Syria, Yemen, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Waiting for Confirmation

2300 GMT: Apologies for the suspension in service --- EA staff have been on a holiday break this evening with family and friends. We will be back from 0530 GMT with all the latest news.

1700 GMT: AFP summarises today's protests for reform in Morocco....

Nearly 10,000 people, according to an an AFP correspondent, massed in the city centre and marched to Mohammed VI Square. Organisers put the turnout at nearly 20,000. More than 500 people took to the streets in Marrakesh, while more than 2,000 marched in Tangiers to demand the resignation of the mayor, Fouad El Omary.

Key demands of the marchers included curbs on the powers of the king, an independent judiciary, and steps against corruption.

A video of the rally in Casablanca:

1610 GMT: Human Rights Watch has protested a decree by the regime of the United Arab Emirates dissolving the elected board of directors of the Jurist Association, established in 1980 to promote the rule of law and raise professional standards in the legal profession.

The decree, signed by the Minister of Social Affairs, Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al-Roumi, dismissed the group’s board and replaced its members with state appointees.

The Jurist Association and three other nongovernmental organizations had signed a petition on 6 April seeking political reforms in the country.

The Jurist Association has faced mounting restrictions in recent years. In 2010, the regime prohibited Association representatives from attending meetings abroad and cancelled symposiums in the UAE that it considered controversial.

1550 GMT: Claimed footage of a demonstration in Baniyas in Syria, reacting to the news of protesters slain in Jableh:

1500 GMT: Competing claims between the regime and the opposition over casualties today....

The Ministry of Interior says two security personnel were killed in al-Muadamiya and Homs 38 police officers were injured in clashes and seven people were killed "by the armed criminal groups" in Nawa, where thousands of mourners gathered for a funeral of a slain demonstrator (see 1430 GMT).

Activists claim at least six people were slain in Jableh by security forces.

1455 GMT: Libyan State TV is featuring footage of a group of regime supporters cheering beside what appears to be an unexploded NATO missile and chanting, "God , Muammar [Qaddafi], and Libya".

The location of the demonstration was not stated.

1445 GMT: Witnesses and journalists say masses of protesters have taken to the streets across 14 provinces Yemen to protest against a deal that grants President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for Saleh handing over power to a his Vice President within 30 days (see 0520 GMT).

Yaseen Noman, president of the opposition group Joint Meeting Parties, said Saturday that it accepted the proposal, put by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council but had two comments -- the opposition does not want to participate in a unified government, and they cannot force protesters to go home.

The Organizing Committee of the Youth Revolution denounced the plan on Sunday: "We the youth of revolution reject any proposal that does not hold Saleh accountable for the killing over 140 revolution protesters." It also criticised the plan because it did not call for an immediate removal of Saleh.

1430 GMT: Back from a break to find that thousands of mourners at a funeral in Nawa, near Daraa in the south of Syria, have called for the overthrow of President Assad.

"Long live Syria. Down with Bashar!" the procession chanted. "Leave, leave. The people want the overthrow of the regime."

A witness said four people were killed Saturday in Nawa.

1130 GMT: Live footage shows a protest of thousands in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca. Slogans include, "Makhzen (authoritarian regime) out!", "Morocco, my land is free!", and "United and in solidarity we can achieve anything!"

1120 GMT: The Libyan opposition in Misurata says regime forces are carrying out random bombardment of the city centre and residential areas.

1050 GMT: Al Jazeera Mubasher is showing live footage of a demonstration by thousands of people Misurata, protesting the indiscriminate killing of the Libyan regime.

1000 GMT: Video uploaded yesterday of the main square of Misurata, Libya's third-largest city torn apart by two months of fighting:

And opposition fighters speak to camera, even as a rocket falls on the street behind them:

0950 GMT: Staff from the Syrian Embassy in Cairo confront a group of demonstrators, ripping their posters from their hands:

0855 GMT: Brian Whitaker identifies some possible difficulties with a deal for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down (see 0520 GMT), even if Saleh is serious that he will accept it:

One possible snag is that his resignation would have to be submitted to parliament, where his party has an overwhelming majority, and there is no guarantee that the members would accept it.

Another problem is that under the current plan the new government would be formed within seven days of a deal being signed –-- in other words, while Salih is still president. This would give him considerable influence over the transition.

There is no mention in the plan of a dissolution of parliament and so, amid the talk about drafting a new constitution, it seems that parliamentary elections will have to wait. While there is some sense in holding the next elections under a new constitution (with a new electoral law too), the effect in the meantime is that Salih's party, the General People's Congress, will continue to control parliament where it won 238 seats out of 301 in the 2003 election. This could make it much more difficult to dismantle the remains of Salih's regime if/when the president goes.

0845 GMT: The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Syria "because of increasingly violent disturbances in urban centres across the country, including the capital Damascus, and reports of live gunfire by security forces resulting in an increasing number of deaths".

The Foreign Office has advised British nationals in Syria "who have no pressing need to remain" to leave by commercial means. Those who remain "should review their own individual security and take precautions for their safety" and "should avoid all demonstrations of any kind as they all have the potential to turn hostile".

0635 GMT: Three NATO airstrikes on Tripoli were reported overnight, but there are still no details on the targets.

British officials said its planes had attacked armoured vehiclesnear Misurata and NATO confirmed the first US Predator drone to fire over Libya had hit a rocket launcher in the area on Saturday.

0620 GMT: Activists claim that secret police raided homes in Harasta near Damascus overnight, arresting activists.

0540 GMT: The latest line on Misurata from the Libyan regime, via Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, "The armed forces have not withdrawn from Misurata. They have simply suspended their operations."

Kaim said that if the insurgents do not surrender in the next two days, armed tribesmen will fight them in place of the army.

0520 GMT: In Libya, the dominant if confusing news on Saturday was the state of the battle for Misurata, 210 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli. After a two-month siege, it appeared that the opposition was on the verge of a significant victory when reports came through that the regime had ordered a withdrawal of its fighters. 

Later in the day, however, this was replaced by news of further clashes. Medical sources said at least 25 people were killed and 71 critically wounded. Many of the casulaties were from booby-trapped bombs attached to weapons and bodies by pro-Gaddafi troops.

Our speculation --- but pending confirmation, it has to be treated as speculation --- is that Qaddafi's commanders have called for the withdrawal but that the skirmishes were continuing as the regime's fighters tried to escape the city.

In Yemen, the development on the political front was a statement from the regime that President Ali Abdullah Saleh would accept the plan of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council for transition of power. Under the proposals, Saleh will hand over leadership within a month to his Vice President; in return, he and his family will have immunity from prosecution.

Similar statements have been made before, however, only for Saleh to strike the pose that he will not accept a coup and foreign intervention. So it is wait-and-see today.

In Syria, there is nothing close to a resolution to observe. Instead, security forces --- having killed up to 120 protesters on Friday --- fired on funeral processions on Saturday, reportedly slaying another 14 people. That will mean more funerals today, which in turn could mean more violence.