Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Revolution Renewed

Protests tonight in the Midan section of the Syrian capital Damascus

2050 GMT: Human Rights Watch says defectors from Syria’s security forces have described receiving orders from their superiors to fire live rounds at protesters to disperse them.

HRW issued a statement based on interviews with eight soldiers and four members of secret security agencies. The interviewees said they had participated across the country in the crackdown, including in Daraa, Izraa, Baniyas, Homs, Jisr al-Shughour, Aleppo, and Damascus. They said they had participated in and witnessed the shooting and wounding of dozens of protesters and the arbitrary arrests and detentions of hundreds of civilians.

All the interviewees say their superiors told them that they were fighting infiltrators, "salafists" (hard-line Sunni adherents), and terrorists, but they were surprised to encounter unarmed protesters instead. They said they were ordered to fire on the civilians, including children, in a number of instances.

The defectors also reported that those who refused orders to shoot on protesters ran the risk of being shot themselves. One of them said they witnessed a military officer shoot and kill two soldiers in Daraa for rejecting orders.

Click to read more ...

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Start of a "National Dialogue"

2110 GMT: A demonstration today in Kafranbel in northwest Syria:

2105 GMT: Another clip of today's pro-reform protests in Morocco, this time from the capital Rabat:

Click to read more ...

Libya, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Grind of the Fight

Protesters in the Barzeh section of the Syrian capital Damascus are beaten and put in the trunks of cars (see 0615 GMT)

2040 GMT: A series of developments in Syria tonight after the meeting of opposition activists and intellectuals in Damascus....

About 200 people attended the discussion. Lawyer Louay Hussein, one of the organisers, declared, "The tyrannical regime in power must go. We are here to speak openly and freely. The political system may fall and we must work from now to prevent society from crumbling."

In a joint statement, the participants declared that they would be "part of Syria's peaceful uprising for freedom and democracy and pluralism to establish a democratic state through peaceful means".

However, some Syrians abroad rejected the initiative. "I think the people meeting today are grooming themselves to be a part of that, but they are independents so they don't represent any of the main opposition fronts and coalitions," said Anas al-Abdah, London-based head of the Damascus Declaration's "abroad chapter". The group, one of Syria's best-known opposition groups, boycotted Monday's meeting as it "convenes with the agreement and consent of the Syrian security services".

Syrian authorities have set a date for a "national dialogue" beginning 10 July.

Click to read more ...

Libya Feature: Insurgent Victory in the Western Mountains? (Kirkpatrick)

Until a few weeks ago, the rebellious towns in the Nafusah Mountains were struggling to survive on dwindling supplies of barley, water and gas during a long siege by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s soldiers.

But after an improbable series of military victories over the past three weeks — with fewer than 100 rebel fighters killed, their military leaders say — residents of a broad area in this mountain region are celebrating virtual secession from Colonel Qaddafi’s Libya. While there have been defeats, and the Grad rockets of Colonel Qaddafi’s forces still menace the outskirts of Nalut near the Tunisian border and Yafran to the east, rebels point hopefully to the growing stability of the towns under their control as evidence of how tenuous Colonel Qaddafi’s grip may be.

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Ripples of Protest

Claimed footage of a march in Taiz in Yemen today, demanding a transitional government

2030 GMT: The Tunisian news agency TAP says two Libyan ministers have crossed into Tunisia to join the regime's Foreign Minister, reportedly seeking a solution to the political crisis.

Health Minister Mohamed Al-Hijazi and Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Cherif crossed into southern Tunisia. Foreign Minister Abdul Ati Al-Obeidi has met "several foreign parties" there, part of an effort to find a solution to a civil war in the north African country.

1850 GMT: Opposition and regime forces have clashed about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Sunday's fighting began when government forces tried to cut off the insurgents, who have moved into the plains from the western mountains, by attacking from behind.

The front line is now thought to have moved just north of Bir Ayad, near the town of Bir al-Ghanam. Bir al-Ghanam is only 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Zawiya, a western gateway to Tripoli.

Click to read more ...

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "The Day of National Legitimacy"

Mass pro-reform rally in Taiz in Yemen today

See also Syria Video: Today's "Day of National Legitimacy" Protests Set 1 AND Set 2

---

2025 GMT: Claimed footage of security forces firing tear gas on a protest in Daih in northern Bahrain:

Click to read more ...

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Shutting Away the Activists for Life

2145 GMT: Claimed footage of a protest in Idlib Province in northwest Syria today:

2015 GMT: The video of Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's speech promoting a "national dialogue":

Click to read more ...

Libya: Pimps and Snitches --- The Story That Brought the Expulsion of a British Journalist

Gunmen in Tripoli's Green SquareOn Saturday, Libyan authorities ordered Xan Rice, a reporter for The Guardian of London, out of the country. This was the article on Friday that apparently raised their anger:

Locals call them pimps or snitches. They wear plain clothes, drive unmarked cars and are as numerous as scorpions in the Libyan desert, only more dangerous. Loathed and feared in equal measure, they are the eyes and ears of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, and a large part of the reason that Tripoli has not been able to join the revolt sweeping the country.

Click to read more ...

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.

Click to read more ...

Syria, Yemen, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Massacre --- But Who and How Many?

2030 GMT: Video of the march to the Acting President's house in the Yemeni capital Sana'a today:

2025 GMT: The Syrian Ambassador to France, Lamia Chakkour, has denied in a phone call to Al Jazeera Arabic that she has resigned.

Earlier today (see 1814 GMT), a person claiming to be Chakkour told France 24 that she had quit Syria's diplomatic service. However, the Ambassador is now saying that she will sue France 24 for the erroneous report.

Click to read more ...