Car bomb north of Iraqi capital kills 7

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) - An Iraqi spokesman says a car bomb north of Baghdad has killed seven people.

The spokesman for the Diyala province police, Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi, says Thursday’s blast took place in the town of Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) north of Baghdad. He says 24 people were wounded.

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Car bomb north of Iraqi capital kills 7

Bahrain crushes protest camp, locks down capital

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Troops and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were killed.

Hours after the attack on Manama’s main Pearl Square, the military announced a ban on gatherings, saying on state TV that it had “key parts” of the capital under its control.

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Bahrain crushes protest camp, locks down capital

14 reported killed in Libya protests

TRIPOLI — Fourteen people reportedly have been killed in Libya in recent days as protesters seeking to oust longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi defied a crackdown and took to the streets in four cities Thursday for a “day of rage.”

Opposition activists reported the deaths of 14 demonstrators in clashes with pro-government forces Wednesday and Thursday. But the death toll could rise higher: A protester described seeing six people shot dead in a dramatic cell phone call to the Al-Jazeera TV news service at about 10.20 a.m. ET.

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14 reported killed in Libya protests

Thousands of Yemenis protest nationwide

SANAA, Yemen — Security forces have clashed with anti-government protesters in Yemen on the seventh consecutive day of demonstrations calling for the ouster of the president, a key U.S. ally.

Witnesses say government supporters wielding batons and daggers were also involved in fighting with protesters trying to move to downtown squares in Sanaa, the capital.

Clashes were reported Thursday in several other towns, including the port city of Aden. Protesters have taken inspiration from the toppling of autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.

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Thousands of Yemenis protest nationwide

Iran’s opposition calls for more protests

Reporting from New York — Iran’s beleaguered opposition movement, under enormous government pressure but encouraged by popular uprisings throughout the Middle East, is calling for another round of protests Sunday, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Tehran’s hard-line Islamist government.

A statement posted Thursday to the website of former prime minister and 2009 presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi called on Iranians to take part in memorial services to mark the religiously significant seventh day after the deaths of two Iranians during raucous Feb. 14 opposition protests in Tehran and other cities.

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Iran’s opposition plans own protests

For some these protests are thought to be about nothing more than gaining FREEDOM from the oppressive regimes that control their nations.

For others, it’s all about keeping those oppressive regimes in place.

To the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida and the Taliban, it’s all about a perceived opportunity to spread the poison that is called Islam. For them it’s all about domination, no freedoms, and the institution of strict Islamic law, Sharia.

The protests in Iran and Egypt illustrate the total lack of influence that the United States has in those parts of the world. Neither regime will listen to Obama, Clinton and the U.S. But I have to say, Obama has been so very benevolent in his expressions of sympathy and support for the protesters and their efforts. He calls for calm and reason, and for the police and military forces to NOT fire on their own citizens.

I have to wonder, would that benevolence still exist if those protests were taking place in the U.S. Capitol? Would Obama be sympathetic to OUR protests if HE were the one that was being protested in an attempt to force him from office?

I don’t think so.

Here’s something else I find interesting, Iran Warships Cancel Request to Transit Suez Canal, which just so happens to coincide with this: Enterprise Carrier Strike Group transits Suez Canal. Coincidence indeed.

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