Saudi Arabia says two killed after cleric's arrest

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two men had been killed after protests in a Shiite Muslim area in the eastern part of the world's top oil exporter, following the arrest of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.

A key US ally, Saudi Arabia has largely escaped the kind of protests that have toppled four heads of state since last year, but the mostly Shi'ite Qatif region of the Eastern Province has been the focal point of sporadic demonstrations alleging discrimination. (Reuters)