Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: What Happens After the "Friends of Syria" Meeting?

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Sunday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Gathering of the "Friends of Syria"

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2040 GMT: A mass demonstration in the Douma suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus:

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North Africa Feature: Has "Arab Spring" Brought Reconciliation in Region? (Malkhy)

Saad Eddine OthmaniOn 14 January, the first anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution, leaders from Morocco, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco travelled to the country in a show of solidarity. The visit also highlighted the interest in building links across the region, in part through revival of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA).

This weekend, it was announced that interim Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki will be reciprocating the gesture, with official visits to Morocco and Algeria in early February. In a further indication that the regional disagreements which led to the suspension of the AMU in 1994 are easing --- for now at least --- Morocco's new Foreign Minister Saad Eddine Othmani will arrive in Algeria today for two days of discussions. Writing for MoroccoBoard News Service,Hassan Masiky examines the significance of the visit, and how a thawing of hostilities will play to domestic populations still seeking greater political reform and economic opportunities.

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The "Arab Spring" Spurs Algeria to Reconcile with Morocco"
Hassan Masiky

Reports of the upcoming visit by the new Moroccan Foreign Minister to Algiers are signs that recent political and social events in North Africa are forcing the Algerian government and the Moroccan authorities to reconsider their long-simmering rivalry.

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Morocco Video Feature: 4 Self-Immolations in Rabat --- Do They Matter?

Warning: Graphic Images

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While the self-immolation in December 2010 of one unemployed man in Tunisia, Mohamed Bouazizi, is now heralded as the catalyst of the Arab Spring, the self-immolation of four unemployed men in Rabat yesterday is unlikely to be noted outside Morocco.

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Morocco Feature: Will a Rapper's Release Be the Catalyst for More Protests?

Moroccoan rapper El-Haqed and the crowd greeting his release from prison on Thursday

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Thursday's release of 24-year-old rapper Mouad Belghouat, a.k.a "El-Haqed", may be a significant catalyst for the swell of youth unrest.

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Morocco Analysis: Where are the Women in the New Government?

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While there is much that could be said about this new government, including the fact that it is based on a historically unprecedented coalition between the socialist PPS and the Islamist PJD, one noteworthy aspect has received much attention. This is the fact that the new government only includes one woman minister in a cabinet of thirty. This is a sharp drop compared to the recent past, when governments formed by other parties had between two and seven women ministers.

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Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest in the Heart of Damascus

2039 GMT: But for all the reports of violence, we've received 10 reports of protests. This video shows a cute little girl leading an evening protest in the Qarabis district of Homs:

This crowd chants anti-regime protests in Jiza, Daraa:

2024 GMT: It's after 10 pm in Syria, but reports continue to come in that the crackdown continues. The LCCS reports that is Kiswah, outside of Damascus, police have conducted house-to-house raids, arresting many, in response to a student protest earlier in the day. A large explosion rocked the Daraa alBalad neighborhood of Daraa, followed by heavy gunfire. And in Latminah, Hama, a 47-year-old father of 4 was reportedly tortured to death after being arrested.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Sanctions on Damascus

2106 GMT: Another striking claim, a reliable activist tweets that a protest left the Haydariyeh district, near the center of Aleppo.

2056 GMT: The (reliable) claim of the day - this video was reportedly taken tonight in the Old City, the district at the very heart of Damascus:

2034 GMT: Back from a lunch/Iran/fight-with-former-Bush-diplomat break to find that the LCCS has released their latest death toll - 18 killed so far in Syria, and no mention of casualties in Rankus:

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Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Creep

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Activist Zainab Alkhawaja (@angryarabiya) stands in front of police after security forces attacked a protest in A'ali in Bahrain

Bahrain 1st-Hand: How Activist Zainab Alkhawaja Defied the Police...And Escaped Arrest

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2114 GMT: After losing an appeal, it appears as though Libya's former Prime Minister, Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, will be extradited from Tunisia to Libya to face trial. However, the move could still be blocked when the new government takes over in Tunisia:

It was unclear whether Tunisia's incoming president, who is a former head of the country's best-known human rights group, would sign the order. Al-Mahmoudi's lawyers have also appealed to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, asking them to grant him a status of political refuge.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: At a Crossroads for Reconciliation?

2220 GMT: While we look for confirmation that defected soldiers have killed 40 in Deir Ez Zor, the Syrian regime is claiming that they killed 16 "terrorists" in al Rastan, Homs:

Syrian security forces bust a "terrorist gang" in the central province of Homs, killing 16 of its members, arresting dozens and seizing large quantities of arms, state television said on Friday.

The operation was carried out in the town of Rastan in Homs, one of the main hubs of protest against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the report said, without specifying when it was launched.

2211 GMT: Another report from Shakeeb Al-Jabri:

Reports from Tal Kalakh of "3 military martyrs in clashes which erupted after defection;" allegiance of those fallen not given.

2203 GMT: Now the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights is also reporting clashes between security forces and the Syrian Free Army in Deir Ez Zor:

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "The Government Wants the People To Become More Violent"

2127 GMT: Though our sources suggest that the protesters are still in the streets, and the gunfire is still being reported in many places across Syria, and the total may rise, the LCCS reports that 20 more civilians have been killed today in Syria:

Syria: The number of martyrs today, thus far, is 20. Among them were two women and a child. 15 of the martyrs were in Homs, 3 in the Hama suburbs, and 1 martyr each from both Deir Ezzor and Raqqa

2124 GMT: A loud, enthusiastic, and defiant crowd protests tonight in Qalamoun, Damascus:

2112 GMT: Yemen's President may sign a Gulf-State plan to transfer power to his deputy tomorrow, according to the opposition:

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