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Good morning. Governments around the Middle East are bracing themselves for protests and violence today as the unrest in the region continues to spread.

Bahrain
In Bahrain this morning many thousands of mourners called for the downfall of the monarchy as they began burying the dead after an assault on protesters at Manama's Pearl roundabout on Thursday night which left five dead. Today's calls for the king to go were seen as an escalation of demonstrators' demands; the uprising began with calls for a weakening of the Sunni monarchy's hold on top government posts and measures to address discrimination against the Shia majority. Two funerals have taken place, with one more to go this morning – after which protesters plan to march to Pearl roundabout, something that may cause a confrontation with police and security forces.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/18/bahrain-mourners-call-downnfall-monarchy

Libya
In Libya, soldiers were deployed on to the streets of Benghazi, after thousands took to the streets overnight to protest about security forces killing an estimated 24 demonstrators. The city was quiet this morning, but a witness reported shooting last night and the BBC said 10 people had been killed. Funerals are expected today that could act as a catalyst for further protests. Pro-government supporters were also out on the streets this morning. Crucially, there was little sign of anti-government protest in Tripoli, the capital. Ian Black has more on yesterday's protests here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/17/libya-day-of-rage-unrest

Egypt
Thousands of Egyptians gathered for prayers this morning and a planned victory march through Cairo's Tahrir Square, the site of the protests that led to the fall of the president, Hosni Mubarak, a week ago today. The demonstrations will also act as a warning to the army – which took power after Mubarak stepped down – that protesters want to take a more active role in the country's transition to democracy.

Yemen
New protests are also expected today in Sana'a, Yemen's capital. Yesterday saw a sixth day of clashes between pro-democracy protesters and government loyalists in the country. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/feb/17/yemen-protests-in-pictures

Iraq
About 1,000 protesters in Basra, the southern Iraqi city, are demonstrating to demand better services from the government, jobs and improved pensions. They warned that today's protest would be peaceful, but others in the future might not be. At least five people have been killed at protests throughout the country this week.

Our correspondents throughout the region and Middle East experts and reporters in London will be keeping you updated throughout the day.

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Anti-Gaddafi demonstrators have taken over several cities in eastern Libya but have suffered scores of deaths, according to exiled opposition groups in London.

Government troops have withdrawn from al-Bayda, the scene of earlier confrontations, and protesters have blocked the runway to prevent military reinforcements arriving, the National Front for the Salvation of Libya maintains.

Mohamad Ali Abdalla, the deputy director of the NFSL, said:

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I was told that there were 13 deaths in the city of al-Bayda alone last night and six more in Benghazi.

In al-Bayda, the city has been taken over and protesters are dismantling the runway to stop any military planes landing.

In total, there have been 30 deaths in Benghazi since demonstrations began on January 15th. Some of those who died were injured citizens who had been taken to al-Jala hospital in Benghazi.

Members of the revolutionary committee were shooting the injured who were brought in. I was told this by a nurse in al-Jala Hospital.

The government's revolutionary committee headquarters have been captured in other places, the FNSL claimed. In Ajdabiya, in north-eastern Libya, demonstrations were in charge of the city.

There have been few demonstrations further west nearer to the capital, Tripoli. In the western mountains, nearer to Tunisia, protesters have also been out on the streets.

Several opposition sites have reported that Gaddafi's regime has been relying on French-speaking soldiers, or "mercenaries" drawn from neighbouring Chad to crack down on the demonstrations

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Al-Jazeera's live blog features video footage on YouTube showing protesters in the city of Tubruq tearing down a "green book" monument on Thursday. The green book was written by Muammar Gaddafi, outlining his political philosophy.

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• Bahrain: After the funerals of protesters killed in recent violence, demonstrators were expected to head back to Manama's Pearl roundabout. Tens of thousands turned out for the funeral of Mahmood abu Taki see 10.30am). The protesters' demands seem to be getting more radical, with calls for the monarchy to be removed (see 11.33am).

• Egypt: An estimated 1 million people have gathered in Tahrir Square in an event celebrating the fall of Hosni Mubarak and putting pressure on the army to include demonstrators in the country's transition to democracy (see 12.21pm). Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a controversial cleric, gave a strikingly non-sectarian speech.

• Libya: Reports claim up to 50 people have been killed in anti-government protests in the east of the country – but it is very hard to verify information from Libya. Reports claim al-Bayda has been taken over by anti-government protesters. But there was little sign of anti-Gaddafi feeling in Tripoli, where the Libyan leader paraded among crowds of supporters (see 12.17pm).

• Yemen: Crowds are demonstrating against Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, in the capital, Sana'a, and elsewhere. The biggest demonstration – tens of thousands of people – was in Taiz, where reports said eight people had been wounded by a hand grenade (see 12.12pm).

• Jordan: Eight people have been injured in Amman in clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators (see 12.28pm).

• Iran: There were calls for the execution of opposition leaders (see 12.03pm).

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Senegal: Associated Press reports a man setting himself on fire in front of the presidential palace in Senegal on Friday, the latest self-immolation on the African continent.

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Tunisia's mutiny that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was touched off by a struggling 26-year-old university graduate who lit himself on fire after police confiscated his fruit and vegetable cart in December. Other self-immolations then quickly spread elsewhere in northern Africa and the Middle East.

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Soldiers fired tear gas and shot heavy weapons into the air Friday as thousands of protest marchers defied a government ban and streamed toward the landmark square that has been the symbolic centre of the uprising against the Gulf nation's leaders.

Hospital officials said at least 20 people were injured, some seriously. Ambulance sirens were heard throughout central Manama a day after riot police swept through the protest encampment in Pearl roundabout, killing at least five people and injuring more than 230.

An Associated Press cameraman saw army units shooting anti-aircraft weapons above the protesters in apparent warning shots and attempting to drive them back from security cordons about 200 yards (200m) from the square.

The clash came just hours after funeral mourners and worshippers at Friday prayers called for the toppling of the western-allied monarchy in the tiny island nation, which is home to the US navy's fifth fleet.

The cries against King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his inner circle at a main Shia mosque and at burials for those killed in Thursday's crushing attack reflect an important escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy's power and address claims of discrimination against the Shia majority in the tiny island nation.

The mood, however, appears to have turned toward defiance of the entire ruling system after the brutal crackdown on a protest encampment in Bahrain's capital, Manama, which led the government to put the nation under emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas and checkpoints on main roads.

"The regime has broken something inside of me ... All of these people gathered today have had something broken in them," said Ahmed Makki Abu Taki at the funeral for his 23-year-old brother, Mahmoud, who was killed in the pre-dawn sweep through the protest camp in Manama's Pearl roundabout. "We used to demand for the prime minister to step down, but now our demand is for the ruling family to get out."

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A BBC correspondent in Tripoli says unconfirmed reports from Benghazi say the building of the state broadcaster there has been taken over by anti-government protesters.

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A witness to today's dramatic events in Manama tells al-Jazeera English: "[There were] only bullets. They didn't give us any [indication] so that we could just run away from them. They just started shooting us. Now there are more than 20 injured in the hospital. One guy, he has already passed away because he got shot in his head. And there are more than three injured. They will pass away in a few hours because... they have got shot... near their chest or near their heart."

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Lots of tweets flying around about medical treatment being denied in Manama. Reports unconfirmed as yet.

@BahrainRights doctors from Salmanya hsptl just confirmed to AlJazeera the army are not allowing ambulances to enter the area to save the injured #bahrain

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Martin Chulov is tweeting from Salmaniya hospital in Manama. A man admitted with gunshot wounds has just died, Martin says.

• @martinchulov Just seen one man in hosp hit with live round in the head. In terrible shape. Not expected to live.

• @martinchulov Man shot in the head just died.

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Guardian correspondent Martin Chulov tweets from Manama: "Man shot in the head just died. Easily 10k people - all seething - inside hospital grounds. Anti regime chants non-stop."

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CNN's Hala Gorani tweets: "Medical source tells CNN 20 people killed, 200 injured in clashes w/ security forces in Benghazi. #Libya"

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Good morning, this is David Batty with today's liveblog on the continuing unrest in the Arab world and Middle East. The death toll is spiralling as security forces in Libya and Bahrain crack down on popular protests.

Here are the main developments overnight and this morning:

• Libyan security forces killed 35 people in the eastern city of Benghazi last night, according to Human Rights Watch. This brings the death toll from three days of protests in the east of Libya to 84, according to the New York-based group. Eyewitness accounts given to news agencies suggest the total could be significantly higher.

• Libya's main internet service provider, General Post and Telecommunications Company, has largely cut off access to the internet. Al-Jazeera says its Arabic news channel is being jammed on several frequencies.

• Bahrain's main Shia opposition group has rejected King Hamad's offer of national dialogue to end the violent unrest in the Sunni-ruled Gulf state. At least 50 people were wounded on Friday in the capital, Manama, following the funerals for four protesters killed on Thursday

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Libyan special forces have stormed a protest camp in the eastern city of Benghazi, the Associated Press reports. At 5am special forces are said to have attacked hundreds of protesters, including lawyers and judges, who have been camped out for the past two days in front of the courthouse in city, which has been a focus for the anti-government unrest.

