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| Syria crisis: UN peacekeeping chief visits Homs - live updates | Syria crisis: UN peacekeeping chief visits Homs - live updates |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 9.56am: Yemen: "Covert" strikes by American drones in Yemen are not as covert as they used to be – thanks to Twitter. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) has documented what is thought to be the first-ever drone strike monitored in real time on Twitter. | |
| It started when Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) reported drone sightings: | |
| #Yemen | Hearing multiple claims of drone sightings in Hadhramaut, especially in Shibam/Qatn directorates (KSA route). No attacks so far. | |
| — Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) May 15, 2012 | |
| The BIJ article continues: | |
| When the deadly attack finally came in the early hours of Thursday morning, the target itself was hardly a secret. | |
| Earlier, Arabic-language online media in the provincial capital of al-Mukalla had reported that a convoy of alleged al-Qaida rebels was heading north. That news was also swiftly tweeted. | |
| Others were clearly also charting the convoy's progress. As the vehicles approached Shibam at around 1am local time, at least one car, a Toyota Hilax, was destroyed by missiles from above. | |
| A few minutes later, after receiving a phone call from relatives who witnessed the explosion, Sanaa-based lawyer Bafana was tweeting the news: | |
| #Yemen NOW | Missile strike on car in Wadi Hadhramaut. Near city of Shibam. Suspected US drone attack. | |
| — Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) May 16, 2012 | |
| 9.37am: Egypt: Veteran Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey (well, six years is a long time in blogging) questions whether the two "frontrunners" in the presidential election will make it to the run-off. The trouble with Amr Moussa and Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, he says, is that they are both grey men appealing to the centre ground – but "Egyptians do not vote for centrist parties". | |
| A centre is formed when two opposing forces of equal power and clearly different ideologies are fighting for control, thus creating the political balance that allows a centre to emerge. This doesn't exist in Egypt, which is why Abul Fotouh is turning more and more Islamist to appease his new Salafi supporters, and Moussa is finding himself up in shit-creek without a paddle. | |
| One achievement of the Egyptian presidential election, he says, is that it has killed all ideologies: | |
| We have leftists supporting an Islamist candidate, liberals supporting a Nasserite leftists, A revolutionary workers-rights crusader candidate who didn't get the support of the workers and ended up only getting nominated by MP signatures from parties that he considered anti-revolutionary ... | |
| It's a fine mess that will surely leave analysts and pundits scratching their head for years to come to make any sense of its one million and one questions, where ironically all the answers so far are as clear as grey. | |
| Another Egyptian blogger, Zeinobia, discusses the wildly varying opinion polls. One, for example, places Moussa on 31.7%, another on 14.6%. She wonders how accurately their sampling reflects Egypt's social and geographical make-up. | |
| An article from the Brookings Institution also points out that the polls are not a reliable guide to who will win: | |
| It is important to keep in mind that it is not possible at this point to develop a good predictive model of electoral behaviour in Egypt, as the experiment is new, coalitions are still forming, and little information is available about likely voters. Therefore, polls ... can give a hint of the trends in public opinion about the presidential candidates but cannot provide accurate predictions ... | |
| We know that political machinery is essential in getting out the vote and that the political environment in Egypt is changing almost by the day. | |
| 9.20am: Syria: The UN supervision mission in Syria is looking for new recruits. | |
| There is no mention of the potential dangers involved. | |
| 9.01am: Syria: There's been another bomb near the capital Damascus, Reuters reports: | 9.01am: Syria: There's been another bomb near the capital Damascus, Reuters reports: |
| Five people were killed when an explosive device detonated at a restaurant in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media and activists said. | Five people were killed when an explosive device detonated at a restaurant in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media and activists said. |
| The northern Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun where the bomb went off has been a centre of protests demanding the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule and has also seen fighting between Assad loyalists and rebels. | The northern Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun where the bomb went off has been a centre of protests demanding the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule and has also seen fighting between Assad loyalists and rebels. |
| State television blamed the explosion on "terrorists," a term the Syrian government uses when referring to the armed opposition. It said the bomb exploded in a restaurant and showed footage of a burnt-out kitchen and a room full of debris. | State television blamed the explosion on "terrorists," a term the Syrian government uses when referring to the armed opposition. It said the bomb exploded in a restaurant and showed footage of a burnt-out kitchen and a room full of debris. |
| The state news agency Sana blamed an "armed terrorist group" without elaborating. | The state news agency Sana blamed an "armed terrorist group" without elaborating. |
| 8.27am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. | 8.27am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. |
| Here's a roundup of the latest developments:" | Here's a roundup of the latest developments:" |
| Syria | Syria |
| • The UN's peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous claimed a "third party" is involved in the violence in Syria after a visit to the opposition stronghold of Homs, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. | |
| He was referring to extremist groups, but didn't name any specific one. Ladsous affirmed that the focus in the Syrian crisis now "should be on building dialogue and confidence between the parties". | He was referring to extremist groups, but didn't name any specific one. Ladsous affirmed that the focus in the Syrian crisis now "should be on building dialogue and confidence between the parties". |
| • Lasdous and Robert Mood, head of the UN monitors, were filmed meeting activists in Homs. | • Lasdous and Robert Mood, head of the UN monitors, were filmed meeting activists in Homs. |
| Later one of the activists, Khaled Abu Salah, was filmed briefing the UN officials. | Later one of the activists, Khaled Abu Salah, was filmed briefing the UN officials. |
| • The Guardian's Martin Chulov has spent five days with the rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army in Jebel al-Zawiya in north-west Syria, one of four key opposition strongholds. Here are the main points of what he found: | |
| - Rebels admitted that the government had succeed in exacerbating the the sectarian nature of the crisis. Mohammed Faisal, a defector from Aleppo, said: "There is no escaping that this has become sectarian in nature, but it's not what we want, it's what the regime wants. I have Alawite friends. I can't talk to them since I have left, even though I think I can still trust them. I just have to be careful now. A valley is between us and there is nothing we can do." | - Rebels admitted that the government had succeed in exacerbating the the sectarian nature of the crisis. Mohammed Faisal, a defector from Aleppo, said: "There is no escaping that this has become sectarian in nature, but it's not what we want, it's what the regime wants. I have Alawite friends. I can't talk to them since I have left, even though I think I can still trust them. I just have to be careful now. A valley is between us and there is nothing we can do." |
| - The rebels were poorly armed. Due to scarcity rifles are worth $4,000, bullets $4 each, and RPG heads $1,000 each. | - The rebels were poorly armed. Due to scarcity rifles are worth $4,000, bullets $4 each, and RPG heads $1,000 each. |
| - Rebels bristle at regime claims that they are linked with al-Qaida but are frustrated that the regime's narrative is starting to prevail. | - Rebels bristle at regime claims that they are linked with al-Qaida but are frustrated that the regime's narrative is starting to prevail. |
| - The fighters don't expect help from the international community. One said: "Nothing will happen before the American elections, will it? And the French are too busy at home. Turkey and Saudi Arabia will do nothing without America, so it will come down to us." | - The fighters don't expect help from the international community. One said: "Nothing will happen before the American elections, will it? And the French are too busy at home. Turkey and Saudi Arabia will do nothing without America, so it will come down to us." |
| Yemen | Yemen |
| • Local press reported that al-Qaida carried out Monday's suicide bombing that killed more than 90 soldiers at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital. But none of the group's senior members has yet verified the claim, writes Tom Finn in Sana'a. | • Local press reported that al-Qaida carried out Monday's suicide bombing that killed more than 90 soldiers at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital. But none of the group's senior members has yet verified the claim, writes Tom Finn in Sana'a. |
| Yemen's newly installed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was due to attend the celebrations, responded to the bomb attack by firing two senior commanders, both allies of his predecessor, Saleh. One of them, a nephew of Saleh's, was the head of national security, an elite intelligence gathering unit that works closely with the CIA. | Yemen's newly installed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was due to attend the celebrations, responded to the bomb attack by firing two senior commanders, both allies of his predecessor, Saleh. One of them, a nephew of Saleh's, was the head of national security, an elite intelligence gathering unit that works closely with the CIA. |
| Libya | Libya |
| • Muammar Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi, who is wanted by France, the international criminal court and Libya, has been charged by Mauritania's public prosecutor in a secret court hearing for entering the country illegally. His trial is expected to start soon, writes Monica Mark in Nouakchott. | • Muammar Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi, who is wanted by France, the international criminal court and Libya, has been charged by Mauritania's public prosecutor in a secret court hearing for entering the country illegally. His trial is expected to start soon, writes Monica Mark in Nouakchott. |
| Egypt | Egypt |
| • Thousands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood gathered for a show of strength before polls open tomorrow for the presidential election, but the movement has suffered a decline in popularity and its candidate Mohamed Morsi is uninspiring, writes Ian Black in Cairo. | |
| Egyptian journalists shook their heads in despair as Morsi finally spoke – only to utter a catalogue of unquotable platitudes. The hope is that ideology and discipline will win out over personality ... | Egyptian journalists shook their heads in despair as Morsi finally spoke – only to utter a catalogue of unquotable platitudes. The hope is that ideology and discipline will win out over personality ... |
| "In football can't a substitute come on with 10 minutes to go and score the winning goal?" asked Sheikh Mohammed Abdel-Maqsud. | "In football can't a substitute come on with 10 minutes to go and score the winning goal?" asked Sheikh Mohammed Abdel-Maqsud. |
| • Ian Black will be answering questions about the elections live from 2pm BST on Tuesday 22 May. Please post a question here. | • Ian Black will be answering questions about the elections live from 2pm BST on Tuesday 22 May. Please post a question here. |
| Bahrain | Bahrain |
| • A heavy security presence at Bahrain's largest public hospital, Salmaniya, has forced injured protesters to seek treatment in a network of secret clinics in people's homes, the New York Times reports. Its reporter described how three protesters with birdshot wounds sought help. | |
| The men travelled to one of dozens of houses that are scattered throughout this island nation, where a secret and growing network of caregivers — doctors, first-aid medics or people with no medical experience at all — wait daily for the casualties from the protests. The houses are not really field hospitals, but rather sitting rooms, often equipped with nothing more than bandages and gauze. | The men travelled to one of dozens of houses that are scattered throughout this island nation, where a secret and growing network of caregivers — doctors, first-aid medics or people with no medical experience at all — wait daily for the casualties from the protests. The houses are not really field hospitals, but rather sitting rooms, often equipped with nothing more than bandages and gauze. |
| Kuwait | Kuwait |
| • A Kuwaiti man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he insulted the prophet Muhammad and the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in messages on Twitter, the BBC reports. Hamad al-Naqi, a Shia Muslim, said his Twitter account had been hacked and that he had not written the messages. |