Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Morsi Claims Presidential Win, But Military Tightens Grip on Power

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Sunday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Vote of Uncertainty

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1948 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria claim 51 people have died at the hands of security forces today, including 15 in the Damascus suburbs and 12 in Homs Province.

1639 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of Syrian forces dragging away two unarmed women:

1606 GMT: Syria. Free Syrian members show off a tank and other equipment captured from regime forces:

1408 GMT: Syria. For 15 months things have been unraveling in parts of Syria, in places like Homs, Hama, and Idlib. For several months things have been falling apart in a wider stretch. But even a few months ago things were relatively quiet in Damascus. Journalists who visited sensed a fake peace, like the world just outside the capital was on fire, but the capital itself was hanging onto the illusion of normalcy, an illusion on periodically interrupted by protests and gunfire.

That illusion is shattered. Now, the capital witnesses regular gunfire, and periodic-but-heavy shelling just a few kilometers away. Tanks and military convoys are now a common sight, a reminder that protesting is dangerous, and a reminder that the regime is threatened.

This tank, leading a convoy of troops and armed vehicles, were reportedly filmed in the Kadam area in southern Damascus today:

1400 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a new Crown Prince:

#BreakingNews: Salman bin Abdulaziz is named as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 18, 2012

1348 GMT: Syria Smoke can be seen rising from Ma'arrat al Nouman, a key city in the crossroads of Idlib province (map). Earlier, heavy gunfire was reportedly coming from several military checkpoints, and at least one man was reportedly killed. Now, the area is reportedly being shelled.

Ma'arrat al Nouman is at the center of a cluster of towns and villages that are strategically important, as they are situated on the main road that runs from Hama to Idlib city, and Hama to Aleppo province. They are also hotbeds of dissent, and have periodically been occupied by a substantial amount of insurgents from the Free Syrian Army.

1253 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria claims that 33 people have died at the hands of security forces today, including nine in Homs Province and seven in the Damascus suburbs.

The LCCS said people were trapped under rubble in the Damascus suburb, "Nobody can rescue the victims because of the continuous shelling."

The activists also claimed that regime tanks entered Tafas in Daraa Province amid shelling.

1247 GMT: Syria. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has told the Human Rights Council, "The government of Syria should immediately cease the use of heavy armaments and shelling of populated areas, as such actions amount to crimes against humanity and possible war crimes."

Pillay continued, "We must make our utmost possible efforts to ensure accountability for all perpetrators, including those who have attacked UN observers in Syria."

1240 GMT: Egypt. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has protested, at a press conference, that the concern over the dissolution of Parliament and any takeover of power by the military is misplaced --- Charles Levinson of The Wall Street Journal reports:

SCAF: "We weren't happy court dissolved parliament. Election of parliament was out biggest achievement."

— Charles Levinson (@levinsonc) June 18, 2012

SCAF: "We want a little more trust in us. Stop all the criticisms that we are a state within a state. Please. Stop."

— Charles Levinson (@levinsonc) June 18, 2012

1212 GMT: Egypt. Security guards at the Parliament building have prevented the head of the People's Assembly Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, Mahmoud al-Khodairy, and his deputy, Mohamed al-Omda, from entering the building.

The guards said rhey were enforcing a court verdict that dissolved Parliament on Thursday.

1208 GMT: Kuwait. The Emir has suspended Parliament for one month, ahead of the planned questioning of the Minister of Interior minister by the assembly.

0838 GMT: Syria. The Russian news agency Interfax reports that Moscow is planning special naval operations at its base in Tartus.

An unidentified officer said two amphibious ships with a "large" group of marines were being despatched to ensure the safety of Russian nationals.

The Tsezar Kunikov can carry 150 landing troops and various armaments including tanks, while the Nikolai Filchenkov can carry up to 1,500 tonnes of cargo and equipment, the report said.

0830 GMT: Syria. Having announced this weekend that the United Nations observers have suspended their activities, the head of the mission, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood has urged all sides to "reconsider their position and allow women, children, the elderly and the injured to leave conflict zones without any preconditions and ensure their safety".

Mood admitted that "attempts to extract civilians" from Homs, under regime bombardment, over the past week had been unsuccessful.

The activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said over 1,000 families in Homs need to be evacuated.

0735 GMT: Yemen. The commander of Government forces in the southern region has been killed in a suicide attack in Aden.

The bomber, who was wearing an explosives belt, targeted Major General Salem Ali Qatan as he was on his way to work, witnesses said. A doctor said 12 people, including 9 soldiers, were wounded.

The attack follows a month-led offensive by the Government military which had reclaimed several southern cities from insurgents.

0605 GMT: Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood has declared in an early-morning press conference that its candidate, Mohamed Morsi has won the Presidential runoff.

The Brotherhood claimed that, with 12,793 of the country's roughly 13,000 polling stations reporting, Morsi had 12.7 million votes while Ahmed Shafiq, the last Vice President in the Mubarak regime, had 11.84 million.

A final result will not be announced until later this week, but Al Jazeera English's partial count had Morsi leading with 7,896,440 votes and Shafiq with 7,152,894 and that of El-Shorouk, an independent Egyptian newspaper, gave Morsi a lead of 6,820,944 to 5,490,158.

Already, however, the outcome is being overshadowed by signs that the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces will tighten its grip on power, regardless of the President. Following the Supreme Court's dissolution of Parliament, the SCAF issued a "Constitutional Declaration" on Sunday.

In addition to re-interpreting the Constitution so the President can take his oath before the Supreme Court rather than Parliament, the SCAF asserted its control of all military and security affairs. The military council also made clear that it makes and implements laws until a new Parliament is elected and is considered legal and competent.