The Latest from Iran (24 December): Watching Some Boats, Watching The Currency

1735 GMT: Bank Fraud Watch. Iran Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei has said that four MPs have been summoned and interrogated over the $2.6 billion bank fraud, involving 200 properties of the Aria Group.

Mohseni Ejei did not name the MPs, but one legislator has said that Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Parliament's National Security Commission, and his sons have been arrested and released on bail.

Mohseni also said five managers of Aria Group companies, including the Chief Executive Officer of Ahwaz Steel, have been arrested.

1715 GMT: The Battle Within. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, one of the leading forces in the Islamic Constancy Front, sets up the group's approach for the Parliamentary elections in March --- total obedience to the Supreme Leader, with a fight against the seditious current and "intrusive elements", but also a tip of support to the President: "After the rule of the reformists, Ahmadinejad was the best choice (in 2005)."

The Constancy Front has been fighting other conservatives and principlists who have been seeking "unity" before the elections.

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Russia Feature: Renewed Protests Against Putin... But Will the "Dear" Leader Hang On? (Rojansky and Soloveitchik/O'Flynn)

A campaign video by Wake up Russia (@WakeUpR) with citizens holding banners stating their names and calling for fair elections.

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Large protests are anticipated across Russia today, two weeks after tens of thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against alleged election fraud. More than 50,000 activists have signed up to the Facebook page organising the event, The public will behind the protest remains to be seen, however, and Russian media has withheld news of the planned marches and --- in notable contrast to the clamour which met events on 10 December 10 --- so has Western media.

Whilst hopes are strong amongst many protesters and some commentators that these actions may initiate a radical overhaul of the Putin government, Russian analysts remain cautious. Matthew Rojansky explores the realpolitik behind the headlines and Western projections.

At the same time the passion and social media savvy of many young Russians has proven fertile ground for networks of support to emerge and strengthen. Writing for The Moscow Times, Rina Soloveitchik and Kevin O'Flynn highlight the central battleground of Twitter as a medium for key opposition news and opinion, as well as for regime misinformation and mischief:

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An EA WorldView Request of Its Readers

EA Worldview is (more than) 3 years old!

Help us toward an even bigger 4th Birthday by donating to EA today

With 2011 rapidly coming to a close, we realised that we have been so busy with daily news and analysis that we forgot to celebrate EA's 3rd birthday!

We ventured into the cyber-world on 3 November 2008, live-blogging the election of President Obama the following evening and quickly looking towards the big stories in US foreign policy. Soon, however, we were shifting our attention --- because we saw a need for day-to-day reporting and interpretation of vital international developments --- to coverage of Iran, North Africa, and the Middle East as well as keeping an eye on long-standing arenas for US policy and military action such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Damascus Bombs

Footage from the scene of one of the bombings this morning in Damascus (Warning: Graphic Images)

See also Bahrain Special: Last Night It Rained Tear Gas
Iraq Aftermath: US Marine "I Am Sorry for the Role I Played in Fallujah"
Palestine Music Feature: The CD Highlighting Israel’s Imprisonment of Children
Thursday's Syria, Bahrain, Egypt (& Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Resurgent

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UPDATE: EA has received reports that the Baba Amr district in Homs has been attacked by Syrian forces. As such, we have launched a new liveblog (as it is now the 24th), where we will cover the latest developments on the attack.

2359 GMT: A prayer service tonight for 9 martyrs killed in the Baba Amr district of Homs:

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The Latest from Iran (23 December): The Ahmadinejad All-Is-Well Show

1540 GMT: Tehran's Israeli Friend. Bloomberg has published a report asserting that the Israeli communications company Allot Communications Ltd has shipped cyber-surveillance equipment to Tehran through a Denmark-based distributor.

Allot's Chief Executive Officer Ramy Hadar denied the report, "Allot's equipment was sold to a Denmark-based distributor, the same way it is sold to thousands of distributors and tens of thousands of clients worldwide. We have no way of knowing where our equipment ends up. We have no ties with Iran. You can get our equipment online --- like on eBay."

Israeli officials denied any knowledge of the shipments. The Defense Ministry said it is investigating the report.

1534 GMT: Economy Watch. Alef, the site linked to MP Ahmad Tavakoli, continues its attack on the Government's economic policies. It carries an analysis tying the fall of the Iranian currency to President Ahmadinejad's subsidy cuts.

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Bahrain Special: Last Night It Rained Tear Gas

Children affected by last night's tear gas in Bahrain

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"I didn't even go to a protest, but here I am inhaling toxic fumes," an eyewitness from Sitra in Bahrain said.

Last night there were scenes of repression against the Bahraini people. Many of them were not on the streets. They were inside their homes, shoving wet towels under the doors and the nooks and cranniees of windows and ventilators to stop tear gas from entering. Those who did protest were soon beaten back into their houses. Security forces followed them and started tear-gassing entire neighbourhoods. One eyewitness, whose name and location are withheld for his/her safety, wrote:

"Inside my house! My family and I can barely breathe! We locked ourselves in my room… My parents are coughing and suffocating. My dad told me if I die tonight, it is because they killed us with these gases.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "When You Shut Your Eyes, The Sting is Still There"

This LiveBlog is now mirrored and continued above, "Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Damascus Bombs"

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Iraq Aftermath: US Marine "I Am Sorry for the Role I Played in Fallujah"

Fallujah, November 2004It is the seventh anniversary of the deaths of two close friends of mine, Travis Desiato and Bradley Faircloth, who were killed in the siege. Their deaths were not heroic or glorious. Their deaths were tragic, but not unjust.

How can I begrudge the resistance in Fallujah for killing my friends, when I know that I would have done the same thing if I were in their place? How can I blame them when we were the aggressors?

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Palestine Music Feature: The CD Highlighting Israel’s Imprisonment of Children

Long Live Palestine - Lowkey

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A new benefit album has been released to highlight the plight of Palestinian children jailed by the Israeli regime.

The CD was spurred by the case of Mohammad Sameh Hashash. In 2005, Mohammed was en route to tour Scotland, Ireland, and England with Aidoun, a Palestinian youth theatre company from the Balata Refugee Camp in the West Bank. Detained at the crossing to Jordan, Mohammed was interrogated for two months before being charged with "conspiracy against Israel and associating with 'wanted' persons". He is scheduled for release next year.

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Massacre in Kazakhstan: A Video the World Needs to See...And Understand

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Footage from Zhanaozen in Kazakstan of police attacking --- and murdering --- protesters. English subtitles.

Yesterday a video from the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan was released on-line. It shows security forces in Zhanaozen advancing against protesters, shooting them, and then beating and stomping on their bodies. The footage confirms earlier reports that a protest by oil workers on Friday, the Kazakhstan day of national independence, had climaxed in violence, with the death of 15 demonstrators and upwards of 100 wounded. Activists claim both figures are much higher, suggesting as many as 55 deaths.

The footage, seemingly shot by two women from the window of a high-rise apartment block, captures the moment that a wave of police fire on unarmed demonstrators, clearly fleeing for their lives. A man, who appears to have collapsed after being shot in the leg, is viciously attacked by a policeman with a baton. As one of the women filming comments, "Look at them, they are just beating them to death." The police continue to advance, hitting the fallen protesters as they pass them, before converging in a group, perhaps to take stock of their carnage.

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