Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-april-30

1:54am The US has imposed additional sanctions against senior Syrian officials and other Syrian and Iranian government entities it says are responsible for human rights abuses including the violence against civilians.

US President Barack Obama's press secretary in a statement on Friday said certain commercial export licences relating to VIP aircraft used to transport senior officials of the Syrian government have been revoked.

2:27am About 200 Syrians and Syrian Americans protested in front of the UN headquarters on Friday, asking greater global attention to the situation in Syrian. Protesters said there is not enough being done compared to other Middle Eastern countries like Libya.

3:35amJordanians have shown solidarity with Syrian protesters at the closed border crossing with Syria.

Jordanians pray in the border city of Al Ramtha in a show of solidarity with Syrian protesters in Deraa [Reuters]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/29/us-syria-baathists-idUSTRE73S75J20110429

Fifty Baathists in Syrian siege town Rastan resign

(Reuters) - At least 50 members of the ruling Baath Party in the besieged Syrian town of Rastan have resigned, a human rights campaigner in contact with the town said on Friday.

The Baathists' resignation declaration was being read out at a demonstration in the town, 20 km north of the city of Homs, when members of military intelligence and gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad fired at the crowd, killing 13 of them, he added.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/29/obama-pressure-syrian-leaders-ouster/

Obama Under Pressure to Call for Syrian Leader's Ouster

President Obama is facing increased pressure to call for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad, as Assad's government continues a violent crackdown on protesters that activists say has killed more than 450 people.

While Obama has resisted those calls so far, on Friday he imposed financial penalties against three top Syrian officials, Syria's intelligence agency and Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

"We call on President Assad to change course now, and heed the calls of his own people," the White House said Friday evening in its strongest statement yet on the unrest in Syria, calling the Syrian government's actions "deplorable."

But Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Thursday that Assad's government has "lost the legitimacy to remain in power in Syria."

"We urge President Obama to state unequivocally – as he did in the case of Qaddafi and Mubarak – that it is time for Assad to go," they said in a written statement, referring to Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, who is fighting rebels and a NATO-led coalition to hold onto power, and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down earlier this year in the face of a popular uprising.

"Bashar al Assad has been given countless chances to pursue meaningful dialogue and reform. He has squandered all of them," the three senators said. "Rather than hedging our bets or making excuses for the Assad regime, it is time for the United States, together with our allies in Europe and around the world, to align ourselves unequivocally with the Syrian people in their peaceful demand for a democratic government."

Former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley asked Friday, "If Libya, then why not Syria?"

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/#!/SeekerSK

Amazing protests in Al Harra #Syria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJFfYTEwD34 36 minutes ago

tJFfYTEwD34

Massive reinforcements for army and security forces arrived in Daraa

37 minutes ago

Massacre of Talbisa Homs http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xihhb9_yyy-yyy-yyyyyy-yyyyy-yyyy-yyyyy-29-4_news 39 minutes ago

Massacre of Talbisa Homs

38 minutes ago

http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=265910

The European Union agreed in principle on Friday to impose an arms embargo against Syria and prepare additional measures to punish the regime for a bloody crackdown against protests, a diplomat said.[

The move comes after the United States earlier in the day imposed new sanctions on Syria over its brutal repression of mass protests, and again singled out Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which it said was aiding the crackdown.

Edited April 30, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

12:15pm We're getting reports of renewed gunfire and more military reinforcements pouring into the Syrian town of Deraa.

12:30pm As the unrest continues, hundreds of people are fleeing across the border into neighbouring Lebanon. From Wadi Khaled, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr has this report:

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1:36pm Syrian activists claim the footage below shows some of the villagers who tried to enter Deraa yesterday being shot at:

[Warning: This footage may disturb some viewers]

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1:37pm In Homs, 16 protesters who were shot yesterday are being cared for in the al-Barr private hospital, a source in the city told Al Jazeera.

Members of the local Arqidat tribe had taken up positions around the hospital, said the source, in order to prevent security agents from entering and arresting the patients.

1:40pm More from the "besieged" city of Deraa:

Tanks have been pounding the northern part of Deraa around the Omari Mosque since morning, a witness told Al Jazeera via telephone, the sound of the bombardment audible in the background.

The witness said he had seen 20 tanks enter the city on Saturday morning and while there was no confirmation on casualties, many wounded were being treated by residents in their homes, some using natural herbs because of a lack of all medical supplies.

The assault on Deraa is being led by the army’s Fourth Division, commanded by president Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad. The Fifth Division is also deployed in Deraa.

Access to hospitals in Deraa was impossible, he said, because of snipers and tank fire and the threat of arrest by the secret police.

A second witness confirmed that tanks as well as Armoured Personnel Carriers had entered Deraa this morning as well as helicopters flying soldiers into the city.

"They are shooting at houses both the tanks and the soldiers. The most intense fire is at the Omari Mosque," he said, the sound of gunfire audible over the phone line. "The bullets are flying straight over my head as we are talking: It's so close."

The second witness said soldiers and the secret police had raided the home of the Sheikh Ahmad al-Sayasneh, the Imam of the Omari Mosque, which has become a focus for the Deraa protests against the regime.

The source said security forces had executed Sheikh Sayasneh's son, Osama, after he refused to give them the whereabouts of his blind father, accused by the regime of inciting the protests and of funding terrorism. The information has yet to be verified by a second source.

"The humanitarian situation is very bad: There's no food, no medicine, no electricity. We are collecting rain water to drink," the second witness said.

Around 300 soldiers had defected and joined the protesters, he said, sharing information on the army's movements and plans. Some of the defected soldiers had shot at the army in an attempt to defend civilians but they were fast running out of ammunition, he said.

"We have about 60 bodies now in refrigerated lorries. The army is looking for them to bomb them to remove the proof of their crimes," he said.

2:35pm In an interview with Al Jazeera, Malik al-Adeh, a Syrian journalist and member of the Movement for Justice and Development, a political opposition group based in the UK, said "other pillars will crumble" following the resignation of at least 50 Baath party members.

5:25pm The Turkish Red Crescent sent aid Saturday to Turkey's border with Syria to support possible new refugees and villagers who have already crossed the border into Turkey, Anatolia news agency reported

Syrian troops stormed the Omari Mosque

5:30pm Al Jazeera's Rula Amin updates us on the latest developments from Syria

.

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The blind imam of the Omari mosque was one of the officials who met with Assad a couple of weeks ago to work for reforms and peace. He was always urging his people to be calm and peaceful and not to fight. Now the government is claiming that he is a terrorist leader and they murdered his son in his own home.

Edited April 30, 2011 by visionary

[Koala]

Wow, being NATO fail today. And now they have officially ****ed up the Libya situation beyond repair. Thanks for gaining sympathy for Gaddafi, failing to stop his forces, failing to kill Gaddafi, and killing his 3 grandkids instead. This is pretty much the worst case situation now.

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-april-30

6:10pm Nearly 100 people gathered outside the Damascus offices of Al Jazeera on Saturday, accusing the Qatari-based television network of "lies" and "exaggeration" over Syria's anti-regime movement.

"Al Jazeera, Jewish satellite channel" and "People of Qatar, curb your Emir" read placards brandished by the demonstrators, who also carried photos of President Bashar al-Assad.

6:53pm Activists tell Al Jazeera that between seven and eleven women were arrested today during a protest in Damascus in solidarity with Deraa and Douma.

The protest of around 50 women took place near the parliament building in the capital in solidarity with people in Deraa and Duma. The protesters were carrying banners reading: “Stop the Killing” and “Stop the siege”. “When the men decided to be silent the women will speak out,” said one of the participants.

The demonstration moved to Arnous square where security officers attacked the women and accused them of speaking on behalf of the United States and Israel. Some of the protesters were forced into a bus by security officers and driven away.

8:03pm Newly-appointed Syrian Prime Minister Adel Safar said on Saturday his government would draw up a "complete plan" of political, judicial and economic reforms, state news agency SANA said on Saturday.

SANA quoted Safar as saying he would set up committees to propose new laws and amendments to legislation in those areas

10:03pm Reuters reports that thousands of Syrians carrying candles and chanting anti-government slogans marched in a night demonstration in Baniyas to support the city of Deraa

10:40pm Syrian protesters hold portraits of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and shout slogans during a demonstration held by some 100 Syrians supporting Assad, in front of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Photo via EPA.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-1

12:20am Security agents detained two veteran human rights activists on Saturday: Hassan Abdel Azim, 81, of the National Democratic Grouping, from his office in Damascus and Omar Qashash, 85, of the People's Democratic Party, as he was walking in a park in Aleppo, the Syrian Centre for the Defence of Prisoners of Conscience says.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, in Damascus, said their arrests have caused a lot of outrage.

"Arrests are also targeting other human rights activists, people suspected of taking parts in protests, so many of the activists are not sleeping at home anymore, in fear of mass arrests," she said.

Activists also say 10 women were arrested after taking part in a rally of about 50 women in the centre of Damascus, in support of Deraa. This video shows the demonstration in Salhiye, a shopping street near the parliament.

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12:55am Protesters in the coastal city of Baniyas are staging a candle-lit rally and in this video they're heard chanting "the people want to topple the regime" and "in blood and soul, we sacrifice for you Deraa" among other slogans.

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1:17am The BBC has an interesting piece on the dynamics within the family of President Bashar al-Assad, exploring rumours of a rift between the president and his brother Maher

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13247375

[visionary]

YEMEN

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011519455413402.html

Saleh refusal forces Yemen deal postponement

GCC-brokered deal is in limbo as president refuses to sign and opposition calls off trip to Riyadh.

Last Modified: 01 May 2011 09:52

A signing ceremony for a Gulf-brokered deal to end Yemen's political crisis has been postponed after the embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign the agreement in Sanaa.

"The signing of the agreement is postponed," a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) source told the Reuters news agency on Sunday, without giving details on whether it might be rescheduled or when.

Gulf Arab foreign ministers will meet in the Saudi capital on Sunday to discuss future course of action, the source said.

Yemen's opposition also said they will not go to Riyadh, where they had been expected to join GCC foreign ministers to sign the deal stipulating president Saleh's departure.

"There is no longer an invitation. The general secretary of the GCC left yesterday without the president's signature, so the initiative has failed," Mohammad al-Sabri, an opposition official, told AFP.

Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani, secretary-general of the GCC, left the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday after failing to get Saleh to endorse the initiative.

"Four sessions of talks were held to convince him, and every time he came up with a new condition," Sabri said.

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-1

4:25pm This amateur video, published by Sham News, an opposition outlet, shows anti-government protesters in Hama removing the portrait of Basher al-Assad from a public building:

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2:41pm An eyewitness tells Al Jazeera that popular committees have set up makeshift barriers dividing the coastal city of Baniyas between north and south to protect residents against pro-regime thugs. The northern part of the city is in the hands of the government and is controlled by secret police and the military while the southern part of the city is controlled by the protesters, he said.

“People have set up popular committees to keep out the thugs,” he said. “They have made small barriers of stones and bricks manned by eight to ten guards from the popular committees.”

On Tuesday this week Baniyas locals reported a military and security build-up around the oil refining city, including by members of the Assad-controlled gangs, known as shabeha, in preparation for a possible assault.

The eyewitness told Al Jazeera that guards from the popular committees had stones and sticks to defend themselves, but no weapons.

“Our only weapons are mobile phones, cameras and the internet,” he said. “If they try to enter we will face them with our bare chests.”

A small protest against the regime was currently taking place in the Military Police Square, he said. Protesters chanted for an end to the siege of Deraa, Duma and Jebleh, said the eyewitness, adding that security forces had not attacked the protesters as in previous weeks.

Yesterday Syria’s state-run TV and Sham FM radio broadcast the arrest of four people in Baniyas who the government claimed were terrorists. “That is a lie,” said the eyewitness. “They are peaceful protesters and activists.”

5:42pm The army in Baniyas has left the city, according to an eyewitness, apart from a few areas around the oil refinery, electricity station and the southern entrance to the Mediterranean port.

]More than 700 pro-regime supporters gathered in Cultural Centre square following a smaller gathering of around 200 opposition protesters in a square nearby.[/u]

According to the eyewitness opposition protesters were threatened by the pro-regime demonstrators who said that they would open fire with machine guns if the opposition did not disperse.

"I am worried that something big could happen tonight against protesters," he said. "I'm fearful of retribution from the pro-regime supporters so I’ve told my parents to leave the city."

6:13pm Some 7,000 Syrian citizens have been arrested in the massive, nationwide security crackdown on the six-week popular uprising against Assad’s regime, according to latest estimates from a leading Syrian human rights organisation, Insan.

The organisation has verified the names of 2,130 arrested, having spoken directly to a close family member, with more than 5,000 names of people suspected of having been arrested still needing verification, Wissam Tarif, director of Insan, said.

The death toll in president Assad’s armed crackdown on protestors has now passed 600, with at least 364 deaths inside Deraa city itself and a further 87 in surrounding villages, Insan said.

7:12pm Two opposition protests are currently under way in Homs, according to an eyewitness. Around 600 protesters have gathered close to Khalidiyyeh Mosque in the centre of the city chanting for the fall of the regime.

A further 700 protesters had gathered on the road to Fairouzeh village in the suburbs of Homs also chanting for the toppling of the regime, said the eyewitness.

"No one chants for reforms anymore," he said.

Secret police had gathering around both demonstrations fully armed, he said, taking up positions behind cars and buildings. "We worry that they will start shooting at us."

7:33pm Security forces have opened fire on protesters in Homs near the Khalidiyyeh Mosque in the centre of the city, an eyewitness told Al Jazeera.

Guess they were right....

[visionary]

TUNISIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/2011551812282786.html

Former Tunisia minister warns of coup risk

Former interior minister says political elite will do anything to hold power in forthcoming vote.Last Modified: 05 May 2011 18:56

Tunisia's former interior minister has warned that lingering members of the country's former political elite may carry out a coup d'etat if Islamists win a majority in the upcoming election.

"If Ennahda takes power, there will be a coup d'etat," Farhat Rajhi, who served as interior minister after the Tunisian uprising, said in a video that has circulated widely among Tunisian Facebook users.

The video was first posted to Facebook late on Wednesday evening, and by Thursday morning had captured the attention of Tunisia’s vibrant online sphere - which acted as a virtual rallying space for Ben Ali’s critics during the uprising.

Rajhi warn that a clique of "Saheliens" - a reference to the rich coastal region of Monastir and Sousse, where many of the former regime's most powerful members from - may ask the head of the country's military, Rachid Ammar, to step in should the Islamists dominate in the election.

With Tunisians due to vote for a constituent assembly on July 24 - a body which will be tasked with writing a new constitution and deciding on the shape of the political system that will replace the decades of the single-party rule - Rajhi’s statements have raised fears that members of the former elite will somehow find a way to keep their grip on power.

Yet Al-Nahda, the Islamist party led by Rachid Ghannouchi that is likely to win a sizable part of the vote in July, downplayed the speculation of a putsch.

"General Rachid Ammar has promised the Tunisian people that he would protect the revolution and we are confident that all will take place in a peaceful environment," Ajmi Ourimi, a representative of the newly legalised party, told Tunisian radio.

BAHRAIN

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115313349762756.html

Bahrain charges medics for aiding protesters

Doctors and nurses who treated injured anti-government protesters to stand trial in military court.Last Modified: 03 May 2011 14:32

Several doctors and nurses who treated injured anti-government protesters during months of unrest in Bahrain have been charged with acts against the state and will be tried in a military court, the justice minister has said.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa, the justice minister, read the charges against the medical staff, which included "promoting efforts to bring down the government'' and "harming the public by spreading false news.''

Al Khalifa also said that another 23 doctors and 24 nurses faced charges included participating in attempts to topple the Gulf island's Sunni monarchy and taking part in illegal rallies.

The announcement is the latest in the Sunni rulers' pursuit of Shia opposition supporters after weeks of street marches demanding greater freedoms, equal rights and an elected government in Bahrain.

Separately, two former parliament members of the country's main Shia party Al Wefaq were arrested on Monday, according to a senior party leader, Abdul-Jalil Khalil.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201155155822502904.html

UN urges Bahrain to free detained activists

UN human rights chief calls for political prisoners be released and for independent probe into allegations of torture.

Last Modified: 05 May 2011 18:23

The United Nations human rights chief has called for Bahrain to free activists it has seized since crushing anti-government protests and for an independent probe into allegations of torture.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay's remarks on Thursday were the sharpest international criticism yet of the crackdown in Bahrain where the Sunni-led government has arrested hundreds from its Shia Muslim majority since the protests began.

"All political detainees must be immediately released and all detainees must have prompt access to legal counsel," Pillay said in a statement.

"My office has also received reports of severe torture against human rights defenders who are currently in detention... There must be independent investigations of these cases of death in detention and allegations of torture."

At least four people have died in detention, and rights groups have criticised death sentences handed out last week to four men accused of killing policemen in March during protests that began with calls for more political liberties in the kingdom.

EGYPT

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011558227614979.html

Egypt's former interior minister sentenced

Habib al-Adly, the face of the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, convicted for money laundering and profiteering.

Last Modified: 05 May 2011 08:33

Habib al-Adly, Egypt's former interior minister, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for money laundering and profiteering.

Al-Adly, who is accused of ordering police to fire upon pro-democracy protesters who ousted Hosni Mubarak, the president, in February, is one of the most senior ministers from the former government to be put on trial.

His conviction on Thursday in a Cairo court came as Mubarak and his sons are being quizzed for abuse of office .

The military council which now rules Egypt has said it wants to crack down on abuses of power and corruption.

Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from the Egyptian capital, said the charges were "really at the heart of the request by the protest movement; protesters had been urging the prosecution of these men - former regime officials - in what has been described as a cleansing campaign of state institutions".

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201155427971631.html

Syrian troops surround Baniyas

Siege of Deraa 'ends' as security forces build up around Baniyas and make hundreds of arrests elsewhere.Last Modified: 05 May 2011 12:35

The Syrian army said Thursday it has begun withdrawing from a city at the heart of the country's uprising, but the regime expanded its crackdown elsewhere by deploying soldiers and arresting hundreds ahead of a fresh wave of anti-government protests.

An activist, who will remain anonymous for his own safety, told Al Jazeera in a phone interview from the Mediterranean coastal town of Baniyas that the Syrian government was continuing to reinforce its forces, tanks and surveillance on Thursday.

"We are facing a sort of a cleansing war against the people of Baniyas," he said.

Another activist told the AFP news agency: "It looks like they are preparing to attack the town, like they did in Deraa.”

Elsewhere, Syrian troops have arrested 300 people in a Damascus suburb.

The sweep in the suburb of Saqba came despite appeals on Thursday from UN chief Ban Ki-moon. On Thursday, the United States, Italy and France also called for President Bashar al-Assad to end the deadly crackdown on anti-regime demonstrators.

"They cut off communications before they came in," a resident told Reuters news agency. "There is no resistance. The demonstrations in Saqba have been peaceful. Scores of people have been arrested."

Al Jazeera was unable to verify independently the accounts of the crackdown.

In another Damascus suburb, Douma, many men were taken from their houses by security forces making rounds from one house to another, a resident told Al Jazeera, adding that children as young as 14 years old were arrested.

Meanwhile, activists vowed a "Day of Defiance" on Friday to press a seven-week-old anti-regime campaign in which rights groups say 607 people have died, while 8,000 people have been jailed or gone missing.

Edited May 5, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011566163239760.html

More deaths on Syria's 'day of defiance'

Up to 30 reportedly killed in the cities of Homs and Hama, as protesters across the country take to the streets.

Last Modified: 06 May 2011 17:12

Activists claim that up to 30 people have been killed in Syria where thousands have taken to the streets for another day of anti-government rallies, dubbed a "day of defiance".

Human rights group Insan said that at least 16 people had been killed in the central city of Homs, six in Hama and two in Jableh. It said the total death toll was 26 but didn't specify where the other two deaths occurred.

A human rights activist told the Associated Press news agency that 30 people had died, while Syrian state television said an army officer and four police were killed in Homs by a "criminal gang".

Activist Najati Tayara said security forces opened fire to disperse protests that broke out after noon prayers in Homs.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the reports because of restrictions on reporting in the country.

"We were chanting 'The people and the army are one' and 'The people want to topple the regime'," a witness told Al Jazeera over the phone. "Then security and thugs opened fire."

The sound of continuous gunfire was audible over the phone, as well as people shouting "There are snipers on the rooftops".

There were also reports that live ammunition had been fired in the Damascus suburb of Tel, wounding several protesters.

Reem Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Syrian information ministry, denied in a phone interview with Al Jazeera that she had any knowledge that Syrian protesters had been killed on Friday.

She said a planned visit by a UN delegation aimed at investigating the situation in Syria would be a positive thing for the government.

"The Syrian government is not worried, because there is nothing wrong," Haddad said.

President Bashar al-Assad is under growing international pressure to end the violent crackdown on protesters.

The European Union on Friday agreed to impose sanctions on 14 Syrian officials involved in the crackdown, diplomats said.

Aid workers from the Red Cross and Red Crescent delivered their first emergency relief supplies to Deraa on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the organisation.

Hicham Hassan said a convoy of two lorries carrying clean drinking water and two more with food and first-aid material accompanied a team of 13 experts from the Syrian Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-6

Destruction in Daraa

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1:55pm This video is said to be from the Kurdish town of Amuda. People are chanting " The Syrian people are one", "Freedom, freedom" and "Peaceful, peaceful".

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2:43pm A protest is under way in Daraya, and there is a call for demonstrators to march towards the Umayyad Square in Damascus.

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3:09pm Video from the northern city of Raqqa, protesters chanting slogans against the government and in support of the "martyrs" in Deraa.

Whoa! Nice crowd!

3:22pm Protesters march in the town of Talkalakh, 30km west of Homs.

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4:23pm An eyewitness in Homs tells Al Jazeera that three people have been killed and 20 injured after security forces opened fire on protesters today.

He estimated the protest at between 40,000 to 50,000, a figure which cannot be confirmed, and said some protesters had tried to shelter behind army units deployed in Bab Sbaa and Bab Draib after plain clothes security opened fire from the street and rooftops.

5:32pm More on the solidarity protests in the northern Jordanian town of Ramtha.

Jameel Nemri, a Jordanian parliamentarian, told the hundreds of protesters, Reuters reported:

We tell people of Deraa that you deserve more support. We tell you we are with you. You are heroes. You are turning into martyrs for a just cause. Against insult, repression and humiliation.

Your revolution is blessed. We are behind you. Courage is patience. We cannot accept to see shoes crushing heads of the people. The people have the right to live in freedom and dignity. The regime must understand that. They must stop the repression.

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-6

5:45pm The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on 14 Syrian officials involved in the regime's savage crackdown on protests, diplomats told the AFP news agency.

EU ambassadors will look at further talks next Monday on whether to also target Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, with an assets freeze and travel ban, the sources added.

The 27 ambassadors met to fine-tune a range of punitive measures, including an arms embargo and a suspension of aid to Syria.

5:54pm Around 2,000 protesters defied a heavy security presence and snipers on roof tops to gather in Zabadani, a mountain town 45km north-west of Damascus, before security forces fired tear gas and beat the protesters with sticks, an eyewitness told Al Jazeera.

"The protesters chanted they want to topple the regime and to end the siege of Deraa," the eyewitness said.

Several hundred security personnel were deployed in the town, arresting protesters, particularly any caught filming, said the eyewitness. Over the past week, he said, 28 protestors from Zabadani had been released from prison all showing signs of torture.

"But as the arrests increase our anger increases," he said "We are no longer afraid."

Three checkpoints have been set up between Zabadani and Damascus, with travelers forced to show identification papers to the military and secret police.

There would have been more protesters if surrounding villages had been able to join, but they were stopped at the check points surrounding Zabadani. The city is under siege.

6:17pm Supporters of the anti-government protesters in Syria kicking out a supporter of Assad from a mosque during a Friday prayers sermon, in Sidon, southern Lebanon (photo by Reuters):

6:24pm [spokeswoman for the information ministry] Reem Haddad told Al Jazeera that she knew nothing about the detention of our colleague, Dorothy Parvaz.

"I have no idea whether Dorothy Parvaz is being held in Syria," she said, refusing to comment on the confirmation Al Jazeera received earlier this week that the journalist had been arrested.

6:54pm Syrian security forces shot dead six demonstrators in Hama when they fired on pro-democracy demonstration on Friday, a human rights campaigner in the city told Reuters.

"They killed one protester when the demonstration began at the Orontes Square. Demonstrators re-assembled in al-Hader [the old quarters] and another five fell there," said the campaigner, who asked not to be identified.

During the rule of President Hafez al-Assad, father of current president, Syrian forces razed the old quarter of Hama in an attack in 1982 to crush an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood. Up to 30,000 people were killed.

7:03pm Syrian secret police have arrested Mouaz al-Khatib, a prominent Damascene preacher and major figure in Syria's pro-democracy uprising, human rights campaigners said on Friday.

"Political Security called Sheikh Mouaz at 11pm on Thursday. They politely asked him to come in for five minutes. He told them he was ill but they insisted. He went and we did not hear from him since," a colleague of Khatib told Reuters.

Khatib, head of the independent Islamic Civilization Society, is seen as an enlightened religious figure. He had assured Syria's minorities that the diversity of the country would be respected if President Bashar al-Assad falls.

"We call for freedom for every person. For every Sunni, Alawite, Ismaili and Christian, whether Arab or a member of the great Kurdish nation," Khatib told protesters last month, with opposition figures Aref Dalila, an Alawite, and Michel Kilo, a Christian, at his side.

They seem to be arresting and killing a lot of the more moderate spokespeople.

They did that in Daraa with the imam there as well.

8:59pm Britain, France and Germany are again pressing for the UN Security Council to respond to the Syrian government's deadly crackdown on protesters.

Last week, the deeply divided council failed to agree on a European- and US-backed statement condemning Syrian violence against peaceful protesters, with Russia saying security forces were also killed and the actions don't threaten international peace.

Gerard Araud, France's UN ambassador, said diplomats from the three countries raised the "very worrying" situation in Syria during closed-door discussions Friday on the political vacuum in Lebanon.

Terje Roed-Larsen, a U.N. envoy for Lebanon, said what he thought was "a looming storm" has become "a mega-hurricane" that is unpredictable and has not only regional but also global implications.

10:41pm The United States said Friday it is seeking diplomatic access to Al Jazeera's Dorothy Parvaz, who was detained by Syrian authorities last Friday."We are certainly aware of the case of this detained American journalist for Al Jazeera," Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the US state department, told reporters, adding Washington is "concerned" about her case.

"And we've asked for, obviously, given that she's an American citizen, for consular access," Toner added.

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-7-1

8:25am Syrian army units stormed into the city of Banias with tanks overnight, attacking Sunni districts that had defied the autocratic rule of president Bashar al-Assad, a human rights campaigner said.

The units entered the coastal city, a majority of whose residents are Sunni Muslims, from three directions, advancing into Sunni districts but not Alawite neighbourhoods, said the campaigner. Most communications with Banias have been cut but the campaigner was able to contact some residents, he said.

8:57am The focus of the government crackdown on protesters seems to have shifted from Deraa to Baniyas.

All phone lines in Baniyas seem to have been cut. Residents have tried to protect their streets from Assad's security forces by setting up makeshift checkpoints and are trying to guard their rooftops from snipers.

9:01am Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Mohammad Al Khalifa arrived in Damascus last night on an official visit to Syria. During the visit, the minister will convey a message from king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain to president Assad pertaining to bilateral relations.

Wow. The Bahrainian government really is trying to follow in Iran's footsteps.

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-7-1

4:50pm Syrian security forces killed three women who were demonstrating on a road outside the city of Baniyas on Saturday, calling for the release of people who had been arrested, a human rights activist told the Reuters news agency.

5:40pm A quick recap on today's developments in Syria:

* Syrian forces raided the hotbed city of Baniyas and killed at least three protesters.

* President Bashar al-Assad's opponents proposed he offer elections to end the crisis.

* Dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles are entering Baniyas, on the northwestern Mediterranean coast, from three directions as electricity and communications were cut.

* Tanks also encircled the nearby town of Baida.

* The rights activists said residents of Baniyas formed human chains in a desperate bid to halt the military operation when it began around dawn.

* Heavy gunfire was heard in Baniyas's south, a seaside sector of the city where most of the protesters live, while navy boats patrolled offshore, the activists said.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201157222446186609.html

Sectarian clashes erupt in Egypt's capital

At least six people killed when violence breaks out between Muslims and Christians in Cairo neighbourhood.

Last Modified: 07 May 2011 23:06

At least six people have been killed and 75 others wounded in clashes between Muslims and Christians in the Egyptian capital Cairo, hospital and security officials said.

Saturday's clashes erupted after a group of Muslims attacked the Coptic Saint Mena church in the northwestern district of Imbaba to free a Christian woman they alleged was being held against her will because she wanted to convert to Islam.

The verbal clash soon developed into a full fledged confrontation where the two sides exchanged gunfire, firebombs and stones.

Hermina, a parish priest, told the AFP news agency that the victims were Copts who died when "thugs and Salafists fired at them" in the late afternoon attack.

The church floor was bloodstained as wounded Christians were brought in for treatment.

Shahira Abu Leil, a blogger and activist, told Al Jazeera that Salafists were not involved in the clashes, and that attempts were being made to bring security to the area.

"A building was also set on fire, and people are trying to prevent a possible explosion from gas leakages," she said.

Authorities deployed large numbers of soldiers and police, backed by armoured vehicles, to the area. The army fired shots in the air and used tear gas to separate both sides, witnesses said.

Interfaith relationships often cause tension in Egypt, where Christians make up about 10 per cent of its 80 million people.

SYRIA

I saw a lot of reports on twitter earlier that were disturbing as hell.

The people in Homs are terrified and so are those living nearby.

There have been loud exlosions in and around the city all night long.

Also there are reports that tanks and artillery are bombarding the city.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-8

Protesters gather during a demonstration in the Syrian port city of Baniyas [Reuters]

3:39am AP - Hundreds of Syrian residents living in Jordan gathered in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman , calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The protesters chanted slogans in favour of the uprising, calling for an end of the siege of Deraa and condemning military operations in Syrian cities.

.

Edited May 8, 2011 by visionary

[twa]

As to those claims underlined

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/07/egypt.clashes/index.html?hpt=T2

In November, a group with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq announced that all Christians in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets," as the group's deadline for Egypt's Coptic church to release alleged Muslim female prisoners expired.

The group's claim that the Coptic Church in Egypt is holding female prisoners is based on widespread rumors of Coptic women in Egypt converting to Islam and being detained by the church in an attempt to compel or persuade them to return to their original faith.

Syria is definitely heating up....going to be a interesting summer

[visionary]

As to those claims underlined

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/07/egypt.clashes/index.html?hpt=T2

In November, a group with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq announced that all Christians in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets," as the group's deadline for Egypt's Coptic church to release alleged Muslim female prisoners expired.

The group's claim that the Coptic Church in Egypt is holding female prisoners is based on widespread rumors of Coptic women in Egypt converting to Islam and being detained by the church in an attempt to compel or persuade them to return to their original faith.

I hate to see people going crazy like that over such stupid rumors...at least I hope they aren't true.

(if this was done by Salifists or just dumb, riled up, uneducated folks)

I did see some prominent online folks claim that it wasn't really done by religious extremists but by former regime hardliners causing trouble.

That may have just been wishful thinking, although some of those saying this did so after going to the church itself to find out.

I don't know what's going to happen in Syria. The people are being killed and arrested in the hundreds if not thousands.

They haven't really tried to fight back or anything yet, possibly out of fear of even worse crackdowns.

Some of the international community is willing to use sanctions, but so far no one has called for Assad to step down.

I've heard from various media that Israe, the US, and others want him to stay in power rather than take chances.

I don't really see how he can govern long term with the number of people he is killing all across his country though.

Edited May 8, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011581342480276.html

Bahrain's king orders end to emergency rule

Royal decree, due to take effect on June 1, comes as 21 opposition activists appear in a special security court.

Last Modified: 08 May 2011 13:18

State media in Bahrain says the king 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.

Under the state of emergency, Bahraini security forces cracked down on predominantly Shia villages and arrested hundreds of people, many of whom have been referred to special courts.

At least 30 people have been killed since Bahrain's Shia majority, demanding greater freedoms and rights, took their grievances to the streets in February.

The three-month state of emergency was due to be lifted on June 15 and was imposed after Bahrain called in troops from neighbouring Gulf Arab states to help quash anti-government protests.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115891758964745.html

Syria tightens control over more urban areas

Troops backed by tanks have reportedly entered Tafas in the south and the central city of Homs.

Last Modified: 08 May 2011 11:32

Syrian troops backed by tanks have entered residential areas in the country's third largest city, Homs, and Tafas, a town in the south, activists say.

The forces reportedly entered the Bab Sabaa and Bab Amr neighbourhoods in Homs in the early hours of Sunday amid the sound of gunfire.

A 12-year-old child was killed, according to rights groups, but Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report.

Residents told Reuters news agency that at least eight tanks moved into Tafas, near the southern flashpoint city of Deraa, around 6am. Gunfire was heard and army and security forces broke into houses to arrest youths, they said.

Thousands of villagers from the rural Hauran Plain converged on Tafas on Friday and chanted slogans demanding the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

The army intensified its presence across the Hauran region, having partly pulled out of Deraa this week and redeployed in nearby rural towns, witnesses said.

Protesters have been prevented from entering Deraa, which remains surrounded by tanks, even after troops withdrew from the city following an 10-day siege. Activists say dozens of people were killed during days of "indiscriminate" shelling of the city.

Online activists said around 30 tanks remained inside the coastal city of Baniyas on Sunday, a day after security forces conducted a raid there.

[visionary]

YEMEN

http://twitter.com/#!/alguneid

TAIZ

A resident: Forces chase youth and shoot in many side streets. Could hear shooting via phone 2 hours ago

Security attacks downtown, Gamal st. protest, early morning,when they are sleepless ,tired&can't receive enforcement 2 hours ago

security arrest medics, hold ambulance trying to help wounded, Gamal st NOW 1 hour ago

Downtown is packed with large NOs of soldiers. Youth throw stones from all side streets. Respond by gunfire shooting 1 hour ago

POWER CUT I'm on power storage, now. Will see for how long it'll take me 1 hour ago

Youth occupied Gamal st An Escalation- Forces Killed 2, wounded 12 yestrday. Reattacked early morning. Shootings still going on 1 hour ago

One shot dead NOW Delux area. 2 shot and critically ill Al-Awadi area. Earlier one shot dead at Education Office 38 minutes ago

Police cars,blue white "Opel", cars driven along Gamal st, shooting straight at any moving person 13 minutes ago

1 dead,shot at head, 16 injured gunfire shots, 10 Wounded by stones and batons All are in Al-Safwah Hosp 14 minutes ago

Edited May 9, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115942135682699.html

Tunisian PM hints at election delay

Beji Essebsi suggests planned July vote for drafting constitution could be pushed back as reform protests continue.

Last Modified: 09 May 2011 06:05

Tunisia's interim prime minister has raised the possibility of delaying elections in July for an assembly that will draft a new constitution.

The move could stoke anger among anti-government protesters who have pressed ahead with low-intensity demonstrations months after they forced Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the long-serving president, to step down.

Beji Caid Essebsi suggested for the first time in a state television interview on Sunday that the ballot could happen later than July 24, although he stressed that the North African nation would still try to hold the vote on that date.

"If the reform committee says there would be technical difficulties that would be another probability to look at," Essebsi said.

The government still has to set up a promised independent electoral body to prepare for the ballot.

Tension is also growing in Tunisia which has struggled to restore stability since a revolution in January ousted Ben Ali and inspired uprisings across the Arab world.

The countdown to the election has been marked by fears among the secular establishment that a moderate Islamist group banned under Ben Ali could do well in the elections.

Essebsi's comments came as police in the capital, Tunis, used tear gas to break up a fourth day of protests by scores of youths who have returned to the streets, many of them doubting the interim administration's promises to restore democracy after the uprising.

After a night curfew imposed to bring order, security forces clashed with bands of youths setting out to loot and pillage in the more densely populated parts of Tunis. Shots were fired.

The spark for the most recent protests was a warning from a former interior minister that there would be a coup d'etat if the Islamist group, al-Nahda, won the vote.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115981031268455.html

Yemen security forces fire on protesters

At least one person reported dead and others injured as crackdown on anti-government protests in Taiz continues.

Last Modified: 09 May 2011 09:36

Yemeni security forces have opened fire on protesters outside a government building in the southern city of Taiz, reportedly killing one man and wounding at least 10 others.

A medical official said the body of a protester shot dead had been received at the local hospital while dozens of injured people had been admitted, among them five with bullet wounds, one in a serious condition, according to the AFP news agency.

He identified the dead protester as Mohammed Abdelhaq, 35.

The attack early on Monday came after two protesters were killed a day earlier when government troops tried to break up the same demonstration, which has blocked the main Jamal Road near the regional education ministry.

From sunday:

http://twitter.com/#!/tomfinn2

you can shoot em but you can't stop em from filming. footage of brutal attack on protesters in Taiz today

41 minutes ago

DwVEbeuVmkI

latest from Taiz, 2 killed, 8 in serious condition, streets swarming with riot police, protesters regrouping for another march 19 minutes ago

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-9

Picture released by state news agency shows funeral procession of Syrian policeman Mohammed Ali Saqa in Mushrifa (Reuters)

3:07am Syrian women living in Jordan painted their faces with the Syrian flag and chanted slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman yesterday.

7:22am Two people have reportedly been killed after security forces opened fire on a night rally in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour yesterday. This video is said to show the rally before it was dispersed.

4ODxfg1WMGk

11:33am Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says security forces are conducting house-to-house raids to detain dissidents, with raids focused in Homs, Baniyas, some Damascus suburbs and villages around Deraa.

* By early afternoon, scores of women were demonstrating in Baniyas, demanding the release of hundreds of detained men who were being held at the city's soccer stadium, Abdul-Rahman said. He added that security officers had promised the women that all men over the age of 40 will be soon freed.

Edited May 9, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-9

7:45pm Syrian authorities have stopped a UN humanitarian team from visiting the protest city of Deraa where hundreds are said to have been killed in a government crackdown, a UN spokesman said.

"The [uN] humanitarian assessment mission has not been able to get into Deraa,'' spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

"We're trying to clarify why it hasn't had access, and we're also trying to get access to other areas of Syria.''

Asked if the United Nations felt that Syria had reneged on a prior agreement to allow it into Deraa, Haq said: "We're trying to get the clarification as to why it hasn't gotten in. Let's see whether they can get in in the coming days."

.

8:00pm Government forces including snipers on rooftops tightened their grip on Homs after Assad sent in tanks in a sharpening crackdown on protests against his authoritarian rule.

A human rights campaigner in Syria's third largest city said the snipers deployed in several residential neighbourhoods as the sound of gunfire died down in districts of the city that tanks stormed on Sunday.

"There are snipers visible on rooftops of private and public building in al-Adawiya, Bab Sebaa and al-Mreijah neighbourhoods. Hundreds have fled from three villages just to the southwest of Homs where tanks had deployed," the campaigner said.

10:05pm The European Union is imposing an arms embargo on Syria, where the government is conducting a lethal crackdown on protesters.

A statement late on Monday said the EU also is prohibiting 13 Syrian government officials from traveling anywhere in the 27-nation union and freezing the assets of those officials.

The statement said the EU is banning the shipment of "arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression."

EU envoys recommended the actions Friday, but Monday's decision by all member governments was required for formal approval.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115101356895609.html

Tunisia sets up electoral body ahead of vote

Independent body will oversee July 24 elections, as interim government struggles to maintain order.

Last Modified: 10 May 2011 14:14

Tunisia has set up an independent body for elections planned in July to shape the country's post-revolution future.

The elections, scheduled for July 24, will select an assembly to draw up a new constitution in the North African country after an uprising toppled ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January.

Tunisia has struggled to restore order since Ben Ali's ousting and Beji Caid Essebsi, the interim prime minister, has raised the possibility that the vote may be postponed because of technical difficulties.

However, any delay could ignite large protests against the government by people who fear the interim administration will fail to guide Tunisia towards democracy after decades of autocratic rule.

It could also spell more trouble for Tunisia's economy which lacks the oil and gas resources of its neighbours.

Tunisia says it needs billions of dollars in foreign loans to help it emerge from the turmoil which has hit the job market and tourism.

The creation of the promised independent electoral body to oversee the vote suggests a step in the right direction.

Tunisian news agency TAP said 13 people had been chosen late on Monday to serve on the committee, including lawyers, accountants and university representatives.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201151013737898368.html

Egypt extends Mubarak's detention

Ousted president's detention extended by 15 days as ex-tourism minister is jailed for graft for five years.

Last Modified: 10 May 2011 14:24

Egypt's public prosecutor has extended the detention of Hosni Mubarak, the ousted president, by another 15 days as investigators probe him over corruption and allegations he had ordered the killing of protesters during the uprising that ultimately unseated him.

Abdel Maguid Mahmud, the prosecutor general, "has ordered the preventative detention of former president Hosni Mubarak for 15 days that will begin when his current detention ends on May 12", a statement from Mahmud's office released on Tuesday said

The renewal comes as Egyptian authorities jailed a second former cabinet minister on the same day for five years for squandering public funds.

A team of investigators are questioning Mubarak at a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he is currently under arrest.

He is being held in connection with ordering the shooting of protesters during the anti-regime rallies that kicked off on January 25, and also on corruption-related charges.

Mubarak was hospitalised on April 12 after suffering a heart attack and was put under preventative detention the following day, two months after he was overthrown by a popular uprising.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/05/09/whats-normal-bahrain

What's "normal" for Bahrain?

Monday's edition of the Gulf Daily News, ("The Voice of Bahrain") led with the surpising declaration that everything is "Back to Normal", (or will be by next month).

His Majesty King Hamad yesterday ordered an end to the State of National Safety from June 1. The State of National Safety is to be lifted by June 1 across the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Surprising because McClatchy news service has a sharply differing take on the state of the Kingdom.

Apparently un-noticed by the US, McClatchy reports, Bahrain's government has been systematically targeting any and all dissenting voices, most of them part of the Shia majority.

For example, 27 of the country's Shia mosques have been demolished without warning or explanation.

The demolitions are carried out daily, Shia leaders say, with work crews often arriving in the dead of night, accompanied by police and military escorts. In many cases, the workers have hauled away the rubble, leaving no trace, before townspeople awake.

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-10

4:57am The European Union warned President Bashar al-Assad to end violence against protestors or face punitive action Monday as it officially adopted a wide range of sanctions due to take effect on Tuesday.

The measures, including an arms embargo and a visa ban and assets freeze on those deemed responsible for repressing protests, "respond to the escalation of the Syrian authorities' violent crackdown," said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

This is clearly inconsistent with the universal principles of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The sanctions aimed to achieve an immediate change of policy by the Syrian leadership, ending violence and swiftly introducing genuine and comprehensive political reform. Failing that, the EU will consider extending the restrictive measures in light of the developments, including at the highest level of leadership.

11:06am The European Union listed 13 Syrian officials under the bloc's sanctions list, including influential businessman Rami Makhlouf, a brother of President Bashar al-Assad and the country's intelligence chief.

The measures - asset freezes and travel bans - are part of a package of sanctions that also include an arms embargo which went into effect on Tuesday as part of EU efforts to force Syria to end violence against anti-government protesters.

Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad, owns Syria's largest mobile phone company, Syriatel, and several large firms in the construction and oil sectors.

The EU said in its official journal that he "bankrolls (Assad's) regime, allowing violence against demonstrators".

In 2008, the United States imposed sanctions against him because of corruption allegations. The list includes the president's brother, Maher al-Assad, who commands Syria's Republican Guard and is the second most powerful man in Syria.

Also affected is Ali Mamlouk, head of the General Intelligence Service.

12:09pm The UK daily The Telegraph speculates on the whereabouts of Asma al-Assad, the president's wife. According to journalist Nabila Ramdani, the Syrian first lady might have fled to London.

Is Asma Assad in London?

The wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad may have fled to London with the couple’s three young children, it has been claimed.

Asma Assad, 35, was said to be living in a safe house in or near the capital. British-born Mrs Assad, who is considered to be one of the most glamorous first ladies in the world, has not been seen in public since the start of the Arab Spring.

As the violence in Syria increases, Mrs Assad is said to have been warned “to get out as soon as you can".

2:49pm The sound of heavy gunfire was heard on Tuesday in the southwesten Damascus suburb of Mouadhamiya, which had seen intensifying demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad's rule, a witness said.

"I tried to get in through Mouadhamiya's main entrance but there were scores of soldiers with rifles turning cars back," said the witness, who was in the area at 1000 GMT.

Unconfirmed reports by activists in the last two days said tanks had entered the large suburb. Mouadhamiya lies on the main road to the occupied Golan Heights, which overlook Damascus.

2:51pm More YouTube video, uploaded by Sham News, an opposition outlet, shows last night's protest in Bukamal:

LgNWqAXnOc0

2:55pm More footage of last night's protest. This one, also from Sham News, allegedly shows a demonstration in Qatana:

9S5SBHkh0LA

4:07pm Syrian troops and tanks entered villages around the southern city of Daraa on Tuesday, said an activist who spoke with the AP news agency. He said heavy gunfire was heard in Inkhil, Dael, Jassem, Sanamein and Nawa when the troops entered sometime shortly after midnight.

4:39pm The non-governmental National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria says 757 civilians have died since the countrywide protests against President Bashir al-Assad began on March 18.

Ammar Qurabi told the AP news agency that his group has the names, ages, cause and location of death for all 757 killed. Around 9,000 people are in government custody after being arrested in the unrest, he said.

GUaRwdA25Z0

http://twitter.com/#!/evanchill

Syria withdraws candidacy for UN Human Rights Council under pressure from other member states. Kuwait is replacement. http://aje.me/kuykYL 4 seconds ago

Edited May 10, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-yemen-idUSTRE73L1PP20110510

Yemen jets bomb anti-Saleh tribal area: tribesmen

Yemeni air force planes Tuesday bombed rural areas where tribesmen demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh live, the tribesmen said, a sign that violence gripping the fractious state may be escalating.

The planes bombed an area north of the capital Sanaa where tens of thousands of protesters have been rallying daily to demand an end to Saleh's nearly 33-year rule. At least four tribesmen were wounded in the raid, a resident said.

Tribesmen told Reuters the Republican Guard, led by Saleh's son, had been trying to pass through the tribal area en route to the southern coastal province of Hadramout where one of several army units that have defected is based.

The tribesmen have had violent clashes with Saleh's troops in recent weeks, residents said. The jets stopped bombing after a few hours, tribesmen said, and the Republican Guard agreed with the tribesmen not to send troops to Hadramout.

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews

Syrian city of Homs 'shaking with the sound of explosions' after being shelled by tanks, witness tells Reuters 16 minutes ago

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

You're the man visionary.

Hey I have a question for you. What are the backgrounds of the protestors in Syria and Yemen? What do they want, why do they want it, what are their end goals, etc. Especially Yemen.

[visionary]

You're the man visionary.

Hey I have a question for you. What are the backgrounds of the protestors in Syria and Yemen? What do they want, why do they want it, what are their end goals, etc. Especially Yemen.

Most of all people in both countries want freedom and more rights. That's generally what starts the protests. They also want new regimes, and the ability to have a say in who makes up those governments and decide who governs them. They probably also will want some manner of punishment against their leaders for all the people they've killed, although it's possible they would settle for just having them out of power and influence. There are probably some who might like to replace the current governments with some sort of islamist one, but they don't seem to have much say in things and the people in both countries are very sensative to the dangers of islamist terrorism and dictatorship.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115117374683547.html

Syrian tanks 'shell district of Homs'

Neighbourhood in restive city "shaking" with explosions from shelling and gunfire, according to rights campaigner.

Last Modified: 11 May 2011 08:33

Army tanks have shelled a residential district in Homs, according to a rights campaigner in the Syrian city which has emerged as the most populous centre of defiance against Bashar al-Assad's rule.

"Homs is shaking with the sound of explosions from tank shelling and heavy machine guns in the Bab Amro neighbourhood," Najati Tayara, said.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretatry general, urged Syria on Wednesday to halt mass arrests of anti-government protesters and to heed calls for reform.

Ban also said that UN humanitarian workers and human rights monitors must be allowed into Deraa, as well as other cities so as to assess the situation and needs of the civilian population.

"I urge president Assad to heed the call of the people for reform and freedom and desist from the mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators, and to cooperate with the human rights monitors," Ban told a news conference in Geneva.

"I am disappointed that the United Nations has not been granted access yet to Deraa and other places," he added.

The EU is to look at fresh sanctions this week against Syrian Assad's regime after already honing in on his inner circle, Catherine Ashton, the EU diplomacy chief, said on Wednesday.

Security forces have released 300 people detained in Baniyas and restored basic services in the coastal city stormed by tanks and troops last week, according to a human rights group.

Water, telecommunications and electricity had been restored, but tanks remained in major streets, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

Two hundred people, including pro-democracy protest leaders were still in jail, it said.

"Scores of those released were severely beaten and subjected to insults. A tank deployed in the square where demonstrations were being held," Rami Abdelrahman, the Observatory director, said.

Human rights campaigners said at least six civilians, including four women, where killed in raids on Sunni neighbourhoods and in an attack on an all-women demonstration just outside Baniyas on Saturday.

Until the uprising began, Assad - from the minority Shia Alawite sect - had been emerging from Western isolation after defying the United States over Iraq and reinforcing an anti- Israel bloc with Iran, increasing Syrian Sunni concerns.

Demonstrators in Baniyas had raised posters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, who has had close ties to Assad, but has disputed the official Syrian account of the violence.

Erdogan said more than 1,000 civilians had died, and he did not want to see a repeat of the 1982 Hama violence or the 1988 gassing of Iraqi Kurds in Halabja, when 5,000 people died.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115118146679800.html

Schoolgirls targeted in Bahrain raids

In a secretly filmed interview, 16-year-old tells how she was severely beaten as Gulf kingdom cracked down on protests.

Last Modified: 11 May 2011 10:06

Secret filming conducted by Al Jazeera has revealed shocking evidence of the brutal crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

An undercover investigation conducted by Al Jazeera's correspondent, Charles Stratford, has unearthed evidence that Bahraini police carried out periodic raids on girls' schools since the unrest began.

In an interview "Heba", a 16-year-old schoolgirl, alleges she, along with three of her school friends, were taken away by the police from their school and subjected to severe beatings while in custody for three consecutive days.

"He hit me on the head, I started bleeding. I fell down, he told them [guards] to keep me in the rest-room," she said during the secretly filmed interview.

"He [the officer] hit and banged me against the wall to scream. Since we did not cry out or scream, we were beaten more and more, stronger and stronger.

"Beating was severe, but being afraid of what comes next, we were senseless to the pain."

According to the mainly Shia opposition Al Wefaq party, police have raided up to 15 mainly girls schools, detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12.

[visionary]

SYRIA

1:37pm Heavy gunfire was heard as at least three residential neighborhoods were hit by tank fire in Homs, which has experienced some of the largest anti-government demonstrations in recent weeks. A frightened resident told The Associated Press by telephone:

There were loud explosions and gunfire from automatic rifles throughout the night and until this morning. The area is totally besieged. We are being shelled.

Activists in Damascus who were in touch with residents also reported shelling in Homs, Syria's third-largest city and home to one of its two oil refineries.

The witnesses and activists, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared reprisals, said the shelling was targeting the Bab Sbaa, Bab Amr and Jouret el Aris neighborhoods.

http://twitter.com/#!/SeekerSK

Tank shelling of Bab Amr Homs resutled in 9 martyrs and dozens of wounded 42 minutes ago

Maher Naqrour, 40 year old Christian inhabitant of Homs killed by snipers, May he rest in peace. 39 minutes ago

---------- Post added May-11th-2011 at 11:32 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/#!/Naharnet

Syrian human rights activists: At least 11 people were killed when tanks shelled the Daraa district of al-Hara. 1 minute ago

YEMEN

http://twitter.com/#!/alguneid

YEMEN SANAA AJA 40 wounde gunfire shots. 2 critically ill in Makeshift hosp. 32 minutes ago Favorite Retweet

http://twitter.com/#!/al_masani

police station falls taiz yemen to protesters http://bit.ly/mvRvCM video 11 minutes ago

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Edited May 11, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/syria-live-blog-may-12

6:57am Syrian tanks shelled residential areas in two towns and at least 19 people were killed across the country on Wednesday, rights campaigners have told the Reuters news agency.

7:52 am Syrian police have come out in force, again cracking down on protests, now targeting students in Aleppo.

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