Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: After the Damascus Explosions

Claimed footage of Syrian security forces firing on men in Raqqa on Saturday

See also Bahrain Opinion: Letting Torturers Go Free?
Bahrain Exclusive: Reliving the Clashes and Rallies on the Anniversary of the Regime Crackdown
Saturday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Explosions in Damascus

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1933 GMT: An evening demonstration in the Qosour section of Homs in Syria:

1738 GMT: A clash in the Libyan capital Tripoli between the Zintan militia and residents has killed at least one militiaman.

Zintan commander Mohammed el-Rebay said the two sides are firing automatic rifles at each other.

The clashes occured in the Abu Selim neighborhood, a stronghold of the Qaddafi regime during last year's uprising.

1702 GMT: Claimed video, which initially leaked a week ago, of Syrian forces laughing and cursing as they take photos of a slain man in the Bab area of Aleppo:

1700 GMT: Claimed footage of a military checkpoint in the Qaboun section of the Syrian capital Damascus:

Meanwhile, students stage a sit-in at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering:

1609 GMT: Video of Bahraini security forces firing tear gas after the funeral of Jaffar Jassim Rahdi (see 1539 GMT) in Muqsha today:

1600 GMT: A claimed photograph of security forces today on the campus of Aleppo University in Syria:

1549 GMT: Syrian State news agency SANA reports a woman and a security officer were killed and 30 wounded in today's car bomb in Aleppo.

SANA said the bomb was detonated as the car was being towed.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three people died and 25 were wounded.

A resident said the bomb exploded near the Political Security Directorate in the city's central neighborhood of Suleimaniyeh about 1 p.m. local time.

1539 GMT: Today's funeral march in Mugsha in Bahrain for Jaffar Jassim Rahdi, who reportedly died last night from tear gas inhalation:

A second man, Sabri Mahfoodh, has reportedly died this morning in Shahrakan after he was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister earlier this week. Mahfoodh was arrested last year and reportedly abused in detention.

An EA correspondent says both processions were attacked by security forces as funerals ended.

The Ministry of Interior sends the message, "After a burial in Mughsha, rioters blocked roads & committed acts of vandalism. Police restored order."

1535 GMT: A protest in Shahrakan in Bahrain last night, expressing loyalty to political prisoners and demanding their immediate release:

A march in Malkiya in memory of Abdul Aziz Ayad, who died last year in detention:

1335 GMT: Activists say Syrian security forces broke up an opposition march in Damascus of more than 200 people when protesters began shouting, "The people want to topple the regime."

"They were walking through an area in central Damascus, near SANA (the state news agency). At first they shouted slogans against violence and the police didn't do anything, but as soon as they started to call for regime change the police rushed in and started beating people with canes," said Rami Abdelrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The protest, calling for non-violent resistance to the government, was led by moderate opposition leaders who have been tolerated by the regime because of their calls for dialogue and rejection of foreign intervention.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria claim that 16 people have died across the country today, including five members of the Free Syrian Army. Nine of the deaths are in the embattled city of Idlib in the northwest.

1330 GMT: The start of today's funeral procession in Muqsha in Bahrain for Jaffar Jassim Radhi, who allegedly died of tear gas inhalation:

1320 GMT: In an unusual admission of possible wrongdoing, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior has said it is conducting an investigation into a policeman allegedly captured on video, spread via social media, throwing a Molotov cocktail.

The Ministry of Interior did not give details but this video, of policemen in Juffair, circulated on Friday:

And this footage is of troops in Ma'ameer yesterday:

1230 GMT: Syrian State media is reporting a car bomb has exploded in Aleppo.

State news agency SANA and opposition sources said there were deaths and injuries but gave no estimate of numbers.

Meanwhile, the propaganda battle escalates over Saturday's double bombing in Damascus, which killed 27 people and wounded 140 people.

SANA is featuring photos of the injured in hospital with the lead paragraph, "A number of citizens and injured in the two blasts underlined that the terrorist acts has nothing to do with religion and humanity and that it will not deviate the Syrians from steadfastness and the confrontation of the conspiracy targeting Syria due to its national and Pan-Arab stances."

Ammar al-Wawi of the Free Syrian Army said the attacks were staged by the Assad regime: "This is how they play their dirty tricks. They are desperately trying to prove to the world that they are fighting against armed gangs, but the reality is they are the ones who are doing all the killings."

1045 GMT: Footage of a bridge in Homs Province, blown up over the weekend, but who destroyed it? Activists claim it was the regime, trying to stop refugees going to Lebanon:

1040 GMT: Al Jazeera English reports on Saturday's launch of a new opposition coalition, consisting of five political factions, and standing indpendently of the Syrian National Council, which has presented itself as the main organisation for the challenge to President Assad:

0900 GMT: Laura Kasinof reports for The New York Times, "In Yemen, New Leader Faces Threats in the South":

Yemen is beginning to assess and deal with damage to the economy and social fabric after a nearly yearlong public uprising against Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, who governed for three decades before being ousted. Mr. Saleh’s agreement to relinquish power was regarded as a prerequisite, not an answer, to resolving challenges facing a nation that even before the crisis embodied characteristics of a failed state.

That is especially true in the south, where the political transition has not only done little to stabilize the situation but has also magnified longstanding complaints that southerners have been marginalized politically, economically and socially by the northern government since the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990. That sentiment, along with the growing strength of the Qaeda affiliate Ansar al-Sharia, has created a volatile environment.

“You cannot solve the problem partially,” said Mohammed Bashraheel, a well-known resident who says the political and security issues must be resolved simultaneously. “It is a package.”

0828 GMT: The Bahrain News Agency features the proclamiation of the Minister of Interior, on "Community Partnership Day", that "he principles of community partnership in the kingdom are consolidated thanks to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s sound directives and his pioneering Reform Project which stems from the Bahraini society’s deep-rooted values".

Meanwhile, we post an exclusive feature from EA's correspondent in Bahrain, "Reliving the Clashes and Rallies on the Anniversary of the Regime Crackdown".

0628 GMT: Syrian State news agency SANA report that 27 people died and 140 were wounded in Saturday's two suicide bombings. It has now removed the statement that the car bombs were near security and intelligence buildings, saying only " the Customs Square, and the zone linking Baghdad Street to al-Qasaa' Quarter".

However, the Ministry of Interior is clear in its placing of blame: "These two terrorist bombings are part and parcel of targeting the Syrian people in its security and stability and come in light of the recently witnessed escalation by regional and international parties, which was lately manifested in public calls for sending arms to Syria."

Beyond the rhetoric, there is little to establish responsibility, as is the case with earlier attacks in Damascus and in Aleppo last month. Some activists put out the claim that the regime set up the bombings. Al Jazeera English, with no evidence plays up the US spin "that al-Qaeda could be involved, could be taking advantage of the security vacuum in that country".