yemen with sole US-backed pres. candidate

Members of the Yemeni election committee prepare ballot boxes on the eve of Yemen’s presidential election at a polling station, Sana’a, February 20, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227790.html

Voting has begun in Yemen’s presidential election with only one candidate on the ballot amid the opposition’s call for the downfall of the entire regime.

The polls opened Tuesday, with 12 million eligible voters, and the sole candidate Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The election is to put an end to Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule and formally transfer power to his assistant, Hadi.

However, the country’s major opposition groups, including the Southern Movement and the Southern Shia group have boycotted the election, demanding the removal of the regime that abounds with Saleh-era officials.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has thrown Washington’s weight behind Yemen’s election, offering his support to Hadi.

In a letter to the Yemeni vice president, Obama said Yemen could be an example of the peaceful transition of power in the Middle East.

This is while demonstrations are expected to continue in Yemen as protesters say their revolution will not end until Saleh and all corrupt government officials are put behind bars.

On Monday, several polling stations were the target of bomb attacks prior to the beginning of the polls in the southern province of Aden and the southern port city of al-Makla, with no reports of casualties. The protesters also blocked roads leading to five villages in Daleh province, making it impossible for poll organizers to send ballot boxes there.

Saleh is currently in the US for medical treatment. He left Yemen in mid-January, shortly after the country’s parliament passed a law which grants him full immunity from prosecution.

US gave green light to toxic terror in Bahrain

Bahraini anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by riot police in Abu Saiba, west of Manama. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224875.html

Washington has given the green light to unleash “toxic terror” in Bahrain after closing a million-dollar arms sales deal with the Al Khalifa regime, a political analyst says.

“Just as Bahrainis are being poisoned in their homes from indiscriminate firing of massive teargas by regime forces, Washington is showing its approval by going ahead with an arms sales deal to the Persian Gulf kingdom,” Global Research's Middle East and East Africa correspondent, Finian Cunningham said.

Since the beginning of the popular uprising in Bahrain last February, dozens of people have been killed and many more have been injured in the Al Khalifa regime's brutal crackdown on demonstrations.

Last year, under pressure from human rights groups, Washington decided to put on hold the sale of USD 53 million worth of weapons to Bahrain, demanding the Sunni monarchy to endorse democratic reforms.

However, it was revealed last week that the administration of Barack Obama is now moving forward with the deal without any formal notification to the public.

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have stepped up their repression and massively increased the use of tear gas on protesters, which can be deadly among the very young and elderly. Nine people have died over the past two weeks alone.

“Manama is patently a policy of “toxic terrorism” and “collective punishment” against the 70 percent of the population demanding that the Western-backed regime gives way to democratic government,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham says that Bahrain is a classic case study of how Western geopolitical interests are closely aligned with repression and violation of human rights, and how Washington's effort to persuade any regime to enact democratic reforms is a crass delusion.

“The truth is that Washington's oil interests are entwined with repressive regimes in the Persian Gulf and are fundamentally opposed to the cause of democracy in these sheikdoms, “Cunningham added.

'US, safe haven for world dictators'

Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Salehi (shown) left Yemen to travel to the US on January 22, 2012, amid a growing popular uprising in the Middle Eastern country.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222596.html

An American political activist has lashed out at Washington for accepting Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, saying the US has long been a safe haven for authoritarian rulers across the world, Press TV reports.

“I think it is wrong for the US government to accept Saleh coming from Yemen, as the people of Yemen should be the ones to determine his future,” Medea Benjamin, co-founder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange, told Press TV on Sunday.

“The US unfortunately has a history of taking in dictators from other countries, which goes against the principles that people who commit crime should be held in judgment through legal processes by the constituency of their own country and this should be the case for Yemen,” she added.

“The US has been supporting Saleh dictatorship both with weapons and with other logistical kinds of support," the activist pointed out.

Benjamin also criticized the US officials for attaching more importance to their so-called war on terror than the democratic rights of the Yemeni people.

