Iran Document: Supreme Leader to MPs "Heckling of President Ahmadinejad is Disgraceful"

Ahmadinejad Faces Parliament after HecklingMy unhappiness is because of the disrespect that was provided to the President. You disrespected the President. You have the right to point out things to him, question him, and even censure him but you cannot insult anyone, particularly the President. The Presidency is a respectable office in the constitution. Look at the record, Presidents have always had opponents in the Majlis; but when were they insulted in such a manner? This insulting behavior was cruel, unjust and a sin.

My concern is about the Majlis. I was really concerned about the Majlis itself. What kind of a situation is this in which the Majlis, a forum that is presented as the representative of the virtues of people, engages in cries of "No, No", and prevents someone from expressing his view? I have repeatedly told Mr. Larijani to prevent such behavior. Why is there such disrespectful "No No" calling? The only thing they have not done is start a physical fight and jump all over each other, like they do in some countries.

Click to read more ...

US Politics Audio: Scott Lucas on the BBC about the Debt Deal

I did several interviews this afternoon about the developing deal in the US over the Federal debt. Questions ranged from "who wins politically?" (answer: Republicans win the battle but Obama probably wins the war, at least for the 2012 Presidential election), "who wins economically?" (answer: nobody --- this is a bad economic "solution" and we are likely to be back at this point in 2013), and "what does it mean for Britain?" (not as much as people might think).

BBC WM: The discussion starts just before the 1:04:00 mark.

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire: The interview begins just before the 37:00 mark.

Live Audio From Hama: Shelling Continues for Second Night

An intense video, posted by a man who claims to be a resident of Hama. We have no way of verifying this report, but we do know that NPR's Andy Carvin believes it is genuine. Gunshots, chanting, and loud noises can be heard in the distance, and sometimes the violence is too close to call. In several points of the audio, a bullet snap can be heard, as if the bullets are passing very closely.

The narrator prays, speaks about his disdain for the Assad regime, and the Assad's disregard for human rights. The narrator is both defiant and scared, mournful and hopeful, prayerful and weak. It's a moving narrative, and regardless of one's understanding of Arabic, it is worth the listen.

UPDATE 2017 GMT: The live stream appears to have ended a little less than an hour ago. The video was updating in 15-35 minutes segments, and the archive can be found here.

This is the video that immediately precedes the previous video:

Click to read more ...

The Latest from Iran (1 August): Brain Drain and a "Brain Tumour"

1650 GMT: Back to the Brain Drain. An EA reader has kindly asked us about the context for our morning report (see 0630 GMT) of an Iranian official revealing that 97% of Iranian Ph.D. students are pursuing their degrees abroad.

The story came from an interview, with the Director General of Home Affairs at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, in Daneshjoo News (Student News).

Subsequently, another official at the Ministry told Fars that the "97%" claim was "not true" because it was taken out of context.

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Regime's Deadly Gamble

Lattakia in Syria last night: "The people want to overthrow the regime"

See also Live Audio From Hama: Shelling Continues for Second Night

Syria Video Special: The Military Assault on Hama
Sunday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Battle for the Cities

2010 GMT: An update on casualties tonight, as the people of Syria are still in the streets. An activist is reporting that 11 people have been killed so far across Syria. With 5 killed earlier, this could put the number at 16 for the day.

In Lattakia, "Three were injured by security forces' fire near Al-Rahman mosque in Tabiyat, and two other injured near Abi-Dardaa mosque tonight," according to the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria.

In the suburbs of Damascus, there are multiple reports and videos of protests, as well as of violence. Here is the latest from the LCCS:

Damascus suburbs: Irbeen: Tayseer Qalesh was killed and many were wounded after security forces and shabiha (regime's armed thugs) fired at the night demonstration today

Activists are reporting that there are over 30 injuries in Irbeen.

2203 GMT: Universitystduents protest tonight in Damascus:

2155 GMT: It is unclear, but we believe this video was taken in Homs, where protesters can be seen running from gunfire this evening.

2150 GMT: An important, though unconfirmed, report from Aleppo:

Click to read more ...

Media Feature: Al Jazeera English Makes It to the US...Well, New York City (Stelter)

Every cable news channel has its moment.

CNN had the gulf war. Fox News had the war on terror. And Al Jazeera English had the Arab Spring.

But six months after widespread protests erupted in the Middle East, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera has not gained distribution on any major cable or satellite systems in the United States. The channel’s supporters say they feel it has been blacklisted; the distributors say they have to contend with limited channel space.

Click to read more ...

US Politics Opinion: "A Plague on All Your Houses"

Sen. Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Sen. John BoehnerWhilst Congress remains gridlocked, which will be the case until January 2013 at the earliest, the markets will look askance at efforts to control American debt and react accordingly, hurting us all. This is what happens when economic issues are politicised. Maybe, Obama will take a leaf from Bill Clinton’s book, moving to the centre and getting popular support for legislation which Congress hears, but I doubt this will happen.

It is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that I find the words to sum up my feelings: “A plague on all your houses.”

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Battle for the Cities

Latest death toll in military operations in Syria today: 136

2020 GMT: Pro-reform demonstration today in Casablanca in Morocco:

2015 GMT: Silent, candle-lit vigil in Amuda in northeast Syria tonight for the victims of today's violence:

Click to read more ...

The Latest from Iran (31 July): So This is Freedom of the Press....

2010 GMT: Clerical Intervention. Grand Ayatollah Sane'i, challenging the Government's portrayal of "security" in Iran, has asked, "Is it safe?" when figures like Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are kept under prolonged house arrest.

2000 GMT: You Gotta Laugh. President Ahmadinejad was in northwest Iran today, celebrating the inclusion of the Tabriz Grand Bazaar on the list of World Heritage Sites. However, it was this episode earlier in the week that made us smile:

In a meeting of the cabinet with provincial governors and other senior government officials around the country, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said sarcastically, "Anybody who sits next to us is arrested." He made the statement after asking Hamid Baghaei, his vice president for executive affairs, to sit next to him. Over the last few months there have been persistent rumors that Baghaei's arrest is imminent.

Ahmadinejad will want to hold on to that sense of humour. Reformist MP Dariush Ghanbari, who has struck out at the Government this week, continued his criticism in Parliament today with the declaration that the people of Iran have become "debtors or unemployed" under Ahmadinejad's leadership. He sent the message to the President, "Rather than oil money reaching Iranian households, [people] are receiving court orders to repay their debts or report to jail, because your administration has mishandled the restructuring of subsidies."

Click to read more ...

US Opinion: Learning The Ideological and Political Lessons of "Armadebtdon 2011"

When a deal is finally reached on this occasion, who is optimistic that in a year's time, or a decade from now, politicians will have found a way to put aside partisan differences exacerbated by outside groups and face the tough fiscal choices facing the country?

Perhaps it is time for some changes in the way American government operates to meet the modern reality that compromise, on the important matters, is virtually impossible in Congress. Without them --- and it might be as simple, if controversial, as ending the filibuster --- it is impossible to see how Washington can avoid lurching from impasse to impasse.

Click to read more ...