Yemen Feature: Is President Saleh Finished? (Johnsen)

Sanaa, 12 March 2011This leads us to the big question: what does it all mean?

To put it succinctly: this is the end for [President Ali Abdullah] Saleh in Yemen....The only question left is when and in what manner he goes.  But he will not survive this term.

The sooner the US recognizes this the better it will be for not only US policy in Yemen but for the security of the homeland --- already people in Yemen are chanting against the US for its support of Saleh.  Getting shot at with US-made tear gas canisters doesn't help either. 

Saleh has alienated too many different segments of society in Yemen.  He can no longer survive as president.  This is his final dance.

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Japan Latest: Tension over the Nuclear Plants

For earlier news of the earthquake, tsunami, and problems at nuclear plants, see Japan LiveBlog: An 8.4 Earthquake and Tsunami Warning.

1120 GMT: In a televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan is experiencing its greatest hardships since World War II.

Kan warned of sweeping power cuts to come and said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant is still grave.

The official toll is now 1217 dead, 1086 missing, and 1741 injured.

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Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Battles and Clashes

2040 GMT: More oppositionsclaims from Libya (see 2025 GMT) --- their special forces have counterattacked in Brega, arresting 20-60 regime fighters, killing 25, and seizing weapons.

The regime had claimed earlier today that it had taken the oil port in north-central Libya.

2035 GMT: Egypt’s military police have prevented a rally organised by imams calling for the independence of the Islamic institution Al-Azhar and for an investigation into alleged corruption at the Ministry of Endowments.

An eyewitness said that the police prevented nearly 1000 imams and preachers from reaching the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egypt's ruling body, and assaulted them with fists and electric batons. Clashes resulted between the two sides.

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The Latest from Iran (13 March): Troublesome Children?

2140 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Speaking to Iran's governors, President Ahmadinejad has defended his subsidy reduction plan. He said the plan had not yet been fully implements, and people should be careful not to damage it, given the enemy's attempts to undermine the economic initiative.

President said: The law still oriented subsidies are not fully implementing its objectives and should be carefully fully operational in all sections had been careful not to damage it because the enemy into the implementation of this law slapped Chhbsa is looking Ftnhgry

2120 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist Abdolreza Tajik has been sentenced to six years in prison for "membership in illegal groups" and "propaganda".

Student activist Arzhang Alipour has been arrested.

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Wisconsin Re-Ignited: A "Monumental Act of Republican Folly" Renews the Battle over the Unions

UPDATE 1800 GMT: Live coverage of protests in Wisconsin against the measure ending collective bargaining rights for state workers, signed into law earlier today by Governor Scott Walker:

Watch live streaming video from theuptake at livestream.com

On Wednesday night, in a procedural move that surprised many, Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate Republicans passed their controversial bill ending collective bargaining rights for most state workers.

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The Latest from Iran (12 March): A Challenge from Prison

Tonight's Headline News: The daughters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard have met their parents for the first time since Mousavi and Rahnavard were put under strict house arrest on 14 February.

Mousavi, who was not informed of the meeting and so was surprised to see his daughters, told them that agents raided the family home on 14 February --- the day of the first significant opposition marches in Tehran for more than a year --- and confiscated books, CDs, and personal items. The security forces even took classified documents from Mousavi's tenure as Prime Minister in the late 1980s.

The daughters claimed the yard of their parents' home was full of agents and a dark van was parked there. They said they were told to keep quiet about the meeting but believed people had a right to know.

2110 GMT: In the Courts. Mohammad Tahir Haeri Shirazi, the son of President Ahmadinejad's mentor Ayatollah Haeri Shirazi, has been sentenced to six years in prison for land theft.

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Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Is the Noose Tightening Around Qaddafi?

2210 GMT: In Egypt, actor and activist Aly Sobhy, whose detention we noted earlier today (see 1430 GMT), has been released.

Sobhy was seized by the military on Wednesday as he tried to get the names of protesters who had been detained in Tahrir Square in Cairo.

2130 GMT: Another video of today's mass pro-democracy march to Safriya Palace in Bahrain:

2020 GMT: Al Jazeera cameramen, Ali Hassan Al Jaber, has been killed after a crew of the Arabic-language channel was ambushed by regime forces near the town of Benghazi.

Reporter Nasser Al Haddar was also injured by a gunshot.

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Japan LiveBlog: An 8.4 Earthquake and Tsunami Warning

We are in the second day of our LiveBlog coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japa. EA is also providing live coverage via Al Jazeera English. There is also on-line access to Japan's NHK World, in English.

Photo: Reuters

2145 GMT: A nuclear safety official says 160 people have tested positive for elevated radiation levels.

2125 GMT: The lights have been turned off at some of Japan's landmark buildings, including the Tokyo Tower, Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka, Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo, and Bay Bridge in Yokohama, to help save electricity after the loss of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

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Japan Video: Explosion at the Nuclear Plant

The moment of explosion today at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant:

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Israel Analysis: Netanyahu Cabinet Quarrels Over Peace and Security as Settlements Expand

Speaking in Miami last week, President Obama addressed Israel’s security concerns within the context of the “new” Middle East. He said,“I'm actually confident that 10 years from now we're going to be able to look back and say that this was the dawning of an entirely new and better era.”

The statement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to announce his “grand plan” in May, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders as part of an interim peace agreement.

Netanyahu met resistance from his own Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, who said that immediate immediate action was necessary and sought clarity from the Prime Minister: ""A permanent agreement has a chance only if Israel would be willing to clearly say what would come after it....A permanent agreement has a chance only if Israel would be willing to clearly say what would come after it.”

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