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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: After the Houla "Massacre", Another 60 Deaths

Scott Lucas — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:38:12 +0000

A rally in the Damascus suburb of Douma on Saturday night with a message about the Houla "masscare", "These are our martyrs, we will never forget them"

2034 GMT: Syria. The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria say 51 people have died today, including 11 children, four women and six defected soldiers

The toll is likely to increase if the death toll from today's shelling of Hama is as high as feared --- so far the LCCS only claim 25 slain in Hama Province.

2034 GMT: Syria. Activists are reporting on social media tonight that at least thirty people have been killed in regime shelling of Hama.

Opposition sources said the shelling began in the morning on areas near the northern entrance of the city, after a series of insurgent attacks on army roadblocks in the city, and resumed in the evening on the southern al-Malaab district.

Footage has been posted of some of the victims (Warning: Graphic).

1837 GMT: Syria. The United Nations Security Council is in emergency session to discuss Friday's mass killing in Houla.

Diplomats said Russia is blocking a strong statement condemning the regime, insisting that the Council first hear from Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the head of the UN's observers in Syria.

The draft statement, which has not been supported by Russia and China, said that the members of the Security Council "condemned in the strongest possible terms the Syrian armed forces’ heavy shelling of a civilian populated area", arguing, "This indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilian population constitutes a flagrant violation of international law." It said, "Those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held accountable."

Meanwhile, the UN observers revised their estimate of the death toll to 108, while the insurgent Free Syria Army said 116 were slain.

A demonstration in the al-Asali section of Damascus today:

1628 GMT: Syria. Alex Thomson of Britain's Channel 4 has been in Houla today with Syrian regime forces. He writes, that despite Friday's mass killing of civilians, "Syrian army keep sending gun-mounted APCs [armoured personnel carriers] to fire", and continues:

Intermittent firefights all over town. Incoming M16 rounds from FSA sniper position.
— alex thomson (@alextomo) May 27, 2012

One Syrian soldier shot 10 metres away. They dragged him away.
— alex thomson (@alextomo) May 27, 2012

UN told me their work was hampered by a Syrian Army armed APC their vehicles, firing 2 rounds and starting another firefight.
— alex thomson (@alextomo) May 27, 2012

Thomson has also posted a blog entry on his day. Despite his position with Syrian forces, he is sceptical of the regime line that Friday's death were due to "terrorists", in part because of the accounts of UN observers:

In the town of Houla they questioned people repeatedly and the story was always the same, that at approximately 12.30pm on Friday after prayers there was a sustained barrage lasting in the region of two hours from the Syrian army.

This was followed by concerted attacks on foot led by the Shabiha, and this is when the masacre occured. The killings, these sources say, happened some time in the period from 3pm on Friday to approximately 1-2am on Saturday.

1620 GMT: Egypt. The campaign of Abdel Moneim Abdel Fotouh, the former senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, has said it will file a request for the suspension of the Presidential vote based on a lis of 12 categories of violations, including vote-buying, registration of deceased voters, barring of observer, and mistakes in records.

Abdel Fotouh fared poorly compared to predictions, trailing far behind the top three vote-getters.

Hamadeen Sabahi, who finished third in the ballot, has already filed a request for suspension because of voting irregularities and the disputed qualification of Ahmed Shafiq, the former Vice President in the Mubarak regime, who finished second.

1610 GMT: Morocco. Despite recent Parliamentary elections and declared reforms by the monarchy, the mass protests of February 2011 continue in Morocco --- a march today of workers in Casablanca:

1400 GMT: Syria. Activists claim regime forces shot dead at least two men on Sunday in Damascus suburbs amid protests to condemn Friday's killings in Houla.

One of those killed, Riad Mahmoud, was among a crowd of 2000-3000 people who marched in the neighbourhood of Yalda on the southern edge of the capital and were confronted by armed members of a secret police division, according to activists.

A senior Arab League official says the Assad regime has denied permission for a deputy of United Nations/Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to travel to Damascus.

The official said Syria blocked the former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Kidwa because it does not want to deal with the Arab League.

Annan is due in Damascus on Monday.

Claimed footage with sounds of clashes between insurgents and regime forces in the Midan section of Damascus today:

1325 GMT: Egypt. A criminal court has found Zakaria Azmi, the Chief of Staff of former President Hosni Mubarak, guilty of corruption, sentencing him to seven years in prison and fining him 36.3 million Egyptian pounds ($6 million).

Elmy was also a legislator and a senior member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

Azmi is one of about three dozen key figures of the Mubarak regime in detention facing corruption charges. The group includes two former Prime Ministers, the ex-Speaker of Parliament, and several wealthy businessmen and Cabinet ministers.

Sunday’s verdict comes less than a week before a court is due to issue its ruling in the trial of Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa.

1125 GMT: Syria. A demonstration today in Ma'arat Harma in Idlib Province:

1030 GMT: Syria. Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi has told journalists that Damascus retains the right to defend its citizens: "We will not forfeit that."

Makdissi said the United Nations Security Council should be looking into who is arming insurgents, inciting violence, and calling for NATO intervention.

Makdissi continued that the regime had shown the images of Friday's killings of more than 90 people in Houla "because we're not afraid. We know what happened."

0950 GMT: Syria. The Twitter account of British Foreign Secretary has been announcing a series of steps after Friday's mass killings:

Charge d'affaires at Syrian Embassy in London will be summoned to @foreignoffice tomorrow at my instruction over #houlamassacre
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) May 27, 2012

Hague also said he will soon be speaking to United Nations envoy Kofi Annan and "will call on Russia to support rapid & unequivocal pressure on #Assad regime and accountability for crimes".

0945 GMT: Syria. Activists say a bomb has struck a security vehicle in Damascus, causing casualties.

Both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees of Syria claim the explosion occurred in the upscale neighborhood of Mazzeh. The LCCS say the incident was near a military airport.

0730 GMT: Syria. Helene Cooper and Mark Landler of The New York Times report:

In a new effort to halt more than a year of bloodshed in Syria, President Obama will push for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad under a proposal modeled on the transition in another strife-torn Arab country, Yemen.

The plan calls for a negotiated political settlement that would satisfy Syrian opposition groups but that could leave remnants of Mr. Assad’s government in place. Its goal is the kind of transition under way in Yemen, where after months of violent unrest, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down and hand control to his vice president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, in a deal arranged by Yemen’s Arab neighbors. Mr. Hadi, though later elected in an uncontested vote, is viewed as a transitional leader.

The success of the plan hinges on Russia, one of Mr. Assad’s staunchest allies, which has strongly opposed his removal.

0605 GMT: Syria. Saturday's news was dominated by the aftermath of the killings in Houla in Homs Province the day before. United Nations observers, including the head of the mission, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, visited the site and reported 92 bodies, including those of 32 children and teenagers.

Victims were later buried in a mass grave, as Mood condemned “in the strongest possible terms the brutal tragedy”. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, went farther. Countering Syrian State media's claim that "Al Qa'eda-linked terrorists" were responsibile, they pointed at the regime:

This appalling and brutal crime, involving indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force, is a flagrant violation of international law and of the commitments of the Syrian government to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres and violence in all its forms.

Those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held to account.

Meanwhile, another 60 people reportedly died at the hands of security forces across Syria on Saturday, including 25 in Homs Province and 15 in Idlib Province.

Bahrain Live Coverage: Regime on Human Rights "You Are Biased. P.S. We'll Sue You"

Scott Lucas — Sun, 27 May 2012 10:21:52 +0000

Protesting the detention of women, youth defy security forces to set up a burning-tyre barricade in Dar Kulaib (see 0719 GMT)

2024 GMT: Claimed footage of police shooting tear gas into a house in A'ali today:

Protesters help an old woman suffocating from tear gas:

1914 GMT: Is this the latest step in the regime's crackdown on human rights activists?

The founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, is serving a life sentence. The head of the Centre, Nabeel Rajab, has been imprisoned since 5 May. Now the Centre's Said Yousif Almuhafda is being http://yfrog.com/nxolzokj" target="_blank">targeted by the regime's newspaper Alayam, accused of implementing an Iranian agenda and lying to foreign media.

1014 GMT: Defense lawyer Mohsin al-Alawi says a court has sentenced six people to prison terms of up to 15 years, claiming they were plotting with Iranian agents to overthrow the regime.

Three of the men were sentenced in absentia, including Ali Mushaima, the son of imprisoned opposition leader Hassan Mushaima.

Al-Alawi said two other accused received lesser sentences and were freed because they had spent six months in detention.

0909 GMT: The National reports that the price of prime office space has dropped by a third in the past three years amid financial and political uncertainty.

Property company CBRE estimates that half the space in the kingdom is empty. Occupancy may be as low as 25% in the showpiece Bahrain Financial Harbour, opened in 2007,and billed as a rival to the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Only 78 companies are listed as tenants in BFH's directory, and some of those have shut down. That compares with 848 firms in the DIFC at the end of 2011. The National continues, "A multi-storey retail space beneath the two towers is a ghost town, with a few branches of Caribou Coffee and Costa Coffee sparsely populated. A Starbucks cafe and a Jashanmal bookstore had shut down."

0719 GMT: Protesters are calling for marches and demonstrations of resistance across Bahrain today to demand freedom for women detainees --- Bilad Alqadeem:

Karzakan:

0714 GMT: The regime-linked Gulf Daily News cheers:

An initiative to wipe out anti-government graffiti has proven so successful that it has been rolled out in other trouble areas across Bahrain.

It features the beautification of villages by painting religious murals to prevent vandals from spraying anti-monarchy slogans on public and private property.

Organisers are encouraging the country's youth to come out in force to show off their artistic talents and paint cultural images, Islamic phrases and the 99 names of Allah.

0707 GMT: In a Saturday feature, "Preaching Religious Tolerance, Practicing Religious Discrimination", EA's John Horne noted that King Hamad's wife would be the guest of honour at a Paris ceremony organised by the French branch of a Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need. The Bahrain News Agency follows up:

Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women affirmed that Bahrain was and still is a place for peaceful coexistence between different religions and cultures and a living example for religious freedom.

She pointed out that Bahrain is known for its historical and civilized position whereby mosques and churches exist near each other and both the sound of Muslim call for prayer and the sound of the ringing of bells of churches can be heard, This, she said, represents the humanitarian and professional approach of dealing among the various religious sects of the society.

0700 GMT: Following up our initial entry (see 0600 GMT) --- sources have told EA that activists returning to Bahrain from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva have been informed that they will be "summoned for interrogation".

0653 GMT: The Bahrain News Agency reports that the kingdom will stop broadcasting its channels on satellite operator Arabsat from 1 June to protest an Iran-led "hostile" media campaign.

Bahrain's International Affairs Authority criticised Arabsat for failing to heed repeated requests "to take official measures" against the Iranian channels which tried "to incite sectarianism and shake security and stability" in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

0600 GMT: On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council put out a strong message to the Bahrain regime. In its Periodic Review, the Council put 176 recommendations calling on the Kingdom to address issues of rights and abuse that had not been resolved, despite assurances by the authorities of "reform". The President of the Council added a special message:

Recently I was informed....about a media campaign which is taking place in your country, identifying and threatening representatives of civil society who came to Geneva to participate in this review. Given these press reports I would like to express my concern at those incidents, reminding you that intimidation is inconsistent with the spirit of democratic participation, which inspires this universal periodic review and this mechanism in the council.

Yesterday the regime offered its response through the Minister of Interior, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa:

some human rights organizations adopt a single view of information they get about Bahrain, as they are only convinced of what they hear from one side and give the deaf ears to official responses....Such bias[ed] approach should be avoided by people working in the field as they are expected to have a positive role in supporting the truth with objectivity....The matter raised doubt of how those organizations are selecting their information.

The Minister then addressed the President of the Council:

[He hadn't[ received complaints from concerned individuals about threats they are receiving. He said that statements of those representatives who claimed to be threatened would be taken as part of legal procedures to know the truth.

The Minister expressed his thanks to countries' representatives who showed objection of what was mentioned by the Council President as it considered as violation to agreed-upon protocols and a new practice.

And there was more from the Minister --- the headline of the Arabic version of his statement: "[We Are] Registering Statements of Civil Society Representatives in Geneva to Take Legal Action Against Them".

The Latest from Iran (27 May): A New Parliament Opens

Scott Lucas — Sun, 27 May 2012 09:46:04 +0000

President Ahmadinejad and former President Rafsanjani enter the first session of the new Parliament todaySee also The Latest from Iran (26 May): Propaganda Watch

1825 GMT: Nuclear Watch. Earlier today (see 0635 GMT) we had noted the defiant stance of the head of the atomic energy organisation, Fereydoun Abbasi, that the International Atomic Energy Agency would not be allowed to inspect the Parchin military site. This, we suggested, was a major step back from possible accomodation over Iran's nuclear programme, given that IAEA head Yukiya Amano had said only a week ago that an agreement over inspections was imminent.

Western media, however, are focusing on another section of Abbasi's comments on State TV, namely that Iran is standing on its right to enrich uranium to 20% on its soil: "“We have no reason to retreat from producing the 20 percent because we need 20 percent uranium just as much to meet our needs."

We are not so struck by the remark. Abbasi has been a "hard-liner" in the past --- in contrast to, for example, President Ahmadinejad --- on the level to which Iran can enrich.

Today's comment should be seen more as a re-assertion by the regime of a tough negotiating position after the failure to get any advance, and indeed signs of a retreat, on a deal at last week's Baghdad talks. Iranian officials blame the situation on the initial proposal put by the 5+1 Powers, which did not explictly recognise Iran's right to enrich and which offered no significant gesture on sanctions.

1821 GMT: At the Movies. The House of Cinema, the organisation for many of Iran's filmmakers and actors, has restarted its activities after a five-month ban.

The Ministry of Culture suspended the House, soon after the arrests and sentencing of a number of documentary makers, in late 2011 on the grounds that it did not have a licence. Last week, however, the Administration Court ruled that the Ministry had not followed proper procedure.

1638 GMT: Politics Watch. The blog of Hamed Talebi, political editor of Fars, has reportedly been filtered after he warned against Gholam Ali Haddad Adel as the next Speaker of Parliament.

1608 GMT: A Syrian Admission from the Revolution Guards. According to Baztab, Ismail Qa'ani, the deputy head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has said, "The presence of the Islamic Republic...has stopped great massacres in Syria."

1356 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist and human rights activist Farshad Aswad has been arrested at the airport he was leaving Iran.

Aswad had worked with Nasrin Sotudeh, the prominent defence attorney who has been imprisoned for six years.

1349 GMT: Picture of the Day. Vahid Lalipour, on his release from Evin Prison today after serving a one-year sentence:

1345 GMT: Loyalty Watch. Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, has said that some expected a power struggle after his grandfather's death, "but due to Ayatollah Khamenei's leadership, it did not happen".

1340 GMT: Economy Watch. Iranian authorities, amid general criticism that imports are harming domestic producers, have banned Chinese Qur'ans from entering the country.

1220 GMT: Economy Watch. Mohammad Taghi Lashkari, the head of the fish farmers' union, warns of damage from the second phase of subsidy cuts "if the Government does not support us". Lashkari said production was down by 40% this year.

1200 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Writer and translator Manijeh Najm-Araghi, the secretary of the Iranian Writers Guild, has been summoned to serve her one-year prison term.

1000 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Five Kurds have reportedly been sentenced to a total of 46 years in prison.

The five, all residents of Maku city in West Azerbaijan, are Mostafa Armin, Mousa Hatefi, Saeed Derayat, Ali Marhamati, and Vali Balkhanloo. They were arrested last year.

Balkhanloo and Armin were sentenced to 15 1/2 years in prison for mohareb (enmity against God). Derayat and Marhamati were sentenced to four years, while Hatefi received a seven-year term.

0935 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. President Ahmadinejad has spoken at the opening of the new Parliament, "Today, evils have been mobilized from all directions to put the Iranian nation under pressure. Removing and resisting the pressures, and cooperation, are the main priority today."

Perhaps more significant than this rhetoric was the President's renewed attempt to assert his authority, drawing a line against Parliamentary interference, "Any effort to intervene in another's affairs will not serve the country. This is only devastating."

In his address to the legislators, the Supreme Leader advised them to avoid "unwarranted challenges" to the Executive and the judiciary.

0755 GMT: Defending the Rapper Watch. Throughout this month, Iranian clerics and politicians have called for the execution of rapper Shahin Najafi for his song "Naqi", invoking the 10th Shia Imam to criticise the political and social situation in the Islamic Republic. A website posted a $100,000 bounty for the killing of Najafi, who is in exile in Germany.

Yesterday, as Arshama3's Blog summarises, supporters of Najafi turned out in cities across Europe. A photo from Frankfurt:

0645 GMT: All-Is-Well Alert. The head of the Central Bank, Mahmoud Bahmani, has declared that Iran has implemented a new system for international financial transactions.

Bahmani said the system would replace the SWIFT network used for most transactions around the world.

In March, SWIFT cut off services to Iranian banks subject to sanctions by the European Union that were adopted in January. The step has reportedly had a significant effect on Iran's international trade and movement of assets.

0635 GMT: Nuclear Tough Talk. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereyoun Abbasi, has issued a defiant No to the International Atomic Energy Agency over its insistance on inspecting the Parchin military site: “The agency is interested in visiting Parchin due to pressure from countries that want the agency to investigate the issue.”

The IAEA has requested the inspection because of claims that the Islamic Republic has a high-explosives containment vessel, which could be used in development of a nuclear weapon, on the base. However, Abbasi maintained, "No documents or reason has been presented to us” for a visit.

Does this mean that Iran is turning its back on IAEA Director Yukiya Amano, six days after he had discussions in Tehran and announced that a deal on Parchin would be reached "very soon"?

0625 GMT: The Islamic Republic's 9th Majlis has been opened with a message from the Supremer Leader, read by his representative, "[This] is a powerful message by which the Iranian nation addresses the contemporary world."

Perhaps more interesting is the manoeuvring for the Speaker's chair. For weeks, it has appeared that Ali Larijani, the Speaker in the 8th Parliament, might lose his position to former Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, former Speaker and relative of the Supreme Leader by marriage. However, as the two candidates addressed the factions organising themselves for the new Parliament this weekend, the feedback was that groups such as the Velayat Followers --- who claim to have more than half the members of the new Parliament --- would overwhelmingly back Larijani.

North Korea Video Feature: The Wonderful World of the Regime's YouTube Channel (McFadden)

Scott Lucas — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:40:06 +0000

Disney, Take Note --- the North Korean regime's cartoon animals portray conflict and re-unification

Caleb McFadden, a history student at Middle Tennessee State University, writes for EA:

On 14 July 2010, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with the username “uriminzokkiri”, created its official YouTube channel.

Since that day, 3000 videos have been posted, and the channel has more than 3000 subscribers and more than 2 million views of its footage. In comparison, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has three times the population of North Korea, has less than 2000 subscribers and about 2.5 million visits.

Given the general lack of Internet access in North Korea, most of the views are probably from foreigners. So it is worth noting the few videos that promote themselves with English subtitles, mainly condemning the US and the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Most of these clips show footage of American and South Korean and military drills to illustrate accusations that the "West" is trying to kill the peace process and the reunification of Korea --- Lee Myung-bak is framed as a sell-out to the US, wanted for "anti-reunification crimes".

Aside from newsreels, there are videos of beautiful landscapes and paintings of regime leaders, accompanied by gentle music that sounds like a mixture of a Western orchestra and eastern instruments. Most of this propaganda attempts to portray North Korea as a safe and peaceful place to live --- perhaps that is why there are no videos of the recent failed missile test.

The site also has hundreds of animated cartoons. The majority of these depict two animals fighting over something, probably symbolizing the struggle between the two halves of Korea. These cartoons often end with a reference to unification of North and South, as the animals become friends.

One of the more striking cartoons features a young boy, who falls asleep while doing his math homework and dreams of blowing up American warships and landing craft with missiles. While the other boys in his dream are successful at hutting their targets, the main character does not know how to zero in on the proper coordinates because he did not learn from his homework. When he wakes from the nightmare, he immediately returns to his studies.

So whom are the North Korean regime trying to convince? South Koreans? Chinese? Young children and students in the West? Maybe a general effort to improve on their 13% approval rating in the US --- which,disturbingly, is the same as that for Congress?

It is doubtful that any of these audience will be swayed into sympathy for Pyongyang. Still, the videos make a contribution: they offer a window into the thinking of North Korean regime in the 21st century.

US Feature: Bad Business --- A Tale of Baseball, Video Games, and a Falling Hero (Miller)

James Miller — Sun, 27 May 2012 07:36:45 +0000

Before the Fall: Curt SchillingIn 2004, Curt Schilling became a legend in Boston. Playing on a badly-injured ankle, he helped the Red Sox achieve one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history to defeat the hated New York Yankees in the semi-finals. The Red Sox then won the "World Series" --- Boston's first title in 86 years --- over the St Louis Cardinals.

And then was more: in 2007, Schilling's pitching took the Sox win to another World Series, finally changing the course of the Sox/Yankees rivalry after decades of cursed frustration for Bostonians.

Imagine the frustration, then, of many Boston fans when their hero badmouthed some of their best-loved politicians and used his fame to campaign for Republican candidates. And then you can appreciate the Schadenfreude at Schilling's failure to launch a successful computer game company.

As Robert Miller points out on The Boston Gamer, however, the reaction to Shilling's recent failure is a lot more than gloating or political squabbling. The collapse of 38 Studios has exposed the hypocrisy of politically-active citizens, the unscrupulous behavior of famous people with more money than brains, and the deeply flawed inner-workings of State Government and its business practices.

We all know the story of 38 Studios by now. Curt Schilling helped win two world series championships for the Boston Red Sox and now he had a dream: to create a gaming company and make a groundbreaking MMO that will be the best anyone has ever seen. What resulted, however, was more like a nightmare.

Schilling left the Red Sox after making $8 million in his last full season. He started 38 studios and began to hire people to work on his new (and only) IP: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. He invested $3 million of his own money in order to get the company started (his net worth is $60 million) and set up shop in Massachusetts. In short order, 38 studios grew to over 400 employees and the company was in the end-run of the development of the game.

In November 2010, Schilling moved the company to Rhode Island to utilize a $75 million loan from the government at low interest (but, apparently, extremely high risk). Finally, the game was released on February 7, 2012 and sold 1.2 million copies. By May, however, unable to repay their loan to Rhode Island, and unable to make payroll, the entire staff of 38 studios was laid off.

Enter the first, and perhaps most glaring, problem - According to the Governor of Rhode Island, 38 Studios would need to sell 3 million copies of the game in order to have any return on investment. To put this in perspective, Final Fantasy XIII, a successful installment of an historically franchise, sold 4.82 million copies and is the thirteenth game in the series. For any startup company to expect to sell 3 million copies of a game with a new IP is, quite frankly, an insane notion.

There are lots of questions regarding where the studio went wrong, but there are a few things that have stuck out as red flags for the entire situation.

What does this show about what type of person Schilling truly is? While he was still playing for the Red Sox, he spoke out about his personal beliefs during the 2004 elections (Schilling actively campaigned for then President Bush’s reelection). His endorsement of such politicians as former President Bush, Senators Scott Brown and John McCain clearly indicate his Republican-leaning beliefs. The standpoints that all of these politicians have in common is the want for a smaller government. They believe that the government should stay out of people’s personal lives and shouldn’t be interfering with private businesses.

This completely contradicts Schilling’s history with 38 Studios, as his company not only willingly accepted, but campaigned to receive $75 million from the government. Furthermore, once Schilling received the money from the loan, he immediately repaid himself the $3 million that he initially put in. As a result, his company’s failure doesn’t affect him financially whatsoever. Now, while it is perfectly understandable that reimbursement should be given over the course of time, Schilling has shown that he values his own financial gains over those of his company or its employees. Instead of re-investing cash into his company to continue his “dream” of creating this new world of Amalur, he made decisions that bankrupted his company, failed to repay the state of Rhode Island, and has led to the layoff of more than 400 employees.

This development will put huge economic strain on not only the employees themselves, but the government as well. The state of Rhode Island now has to pay 400 people unemployment for upwards of 99 weeks, has given a company $75 million for investments that it cannot pay back (money which could be allocated to paying unemployment for said employees), and increases the unemployment rate in a state that is already under tremendous financial and economic stress.

Oh, and how did he let the employees know they were fired? A cold, calculated email to inform all of his employees that they are officially laid off as of that day:

"The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a company-wide lay off is absolutely necessary.

These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.

This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012."

The outcome of this calamity is that Curt Schilling is the only person who has made out at all from the failure of his company. He has recently taken to twitter to promote the upcoming game in the Armalur series (code named Copernicus) and to try and make the case that he never received a bailout. Jason Mayo (@jay_mayo) asked, “Does that mean you're going to pay back your govt bail out money?” His response: Haven't received a penny of it, and have not asked for any.” The hypocrisy of this statement is astounding.

As an avid gamer and a Red Sox fan, I find myself enraged on multiple levels. Why didn’t 38 Studios start out with a smaller project (ala Minecraft, Braid, or I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1)? Why didn’t they sell themselves out to other game companies to aid with the creation of their own games (Treyarch with Call of Duty: World at War, DICE with Battlefield 3, etc.)? Why didn’t Schilling invest more of his own money or seek funding from other professional athletes who also enjoy gaming? There are a million different things he could have done with his company to keep it afloat. The reality is that there are nearly 400 people who are unemployed in Rhode Island right now while their boss sits comfortably on a bed made of $60 million. If the game made money, he was set to make millions. It didn’t and Curt Shilling shares absolutely none of that pain. While some may make the argument that Schilling may have just been a bad businessman, this goes FAR beyond that.

Schilling isn’t the only one who deserves criticism, however. The state of Rhode Island loaned this money to the company without doing enough investigating into the business model of the company. By all accounts, the game’s reviews ranged from above-average to great, and its sales were extremely competitive for an initial release. Furthermore, the game received widespread publicity before this calamity just because of Curt Shilling’s name being associated with it. Anyone who knew what the company was planning to do and how much the company had spent on creating this game (which the government would have access to during the negotiations for the loan) and didn’t question the business model of 38 Studios deserves to be fired immediately.

The victims of this hypocrisy and insanity are the employees and the citizens of Rhode Island who had nothing to do with the collapse and mismanagement of this company. Thankfully, other companies are contacting former employees and telling them to apply to gaming jobs with them. However, that is not a guarantee of work. I truly hope that Schilling does the right thing and make amends with his past, but my hopes are not high. I, for one, will go out of my way to never support anything that Curt Schilling does for as long as I have breath in my lungs and a pulse in my body.

To quote Thomas Jefferson, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Let us not be silent on this matter… while too many workers are unemployed, there may be many other famous people looking to 38 Studios as the perfect model, as opposed to a fantastic nightmare.

The Latest from Iran (26 May): Propaganda Watch

Scott Lucas — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:57:00 +0000

1605 GMT: Nuclear Watch. Laura Rozen adds valuable detail to our news and analysis of the nuclear talks in Baghdad. She describes how there nearly was no agreement to another meeting in Moscow --- some of the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia) were pushing for a harder line than others on the language to be offered to the Iranians in a statement summarising Baghdad's discussions and looking to the future.

In the end, the European Union's Catherine Ashton, the lead negotiator for the 5+1, worked out a compromise text. In her press conference at the end of the meetings, she said, "Significant gaps remain" between Iran and the 5+1, but there was enough common ground for another round of talks.

Ashton reportedly used the Iraqi hosts and the Chinese and Russian delegations to ensure the acceptance of the Iranians, who proposed Astana in Kazakhstan, Beijing, or Moscow as the next venue.

1355 GMT: From Defector to Hero to Prison. Shahram Amiri, a scientist in Iran's nuclear programme who defected and then "re-defected" to a hero's welcome from the regime, has reportedly been sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years in exile.

A discussion on the US Public Broadcasting System in 2010 about the Amiri case:

1155 GMT: Nuclear Spin Watch. We noted earlier that both US and Iranian outlets, rather than dealing with the substance of the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report, were putting out preferred messages (see 0610 GMT).

It looks like the Institute for Science and International Security, the think tank prominent for its declarations of Iran's threat, is getting in on the act. Using the Associated Press, it declares, "Iran has significantly stepped up its output of low-enriched uranium and total production in the last five years would be enough for at least five nuclear weapons if refined much further."

The ISIS, or at least the AP summary, does not note the flaw in its warning, namely the assumption "if refined further" --- the IAEA declared in its report that there was no evidence that Iran's uranium was being diverted to a military programme.

1119 GMT: Tough Talk of the Day. Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the Deputy Commander of the Revolutionry Guards, has declared, "Today, there is no base in the region lying outside the reach of the Iranian missiles."

1115 GMT: Currency Watch. The Iranian Diplomacy website claims that a three-year-old foreign exchange deal with China has been uncovered, in which the Islamic Republic left oil income to Beijing in exchange for lines of credit to buy Chinese goods.

1110 GMT: Fraud Watch. Peyke Iran claims that former high-ranking staff in the Ministries of Labour and Industry are among six prominent Government defendants in the $2.6 billion bank fraud case.

The 12th hearing in the trial is scheduled for Sunday in Tehran.

0650 GMT: Nuclear Spin Watch. Journalist Barbara Slavin cuts through the propaganda (see 0610 GMT) to get to the essence of the International Atomic Energy Agency's report: "Nuclear Monitors in Iran Detect ‘Unalarming’ Enrichment".

0610 GMT: We open this morning with an analysis linking the nuclear discussions with economic issues, "Propaganda, Negotiations, and the Economic Ties That Bind".

And this is not the only case of reality and rhetoric this morning. On Friday, the latest International Atomic Energy report on Iran's nuclear programme was posted. The conclusion is a brief re-statement of the IAEA's position in recent years --- while there is no evidence of Tehran's diversion of uranium to a militarised effort, the Agency would like wider access to Iranian facilities, confirmed by the Islamic Republic's accession to the Additional Protocol of the Safeguards Agreement regulating inspections:

While the Agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material at the nuclear facilities and LOFs declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, as Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation, including by not implementing its Additional Protocol, the Agency is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.

If there is breaking news in the report, it is the IAEA's optimism after recent talks with Iran, including Director General Yukiya Amano's discussions in Tehran on Monday:

Progress was made on a structured approach to clarifying the issues outlined in the Annex to the Director General’s November 2011 report. The Director General invites Iran to expedite final agreement on the structured approach, as agreed with Mr Jalili, in Tehran on 21 May 2012, and urges Iran to engage the Agency on the substance of the issues as soon as possible, including by providing early access to the Parchin [military] site.

This, however, did not necessarily fit the preferred narratives of media outlets in the US and the Iran. So the Associated Press, fed by "diplomats", decided to put out the scary story that Iran had enriched some uranium to 27%, beyond the 20% level that Tehran has claimed. The problem for the attempt at scariness was that 1) the 27% figure could be explained by technical aspects of the process, rather than malicious intent and so 2) the AP's implication of an Iranian push for military weapons capability was unsupported.

Meanwhile, Iran's Press TV sets out the mirror image, "IAEA Report Says No Diversion in Iranian Nuclear Program", omitting all other passages, including the call for more inspections and safeguards.

Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: More than 50 Die in Houla; A Presidential Run-Off in Cairo

Scott Lucas — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:30:29 +0000

UN military observers view dozens of victims of Friday's killings in Houla in Syria

2015 GMT: SyriaTonight's protest in the Kafarsouseh section of Damascus, in sympathy with the people of Houla:

1945 GMT: Algeria. Lawmakers of the "moderate" Islamic Green Algeria Alliance and two smaller Islamic factions have walked out of the inaugural session of the new Parliament to protest against an election they claim was rigged to give a majority to the ruling party.

The MPs held up placards reading "No to fraud!" and then left. They hold about 60 seats in the 462-seat parliament.

In the election on 10 May, the ruling National Liberation Front won 220 seats, and the allied RND party came second with 68 seats.

1929 GMT: Egypt. More political drama tonight....

Hamdeen Sabahi, who finished a strong third in the Presidential election, to the surprise of many observers, has given a rousing speech to enthusiastic supporters. Sabahi said that he will not tell his supporters for whom to vote in the Presidential run-off.

The audience responded, "Down down with military rule! The people say, we don't want felool (remnants of the regime)!"

Sabahi's campaign is also filing an appeal for suspension of the election because of voting irregularities and a pending case over the right of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who finished second in the vote, to stand for President.

1925 GMT: Syria. The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria claim that 49 people have died across the country at the hands of security forces, including 25 people in Homs Province.

1700 GMT: Syria. Mass burial of victims of Friday's attack on Houla that killed at least 92 people:

1655 GMT: Yemen. Military officials and local sources say 33 people, including six soldiers, have been killed today in clashes between regime forces and insurgents in the south of the country.

1625 GMT: Syria. The head of the United Nations observers, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, has condemned “in the strongest possible terms the brutal tragedy” in Houla, where he said 92 bodies, including those of more than 32 children and teenagers, had been counted.

A team of UN observers visited the area. Mood later told reporters in Damascus, “Those using violence for their own agendas will create more instability, more unpredictability and may lead country to civil war."

Syrian State media has blamed the deaths on "Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups".

1623 GMT: Syria. Plainclothes supporters of the regime beat people with sticks in Baghdad Street in central Damascus:

1600 GMT: UAE. Al Jazeera English offers a lengthy overview of the detention of 15 political activists in the United Arab Emirates in the past year.

All but two of the detainees are members of the Reform and Social Guidance Association [al-Islah], which advocates reform and "adherence to Islamic principles". The chairman of al-Islah, Sultan bin Kayed al-Qasimi, the cousin of the ruler of the northern emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, is among those held.

1555 GMT: Syria. Claimed video of mourners at a funeral in Aleppo dispersing amid gunfire by security forces:

1315 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of security forces firing on a demonstration in the Qaddam section of Damascus today:

A large rally in Aleppo remembering the dead in the attack on Houla on Friday:

1235 GMT: Tunisia. Hundreds of Salafi Islamists have attacked bars and shops and clashed with security forces in Jendouba.

The crowd was protesting the arrest of four men in connection with previous attacks on alcohol vendors. A Ministry of Interior official and a witness said they were throwing rocks and petrol bombs.

Police responded with tear gas, breaking up the group, but fighting continued.

1225 GMT: Egypt. Ahmed Shafiq, who finished second in this week's Presidential ballot and will face the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi on 16-17 June in a run-off, has been holding a lengthy press conference. Al Jazeera English offers a selection of quotes.

1135 GMT: Syria. A claimed image of the some of the bodies of those slain in Houla on Friday:

1100 GMT: Syria. LiveStream is showing a demonstration of thousands of people in Aleppo, calling for the downfall of the regime after the deaths in Houla on Friday.

A demonstration in Kafroumeh in Idlib Province for the dead of Houla:

And Latamneh in Hama Province:

1050 GMT: Syria. As United Nations observers visit the scene of yesterday's killings, activists have raised the toll of those killed in the assault of Houla in central Syria to more than 90.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 90 people had been slain, while a local activist, Abu Yazan, said 12 people died in shelling and 106 were killed when pro-regime plainclothes enforcers, known as "shabiha", stormed the area.

Abu Yazan said shelling began after an anti-regime demonstration following Friday Prayers. Later the shabiha raided the village of Taldaw, just south of Houla, entering homes and shooting at civilians.

1045 GMT: Yemen. A Saudi diplomat kidnapped by insurgents in Yemen has urged Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to meet his captors' demand for the release of women prisoners, in a video message posted on the Internet on Saturday.

"I plead the custodian of the two mosques (Saudi King Abdullah) to bring me back to my family, to my children and wife," said Abdallah al-Khalidi, the Saudi deputy consul in the Yemeni port city of Aden, who was abducted in March. "I plead King Abdullah...to save me and release me from al Qaeda in return for the release of the imprisoned sisters."

1020 GMT: We have moved our Bahrain update to a separate entry for Live Coverage.

0930 GMT: Syria. Back from a Saturday break to find the leaked report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the United Nation Security Council about the Syrian situation. Dated 25 May, the letter is gloomy: "Measured against the commitment of [UN envoy Kofi Annan's] six-point plan, the overall situation in Syria remains extremely serious and there has been only small progress on some issues."

While expressing concern about "an alarming number of explosion in population centres, including acts of terrorism", the gist of the report is criticism of the Assad regime on issues such as the failure to withdraw military forces or cease operations; continuing arrests and detentions; and "massive violations of human rights".

0440 GMT: Egypt. After a day of drama and uncertainty in the counting of ballots, confirmation finally came last night that the Presidential run-off will be between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohamed Morsi, and Ahmed Shafiq, the Vice President in the last weeks of the Mubarak regime.

The outcome was filled with surprises. The Nasserite socialist Hamdeen Sabahi outperformed expectations, and at one point was a possibility for the run-off before falling short of Shafiq's second-place total. Former Brotherhood candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, expected to be a strong contender, trailed badly from the early stages of the count. So did former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, predicted by many to make the run-off and even lead the first-round tally.

0430 GMT: Syria. James Miller writes....

Friday's headline would have been the largek widespread protests held across the country, or the report that a Russian ship was destined for Tartus, stocked with weapons to bolster the Assad regime. But then the news emerged from Houla in Homs Province where several shells fell on a group of homes in a residential neighborhood, killing perhaps more than 50 people, among them 13 children.

The graphic video shows the bodies, the newest victims during the 15 months of the uprising. With another impressive show of protest strength, but after Assad's forces killed so many, not only in Houla but beyond --- activists claim 115 slain on Friday --- neither the crackdown nor the uprising show any sign of slowing.

Bahrain Live Coverage: UN Human Rights Council Sends Message to Regime

Scott Lucas — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:02:44 +0000

Friday's statement by the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre

1306 GMT: Claimed footage of police mobilising and using tear gas in Alma'ameer on Friday night, after a march of youth through the village:

1011 GMT: Yesterday, as the Universal Periodic Review concluded, the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, put out a special announcement to the regime:

Recently I was informed....about a media campaign which is taking place in your country, identifying and threatening representatives of civil society who came to Geneva to participate in this review.

Given these press reports I would like to express my concern at those incidents, reminding you that intimidation is inconsistent with the spirit of democratic participation, which inspires this universal periodic review and this mechanism in the council.

For this reason I simply wish to remind you that we are all duty bound to ensure that nobody is persecuted on his return to his country for having participated in meetings of the human rights council or other bodies.

In this connection we hope the government, as you yourself have mentioned Mr. Minister will genuinely involve all civil society interested in the implementation of the recommendations of this second review.

I am making this appeal on the basis of a decision of this council which is quite clear in paragraph 30 in establishing the fact that the council energetically rejects any attempt at intimidation or reprisals against persons or groups cooperating or having cooperated with the United Nations, their representatives and their human rights mechanisms.

The President went further by naming the activists who might face retaliation by the regime:

I express full confidence in the senior delegation with us today because I know that it will offer all guarantees to those persons identified in the press.

Quite simply I would like to mention them so you can carry out [the] follow-up: Dr. Nada Dhaif, Mrs. Maryam AlKhawaja, Mrs. Lamees Dhaif, Mr. Mohamed Al Tajer, Mr. Abdulnabi Alekri, Mr. Sayed Hadi Al Musawi, Mr. Hassan Marzooq, Mrs. Jalila Al Salman, Mr. Isa Alghayeb, Mrs. Alaa Shehabi, Dr. Taha Alderazi and Mr. Faisal Hayat.

0948 GMT: Amidst this week's criticism by the United Nations (see 0940 GMT), the regime might seek solace in an interview of the Bahraini Ambassador to the UN, Huda Nonoo, by The Washington Post.

However, the outcome may not be to the liking of the monarchy. The headline is sympathetic, "Bahrain Protests Have Complicated Job for Houda Nonoo, First Jewish Ambassador from an Arab Nation". However, EA's John Horne, in a separate analysis, has noted the contradiction between Nonoo's projection of Bahrain's record on religious minority and the regime's discrimination against the Shia religious majority. And the article in the Post, beyond the headline, is far from accommodating. It opens:

After months of requests, Nonoo, 47, had finally consented to a one-on-one interview, the only one she granted to The Post during the writing of this article. Conditions: The interview could last only 30 minutes; a representative from Qorvis, a Washington lobbying and public relations firm, had to be in the room; and questions about her husband and two sons would not be allowed. The clock started ticking.

The Ambassador is soon portrayed as a weary spokesperson with a difficult task: "[Events have] thrown Nonoo into nonstop defense mode, and she readily talked about the rejection she had experienced. “I have to explain to friends what Bahrain is. It’s hard that your friends think the opposite, and the media has not helped us at all."

0940 GMT: The opposition society Al Wefaq highlights this week's Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council of the Bahraini regime's position on human rights, with more than 170 recommendations for action to deal with violations and abuses.

Al Wefaq has highlighted calls to implement the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry by September; immediate release of all political prisoners; accountability for those involved in torture and violations; despatch of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Bahrain; rebuilding of mosques demolished by authorities; and freedom of expression and freedom of media, including for the opposition.

Iran Snap Analysis: Propaganda, Negotiations, and the Economic Ties That Bind

Scott Lucas — Sat, 26 May 2012 05:23:07 +0000

The second round of talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia) on the nuclear programme are now receding. The third, to be held in Moscow, are more than three weeks away.

So it is now time for the Islamic Republic to put out stories about its economic achievements and success in repelling the aggressive sanctions of the "West". Press TV offers an example:

Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano says Tokyo is considering "realistic" options to ensure the country's imports of Iranian crude are not disrupted.

"We are responding to this [Iran] issue through working with other ministries as a whole," Edano told reporters at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday. He added, "By analyzing various risk factors and overall issues, we would like to ensure crude supplies [from Iran] will not be disrupted in a realistic manner."

Here is what Press TV leaves out --- the already-significant impact of the sanctions on Japanese purchases of Tehran's oil, with the possiblity of more constriction --- from the original report by Platts News Service:

Earlier this month, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, which handles 70-80% of the settlements for Japan's trade with Iran, was reported to have frozen accounts held by Tehran in response to a May 2 order by a New York District Court....

The Japanese government is also considering guaranteeing up to $7.6 billion of insurance cover per tanker for shipments of Iranian crude oil to make up for the potential loss of protection and indemnity cover when European Union sanctions against Iran come into effect in July.

Unsurprisingly, Press TV fails to note that Japan's "imports from Iran have fallen sharply despite an increase in overall oil demand after last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster" and that Minister of Economy Edano said earlier this year that Tokyo's purchases of Iranian oil are down 40% over the last five years.

But Press TV is not alone in its insistence that All Is Well. Former US Government official Flynt Leverett takes up the mission:

Before the nuclear talks started again last month in Istanbul, Tehran calculated that American and European Union sanctions policies created at least as many problems for the United States and Europe as for Iran....The Iranians assess that the Obama Administration has an interest in keeping the negotiations going at least through the U.S. presidential election in November.

It is certainly true that Iran's media outlets and spokesmen like academic Seyed Mohammad Marandi, who often sets the line followed by Leverett, are putting out the message that it is the US and Europe, not the Islamic Republic, who are economically weak --- this, rather than a genuine desire for agreement, is why Washington and allies are pursuing the nuclear talks. However, the argument is propaganda, not assessment, leaving the important question whether the Tehran's officials actually believe the illusions of their rhetoric.

If they do, then they may be in for an awakening as they go to Moscow on 18-19 June. Given the economic difficulties within Iran, which cannot be masked by rose-coloured proclamations, and the European Union's cut-off of Iranian oil imports from 1 July, US and European governments believe they have the upper hand. Having planned for alternative supplies to cover the drop in oil taken from Tehran, they can afford to play the game long. It is far from certain that the Islamic Republic can do so.

Still, there are ripples that could change the scenario. Amid this week's headlines of the nuclear talks, this item has gone almost unnoticed, even by an Iranian media looking for glimmers of good news:

China's imports of Iranian crude oil recovered in April after sharp drops earlier this year, suggesting Beijing remains a steady customer despite U.S. efforts to tighten sanctions on Tehran.

China's April crude imports from Iran, at 1.6 million metric tons or about 390,000 barrels a day, were down almost 24% from a year earlier --- but up more than 48% from March.

Could Beijing offer some release from the economic ties that bind Iran? It is a question such as this, rather than the daily All-Is-Well fare of State media, that will affect the calculations going into the third, perhaps "make-or-break", round of the nuclear talks.

Bahrain Special: Preaching Religious Tolerance, Practicing Religious Discrimination

John Horne — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:21:09 +0000

Bahrain Shia pray at the site of a demolished mosque, 24 December 2011

An event in Paris today, raising awareness and support for the universal right of religious freedom, has chosen an unexpected guest of honour: the King of Bahrain's wife.

La Palme De La Liberte, "The Palm of Freedom", is organised by a the French branch of a Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need. Attendees and passersby in Notre-Dame Square will see an oasis constructed from fifty palm trees, each three metres tall. Senior Catholic clerics from Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan and Hong Kong will be at the ceremony.

The choice of Princess Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa as guest of honour at an event calling for religious tolerance has concerned many human rights activists, given the Bahraini regime's record of discrimination against Shia citizens. Her presence at the event appears to be less a recognition of reality and more the outcome of an emerging public relations campaign, where the focus is placed on Bahrain's positive approach to religious minorities to distract from its treatment, claimed as oppression by many, of the religious majority.

It is unclear if the charity is fully aware of the accusations of religious discrimination against the Bahrain regime --- EA attempted to contact them yesterday, but there was no response --- from prominent institutions across a spectrum of issues. On Thursday, for example, the US State Department observed in its 2011 human rights report on Bahrain :

Discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, nationality, and sect persisted, especially against the Shia population. The government demolished multiple Shia religious sites and structures during the year.

In a separate report on religious freedom, the State Department highlighted structural discrimination against Shia citizens, particularly in employment and government roles.

These reports echo the findings of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and those of Amnesty International in their summary of April 2012. Amnesty argues that the Bahrain "orchestrated a collective punishment policy against the Shi’a community", adding, "The government has not taken any steps to tackle discrimination or incitement to hatred, or work towards real reconciliation between the ruling family and the Shia population."

Observations by NGOs who have visited Bahrain point to the continuing discrimination against Shia citizens. Physicians for Human Rights argues that "over the past 14 months...the Government of Bahrain has denied a largely Shia segment of its population" the right to safe medical treatment, "resulting in widespread fear among many who seek [it]". Human Rights First's report cites testimony of Shia citizens who were subject to religious harassment by police during recent arbitrary arrests (where they were also subject to beatings). Such anti-Shia religious harassment was found by the BICI report to be one of "the most common techniques used on detainees," suggesting that there has been little by way of reform.

None of this, however, has stopped the Bahrain regime from claiming the exact opposite. And they have seized upon the public platform given them by the Catholic charity to push this propaganda to an overseas audience.

On Thursday, Sameera Rajab, Bahrain's new Minister of State for Information, spoke at a press conference in France supporting today's Palm of Freedom event. Rajab praised "religious freedoms" in Bahrain and claimed that " public and private jobs are accessible by all", according to Gulf News Daily, who copied almost word-for-word the report of the press conference by the regime's Bahrain News Agency.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post published an interview with Bahrain's Ambassador to the US, Houda Nonoo. Ambassador Nonoo took issue with accounts of 2011, including some of the findings of the BICI report, "All these problems are not reality", and asserted, "The Shiites are treated the same way as everyone else." The week before, Ambassador Nonoo was in Europe where, in her own words, she "[took the opportunity] to share Bahrain’s unique story of religious tolerance and religious freedom".

Certainly, Ambassador Nonoo is a far more appropriate person to claim that Bahrain is a beacon of religious tolerance than Sameera Rajab. In 2007, the US Ambassador to Bahrain, William Monroe, raised concerns about "Rajab's role in pushing a sectarian agenda" at a conference in Iraq which was strongly anti-Shia. And, as noted by Marc Owen Jones, Rajab publicly promoted anti-Shia conspiracy theories during the events of 2011.

Bahrain's alleged "religious tolerance" carries personal overtones for Ambassador Nonoo. As a member of Bahrain's tiny Jewish community --- numbering around 30 citizens --- Nonoo is doubly symbolic: she is not just from a religious minority, but is also a Jewish representative for a predominately Arab state. Accordingly, she is an ideal figure to spearhead a propaganda offensive, particularly given her closeness to PR firm Qorvis (indeed, she insisted that a representative from Qorvis was present during The Washington Post interview).

It is precisely this --- positive treatment of religious minorities in an Arab state --- Ambassador Nonoo, Sameera Rajab and Princess Sabika al-Khalifa (three women, no less) are currently selling to the West. This serves to project Bahrain as a novel place of tolerance and thus clearly not in need of significant change.

In late February, a Qorvis issued press release reported on a talk Nonoo gave to Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, where she is "highlighted the Kingdom's superlative record in preserving religious freedom". The press release cites the following passage from her speech:

Bahrain is a free and open society. Women are fully empowered members of society. Although Bahrain is a Muslim country, religious minorities – including Christians, Jews, Hindus and Baha'i – enjoy full freedom of worship.

Today, next to mosques, Bahrain is home to 19 registered Churches, a synagogue, Hindu temples and many other places of worship.

EA readers may remember a similar line being fed to a New York Times reporter by three Western expatriate women in Bahrain:

All three said one reason they had stayed in Bahrain was its openness — a Gulf state with Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, synagogues, Hindu and Baha’i temples.

At her press conference in Paris, Rajab emphasised, "Religious minorities enjoy their full status....The recent incidents in Bahrain have in no way affected exercising religious rituals by the minorities."

Positive treatment of religious minorities should be applauded, of course. The point here is that its current promotion has another motive: diversion from the regime's mistreatment of the Shia majority.

The historic and continued discrimination against Shia citizens in Bahrain is regarded by many as institutionalised sectarianism, an opinion buttressed by the Al-Bandar report. Serious accusations have been leveled at the regime by NGOs, foreign governments, and the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, but little to nothing has been done by the regime to address political, institutional, and structural causes, enabling the views which guided such policy and practice to remain intact.

There is often a notable disconnect between the Bahrain regime's rhetoric and the reality of its actions. Indeed, it is the role of the public relations firms paid millions to market a fantasy version of the island Kingdom to cover up this disconnect. However, this latest attempt for a vision of Bahrain as a modern, reforming state is remarkable in its audacity, and --- given the events at home, rather the presentation abroad --- more than a little chilling in what it perhaps purports to achieve.

Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: More than 50 Die in Houla; A Presidential Run-Off in Cairo

James Miller — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:40:34 +0000

Saturday's Live Coverage has now been moved to the top of the homepage....

Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Waiting for a Presidential Outcome

James Miller — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:38:53 +0000

Children in Rastan, which has been shelled by regime forces this month, protest by lying down in front of the cars of United Nations observers

2103 GMT: Syria. According to the Local Coordinating Committees, today's death toll has risen to 51, with at least 40 killed in Houla, Homs (see previous updates).

2054 GMT: Egypt. It was messy, it was long awaited, it was ovedue, it's going to be disappointing to some, but it's hard to argue that it isn't historic. There are the results of the first presidential election in Egypt:

1. Mursi 5,553,097 (25.30 per cent)

2. Shafiq 5,210,978 (23.74 per cent)

3. Sabbahi 4,739,983 (21.60 per cent)

4. Abul-Fotouh 3,936,264 (17.93 per cent)

5. Moussa 2,407,837 (10.97 per cent)

As we predicted earlier, the results will trigger a runoff election between the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander and Mubarak's last Prime Minister.

2035 GMT: Syria. Al Arabiya is reporting that a Russian ship filled with weapons is headed towards the Syrian port of Tartus, a weapons shipment designed to bolster the Assad regime. The allegation is not that unusual - we've heard it before, and at least one allegation of this nature was proven to be false. What is unusual, however, is the large amount of specific information in the report, and the fact that is was backed by several unnamed Western diplomats, according to Reuters:

Western diplomats said the report was credible.

One diplomat told Reuters that the vessel, which is called "Professor Katsman," is owned by a Maltese firm, which itself is owned by a Cypriot company that is owned by Russian firm.

Diplomats said the Russian firm might have been acting on behalf of state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, though that was not clear.

Rosoboronexport, and the Russian government, have declined comment on the story.

2026 GMT: Syria. According to Free Syrian Army officers, an entire battalion of Syrian regular army fighters has defected near Damascus and joined the opposition:

Free Syrian Army [FSA] spokesman Colonel Khalid al-Hammoud informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “203 soldiers have defected from the regime, including 3 officers from the al-Qatifa area, which is close al-Qalamoun in the Rif Dimashq Governorate.”

He added “these defections took place after this operation was intensively pursued by FSA officers, convincing the entire battalion to leave the al-Assad army.”

The FSA spokesman revealed that “the battalion was subject to confrontation and bombardment by the Syrian army, with al-Assad regime forces targeting them with mortar strikes, resulting in the deaths of 5 soldiers…others were able to flee – with all of their equipment – by marching through orchards and farms, and they have joined the FSA.”

2016 GMT: Syria. The death toll in Houla, Homs, continues to climb, as reports of shells having hit homes continue to come in. According to the LCCS, more than 30 have died there. Many videos, including this graphic video, show scores of dead or dying men, women, and children.

1912 GMT: Syria. Another video reportedly taken today in Douma. According to the description, it shows a "rocket strike" in a residential neighborhood of the suburb. Could this rocket strike be the RPG hit seen in the previous video?

1858 GMT: Syria. The controversial claim of the day - according to the account that uploaded this video, it shows a soldier in the Assad army firing an RPG at shops and civilians in Douma earlier today, an effort to disrupt and deter the formation of protests:

The claim has been circulating for about an hour, and has now been posted by the LCCS. We'd note, however, that there are no distinguishable features of buildings or landmarks that are visible in the video could help verify the location or the narrative. As such, we stress that the video is unconfirmed.

1801 GMT: Syria. At least 5 people were killed today in Aleppo, as thousands took to the streets in protest. Here is another video, a screen grab from Al Jazeera Mubasher, showing the moment that the security forces open fire on the crowds:

1735 GMT: Syria. The death toll in Syria has likely topped 30 today. Almost an hour ago the LCCS put that number at 22, but new reports suggest that tally is already obsolete. Here is the breakdown of the old numbers:

9 martyrs in Hama, 5 martyrs in Aleppo, 3 martyrs in Homs, 3 martyrs in Damascus Suburbs (Zamalka, Dumair, Erbeen) and 2 martyrs in Daraa.

Within the last 30 minutes, however, the LCCS reports (and posts a graphic video of) 10 new martyrs and dozens of wounded in Houla (Hawle), west of Homs. This video shows shelling and gunfire, likely heavy weapons mounted on tanks or armored vehicles:

Also, LCCS posts video of the shelling of Ariha, in Idlib province:

Among the other reports from the LCCS - heavy shelling of Kafer Naboda, west of Khan Shaykhoun and east of Qa'alaat al Madiq, and area where the Syrian regime has almost constantly been bombarding for months. Other villages and towns in Hama and Idlib are also reportedly under attack at this hour

However, arguably the most disconcerting reports are the reports of heavy fighting in Harasta, Irbeen, Jisreen, and other areas in the Ghouta suburbs, east of the capital (Map).

1613 GMT: Syria. While the Free Syrian Army is struggling to defeat Assad's military, and there is little hope for foreign intervention in the foreseeable future, there is another, even more dangerous, and much more imminent threat to the Assad regime - it could run out of food.

The economy has fallen apart, and the situation is only getting worse in Syria, but this crisis started at the same time that Syria was already importing huge amounts of grain to feed its people. Faced with a massive influx of refugees from Iraq, and agricultural problems partially due to drought, the Assad regime needed large quantities of imported food, much of which was heavily subsidized, in order to keep the population fed.

With sanctions making it hard for Asaad to find credit, and Syria's reputation finding it hard to find viable partners, the Assad regime is finding it increasingly hard to import grain, even though food is not covered by sanctions:

On Friday, in what might prove to be a turning point on a path toward a politically corrosive food crisis, government data showed the domestic grain harvest falling well short of target and the state grains agency failing to find a single acceptable offer to fulfill a major import tender it issued last month to buy animal feed for its livestock farmers.

"Syrian purchase interest has fallen off in the last 10 days or so," one trade source familiar with exports to Syria of wheat and other grains for human consumption and animal feed told Reuters. "Banks are becoming tougher in checking compliance with sanctions. It is becoming more difficult to get finance from any banks."

State currency reserves have been depleted and the Syrian pound has lost nearly half its value, adding to import problems.

As import problems persist, the price of importation is growing, adding to the budget crisis at a faster and faster pace. Assad may soon be faced with a stark choice - curtail his crackdown against Syria's popular uprising, likely leading to a stronger opposition, or cut food subsidies significantly, likely leading to a stronger opposition.

1603 GMT: Syria. BBC correspondent Paul Wood and cameraman Fred Scott have a must-watch report on the situation in Al Rastan, where the situation is not improving, and even the press cannot escape the falling shells.

1540 GMT: Syria. Now we've found this video which reportedly shows today's protests in the Bustan al Qaser area of Aleppo.

And we've also found this video - a large protest in the Barzeh district in north-central Damascus:

But again, all is not peaceful. This video reportedly shows smoke rising from Jisreen, Damascus, after an explosion there.

1502 GMT: Syria. Digging into the latest numbers from LCCS (see last update) all the deaths in Aleppo, all five of them, are reported in the Salah el Deen or Bustan al-Qaser districts, both prominent and central areas where large protests have taken place (Map). Video posted earlier shows gunfire in Salah el Deen. (update 1352 GMT)

1452 GMT: Syria. According to the Local Coordinating Committees, a network of activists with a presence in every area of the country, there have been 19 people killed so far in today's violence:

7 martyrs in Hama, 5 martyrs in Aleppo, 3 martyrs in Homs, 2 martyrs in Damascus suburbs (Zamalka, Dumair) and 2 martyrs in Daraa.

Cracking open the numbers, what's significant is that many of these reported deaths, and the other reports of violence, aren't just coming from the far flung corners of the country, but in the key cities and major suburbs of Hama, Aleppo, and Damascus.

1424 GMT: Egypt. Morsi vs. Shafiq in a runoff election? Not so fast, say some who are watching the results in Cairo:

Incomplete results from Cairo suggest a big lead for Sabahy in the capital. The leftist candidate is also comfortably beating Shafiq to second place in Giza.

Ahram Online which is still calling it as Morsi v Shafiq run off says we are still waiting for results from Cairo, Giza, Asiut, and Qalyoubiya governorates, where one third of electorate live.

Mohamed Abd el-Hamid calls for patience:

However, the results from Assiut are in and Morsi and Shafiq placed 1 and 2, with Sabahy a distant 4th. Basically, it may all come down to Cairo.

1417 GMT: Egypt. It appears that there will be a runoff election, and as Al Jazeera's Sharine Tadros reports, the results are a lot different than many thought they would be only a week ago:

At Morsi HQ, press conference will be at 9pm tonight to announce their final results. Spokesperson says it's shafik vs morsi
— Sherine Tadros (@SherineT) May 25, 2012

At shafik HQ they all seem shocked twitter.com/SherineT/statu…
— Sherine Tadros (@SherineT) May 25, 2012

At shafik HQ: One of the campaigners just asked the guy in charge of counting whether shafik can catch up Morsi. Reply 'no way'
— Sherine Tadros (@SherineT) May 25, 2012

Meanwhile, The Guardian posts this message from the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, who looks like he'll be in the next round of voting:

1352 GMT: Syria. Last week all eyes were on Aleppo, particularly on the University, where students returned to campus to protest after security forces shut the dormitories for more than a week during a raid that killed a half dozen students. Today there have been massive protests in the Salah el Deen area of Aleppo, south of the university.

However, security forces reportedly opened fire on the crowd. This video reportedly shows some of the violence:

Injuries are reported.

Young man with an injury in his back from gunfire at a protest in #Aleppo city today.youtube.com/watch?v=S5G4YL… #Syria
— Free Syrian (@HamaEcho) May 25, 2012

1346 GMT: Syria. According to Iranian Press TV, the Lebanese prime minister has announced that the pilgrims who were arrested in Aleppo, Syria, have been released.

1337 GMT: Syria. This video was reportedly taken in Quddsaya, a few miles northwest of the center of Assad's power in Damascus. According to the LCCS and several eyewitness reports, these security forces attacked a crowd of protesters after they began to chant. It is unknown if there have been injuries or arrests.

1319 GMT: Syria. Things have already turned deadly today. Security forces reportedly opened fire on a crowd in Zamalka, Damascus, killing at least 1 person. The video below shows both the gunfire and the evacuation of a martyr. A second video, from a different account, shows a similar scene:

In this graphic video, reportedly taken today, a child lies dying in the streets of Irbeen, Damascus. The hook lying in the streets was apparently used to try to recover the body, but activists are worried that the sniper who took the shot is waiting for another target:

1305 GMT: Syria. Already today we are inundated with videos of large protests across many areas of Syria. It's very early, but today appears to have been another show of strength for the peaceful protesters, and the trend over the last month is that the protest movement is steadily growing.

In the war-torn town of Binnish, a strategic key point in Idlib province, the people have a simple message for the world - "We Are Not Terrorists."

Increasingly frustrated at international inaction, and increasingly targeted by the Assad regime, the always-defiant protesters in Kafranbel, Idlib, have this message:

"Obama! Learn that one man with courage makes a majority. Be America's President once before fading away - Occupied Kafranbel 25 5 2012"

This area was heavily attacked by tanks, artillery, and reportedly helicopter gunships earlier this week.

This video was taken in the Khalidiya district in Homs, outside the Khaled Ibn Walid Mosque, an mosque that has not seen protests since last year because of the nearly-constant attacks on the central areas of what used to be Syria's 4th largest city. The constant military attacks, and the threat of death, has clearly not weakened the resolve of many in Homs.

A central square fills with protesters in Al Bab, Aleppo:

El Waer district of Homs, another area always facing nearly constant threat of military shelling:

This was taken somewhere in the Jabal Al Zawiyah area of Idlib:

We've heard that a very large (activists are saying "massive") protest is growing in Ma'arrat al Nouman, an area that saw a significant spike in violence mid week. This is just one video that we've seen:

These are only a very small sample of the videos we've seen. There are some that are at least as impressive as these. If these protests appear like large, defiant, and strong challenges to the Assad regime, then one should note the theme of today's protests: "Our next rendezvous, Damascus."

Oh, and while we're talking about Damascus - Ad Dumayr:

Daraya, Damascus:

But this protest may be the most impressive - it was reportedly taken in the Golden Mosque of Damascus, in the Kaber Atkah district, directly in the center of the capital.

James Miller takes over today's live coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas for getting us to the afternoon.

1135 GMT: Egypt. A significant twist which indicates that the first round of the Presidential election is far from resolved....

Many observers had called the outcome as a run-off between the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq, Prime Minister in the Mubarak regime. However, Ahram Online is now reporting that Nasserite socialist Hamdeen Sabahi has overtaken Shafiq.

1130 GMT: Syria. A large demonstration in the Kobani area of Aleppo:

Jbeileh in Deir Ez Zor Province:

Talbiseh in Homs Province:

1040 GMT: Syria. A demonstration this morning in the al-Asali section of Damascus:

0950 GMT: UAE. Human rights activist Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed has been detained.

Ahmed belongs to the Bedoon (stateless) community and is one of five actvists arrested in 2011 for "publicly insulting" the United Arab Emirates President and other top officials. The five were found guilty in November but were pardoned and released a day after their conviction, having spent eight months in prison.

0930 GMT: Syria. The Local Co-ordination Committees in Syria claim that nine people have died so far today, six of them in a single incident in Hama Province.

0920 GMT: Egypt. David Kirkpatrick of The New York Times offers an explanation of the likely outcome of the Presidential vote (see 0806 GMT):

The Islamist candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood [Mohamed Morsi] will face former President Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister [Ahmed Shafiq] in a runoff to become Egypt’s first freely elected president, several independent vote counts concluded Friday morning....

Mr. Shafik’s law and order message resonated with voters, helping him to overtake the two candidates previously considered, along with Mr. Mursi, to be the front-runners. One was Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister under Mr. Mubarak and former head of the Arab League, who had offered a softer but similar message. In the final weeks of the race, Mr. Moussa’s support appears to have all but collapsed in favor of Mr. Shafik....

[Former Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim] Aboul Fotouh came in third, according to multiple tallies. But in the final weeks of the campaign, some of his more secular-minded supporters appear to have shifted their allegiance to another dark horse, Hamdeen Sabahi, a Nasserite socialist, who appeared to narrowly trail Mr. Aboul Fotouh in the vote count.

0850 GMT: Yemen. In a week when aid agencies warned of a "catastrophic food crisis" and international donors considered billions in assistance to Yemen, Al Jazeera English's Inside Story considers the situation:

0810 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of shelling of the Jobar section of Homs this morning:

0806 GMT: Egypt. Partial results indicate that the two men who will proceed to the run-off election for the Egyptian Presidency are the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq, former Prime Minister in the Mubarak regime.

Brotherhood officials are already declaring this as the outcome. They claim that, with votes counted from about 12,800 of the roughly 13,100 polling stations, Morsi has 25% and Shafiq 23%. Former Brotherhood official Abdel Moneim Abul-Fotouh has 20% and Nasserite candidate Hamdeen Sabahy 19%.

0617 GMT: Syria. The statement of Burhan Ghalioun as he officially resigned as head of the opposition Syrian National Council:

We were not up to the sacrifices of the Syrian people. We did not answer the needs of the revolution enough and quickly enough.

I submitted my resignation precisely to say that this path of division between Islamist and secular doesn't work, and I think the Syrian regime has won in that respect because since the beginning it has tried to play on this division.

0607 GMT: Syria. Cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zoaby, the head of the Free People of Syria, has said that Syrian insurgents will today free two of 13 Lebanese Shia men kidnapped this week: "After benign efforts and contacts done by the Sheikh...two of the Lebanese will be released today. The regime is responsible for their safety."

The statement said efforts were being made with groups in Lebanon, Europe and some Arab countries to secure the release of the other 11 men.

0600 GMT: Bahrain. The US State Department has issued its 2011 "Country Report on Human Rights Practices" for Bahrain. Despite the dry language and conservative approach --- for example, sticking with the statement of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry of 35 killed in the conflict, rather than the more than 80 claimed by activists --- this passage is striking in its casting of blame:

The most egregious human rights problems reported in 2011 included the inability of citizens to peacefully change their government; the dismissal and expulsion of workers and students for engaging in political activities; the arbitrary arrest and detention of thousands, including medical personnel, human rights activists, and political figures, sometimes leading to their torture and/or death in detention; and lack of due process.

Other significant human rights concerns included arbitrary deprivation of life; detention of prisoners of conscience; reported violations of privacy and restrictions on civil liberties, including freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, and some religious practices. In some instances the government imposed and enforced travel bans on political activists. Discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, nationality, and sect persisted, especially against the Shia population. The government demolished multiple Shia religious sites and structures during the year. There were reports of domestic violence against women and children. Trafficking in persons and restrictions on the rights of foreign workers continued to be significant problems.

0500 GMT: Egypt. After two days of voting, the count is underway in the Presidential election.

Eleven candidates are vying for two spots in a run-off ballot on 16 and 17 June, assuming no one gathers a majority of the vote today.

The Muslim Brotherhood is claiming that its candidate Mohamed Morsi is leading the count, an assessment supported by other observers. The heated chatter right now, however, is who will finish second. Speculation says Ahmed Shafiq, the former Prime Minister in the Mubarak regime; former Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh; and --- unexpectedly --- Hamdeen Sabahi, the leader of the Nasserist Dignity Party, are all in contention. So far, the biggest "loser" is former Foreign Minister and Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who is reported to be far behind.

Syria. A far different day in Syria, where protests rather than peaceful ballots are likely to be the story.

The dramatic headlines of violence have faded this week, with all sides appearing to re-assess and re-group. However, the Local Co-ordination Councils of Syria report that 40 people still perished across the country on Thursday.

Egypt Opinion: A Reminder After the Presidential Vote "The Revolution Lives"

Josh Shahryar — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:34:07 +0000

An advisor to Ahmad Shafiq, Vice President in the Mubarak regime and candidate in the run-off for Egyptian President: “The revolution has ended. It is one and a half years.”

The results in Egypt's first "free" Presidential elections are almost complete, with a run-off vote projected between Ahmad Shafik, a stalwart of the Mubarak era, and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi.

The dreams of Egypt's reform-minded youth, who toppled Hosni Mubarak 15 months ago and ushered in an era of real rather than staged elections seem to be lost. In the run-off on 16-17 June, it will be the drama of dictators and Islamists that will be staged once again on voting day. Military power will win, as the Supreme Council of the Armed Force ensures that progress towards a true, liberal, human rights-respecting democracy is checked, no matter who is elected.

I have hope, though.

My old Egyptian roommate, Ahmed Rady, spoke at length to me last year about the situation in Egypt. One of his remarks stuck to my mind and I remember it to this this day: "The revolution was basically us, the youth, telling our parents we couldn't deal with this system anymore."

Today may appear to belong to the parents. Some chose Shafik because they believed in his promises of bringing law and order through strong-handed authoritarianism. Others voted for Morsi because they are not so enthusiastic about a non-conservative Egypt.

But the day still belongs to the youth who wanted real change. Not just the government, but the system of government. They may have lacked a candidate who seemed viable in this election but their fight still remains: the most important part of the struggle was not about removing the government but altering how governments would come to power in Egypt from this point on. Without the struggles and sacrifices of these youths, their parents, friends, and peers who did not share their aspirations would not have the privilege to make the choices they made this week.

That is the true testament to their power. Their voices may have been drowned out by the military's anatagonism and by those who watched as these kids took bullets for the right to vote. They, however, are still here. And so is the system they brought with their blood, tears, broken bones, mutilated bodies, missing eyes and violated virginities.

For all the concern expressed today, this system works better than the last one. Egypt's progress can be slowed, but it cannot be halted. Its march towards true reform and rights can be checked, but it cannot be stopped.

Democracy is here to stay. It may seem like it's not working right now, but it's the first semi-free presidential election ever. Give this democracy time to take up roots, to dominate, to become the only way of governance acceptable to all.

In time, the frightened generation of cowering acceptance will wither away. The children of today will become parents and when the time comes, all of them --- not just some of them --- will join hands with the children they have raised to respect reform, human rights, and democracy. They will continue to go to the polls, not to enshrine the obsolete faces of power but to improve the future beyond those faces.

Respect, Tahriris, respect.

The Latest from Iran (25 May): On to The "Last Chance" Nuclear Talks in Moscow

Scott Lucas — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:15:48 +0000

Nikahang Kowsar on "time" and the Supreme Leader after the Baghdad nuclear talks

2015 GMT: Co-operation (and It's With the US) Watch. An American company, Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Islamic Azad University have agreed to collaborate on joint design of a nuclear fusion machine that "would be affordable to construct in industrializing nations".

LPP claimed in a written statement that the project qualifies for an official US Treasury Department exemption from sanctions for "collaborati[on] with academics and research institutions on the...creation and enhancement of written publications".

1803 GMT: Nuclear Watch. Journalist Scott Peterson has a telling follow-up quote from an Iranian diplomat who was speaking with him throughout the Baghdad talks, "I think [they were] a complete failure, in terms of content. The more they talk, the worse it gets."

Peterson's description makes clear that a tough opening proposal by the 5+1 Powers did not include a reference to easing of sanctions or a recognition of the level of enrichment that would be acceptable inside Iran.

1737 GMT: Surveillance Watch. The US Department of Commerce is reportedly investigating Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE Corp for selling embargoed computer products to Iran.

Reuters reported in March and April that ZTE had signed contracts to ship millions of dollars worth of hardware and software, from some of America's best-known tech firms, to Telecommunication Co of Iran, the country's largest telecom carrier.

Investigators already have met with representatives of ZTE. A spokesman for ZTE, based in Shenzhen, China, declined to comment.

The U.S. product makers, including Microsoft Corp, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, and Dell, have all said they were not aware of the Iranian contracts. The Commerce Department official said there is no evidence the American companies were complicit in the transactions. However, sources indicate some of the U.S. companies have received subpoenas requesting information about their dealings with ZTE and a Chinese trading company, Beijing 8-Star International Co, which also was a party to the Iranian contracts.

1624 GMT: Nuclear Spin Watch. Earlier today (1240 GMT) we traced with scepticism a headline claim, fed by unnamed "diplomats" to the Associated Press, that Iran had enriched uranium to 27%, thus moving closer to capability for nuclear weapons. We noted both the timing, coming just after the Baghdad talks, and the lack of support for the assertion from the International Atomic Energy Agency, even though it had supposedly found the devious Iranian behaviour.

Now Barbara Slavin adds another reason to damp down the furour:

A report today by the Associated Press that nuclear inspectors have found traces of uranium enriched beyond 20 percent at Iran’s Fordow enrichment plant appears to reflect changes in the design of centrifuge cascades rather than a deliberate Iranian effort to get closer to weapons-grade uranium.

Slavin also notes the latest numbers from the IAEA: Iran has 6197 kilogrammes of low-enriched uranium and 145.6 kilogrammes at the higher 20% level. Of the 20% uranium, 45.6 kilogrammes was produced at Fordoo.

1607 GMT: Nuclear Showdown Update. Earlier today we asked in our analysis:

We are in the political and diplomatic equivalent of the game of "chicken", in which "two drivers drive towards each other on a collision course: one must swerve, or both may die in the crash".

Do the US and Europe let up on the accelerator on pressure? Does the Islamic Republic turn away? Or are both sides willing to risk the crash, because "if one driver swerves and the other does not, the one who swerved will be called a chicken"?

Looks like we already have an answer, at least to the first question. And that answer is "No".

Far from drawing the lesson that the hard-line on sanctions --- i.e., not to breathe a word about easing them --- might have brought the Baghdad talks close to breakdown, "a senior American diplomat" is pushing a different conclusion. He argues the discussions proved that the threat of tough economic measures will bring Iran on its knees to a settlement:

Maximum pressure is not yet being felt in Iran....[New sanctions, such as the European Union's 1 July cut-off of Iranian oil imports, will] increase leverage on the negotiation as it proceeds forward.

The Iranians don’t like it. They hope and would rather we not put additional sanctions on. Indeed they are not at all pleased that soon after Istanbul [the first set of talks, in mid-April], the President [Barack Obama] signed a new executive order [sanctioning Iran for supplying technical assistance to Syria to repress dissidents]. We heard about that.

1341 GMT: Your Tehran Friday Prayers Update. No surprise about Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's theme today, as he talks tough about the Baghdad nuclear talks: “Iran is saying something logical which is possessing peaceful nuclear energy is the right of every nation, particularly the Iranian one and this (Iranian) nation will not give up its right [to enrichment of uranium].”

Khatami continued, “The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has also said that we are not seeking to build atomic bombs. What else do you want? It is you who must build confidence. I speak on behalf of the Iranian nation that they will not be held to ransom."

1335 GMT: Oil Watch. Minister of Oil Rustam Qassemi and the head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naqdi have signed a deal to share oil income tween the Revolutionary Guards' and Basij's engineering outlets, Khatam al-Anbia and Khatam al-Ousia.

1315 GMT: Revolutionary Guards are Watching. Revolutionary Guards commander Ebrahim Jabbari has declared that "enemy subversives" want to hit the Revolution. He said "insulting Imams" started in the reformist era, represented by former President Mohammad Khatami, who is "a traitor" and "should apologise".

Jabbari continued that detained opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi is anti-Revolution and that former President Hashemi Rafsanjani is "a low person".

1305 GMT: Death-to-the-Rapper Watch. Ayatollah Alamolhoda offers some helpful advice to the regime: "A fatwa is not enough for execution of an apostate, it needs planning".

Alamolhoda's statement follows the recent declarations by clerics and politicians that rapper Shahin Najafi should be executed for his "insult" to the 10th Shi'a Imam in his song "Naqi" about the political and social problems in the Islamic Republic.

