Libya, Syria, Jordan (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Beat of Fighting, A Promise of Reform

1940 GMT: A witness has said six rockets hit an oil refinery near the port of the opposiiton-controlled Libyan city of Misurata.

The rockets appeared to have hit the refinery's power generators and did not strike storage facilities.

1935 GMT: Back after an extended academic break to note that 11 male doctors went on trial today in Bahrain, accused of taking control of a hospital during anti-regime protests, storing weapons, and detaining people.

One of the doctors tried to tell the judge that his confession had been extracted under torture, but the judge told him to stop and that he would be able to give evidence later in the trial.

Defense lawyers asked for civilian doctors to examine their clients, who have only been seen by military medical staff. The judge agreed and adjourned the until next week; he denied a request from some defense lawyers that the doctors be released while the trial is ongoing.

The 11 doctors are among 47 medical staff facing trials.

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Libya Feature: How US Oil Companies Fell Out with Muammar Qaddafi (Mufson)

In 2004, President George W. Bush unexpectedly lifted economic sanctions on Libya in return for its renunciation of nuclear weapons and terrorism. There was a burst of optimism among American oil executives eager to return to the Libyan oil fields they had been forced to abandon two decades earlier. Gaddafi, who had been sanctioned for Libya’s role in the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, also looked forward to U.S. help in reviving his flagging oil production.

Yet even before armed conflict drove the U.S. companies out of Libya this year, their relations with Gaddafi had soured. The Libyan leader demanded tough contract terms. He sought big bonus payments up front. Moreover, upset that he was not getting more U.S. government respect and recognition for his earlier concessions, he pressured the oil companies to influence U.S. policies.

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Syria, Yemen, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: An Attack with Helicopters

1745 GMT: Regime forces and insurgents have been fighting in Zawiyah, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Tripoli, shutting the coastal highway to Tunisia.

Activists on social media are claiming at least 30 people have been killed.

"The situation is very bad in Zawiyah. There's been fierce fighting since the morning between the Gaddafi forces and the rebels," said a resident.

The opposition held Zawiyah for a few weeks this spring before the town fell to the regime.

1735 GMT: Yemeni authorities say the army has killed 21 Al Qa'eda members in Abyan Province in the south.

Nine Yemeni soldiers were reportedly slain.

The provincial capital Zinjibar was occupied by insurgents last month.

1730 GMT: Residents and refugees from the besieged Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour report ongoing fighting. One said, “Helicopters and tanks are bombing Jisr from all the sides and the situation is extremely miserable --- they are even targeting cars carrying civilians and the wounded.”

Claimed footage of attack helicopters above the town:

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Yemen, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: And the Downbeat Goes On

View LCCSyria Protest Map June 10, 2011 in a larger map

Activists have created this map of protests today during "Syria's Day of Clans"

2055 GMT: A doctor has told Reuters that the death toll from the regime bombardment of opposition-held Misurata, Libya's third-largest city, has risen to 31. More than 110 people are wounded.

1739 GMT: Earlier, we reported that helicopters were being used to shoot civilians in the streets of Ma'ara Al Nu'man. Another source now says that security forces are going door to door, searching for defected sodliers. 

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Yemen, Libya, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Bombings, Sit-ins, and a False Defection

2026 GMT: Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, has stated that he is investigating the charge that Colonel Gaddafi supplied his soldiers with Viagra in order to use rape to punish women. He is contemplating adding a charge of mass rape to Gaddafi's indictment.  

2003 GMT: Something is happening in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.

Yemen State TV has announced that President Saleh's operation was successful. Ain News is reporting that a crowd of President Saleh's supporters have started shooting into the air. Panicked opposition members are reporting that they are fleeing into their homes to escape any potential violence.

Rumors appear to be spreading that Saleh has returned to Yemen, but these are almost certainly false, sparked by the celebration.

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Libya Snapshot: Going Broke in Benghazi? (Faul)

Abdalgader Albagrmi's office sits above a vault piled high with gold. It's the dwindling pile of cash next to the bullion, however, that keeps the Libyan rebels' deputy Central Bank chief up at night.

As that pile shrinks, so too does the chance of funding and sustaining a revolution to oust one of the world's longest-serving dictators.

If the cash-flow problem "isn't solved in the next few days, there's going to be a problem here," Albagrmi said, speaking from his office in Benghazi, the northeast Mediterranean port that has become the rebels' de facto capital.

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Yemen, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A President Is Wounded

Video of the destroyed Presidential Mosque in the Yemeni capital Sana'a

2130 GMT: Media are reporting tonight that the Vice President, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is now acting President and Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

Meanwhile, Abdel Rahman Ba Fadel, an opposition member of the Yemeni parliament, has told Al Jazeera, "A medical team arrived from Saudi Arabia but there is a plane ready to take him [President Saleh] there if they fail to treat him in Yemen."

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Libya Photo Exclusive: The People of Benghazi (v. der Osten Sacken)

Thomas v. der Osten Sacken has just returned from a stay in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and the seat of power of the opposition. In this photo essay, offered exclusively on EA, he presents its people and images:

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Yemen, Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: City on Fire

2115 GMT: We'll be shutting down the liveblog for the night. We'll be back at 0530 GMT tomorrow.

Here is a roundup of the news.

In Syria, protesters took to the streets all across the country during what protesters were calling "Children's Friday." Reports were that these wre the largest protests yet, but the internet was almost completely shut off. Still, we have many videos posted in a separate section:

Latest Syria Video: Protesters Defy the Internet Blockout

The scale of the protests would have been major news, but they were overshadowed by violence. Protesters were killed in Taiz, security forces continued to shell Al Rastan, but the big news was that the military opened fire on a crowd of 50,000 peaceful demonstrators in Hama, killing at least 70.

In Yemen, the big news of the day was the rocket attack which hit the Presidential palace and wounded President Saleh and an unknown number of his advisors. However, there were also protests elsewhere, and at least 4 civilians were killed by government air strikes in Abyan. 

Latest Yemen Video: Protests Among the Chaos in Sana'a

In Libya, the rebels have made significant advances, and now threaten the city of Tripoli.

In Bahrain, there were major protests and clashes with security forces (video below).

Just another Arab Spring Friday.

2059: Another country heard from...

Breaking news: Protests have erupted in Egypt over the death of a microbus driver in Azbakeya. He was arrested yesterday for a traffic violation, and died in custody. There is a report that he attacked one of the officers, though details are all emerging from Twitter right now. 

There is also a report that a gunfight between the relatives of the man and police was the ultimate catalyst.

There appear to be clashes between protesters and security forces in Azbakeya and Ramses. Below is a picture of a truck lit on fire in Ramses.

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Bahrain, Yemen (and Beyond) LiveBlog: States of Denial

The Yemenia Airways building burns to the ground amidst clashes in Yemen's capital Sana'a:

2216 GMT: We have conflicting reports from Yemen, but Abe Alansy, who has been the fastest source to update information, is Tweeting that the situation is now calm in Sana'a, Yemen, though it is entirely possible that this is subject to change. There are reports of casualties, but any numbers are likely to be unreliable until daybreak.  

In Libya, an opposition website is claiming multiple victories today near the city of Yefren (updated since our post at 1446 GMT). 

We're taking a break here and preparing for a very busy day tomorrow morning. In Syria, we'll be watching "Children's Friday," in Yemen the growing violence around the capital, in Bahrain the funeral of the most recent martyr, and in Libya the advance of rebel forces. It's going to be another busy Arab Spring Friday.

We'll pick up our coverage at 0530 GMT tomorrow.

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