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| Syria: Annan meets Assad – live updates | Syria: Annan meets Assad – live updates |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.23am: Syria/Lebanon: The Daily Star in Beirut has more detail on this morning's border incident: | |
| Abdel-Ghani al-Jebbawi, 42, was shot and killed by the Syrian army at around 3am while he, two of his brothers and a friend were hunting rabbits in the mountains of Ras Baalbek, some 25km north of Arsal, Baalbek, east Lebanon. | |
| Jebbawi's two brothers and friend were wounded in the incident. | |
| The high and barren mountains of Ras Baalbek lie in an un-delineated area of the common border between Lebanon and Syria. | |
| 10.18am: Bahrain: The government news agency seems excited about an article in today's edition of the Gulf Daily News ("The voice of Bahrain"). Written by the paper's editor-in-chief, Anwar Abdulrahman, it's a virulent attack on the UN Human Rights Council which has been reviewing Bahrain's human rights performance. Abdulrahman writes: | |
| The situation has become so grave that if the UN wants to maintain its impartiality and trustworthiness, it should form a team to filter truth from lies, facts from fiction, and propaganda from reality ... | |
| Many terrorist organisations today operate under the guise of human rights organisations, but as Bahrain's Minister of Interior said: "The law is the guarantor of human rights, but we should bear in mind that human rights organisations are not above the law." | |
| To make our point very clear, the UN should have checks and balances in place to ensure that it knows the background of any individual participating in such conferences or sessions. This is surely not difficult to arrange? | |
| 10.05am: Syria/Lebanon: A Lebanese man was shot dead this morning, and three others were injured when Syrian troops opened fire in eastern Lebanon, al-Jazeera reports via AFP. | |
| 9.56am: Bahrain: The Bahrain Centre for Human rights has issued a statement explaining the decision by activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja to abandon his hunger strike: | |
| Taking into account the policy of the Bahraini authorities in force-feeding him which was imposed since 23 April, a blatant violation and torture according to international regulations, and in response to countless requests from those in solidarity with him, and his inmates in the detention centre, al-Khawaja announced today that he will put an end to his hunger strike. | |
| Al-Khawaja will comply with a medical programme set for him by doctors to return to a normal diet. He informed his family of his appreciation for their support, and his gratitude to those in solidarity with him inside and outside the country. | |
| 9.40am: Syria: Australia has expelled two Syrian diplomats in response to the Houla massacre, the Associated Press reports. | 9.40am: Syria: Australia has expelled two Syrian diplomats in response to the Houla massacre, the Associated Press reports. |
| Charge d'affaires Jawdat Ali, the most senior Syrian diplomat in Australia, and another diplomat from the Syrian embassy were ordered to leave the country within 72 hours, Australian foreign minister Bob Carr told reporters. Carr said he expected other countries to do the same later Tuesday. | Charge d'affaires Jawdat Ali, the most senior Syrian diplomat in Australia, and another diplomat from the Syrian embassy were ordered to leave the country within 72 hours, Australian foreign minister Bob Carr told reporters. Carr said he expected other countries to do the same later Tuesday. |
| "This is the most effective way we've got of sending a message of revulsion of what has happened in Syria," Carr said ... | "This is the most effective way we've got of sending a message of revulsion of what has happened in Syria," Carr said ... |
| In a statement, Carr called the killings a "hideous and brutal crime" and said Australia would not engage with the Syrian government unless it abides by a UN ceasefire plan. | In a statement, Carr called the killings a "hideous and brutal crime" and said Australia would not engage with the Syrian government unless it abides by a UN ceasefire plan. |
| 9.20am: Egypt: Here's a video of the fire at Shafiq's campaign headquarters in Cairo last night. | 9.20am: Egypt: Here's a video of the fire at Shafiq's campaign headquarters in Cairo last night. |
| Reports say anti=Shafiq elements ransacked the building, though the fire itself was not very serious. | Reports say anti=Shafiq elements ransacked the building, though the fire itself was not very serious. |
| Details of the attack are stil somewhat confused. Al-Jazeera quotes an unidentified member of Shafiq's campaign team as saying: "We were inside when they attacked us,. They set fire to the garage that had general Shafiq's campaign literature." | Details of the attack are stil somewhat confused. Al-Jazeera quotes an unidentified member of Shafiq's campaign team as saying: "We were inside when they attacked us,. They set fire to the garage that had general Shafiq's campaign literature." |
| The BBC says: | The BBC says: |
| The attackers also took a number of campaign posters and allegedly took a number of computers from the building, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from the headquarters. | The attackers also took a number of campaign posters and allegedly took a number of computers from the building, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from the headquarters. |
| Anti-Shafiq protesters then dispersed and a number of Mr Shafiq's supporters then arrived at the scene, furious at the attack, our correspondent adds. | Anti-Shafiq protesters then dispersed and a number of Mr Shafiq's supporters then arrived at the scene, furious at the attack, our correspondent adds. |
| No-one knows who carried out the attack. Mr Shafiq is the candidate of law and order, so perversely, the more trouble there is, the more he could benefit, he adds. | No-one knows who carried out the attack. Mr Shafiq is the candidate of law and order, so perversely, the more trouble there is, the more he could benefit, he adds. |
| The Associated Press says Shafiq's campaign has blamed supporters of leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, who came in third in the presidential election, and backers of another losing candidate, Khaled Ali, who was protesting against the election results on Monday evening in Tahrir Square. | The Associated Press says Shafiq's campaign has blamed supporters of leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, who came in third in the presidential election, and backers of another losing candidate, Khaled Ali, who was protesting against the election results on Monday evening in Tahrir Square. |
| Shortly after the protesters ransacked the campaign office, fire trucks and police arrived as several hundred of Shafiq's supporters gathered outside the building, carrying his picture and chanting slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, which controls the parliament and is now seeking the presidency. "The Brotherhood are enemies of God!," chanted the crowd. | Shortly after the protesters ransacked the campaign office, fire trucks and police arrived as several hundred of Shafiq's supporters gathered outside the building, carrying his picture and chanting slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, which controls the parliament and is now seeking the presidency. "The Brotherhood are enemies of God!," chanted the crowd. |
| 9.01am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. Today we shall be monitoring developments related to Syria in the wake of the Houla massacre, and especially the Annan-Assad meeting in Damascus. We shall also be keeping an eye on renewed disturbances in Egypt following the presidential election. Here's a roundup of the latest news: | 9.01am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. Today we shall be monitoring developments related to Syria in the wake of the Houla massacre, and especially the Annan-Assad meeting in Damascus. We shall also be keeping an eye on renewed disturbances in Egypt following the presidential election. Here's a roundup of the latest news: |
| Syria | Syria |
| • Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is due to meet President Assad in Damascus today. Yesterday, Annan called on the Syrian government to "take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully". | • Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is due to meet President Assad in Damascus today. Yesterday, Annan called on the Syrian government to "take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully". |
| • A senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said Iranian forces are operating in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime. | • A senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said Iranian forces are operating in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime. |
| • An 11-year old boy has described how he smeared himself in the blood of his slain brother and played dead as loyalist gunmen burst into his home and killed six members of his family during the start of the massacre in Houla. | • An 11-year old boy has described how he smeared himself in the blood of his slain brother and played dead as loyalist gunmen burst into his home and killed six members of his family during the start of the massacre in Houla. |
| Egypt | Egypt |
| • Protesters returned to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez last night following the official announcement of a presidential election run-off between former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi. | • Protesters returned to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez last night following the official announcement of a presidential election run-off between former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi. |
| • In Cairo, a mob set fire to a building connected with Shafiq's campaign headquarters. Al-Jazeera says the blaze was quickly extinguished and eight people were arrested. | • In Cairo, a mob set fire to a building connected with Shafiq's campaign headquarters. Al-Jazeera says the blaze was quickly extinguished and eight people were arrested. |
| Libya | Libya |
| • Oil company Royal Dutch Shell says it "intends to suspend and abandon drilled wells and stop exploration in (its) Libyan licences". A spokesman quoted by Dow Jones Newswires says "further exploration cannot be economically justified". Citing "people familiar with the matter", Dow Jones says insecurity in Libya was a factor in the decision. | • Oil company Royal Dutch Shell says it "intends to suspend and abandon drilled wells and stop exploration in (its) Libyan licences". A spokesman quoted by Dow Jones Newswires says "further exploration cannot be economically justified". Citing "people familiar with the matter", Dow Jones says insecurity in Libya was a factor in the decision. |