1240 GMT: Leak of the Day. A day after the conclusion of the Baghdad nuclear talks, unnamed "diplomats" have told the Associated Press that the International Atomic Energy Agency found evidence at the Fordoo plant of uranium enriched up to 27%.

If true, this goes beyond Iran's recent declaration of capability to enrich to 20%, although it is far short of the more than 90% purity needed for nuclear weapons.

The timing of the revelation is curious, not only because of the proximity to the inconclusive Baghdad talks but also because IAEA head Yukiya Amano said Tuesday, after a trip to Tehran, that the Agency and Iran were close to an agreement on a protocol for inspections of nuclear facilities.

The IAEA would not comment on the allegation.

1202 GMT: Fighting Over the Revolutionary Guards. Mojtaba Zolnour, the former representative of the Supreme Leaders to the Revolutionary Guards, has hit back at the allegation of MP Ali Motahari that the Guards intervened in this spring's Parliamentary elections.

Zolnour said that Motahari's claims associate him with the deviancy of foreign media like CNN and the BBC. He added that Motahari "should not play with the principles of his father", Ayatollah Ali Motahari, renowned for his role in the Islamic Revolution.

1145 GMT: Foreign Affairs (Syrian Front). In a show of support for the Damascus regime, Fars highlights the invitation extended by President Ahmadinejad to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to attend the 16th summit of the heads of state of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held in Tehran in late August.

1025 GMT: Parliament Watch. It looks like the Revolutionary Guards have given a loud endorsement to Gholam Ali Haddad Adel --- former Speaker of Parliament and member of the Supreme Leader's inner circle --- as the next Speaker.

Fars, linked to the Guards, posted an interview with Haddad Adel this week, with its reporter calling the 7th Majlis, which Haddad Adel supervised, "one of the best". Haddad Adel agreed, saying that he was proud of the fact that there were no fistfights in the assembly.

Haddad Adel, whose daughter is married to Ayatollah Khamenei's son Mojtaba, said his goal was to coordinate the Parliament with the guidance and wishes of the Supreme Leader. The Majlis would support efforts for national production, the theme that Khamenei has chosen for this Iranian year.

Haddad Adel is challenging current Speaker Ali Larijani for the post.

0910 GMT: Nuclear Watch. And now Washington's post-Baghdad reassurance to West Jerusalem:

The United States' top negotiator in Iran nuclear talks is visiting Israel to consult on regional issues, the U.S. State Department said Friday.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman will "reaffirm our unshakeable commitment to Israel's security," according to a department statement.

0752 GMT: Nuclear Watch. More spin from Press TV this morning, notably the declaration of lead Iran negotiator Saeed Jalili that Tehran is still insisting on the right to enrich uranium to 20% on its soil.

There is also the (misleading) headline that it is Tehran's proposals which hold the high ground: "Iran Offer for P5+1 Under Study", as well as a denial that the Iranian delegation met US counterparts for bilateral talks at any point during the Baghdad negotiations.

0742 GMT: Nuclear Watch. What were the "non-nuclear" issues in Iran's five-point proposal to the 5+1 Powers in Baghdad? Fars offers a clue:

Iran's top negotiator Saeed Jalili said the disturbing situation in Bahrain was among the topics of the talks between him and representatives of the six world powers in Baghdad, explaining that the negotiations included cooperation in nuclear and non-nuclear areas.

"Security of waters, campaign against narcotics and Bahrain were among the topics which went under discussion in the Baghdad talks, in addition to nuclear issues," Jalili told reporters...."Iran raised its views about democracy in Bahrain and the other side offered some proposals which included countering sea piracy and security of waters and campaign against illicit drugs".

If Tehran did include Bahrain in its package, it's safe to say that the 5+1 Powers would have turned this aside as a central point for negotiation. And while issues such as anti-drug and anti-piracy measures do offer ground for agreement, the US and Europe will be cautious: in part discussions, such as talks in Istanbul in January 2011, they have been seen as attempted diversions to avoid the tough negotiation on Iran's nuclear programme.

0730 GMT: Nuclear Watch. We have now posted an analysis, "4 Lessons of The Baghdad Nuclear Talks...And What's Next", with the assessment: "There can no repeat of Baghdad next month, no rescue with yet another agreement to talk elsewhere in a few weeks' time. Iran does not have that time."

Despite that conclusion, Iran's media is upbeat. Press TV, far from a fan of the British Government in the past, hands over its headline space to London: "British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (the P5+1) are ready to take concrete steps to build confidence." Fars proclaims, "From Baghdad to Moscow: Opportunity to Strengthen Diplomacy and Iran". And IRNA trumpets, "Germany is Ready to Provide Assistance for Iran's Nuclear Energy".

0520 GMT: The headline from the two-day nuclear talks in Baghdad between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China) is that the two sides will keep talking. The next round will be in Moscow on 18-19 June.

Later today, we will have a special analysis. For now, we re-post our immediate assessment from Thursday night, posted just after the statement by Catherine Ashton, the lead negotiator for the 5+1:

1. Ashton tipped off the large gap between the 5+1 Powers and Iran on approach and proposals. The US and Europe effectively said, "We will only talk easing of sanctions after you give us what we want on your uranium enrichment." Iran said at the same time, "Ease the sanctions and then we will consider giving you what you want."

2. This gap was so wide that the Iranians were on the point of walking away from the talks on Wednesday night. Ashton's emergency session with Iran's Saeed Jalili --- almost two hours --- plus intervention from China and Russia probably averted that breakdown.

3. Moscow as a location for the next talks is a concession to Iran for continuing to talk. So is the date --- the discussions come two weeks before the European Union is scheduled to ban imports of Iranian oil.

4. But Moscow is now "make or break". Either the US and Europe find enough to reverse the 1 July ban on Iranian oil, or the negotiations will break down with Iran's declaration that the West will accept nothing less than its capitulation.

Canada Analysis: Almost 700 People Arrested in Quebec as Right to Protest Curbed --- Will the Message Spread?

Lee Haddigan — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:22:04 +0000

Tens of thousands march in Montreal on Thursday

On Wednesday night in Montreal, police arrested more than 500 people, most of them for contravening new regulations brought in by the Conservative provincial government to quell protests over increases in tuition fees. A further 176 people were arrested in Quebec City for ignoring the law, Bill 78, which limits demonstrators' rights to assemble without informing police of their intention eight hours in advance.

Protests over higher charges for education have now been taking place in Quebec for more than 100 days. Sympathisers claim over 300,000 people marched through Montreal on Tuesday night in opposition to both Bill 78 and the proposed tuition fees. Student groups in Quebec have vowed to continue with their marches, despite the mass detentions, with participants wearing a red felt square, highlighting the plight of students who are "in the red" financially.

Until Wednesday, this challenge received little attention outside Quebec. This could be explained partly by the lack of English-language coverages of events in a French-speaking province. Partly it is because the tuition increases are modest, $325 ($316 US) a year for 5 years, with students paying $4,700 a year in total by 2017 --- the lowest charges in Canada.

However, in Quebec these increases are regarded by many as a fundamentally Anglo-Saxon, neo-liberal attack on a social democratic ethos shared with France, where annual tuition fees for a B.A. in 2011-12 were just 180 Euros ($225 US) and student residences are heavily subsidised. The protest is also fuelled by resentment that the government of Premier Jean Charest is citing the province's financial problems while it is embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Now there is the added impetus of Bill 78, under which a group of more than 50 people must now give police eight hours notice of where they intend to assemble and where they wish to march, ostensibly so law enforcement can ensure public safety.

The hisory of Quebec, where the the use of the War Measures Act in 1970 was seen as an unwarranted peacetime repression of civil liberties, goes a long way to explaining resentment against "emergency measures". Even if, by the standards of other democratic countries, this is a fairly mild restriction on the right to protest, there are other elements that are disturbing, such as the "crime" of expressing support for a demonstration that is illegal.

Now there is the prospect of outside support and impact. Occupy Wall Street have been holding solidarity demonstrations in New York, urging supporters to copy Quebec's "casseroles" protests where the locals bang on pots and pans every night at 8 p.m. to signify their opposition to Bill 78. Natasha Lennard, who reports on Occupy in the US, writes:

The powerful message from Quebec, for me, is not the importance of strong student leadership. Rather, it is that thousands of individuals have taken risks, broken with their daily routines and found each other in the streets (despite numerous social and political divisions) to engage in a radical political experiment with no clear endpoint.

One of the main Twitter hashtags relating the Quebec actions is #manifencours, an abbreviation of “manifestation en cours, meaning simply “demonstration in the streets". As the proliferation of the phrase suggests, the situation in Quebec is no longer just about negotiating tuition fees; it’s a manifestation with an open trajectory.
Lennard is on the right track. The Quebec protests will only inspire a sense of solidarity in other countries if sympathisers avoid the superficial portrayal of events in Montreal as a "student rebellion". As the Montreal Gazette reported on Thursday, local academics see the recent outrage as a “societal debate more than a decade old", long before Quebec raised tuition fees. Professor Antonia Maioni argues:

The argument has been going on for more than a decade, seen in Premier Jean Charest’s 10-year attempt to re-engineer the state, and in the debate between “lucides” (prominent Quebecers who espoused higher tuition and electricity rates among other solutions to solve the province’s woes) and “solidaires” who called for a sovereignist, socialist provincial model.

Maioni and other analysts note the generational aspect to the demonstrations. Not just students, but also young people in general are raisinng their voices in protests that are beyond the politics of right v. left --- this is more about rich v. poor, where the young see little opportunity of acquiring the material benefits enjoyed by their elders.

The criticism against the protesters that they are spoiled is being met head-on. A letter from Jean Puize, a 66 year-old baby boomer from Quebec City, argues:

Some students from more modest backgrounds, especially if they’re coming from outside of urban areas, will never be able to access an increasingly expensive university system. And that is unacceptable in Quebec’s social democracy, where the commodification of education has no place—whether or not it’s the norm in Anglo-Saxon North America.

Many people call the students who’ve been demonstrating for 100 days now spoiled brats [enfants-rois]. But is it really the students who are spoiled?

Who paid $600 a year to go to university? Baby-boomers.

Who could find a job on demand when they finished their education? Baby-boomers.

Who’s benefiting from retirement at 55 or 60? Baby-boomers.

Who’s enjoying or will enjoy Cadillac pensions? Baby-boomers.

Who gets to have pension income splitting? Baby-boomers.

I know: I am one, and I’ve had all of this. Young people don’t have all this and won’t have it because baby-boomers indebted society as they saw fit, and because, moreover, these young people will now have to continue paying their entire working adult lives to maintain these privileges for the baby-boomers.

Young people have had enough, and I completely get it. It’s up to the spoiled baby-boomers now [baby-boomers rois], and absolutely not up to the youth, to give more.

In Quebec, we are beginning to see the anger of younger people realising they will not have the same opportunities that were offered an older generation --- advantages which that older generation, or the elite of it, is protecting through its positions in power.

Perhaps that anger will stay confined to Quebec, as a peculiarity of the politics in that province. Then again, maybe not.