Politics

In news from the Middle East, the King of Bahrain has declared a state of emergency for three months following weeks of pro-democracy protests. The King’s announcement came one day after about 1,000 Saudi troops have crossed into Bahrain to help defend Bahrain’s ruling family. Pro-democracy protesters have described the Saudi presence on the island as a declaration of war.

In Libya, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have captured the city of Zwara, west of Tripoli, and are battling under-equipped rebel fighters for control of the oil town of Brega. In recent days, Gaddafi forces have won back control of several key cities. Debate continues at the international level over whether the U.N. Security Council should institute a no-fly zone.

The dramatic events in Egypt, Middle East & North Africa have seen millions taking to the streets to demand real change.
Women are standing beside men, demanding end to repression and calling for root and branch reform. Both women and men have suffered under repressive governments. But women have also coped with discriminatory laws and deeply entrenched gender inequality.

Wisconsin Republicans have pushed through Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union bill in the State Senate. After a three-week impasse that saw the state’s largest protests since the Vietnam War, Republicans split the measure in two, claiming that no quorum is needed in order to be able to pass the bill’s non-fiscal provisions.

In Libya, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi are locked in intense fighting with the opposition forces for control of several cities and towns. The International Committee of the Red Cross says Libya has descended into civil war with increasing numbers of wounded civilians arriving in the hospitals in eastern cities.

In Egypt, hundreds of pro-democracy protesters have been attacked in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Small groups armed with rocks and knives were seen assaulting demonstrators ahead of an Egyptian military effort to remove the last of the protesters who have remained in Tahrir since the uprising that toppled U.S.-backed President Hosni Mubarak last month.

On March 3 and 4, a group of teenagers and pre-teens in Springfield underwent what was called a “30-hour famine”. They fasted for 30 consecutive hours, breaking only occasionally for sips of water as nourishment.
They also participated in activities that required physical effort, just as the poor in food insecure countries would, even when enduring the pangs of hunger.

Amnesty International has called on the Saudi Arabian authorities to reverse the ban on peaceful protest, amid fears of a violent crackdown on mass demonstrations planned for Friday’s “Day of Rage”. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister, said that “reform cannot be achieved through protests”, while the protest ban was backed by religious and security bodies.

Zimbabwe witnessed a fierce psychological battle at the beginning of March 2011. Inspired by their new models in the Arab world, political activists and civic society organizations tried to mobilize people for mass protests to demand change in government. But not a single demonstrator turned up on March 1 for the much-billed 1 million-man march against President Mugabe.

The United Nations warns that up to one million people are trapped in Libya and are in need of emergency aid as fighting intensifies between supporters of Col. Muammar Gaddafi and anti-government rebels. Earlier today, Gaddafi’s forces launched at least four air strikes against rebel-held areas in the oil town of Ras Lanuf.