The Latest from Iran (6 February): A Notable Absence

2300 GMT: The US Hikers. In the first day of their closed-door trial (see 1115 GMT), Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer pleaded not guilty to espionage and trespassing.

The hearing lasted five hours, but there were no details, as all observers --- including the Swiss Ambassador, who represents US interests in Iran --- were excluded and the hikers' lawyer was barred from giving information. The trial for Fattal and Bauer, who were arrested on the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009, was continued to an unspecified date by Judge Salavati.

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US Politics Special: A Guide to the Conservative Plan for Health Care Provision

Government spending on health care for citizens is primarily conducted through Medicaid and Medicare. Central to the Conservative Roadmap's recommendations for reducing the costs of those two government funded programs is a reduction in the price of premiums paid by taxpayers. Its proposers believe that the health care framework will make the market more competitive; this will then provide the foundation for a leaner and cheaper Medicare and Medicaid both leaner and cheaper without compromising on the range of services offered to recipients.

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Iran Feature: The Story of Abdolreza Ghanbari --- Father, Teacher, and Sitting on Death Row (Alijenad)

Saahel GhanbariAbdolreza Ghanbari is yet another of the detainees from 27 December 2009, the day that protesters marked the religious day of Ashura with demonstrations against the regime. He is accused of “Moharebeh” (war against God) through connections with multiple opposition groups, evidence of which were found in his suspicious emails and contact with foreign television channels. He was sentenced to death by Judge Salavati, presiding over Branch 15 of the revolutionary court.

Every Monday –-- the visiting day –-- the hills overlooking Evin Prison are the location for a small luncheon picnic for Ghanbari's family. The four corners of the table are occupied by Mother, Saahel, and Ehsaan, and Father --- in the family’s imagination. The other three have sit down on these hills across from Evin’s closed doors because none has the heart to leave, after the visiting hour is over. They remain beneath the walls and barbed wire to have their lunch, in a semblance of proximity to their father.

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Latest Egypt Video: A Sing-Along in Tahrir Square

Rough translation, courtesy of an EA reader:

كلنا يد واحدة
Kulina yad wāḥda
We all, one hand

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Latest from Iran (5 February): Speaking of Egypt....

1700 GMT: Just Asking. Why weren't former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, Presidential candidate in 1997, at the Supreme Leader's Friday Prayers?

1655 GMT: Reply of the Day. The Expediency Council, which is formally mandated to resolve disputes between branches of the Iranian system, has recently been criticised by President Ahmadinejad for hindering his plans.

The response, according to Green Voice of Freedom: "Mr President, you don't like what we are doing? Change the Constitution".

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Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Settling In for the Long Game

0132 GMT: We end tonight's liveblog with this report from Al Jazeera: 

 0036 GMT: There are reports of gunfire in Cairo. We cannot confirm where exactly it is coming from or who's shooting. 

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Egypt Snap Analysis: Into the Week of Revolution

Al Jazeera English summarises Friday in eight words: "No Sign of an End to the Confrontation".

The anti-regime movement appears to have consolidated its immediate position. After Thursday's deadly attacks by pro-Mubarak forces, Friday passed relatively peacefully. The anti-regime demonstrators established a cordon of barriers around Tahrir Square in Cairo, the centre of the resistance to President Mubarak, and these plus the bolstered presence of the Army kept pro-Mubarak groups at bay. There was still fighting in the side streets, but only a couple of dozen injuries were reported by Friday night.

Inside Tahrir Square, more than a million (how many millions?) people --- after lining up for hours to get through security checkpoints set up by the protesters --- were in the Square, offering dramatic images of mass chanting and a Friday Prayer that awed even the most jaded of observers.

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Latest Egypt Video: Friday's Demonstrations

Friday Prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo

EA on the Road: A Visit to Amsterdam for Civil Society and a Special Book

I will be in Amsterdam from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. I will be working with Arseh Sevom, the organisation dedicating to the promotion of civil society in Iran. Then I have the pleasure of attending the launch of the book Hope, Votes, and Bullets --- excerpts here --- which draws together first-hand accounts of the post-election crisis in Iran.

We will still be watching Iran and Egypt, of course, but updates may be a bit more limited than usual. Live feed from Al Jazeera English continues on the site, and readers are encouraged to keep sending in latest news.

Egypt Cartoon of the Day: The Sun Rises

From the Abu Mahjoob website: