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In Bahrain, Iconic Pearl Monument Destroyed

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

And one note from another scene of would-be revolution. A monument in the center of Bahrain's capital, Manama, has been destroyed. The army tore down a soaring, 300-foot structure that was, until today, topped by a cement pearl honoring the country's celebrated pearl industry.

The monument overlooked Pearl Square, the epicenter of unrest in Bahrain, where a Sunni royal family rules over a Shiite majority. Earlier this week, protesters were routed from the square, and at least five were killed. The country's foreign minister says his troops tore down the pearl monument because it had become, in his words, a bad memory. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.