Iran Live: An Ahmadinejad Election Comeback?

Images of Thursday's rally --- reportedly backing President Ahmadinejad and his would-be successor --- in Tehran's Azadi Stadium

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2115 GMT: Nuclear Watch: No New Dates for IAEA Talks?

An "Iranian source close to Iran's nuclear negotiator" has said that no agreement has been reached between Iran and the IAEA over when the next round of talks will take place, Fars News, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reports.

The source said Iran has discussed the matter with the IAEA but as yet no agreement has been reached over the timing of the next round of discussions.

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Syria Live: UN Security Council Condemns Violence by Both Sides

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1315 GMT: Protest Watch

Protesters in Kafranbel in Idlib Province have expressed condolences to the victims of Monday's bombings of the Boston Marathon:

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Technical Note: Issues With Comments

UPDATE: Disqus have responded to me and told me that they have now fixed the comments issue, so there should be no problem with commenting now.

Please note that our new comments policy is here.

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Some readers are experiencing issues with leaving comments on the site. it seems that the problem is with the Disqus system. 

We are looking into the matter and hope to rectify it as soon as possible. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding.

EA Video Analysis: Boston --- Beyond the Bombers, Beyond the Culture of Fear

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On Wednesday, two days after the double bombing at the Boston Marathon, I tried to summarise my thoughts about the event and the response to it.

My fear is that speculation will feed a long-standing American "culture of fear" in which suspicion and retribution will dominate.

My hope is that confidence, community, and compassion --- which the bombers tried to destroy on Monday --- will prevail.

Syria Audio Feature: Foreign Intervention and the "Second Front" in Jordan --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24

Last night I spoke with Monocle 24's The Daily about the developing "second front" in Jordan, with the US and other countries putting in more forces --- overt and covert --- to support the insurgency in Syria and to protect Amman from "extremists".

Listen to interview from the 7:53 mark on The Daily homepage or in a pop-out window

I also discussed the significance of the temporary cease-fire in Aleppo to collect bodies (a compassionate gesture, but no more) and of President Assad's latest general amnesty (not much).

Kuwait (and Beyond) Live: Riot Police Break Up Protests

1445 GMT: Bahrain. As journalists convene to cover the Formula 1 race, the Bahraini police have detained a team of foreign journalists as well as a Bahraini reporter.

Just after 2:30 pm local time, an ITN news team, along with Bahraini journalist Naziha Saeed and their driver, were stopped at a checkpoint and taken to Budaiya police station.

This is hardly the first time foreign journalists have been detained inside Bahrain. It's unknown whether or not the journalists will be released soon.

1010 GMT: Libya

A Libyan passenger plane with about 150 passengers on board was hit as it prepared to land at Tripoli airport on Wednesday evening but sustained no major damage.

The Buraq Air Boeing 737 was a few miles (kms) from the capital's airport when the incident occurred.

It was not immediately clear whether the episode was accidental fire or an attack.

"As the plane prepared to land at Tripoli airport, it was hit on the bottom, in the lavatory at the front of the plane," a Buraq Air source said. "The plane landed safely afterwards."

A second airline source added: "We do not know exactly what happened but we believe this was accidental fire. Security at the airport has been stepped up and so far nothing suspicious has been found."

Click to read more ...

Iran Live: Today's Nuclear Scare Story

0955 GMT: Political Prisoners Write Khatami

A group of political prisoners has written former President Mohammad Khatami, urging him to make release of all political detainees a condition of his participation in June's Presidential election.

Before the 2012 Pariamentary elections, Khatami said that freedom for political prisoners was a condition for involvement; however, he relented on polling day to the extent of casting a ballot.

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Syria Live: Assad "No to Surrender, No to Submission"

1523 GMT: Sectarian Threats on the Front Lines of Homs. Some of the rebels who captured the Al Dabbaa airport in Homs (see update 1320) appear to have chanted sectarian slogans. According to The Guardian, a translation of a video from Syrian rebels indicates a strong sectarianism in the language of some of the victorious rebel groups.

Mona Mahmood translates a speech given by a bearded leader in the clip. He says:

"Let the Arab leaders knee under the feet of the mujahideen and heroes of Quasir. We are fighting the most vicious enemy in the world the Shia and the Nusairi. The Shia and Nusairi are gathered against us to destroy Quasir."

It came as the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right uploaded a video claiming to show three soldiers from the ruling Alawite sect being tortured by rebels in Homs province [Warning: disturbing content].

The clip shows three naked men with plastic blindfolds in oil drums being repeatedly kicked, slapped and spat at by rebels.

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Syria Live: A Cease-Fire in Aleppo.... But Just to Gather the Bodies

The Red Crescent gathers 31 bodies, some lying for months, from the streets of Aleppo during a cease-fire

See also Syria Analysis: US Arms to Insurgents, "Al Qa'eda", and Muddled Reporting
Bahrain (and Beyond) Live: Stepping Up the Formula 1 Protests
Tuesday's Syria Live Coverage: Airstrikes Continue Around Damascus

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2020 GMT: Assad Interview

More on President Assad's defiant appearance on pro-regime Al-Ikhbariya tonight....

"We have no choice but victory. If we don't win, Syria will be finished and I don't think this is a choice for any citizen in Syria," Assad said. "The truth is there is a war and I repeat: no to surrender, no to submission."

The President said that the West was "supporting al-Qaeda in Syria, Libya and other places and [would] pay the price later in the heart of Europe and in the heart of the United States."

Assad addressed the effort --- including the US, Britain, France, and Arab States --- to arm insurgents from a base in Jordan:

We cannot believe that thousands of insurgents are entering Syria with their weapons, at a time when Jordan was capable of stopping and arresting one person carrying a simple weapon for the Palestinian resistance.

"The fire will not stop at our border and everybody knows that Jordan is exposed as Syria is.

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Syria Analysis: US Arms to Insurgents, "Al Qa'eda", and Muddled Reporting

The Obama Administration has come to the point where it either has to withdraw from the effort to provide weapons --- in which, it faces the prospect of insurgents, some of whom it does not like, getting the arms elsewhere and thus being beyond US "influence" --- or it accepts that the weapons will not always remain in the hands of "moderate" factions.

The US official says --- although the Journal does not realise this --- that the Obama Administration has chosen the latter scenario.

It is this, not the inaccurate hook-line of "Islamists tied to Al Qa'eda", which is the real story of US intervention in the Syrian conflict.

Click to read more ...