See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (17 April)
Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....
Syria Clashes between security forces and students at Aleppo University, 10 April 2012
The civil unrest that erupted in Syria in March last year has left the country's scientific community in turmoil, researchers say.
Heavy cuts have been made to research budgets, and work at the majority of Syria's universities and research centres has ground to a halt.
Syrian President Assad and his wife Asma at an aid centre in Damascus, collection donations fo residents of Homs
See also Syria Feature: How the Uprising Has Damaged the Scientific Community
Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Tuesday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Cease-fire? 55 Dead on Monday
2056 GMT: A major, shocking headline, and a complete turnaround in rhetoric for the Bahraini regime:
The government of Bahrain cannot guarantee the safety of Formula One teams and spectators at this Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix as violence escalates in the Gulf kingdom, according to the British former police officer who is working on security at the track.
According to John Yates, the British law enforcement official who has been hired by the regime to revamp the Bahraini police, there was a possibility that security at the Formula 1 race could be compromised...
And the Bahraini police could resort to using live ammunition if necessary:
"The police will have all the options you would expect. If the opposition started firing live ammunition, the police would respond with live," he said, adding: "But I don't think that's likely."
This is a complete reversal for Yates, who once said that Bahrain was safer than London.
Yates insisted that the government continues to reform, and though security forces have sometimes overstepped their boundaries, those incidents were limited and being investigated. He denied that police were preemptively attacking villages.
The Ministry of Interior also released a statement today saying that rioters and vandals were arrested after having committed crimes.
However, as we saw today, police responded to the presence of protesters by challenging the crowds with riot police, and only showed restraint when they saw the media. Even with media present, the police still attacked. Other videos, taken over many months, show police randomly patrolling villages, looking for protesters to challenge, sparking reprisal attacks against the police. There does appear to be a pattern of police provocation, and the journalists in Bahrain have seen that with their own eyes.
Of course, there have also been incidents where protesters have used force against police. After 14 months of uprisings, however, and many months of John Yates, the situation has hardly gotten better.
In fact, it seems to be getting worse.
Demonstration in the Damascus suburb of Douma on Tuesday night
Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....
Syria Last night's protest in Ma'arat Numan in Idlib Province in Syria
1854 GMT: Claimed footage of a demonstration in Houla in Homs Province in Syria today:
And a rally in the Damascus suburb of Barzeh:
1959 GMT: Before today started in Syria, the UN Human Rights investigators had already expressed concern that the violence escalated significantly before the deadline for the ceasefire had arrived.
"The commission is also concerned by reports of new arrests, especially in Hama and Aleppo."
With news that the wholesale shelling of Homs continued, activists reported that Assad's air force was conducting attacks against Idlib and Saraqeb, and that at least 50 people have been killed today, I wonder how long the the UN monitors can keep a straight face when saying that things have gotten better since the ceasefire.
1948 GMT: Activist Zainab AlKhawaja reports that she may be receiving preferential treatment by Bahraini police because she is so high-profile, but there may be a case filed against her for taking pictures of tonight's protests:
The last thing I heard was "you must go to the police station, there's a case against u" apparently for taking pics #bahrain
— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) April 16, 2012
Walking back to my car there was nobody on the streets but riot police started shooting lots of teargas #bahrain
— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) April 16, 2012
See also Israel Feature: As World Worries About Iran, Netanyahu Expands Settlements
Palestine Opinion: Britain's Deportation of Sheikh Raed Salah
Friday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Will the Regime Challenge the Protests?
The opening day of the funeral of Bahraini citizen journalist Ahmed Ismail Hassan, shot to death two weeks ago
2224 GMT: Back from a conference to find that the United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted UN Resolution 2042 for the first 30 unarmed military monitors, who are expected to leave within days.
The observers will report on whether the resolution has been met by "a full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties". The measure also demands that the Assad regime implement the six-point peace plan put forward by United Nations envoy Kofi Annan, with the pull-back of troops and heavy weapons from cities and town.
A new resolution with a full mandate will be required for the full monitoring mission of more than 200 observers.
