Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Night Protests Continue

People rally after evening prayers in the Midan section of Damascus --- note the masks and scarves worn by many to disguise identities

1855 GMT: This video, claiming to have been taken today in Sitra, Bahrain, shows a crowd of police arresting an unarmed man.

1841 GMT: Turkey has delivered the first shipment of oil to the Eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, part of a $10 million oil deal. This shipment will supply needed oil to the Libyan rebels, who have been unwilling to operate their oil infrastructure for fear of Gaddafi's forces targeting the resources.

1816 GMT: In southern Yemen, tribal forces have cooperated with the government to strike at Islamic militants in Zinjibar:

In the south, tribesmen on Monday said they routed militants from parts of the capital of the flashpoint Abyan province. Zinjibar lies east of a key shipping channel where some 3 million barrels of oil pass daily, and is one of several areas in Abyan seized by militants in recent months.

The tribes began backing a military operation to recapture Zinjibar in recent weeks, after accusing the army of being ineffective.

A tribal source said fierce clashes on Monday sent many militants fleeing north to Lawdar, where they were repelled again. Six militants were wounded and four others captured, he said.

1603 GMT: Two unconfirmed updates from a Facebook page associated with the Libyan rebels in the Nafusa mountains. The first claims that the rebels repelled a Gaddafi attack near Misurata, potentially capturing vehicles in the process. The second report claims that Qatar is assisting with the building of an airstrip in Nalut, in the Nafusa mountains, which could potentially deliver supplies to the rebel operation to the West and Southwest of Tripoli.

1553 GMT: Reuters is reporting that the opposition in Yemen has refused to negotiate with the regime until President Ali Abdullah Saleh abdicates his rule:

"We knew nothing about the idea of a road map. There is no such thing, and we have decided not to enter any dialogue until the Gulf initiative is signed or power is transferred to the vice president," said Mohammed Basindwa, a leader in Yemen's political opposition coalition.

Meanwhile, the Guardian posts this video:

Protesters in the southen Yemeni city of Ibb chanted "Welcome Ramadan, God revenge from the remnants of the regime" at an anti-government protest today, according to activist Yusra A.

1531 GMT: Activists in Syria seem to be responding positively to the news that the Assad government may allow the formation of opposition parties. For instance, here is a reaction from one activist (and retweeted by several others):

"#Assad law permitting parties is no different than his lifting Emergency Law or declaring amnesty: AN ABSOLUTE PACK OF LIES.

"#Syria ppl embrace new law on political parties by forming MARTYR PARTY, whose members are the 1,500 innocent civilians MURDERED BY #ASSAD."

1520 GMT: In Syria, however, the opposition sees an opportunity in Ramadan:

"The protesters in Syria are planning on having much bigger demonstrations in Ramadan because people stay up late during the month and more people go to mosques," Syrian human rights and political activist Ammar al-Qurabi told the Reuters news agency.

1411 GMT: The BBC's Middle East bureau editor Paul Danahar, in Misurata, has this assessment of the challenges for the rebels:

The European leaders that galloped into this conflict, despite reservations from some of their senior military advisers, expected it to be over by now.

Two things have slowed it down for the rebels.

One is the lack of good weapons and ammunition, the other is that the rebels say Nato has demanded proper organisation and accountability from the fighters on the ground before any agreement on minute-by-minute co-ordination.

Nato has said, with the support of the rebels, it will still bomb during Ramadan if it sees targets, though they will likely be more cautious to avoid civilian casualties.

As for the rebel fighters, Ramadan means progress is likely to grind to a halt. They expect many of their men will still want to fast throughout the day, even though the Koran says fighters are allowed a dispensation.

"Ramadan will be tough," [rebel fighter] Osama tells me.

1353 GMT: AND, comic relief... Ghosts (or zombies?) in Deir Ez Zor chant, "the dead want the fall of the regime. (thanks to the Guardian for finding this!)

1343 GMT: Syria's cabinet has taken the first step to formerly allowing political parties besides the ruling Baath party. Any opposition party that is willing to commit to the constitution and does not link or affiliate with non-Syrian groups will be allowed to submit an application to register as a political party. The measure still needs to be adopted by parliament:>/p>

In one of the strongest statements by officials yet, Minister of Information Adnan Mahmoud said the draft law was part of a political reform program to "alternate the possession of power," Sana reported.

Parliamentarian Mohammad Habash told The Associated Press that the bill still needs to be endorsed by parliament and will likely be presented for debate at the next session on August 7.

But the move has largely met with skepticism by activists, who point to the constitutional dominance of the ruling Baath party and an ongoing crackdown in which human rights groups say over 1,500 civilians have died.

There have been reports that Mr. Assad would repeal Article 8 of the country's constitution, which provides for the leading role of the Baath party in "state and society." But the article remains in place, despite Mr. Assad saying that alterations to the constitution are possible in a speech on June 20.

1329 GMT: Habib al-Adly, former interior minister under Egypt's now-deposed President Hosni Mubarak, will have his trial moved to August 3rd, the same date as Mubarak's. On his way back from the courtroom, hundreds of protesters pelted his vehicles with stones.

1318 GMT: Al Jazeera posts this impressive video, two rebel trucks near Misurata that almost get detroyed by a pro-Gaddafi tank. At the end of the video, a rebel tank is sent up the road to take out the enemy armor.

1308 GMT: With Scott Lucas on a well needed holiday (do you know anyone who works harder?), James Miller takes the liveblog.

We'll start with the Huffington Post. Besides my own article, Dr. James Zogby assesses the situation in Syria. He starts by explaining that the regime has acted badly, committing "suicide" through it's actions, and he points out that the Assad government has very little legitimacy or support (he wavers here, claiming that the support for the revolution among the middle or upper classes is not as clear, and he also claims that minorities are unsure of their fate in this conflict). He goes on to speak of fractures within the opposition:

For their part, the opposition appears fragmented, without a clear direction or national program, and not yet representative of all segments of Syria's complex society. Even supportive U.S. officials suggest that this opposition, such as it is, "is not ready for prime time."

There is serious concern that this drama is far from over, and may yet get worse. Syria is itself fragile, and it exists in an even more fragile neighborhood -- with deeply divided Lebanon on one side and still volatile Iraq on the other; with Syria playing host to well over one million Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, and home to a large disenfranchised Kurdish community; and with Turkey and Jordan concerned that the violence of a destabilized Syria might spill over their borders. If Syria goes well, the region may benefit from its new order. If it goes badly, there can be grave consequences all around.

I once observed that Tunisia could be likened to the Arab Spring's dress rehearsal, while Egypt was like taking the show to Broadway. Continuing the metaphor, it is Syria, not Yemen or Libya, that becomes the Arab Spring's Hollywood -- the ultimate test of whether this production will play well.

Dr. Zogby closes with his assessment that the world, especially the Arab neighbors, need to work with both the opposition, preparing them for "prime time," and with the regime, in order to stop the violence and move dialog forward.

This is where my assessment, and Zogby's, splits ways. Clearly, the world needs to call for national dialog, but I don't see compromise as a realistic option in Syria, after all of the violence, and all of the chants of "the people want the fall of the regime."

0600 GMT: An independent commission summoned by the Bahraini regime to investigate events during the uprising in February and March has said it will look at the role of the security forces in the unrest, examining charges of torture.

Chairman Cherif Bassiouni said at a Sunday news conference that his team would look at 30 police officers being investigated by the Ministry of Interior for not following procedures. He added, "We will investigate the role of the army. The army is not above the law and not beyond the law."

0555 GMT: Two clips of pro-reform protests in the Moroccan capital Rabat on Sunday:

0540 GMT: In Egypt, prominent TV presenter Dina Abdel-Rahman has been fired after she defended the integrity of a columnist who criticised a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Abdel-Rahman, hostess of the show Saban Dream had reviewed a column by Naglaa Bedeir that challenged statements made by the head of the Army's Central Zone, Major General Hassan El-Rowainy.

Abdel-Rahman was criticised on-air by strategic security expert Abdel-Moniem Qato and, 10 minutes after the end of the show, she was summoned by the owner of Dream TV and dismissed. Four producers of the programme have quit the channel in protest.

In her column in the newspaper El-Tahrir, Bedeir said El-Rowainy's stance towards protesters' demands was similar to the official rhetoric during the uprising against former President Bedeir. She wrote that El-Rowainy, who had appeared on Sabah Dream the previous day, believed that whoever adopted a view different from his either had a foreign agenda or suspicious ties.

0530 GMT: On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad replaced the governor of the eastern province of Deir Ez Zor. Hussein Arnos, a civilian, was transferred to govern the small province of Qunaitera west of Damascus. He was replaced by Samir Othman al-Sheikh, an officer in the intelligence services.

The move did nothing to stop demonstrations in the city, where hundreds of thousands turned out on Friday. Last night's gathering:

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And there were protests elsewhere. Kisweh in Damascus:

In Maarat al Nu'man in the northwest:

And in Lattakia on the coast: