Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 9:11 | Scott Lucas in EA Iran, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 
Green Movement, Syria This entry has been moved to the top of the page
Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 13:38 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Security forces use tear gas against protesters trying to march from Sanabis to Pearl Roundabout in Bahrain
1950 GMT: Developments in Jordan, as King Abdullah II approved a Cabinet shuffle after thousands of protesters rallied in Irbid, Maan, Karak, Tafileh, and the capital Amman, demanding transparency and an end to corruption.
The Minister of Interior, Saad Hayel Srour, was the biggest casualty of the shuffle. He is blamed for the use of excessive force by police against demonstrators and for allowing a wealthy businessman, serving a prison term for corruption, to leave the country for supposed medical treatment.
The Ministers of Health, Justice, and Information were also replaced.
Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf1925 GMT: Reformist Watch. Mojtaba Vahedi, an opposition spokesman based in the US and an ally of Mehdi Karroubi, has criticised former President Mohammad Khatami for his call for "reconcilation" with the regime.
Vahedi said there is nothing is left of Parliament to contest in 2012 elections, as everything is controlled by the Supreme Leader and Guardian Council. He specifically denounced leading MP Mostafa Kavakebian as "no reformist" --- "All real reformists are in prison".
1920 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, speaking to scholars of Qom universities and seminaries, has declared, "If we don't keep a majority of ppl satisfied, there will be no bright future" for the Iranian system.
An opposition drawing its strength from Syria’s restive streets has begun to emerge as a pivotal force in the country’s once-dormant politics, organizing across disparate regions through the Internet, reaching out to fearful religious minorities and earning the respect of more recognized, but long divided dissidents.
The Local Coordination Committees, as they call themselves, have become the wild cards in what is shaping up as a potentially decisive stage in Syria. The success of the young protesters may determine whether that change is incremental, as the government has suggested, or far more sweeping, as the protesters themselves have demanded.
UPDATE 1700 GMT: The caption of the Audacity of Hope has been charged with a felony and will meet with prosecutors on Tuesday. Passengers are still aboard the ship, which has been impounded, in solidarity with the captain.
The Audacity of Hope leaves port on Friday
On Friday, a ship of the "Freedom Flotilla 2", trying to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, was
Last Sunday, a Chinese surfer of the Net was so bored that he/she visited the website for his local government. The headline story? The upgrade of a road to the countryside.
And so an Internet sensation was launched.
The story was no thriller. The photograph, however, was rather distinctive (see the top of the page). Through superhuman powers, or more likely a very bad PhotoShop effort, the three officials were not just inspecting the road. They were levitating above it.
This, however, was only the start of a marvellous story. Soon, with the assistance of the Internet community in China, the Levitating Officials were visiting more exciting places and seeing Very Important People. This is just a selection from their cyber-travels on Earth...and beyond.
Damascus
Syria Friday, July 1, 2011 at 18:23 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran "Friday of Departure" in Syria: Protesters carry a massive flag through Assi Square, Hama.
See Also our Video Entry: Syria - Watching the Friday Protests - Set 1 and Set 2
1900 GMT: The New York Times reports that the Gaddafi regime lost hundreds of millions of dollars in investment funds managed by western banks.
Western companies were only allowed to deal with Libya between 2004 and 2011. This raises two, probably academic, questions: why did Western companies have such a bad track record with Libyan money, and if the rebels win can we thank them?
1816 GMT: Friday prayers on 60th Street in Sana'a, Yemen, once again turned into protests, as clerics leading the prayers called on Vice President Hadi to make more concessions to the demands of the opposition.
The UN fact-finding mission in Yemen is reporting that they have been granted access to protesters, and the government is cooperating with the mission. The team is expected to be finished with their investigation on July 6th.
1800 GMT: The LA times is reporting that the rebels are now within 50 miles from the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The rebels now occupy Bir Ghanam, halfway between Zintan and the large city of Aziziya. Rebels are concerned about potential civilian casualties in Aziziya, as they expect Gaddafi to use the civilians as human shields.
1742 GMT: Andy Carvin has uploaded a video to go with his report (below), showing a man injured in the violence in Tahrir Square.
1730 GMT: Though we're still updating and adding to the videos, our second set from today's protests in Syria is up and running. So far, we have video from Basr al Harir (south), Qamishli (northeast), Mayadin (east), Zabadani (southwest), Idlib in the northeast, and a massive demonstration in Assi Square in Hama.
1717 GMT: More from Andy Carvin, where violence has erupted in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt:
1855 GMT: Press Watch. The journal Shahrvand has returned after a ban with a cover featuring prominent writer Mahmoud Doulatabadi and poet Javad Mojab.
1845 GMT: Corruption Watch. Hojatoleslam Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the head of the Shiraz Administrative Court, has asserted that corruption amongst officials is one of the most important factors in the downfall of states.
1820 GMT: All the President's Men. Farda News claims that President Ahmadinejad's inner circle spent 338 million tomans (about $300,000) in less than a year for foreign travel, boat trips, and suits.