Saleh left Yemen's capital, Sana'a, on Sunday and will visit Oman en route to the US.

In a televised farewell speech on Sunday, Saleh said, “I will go to the United States for treatment and will then return as the head of the General People's Congress party,” Yemeni state media reported.

On Saturday, Yemen's parliament approved a law that grants complete immunity from prosecution to Saleh for the crimes committed during his 33-year-long rule.

Yemeni anti-regime protesters reject the immunity law and say that Saleh and his aides must face prosecution for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular uprising that began in January 2011.

'Saleh leaves Yemen for US'

File photo of Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222499.html

Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh has left the capital, Sana'a, for the United States to receive medical treatment, an official says.

The official from Saleh's office said the Yemeni dictator left the capital on Sunday but did not specify Saleh's destination.

This comes while authorities in Sana'a said on Sunday that Saleh's son, who runs the Republican Guard, was “already in Oman” to prepare for his father's visit to the Arab country en route to the United States.

In a farewell speech earlier on Sunday, Saleh said, “I will go to the United States for treatment and will then return as the head of the General People's Congress (GPC) party,” Yemeni state media reported.

Last week, a senior official of Saleh's GPC party said Saleh will visit “Oman and then Ethiopia before travelling to New York for [the] treatment” of the wounds he sustained in an attack on the presidential palace in June 2011.

Saleh's departure from Sana'a comes one day after Yemen's parliament approved a law that grants complete immunity from prosecution to the dictator for the crimes committed during his 33-year-long rule.

The immunity law is part of a power transfer deal brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council and supported by the United States. The legislation gives immunity to Saleh's aides only on “politically motivated” criminal acts and not on corruption charges.

“I ask for forgiveness from all my people, men and women, for any shortcomings during my 33-year-long rule,” Saleh said during his speech on Sunday.

However, Yemeni anti-regime protesters reject the immunity law and say that Saleh and his aides must face prosecution for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular uprising that began in January 2011.

The Yemeni parliament has also adopted a law that approves Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi as the “consensus candidate” in the upcoming presidential election of February 21.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will use all options against Iran'

Turki al-Faisal addressing the conference on national and regional security in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221771.html

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief says Riyadh will use “all available options” to defend itself against Iranian “threats” that might trigger “unwanted military confrontation.”

Addressing a conference on national and regional security in Manama, Bahrain, Turki al-Faisal said, “Any threat to our interests or security will force us to use all available options to defend our interests, and national and regional security.”

His remarks came after Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi urged Riyadh on Tuesday to reconsider plans to compensate for any shortfall in the market caused by West-backed sanctions against Iranian oil exports.

Iran's OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi also warned the country's Persian Gulf neighbors last Sunday that they will be responsible for any consequences, should they agree to compensate for the Islamic Republic's oil exports in the event of Western sanctions against Tehran.

“The mounting escalation and persistent tensions might end up in an adventure with unpredictable consequences or in an unwanted military confrontation,” AFP quoted Faisal as saying.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz have been escalating since the US and the European Union proposed sanctions against Iran's oil sector to deprive the country of its oil exports.

Iranian officials have warned that if Tehran is prevented from exporting crude oil through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, it may take measures, including closing the strategic Strait.

“Iran must not fuel this conflict and must not threaten us when we commit to international decisions,” Faisal added.

The former Saudi intelligence minister stated that Iran “must neutralize the security of the Strait of Hormuz and that of the world energy supply.”

“[Iran] has chosen a different policy that constantly undermines regional security and provokes foreign interventions, which it claims it is trying to get rid of,” the Saudi official accused.

'Iran war could end life on earth'

Paul Craig Roberts says Washington's possible war on Iran could end life on earth

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221754.html

A former American official has warned that the United States wants to blame Israel for Washington's possible war on Iran that could end life on earth.

US warnings to Israel for not attacking Iran is to avoid responsibility for the war Washington has prepared, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts wrote in an article on Global Research.

"If the war gets out of hand, and if Russia and China intervene or nukes start flying, Washington wants the blame to rest on Israel, and Israel seems willing to accept the blame," Craig Roberts said.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal said the US has privately sought assurances from Israeli leaders that they will not take military action against Iran. But the Israeli response has been noncommittal.

The US analyst also used a few examples to show that the White House has prepared for an all-out war against Iran.

"If Washington did not want war with Iran it would not have provided the necessary weapons to Israel. It would not have deployed thousands of US troops to Israel," he argued.

"Washington would not have built a missile defense system for Israel and would not be conducting joint exercises with the Israeli military to make sure it works," Craig Roberts added.

He said, "Washington won't prevent the war that it so fervently desires. Neither will Washington's NATO puppets."

"'Great' Britain does as it is told, subservient and occupied Germany, bankrupt France, Italy occupied with US air bases with a government infiltrated by the CIA, bankrupt Spain and Greece will all, in hopes of an outpouring of US dollars and devoid of any dignity or honor, support the new war that could end life on earth," Craig Roberts added.

Interim govt throws Saleh immunity

Yemen's outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220041.html

Yemen's interim government has endorsed a US-backed draft law granting the country's outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution.

The draft, which was approved by the Yemeni cabinet on Sunday, also applies to anyone, who has worked with Saleh, saving them from prosecution for any crimes they have committed during his 33-year-long rule.

According to the government, Saleh and his associates "including in civilian, military and security institutions during the period of his presidency” are thereby awarded 'legal and judicial immunity.'

Yemen's parliament will now have to ratify the draft, which paves the way for Saleh's departure.

The decision is in line with a power transfer deal brokered by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which Saleh signed in the Saudi capital Riyadh on November 23.

The Saudi-backed deal grants him immunity from prosecution in return for his handing over the power to acting ruler Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The United States, which regarded Saleh as a pillar of its 'counter-terrorism' strategy for years, pushed through with the power transition deal, while Saudi Arabia has been supporting him by donating diesel and crude oil to the country.

The prospect of the immunity law comes as thousands of anti-regime demonstrators, calling their protest action the 'March of Dignity,' arrived from the western port city of Hudaydah to the capital Sana'a on Sunday to demand Saleh's prosecution.

The march, led by members of the north-based Yemeni Shia minority, known as Houthis, was welcomed in Sana'a by other anti-regime protesters, who also called for the trial of the outgoing Yemeni dictator.

Also, in late December 2011, tens of thousands of anti-regime protesters marched towards Sana'a from the southern city of Taizz, about 322 kilometers (200 miles) from the capital.

Yemeni demonstrators hold Saleh responsible for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the popular uprising against the regime that began in January 2011.

Protesters say the country's Republican Guards, led by Saleh's son Ahmed, are responsible for most of the deadly attacks on the anti-regime activists.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia orders arrest of 23 protesters

Saudi protesters rally to demand freedom and equality in the country. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219079.html

Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has ordered the arrest of 23 anti-regime Shia protesters in the kingdom's oil-reach Eastern Province over accusations of sparking an uprising in the Persian Gulf monarchy.

Saudi Interior Ministry declared the arrest order in a statement read on state television on Monday, accusing the 23 men of serving the agenda of a foreign power.

"We do have evidence of a relationship with somebody else abroad," Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki told a news conference. "Now how much, or what kind of relationship and how strong that relationship, this still has to be investigated and that is what we want these people for," he added.

He further called on the Saudi people to inform the authorities of any other protesters, offering rewards.

Several villages and towns in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province have been the scene of protest rallies, with demonstrators calling for freedom and equality as well as the release of thousands of political prisoners.

Earlier in November, Saudi forces attacked thousands of demonstrators, killing five people and injured many others in the Eastern Province. The funerals for the victims usually turned to demonstrations, with protesters chanting slogans against the Al Saud regime.

Saudi activists say there are thousands of political prisoners in jails across the kingdom. According to human rights campaigners, most of the detained are being held without trial or legitimate charges and have been arrested on the grounds of mere suspicion.

Yemeni troops demand Saleh trial

Defected Yemeni soldiers supporting anti-government protesters (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218707.html

Yemeni soldiers have rallied in the southern city of Taizz, calling for the trial of the outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The soldiers condemned Saleh and his regime for killing peaceful and unarmed protesters during the country's uprising.

“These people must leave their positions because they represent injustice and terror instead of security and peace,” one soldier said on Saturday, referring to the injustices committed by Saleh and his loyalists.

“They will have no upper hand on us anymore,” the soldier added.

A similar rally was also held in the port city of Aden.

Meanwhile, a military official said that Ahmad, the son of the outgoing ruler, is now in charge of leading the crackdown within the country's army to stop more officers from joining the mass protests.

The demonstrators also denounced a recent deal, brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which granted Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down from power after 33 years of iron-fist rule in the impoverished state.

According to the (P)GCC agreement, newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Basindwa has been tasked with forming a unity government.

Under the new unity government, the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and oil will be controlled by Saleh loyalists, while the ministries of information, the interior, and finance will be in the hands of the opposition.

Opponents of the deal have now formed a new organization called the Revolutionary Front of Salvation, uniting members of various political parties and groups.

The founders of the group say they want to recover the real goal of the revolution to achieve what they call real democracy.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the uprising against the Saleh regime in January 2011.

Yemenis hold demos, demand Saleh trial

Anti-government protesters perform Friday prayers during a rally in Sana'a on December 30, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218585.html

Anti-regime protesters have taken to the streets of Yemen for “Friday of together to achieve our goals” demonstrations and demanded that outgoing ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh be put on trial.

Demonstrations were held in the capital Sana'a and the flashpoint city of Taizz on Friday.

The protesters carried placards criticizing the US ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, who sparked controversy by describing last week's anti-regime march from Taizz to Sana'a as a provocative act.

The protesters say the US is trying to save Saleh's regime.

The demonstrators also denounced a recent deal, brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), which granted Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down from power after 33 years of iron-fist rule in the impoverished state.

According to the (P)GCC agreement, newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Basindwa has been tasked with forming a unity government.

Under the new unity government, the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and oil will be controlled by Saleh loyalists, while the ministries of information, the interior, and finance will be in the hands of the opposition.

Opponents of the deal have now formed a new organization called the Revolutionary Front of Salvation, uniting members of various political parties and groups.

The founders of the group say they want to recover the real goal of the revolution to achieve what they call real democracy.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the uprising against the Saleh regime in January 2011.

Clashes, US airstrikes kill 30 Yemenis

A US Predator drone firing a missile (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197137.html

At least 30 people identified as al-Qaeda suspects by the Yemeni regime have been killed in the latest US airstrikes and clashes with Yemeni soldiers in the southern province of Abyan, Press TV reports.

The Yemeni military says 30 “al-Qaeda suspects” were killed in the US airstrikes and clashes with Yemeni soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday, but observers say most of the dead were civilians, the Press TV correspondent in Sana'a reported on Friday.

The Yemeni military claims that the airstrikes helped rescue a Yemeni military unit that had been besieged by al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province for several weeks.

Yemeni officials deny that the US is carrying out operations in the war against al-Qaeda in the country, but the United States has confirmed that its forces have been conducting anti-terrorism operations in Yemen since June 2010.

Militants linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization were believed to have been in control of Zinjibar, the largest city in Abyan province, until recently.

The Yemeni opposition says the government handed the city over to al-Qaeda militants in order to gain military and political support from the West, which would help the regime stay in power.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in Yemen's major cities since January, calling for an end to corruption and unemployment and demanding the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who took office in 1978.

Britain and the death trade it denies

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/196875.html

The British government pledged to stop selling arms to repressive regimes including Bahrain back in February but the promises were nothing more than a bunch of lies.

Britain sold millions of pounds of arms used for internal repression to dictatorships in the Middle East and North Africa including Libya, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia just a few months ago.

