Bahrainis Protest Outside Parliament

Anti-government protesters in Bahrain rallied outside parliament Monday, in an effort to step up pressure on the nation's monarchy to establish democratic reforms. Many also have called for the removal of the ruling al-Khalifa family.

The protesters are maintaining their presence at their base in Manama's Pearl Square while carrying out other demonstrations at sensitive locations throughout the Bahraini capital.

Bahrain's Shi'ite-led opposition has been holding daily protests demanding the resignation of the entire government, which is dominated by the minority Sunni al-Khalifa family. Anti-government protesters also want the monarchy to transfer powers to an elected government that is representative of the Gulf state's Shi'ite majority.

After two weeks of anti-government protests, King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa ousted four Cabinet members on Saturday, including two members of the royal family. Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa - the king's uncle - retained the post he has held for four decades.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday welcomed the move by Bahrain's king to reshuffle the Cabinet and urged the government to respect human rights.

Obama encouraged the government of Bahrain, which he called a "long-standing partner," to lead a "meaningful, inclusive, non-sectarian and responsive" dialogue with its people. He said the country's stability "will be enhanced by respecting the universal rights" of its citizens and by launching reforms that "meet the aspirations of all Bahrainis."

Thousands of anti-government protesters flooded the streets of Bahrain's capital, Manama, Sunday, continuing to press their demands. Demonstrators marched from the epicenter of the protests in Pearl Square to Manama's commercial district, paralyzing parts of the capital. Many waved Bahraini flags and chanted, "the people want the fall of the regime."

Unlike those in Tunisia and Egypt, the protests in Bahrain are largely built around the competition for power between the Sunni minority and the Shi'ite majority, which complains of discrimination and lack of opportunity.

A government crackdown on opposition protests that began February 14 killed seven protesters before the island state's rulers agreed, under pressure from their Western allies, to allow peaceful demonstrations to continue.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Yemen Opposition Not Interested in Unity Government

Yemen's opposition rejected on Monday an idea to join a unity government, expected to be offered by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Instead, they are continuing demands that he end his three-decade rule.

Western news reports say Saleh offered a unity government plan during a meeting with religious leaders on Monday.

Saleh has been unable to stop daily demonstrations against his government. At least 24 people were reported dead in the past two weeks.

Yemen's opposition plans more protests on Tuesday.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

Omanis Protest for 3rd Day in Key Industrial Town

Protesters in northern Oman have taken to the streets for a third straight day demanding jobs and political reform.

Roads to the main port city of Sohar were blocked Monday and a supermarket was set on fire following a deadly confrontation between protesters and security forces the day before.

A doctor at the city’s hospital said six people died in Sunday's clashes, however Oman’s health minister said only one person was killed and 20 injured.

According to Faisal al-Mandri from the Oman News Agency, the protesters were throwing stones and disturbing the peace before authorities began firing tear gas and rubber bullets at them. "The police were there to make sure that there would be no riots, to ensure the demonstration would be peaceful, but those demonstrators were blocking the road and (stopping) people from going to work and the whole main road was blocked between Muscat and Sohar, so they had to be removed," al-Mandri said.

Peaceful protests also spread to other parts of the country including the capital, Muscat.

In bid to ease tensions, the ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id pledged to create 50,000 more public sector jobs and enhance unemployment benefits.

Many protesters said the measures were not enough, but al-Mandri said they are likely to significantly quell anti-government sentiment. "It should die down and the government is doing whatever it can to provide them with jobs and all these sort of things," al-Mandri said.

Recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have triggered a wave of protests across the Middle East.

Oman’s Persian Gulf neighbor Bahrain saw deadly clashes between demonstrators and riot police earlier this month.

But Christopher Davidson of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University says protesters in the Gulf are likely to have a much tougher time getting their demands met than protesters in other parts of the region. "I think it will be much more of a struggle than with Egypt and Tunisia. I think it will become a lot more difficult and these states will be very much the last bastions of the dictatorships," he said.

Over the past few years, most Gulf countries have introduced measures that allow their citizens to have somewhat of a say in government affairs, however, in all of the nations, the ruling families still have veto power.

Middle East shares tumbled on Monday as a result of the continued unrest in the region.

Dubai’s stock index dropped to its lowest level in almost seven years.