Rallies in Bahrain to demand democracy and an end to discrimination against the Shiite Muslim majority escalated after the death of a second demonstrator, as unrest in the region also led to clashes between protesters and police in Yemen.<\/p>\n
Thousands of Bahrainis gathered at the Pearl Roundabout traffic intersection in Manama, the capital, shouting slogans against the government after the funeral of a protester killed in clashes with police yesterday. A second protester died today in fighting at the funeral, the official Bahrain News Agency said, as police fired rubber bullets and birdshot and used tear gas. The main Shiite opposition group suspended its work in parliament, and the king pledged political and social change.<\/p>\n
In Yemen, stone-throwing protesters clashed with police as they marched toward the presidential palace, the fifth day of demonstrations calling for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh\u2019s rule. Iranian security forces yesterday used tear gas to break up the biggest anti-government protests since the aftermath of the disputed presidential election in June 2009.<\/p>\n
Popular demands for democracy and civil rights, invigorated by the mass protests that toppled Egypt\u2019s Hosni Mubarak last week, are rattling the autocratic rulers of a region that holds about three-fifths of the world\u2019s oil reserves. <\/p>\n