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The first person to file an application under Syria's new law "permitting" demonstrations – Fadel al-Faisal from Hassakeh in the north-east of the country – ended up being detained for several hours by the authorities, the Guardian reports.
That, basically, tells us everything we need to know… Read more
President Assad issued a decree on Thursday ending Syria's 48-year state of emergency, though without abolishing the Emergency Law which will remain in place for possible use in future emergencies.
At the same time, he issued another decree (full text here) which ostensibly permits demonstrations… Read more
An article on al-Jazeera's website explains why optimism about the proposed lifting of Syria's state of emergency is misplaced: it will make little or no difference:
"Many of the draconian charges on which opponents of the regime are routinely imprisoned exist either within the Penal Code… Read more
Two versions of the same meeting. First, from the UN News Centre:
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his concern to Bahrain’s Foreign Minister about the violence in the country in which demonstrators have been killed or injured, and called for maximum restraint and caution.
During… Read more
As protests continued in Syria on Tuesday, the newly-appointed cabinet held its first full-scale meeting and took a series of stepstowards "reform". These included approving a draft decree to end the 48-year state of emergency and replace it with a law "regulating the right to… Read more
Shooting in Homs early on Tuesday. YouTube video posted byalhamoui
In an interview at the end of January, President Assad talked confidently about the lessons of Tunisia and Egypt: in Syria, he was handling things differently.
"If you did not see the need for reform before what… Read more
Zahi Hawass
Indiana Jones
Zahi Hawass, Egypt's controversial antiquities minister, was sentenced to a year in jail on Sunday for failing to comply with a court order. According to some reports the case relates to
a land dispute while others, including Hawass… Read more
Following the regime's harassment of al-Watan newspaper in Bahrain, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that one of the paper's founding board members has died in state custody.
Karim Fakhrawi, who died last Tuesday, was apparently arrested after going to a police station on… Read more
Interesting comments about the emir of Qatar from President Obama. The remarks were picked up by a microphone which Obama thought was switched off.
Describing Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani as a "pretty influential guy", the president said:
"He is a big booster, big promoter of… Read more
President Bashar al-Assad's speech to his new ministers on Saturday was certainly an improvement on the speech he gave to the Syrian parliament at the end of last month. He acknowledged the protesters' grievances, touched on most of the key areas where reform is needed and urged… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
