Bahrain ends emergency laws

Bahrain on Sunday ended the state of national safety, the emergency laws, it imposed on March 16. "King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa issued a royal decree to lift the state of national safety on June 1 in all areas of the Kingdom of Bahrain," Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on Sunday afternoon. The emergency laws were imposed for three months as the authorities sought to restore peace after protesters blocked Manama's main highway and brought the capital to a standstill. However, last week, several lawmakers called for the extension of the laws, saying they were needed to reinforce security and stability. The laws were short of martial laws and did not stipulate the suspension of the constitution or the freezing of political activism. From: Gulf News