I will be at an all-day conference on Syria today.
James Miller will be here this afternoon to take you through latest developments. However, updates in our Live Coverage --- on Iran, on Bahrain, and on Syria and Beyond --- may be slow at times.
Meanwhile, we thank readers for bringing in latest news and ideas through our Comments sections.
Max Fisher of The Atlantic introduces a poignant and provocative way to view the ongoing crisis in Bahrain --- the cartoons of the country's children. Some of the examples featured on the site:
Maryam, age 7. She told activists that the drawing portrayed her and her sister running to help their uncle, shot in the head by security forces. The Pearl Monument, the icon of the protest movement, frowns in the background.
Bahrain, Max Fisher, The Atlantic Last week was marked by tensions over the opposition Syrian National Council, with key groups threatening to freeze their activities or even withdraw in protest. Days after he was re-elected to a three-month term, SNC head Burhan Ghalioun resigned.
Al Jazeera English's Inside Story considers the issues with Bassma Kodmani, a senior SNC figure; Kamal al-Labwani, a Syrian opposition activist and former SNC member; and Joshua Landis, the academic who runs the Syria Comment website.
See also Bahrain Feature: Seeing the Crisis Through Children's Cartoons
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Amidst the Assassination Rumors, 60 Die
Sunday's Bahrain Live Coverage: Regime Says, "This Protest Good, This Protest Bad"
Carlos Latuff cartoon featuring Nabeel Rajab0935 GMT:. Maryam Alkhawaja reports that the detention of her sister and fellow activist Zainab has been extended until Thursday, when her next court hearing is scheduled.
Zainab Alkhawaja was imprisoned on 21 April after she staged a sit-in protest in the middle of a Bahraini highway.
0825 GMT:. The United Nations Human Rights Council is considering Bahrain's record and situation this morning.
The British representative has cited ongoing human rights violations, while the American delegation has called for accountability of all perpetrators of torture. Denmark has sharply criticised the Bahraini Government for lack of action on rights, while emphasising the case of Danish-Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who has been on hunger strike for 102 days.
The Bahraini envoy, unsurprisingly, has said there are no issues, as the regime has implemented the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.
We hope to have a summary of proceedings later today.
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
1626 GMT: Syria. The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria claims 28 people have died today, including 19 in Hama Province.
United Nations observers moving through the rubble of Rastan:
Nikahang Kowsar portrays a President Obama tying up Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the cord of sanctions, "A good boy doesn't play with nukes"
See also The Latest from Iran (19 May): Bad Numbers for Ahmadinejad and Regime's "Islamic Awakening"
1727 GMT: All the President's Men. Mehr reports that Hamid Pourmohammadi, the former deputy head of the Central Bank, is continuing to attend important meetings of the Ahmadinejad administration even though he is accused of playing a part in the $2.6 billion bank fraud and is currently free on bail.
Mehr published a photo of Pourmohammadi at the recent meeting of the Petrochemical Industry Development Committee with 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi.
Pourmohammadi’s presence at government meetings has also been challenged by leading MP Ahmad Tavakoli on his website Alef.
1723 GMT: The Revolutionary Guards Respond. Revolutionary Guards Commander Ramezan Sharif has hid back at the accusations of conservative MP Ali Motahari (see 1349 GMT) --- Sharif said the Guards had no role in Parliamentary elections and Motahari should present any evidence that he has.
The commander added that prosecution of Motahari for libel was possible.
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.
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?
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
1715 GMT: Clarifying our previous entry, Nabeel Rajab's lawyer Mohamad Al Jishi has been granted bail on the charge of inciting violence via Twitter, but the activist remains in detention on other charges. His next court hearing is on 30 May.
1200 GMT: The lawyer for human rights activist Nabeel Rajab sends the message, modifying earlier reports (see 1040 GMT), that his client will be freed on bail although he will not be able to leave Bahrain:
Nabeel Rajab will be released on bail and travel ban in twitter defamation case and adjourned the hearing to May 23. #twitdef #Bahrain
— Mohamed Al Jishi (@Mohamed_AlJishi) May 20, 2012
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
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:
