The Latest from Iran (20 May): A Tip of the Hat to President Obama?

See also The Latest from Iran (19 May): Bad Numbers for Ahmadinejad and Regime's "Islamic Awakening"

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1118 GMT: Crime Watch. Mehr features a Parliament report on smuggling which says only three of every 1000 cases are exposed. In 2009/2010, an estimated 19 to 24 trillion Toman ($15 to $20 billion at official rate) in goods were smuggled, but only 630 billion Toman (about $500 million) were discovered.

Prominent among the smuggled items were gasoline, clothing, boots, alcohol, rice, tea, and fruits.

1115 GMT: Bad Hijab Watch. Two of a series of photos posted by Mehr of Iran's "fashion police" protecting the country against inappropriate clothing:

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Algeria Video Feature: The Uprising That Wasn't (Al Jazeera English)

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In the capital Algiers at least, life seemed freer and more lively than we expected. The shops and cafes were full and, superficially at least, this did not seem to be a place on the cusp of revolution. It felt like a country coming out of something very bad and now quite determinedly making the best of a difficult situation.

But when we began meeting human rights activists, we got a much better sense of what ordinary Algerians are up against and what they really think. To start with, the military and intelligence people, the DRS, are omnipresent, so meetings had to be arranged surreptitiously. On one occasion, for example, a contact identified himself at a street corner by using pre-arranged code words. Then he asked us to follow him very discreetly and at a distance to the Metro, past the police and the surveillance cameras, onto a train and out to his tiny apartment in the suburbs. Only when safely behind closed doors did he feel able to speak freely about the repression and the many economic problems the country faces - a housing crisis, rocketing unemployment and spiralling food prices. He told us things were so bad that desperate young people were burning themselves alive.

Click to read more ...

US Politics Analysis: The Recall Challenge to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

Protest Inside Wisconsin State Capitol, February 2011After a lengthy wait, the contest is nearly here. On 5 June, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker faces once again his 2010 Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, the Mayor of Milwaukee.

But will this matter beyond Wisconsin?

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Syria Live Coverage: Obama Says "Assad Must Go" --- But How?

A Free Syrian Army officer claims the assassination of several top officials of the Assad regime (see 0630 GMT)

See also Algeria Video Feature: The Uprising That Wasn't
Bahrain Live Coverage: Regime Says, "This Protest Good, This Protest Bad"
Saturday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Shelling in the Morning, Protests in the Afternoon

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1144 GMT: Syria. Activist Rami Jarrah posts a significant update about this morning's claimed assassination of eight top Assad officials by a Free Syrian Army unit.

Jarrah said that the Al-Sahabeh Battalion, which claimed the operation, has now said the eight officials were at a meeting where they were poisoned. He adds that there was a report of a large security presence outside a hospital near the Presidential residence, but this was disproved by citizen journalists who surveyed the area. The journalists did confirm that a main square was closed off, with regime forces at all entrances and exits.

Jarrah says he has a "direct quote" from Riad Al Asaad, the FSA commander based in Turkey, that the "only genuine news" is over overnight clashes in the Kafarsouseh area --- reported earlier by activists --- with two explosions.

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Bahrain Live Coverage: Regime Says, "This Protest Good, This Protest Bad"

An aerial view of Saturday's rally by the Gathering of National Unity, calling for union with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Co-operation Council nations

See also Syria Live Coverage: Obama Says "Assad Must Go" --- But How?
Saturday's Bahrain Live Coverage: The Many 10,000s Marching

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1040 GMT: Activists indicate human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been cleared in this morning's court hearing of the allegation that he used Twitter to promote riots and violence against policemen; however, he will remain in detention on other charge.

0840 GMT: Elizabeth Dickinson, in The National, writes upon the effect of the political crisis on everyday business:

These days, when you meet a Shiite in Bahrain, for example, the venue will likely be a branch of a coffee franchise run by a prominent Shia businessman, Faisal Jawad. Meet a Sunni, and he will refuse to see you there.

Shiite customers frequent Mr Jawad's groceries and stores but, late last month, a security camera caught a group of young men joining members of the police, a traditionally Sunni-dominated institution, in trashing one of the outlets. Mr Jawad is not the only target: a group of Sunni youth have circulated a booklet listing shops owned by Shiites that they urge their supporters to boycott.

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The Latest from Iran (19 May): Bad Numbers for Ahmadinejad and Regime's "Islamic Awakening"

See also Iran Opinion: Turning the Islamic Republic into North Korea --- Does It Help the Situation?
Iran Special: The Nuclear Scientist, WikiLeaks, and the Executed Kickboxer
The Latest from Iran (18 May): Helping Damascus

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1622 GMT: Claim of Day. Hamed Saleh-Abadi, a journalist for the reformist Donya-e Eghtesad, reports that former President Mohammad Khatami has expressed regret for his decision to vote in March's Parliamentary elections.

According to Saleh-Abadi, Khatami said, "The political atmosphere daily becomes more restricted. My vote must have shocked society. I accept criticism for it."

Before the election, Khatami had set the conditions for participation of freedom for political prisoners, adherence to the Constitution, and free activity of political parties. Many reformists and members of the opposition refused to vote on the grounds that those conditions were not met.

1620 GMT: Picture of Day. Claimed photograph of student activist Mahdieh Golroo, leaving Evin Prison today, after 30 months behind bars:

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Shelling in the Morning, Protests in the Afternoon

Video of this morning's explosion in Deir Ez Zor in Syria

See also Bahrain Live Coverage: The Many 10,000s Marching
Friday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Students Rise in Aleppo

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1535 GMT: Yemen. Officials have said at least 22 insurgents and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight in a regime offensive in the south of the country.

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Bahrain Live Coverage: The Many 10,000s Marching

See also Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Shelling in the Morning, Protests in the Afternoon
Friday's Bahrain Live Coverage: Day 100 of a Hunger Strike

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1500 GMT: The Gathering of National Unity, a largely Sunni organisation which emerged in 2011 in response to the protests challenging the regime, is holding a rally today in front of the Al Fateh Mosque:

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Iran Opinion: Turning the Islamic Republic into North Korea --- Does It Help the Situation?

The problem with harsh sanctions is the speculative nature of the exercise of implementing often inhuman measures on entire populations for the deeds of their undemocratic, unelected, and dictatorial rulers. Suppose these sanctions are implemented. We do not have an example to show that a country like Iran will halt its nuclear programme. However, we do have a North Korea, hobbled by sanctions for years and attempting to become economically self-sufficient, where the regime chooses to make its people suffer to attain nuclear weapons.

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Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (18 May)

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Our recurring feature in which EA readers use the Comments section to bring in the latest news and thoughts from social media....