London issued arms export licenses worth £30.5 million for shotguns, small arms ammunition and sub-machine guns to the regional countries where ruling regimes were brutally suppressing peaceful demonstrations between February and June this year.

This comes as the Foreign Office claimed back in February that the government has revoked all munitions export licenses to Bahrain over what Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt said in a statement was the “changing situation in Bahrain”, a euphemism for killing of protesters by riot prevention equipment partly supplied by Britain.

The government also claimed at the time that arms export licenses to Libya were ended due to what the Foreign Office acknowledged was “the use of lethal force against demonstrators” and the fears that British arms could be used against protesters.

However, the reality behind the claims was “business as usual” with British warmongers using the uprisings in the North African and Middle Eastern countries to increase their arms exports by 30 percent between February and June compared with last year breaching even their own export regulations not to mention human rights principles.

This is while; the British arms exports rules say the government will "not issue an export license if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression."

According to the spokesperson for the Campaign Against Arms Trade Kay Stearman, the revelation is not “surprising” as it shows the government is continuing its past policy of apparently arming tyrants.

"This is very, very shocking, but sadly not surprising. It just goes to show that all the government's fine words about defending democracy and not selling arms to tyrants were just that - words. It is business as usual," she said.

Her remarks were echoed in those of chief executive of War on Want John Hillary.

"It is outrageous that Britain should still be exporting arms to a region in such crisis. We've seen the murderous consequences of these arms exports in country after country. It is unacceptable for the government to be supporting arms export licenses to the Middle East,” he said.

Pakistan to send more troops to Bahrain

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari (L) met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194995.html

Pakistan has agreed to dispatch more mercenaries to Bahrain to help Al Khalifa regime's crackdown on anti-government protesters in the Persian Gulf state.

The agreement was reached when Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during his one-day visit to Bahrain on Wednesday, IRNA reported Saturday.

Manama has been recruiting former soldiers and policemen from Pakistan at a steady rate to strengthen the government's forces.

In many demonstrations Bahraini protesters shouted slogans against Pakistani security forces in Urdu.

Pakistani and Saudi forces have played a major rule in suppressing anti-government protests in Bahrain since the beginning of unrest in the Persian Gulf country.

President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab said Friday that the Pakistani recruits have behaved with a heavy hand toward demonstrators.

"They're told they are going to go to a holy war in Bahrain to kill some non-Muslims or kafir [infidel] or Shias. They are paid well, maybe," Rajab noted.

Tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-government rallies throughout the Middle Eastern country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family.

Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons in a government-sanctioned crackdown on protests since the beginning of the demonstrations.

According to the BCHR, there are currently over 1,000 political detainees inside the country.

Yemenis march favoring National Council

Yemeni army soldiers participate with anti-regime protestors calling for the resignation of Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, August 18, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194632.html

Thousands of Yemenis across the country have marched in celebration of the recently formed National Council that will lead toward the removal of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime.

People in the city of Taizz and the Yemeni capital of Sana'a on Thursday chanted slogans in support of the revolution and the 143-member National Council, Press TV reported.

The formation of the Council was announced late Wednesday, a day after Saleh claimed he would soon return to Yemen.

Some 800 representatives of different opposition groups had elected the members of the Council.

The Council includes members of the parliamentary opposition umbrella of the Common Forum, young protesters, and the north-based Shia minority, which has for long been repressed by Saleh's regime and Saudi Arabian forces.

Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia, were he has been receiving medical treatment for injuries inflicted on him in a June 3 rocket attack against Yemen's presidential palace.

Moreover, the formation of the council serves as a notable blow to Saleh's unpopular 33-year-old regime, which has been facing regular nationwide protests since January.

It also signals an end to the power transition deal proposed by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC).

The leaders of the (P)GCC in late April proposed a power transfer plan that would grant Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution in exchange for his departure from the country and handover of power to his vice president in thirty days.

The Yemeni opposition, however, has repeatedly rejected the power transition deal.