Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Assad "It Wasn't Me"

See also Western Journalists Inside Syria: A Video Record of Everyday Crimes

Bahrain, Uzbekistan (and Beyond) Special: Bell Pottinger, PR Agency for the Regimes, is Busted
Bahrain Feature: Today's Revival of Mass Protests
Wednesday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Uncertainty and Deaths in Homs

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2131 GMT: We close the LiveBlog with this report, just 22 minutes old:

"very huge EXPLOSION just hit the southern part of #Syria n central city of #Homs . . my windows were horribly shaking"

Looks like it will be another violent Friday in Syria...

2005 GMT: The new Egyptian interior minister has pledged not to use teargas or live ammo against protesters:

Major General Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf, the former director of security in the Giza governorate, told the local Arabic newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that he will not use the gas or any firearms on protesters.

Yusuf was selected by new Prime Minister Kamel al-Ganzouri, who was chosen by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to form a new government after the previous one resigned as a result of the Tahrir Square violence.

We don't have the heart to tell Yusuf that the interior ministry has already made that pledge, and SCAF has denied attacking protesters.

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Iran Breaking: Ahmadinejad Defies the Judiciary over the US Hikers

Shane Bauer and Josh FattalWe act upon whatever we say. And if we don’t want to act, we won’t say it. We didn’t make this decision under pressure. It’s a humanitarian decision. Although, a lot of people are in jail or in prison in American prisons, inside the United States, in Europe, on ships unfortunately there are a lot of people without having had the opportunity of a fair trial. And there are some Iranians who are imprisoned in the United States and did not have the opportunity of a full judicial review. But when we said we will release them, we will release them, as a humanitarian gesture.

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