Bahrain to end emergency rule

It's not clear if this also means the government is going to back off of the extreme charges against protesters though it is still a sign of movement in the right direction.

Al Jazeera:

State media in Bahrain sayshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has ordered an end to the emergency rule imposed in mid-March to quell a wave of anti-government protests in the Gulf Arab country.

Bahrain state TV said the state of emergency will end on June 1 in line with a royal decree issued on Sunday.

The announcement came as 14 out of 21 opposition leaders and political activists were charged with attempting to overthrow the Sunni monarchy in a special security court set up by the emergency rule. The remaining seven are being tried in absentia.

Jamal Fakhro, deputy president of Bahrain's Shura Council, the upper house of the National Assembly, which is directly appointed by the king, welcomed the announcement on lifting emergency rule.