Arab world protests

A journalist in Tunisia – the first country to face the Arab Spring – has set himself on fire, triggering a protest against unemployment and poverty. The case resembles the start of the 2011 Western-hailed revolt.

Police in Bahrain fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters after thousands of mourners marched in honor of an activist who had been wounded and arrested in the monarchy’s 2011 opposition crackdown and who recently died in police custody.

The administration of US President Barack Obama made a mistake when it hoped to impose Western values and Western-style democracy in the Middle East during the Arab Spring, according to outgoing CIA Director John Brennan.

Washington has been secretly operating drones from a base in Tunisia since June, US officials have admitted. The unarmed US Air Force Reaper drones are said to be gathering intelligence on Islamic State targets in the neighboring Libya.

The head of Russia’s Security Council has promised that the authorities will adjust the nation’s security doctrine after learning the lessons of the latest political crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Amnesty International has published a report condemning Bahrain for its “rampant” human rights abuses days before the country hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix.