Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A New Dialogue?

1850 GMT: According to a source in Bahrain, when detained teacher Jalila Al Salman was released from prison, she immediately joined a protest, organized by Al Wefaq, that was designed to press for her release. A photo gallery of the event can be found here.

1826 GMT: We have received this video, reportedly showing Syrian soldiers firing guns and rockets into the city of Hama. The video appears to be leaked, and it is very unclear when it was taken. As such, it's very hard to cross-verify this video with eyewitness reports, though there have been plenty of reports of violence over the last few weeks in Hama.

The LCCS had these reports from Hama today, though because this video is leaked, and undated, we don't know when the video was actually taken:

Hama: security forces are heavily spread in the Al-Amiriyeh neighborhood amid widespread detention campaign. Of the detainees is Amir Salha

Hama: Hayaleen: security forces raided the village in a major security force to arrest Sheikh Ammar Khaled Al-Mansour, Imam of Al-Kabeer mosque, and to terrorize the people

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The Latest from Iran (1 November): Ministers, MPs, and the Bank Fraud

President Ahmadinejad arrives at Parliament today during the interrogation of Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini

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2015 GMT: Oops. Thomas Erdbrink picks up on a possible mis-step by President Ahmadinejad --- defending his Minister of Economy against possible impeachment, he admitted the effect of US-lead sanctions.

Ahmadinejad, amidst allegations in the $2.6 billion bank fraud, said, “Our banks cannot make international transactions anymore."

Iranian officials have consistently claimed that the sanctions are only hurting the US and its allies and that Iran's economy is strengthening despite the measures.

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Iran Football Video: Players Suspended for "Immoral Celebration"

I discovered on trips to Tehran the passion for football --- in the city, there was red (Persepolis), blue (Esteghlal), and little space in between.

But it appears that even this passion has its limits, or rather, needs to be limited. This weekend, Persepolis won 3-2 against Damash Gilan, but the victory came at a cost: two players have been suspended for an "immoral" goal-scoring celebration during the live broadcast.

First, defender Mohammed Nosrati handled the backside of teammate Sheis Rezaei as Persepolis scored. Then Rezaei marked another goal by giving an unidentified teammate a quick squeeze.

Nosrati and Rezaei are indefinitely banned from entering any stadium, let alone appearing on the pitch. and could face even more sanctions.

Occupy London Feature: The Crisis Grows for the Church of England

Worryingly for the clergy, the last fortnight has raised questions not only about its authority to lead discussions on social justice in this particular instance, but for the foreseeable future as well. Put it this way: who doubts that, when the question of the relevance of the representation of the Church in the House of Lords is finally resolved, that the past two weeks will not provide most of the context for the decision?

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Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Oakland (& Beyond): The Week in the US Protests

Wednesday's General Strike in Oakland, and in the other cities that decide to join  --- Portland is not, for the moment, citing the difficulties of organising an effective protest in such a short space of time ---  could make the headlines for this week. But, as a cursory look at the Occupy protests last week throughout the US shows, it could be a different story, a different theme, in any of the hundred cities involved in this challenge to supposed corporate greed.

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Israel-Palestine Feature: Why a UNESCO Vote Is Key To Palestinian Statehood

UPDATE 1745 GMT: State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has told journalists, "We were to have made a $60 million payment to UNESCO in November and we will not be making that payment."

UPDATE 1245 GMT: The New York Times has produced an overview --- a slanted overview, in my opinion, sniping at UNESCO while putting the unsupported assertion that "the Obama administration and Unesco had tried to avert the approval" of Palestine's bid. This paragraph, however, is notable:

Legislation dating back more than 15 years mandates a complete cutoff of American financing to any United Nations agency that accepts the Palestinians as a full member. Unesco — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — depends on the United States for 22 percent of its budget, about $70 million a year.

Lara Friedman has more on the US legislation mandating withdrawal of funding.

UPDATE 1230 GMT: Palestine has been accepted by UNESCO by a vote of 107-14, with the US objecting. There were 52 abstentions.

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The Latest from Iran (31 October): Arrested at Neda's Grave

Activists Peyman Aref, Asal Esmailzadeh, and Sharar Konoon Tabrizi --- arrested on Sunday at the grave of Neda Agha Soltan --- with Parvin Fahimi, the mother of Sohrab Arabi, who was killed during the first mass march on 15 June 2009

See also Iran Feature: The Chinese Telecom Giant Helping Tehran Track and Block Its Opponents
The Latest from Iran (30 October): When Talking Tough Is Not Enough....

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1630 GMT: Currency News. Mehr carries the news, put out by the reformist newspaper Shargh this weekend, that the Iranian rial has weakened beyond the 13000:1 level v. the US dollar. When the threshold was first crossed this summer, the Central Bank put dollars into the market to try and boost the flagging Iranian currency.

The website also says gold coins are becoming rare as people hoard them because of their rising value.

1620 GMT: All-is-Well Alert. The head of Iran's atomic energy programme, Fereydoun Abbasi, has said Tehran will announce "good nuclear developments in the near-future".

Abbasi asserted that neither the country's nuclear industry nor "activities in other domains" had been halted by US-led sanctions.

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Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Spark of Detention

2008 GMT: Now Lebanon is now raising the death toll in Syria to 13, citing Al Arabiya.

1915 GMT: The LCCS posts this video, evening protests in Qalat Madeq in Hama:

1908 GMT: A large protest this evening in Daraa province:

Another in Deir Balbeh, Homs:

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US Feature: "Help Me Jeebus" --- Kentucky Demands Dependence on Almighty God for Security (Cheves)

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security has the right to publicly declare "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth," the state Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

State law requires the Office of Homeland Security to publicize God's benevolent protective powers in its official reports and on a plaque posted outside the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort. State Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, a Southern Baptist minister, placed the "Almighty God" language into the law establishing the office without much notice at the time.

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Iran Feature: The Chinese Telecom Giant Helping Tehran Track and Block Its Opponents (Stecklow/Fassihi/Chao)

When Western companies pulled back from Iran after the government's bloody crackdown on its citizens two years ago, a Chinese telecom giant filled the vacuum.

Huawei Technologies Co. now dominates Iran's government-controlled mobile-phone industry. In doing so, it plays a role in enabling Iran's state security network.

Huawei recently signed a contract to install equipment for a system at Iran's largest mobile-phone operator that allows police to track people based on the locations of their cellphones, according to interviews with telecom employees both in Iran and abroad, and corporate bidding documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. It also has provided support for similar services at Iran's second-largest mobile-phone provider. Huawei notes that nearly all countries require police access to cell networks, including the U.S.

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