Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Sorting Out "Shameless Acts of Terror"

Syrian activist/blogger Razan Ghazzawi, Egyptian activist/blogger Alaa Abd-El Fattah, and Bahraini activist/blogger Ali Abdulemam, photographed in Budapest in 2008 --- Ghazzawi was detained this weekend, Abd-El Fattah is in prison, and Abdulemam is in hiding from a 15-year sentence

See also Saudi Arabia Feature: 16 Reformists Given Long Prison Sentences
Syria Feature: The Arrest of Activist Razan Ghazzawi
Sunday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Actress's Message

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2214 GMT: As we close the LiveBlog, we turn to Yemen. Reuters confirms the news that at least 1 civilian was killed by soldiers today in Taiz:

Tanks, armored vehicles and opposition fighters left some areas of Taiz, a hub of 10 months of unrest against Saleh's 33-year rule, but gunmen and snipers remained and had fired on demonstrators, witnesses said.

"Both sides violated the ceasefire agreement. We were marching peacefully and they (Saleh's forces) shot at us yet again," medical student Hamoud al-Aklamy told Reuters.

Activists, right now, are reporting loud explosions in various neighborhoods of the capital city, Sana'a. Every time it appears as though things in Yemen are calming down, something happens to remind us that in Yemen, just like in many places in the region, Arab Spring is far from over, despite the fact that it is now about to enter its second year.

2205 GMT: Protesters are still conducting a sit-in protest in Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital Cairo, demanding that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces release all political prisoners. The demonstrators have announced that they will allow traffic to flow again in the square, while continuing the sit-in.

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Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Quiet? Not Really....

A march of young people in Taiz in Yemen today challenges the Saleh regime

See also Bahrain Video Feature: The Detention of the Athletes
Syria Video Special: Undercover With Those Challenging the Regime
Syria Audio Special: How Does This End?
Tuesday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Noticing Homs

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2120 GMT: The presence of security forces in the Khalidiya section of Homs today:

Tadmur in Homs Province tonight:

Anadan in Aleppo Province:

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: News Seeps Out of Deaths

2027 GMT: A contact in Bahrain clarifies the "iron skewer" story:

The irony, for months police & govt loyalist have been accusing anti-gov protesters of throwing those metal sticks on police!!!

2020 GMT: A police officer throws "iron skewers" at protesters, reportedly today in Al Eker, Bahrain:

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Libya Snapshot: The Last Appeals of the Qaddafi Regime to the US (Dehghan)

The Qaddafi regime carried out an extraordinary clandestine lobbying operation to try to stop NATO's bombardment of Libya, and believed the western allies were likely to launch a full-scale invasion in "either late September or October".

Secret documents in Tripoli seen by The Guardian reveal the desperate attempts made by the Libyan government in its final months to influence US and world opinion. It approached key international opinion formers from the US president Barack Obama downwards.

The regime tried to persuade the Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich --- a well-known rebel who voted against NATO military action in Libya, and opposed the Iraq war --- to visit Tripoli as part of a hastily arranged "peace mission". The Libyan government offered to pay all Kucinich's costs related to the trip, including "travel expenses and accommodation".

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Libya, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "No Talks"

2119 GMT: We close the live-blog with news from Libya. Rebels launched a new military campaign in the west, near Nalut (noted earlier):

A rebel spokesman told Reuters that a small attack had been launched against pro-Gaddafi forces earlier on Wednesday, resulting in the destruction of three of their tanks. He said that Gaddafi's forces had fired Grad rockets, but that no casualties had been reported.

Meanwhile, the United states is reviewing a request from the National Transitional Council to open an embassy in Washington.

The rebels have been pledging to use Ramadan as an opportunity to refocus on toppling Gaddafi. The opposition in Syria and Bahrain, based on the spectacular video below, has similar ideas. Come back tomorrow and watch what happens, and thanks for reading ~ James Miller

2111 GMT: Night protests in Al Dair, Bahrain:

Night protests in Al Kawara, Bahrain:

Night protests in Qariya, Bahrain:

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