17th May 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

home to the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet. Ayatollah Issa Qassem in the town of Diraz, west of Manama.

Report: Bahrain police search home of top Shiite cleric, who backs protests
A main opposition group in Bahrain says police have searched the home of the Gulf nations most senior Shiite cleric, who has strongly sided with antigovernment protesters. The reported raid could touch off more clashes on the strategic island nation,

The group Al Wefaq says security forces entered the home of Shiek Isa Qassim early Friday in Diraz, about 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the capital, Manama. Qassim was not at home at the time, but his family members were present. The statement said the teams searched the home and left, but police helicopters patrolled the area for hours after. Read More loggerheads with its Sunni rulers.

Home of Bahrain's top Shiite cleric raided: opposition

Bahrain's main opposition accused government troops of raiding the home of the country's leading Shiite cleric on Friday, and warned that authorities will bear responsibility for this "dangerous" act. The Shiite Al-Wefaq movement levelled the accusations in a statement and distributed pictures of what it said was damage caused to the home of

There was no immediate conrmation from the minority Sunni-ruled government of Bahrain -home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. "Dozens of armed troops, accompanied by masked civilian forces, stormed the home of Ayatollah Issa Qassem at dawn on Friday... damaging property and terrorising women and children," Al-Wefaq said. Read More

Bahrain forces raid top cleric's house: opposition

Bahraini security forces raided the house of top Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on Friday, the opposition said, an act likely to enrage the island's majority Shi'ite population which is at

Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet has its base on Iran's doorstep, has been in violent turmoil since Shi'iteled pro-democracy protests erupted in 2011. Protests continue and often end in clashes between demonstrators and police. At least two people have died this year. Read More That's what happened to six people in Bahrain accused of insulting the king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and other members of the community. Bahrain has been embroiled in human-rights protests since February 2011, and many Bahraini activists have taken to Twitter to document "violations" against the Bahraini people. Read More

Bahrain needs to cut public debt after 2012 spending boost -IMF
Bahrain, which last year boosted state spending to quell political unrest, urgently needs to reform its economy to stop its debt burden becoming unsustainable, The International Monetary Fund said. Bahrain upped its original 2012 expenditure plan by

nearly 19 percent in September 2011 after protesters inspired by the Arab Spring revolts took to the streets of the capital Manama to demand political reforms. As unrest continues to simmer among the country's majority Shi'ite population, the Fund said more belt-tightening was needed in addition to the almost 6 percent cut in spending planned for 2013. Read More

Twitter Lands Bahraini Activists in Prison

It's not rare for people's behavior on social media to land them in hot water; people lose their jobs all the time for things they post on Facebook or put on Twitter. But in Bahrain, tweeting the wrong thing about the wrong person just might land you in prison.

The F1 Event in Bahrain: A Lost Chance For The Opposition

Much to the chagrin of organisations like Amnesty International the F1 event in Bahrain went ahead and was earmarked to make around 26million for Bernie Ecclestone, let alone the huge amount of money

generated by Grand-Prixtourism and advertising for the Bahraini government. Even as some news agencies reported that the Grand Prix would be less eventful than last year, claims were being made that the government had arrested suspected prodemocracy supporters and had ejected an ITV news crew. Read More