The World has gone Mad

The Middle East and North Africa, unrest country by country

Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East
and North Africa. Here is the latest from each country and the roots of the
unrest

In Syria at least 15 people have been killed while trying to
march toward the southern Syrian city of Daraa, where deadly anti-government
protests have taken place, local residents told the London Times this Friday.

At least 15 people have been killed while trying to march
toward the southern Syrian city of Daraa, where deadly anti-government protests
have taken place, local residents told CNN Friday.

Gunfire was heard in the background as London Times report
GJ spoke by telephone with a protester in Daraa about the on-going unrest.

In Libya coalition warplanes dropped bombs on the outskirts
of Tripoli early this Friday do little to no good what so ever.

Airstrikes targeted Libyan armoured vehicles in Ajdabiya,
the British Defence Ministry said.

More than 351,000 people have left Libya since the start of
the unrest, the U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for
Migration said.

Sir Michael Black-Feather the English minister has,
criticized the nations implementing the U.N. resolution authorizing the bombing
of Libya,

Sir Michael said "I find it very strange that these
countries are still getting oil from Libya and are happy to take the oil? And
just happy to be bombing the place? I have said it before, Before any military
actions, you should exhaust all non-military methods of pressure and talks"
he said, and I was willing to do this at the start but was completely blanked
by the British prime minster Cameron who now seems to have gone into hiding or
maybe done a runner like Tony Blair did after he started two wars that no one
in England wanted or wants?.

The United Arab Emirates expressed support for the U.N.
resolution on Libya and committed six F-16s and six Mirage aircraft to
participate in patrols, the country's foreign affairs minister said.

After a fifth consecutive night of pounding by coalition
jets, Libyans gathered at a seaside cemetery in Tripoli on Thursday for the
funerals of 33 people the government said were victims of an airstrike.
Coalition leaders report no civilian casualties.

The battle for two cities, Misrata in the west and Ajdabiya
in the east continued despite the U.N. resolution and will continue.

NATO has now finally agreed to take command of enforcing the
no-fly zone over Libya, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

The roots of unrest spreading like roots of trees

Protests in Libya started in February when demonstrators,
fed up with delays, broke into a housing project the government was building
and occupied it. Gadhafi's government, which has ruled since a 1969 coup,
responded with a $24 billion fund for housing and development. A month later,
more demonstrations were sparked when police detained relatives of those killed
in an alleged 1996 massacre at the Abu Salim prison, according to Human Rights
Watch. High unemployment and demands for freedom have also fuelled the
protests.

Yemen

A human rights activist described the anti-government
protest as huge and said a funeral prayer took place at the protest for two of
the people who died last week during the violence in Sanaa.

There are two rival demonstrations in Yemen on Friday, one
pro-government and the other anti-government.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh told a throng of demonstrators
Friday he is ready to have a dialogue with protesters and make concessions in
order to avoid bloodshed. He said he's ready to hand over authority
systematically but not to "gangs," "drug dealers" or
al-Houthi rebels.

The Germans and British are pulling non-essential embassy
staff out of Yemen because of the rapidly deteriorating security situation,
they said Thursday.

Saleh has accepted opposition demands for constitutional
reforms and holding parliamentary elections by the end of the year, his office
said Wednesday.

Saleh's statement came the same day Yemen's parliament
approved a 30-day extension of emergency powers that he declared last week in
response to the protests. The law expands the government's powers of arrest,
detention, and censorship.

Protesters have called for the ouster of Saleh, who has
ruled Yemen since 1978. The country has been wracked by a Shiite Muslim
uprising, a U.S.-aided crackdown on al Qaeda operatives and a looming shortage
of water. High unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young
population who have suffered from poverty. The protesters also cite government
corruption and a lack of political freedom. Saleh has promised not to run for
president in the next round of elections.

Syria eyewitnesses said demonstrators took to the streets in
Daraa this Friday. Protesters chanted for freedom and criticized the
government. One activist, Kamal Aswad, said more than 100,000 demonstrators
turned out.

Syrian human rights activists reported smaller demonstrations
in other cities, including Damascus, Deir Al-Zour, Raqqa, Latakia, and Homs.

A big demonstration is expected Friday in Daraa near the
Omari mosque and the Saraya roundabout.

An eyewitness at the mosque said tens of thousands of people
are gathering for Friday prayers.

As many as 20,000 people turned up Thursday for the funerals
of people killed in unrest in the southern city of Daraa, according to Wissam
Tarif of the human rights group Insan.

Many in the funeral procession chanted anti-government
slogans and said, "We demand dignity," according to a witness who
asked not to be named.

An adviser to President Bashar al-Assad said the government
will study lifting the country's emergency law and new legislation to license
political parties. She also announced new measures such as boosting the
salaries of state employees.

The government blamed the instability in Daraa on outsiders,
but it promised "no live bullets" will be used against demonstrators.