One protester who spoke to the news agency said he feared the security forces were stepping up their brutal crackdown:

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They fired teargas on protesters in tents and cleared the areas after many fled carrying the dead and the injured. This is a ghost city; we are all afraid that something big is going to happen in Benghazi today.

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I saw with my own eyes a tank crushing two people in a car. They hadn't done any harm to anyone.

ChaosSamusX posted:

Why, what's wrong with it?

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Good morning. We'll be running live updates of events in the Middle East throughout the day. Here's a run down of the situation in some countries overnight.

Libya
The death toll in the Libyan city of Benghazi has risen to 104, according to Human Rights Watch, after at least 20 people were killed on Saturday. There are reports of dozens of anti-government protesters shot in the eastern city by army and security forces. The pro-government Al-zahf al-akhdar newspaper warned on Saturday that the government would "violently and thunderously response" to the protests, and siad those opposing the regime risked "suicide". One witness told Reuters, "Dozens were killed ... We are in the midst of a massacre here".

Bahrain
Thousands of anti-government protesters camped overnight at Pearl roundabout in the capital Manama. They had reclaimed the site yesterday after the security forces abruptly surrendered it. On orders from the crown prince, troops and armoured vehicles had withdrawn from the square, which they had taken over on Thursday after riot police staged a night-time attack on a sit-in by protesters, killing four people and wounding 231. Crown Prince Salman has been appointed by the king to lead a dialogue with opposition groups.

Yemen
Supporters of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to break up a demonstration by opponents of the government this morning and shots were fired as unrest in the country entered its ninth straight day. As many as 50 government supporters tried to disrupt the demonstration by more than 1,000 Saleh opponents gathered outside Sanaa University chanting "Leave, Ali". One Saleh supporter fired shots from an assault rifle, but there were no reported casualties. Both sides fired weapons on Saturday in protests outside the university - the first reported use of firearms by demonstrators.

Morocco
Thousands of Moroccans are expected to join nationwide protests on Sunday to demand that King Mohammed hand some of his powers to a newly elected government and make the justice system more independent. The street protests will also urge the king to dismiss the coalition government and dissolve parliament.

China
Jittery Chinese authorities staged a show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East, according to AP.
Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets and censored online calls to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities. Citizens were urged to shout "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" a slogan that highlights common complaints among ordinary Chinese.

Libya
It is very hard to get accurate information, but the death toll in the eastern city of Benghazi may have risen above 200 today. The government crack-down on the protests is continuing using foreign mercenaries.

Bahrain
The protest at Pearl Square has taken on something of a carnival feel today with demonstrators celebrating the pull back of the security forces. The ruling elite has made overtures to opposition groups to set up talks about the country's future.

Morocco
Protests are taking place across the country today calling for an end to corruption and more political freedoms. So far there are no reports of serious violence.

Tunisia
There have been clashes between security forces and protesters calling for the replacement of the interim government that was put in place after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country last month.

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AP is reporting that Libyan security forces have again opened fire on mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters killed in Benghazi yesterday. A man who was shot in leg says marchers were carrying coffins past a military compound when they came under fire. One person was killed, and 14 were injured, AP says. The report also seems to corroborate our earlier source in Benghazi (see 1.29pm), who claimed foreign mercenaries, apparently from Chad and Sudan, were taking part in the crackdown.

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Libyan security forces opened fired on mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi again Sunday, a day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi pummeled demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weaponry as well as knives. A doctor at one city hospital said he counted 200 dead in his morgue alone since unrest began six days ago.

The latest violence in the flashpoint city of Benghazi followed the same pattern as the crackdown on Saturday, when witnesses said forces loyal to Gadhafi attacked mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters. The doctor at a Benghazi hospital said at least one person was killed by gunshots during the funeral march, and 14 were injured, including five in serious condition. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

A man shot in the leg Sunday said marchers were carrying coffins to a cemetery when they passed a military compound in Libya's second-largest city. The man said security forces fired in the air and then opened up on the crowd.

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Online reports claim remaining pro-Gaddafi militia in Benghazi, around the Elfedeel Bu Omar compound, "are being butchered by angry mobs". It is impossible to verify the claims, though Al Jazeera has spoken with several people in the city who say protesters control the city, as security forces flee to the airport.

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Further reports suggest the 500,000-strong Tuareg tribe in south Libya has heeded the call from the million-strong Warfala tribe to join the uprising. Protesters in Ghat and Ubary, home to Libyan Tuareg clans are reportedly attacking government buildings and police stations.

Galewolf posted:

Hey guys, i just entered home and trying to follow the news right now. It was a goddamn horror ride for me but i am safe and sound now, i literally feel like a movie protagonist jumping out from a window of building rigged with explosives before everything blew.

Jesus H. Christ man, what a week.