The Latest from Iran (29 October): The Economy, Propaganda, and the IMF

See also The Latest from Iran (28 October): "Our Prisons Are Full"

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1720 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalists Ali Akrami, Mehdi Afsharnik, Mohammad Heydari, and Mohsen Hakimi have been released on bail.

The reporters were detained during a regime crackdown last month on the Freedom Movement of Iran.

1715 GMT: Parliament v. President. The New York Times has now joined the flutter, started by a speech of the Supreme Leader last week, that Iran might replace an elected President with a Prime Minister chosen by Parliament.

Meanwhile, Aty News --- close to Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf --- quotes MP Mohammad Dehghan that there will be no more Presidential elections.

On another front, Khabar Online, linked to Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, suggested that there may be a move this week towards interrogation of the President, as the number of MPs demanding the session is on the rise.

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"Yes, We Will Tweet": How a Flashmob Took Over a New Media Conference in Lebanon

See also EA Follow-Up: A Story of "Internet and Democratic Freedom"...and One Speaker's Detention at an Airport

A telling and compelling episode at the "Digital and Media Literacy: New Directions" conference, held by the Arab-U.S. Association of Communication Educators, at American University Beirut yesterday.

After the AUSACE President makes her introductory remarks, the moderator tells the audience, "Please do not tweet about the last speech" or, indeed, any other presentation.

What follows is an impromptu flashmob of singing, call-and-response, and a takeover of the conference's projection screen:

US Politics Feature: Is It "The Curse of the Front-Runner" for Mitt Romney?

Take a look at intrade.com, the political betting website, and Mitt Romney has got the Republican presidential nomination wrapped up. He is currently given a 69% chance of becoming the GOP candidate in 2012, with Rick Perry and Herman Cain trailing at 12% and 7.6% respectively.  

Unfortunately for Mitt Romney, the history of Republican primaries  is littered with examples of hot favourites who were unable to maintain their momentum and finish the race as the victor.

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US Politics Feature: Is It President Obama by Default in 2012?

If I was a betting man, which I’m not, I would be inclined to put a substantial wager on Barack Obama being re-elected as President next year.

Not that I’m endorsing a memorable presidency. Not hardly. My view is based mostly on the likely opposition.

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Bahrain Feature: The Freedom Torch Protests

The son of a victim of protest violence holds the Freedom Torch in Al Eker village on Friday night

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An EA correspondent in Bahrain reports that the 14 February Coalition has launched a new wave of protests --- "Freedom Torch":

According to a statement that been released by the opposition, there is a full week of activities with different kind of protests, from prayer night for the martyrs to human chains in villages. The most important one is the "Freedom Torch".

A torch will be taken around all Bahrain villages and ending in Sanabis, the nearest village to Pearl Roundabout/Martyrs Square, on 22 November, with celebrations of "the continuous fight for freedom and dignity" at each stop.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Back on the Streets?

An anti-regime protest in Zabadani, outside the Syrian capital Damascus, last night

See also,Bahrain Feature: The Freedom Torch Protests
Syria Video Special: Today's Protests Across the Country

Bahrain Propaganda 101: Foreign Minister Gets a Boost from Washington's Journalists
Thursday's Syria, Yemen (and Beyond): Child Martyrs and Broken Promises

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2230 GMT: Upset at the disqualification of a political party for "irregularities" from Sunday's election, a crowd of protesters allegedly tried to attack the regional government headquarters today in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Police reportedly fired into the air to disrupt the protests:

2221 GMT: Al Jazeera is now reporting that today's death toll in Syria has topped 40. The other significant development? Most of the protesters were killed in Hama, adding credibility to details that EA reported earlier.

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Syria Video Special: Today's Protests Across the Country

Anadan, Aleppo:

Sanamein in the south:

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The Latest from Iran (28 October): "Our Prisons Are Full"

1854 GMT: James Miller takes the liveblog.

Reuters is reporting that three separate explosions have rocked Iran's oil and gas industry, though the government is stating that they are unrelated:

The fatal incident at the oil field at Bibi Hakimeh near the Gulf occurred during drilling, when workers unexpectedly encountered an "enormous volume of unknown accumulated gas" in the layers of a reservoir, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Three people were injured.

Mehr also reported a separate blast at the Shazand oil refinery in central Iran, but the plant's managing director later told state radio the incident had been exaggerated.

"Nothing special has happened there. There was no fire at all," Majid Rajabi said. "The refinery is functioning normally."

The third blast happened on a 26-inch pipeline carrying gas to an oilfield in Gachsaran in south-western Iran later on Friday, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Even if the blasts turn out to be unrelated, in the direct sense, this will raise serious concerns about the safety of Iran's infrastructure, especially in light of the explosion at the Abadan refinery in May while Ahmadinejad was at the plant.

1810 GMT: Deviant Current Watch. Ali Rezaei, Friday Prayer leader in Birjand and a representative of the Supreme Leader, has said he did not participate in a provincial government meeting because members of the "deviant current" were present.

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Iran Video: UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Takes Questions From Victims' Families

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, takes questions from the relatives of those killed in post-election protests --- among them is Parvin Fahimi, the mother of 19-year-old Sohrab Arabi, and the wife of Ali Hassanpour. Both men were killed on 15 June 2009 during the mass rally against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supposed election.

One of many notable moments: when Hassanpour's wife asks if she can travel to see Shaheed and get assurances that she will not be punished, he responds, "I cannot guarantee your safety."

Shaheed has issued an initial report but has been denied entry to Iran by the regime.

EA Follow-Up: A Story of "Internet and Democratic Freedom"...and One Speaker's Detention at an Airport

It's nice that Iceland Air marked my boarding pass with 'ssss' for my Reykjavik to Seattle flight. I guess I'm getting detained in Iceland.

The last time I had the 'ssss' on my boarding pass in Reykjavik I spent the entire wait before flying to the US in a little white room.

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