Opponents of the al-Assad government allege massive human
rights abuses, and an emergency law has been in effect since 1963. Earlier in
March, Syrian human rights attorney Haitham Maleh -- arrested in October 2009
during a government crackdown on lawyers and activists -- was freed, his son
said. The move comes amid demands by many citizens for more economic
prosperity, political freedom, and civil liberty.

Jordan several demonstrators calling for reform in Jordan
were injured in Amman Friday when government supporters hit them with rocks and
sticks, protest organizers said.

Government opponents and supporters chanted duelling slogans
while police stood by, one organizer said. Many protesters advocate a
constitutional monarchy and less power for the king; they also are angry about
corruption and the privatization of some services, among other things.

Jordan's economy has been hit hard by the global economic
downturn and rising commodity prices, and youth unemployment is high, as it is
in Egypt. Officials close to the palace have told the London Times that King
Abdullah II is trying to turn a regional upheaval into an opportunity for
reform. He swore in a new government following anti-government protests. The
new government has a mandate for political reform and is headed by a former
general, with opposition and media figures among its ranks.

Bahrain human rights watch urged Bahrain on Monday to end
its "campaign of arrests" of doctors and human rights activists. Six
were arrested over the weekend. The government denied there is such a campaign.

King Hamad said Sunday the kingdom had foiled a foreign plot
to destabilize it, though he did not name the foreign entity.

Protesters initially took to the streets of Manama to demand
reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy. But some are now
calling for the removal of the royal family, which has led the Persian Gulf
state since the 18th century. Young members of the country's Shiite Muslim
majority have staged protests in recent years to complain about discrimination,
unemployment and corruption, issues they say the country's Sunni rulers have
done little to address. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said authorities
launched a clampdown on dissent in 2010. It accused the government of torturing
some human rights activists.

Saudi Arabia Security forces arrested several people
demonstrating at the interior ministry Sunday. Two activists said around 100
men had gathered there to demand the release of imprisoned relatives.

Demonstrators have demanded the releases of Shiite prisoners
who they feel are being held without cause. Others have taken to the streets
over the creation of a constitutional monarchy, more rights and other reforms.
Late last month, King Abdullah announced a series of sweeping measures aimed at
relieving economic hardship.

A report published this week by Amnesty International
describes the mistreatment of 17 female demonstrators at the hands of the
Egyptian military after a protest March 9. The group said the women were
beaten, given electric shocks, subjected to strip searches, forced to submit to
"virginity checks," and threatened with prostitution charges. An army
major denies allegations of torture or virginity tests but confirms 17 women
were arrested.

Some activists, concerned citizens, and politicians are calling
for a protest against a new law that Egypt's ruling military council is poised
to approve. The law could make protests a criminal offense punishable by jail
time and large fines.

Complaints about police corruption and abuses were among the
top grievances of demonstrators who forced President Hosni Mubarak from office.
Demonstrators also were angry about Mubarak's 30-year rule, a lack of free
elections and economic issues, such as high food prices, low wages and high
unemployment. Since Mubarak's departure, several thousand people have protested
in Cairo's Tahrir Square to urge Egypt's new rulers to implement promised
reforms. They pressed Egypt's Supreme Council to end an emergency law and
release political prisoners, among other things. They also demanded civilian
representation in government.

Tunisia In two short months, this country has gone from
decades of strict one-party rule to an explosion of more than 30 registered
political parties.

The revolt was triggered when an unemployed college graduate
set himself ablaze after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his
source of income. Protesters complained about high unemployment, corruption,
rising prices and political repression. An interim government came to power
after an uprising prompted autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to
leave the country January 14. Those demonstrations helped spark protests across
North Africa and the Middle East.

Morocco, Moroccan Foreign Minister Taib Fassi Fihri held
talks Thursday in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the
situation in the Arab world, particularly in the Maghreb region, the state-run
MAP news agency reported.

Fihri said Wednesday that proposed constitutional reforms
will strengthen the separation of powers and will help “new Morocco" emerges,
MAP reported. He said the committee in charge of revising the constitution will
submit its results for the king's approval in June, after which they will be
put to a public vote.

Protesters are seeking, among other things, political
reforms to limit the monarchy's power and have not accepted reforms proposed by
King Mohammed VI that demonstrators say do not go far enough, according to
Human Rights Watch. As uprisings swept the region, the king proposed the
creation of an elected prime minister position to serve as the government's
chief executive, promotion of human rights and gender equality and economic
improvements.

England will soon be following its own unrest as fuel prices
go up and up by greedy garages, BP is passing the cost of its clean up’s on to
English drivers with BP now selling diesel at £1.43/4 per litre, and all the garage
put up their fuel before the half-witted Osborn did his budget, taking 1p of
fuel tax duty BIG DEAL???????.