Libya Satire: A Beginner's Guide to Democacy...and Slapstick (Karl reMarks)

"The Libya Shield Force functions as a regular army, but only on weekends" (Photo: AP)

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The General National Congress is an elected chamber, much like any other parliament in the world outside North Korea and parts of the Gulf. However the GNC’s procedures were designed to give a voice for those who lost in the elections but still have lots of weapons. A simple majority is used to determine the outcome of legislative votes, but this could be invalidated should 15 or more armed men burst into the chamber screaming and waving their machineguns in the air. At this point, the chairman must recognise the motion and moves to delay the vote and must rush out saying “I’m sorry I have to leave, I’m invited to dinner.” (But using more than 25 men is considered bad form according to convention.)

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US Politics Audio: A Good Deal on the "Fiscal Cliff? --- Scott Lucas on a BBC Panel

I joined a panel on the BBC World Service's Have Your Say tonight to discuss the economic and social issues around the package, approved by Congress last night after days of to-the-wire negotiations, to avert a "fiscal cliff". 

I found this one of the most useful discussions, albeit one which was generally pessimistic about the outcomes of the agreement. No one was fighting a political corner, so the chat could ask "What issues are not being addressed by the deal?" That allowed topics such as health care, education, and income inequality to be introduced alongside the headline topics of taxes and Government spending.

Other panellists are Tiziana Dearing, the CEO of Boston Rising, a "nonprofit organization committed to ending the cycle of poverty in Boston; Robertson Williams of the Tax Policy Center; and Robin Murray, a retired family doctor from Florida.

The discussion starts at the 11:25 mark and lasts for about 25 minutes, before and after the news.

Bahrain Photo Special: The Life, Work, and Detention of Photojournalist Ahmed Humaidan

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Holding his Nikon D300 with a big zoom lens, a gas mask covering his face --- that’s how I remember seeing Ahmed Humaidan in every protest and rally I have joined.

Now I am unlikely to see him for a very long time. On 29 December, Ahmed was abducted by 15 plainclothes security personnel from a shopping mall: he had taken a break from his work to go to the cinema.

Ahmed is 25 years old, from the small village of Mehaza. His passion for photography started on April 2011 --- two months after the first mass protests of the Pearl Revolution --- when he bought his first professional camera. From then to last week, he never stopped documenting events.

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Iran Live Coverage: Ahmadinejad v. Everyone Else

See also Iran Live Coverage: The Supreme Leader Admits A Crisis

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1945 GMT: Trade Watch. State news agency IRNA, citing the Turkish Statistical Center, claims trade with Turkey has risen 40% from January-November, compared to a year earlier.

The value surpassed $20.8 billion, with Turkey's exports to Iran rising to $7 billion, mainly due to exports of gold to pay for natural gas.

Tehran is counting on trade with Ankara, one of its major partners, to offset sharp falls in oil revenues.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Aleppo Airport Is Briefly Closed

2050 GMT: Syria. There are various rumors that the Taftanaz military airport has been captured by rebel forces (map). We can't verify that the base has completely fallen, but many sources indicate that an intense campaign has been launched to capture the base.

A BMP firing into the airport:

A heavy gun mounted to a 4x4 truck firing on the airport:

A small convoy of heavy guns and equipment fire on the airport:

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Happy New Year from EA

Best wishes to all our readers with high hopes for the year ahead....

Iran Live Coverage: The Supreme Leader Admits A Crisis

See also Iran Feature: The Top 10 Stories of 2012 --- A Currency Falls, Sanctions Expand, and Political Prisoners Continue to Resist
EA Special: 10 Predictions for 2013 --- Assad Gone, an Angry Middle East, and Little Change on "Human Rights"
Monday's Iran Live Coverage: All-Is-Well Oil Alerts

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2040 GMT: Labour Front. More than 500 workers at the Safa Pipe factory have begun a fourth round of protests over conditions and the delayed payment of wages.

A worker said the demonstration began Saturday after employees were not paid in more than six months.

1940 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Popular singer and activist Arya Aramnejad was summoned today to serve his 91-day sentence.

Aramnejad has been detained on several occasions, including a five-month stay in prison from November 2011 to April 2012.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Regime Forces Try to Recapture Damascus Suburb

Footage from the Damascus suburb of Darayya last month

See also EA Special: 10 Predictions for 2013 --- Assad Gone, an Angry Middle East, and Little Change on "Human Rights"
Monday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: On Verge of "Hell" or "Sacred Birth"?

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2035 GMT: Bahrain. Claimed footage of police throwing tear gas canister near a 4 year-old child in Jirdab village:

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US Politics Audio: Why The Deal on the "Fiscal Cliff" Is Not That Big a Deal --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

See also US Politics Special: A 6-Point Guide to the "Fiscal Cliff"
US Audio Feature: So How Serious is This "Fiscal Cliff"? --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

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I think I took the presenter of BBC World Service's World Update by surprise when I held back on proclaiming the overnight agreement in Washington as either a big step away from a "fiscal cliff" or an unqualified victory for President Obama.

Listen to the interview from 26.41

The reason? The settlement, which includes a repeal on Bush-era tax cuts for those making over $450,000 per year and extended funding for some programmes --- such as farm subsidies and benefits for long-term unemployed --- due to expire is only a short-term "fix". In large part, that is because of the "problem of the temporary", identified by Lee Haddigan yesterday: many programmes and tax provisions are approved of a rolling basis, rather than establishing long-term plans and strategy.

So if there is a real "cliff" here, it is the one that arises at the end fo February, when the Federal Government hits its debt ceiling and cannot borrow any more money without an agreement between the White House and Congress. Any victory that the President might claim --- and I think that is a limited claim, given that he had promised a repeal of tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 per year and that he gave way on estate tax --- is political posturing, in the face of that battle that is ahead.

The item begins at the 26.41 mark.

Iran Feature: The Top 10 Stories of 2012 --- A Currency Falls, Sanctions Expand, and Political Prisoners Continue to Resist (Farhi)

Closed Cirrency Exchange, Summer 2012This year forcefully disproved the assumption that imprisoning political and civil society activists and critics silences them and fixes the Islamic Republic’s dissident problem.

Former presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi remained incarcerated in their homes (the former along with spouse Zahra Rahnavard) without being charged and remained mostly without any kind of access to the outside world. But letters written by political prisoners about prison conditions and solidarity among prisoners — as well as the woeful state of the country’s politics — made it out of the prisons and were sufficiently covered by external news and activist outlets for many inside Iran to become aware of them.

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