2145 GMT:Egypt. Rumours have circulated for hours that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suffered a stroke today. Now a Ministry of Interior spokesman has confirmed the report, while State news agency MENA says Mubarak is "clinically dead" after he was moved from prison to a military hospital.
MENA said Mubarak's heart stopped and a defibrillator was used to restart it.
1925 GMT:Egypt. The massive crowd in Cairo's Tahrir Square tonight, protesting military rule:
1715 GMT: Clarifying our previous entry, Nabeel Rajab's lawyer Mohamad Al Jishi has been granted bail on the charge of inciting violence via Twitter, but the activist remains in detention on other charges. His next court hearing is on 30 May.
1200 GMT: The lawyer for human rights activist Nabeel Rajab sends the message, modifying earlier reports (see 1040 GMT), that his client will be freed on bail although he will not be able to leave Bahrain:
Nabeel Rajab will be released on bail and travel ban in twitter defamation case and adjourned the hearing to May 23. #twitdef#Bahrain
— Mohamed Al Jishi (@Mohamed_AlJishi) May 20, 2012
2235 GMT: We're taking a Saturday night break --- back at 0600 GMT on Sunday with the latest news from North Africa and the Middle East.
1718 GMT:Iraq. A Bahraini activist is reporting that human rights defender Said Yousif and former MP Sayed Hadi Al Mosawi, detained earlier today during a march in Manama (see 1525 and 1607 GMT), have been released.
1700 GMT:Iraq. Wladimir van Wilgenburg passes on reports of closed-door meetings today in Erbil in Kurdistan between Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani, Iraqiyya Party leader Iyad Allawi, and leading Shia politician Moqtada al-Sadr to discuss political tension over the national government.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, embroiled in a number of disputes with other prominent politicians, was not present.
Van Wilgenburg evaluates that the session indicates that Talabani's opinion might not be that different from that of Barzani, despite earlier reports of points of disagreement. In contrast, Sadr met with al-Maliki in Iran before heading to Kurdistan, and a Sadrist spokesperson said they would not discuss withdrawing confidence from the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Iraqiyya list member Salih al-Mutlaq, despite his opposition to al-Maliki, criticized Barzani's call for a referendum in September for Kurdish independence.
2140 GMT: In Palmyra in Syria, a cameraman films a man firing a rocket-propelled grenade, which strikes far too close for comfort:
2120 GMT: Back from a break to find the report of the Local Coordination Councils of Syria that 101 people, including 14 children, died across the country today --- 47 in Idlib Province, 26 martyrs in Hama, nine in Deir Ez Zor, seven in Daraa, five in Quneitra, four in Homs, two in Raqqa, two in the Damascus suburbs, and one in Aleppo.
2121 GMT: A source in Bahrain forwards us this GRAPHIC PICTURE which they say shows a serious wound that was received when a police officer threw someone out a 3rd-story window. EA Correspondent John Horne adds, " "if true, this is a concerning development. A similar allegation was made Sunday, when police allegedly threw a young man from a first floor foor and then shot at the women who tried to help him."
1923 GMT: The story in Bahrain is not all about violence, however. This video, shared with us by a correspondent in Bahrain, shows the large amount of peaceful protesters who were trying to reach Pearl Roundabout earlier but couldn;t make it because the roads were blocked by police:
1812 GMT: Anti-riot vehicles race through Sanabis, but one of them gets hit by a molotov cocktail:
Clouds of tear gas cover Dar Kulaib village last night
Yesterday began as just another day in Bahrain, from cool to mild. By night, however, things had gone cloudy across the country --- clouds which signalled tear gas rather than impending rain. On the latest occasion in two months, Bahrain's protesters found themselves beaten back and collectively punished, not just on the streets but also inside their homes. Despite the regime's proclamations of "reform" and "national dialogue", since December, the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Rajab tried to get to his car as other protesters sought shelter in houses from the continuous baton charges and tear gas smoke. He only made it 500 metres. Several riot policemen cornered him in an alley. He felt two hard baton blows on his back, then one of the officers punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The riot police then started to kick him as he hid his face in his hands. As they verbally abused him, he shouted his name and said that he was a human rights activist.
That altered the riot police's behaviour immediately --- the kicks and punches started to fall harder and more frequently.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 20:10
