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Summary
• In TV statement Bahrain army claims to have taken control of capital city from protesters
• Three dead and 100 injured as security forces tackle protesters for political reform in Bahrain capital
• One dead and 10 hurt as police open fire on protesters in the southern Yemeni city of Aden
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20.50 Let's recap on what has happened in Bahrain today.
Troops and tanks lock down the capital of Manama after uprooting a protest camp in a central square, beating demonstrators and blasting them with sprays of birdshot and tear gas. Medical officials say four people are killed. The military bans all gatherings.
The protesters want the ruling Sunni Muslim monarchy, a key U.S. ally in the Gulf, to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions. Shiite Muslims make up 70 percent of Bahrain's 500,000 citizens but say they face systematic discrimination and poverty and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.
While Shiites have clashed with police before, growing numbers of Sunnis have joined the latest protests.
18.50 New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweets that a doctor trying to help the injured in Bahrain was beaten by police. He went on to say that they backed off before raping him.
Just met Dr Sadiq Ekri, surgeon who was beaten by #Bahrain police as he tried to help injured. He is unconscious, on oxygen.
18.46 Alistair Burt, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said:
"We will urgently revoke licences if we judge that they are no longer in line with the (consolidated EU and UK export licensing) criteria."
18.39 The Foreign Office has said it will review its recent licensing decisions for arms exports to Bahrain, Reuters reports.
18.20 US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has joined Obama in urging restraint ahead of further potential clashes in Bahrain on Friday.
She said she had told her Bahraini counterpart "how important it was that, given that there will be both funerals and prayers tomorrow, that they not be marred by violence."
"We urge a return to a process that will result in real, meaningful changes for the people there," she said.
17.55 Barack Obama has condemned the use of violence against protesters in Bahrain, expressing his concern at the unrest.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said:
"His view is that we oppose the use of violence by the government of Bahrain," adding that Obama also opposed crackdowns on "peaceful" demonstrations across the region.
17.41 Al Jazeera's blog reports that Bahrain's foreign minister has denied that the authorities used live fire the disperse pro-reform demonstrators. At a news conference he called the deaths of three protestors during the police raid a "regrettable accident".
17.33 A Yemen hospital official confirms that one protester was killed and 10 hurt when police opened fire to disperse an anti-regime protest in the southern city of Aden. It is the third death in two days of protests.
17.23 Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa says that police action was necessary to pull the country back from the "brink of a sectarian abyss," Reuters reports.
17.14: The violence in Libya is spreading as anti-government protestsers take to the streets.
Nofrills tweets:
RT confirmed: 400 in the streets of #Tripoli, come on guys let it snowball #Libya #Feb17
17.07 AFP reports that violent clashes rocked the Libyan city of Zentan southwest of Tripoli and a number of government buildings were torched.
Quryna newspaper quoted a security source as saying that "several demonstrators" were arrested, including two Tunisians involved in smuggling, the agency said.
16.59 A protester in Yemen has been killed by "random gunfire" as police tried to disperse an anti-government demonstration in southern Yemen, a local official has told Reuters.
"At least one person has been killed and there are eight others that were wounded by random gunfire," said the official.
16:57 Deposed Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is "in a coma" in a Saudi hospital following a stroke, a family friend told AFP
16:47 A former CIA agent has described Bahrain as "an oppressive and corrupt little regime, long coddled by Washington"
16.36
In the latest pictures emerging from Yemen, gunfire can be clearly heard as police fire warning shots to disperse the crowds of anti-government protesters
16:10 Hadeel Al-Shalchi, a correspondent for AP's Middle East bureau, tweets:
: US embassy official tells me #Bahrain is currently top priority in White House
16:02 At least 25 have been injured during the protests in Yemen's capital Sanaa, according to Reuters.
About 2,000 protesters, mostly students, clashed with supporters of the government after leaving Sanaa University on their way to Tahrir Square, or Liberation Square.
15:30 - Bahrain's Shiite opposition movement has demanded the resignation of the government of Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the prime minister, and a change to the law to allow the formation of a constitutional monarchy.
The opposition groups, including Al-Wefaq, have issued a statement demanding the government resign and calling for the formation of a new government to investigate this crime."
Ali Salman, leader of the Al-Wefaq bloc
15:22 - The unrest in Bahrain is, as always, far more than a question of people's rights. The wider political concerns are likely to include, among many others, the stability of the price and supply of oil; the continued rule of Middle Eastern governments which whom the West has a working relationship; and - for America - the existence of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain and is responsible for a military presence in the Gulf and as far south as Kenya.
15:10 - Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, has described the events in Bahrain as "deeply troubling", while Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, shares the same profound feelings, saying she had "deep concern".
15:06 - The Telegraph's Middle East correspondent says the Bahrain crackdown is a huge embarrassment for Britain as well as the West more generally.
"
Bahrain is one of Britain's closest friends in the Middle East - it's full of British bankers, apart from anything else. There are still strong memories of the feared former security chief, Ian Henderson, who was a former British colonial policeman in Kenya."
14:52 - Critics of the protests have claimed that the crowds are being influenced by pro-Iranian factions - or even directly by the Iranian government - as well as by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
14:44 - The focus could be shifting to Libya, with reports of troop numbers being bolstered in Benghazi and that the internet has been shut down, following a pattern seen in other Middle Eastern countries in recent weeks.
14:19 - In Libya, hundreds of pro-Gaddafi demonstrators have taken to the streets, Reuters reports. AP reports claims of 14 dead after protests in four cities.
14:16 - Iranian state television reports that the Egyptian authorities saw "nothing wrong" with the passage of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal.
14:14 - BBC reports "clear evidence" that live rounds were used against the crowds.
BBC's Ian Pannell in #Bahrain: "clear evidence police used live rounds against protesters when clearing the demonstration this morning."
14:09 - Reports are trickling in of crowds gathering in other parts of the capital, away from Pearl Square, including at the main hospital.
13:58 - William Hague says the Foreign Office is not aware of any Britons caught up in the violence but added that the advice was to stay away from the protests and "avoid all but essential travel to Bahrain".
13:55 - Bahrain's health minister claims the correct numbers of victims of the protests are three dead and 231 injured.
13:43 - Reuters reports suggest tally of dead was three rather than four. Truth remains unclear for now.
13.15 - Amnesty International has condemned the Bahraini authorities' actions. Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director said:
The Bahraini authorities have again reacted to legitimate protest by using deadly force. They must end their continuing crackdown on activists calling for reform."
12.54 Libya
- Amateur video shows Libyan demonstrators in al-Badya calling for an end to Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
12.46 - Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Correspondent for the Associated Press Middle East bureau is in Manama and has visited wounded protesters:
"Hospital was chaotic, protesters chanting outside, dozens bleeding from head, broken limbs, exhibit birdshot wounds."
"Saw the body of Mahmoud Makki; bullet ridden died of a police shot."
12.40 - Tunisia's deposed leader Zine el Abidine Ben Ali (74), who was ejected from power a month ago, is said to be in a coma after suffering a stroke, according to French media.
Egyptian newspaper Masry al-Youm has said deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak (82) has cancer and went into a coma on Saturday.
12.34 - Bahrain's military says it has taken control of most of the Gulf island's capital and has banned protests.
Bahraini army tanks take position near Pearl Square in Manama (AFP/GETTY)
12.26 - British Foreign Secretary William Hague has called on Bahrain to exercise restraint and urged its rulers to continue with a programme of reforms.
"We have conveyed our concern about these events and the level of violence to the government of Bahrain. We are greatly concerned about the deaths that have occurred
.
"
12.20 Libya - Libyan protesters seeking to oust longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi have defied a crackdown and taken to the streets in four cities on what activists have dubbed a "day of rage". There are reports that at least 14 demonstrators have been killed in clashes with pro-government forces.
12.18 - A statement from the Ministry of the Interior in Bahrain:
"Ministry of Interior spokesperson Brigadier Tariq Hassan Al Hassan has announced that security forces have evacuated protesters from the area of Pearl Roundabout after trying all opportunities for a dialogue with them, to which some responded positively and left quietly. Others refused to obey the law which led to interference to make them leave, he said."
12.10 Yemen - More than a thousand protesters have clashed with government loyalists in Yemen on Thursday on the seventh straight day of demonstrations demanding the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule.
12.05 - Shi'ite opposition lawmaker Ibrahim Mattar has said the main Shi'ite Wefaq bloc will quit parliament.
"All the members are going to resign. The decision is taken"
11.57 - In a TV statement from the interior ministry the Bahrain army has said that the army will "take every strict measure and deterrent necessary to preserve security and general order."
The statement also told people to avoid central areas of the capital Manama.
11.53 - Reuters reporting that 60 people are now missing in Bahrain after police stormed the protest camp, according to an opposition MP.
11.50 - Arab foreign ministers of the Gulf monarchies are to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday in Manama, gripped by protests in which six people have been killed, Bahrain's foreign ministry said.
"The Gulf Cooperation Council states are expected to announce their support for the (Bahraini) government in security, defence and politically"
The GCC groups Bahrain with Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. (AFP)
11.45 - Maryam Alkhawaja, Head of the Foreign Relations Office Bahrain Center for Human Rights tweets:
"News that several Bahraini officers are being prosecuted for refusing to take part in violence against peaceful protesters."
11.10 - Baroness Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, calls on Bahrain authorities to respect the rights of citizens.
11.03 - Al Jazeera's excellent blog reports that the "Bahrain minister of health has reportedly resigned from his post in protest over police crackdown" but the health ministry denies it.
11.00 - Hackers from the group Anonymous have vowed to take on the Bahraini government after it cut access to the internet to stop protesters organising themselves through Facebook and Twitter.
"We will assist in bringing to justice those who commit criminal acts against the innocent."
Press release from hackers Anonymous.
10.54 - Bahraini police accused of handcuffing a protester and executing him with a bullet to the head.
10.52 - 14 activists have been arrested in Libya, according to the New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch.
10.49 - more from Nicholas Kristof on the ground in Bahrain, saying ambulance drivers have been threatened with death for helping the injured:
: "ambulance driver told me #Saudi army officer held gun to his head, said wld kill him if helped injured."
10.42 - Not all the violence in Pearl Square was caused by people in uniform - a US reporter with the television network ABC News called Miguel Martinez had a camera pulled out of his hands and was beaten with clubs. Many journalists have been attacked by thugs or by people in army or police uniform during the Middle East protests of recent weeks, including Lara Logan, the main foreign correspondent for CBS News, and the Press Association photographer Lewis Whyld.
10.19 - Basic facts about Bahrain for the uninitiated: population - 1.2m; geography - island in Persian Gulf; rulers - Al Khalifa royal family; industry - oil and pearls.
10.10 - Reports are beginning to emerge that the indicate the security forces might be hiding the true extent of the deaths. To me, at least, this brings back comments from friends of mine who were in and around Tiananmen Square - protesters attacked as they slept, area cleared and hosed down by daylight.
writes: "from assured source: there were lots of bodies n the square & when we came back we ddnt find anything"
10.04 - Bahrainis are starting to claim Pearl Square should be renamed Martyr Square:
Mohd Radhi writes: For those who were making jokes about Lulu roundabout that it's not Martyr Square, I believe it is Martyr Square Now!
09.55 - There are conflicting reports of either one or three deaths in Iraq after protests against the standard of public services, unemployment and corruption. Witnesses said police shot at demonstrators who were attacking government offices in Kut, a town 100 miles southest of the capital Baghdad.
09.37 - I've just listened back to this morning's BBC interview with David Mellor, the British former Cabinet minister who had responsibility for the Middle East during the 1980s. He appears to defend the regime, and called the deaths "not a particularly well-conducted incident" and calls Bahrain a "stalwart friend of Britain" and a "liberal and tolerant quasi-democracy".
"A liberal and tolerant quasi-democracy" - former British minister David Mellor on Bahrain.
09.30 - Bahrain will never be the same again, according to commentators in the Middle East.
, reports that journalists are being blocked from entering the country at the airport and claims that Pakistani, Indian and Syrian riot police were used against the protesters.
09.15 - The first deaths have been reported in Yemen by the Associated Press, after six days of anti-government protests. Like Egypt, the country is expecting a "day of rage" tomorrow. You can't help but feel a fire has been well and truly lit in the hearts of the people of the Middle East.
09.05 - In Libya, snipers from the security forces have used live ammunition to fire on protesters from rooftops and helicopters. The move has echoes of the early crackdowns in Egypt, where plainclothes officers with high-powered rifles shot at the crowds in Tahrir Square from the tops of luxury hotels and helicopters were used to identify Western news photographers who were threatened by security police.
09.02 - An opposition MP has reported that another protester has died, taking the total to four.
08.40 - Al Jazeera has reported tanks heading for Pearl Square, the centre of the clashes.
Government tanks approaching Pearl Square.
08.32 - One of the most striking quotes so far was from Abdul Jalil Khalil, a parliamentarian from the main Shia opposition Wefaq bloc:
This is real terrorism. Whoever took the decision to attack the protest was aiming to kill."
08.24 - Welcome. On this page we will aim to keep you up to date with the disturbances in Bahrain and their wider significance for the region, including Egypt and Libya. Crowds of sleeping demonstrators in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, have been attacked by their security police. Many are dead, many more are wounded. Around 50 tanks have been deployed on the streets to keep protesters in check.
A Bahraini anti-government demonstrator shows tear gas canisters fired by riot police Source: AP