Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Newest Battle of Tahrir Square

2134 GMT: The voice of the opposition that is not going away in Tahrir Square:

The President has stepped down, key advisors have stepped down, and the cabinet has offered its resignation, but the people of Egypt have yet to feel the reform that the process has promised. With elections only a week away, the people in the streets are giving a clear mandate: they want the resignation of SCAF, free and fair elections, and the freedom of expression and representation that the military is fighting against until the last minutes of this transitional government.

We close our liveblog with this video:

Click to read more ...

Egypt Feature: At Least 24 Die in Fighting over Christian March in Cairo

Scenes before and after the violence around the march in Cairo (Photos: EPA)

See also Sunday's Egypt LiveBlog: At Least 19 Killed in Clashes Over Christian March

---

The death toll from Sunday night's clashes in Cairo, centred around a march by mostly Coptic Christians, is now at least 24 with more than 180 injured. 

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: So What Does Protest Mean?

See also Libya Snapshot: The TV Producer Keeping Qaddafi on the Air
Turkey-Israel Feature: Why There is a Downward Spiral in Relations
Friday's Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Expecting Defiance, Watching for Defections

---

2035 GMT: Footage of a protest in Idlib in northwest Syria tonight:

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Regime Losing Control?

2025 GMT: Syria state news agency SANA is highlighting pro-regime rallies throughout the country today, including marches in Damascus, Baniyas, "stressing rejection of all forms of foreign interference in Syria's affairs".

The demonstrators unfurled large Syrian flags, sang the national anthem, and chanted in support of President Assad's reform programme.

2010 GMT: Footage from Morocco's largest city Casablanca of today's pro-reform demonstration:

Click to read more ...

Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Return to Violence in Tahrir Square

A protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square last night

2055 GMT: Back to the lead story to wrap up today --- Ahram Online's video recording the clash in Cairo's Tahrir Square between security forces and protesters:

See also Egypt Feature: Clashes in Cairo

2100 GMT: Bahraini authorities have released 20 more medical staff who were detained in connection with the uprising against the regime, but they will still face military trial.

The 20 are among 48 doctors, nurses, and paramedics who were arrested. All by 14 have now been released, although the court proceedings, which have taken place over the last two weeks, will continues.

The release comes days before a "national dialogue" hailed by the regime as a chance for reconciliation.

Click to read more ...

"New Egypt" Feature: Striking Back at Workers' Protests (Sallam)

Workers on Strike, February 2011It remains unclear if the new, post-Mubarak Egypt can succeed in addressing the socio-economic grievances that helped to spark the January 25 uprising.

The prevailing discourse among Egyptian elites and opinion makers, however, already signals that the answer is no. The ambivalent, if not hostile, rhetoric directed toward demands for more humane standards of living points to the potential for continuity in the highly uneven economic order. While most believe that there will be no return to the pre-January 25 political system, even if post-Mubarak Egypt is not fully democratic, workers may continue to be marginalized by the economic liberalization begun under the previous regime.

Click to read more ...

Egypt Latest: Six Die in Attack on Christian Church (Al Jazeera English)

UPDATE 2030 GMT: A large demonstration from Imbaba has arrived tonight in front of the State TV building in central Cairo.

Click to read more ...

Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Dragging Out the Day

2045 GMT: Doctors have suggested that regime forces in Yemen used a form of nerve gas on pro-democracy protesters in Sanaa in a violent clash on Tuesday night.

The soldiers fired warning shots into the air before shooting gas and, it is claimed, live bullets into the crowd, killing one and injuring at least 75.

“The material in this gas makes people convulse for hours. It paralyzes them. They couldn’t move at all. We tried to give them oxygen but it didn’t work,” said Amaar Nujaim, a field doctor who works for Islamic Relief.

“We are seeing symptoms in the patient’s nerves, not in their respiratory systems. I’m 90 percent sure its nerve gas and not tear gas that was used,” said Sami Zaid, a doctor at the Science and Technology Hospital in Sanaa.

Mohammad Al-Sheikh, a pathologist at the same hospital, said that some of the victims had lost their muscular control and were forced to wear diapers.

“We have never seen tear gas cause these symptoms. We fear it may be a dangerous gas that is internationally forbidden,” Al-Sheikh said.

Click to read more ...

Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Any Advance?

1800 GMT: My thanks to EA's Ali Yenidunya for covering the LiveBlog while I am in Manchester in northwest Britain. We are going to take an evening break and return early on Sunday.

1630 GMT: Algerian police and pro-government activists foiled a sixth attempt by opposition protesters to march in the capital Algiers.

1620 GMT: According to the Al Watan daily, at least 8 killed and more than 20 wounded in clashes between rebels and loyalists at Ras Lanuf.

1610 GMT: It is reported that Libyan revolutionaries shot down two helicopters in Ras Lanuf & Ben Jwad.

Click to read more ...

Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Friday of Counting Protests

2245 GMT: A video of State Security Headquarters in Alexandria after protesters entered the building:

2150 GMT: The scene in front of the State Security Headquarters in Alexandria tonight:

Click to read more ...