Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Sanctions on Damascus

2106 GMT: Another striking claim, a reliable activist tweets that a protest left the Haydariyeh district, near the center of Aleppo.

2056 GMT: The (reliable) claim of the day - this video was reportedly taken tonight in the Old City, the district at the very heart of Damascus:

2034 GMT: Back from a lunch/Iran/fight-with-former-Bush-diplomat break to find that the LCCS has released their latest death toll - 18 killed so far in Syria, and no mention of casualties in Rankus:

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The Latest from Iran (28 November): The Bank Fraud Expands

The celebration that led to lengthy suspension for two members of Iran's national football team (see 0835 GMT)

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2148 GMT: Explosion Watch. An EA correspondent does some checking on the claimed location of today's blast in Isfahan (see 2020 GMT). Not only is it near the Military Academy, but it is just to the east of Darvazeh Shiraz (Shiraz city gate) is the Sepah Badr airbase.

Fars resurfaces, after dropping its original story to report --- from ISNA --- that the head of Isfahan's judiciary heard the sound of an explosion but got no information from officials.

And Tabnak has the latest rationale from Deputy Governor Mohammadi Mehdi Esmaili: "Perhaps a water boiler exploded."

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Egypt LiveBlog: The 1st Election Day

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1820 GMT: There are reports that port workers in Suez have stopped a ship with seven tons of tear gas among its cargo. There are fewer details on where the product has been manufactured, but reports indicate it was sent from the US, the reports say. So far, only Ahram has the story.

There have been claims that hundreds of tons of tear gas have arrived in Egypt on ships in the past few weeks, but none have been fully verified. 

1900 GMT: As voting ends in Egypt, reports indicate that Tahrir Square is slowly turning into a tent city again. So far, there are virtually no reports of serious violence during the first day of an election process that will not end until next year. Meanwhile, former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called the elections "the beginning of a new era in Egypt". 

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Syria, Bahrain, Egypt (& Beyond) LiveBlog: Back to Square One?

Saturday's tear gas attack by security forces on protesters after a funeral in A'ali in Bahrain

See also Egypt Q&A: Why Is There A "Revolution Reignited"?
Bahrain 1st-Hand: How Activist Zainab Alkhawaja Defied the Police...And Escaped Arrest
Saturday's Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Creep

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2024 GMT: Yemen's Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has named opposition leader Mohammed Basindwa as interim Prime Minister, according to State media.

Basindwa, Foreign Minister from 1993 to 1994, will form a new government under the deal signed in Saudi Arabia last Wednesday by President Saleh, who returned to Yemen last night.

On Saturday, Hadi called Presidential elections for 21 February.

2019 GMT: Claimed footage of a Saudi armoured vehicle trying to run over protesters in Qatif in Eastern Province --- demonstrations by the Shi'a population escalated this week, as four people were killed by security forces:

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The Latest from Iran (27 November): Tough-Talkin'

See also Iran Triangle: Regime Loves Occupy Wall Street...But Occupy Wall Street Supports Political Prisoners
Iran Feature: So How Big is the Bank Fraud?
The Latest from Iran (26 November): Embezzlement

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2043 GMT: And For Tomorrow.... The Ahmadinejad Government faces another challenge on Monday in Parliament with the interrogation of Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini. Amidst a turbulent economy and the $2.6 billion bank fraud, leading Government critic Ali Motahari is predicting the Minister's impeachment.

1953 GMT: (Dealing with) The Battle Within. The Arbitration Council appointed by the Supreme Leader to resolve disputes among the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches has published a report declaring an 11-point plan based on 21 meetings with heads of the three branches.

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Egypt Q&A: Why Is There A "Revolution Reignited"? (Elazul)

Why are they going to Tahrir (and other squares) now?

Because something is wrong:

When there is no security after 9 months .... despite billions being spent on the police,  something wrong.

When they say the chaos will continue until a president is elected in 2013, something is wrong.

When until today, not a single pound of the money stolen by the regime has been returned, Something is wrong.

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Iran Triangle: Regime Loves Occupy Wall Street...But Occupy Wall Street Supports Political Prisoners

A demonstrator talks about prominent reformist Mostafa Tajzadeh, held since soon after the 2009 elections and sentenced to six years

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We have been reporting for weeks on the Iranian regime's support of Occupy Wall Street as the "American Awakening" --- following Tehran's "Islamic Awakening" --- to change the US system. There have been regime-backed demonstrations, a glossy website "Wall Street Fall", and a declaration that 250,000 Basij militia will mobilise for the movement.

But the regime's love might be unrequited --- it appears that the US protesters only have eyes for those who have been detained in their pursuit of rights and justice. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports:

An Iranian activist and a student of anthropology at Yale University has launched Campaign99 to generate international solidarity with political prisoners in Iran.

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US Elections Special: How Limits on Campaign Financing Are Being Demolished for 2012

The ugly issue of campaign financing is not new, but it has risen in prominence because of the January 2010 decision by the Supreme Court decision, which has opened the doors for corporations, unions, and individuals to make unlimited anonymous contributions to political campaigns. The ramifications of that decision, as they will affect next year's campaign are not yet fully known, but this could be the year that Super PACs emerge as the "kingmakers" --- albeit hiding the identity of the kingmakers who lie behind them --- of American politics.

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Pakistan Feature: A "Crisis in Relations" After NATO Kills 26 Pakistani Soldiers in Airstrikes?

Pakistanis Protest after NATO AttacksReading and comparing the coverage from websites in Pakistan, the US, and Britain over Saturday's NATO airstrikes that killed 26 Pakistani troops....

Dawn (Pakistan)

The United States stressed the “importance” of its ties with Pakistan after up to 26 soldiers were killed in cross-border Nato air strikes Saturday, plunging already frosty relations into crisis.

In a joint statement, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered their “deepest condolences” and said they backed “Nato’s intention to investigate immediately.”

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: How Activist Zainab Alkhawaja Defied the Police...And Escaped Arrest

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Today in A'ali in Bahrain, security forces --- as is their standard practice --- moved against protesters after a funeral procession for a man killed last week, allegedly after an incident with a police jeep. They used tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators who had blocked roads into the village.

Activist Zainab Alkhawaja (@angryarabiya), despite attempts to dissuade her by fellow demonstrators, went up to the police in a dramatic expression of personal resistance. It was feared for some time that she had been arrested, but she escaped detention. This is her account of what happened:

Hi all, first of all I hope there were no serious injuries after the attack today by riot police on the mourners in Aali.

I have been thinking for awhile about our protests, and tweeting that we should be sitting peacefully in front of police, not running. Today I didn't run, and as police ran towards me, shooting at the protesters, I remained on my knees holding up a Bahraini flag.

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