Bombardment of besieged Syrian city of Homs intensifies [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
It was a bloody dawn in Homs as the Syrian regime continues to use an iron fist on the city's neighborhoods. More than 50 people were killed during the early morning hours in an attack described as the most violent. Army and security forces stormed several of Homs's neighborhoods, most notably Baba Amero, which endured heavy shelling. The residents issued an urgent appeal to protect the children and women as well as provide aid to the injured. The situation in Homs is not much different from the one in Daraa or Idlib, amid the sounds of gunfire and calls for relief and aid. Al-Seghair Salam reports.

Reporter, Male #1
The city of Homs spent the night under heavy shelling and woke up this morning to a fierce attack by Syrian armed forces. The shelling targeted the neighborhoods of Baba Amero, al-Khalidiyah, Biadah, Karm al-Zaytoun, Rifa'i, and Wadi al-Arab, in a bid by the army and security forces to storm them. Columns of smoke were seen rising from several homes, which were either razed to the ground or partially destroyed over their occupants, raising the death toll by the minute in light of this unprecedented attack on the city. Activists in Homs said that the shelling is targeting water networks and power lines, amid reports that 40 percent of the city's homes have been damaged and some areas completely destroyed. This video leaked from one of the city's homes, which was turned into a bleak field hospital, shows that dozens of injured are being left without any basic medical supplies. And this video shows members of the Free Syrian Army, who vowed to defend civilians and provide medical aid and medicine if available. In Homs, there is no evidence of the reforms promised by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of the uprising. The only evidence here points to heavy gunfire and bombings that continue to rock Homs's neighborhoods, which are rejecting the use of gunfire and iron fist to deal with their demands, most notably freedom and the downfall of the regime. Another voice is echoing across Syria's Homs, which seems to be enduring more than its share of the shelling. It's the voice of women and children, who sought refuge in basements to escape the shelling. From these basements, they issued an appeal for relief, in the hopes that someone will hear them and protect them from the indiscriminate shelling.

Guest, Female #2
Don't they fear God? Isn't a sin to leave this infant at the shelter with no heater? Isn't what's happening to this little girl a sin?

Reporter, Male #1
From central to southern Syria, particularity Daraa, the epicenter of the uprising against al-Assad's rule, Syrian women are crying for help amid the piles of dead men's bodies. In the streets of Daraa, residents chanted slogans denouncing President al-Assad and the army's crackdown. And this was the regime's response, which seems to be blaring louder, for now.

Presenter, Female #1
These are live images from the city of Daraa, the epicenter of the protests against the Syrian regime. The residents took to the streets in funeral processions to mourn their dead, with dozens of victims continuing to fall on a daily basis. Today, the Syrian army launched the most violent campaign against the city of Homs. The army started a predawn operation by shelling several neighborhoods in Homs, and storming several others. Among the dead were several children.

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Egypt's prime minister dismisses US aid cutoff threats [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Kamal al-Ganzouri said the Military Council will remain in power until the end of June, and that what is happening in Egypt is now considered a greater 'naksa', or setback, than that of 1967. Al-Ganzouri described the current events as an obstruction of the government's decisions, affirming that Egypt does not kneel to anyone and will make a strong comeback. Al-Ganzouri also said in a previous statement that Egypt will not change its position with regards to foreign funding for non-governmental organizations despite the US's threat to cut off aid. Al-Ganzaouri's statement comes after the Egyptian judiciary, which is investigating illegal funding for active local organizations in Egypt, accused these organizations of conducting illegal political activities. Three US senators warned Egypt that the relationship between the two countries is going through one of its worst phases after the Egyptian judiciary decided to take 19 American activists to court.

Reporter, Female #2
The Egyptian judges did not mitigate the campaign launched by authorities against non-governmental organizations in Egypt that receive foreign funds. Their decision summarizes the case by accusing these organizations of conducting illegal political activities.

Guest, Male #1 (Samih Abu Zeid, Judge)
So this is a legal examination, the decision was issued by legal experts in accordance with the law; it is not a raid, or a storming, or an attack. This point must be made clear. The second point is that during the investigation and after inspecting multiple international and foreign organizations illegally operating in Egypt, we issued a number of decisions to put many foreign defendants who were included in the investigation on the travel ban and restricted entry lists.

Reporter, Female #2
Dunne is one of those placed on a list to either be investigated or tried at a later time. He not only views the case as a personal matter, but considers it part of a campaign against civil society in Egypt.

Guest, Male #2 (Charles Dunne, Freedom House Director)
I think that there was a lot of optimism after the revolution, not only among Egyptians but also among Americans. There were hopes for a pure transition to real democracy. But the result has been disappointing in the last year because of the Military Council's actions.

Reporter, Female #2
Dunne links the judicial referrals of 43 non-governmental organization workers to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement that failing to put an end to the conflicts may lead to a cutoff of American aid to Egypt. He believes the referrals are an attempt by Egyptian authorities to affirm their patriotism. And while the Americans interpret this move as a message directed at them, some Egyptian revolutionaries consider it a message to them as well. The Military Council, and before it, President Hosni Mubarak, has always said that those taking to the street are working for what it refers to as a "foreign agenda." Najla Abu Mira'i, BBC.

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Al-Shabab claims responsibility for Mogadishu suicide bombing [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Al-Shabab al-Mujahideen movement in Somalia claimed responsibility for a bombing near Hotel Muna adjacent to a government district in Mogadishu. The movement said in a statement that the attack targeted a number of Somali members of parliament and officers in the Somali military intelligence service. The bombing was carried out with explosive devices placed in the area. The attack killed 11 people and wounded approximately 15 others. Meanwhile, despite the still unstable security situation, the Somali capital Mogadishu is witnessing efforts to restore order after two decades of wars that have led to overwhelming chaos in Somalia. The Mogadishu municipality began attempts to revive the role of traffic police despite their low competence and the deteriorated conditions of roads and public facilities in the city.

Reporter, Male #2
These men are trying to remove the impact of war in a country that has hardly known anything else for over two decades. Traffic police have resumed their duties, punishing drivers who violate traffic laws such as driving without a license. This has not happened in many years. The administration in Benadir Province is hoping this means a new beginning for restoring life to this city, even if resolves only one of the many needs of the city, which suffered from neglect and destruction during the long years of war.

Guest, Male #3 (Mahmoud Ahmed Tarsin, Mayor of Mogadishu)
Ninety percent of the city was destroyed. Reconstructing and restoring order to the city requires significant funds. Despite that, we will not stand idly by. We are trying to impose order on the street, and we only act within the limits of our capabilities.

Reporter, Male #2
In order to accelerate the success of this task, a bureau was opened to handle car registrations and to prepare traffic signs that will be installed on every street. The bureau will also teach drivers, who mostly learned to drive during the wars, to understand traffic signs.

Guest, Male #4
We used to have many problems in the streets. We are happy about every step taken to organize the traffic.

Reporter, Male #2
The hope for reviving life in the capital grew after the armed conflicts eased when al-Shabab al-Muhahideen fighters withdrew from the city. However, the country still faces many challenges such as the low competency of the staff and the fragile security situation, which may hinder the planned progress for restoration.

Guest, Male #5 (Ali Harsi, Traffic Police Commander)
We do not have motorcycles to chase law-violating vehicles, and we don't have anything to tow cars in accidents. We are short of equipment to help the traffic services. But I have high hopes that we will overcome this difficult phase.

Reporter, Male #2
This is a new phase that may remove the atmosphere of fear and anxiety that has haunted these streets for many years. Gradually, small changes are happening. They may not mean anything to people in developed countries, but in the eyes of a generation that knows nothing but war, these changes are a source of hope that public services will improve in their city, which has always produced news of either famine or armed conflicts. Omar Mahmoud, al-Jazeera, Mogadishu.

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Yemen's Saleh to return to vote, as army defectors take to streets of Sa'ada [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female # 1
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he will return to his country from the United States this month. He added that he will return before the Yemeni presidential elections scheduled for February 21. Saleh said in a statement posted on the Defense Ministry's website that he will return to his homeland at the end of his treatment to participate in the presidential elections. In the northern Yemeni province of Sa'ada, sectarianism and regionalism led several members of the military force to be dismissed and denied pay. They have since announced their defection and can be seen participating in protests demanding the downfall of the regime. They are asking to be reinstated to their positions.

Reporter, Male # 1
Across different Yemeni provinces, officers and soldiers offered their resignation from military units to join the revolution for change. The most notable resignation was announced by the leader of the armored division, who had supported the Riyadh agreement and whose forces played the same role as Saleh's forces. Then, members of his forces began defecting from the regime.

Guest, Male # 2
I joined the army in 2007. Then I joined the armored division. We were stationed for about two years when they made us flee the military camp. They stripped us of our rights; they stole our source of livelihood; where are our salaries from Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar? This is his signature. They came to our unit and said, "You are Houthis from the Maran region, you don't get a salary."

Reporter, Male # 1
Images of soldiers and officers from the defected unit recently appeared, following their participation in the revolutionaries' festivals in Sa'ada. They were dismissed and denied their salaries for different reasons.

Guest, Male # 3
It is a protest to demand the formation of a committee composed of soldiers and officers who were dismissed for racist, partisan, and sectarian reasons in the military camps.

Reporter, Male # 1
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi spoke against the exclusionary practices applied to the residents of Sa'ada.

Guest, Male # 4 (Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Houthis Leader)
They want a civil state; they want a national independent army that is not under the control of foreign powers. An army that believes in fighting on the basis that Israel is its first enemy, not Sa'ada, not Taiz, not the south, or any other Yemeni area.

Reporter, Male # 1
Defected demonstrators in front of the Sa'ada provincial government headquarters are demanding their rights and their reinstatement at their workplaces. They don't view their affiliation to Sa'ada Province, or even the Houthis, as a valid reason for their dismissal.

Guest, Male # 5
They are accusing us of being Houthi members. Belonging to this sect, this group, is an honor. They are Yemenis; they are with the revolution.

