Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 10:14 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2055 GMT: Another clip of protest in Morocco today --- at the end of the footage, the marchers flee from security forces:
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 13:38 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2110 GMT: Protest in Homs in Syria in memory of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb (see 1625 GMT):
2105 GMT: Refuting earlier reports, Yemeni opposition tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar has said that no truce has been reached between his tribe and President Saleh's forces.
Yemen is currently witnessing two parallel power shifts: a popular revolution inspired by the 'Arab spring', and an elite power struggle.
Competition between rival elite factions has been brewing for several years and has intensified as Yemen's long-serving president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has concentrated power around his family.
Each faction cultivates clients and proxies across the political spectrum, within government ministries and the military, as well as among traditional community leaders.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 21:55 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Footage from inside the compound of Yemeni opposition tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, taken by Tom Finn of The Guardian, showing the destruction from regime shelling and treatment of an injured tribesman
2035 GMT: Thanks to James Miller for taking the LiveBlog through the afternoon.
More on the story, which began circulating yesterday, that the Libyan regime is offering conditions for a cease-fire and talks with the opposition....
"We have received a message from the Libyan government seeking an accord for a possible ceasefire," a spokesman for the office of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, said on Thursday.
The initiative came from Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. He said at a news conference in Tripoli, "We are ready for a ceasefire. The solution cannot be a military one. There must be debate among Libyans far away from bombs."
But al-Mahmoud set one important condition: "Muammar Qaddafi is the leader of the Libyan people. If Muammar Qaddafi goes, all the Libyan people go."
The Independent of London reported on Wednesday that it had a copy of a letter from al-Mahmoudi to foreign governments, proposing an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union, unconditional talks with the opposition, amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and the drafting of a new constitution.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 9:38 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2145 GMT: The Egyptian regime has appointed former Assistant Foreign Minister Hani Khalaf as the special envoy to the Libyan opposition in Benghazi.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Araby said the decision follwed Egypt's determination to follow up on developments in Libya and ensure the safety and rights of Egyptian citizens in the country.
2140 GMT: Claimed video of a protest in Daraa in southern Syria today:
2130 GMT: Fighting continues tonight in Yemen's capital Sana'a, in the Hasaba neighbourhood and near the airport.
Sanaa, YemenThis escalation by government forces will likely have far-reaching consequences. Already the fighting on Tuesday had been more intense than Monday, with tribal forces shelling the Ministry of the Interior and taking over different government buildings.
It isn't clear where this headed, or what can be done from the outside, probably not much. President Saleh has let slip the dogs of war. This is likely to get worse before it gets better.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 13:21 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Sounds and images of Monday's battle in Sanaa in Yemen (see 0500 GMT):
2040 GMT: Yemeni officials say 38 people have died in the clashes in the capital Sanaa, 24 from the regime's security forces and 14 supporters of tribal leader Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar.
1915 GMT: Thanks to James Miller for taking the LiveBlog through the afternoon.
Reports from Yemen indicate that supporters of the tribal leader Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar now control the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education buildings.
Armed Men Trap Ambassadors in UAE Embassy, 22 May 2011As Yemen's President Saleh repeatedly backs away from a deal for transition of power and armed clashes escalate on the streets of the capital Sanaa and other cities, the US and the European Union seem to be spinning helplessly, entangled in their alliance with Saleh in the War on Terror.
Karen DeYoung reports for The Washington Post:
The Obama administration and its Arab and European allies are reassessing their military and economic support for Yemen in a desperate search for ways to force President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation before civil war erupts.
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 23:23 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 1806 GMT: A source in Syria provides us with these videos, both taken today. The first shows demonstrators gathering in Kafr Nabl, in the Idlib region of Northwestern Syria.
The second video has the title "Demonstration is always free to women in Syria."
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 10:47 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2130 GMT: After his refusal to sign a deal for transition of power, Yemen's President Saleh has telephoned Gulf leaders, including the heads of the Saudi, Bahraini, Kuwaiti, and Omani regimes.
Saleh blamed the opposition Joint Meeting Parties for the stalemate, saying they refused to sign the Gulf-brokered initiative "within the framework of transparency and openness".
The JMP had signed the agreement on Saturday night but balked at Saleh's insistence that they come to the Presidential Palace and sign again.
Saleh told the Gulf leaders that he was still ready to accept the initiative.
1955 GMT: Security forces charge a pro-reform demonstration in Tangier in Morocco today:
