Clashes between police and Shi'ite protesters continue in Bahrain, fueled by the killing of a 14-year-old boy by riot police Aug. 31. The government of the Persian Gulf island state said it would "await a full investigation" by the Interior Ministry before drawing any conclusions about the death. Media reports said the youth was hit with a tear-gas canister in the oil hub area of Sitra. The new protests erupted on the first day of the Eid al-Fitr festival. The death of another protester, the first since early July, comes days after King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said he would pardon some imprisoned protesters as "reconciliatory gestures" after a Saudi-backed crackdown began in March. Street fighting centers around districts near the Pearl Roundabout, the center of anti-government protests that began in February. Bahrain demolished the landmark Pearl Monument at the center of the plaza in March after it became a symbol of the protests. (CNN [2], Sept. 1; FT [3], AlJazeera [4], Aug. 31)
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