EA WorldView

Today's opposition march in Bahrain

2137 GMT: Bahrain. The Chief of Public Security has announced that an on-duty officer and three non-commissioned policemen were injured on Friday by birdshot fired by a group of people in Karzakan.

2037 GMT: Bahrain. A clash between police and young men today --- at the 0:49 mark, one of the youths is hit in the head and seriously wounded:

1900 GMT: Egypt. Opposition activist Ibrahim Hanafy, who disappeared this week during a protest outside the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace, was found by police Thursday evening naked, bound, and injured in the desert. Marks indicating torture covered his body.

Hanafy is the media coordinator for the Free Front for Peaceful Change. The group has accused four Muslim Brotherhood members of abducting him.

A FFPC official said a warning letter to opposition activists was found next to Hanafy.

1700 GMT: Libya. Police fire tear gas to halt youths as they try to return to Pearl Roundabout, the symbolic centre of the February 2011 uprising:

>[?

1640 GMT: Libya. An observer reports that today's celebration of the second anniversary of the uprising against the Qaddafi regime is passing peacefully in the second city of Benghazi:

helicopters are hovering above the sky of #Benghazi #Libya 4 security monitoring - big rally is so far peaceful & general situation is good
— Stefan Mugitsch (@StefanMugitsch) February 15, 2013

1635 GMT: Egypt. Thousands of people have rallied outside Cairo University to show support for President Morsi.

"The president who came to power through the ballot box cannot be brought down by petrol bombs and attacks on public and private buildings," Mohammed al-Sagheer, an Muslim cleric, told the rally.

Participants raised banners, such as "No to subversion" and "Those who love Egypt should not ruin it".

1535 GMT: Bahrain. Back from a lengthy academic break to find an EA correspondent in the Kingdom reporting, "Heavy clashes taking place after the massive opposition march [on the Budaiya Highway[, as many youth attempted to return to Martyrs Square [Pearl Roundabout, the symbolic centre of the 2011 uprising]."

Youths marching earlier toward Pearl Roundabout:

0855 GMT: Bahrain. The Chief of Public Security has announced the death of police officer Mohammed Asif on Thursday night, claimed he was shot and killed "by rioters in Sehla" as security forces secured roads.

0840 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Minister for Media and Culture, Abdel Aziz Khoga, has confirmed monitoring of Twitter by government agencies.

Khoga called on Saudi citizens to "raise their awareness": "People have to take care of what they are writing on Twitter....It is getting harder to observe around three million people subscribing to the social network in the kingdom."

0730 GMT: Egypt. The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it has still not received the proposed economic reform programme of the Morsi Government, eseential to any consideration of a $4.8 billion IMF loan for Cairo.

Egypt faces a financial crisis without the support, amid a large State budget deficit, a falling currency, and foreign reserves which can only cover three months of imports.

0620 GMT: Bahrain. After springing into the headlines two years ago with the start of mass protests against the regime, the Kingdom returned to prominence on Thursday with protests and clashes between security forces and demonstrators.

In one of those clashes, police killed 16-year-old Hassan AlJazeeri, hitting him in the stomach with birdshot. Other protests were confronted with tear gas, while youths blocked roads with burning tyres. Violent clashes continued overnight

Protests have taken place this morning at the funeral of Amina Sayed Mahdi, a 35-year-old woman who reportedly died from tear gas inhalation.

The opposition has called for a mass march this afternoon on the Budaiya Highway.

Clashes in Sitra on Thursday

A montage highlighting the protests and clashes in Duraz from dawn to afternoon on Thursday:

A march in Sitra on Thursday, before it was broken up by security forces: