Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Morsi Gives Back His Expanded Powers

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1759 GMT: Bahrain. Activist Zainab Alkhawaja has been arrested again, according to her sister and fellow activist Maryam.

Alkhawaja, detained on several occasions and shot on another since the start of the February 2011 mass protests, was seized at Salmaniya Medical Centre as she tried to see Aqeel Abdul Mohsen, who was shot in the face by police on Wednesday.

Alkhawaja and Said Yousif Almuhafda, Head of Monitoring for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, were allegedly harassed by police on Friday when tried to enter Mehazza village, which has been blocked for days by security forces.

Zainab was at the hospital where Aqeel's family was not being allowed access to him, she tried to take a pic Contd #Bahrain

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) December 9, 2012

When they stopped her she started chanting we are all Aqeel and down with Hamad, she was surrounded by police and arrested #Bahrain

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) December 9, 2012

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Iran Feature: How a US Neo-Con Pundit Is Helping Tehran's Propaganda

James KirchickJames Kirchick is a columnist for the tabloid New York Daily News and a loud voice on Twitter. His articles and his Twitter feed are often distinguished by invective directed at misguided, mischievous, or malicious "liberals" who supposedly criticise Israel and appease evil States like Iran.

So it was with more than a tinge of surprise and then amusement that I read in Fars on Saturday, "US Politician Describes Iran, Hamas as Best Friends in Middle East":

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Israel Opinion: An Open Letter on "Blackface" to the Military's Head of New Media (Decker)

I appreciate that you face difficulties in your job. Some people may have zero context for evaluation of your Facebook page. Myany of them likely get information from state-controlled media sources whose governments' foreign policies are fundamentally anti-Israel.

Yet I have to ask: is this the face of tolerance that the Israeli Government wants to project to the world?

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The Latest from Iran (8 December): Tehran to Hit New Low in Oil Exports?

See also Iran Snap Analysis: A Regime Still Worried About the Green Movement? (Yes.)
The Latest from Iran (7 December): Maintaining the Oil Squeeze

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1740 GMT: Nuclear Watch. The "hard-line" paper Kayhan, using a historical reference, has warned that leading political figures are seeking to force the Supreme Leader to "drink from the "poison chalice" and hold direct talks with the US over the nuclear issue.

The expression refers to Ayatollah Khomeini's statement when he reluctantly agreed to the punishing conditions of a cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq War in 1988.

The regime pursued "back-channel" discussions with the US in the autumn, but these appear to have come to a halt in October. Since then, Tehran has grown frustrated with an apparent failure of Washington and its allies to talk about an Iranian proposal trading enrichment of 20% uranium for sanctions, and this week Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani indicated the Islamic Republic is backing away from the idea of direct talks.

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Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protesters Maintain the Pressure on Morsi

Protesters in front of Egypt's Presidential Palace on Friday night

See also EA Caption Competition: Turkey PM Erdogan's Lovely Home-Made Cake
Middle East Feature: Gulf Regimes Crack Down on Dissent in Social Media
Friday's Syria Live Coverage: Is This the End for Assad?
Friday's Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Morsi Defies Protesters and Warns "Infiltrators"

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1855 GMT: Bahrain. Leading human rights activist Zainab Alkhawaja tweets about a recent incident involving her and Said Yousif Almuhafda, Head of Monitoring for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights:

Now me and @saidyousif held by riot police in Sitra, they have taken our car keys #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

After taking the car keys the officer started mocking, said to @saidyousif "So wat village is under siege now u liar" #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

@saidyousif asked "well why arnt u letting us in to Mhazza" officer kept getting calls asking if there r journalists with us #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

An hour before, the two human rights activists had gone to Salmaniya hospital to visit Aqeel AbdulMohsen in Salmaniya hospital. Aqeel was severely injured in Bani Jamra on Wednesday night after security forces shot him in the face:

Security stopped us from seeing him & told us anybody who wants to visit Aqeel must get visitation rights from Budaiya police #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

When I ran into the room to see Aqeel security were right behind me, I saw him only for a minute, it was heartbreaking #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

Be4 I was forced to leave I said to Aqeel, not sure if he can hear me "Ur our hero, we're all so proud of u, plz stay strong 4 us" #bahrain

— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) December 8, 2012

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EA Caption Competition: Turkey PM Erdogan's Lovely Home-Made Cake

On 1 December, delegates attended the Fifth Meeting of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum.

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, celebrating Palestine's recognition as an Observer State by the UN, ian made sure his guests enjoyed the historic moment with a massive cake decorated with the Palestinian flag.

Here is Erdogan feeding Saudi Arabia;s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Now, dear readers, what is the caption?

Middle East Feature: Gulf Regimes Crack Down on Dissent in Social Media (Law)

A recent decision by the United Arab Emirates to tighten restrictions on internet use has highlighted attempts by the authorities in Gulf states to staunch the flood of comment and criticism appearing on social media websites.

The amendments to the UAE's existing law on internet crime were announced last month in a decree by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nuhayyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

It says citizens who create or run a website or use the internet to deride or damage the state or its institutions face up to three years in prison. Foreign nationals will be deported.

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Iran Snap Analysis: A Regime Still Worried About the Green Movement? (Yes.)

Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a member of the Supreme Leader's inner circle, addresses an audience before the March 2012 Parliamentary elections

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“The impressive participation of 85% of the people in the 2009 election was a subject of pride for us, but unfortunately some embittered the sweetness of the election the day after and labelled the regime [guilty] of fraud....The damage by the seditionists was no less than the damage Saddam did in the 8-year war [between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s.”

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The Latest from Iran (7 December): Maintaining the Oil Squeeze

See also The Latest from Iran (6 December): "We're Still Winning"

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2210 GMT: Oil Watch. An industry source claims Iranian oil exports will fall to a new low of 834,000 barrels per day in December.

This would be a sharp drop from Iran's October figure of 1.3 million barrels per day and a declinemore than 60% from last year's level of 2.2 million bpd.

Iran's recorded low this year was 860,000 barrels per day in the summer.

2200 GMT: Sanctions Watch. We return to our opening entry (see 0720 GMT) of the extension of US waivers from financial sanctions for those countries which reduce imports of Iranian oil.

The State Department announced further six-month extensions for nine countries tonight. As expected, waivers for renewed for India, South Korea, and Turkey before next Tueday's expiration. The US also acted now rather than waiting for the deadline later this month for China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan.

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Syria Live Coverage: Is This the End for Assad?

Anti-regime protest in Binnish in Idlib Province today

See also Syria Audio Feature: Why US and Russia Suddenly Met Thursday --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24
Syria Opinion: "The US Must Act Soon" --- James Miller in The American Prospect
Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Morsi Defies Protesters and Warns "Infiltrators"
Thursday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protests and Fighting at the Presidential Palace

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2050 GMT: A curious report from the LCC:

Lattakia: Faranlaq: Fierce clashes between the FSA and regime forces amid attempts by the regime forces to storm the district and the FSA is blocking it.

What's interesting is that we did not know where Faranlaq was, nor were we able to find it on a map. The reason - Faranlaq is not a town or district, but a forest, only 5 milometers north of Lattakia city (approximate location on map).

Usually, fighting in "Lattakia" is in the mountains to the east, many miles from the city, often considered a stronghold of the Assad regime. However, this fighting is located between the city and an important naval base.

How "fierce" are the clashes? We don't know. We have also not independently confirmed the news. If true, it is becoming clear, however, even Assad's strongholds are not immune from the insurgent advance.

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