The elections in Italy are underway - Silvio Berlusconi, George Bush's man in Rome - is being challenged by Romano Prodi, a former Prime Minister, and head of the European Commission.

Prodi has already said that if he wins, he will immediately repair Italy's relationship with Syria: "I have the most sincere feelings of respect and appreciation to Syria as she occupies a distinguished place in addition to her constructive and very important role that contradicts what some media are trying to circulate,” he said.

Italy is one of Syria's oldest European allies, and it has never fittted that Berlusconi was a neo-con-Likudnik.

The UN has ruled out disarming Hizbollah by force. UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen says it might not even be possible to force Hizbollah to stop its activities.

Roed-Larsen says it would mean sending soldiers into the south of Lebanon, where even Israel couldn't survive.

Exiled former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam has made more startling revelations. He claims that a Palestinian member of the Israeli Parliament - Azmi Bishara (left) - has spied in Syria for Israel.

The staunch fighter for Palestinian rights recently broke Israeli law by travelling to Damascus for talks.

"The Syrian government has, in particular in the last three months, formally complied with nearly all of the Commission's previous requests for assistance."

In his first report since taking over the UN inquiry into the murder of Rafiq Al-Hariri, Serge Brammertz says Syria is co-operating much more than it was before.

But he includes a warning that he expects more of the same:

"Despite these encouraging steps, it is important to note that the Commission will ultimately judge co-operation of the Syrian authorities on the merits of the information provided and the promptness with which its requests are being accommodated."

And for the first time the UN investigators have revealed that Bashar Al-Assad has agreed to be interviewed next month - Brammertz (below) is likely to travel to Damascus for that.

A group of Syria's most important bloggers have built a site which should give the world a street-level view inside Syria.

Syria Planet automatically republishes every post made by more than a hundred Syrian bloggers.

Ayman Hourieh - one of Syria's first bloggers - is behind the project.

In the most important meeting since the end of the Civil War, Lebanon's leaders have agreed that the Shebaa Farms belong to Lebanon not Syria.

The Shebaa is occupied by Israel.

There are reports that The Syria News Wire has been blocked by one Syrian internet company.

Syrian Telecom has apparently taken offence to the content, and stopped its users from accessing this site.

Yazan says it's bringing up a 403-Forbidden message.

The US has banned all American companies and banks from dealing with Syria.

No American is now allowed to hold an account with the Commercial Bank of Syria, making life difficult for the many US residents in Damascus.

But more importantly, it adds another hurdle for American companies to do business in Syria.

French judges have released one of the Mehlis report's key suspects.

Detlev Mehlis was the former UN investigator into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri (below: his replacement, Serge Brammertz).

Just weeks after the agreement between Michel Aoun and Hizbollah, the Shia group is demanding the release of 25 Lebanese prisoners being held in Syria.

The Danish Ambassador who left Damascus when the embassy was set alight three weeks ago is on his way back to Syria.

At the time, he said that he wasn't leaving for political reasons, but because Syria wasn't doing enough to guarantee his security.

The Embassy was set on fire by an angry mob protesting at a danish newspaper which published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb on his head.

At that time Denmark advised all of its citizens to leave Syria - very few took the advice.

A year ago US Ambassador Margaret Scooby left Damascus in protest at 'Syria's murder' of Rafiq Al-Hariri.

Syria's opposition umbrella, the Damascus Declaration, says it wont accept any money from the US.

The bloc, which was signed by some of the country's top opposition leaders (Riyad Sayf (left), Jawdat Said, Samir Al-Nashar, Kurdish groups and civil society advocates), set out their vision for Syria's future late last year, calling for "democratic and radical" change.

That most precious of Lebanon's natural resources is being attacked by Syria, according to Telecoms Minister Marwan Hamedeh.

Lebanon has the highest mobile usage in the world - more minutes per person than in any other country.

And now Lebanon says Syria wants to get a bite of that apple.

Hamadeh says Syria has pointed its mobile phone masts towards Lebanon, and is selling pre-pay phone cards in shops in Tripoli.

Washington has earmarked $5 for "accelerating the work of reformers". They want to give the cash to opposition groups.

But they might have a hard time finding someone who'll accept their money.

Riad At-Turk (left) has already ruled out working with the Bush government.

Amnesty International has made the astonishing claim that most of the Syrians accused of involvement in the Beirut riots weren't even in Beirut at the time of the attacks.

It explains the high number of Syrians arrested (138 out of 400).

Why does every story in As Siyasseh newspaper only quote 'close and very personal sources'. Why do they never name names. Could it be because most are unsubstantiated pieces of gossip - or worse, stories dreamt up in the newsroom?

I have thought for many months about starting a 'Siyasseh Watch', where I will track the latest extravagancy to pour out of the Kuwaiti newsroom.

Today they quote extensively from private conversations between Bashar and cabinet members.

The Lebanese government's Human Rights minister has been given a list of Syrians missing in his country.

Syrian families want to know what's happened to their sons - it's feared many are languishing in Lebanese jails or were killed by militias.

It's not clear how many there are.

Former MPs and opposition activists Mamoun Homsi and Riad Seif (below) were arrested today. They have since been released.

The pair were released last month after spending five years in jail.

Excellent article by Khaled Yacoub Oweis. Some highlights:

"They say they want the truth about Hariri but don't care if their alliance with America ruins Syria."

"They are the same Lebanese politicians who used to bow for our officials.

Organisers of today's march in Beirut are coming to terms with a disappointing turn-out, one year on from Rafiq Hariri's death. Last year, millions marched on the capital in support of their slain leader.

A grenade was thrown under this Beirut car.

The owner, a Syrian, was unhurt.

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Leading opposition member Riad Turk has returned from Paris critiicising former Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam.

Khaddam's chorus of criticism against Bashar has been growing louder over the past couple of months, and many expected Turk to embrace him.

Farouq Ash-Sharaa becomes Vice-President (to replace Abdul Halim Khaddam who went into exile in Paris last year)

Walid Muallem becomes Foreign Minister (replacing Sharaa)

Bassam Abdel Majeed becomes Interior Minister (to replace Ghazi Kanaan who commited suicide)

Muallem is clearly a more moderate figure than Sharaa who has inflamed international opinion against Syria with his hardline stance.

In an unprecedented move, dozens of Syria's bloggers have put their name to a joint statement condemning the attacks on the Danish and Norweigan Embassies in Damascus last week.

The statement - which will be appearing across the Syrian blogosphere - follows...

None of us believe in violence as a solution.

Col. Greg Reilly of the 3rd squadron of the 3rd Armoured Cavalry, who is at Sinjar, patrolling the Syria-Iraq border, says the flow of foreign fighters from Syria has stopped.

The astonishing claim flies in the face of cries from Washington that Syria is doing nothing to stop militants crossing into Iraq.

Col.

Lebanon's most virulent anti-Syrian politician, and Hariri-ally, Samir Jaja says Syria wasn't to blame for the riots on Sunday in Beirut which burnt the Danish embassy.

The head of the Lebanese Forces says the claims of his coalition allies (he didn't mention Walid Jumblatt by name) that the rioters were backed by Syria were incorrect: "Because everybody wanted to reveal the truth behind Sunday's riots rapidly, the information provided by some politicians was not 100 percent accurate," he said.

Earlier in the week, Lebanon's acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said that the accusations of Syrian involvement in the riots was baseless.

However, the accusations that the buildings were set fire by foriegners not Lebanese continue unabated.

Before I go much further with this post - an apology. I apologise for publishing a non 'Syrian' post. But I feel that this issue has affected Syria - and Damascus in particular - that it deserves mention.

Jyllands-Posten, the Danish paper has decided to publish a series of cartoons satirising the holocaust.