DUBAI: Bahrain police yesterday fired tear gas to disperse Shia protesters who took to the streets of the capital Manama chanting anti-regime slogans, witnesses said. The demonstration coincided with the final football game in the Gulf Cup of Nations being hosted in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Protesters attempted to march in small groups in the narrow alleys of central Manama, as riot police fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades, said witnesses. Police arrested several protesters, including at least one woman, they reported. Protesters also staged demonstrations and burned tyres in villages outside Manama as they failed to reach the capital due to a heavy security cordon, other witnesses said. The demonstration in Manama was called by the February 14 Youth Coalition, an Internet group that regularly calls for protests in the Shia-majority kingdom ruled by the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Fans demand tough verdicts in soccer trial
CAIRO: Thousands of supporters of Al Ahly club demonstrated in Cairo yesterday to demand severe punishments for 75 people on trial for dozens of deaths in Egypt’s worst football disaster. More than 70 people were killed in Port Said in February last year during clashes in the Suez Canal city between fans of home side Al Masry and the Ultras of Al Ahly. The violence came amid charges from witnesses that security forces did little to prevent rioting, prompting more deadly clashes in the days that followed. Nine policemen are among 75 defendants in the trial which opened in April. A verdict is due on Saturday.
Agencies
