Detektor, a programme of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, highlights President Obama's favourite phrase of praise for Presidents and Prime Ministers: his/her country "punches above its weight" in international relations.
But Detektor asks, "Is it possible to feel special when each and every visitor is the 'closest, strongest ally'?":
"Ahmed" takes viewers through a demolished mosque in Saramein in Idlib Province
See also Syria Wired (25 March): The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Our pilot feature for EA readers to bring in the latest news from social media....
Syria See also Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 45 Dead amid Regime Attacks on Homs and Idlib
In our 3 1/2 years, we have been fortunate to have readers who brought in latest news and ideas. Recently, that has been especially true over Syria, amidst the rapidly-shifting events of the political crisis, military operations, and violence against civilians.
So today we are starting a pilot feature. We are simply posting this introduction and then turning the entry over to readers for the latest reports from Syria.
Syria Tehran University academic Seyed Mohammad Marandi presents the regime line against expanded sanctions over Iran's alleged human rights violations
See also Iran Special: The 17 Leading Officials in New EU Sanctions for Human Rights Abuses
The Latest from Iran (24 March): Putting Out the Propaganda
1925 GMT: After a report this week that it had signed a $130 million contract with Tehran for a surveillance system (see separate feature), ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecommunications equipment maker, said it will "curtail" its business in Iran.
A spokesman said ZTE had decided "some time ago" to "shrink" its business in Iran, although he said the company had not yet decided on the details: "It's still being discussed."
1815 GMT: CyberWatch. The Next Web offers insight into the state of the Internet in Iran, by summarising how many of the top websites are blocked.
About 27% of the Top 100 sites in various categories, as measured by the Internet directory Alexa, are filtered. More than half of the Arts sites cannot be accessed, and 32% of news sites --- including BBC News, The Guardian, Fox News, The Huffington Post, and The New York Post are blocked, although CNN, Reuters, The New York Times, and Bloomberg can still be reached.
Among "Society" sites, 31% are blocked, as are 27% of those concerned with Shopping.
See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Saturday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Surge of Protest
2015 GMT: Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has defended its handling of Egypt's political transition against criticsm from a Parliament led by Islamist parties.
The Muslim Brotherhood, whose Freedom and Justice Party has the biggest bloc in Parliament, described Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri's cabinet as a failure and criticized the army for continuing to support it, in a statement on Saturday.
"We understand that the government's performance may not satisfy public aspirations at this critical stage," SCAF said in a statement read on state television. "But we emphasize that the nation's interest is our first concern and we will not spare any effort and will take any measures or decisions needed for the sake of the nation and its citizens."
SCAF and the Ganzouri Government has been criticised for failing to halt the slide in the shattered economy and for heavy-handed tactics in dealing with protests against its rule.
The Brotherhood said the Cabinet of Ganzouri, who also served as Prime Minister in the Mubarak regime in the 1990s, had been worse than its predecessors.
Head of Judiciary Sadegh LarijaniOn Friday, the Council of the European Union adopted new measures prohibiting the "[sale], supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, [of] equipment which might be used for internal repression...to any person, entity or body in Iran or for use in Iran".
The Council also added 17 prominent regime officials to its list of persons --- now with 78 names --- sanctioned for their role in human rights abuses. The most prominent additions are the head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani; Presidential advisor Saeed Mortazavi, infamous for his alleged role in the abuses and killings at Kahrizak detention centre in summer 2009; the Minister of Communications, Reza Taghipour; the Supreme Leader's representative to the armed forces, Ali Saeedi; and the head of State broadcaster IRIB, Ezzatollah Zarghami. It also includes officials involved in the death sentences for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, condemned for adultery, and Pastor Yousuf Nadarkhani, punished for "apostasy" because of his conversion to Christianity.
1. ZARGHAMI Ezzatollah
As Head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), he is responsible for all programming decisions. IRIB has broadcast forced confessions of detainees and a series of "show trials" in August 2009 and December 2011. These constitute a clear violation of international provisions on fair trial and the right to due process.
Rick Santorum's speech in Wisconsin after winning the Louisiana primary
Rick Santorum won the Louisiana primary on Saturday, boosting his claim as the leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party even as his odds of beating Mitt Romney in the overall delegate race appear slim.
With nearly 95 percent of precincts reporting, Santorum led Romney 49 percent to 27 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was third with 16 percent and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was taking 6 percent.
Santorum said in remarks from Wisconsin, which is one of the next states in the GOP nomination contest, that his victory shows his campaign should keep going.
“This race is long and far from over,” Santorum said.
See also Iran Propaganda Special: US Officials Spin Away from War
Iran Snap Analysis: The Regime's False Proclamation of an American "Retreat"
Iran & Turkey Feature: Tehran v. Ankara in Battle for Hearts and Minds
The Latest from Iran (23 March): The Sanctions All-is-Well Edition
1536 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An open letter from 120 activists demands the release of photojournalist Tahmineh Monzavi.
Monzavi was seized at the start of March. Her work, including High Fashion in Tehran and Women in Grap Garden Alley, often deals with homeless women who are cast off from society.
Protesting women greet armoured personnel carriers with peace signs; police respond with sound grenades
See also Palestine Opinion: The Hunger Strike of Hana Shalabi --- "Will Anyone See It?"
Middle East Feature: Why are Arab Journalists The "Unknown Soldiers" in Battle for Truth?
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: This is "Peace" --- Another 90 Die
1818 GMT: The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria claims that 45 people have died today, including three women and four children. Twenty-four of the deaths were in Homs, where several neighbourhoods are being shelled, and 13 in Idlib, where regime forces have moved into the Saraqeb district.
1641 GMT: Andrew Hammond of Reuters writes, amidst reports of widespread use of tear gas by Bahrain's security forces:
back after Sitra. all i can say is that was really insane. cld have been worse too if media hadnt been around
— Andrew Hammond (@Hammonda1) March 24, 2012
On Friday, Reuters published a significant article by Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball, "Intel Shows Iran Nuclear Threat Not Imminent".
The significance, however, is not in the "Intel": the information in the article is far from new. What is significant is that, in the battle amongst US officials to set the agenda over Iran, that information has not only resurfaced but has gained the upper hand.
The media spin has shifted. Iran is no longer an imminent threat. Although it should still be watched, Tehran is not approaching the Obama "red line" --- the pursuit of the Bomb --- which would bring Washington's endorsement of a strike on Iranian facilities.
Special Report: Intel Shows Iran Nuclear Threat Not Imminent
Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball
The United States, European allies and even Israel generally agree on three things about Iran's nuclear program: Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead.
For months, the analysis that "Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead", put forward in the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, had been pushed aside. Instead --- partly because of pressure from Congress, partly because of its own drive for tough sanctions --- the Administration had used compliant reporters to put out the spectre of an imminent Iranian threat.
This was just a spectre: there has little if any information since 2007 pointing to a resumption of a militarised Iranian programme. However, politics ruled the day in the presentation of the nuclear issue.
And that is still the case. What changed, with respect to Zakaria and Hosenball, was not some breakthrough of investigative journalism. Rather, key members in the Obama Adminisration, including the President, began to worry that an Israeli attack might become a reality rather than a perpetual warning. And some officials are also seeking a deal with Tehran over the nuclear issue, or at least accepting the resumption of talks.
So the media spin has shifted. Iran is no longer an imminent threat. Although it should still be watched, Tehran is not approaching the Obama "red line" --- the pursuit of the Bomb --- which would bring Washington's endorsement of a strike on Iranian facilities.