Reporter, Male # 1
From across different military units, they were dismissed, fired, and denied their salaries with the only justification being sectarianism and regionalism. Abdel Rahman al-Abed, al-Alam, from the northern Yemeni Sa'ada Province.

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South Sudan struggling in face of growing refugee crisis [Press TV, Iran]

One month has passed since the violence in South Sudan's Jonglei state killed more than 3,000 people and left nearly 90,000 in need of humanitarian assistance. Now the government and donor agencies are struggling to help those in need. Desperate, hungry, and in need of shelter; these are the situations of the almost ninety thousand people whose lives were devastated by the recent intercommunal violence in South Sudan's fragile Jonglei state. The violence, which has led to the death of over three thousand people, has been launched a month ago, yet many still remain displaced from their homes and in need of humanitarian assistance to survive. A situation which, if it gets worse, would not only be because of the government's failure to disarm the civilians, a solution proposed by many sides and believed to be the answer to the crisis, but because sending emergency relief to those in need would be close to mission impossible with the approach of South Sudan's rainy season. And whether the government fails to disarm the civilians in Jonglei or it fails to find ways to continue with the humanitarian relief supply even during the rainy which threatens to bring a humanitarian catastrophe, the victims remain to be the helpless people of the state, who have nowhere to turn to but the government. Jonglei state now poses not only a security challenge to the national government, but also a humanitarian challenge which, if it fails along with the security challenge, it would fail the lives of over one hundred thousand civilians.

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Protestors slam Bahraini king's visits Saudi Arabia as "a humiliation" [Press TV, Iran]

The Bahraini king is in Saudi Arabia on an official visit to mark a cultural festival between the two countries. King Hamad al-Khalifa was greeted by the governor of the capital Riyadh along with the Bahraini ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Activists have criticized the visit, calling it "a humiliation of Bahrain's sovereignty." Riyadh last year sent thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks to Bahrain to crack down on the popular revolution. Protestors in Bahrain have repeatedly accused their government of trying to integrate the whole of their kingdom into Saudi Arabia. This, they say, is to safeguard their rule of the small Persian Gulf country.

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Afghan government wants leading role in peace process with Taliban [Press TV, Iran]

US chief envoy to Afghanistan, Marc Grossman, has met with Taliban leaders as part of efforts to bring the militant group to the negotiating table. The senior Afghan official said the talks were held in Qatar in late January. Grossman later briefed Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the discussions when Karzai was visiting Italy. The Taliban have announced plans to open a political office in Qatar for the talks to go forward. Although the Afghan government has publicly supported the negotiations, it is concerned about being sidelined in the peace process. The Karzai government wants any talks with the Taliban to be led by Afghans.

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Israeli banks, businesses, government offices close for general strike [IBA, Israel]

The National Labor Court remains in session at this hour in an effort to resolve the open-ended general strike, which went into effect this morning. Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini continues to call for the personal intervention of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Government offices, banks, and much of the country's public transport facilities remain shut this morning, causing havoc for consumers. Some 500,000 Israeli workers began an open-ended strike, starting at six am. Many other service providers, such as the electric company, the country's hospitals, and Magen David Adom ambulance units worked at a reduced capacity. The strike went into effect after all night talks between the Histadrut Labor Union and the Finance Ministry broke down.

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Lieberman: US and Israel in agreement on Iran [IBA, Israel]

Jerusalem and Washington have resolution, understanding, and agreement on how to deal with Iran. That's the word from Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is currently in Washington for a round of talks with top American officials. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said today that he and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were in agreement on most of the issues raised at their meeting in Washington. At the top of that list, he said, there is understanding that Iran must be prevented from getting a nuclear weapon. Lieberman said Israel and the world should monitor the effects of sanctions already put in place and he thanked the United States for its recent efforts to levy sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

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Israeli 'refusniks' speak out on YouTube [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female # 1
A group of Israeli youth posted images and interviews on YouTube confirming their refusal to serve in the occupation army. Their position comes in response to the army's aggression towards the Palestinian people.

Presenter, Male # 1
This time, some are speaking out against military service in the occupation army from inside the Israeli security institution. And while this is not yet a mass movement, it is noteworthy in a state where security comes first and foremost.

Guest, Female # 2
The Israeli army is occupying another people; it is occupying the Palestinians.

Guest, Female # 3
Palestinian kids are being killed at Israeli checkpoints on their way to school.

Presenter, Male # 1
A group of Israeli youths not only refuse to serve in the occupation's military in protest of the army's treatment of Palestinians, but went as far as posting pictures and interviews on YouTube to justify their rejection to military service.

Guest, Male # 3
Many young Palestinians are thrown into Israeli jails for no reason.

Presenter, Male # 1
The Israeli government claims its policies against the Palestinians aims to protect Israelis.

Guest, Male # 4
The "refusniks" phenomenon came about after the Second Palestinian Intifada in 2000, when the occupation intensified its aggression against the Palestinians. The Israeli government responded by arresting many of the soldiers, charging them with disobedience and refusing the mandatory service in the occupation army.