Police in Bahrain fired tear gas at anti-government protesters March 11, as thousands marched on a square near the royal palace in Manama. Protesters were also confronted by a group of pro-regime loyalists armed with golf clubs, knives, swords, metal pipes and sticks embedded with nails. A clash ensued for control of the square as the mainly Shi'ite protesters hurled stones at the mainly Sunni regime supporters. Earlier, protesters chanted "Peaceful, peaceful" and handed flowers to police in a bid to avoid violence. Government loyalists chanted "Long live the Bahraini monarchy," and "The people want Khalifa bin Salman," referring to the long-time prime minister whose ouster the opposition demands. (Middle East Online, March 11)

The Israeli government is trying to use a "divide and conquer" strategy on the Bedouin community in the Negev Desert in order to seize its lands, Bedouin representatives charged March 10, in response to a reported initiative to settle the issue of "unrecognized" villages. A special committee is reported to have prepared a plan under which Bedouins who can prove a historical link to their land could receive financial compensation for a portion of their lots. If the Bedouins accept this offer, the extent of land that could be included in the deal would be approximately 150,000 dunums (about 40,000 acres)—less than half of the land the Bedouins lay claim to.

In the wake of the March 10 devastating earthquake and tsunami, which have left perhaps 1,000 dead, Japan's government has for the first time declared a "nuclear emergency." Diesel backup systems ceased functioning at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant's reactor Number 1, run by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in Fukushima Prefecture (Tohoku region, north of Tokyo). Temperatures are rising in the reactor, and the government has ordered 2,000 residents within a three-kilometer radius of the plant to evacuate. The plant may have risen to 2.1 times its designed capacity, and authorities are considering a controlled release of radioactive gas and steam to relieve the pressure.

Mauritanian police clashed with pro-democracy demonstrators March 8 in Bloc Square, central plaza of the capital, Nouakchott. Police used tear gas and clubs to disperse the protest, organized by the February 25 Youth Co-ordination group, leaving at least 18 hospitalized. The government had allowed young protesters to rally freely in the square since Feb. 25, but on March 4 announced that all public demonstrations must be authorized. Thousands continued to gather in the square daily, without an official permit, chanting "People want reforms, change or you will be changed!" (Magharebia, March 10; Middle East Online, March 9)

Police opened fire March 10 to disperse protesters at Qatif in Saudi Arabia's mainly Shi'ite east, leaving at least one man injured. Security forces are on alert in the east for a "day of rage" that has been called for the next day, Friday, in defiance of a ban on all demonstrations. Several hundred protesters, some wearing face masks to avoid being identified, marched after dark in Qatif, demanding "Freedom for prisoners." (AP, NYT, March 10) Fighting broke out at a school in the mixed Sunni-Shi'ite town of Sar, Bahrain, after Shi'ite students held an anti-government protest. (The National, UAE; Reuters, March 10)

France became the first country to recognize Libya's opposition as its rightful government on March 10, and announced it will send an ambassador to rebel-held territory in the east. The move comes ahead of a European Union summit on the Libyan crisis called for the following day. The French decision was immediately praised by the rebels who urged the rest of the world to follow suit. "France has recognised the national transition council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people," one of the opposition body's envoys, Ali al-Issawi, told reporters after meeting with Sarkozy. (Middle East Online, March 10) Qaddafi's forces meanwhile succeeded in taking the oil hub of Ras Lanuf, forcing its rebel defenders to retreat east under a hail of rocket fire. (Middle East Online, March 10)

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 34 people in the country's northwest March 9. The bomber detonated his explosives at a funeral procession for the wife of an anti-Taliban militiamen near Peshawar. Militia leaders charged the government with betrayal."We are ending all co-operation with the government. We will not forgive the Taliban for the death of our people, but we will avenge these deaths in our own way now," Dilawar Khan, leader of the Qaumi Amn Lashkar militia told the BBC. "We've fought against the Taliban. We've done what the government had to do but in exchange the government we didn't even receive security for a funeral." (AKI, RFE/RL, March 9) On March 8, militants targeted a gas station in Faisalabad, Punjab province, with a car bomb that killed some 25 people. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility. (RFE/RL, March 9)

In an obvious move to head off the emergence of a powerful protest movement, Morocco's King Mohammed VI on March 9 announced a constitutional reform that gives more power to parliament and regional governments, strengthens human rights guarantees, and officially recognizes the importance of Amazigh (Berber) culture for the national identity. Tens of thousands of Moroccans demonstrated around the country for greater democracy on Feb. 20, and smaller rallies have been staged frequently since then. (DPA, Maghreb Blog, March 9)