1745 GMT: Where's Ali? Today the Supreme Leader paid surprise visits to the families of two assassinated Iranian scientists, Masoud Alimohammadi and Majid Shahriari.
1735 GMT: The Nuke Talks. Teymoor Nabili at Al Jazeera English picks up on our analysis, posted in a separate entry, of the key reason for failure at the Istanbul discussions on uranium enrichment and how it was missed by the US media.
Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 6:35 | Scott Lucas in EA Global, EA USA, UK and Ireland, US Foreign Policy, US Politics 
Relations between Britain and America have improved as the oil has dissipated in the Gulf, but what we see is not a progressive, liberal trend from either Obama or from the Liberal Democrats in the British coalition. Instead, what is emerging is an American-style big-society, small-state conservative and neo-liberal reshaping on British welfare, heath care, and education. The American charter school system is entering Britain through new "academies"; in October 2010, Geoffrey Canada, the founder and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, travelled to Britain to meet with Minister of Education Michael Gove to discuss charter schools and education reform and the alleged threat of unions to such reform, as well as to address the Tory Party conference.
As Britain awaits the next round of Tory-Lib Dem cuts to balance the budget, rein in the deficit, and punish the poor in 2011, those meetings and our looks across the Atlantic are likely to continue. President Obama may be entering his third year, but it is "what they are doing on the Right" that may be more important.
The march in Tunis today:
Al Jazeera coverage of the "Caravan of Liberation" from Sidi Bouzid reaching Tunis
Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 5:56 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 
Saturday's Protest in Algiers1655 GMT: Egypt's Minister of Industry and Commerce Rachid Mohammed Rachid has raised worries over investment because of the effects of the situation in Tunisia, which "worries lots of people" and "raises questions about political stability". Rachid told reporters he was instructing assistants to issue daily statements about new foreign investment to give a reassuring message.
Egypt's stock market dropped 8% last week.
1650 GMT: In Tunisia, Larbi Nasra, the owner of Hannibal TV, and his son have been arrested and charge with high treason and conspiracy against state security.
The broadcasts of Hannibal TV have been suspended.
Nasra was close to the family of Leila Trabelsi, the wife of former President Ben Ali.
Latest footage of Saturday's protest in Algiers:
f4-minute clip of Saturday's protest and clashes w police in Algiers:
1625 GMT: Why the Nuke Talks Stalled. A significant detail from Reuters....
The agency reports, from a "Western diplomat", that European Union foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton, speaking for the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, Germany, China, Russia, France) proposed that Iran send abroad 2,800 kilogrammes of low-enriched (3-4%) uranium and 40 kilogrammes of 20% uranium.
As Iran, according to Reuters, has a stockpile of "more than 3000 kilogrammes" of low-enriched uranium, the 5+1 Powers were effectively telling Iran that up to 90% of its uranium stock should be sent outside the country for processing.
Compare that with the offer on the table in Geneva in October 2009, which led to further talks before discussions stalled the following months: the 5+1 proposed that Iran send 60% of its low-enriched uranium (then estimated at 2000 kilogrammes) to Russia and France --- later Russia and France --- for processing. (At that point, Iran had no confirmed stocks of 20% uranium.)
Given Tehran's insistence on enriching uranium inside its borders, it's not too surprising that the 5+1's offer --- far worse for Tehran than what was on the table 15 months ago --- has not been welcomed.
In a world that the U.S. no longer dominates as it once did, President Barack Obama has sought to forge strong relations with rising powers like India and Brazil. Turkey, however, is the one rising power that is located in the danger zone of the Middle East; it’s no coincidence that Obama chose to include Turkey in his first overseas trip and spoke glowingly of the “model partnership” between the two countries. This fits perfectly with Turkey’s ambition to be a global as well as a regional player.
And yet, despite all the mutual interests, and all of Davutoglu’s energy and innovation, something has gone very wrong over the last year. The Turks, led by Davutoglu, have embarked on diplomatic ventures with Israel and Iran, America’s foremost ally and its greatest adversary in the region, that have left officials and political leaders in Washington fuming. Obama administration officials are no longer sure whose side Turkey is on.
Ahmet Davutoglu, Iran, Israel, James Traub, Syria, The New york Times, Turkey 
1830 GMT: From Alec Ross of the US State Department: "Secretary Clinton spoke with Tunisia PM Ghannouchi today. She encouraged transition to open democracy and on-going reforms."
1710 GMT: In Mauritania, the family of Yacoub Ould Dahoud, who set himself on fire on Monday inside his car in front of the Senate building in Nouakchott, has confirmed that he has died.
1650 GMT: EA readers looking for an introduction to the current issues in Algeria may wish to read analyses by Hugh Roberts and by Amal Boubekeur.
While discussions started in the morning and continued late last night, "Western" broadcasters and the press --- with a couple of notable exceptions --- were silent after CNN correspondent Ivan Watson got the day started with the incisive report, "On eve of Iran nuke talks,diplomats from P5+1 & Iranian negotiator all sat at same table for dinner hosted by Turks in Ottoman palace."
There is more substance this morning in a report from Steven Erlanger in The New York Times, based on unnamed "Western diplomats", that the late-night sessions was "tense and even acrimonious".
Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 6:46 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Journalism and Media, Middle East and Iran A discussion on Al Jazeera English considering the impact of Tunisia's popular uprising on neighbouring countries, including the role of social media: participants are Sami Ben Gharbia (@ifikra on Twitter), the co-founder of the Tunisian website Nawaat.org, Nasser Weddady (@weddady), the outreach director at the American Islamic Congress, and Wael Abbas (@waelabbas), an Egyptian blogger and activist.