Friday, April 13, 2012 at 4:39 | James Miller in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Mass demonstration last night in Freedom Square in Deir Ez Zor, Syria
1919 GMT: According to the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, they have been able to confirm the deaths of 13 so far today:
3 martyrs were documented in Hama as a result of sporadic gunfire at the protesters, 2 martyrs in each of Daraa and Aleppo as a result of sporadic gunfire at protesters. Also, 2 martyrs were documented in Idlib and one of corpses was un-identified. 2 martyrs in Homs in a random shelling at some neighborhoods. 1 martyr in Daraya, Damascus suburbs, in a sporadic gunfire by security forces at the protesters and 1 martyr in Hasaka, a defected recruit who was executed.
Homs, and several surrounding towns, were heavily shelled once again today. In this video, a building burns as heavy gunfire fills the background in Qosour:
Ahmed Al Omran provides this video, a wider view of the Khalidiya district of Homs:
Video reportedly shows shelling on Homs today, sounds of intense gunfire youtube.com/watch?v=bo6qOx… #SYRIA
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) April 13, 2012
Analysts on Al Jazeera English's Inside Story discuss whether a peace plan can succeed in Syria
See also Bahrain Document: Activists Appeal to BBC and Sky Not to Broadcast Grand Prix
Turkey Live Coverage (12 April): Erdogan "If the UN Does Not Follow on Syria, What Will It Follow Through?"
Wednesday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Deadline? What Deadline?
Turkey Live Coverage (11 April): Erdogan Taking the Lead on Syria?
2005 GMT: A significant update from Bahraini photojournalist Mazen Mahdi:
opposition groups call-off Friday 3pm rally and call on supporters to take part in funeral of citizen journalist Ahmed Ismail #Bahrain
— Mazen Mahdi (@MazenMahdi) April 12, 2012
The family of Ahmad Ismail Hassan, the citizen journalist killed two weeks ago as he filmed protests on Salmabad --- allegedly by a regime operative firing from a Land Cruiser --- had refused to accept the body from the hospital because "shooting" was not put as cause of death on the certificate.
Now that the family has taken Ismail Hassan for burial, the march promises to be one of the largest in recent months on the island.
1945 GMT: The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria have issued a clarification about today's claimed death toll of 37:
The Local Coordination Committees would like to note that the martyrs of Deir Baalba's Massacre [in a section of Homs] that was discovered today have actually fallen on the 8th of April, 2012; and it was until today that their bodies were discovered.
This happened because of the heavy presence of the army and the lack of communications in the city during the last week. Therefore, the number of martyrs who were killed today...is 22 martyrs, distributed as follows: 9 martyrs in Homs, 6 in Idlib, 5 in Damascus Suburbs and 2 martyrs in Aleppo.
An evening demonstration in Hama:
Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:05 | Ali Yenidunya in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 
1820: Speaking at the joint press briefing with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Erdogan said that they see no implemantation of the Annan Plan and no improvement of the situation in Syria. Erdogan said:
The Annan Plan is a six-point plan; not an extended broad plan [to solve the crisis]. In my opinion, it is not being implemented.
However, we are saying from the very beginning that we want an outcome. And for this outcome, the tanks must be withdrawn from cities first and foremost. They say 'we have withdrawn from cities and placed them in rural areas. No, where they belong is crystal clear. They belong to barracks. The administration must give confidence to the people by this action which is not the case now.
From the beginning, what we want is conforming to the people's demands. This can be done by bringing ballot boxes in front of the people. Whoever wins at the elections, the international community will respect that. We, as Turkey, are against any totalitarian, authoritarian and autocratic regimes.
No one can ask why Turkey is talking a lot. Our borders are violated and we have 25,000 refugees along with a 877 km of border with Syria.
1700 GMT: According to Turkey's Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, exportation to Syria has been decreased by 77 percent in March and it is also 56.1 percent less compared to last year's January-March period. It is reported that the number of transportation trucks has been diminished from around 250 to 10-15 a day.
1620 GMT: Minister of Finance Mehmet Simsek said that the southerneastern and eastern parts will become Turkey's China, thanks to the economic stimulus package announced last week. Simsek continued:
Wherever you invest across Turkey, there are strong supports you will have. Tax rates are already set to zero in the sixth region [two regions mentioned above]
