Iran Feature: PhotoShopping a "Decent" Assad Family

PhotoShop has been a handy tool in the Islamic Republic to ensure the "right" images replace the "wrong" one for the public, from adding test-fired missiles to protecting Iranians from the cleavage of the West's women diplomats to cleaning up films and television shows of the immorality of bare arms and uncovered heads.

And not even a political ally is immune from the censor's changes.

Last week Mashregh News posted a feature on Bassel al-Assad, the elder brother of Syria's current President, killed in an automobile accident in January 1994. The article was a straightforward eulogy of "the symbol of Islamic resistance", with lots of photographs:

One of those pictures was of the Assad family, albeit with a couple of changes.

Here's the original --- long-time Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, his wife, his four sons, and his daughter:

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Egypt and Syria Feature: Comic Artists Get Serious (Bank)

TokTok's film about the making of its latest issue

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As far as the general public in the Arab world was concerned, comics and animation films were for a long time nothing more than children's entertainment. To this day, only a small amount of people know that the genre can address topical, even explosive subject matter.

Initiatives such as the Egyptian comic magazine TokTok are trying to buck the trend. The publication was founded in early 2011 by a group of young graphic designers and illustrators with the aim of providing a vibrant forum for Egypt's nascent comic scene. As well as publishing new stories, the initiators also want to make a point of informing people about their predecessors in this art form.

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The Latest from Iran (28 July): "The Food Situation is Getting Worse and Worse for All of Us"

A lengthy queues for subsidised chicken

See also Iran Audio Feature: How Significant is the "Chicken Crisis"? Scott Lucas with Monocle 24
The Latest from Iran (27 July): "No Serious Plans to Combat the Sanctions"

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1913 GMT: Chicken Watch. Another clerical explanation (see 0930 GMT) to cope with the rising prices and shortages of chicken....

In fact, Asadollah Imani, the Shiraz Friday Prayer leader, said, “There are no shortages; rather these psychological wars [of our enemies] lead to a false demand for goods in the country.”

1759 GMT: Election Watch. The opposition website Kalemeh has called for "civil disobedience" for the 2013 Presidential election, saying that a proper ballot is impossible without freedom of campaigning and guarantee of the legitimacy of votes.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Waiting for the Showdown in Aleppo

Claimed footage of fighting in Salaheddin section of Aleppo this morning

Bahrain Feature: Pushing A Deal with the Crown Prince
Friday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Aleppo --- Expecting the Regime Assault

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1633 GMT: Syria. A 13-minute video of street fighting in Saleheddin in Aleppo today:

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Bahrain Feature: Pushing A Deal with the Crown Prince (Delmar Morgan)

Crown Prince Salman with Al Wefaq's Sheikh Ali Salman (Mazen Mahdi/The National)Ever since the start of the mass protests in February 2011, the US Government's hope has been that the opposition could reach a deal with the regime, notably through the "moderate" Crown Prince Salman, over "reform".

That hope was dashed in March 2011 with the regime crackdown, backed by a Saudi-led military force, on the demonstrations and the subsequent polarisation of support and opposition to the monarchy and the Government. However, after the publication of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry's report in November, with its call for significant change, Washington returned to the strategy.

There have some discussions between the regime "moderates" and representatives of the largest opposition society Al Wefaq this year. These have been halting in any progress, but Alex Delmar Morgan, US officials, and an Al Wefaq member try to give the initiative a boost in The Wall Street Journal....

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Iran Audio Feature: How Significant is the "Chicken Crisis"? Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Protest over inflation, including food prices, in Neyshabour in northeast Iran, 23 July

I spoke with Monocle 24's The Daily last night about the growing "chicken crisis" in Iran, with prices soaring on the open market and queues growing for the supplies of subsidised poultry that can be found.

The Daily asked, "Will this lead to protests on the streets?" To answer that, we had a 10-minute chat about the political and economic situation.

To listen, open The Daily homepage, open the programme for 27 July, and go to 2:14:43 (near the end of the timeline, but showing as "14:43").

Syria Feature: The Allied "Nerve Centre" in Turkey Aiding Insurgents (Doherty/Bakr)

Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters.

News of the clandestine Middle East-run "nerve centre" working to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad underlines the extent to which Western powers - who played a key role in unseating Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - have avoided military involvement so far in Syria.

"It's the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom," said a Doha-based source.

"The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes."

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Syria Feature: Why Tribes Matter (Hassan)

Protests on "The Friday of the Tribes", 10 June 2011

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The tribes have been neglected, sidelined and exploited by the Baathist regime in Damascus for decades but in a democratic Syria that will certainly change. Members of the tribes inside and outside the country are organising themselves and have certain expectations when the regime falls.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Aleppo --- Expecting the Regime Assault

1810 GMT: Syria. Russia has made a direct threat that any attack on its naval base in Tartous will be met with extreme prejudice:

"If the armed Syrian opposition ventures to implement their threat and to attack the Russian naval supplies and maintenance facility, Russia has ample capabilities in the region now to provide an adequate response. We won't recommend hotheads in the Syrian opposition doing that," a source in the Russian General Staff told the Interfax news agency.

What's fascinating is the source also added a line about the Syrian government having stepped up their support of the base as well.

Also interesting, the word "now," indicating that the Russians have significantly stepped up their ability to strike targets inside Syria.

Still, it's an unverified threat from a low-level anonymous staff member. One would expect any attack on Russian property to be met with force. What's interesting isn't the content of the report - it's the fact that a threat was made in the first place. Whether this was a direct response to a threat from insurgents, or a provocation, is not known.

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The Latest from Iran (27 July): "No Serious Plans to Combat the Sanctions"

See also The Latest from Iran (26 July): Mixed Signals on Syria

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1703 GMT: Loyalty Watch. The Supreme Leader's representative Ali Saeedi said before the Tehran Friday Prayer, "Ayatollah Khamenei paves the way for [the return of the] Hidden Imam, and Sepah [Revolutionary Guards] will be his tool."

Meanwhile, Digarban rounds up Friday Prayers across the country with an analysis paralleling ours (see 1606 GMT): "Khamenei supporters ask people to endure sanctions, resist, and obey the Supreme Leader".

1700 GMT: CyberWatch. Reporters Without Borders has expressed concern over the detention of pro-Ahmadinejad bloggers, imprisoned for their criticism of the Iranian system.

Reza Moini, the head of RWB's Iran desk, made the comments in an interview with Radio Farda.

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