The Latest from Iran (26 January): Blindness, Silence, and Injustice

2100 GMT: Nuke Talks. A hat tip to Scott Peterson of the Christian Science Monitor for his article today trying to sort out the details of the failed Istanbul talks on Iran's nuclear programme....

After my initial criticism of the US media's coverage of Istanbul, Peterson followed up with a message, which we noted in our subsequent analysis. And he has continued to consider those points while other US reporters --- most of whom have not noticed the key points at issue in the talks --- have moved on.

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Terrorism Weekly: The Lessons of the Moscow Airport Attack

Around the world, there is free access before passengers with tickets are checked by security. Anyone can enter lugging a suitcase or wearing a heavy jacket without generating suspicion. There are numerous areas where groups of people congregate, including check-in gates, the arrivals area, and parking lots, before reaching security checkpoint. Any attack in these areas will be easier than one near airplanes but it will still draw attention and have a substantive impact on air travel, even if casualties are lower than in the case of a bombing of an aircraft.

What options do governments have? It certainly would be possible to protect an entire airport by creating a perimeter around the airport and searching the thousands of vehicles and individuals who enter this. But imagine now the cost and resources this would involve and the impact that this would have on air travel. This is why it is impractical and why airports will remain vulnerable to those determined to take lives through terrorism.

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Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Day After The "Day of Revolution"

0005 GMT: The situation in Suez has become further tense. Reports coming in from Egypt suggest that the city has effectively been cut-off from the rest of the country. Landlines, cell phones and internet are down. People continue to protest in the city and there have been sporadic reports of clashes, injuries and at least 2 deaths which cannot be confirmed yet.

0002 GMT: RNN reports that 5,000 protesters are holding a sit-in in El-Geish Street in Suez. 

0000 GMT: Egyptian blogger and activist Rowand Helmii, who has been arrested by police on her way home, has her cell phone and is tweeting from inside a police car in Cairo. 

I was arrested around ( 15 mayo ) if it helps I was heading home;#jan25

@Noor1Noor2 I have no idea what my exact location is but here is my full name rowand sameh hassan mohammed helmii

Thank you guys so much for all the support don't worry I'll get out in a bit won't be late and gonna be at the protest tomorrow ;) :) #jan25

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Egypt Snap Analysis: Will the "Day of Revolution" Last Only One Day?

Yesterday morning, a reporter for British television was declaring: "I doubt demos today will get big numbers.80,000 people clicked Facebook to say they would turn up --- but clicking is easy."

Twelve hours later, that same reporter was writing, "Approaching midnight. 1,000s still in square. 1,000s of cops. Twitter from phones still down. Amazing spirit."

Another observer, while avoiding any daring predictions, stuck to this shrewd assessment....

"What's really important about today is not the exact numbers but that the psychological barrier of fear has been broken in Egypt."

And so to the Day after the Day of Revolution.

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Iran Special: What the Executions Say About the Regime's "Control" and Murder

It is sad that Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei have been murdered by the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is wrong. And it must be opposed.

The regime has reason to be afraid about its control. The people rose up against them. They rallied together under the banner of, and hope for, a better future --- one in which state-sponsored murder is an abhorrent thing of the past.

For that day to come, we must demand that all executions in Iran be stopped. Immediately. We must pull no stops in getting attention on this matter, internally in Iran and externally. We must talk about this within our families and our communities until all of us come to the realization that we have been living under the shadow of murderers for far too long.

We must not give them an excuse. We must not let them think that they can label someone and then kill them.

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Video & Transcript: President Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague --- and our friend –-- Gabby Giffords.

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Egypt Video: More Footage of the "Day of Revolution"

Tearing Down President Mubarak in Tahrir Square

Protesters Push Back Police Line in Tahrir Square in Cairo

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The Palestine Papers: The Palestinian Authority Tries to Hit Back

Last night Al Jazeera completed three days of special broadcasts on the "Palestine Papers", the more than 1600 internal documents about the Palestinian negotiations with Israel from 1999 to 2010. The documents themselves carry on, posted not only by Al Jazeera but also by The Guardian of London.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, tried to strike back, calling the documents "fake". He told the crowd denouncing the Qatari regime, which owns Al Jazeera:

The Palestinian principles ... have not and will not change and the first of them is that East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine. No one in the world can make us give up on a centimeter of our land, the issue of the refugees or the issue of Jerusalem.

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Egypt Video: The "Day of Revolution"

Late Tonight in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Tearing Down Mubarak's Poster

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Tunisia Video: General Ammar's Full Speech to the Protesters

General Rachid Ammar, the head of Tunisia's Army, speaks on Monday to protesters in Tunis (see updates and analysis for details):

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