Hundreds of thousands rally on the 'day to support oppressed Iraqis' [Press TV, Iran]

Iraqi people have held a huge rally in the southern city of Basra on the ninth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq that has left over one million people dead. The protestors called on all Iraqis to unite against foreign enemies. They also demanded that the government provide better services for the people.

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Death of more protestors sparks anger in Bahrain [Press TV, Iran]

In Bahrain, thousands of people have expressed their anger at the ruling al-Khalifa regime as they mourned another protestor killed by regime forces, 27-year-old Sabri Mahfud, who died when police fired tear gas at him and a group of protestors at a funeral rally. This, just 24 hours after the death of 41-year-old Ja'far Jassim Radhi, who was found dead in his home after inhaling tear gas fired at his residence be regime forces.

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UN report finds Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian water springs [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
A report issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories confirmed that 56 water springs in the West Bank are now targeted by Israeli settlers. The international organization accused the occupation authorities of using threats and intimidation to prevent Palestinians from accessing these water springs, in addition to seizing their land.

Reporter, Female #1
A United Nations report showed that depriving Palestinians from reaching water springs could constitute one of the most notable examples of settlement activity. The report said that 56 water springs in the West Bank are located near Israeli settlements, and for this reason, Palestinians are prevented from reaching them. Even worse, 84 percent of the affected springs are on private Palestinian land, while Israelis use 86 percent of the ground water resources of the mountain region.

Guest, Male #2 (Yeheskel Lein, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Research Director)
Under international law and Israeli law, the Israeli authorities have to return the land to its owners and allow the Palestinians to freely access their springs. They also have to prosecute the settlers, and force them to leave the private Palestinian lands they've seized.

Reporter, Female #1
We then headed to the villages of Nablus. We walked in the woods that Palestinians are deprived from entering. We arrived with the delegation of the UN office to al-Khawaneq spring in Wadi Ali. Settlers changed its name to the spring of Eli, the name of the settlement that encircles the water spring. Settlers have turned it into a tourist attraction.

Reporter, Female #1
Hajj Abu Ala'a was encouraged by the presence of UN officials, so he came to inspect his land and the spring. And as soon as we arrived, a settlement guard came to confirm that Palestinians can reach their land. But the discourse was different.

Guest, Male #3
I come here twice a week to pick the fruits, but I can't trim the leaves, plow the land, or do anything else. I can't reach the water. It's forbidden! How can I reach it?

Reporter, Female #1
The United Nations says the settlers who are protected by the occupation soldiers adopt a policy of intimidation and threats in an attempt to rush the increase of settlers in the occupied territories.

Guest, Male #4
It is one more example of the settlers' attempt to expand their control of regions classified in area C. It is possible to see that through the takeover of trees, woods, and streets. They are trying to take control of all the territories outside the settlements.

Reporter, Female #1
Controlling a water spring, then the land that surrounds it, then the mountain, then the valley completes the scene of full domination of the land and the expulsion of a people.

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Four dead, five wounded after attack on Jewish school in southern France [IBA, Israel]

Four people are dead and five are wounded after a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire at a Jewish school in Toulouse, southern France. The brazen attack occurred around 8 o'clock in the morning and has drawn sweeping international condemnation. This was the third in a series of attacks against ethnic minorities in the past ten days using the same method of a gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet and fleeing on a scooter. Police are investigating whether the three incidents are connected.

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Rocket fire from Gaza lands in Eshkol Regional Council [IBA, Israel]

Despite the shaky ceasefire in southern Israel, rocket fire from Gaza landed this morning on a farm in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries were reported, but the projectile caused damage to a local greenhouse.

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UNHRC focuses on Israel's treatment of Palestinians [IBA, Israel]

Israel was the focus of a session held by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which met to discuss five resolutions on Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, including one from Pakistan demanding the return of the Golan Heights to Syria. The council also invited a senior Hamas member to testify, a move that Israeli diplomats are working to prevent.

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Saudi protests in solidarity with Abha students spread to Riyadh [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Protestors rallied in the Saudi capital al-Riyadh to condemn the repression female students were subjected to at King Khalid University in Abha by the school's security members with the support of regime forces. The demonstrators demanded that Saudi authorities open a full investigation into the repression and punish the killers. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Middle East and North Africa called on the Saudi authorities to immediately release three administrators of websites that reported on the political movement in the country's Eastern Province.

Reporter, Male #1
Protests in Saudi Arabia are escalating within the framework of student demonstrations that were launched nearly two weeks ago to denounce violence that left one female student dead and dozens injured at Abha University. In the capital Riyadh, hundreds of protestors held a demonstration to condemn the crackdown on female students at King Khalid University in Abha by the university's security members with the support of regime forces.

Reporter, Male #1
Participants in the demonstration chanted slogans denouncing the crime committed by the regime's security members, and demanded Saudi authorities open a full investigation to look into the cause of the crackdown and punish the killers. The protestors also expressed their complete solidarity with the university students' legitimate demand for freedom of speech. In light of the escalating pace of protests and sit-ins witnessed in various parts of the region, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz issued a decree ordering the formation of a crisis committee to monitor the developments of the case. He demanded that relevant institutions act immediately to halt the protests at any price, to offer students enticements to stop demonstrating, and to work on preventing protests from spreading the way they have in the Eastern Province.

Reporter, Male #1
And in light of the arrest campaign carried out by Saudi authorities against protestors, the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Middle East called on the Saudi regime to immediately release three administrators of websites that covered the protests in the country's Eastern Province, which faces severe restrictions. The committee accused Saudi authorities of banning journalists from entering the Eastern Province to cover protests demanding political reforms. The committee pointed to the arrest of photographer Habib Ali al-Maatiq, who oversees the news section of al-Fajr al-Thaqafiya website, or the Cultural Dawn. It also points to the arrests of photographer Hussain Malik al-Salem and al-Qatif resident Sheikh Jalal Mohammed al-Jamal who was transferred to an unknown site.

Reporter, Male #1
As for the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, it condemned the methods of repression and the arrests in Saudi Arabia, confirming they are now systematic and are being used against anyone the Saudi authorities believe disagrees with the government's tyranny. The kingdom is encouraged by the blatant complicity of the international community that seems accustomed to turning a blind eye to the Saudi government's abundant violations against those who criticize it.

Reporter, Male #1
And amid the theft of the citizens' lands and properties by Saudi princes, these images posted online show clashes between the Imara tribe and security forces in al-Qarn after a Saudi prince attempted to seize their land and expel them from it. They had no choice but to defend themselves. Political observers believe the Saudi authorities' use of systematic repression will not prevent the ignited protests from spreading to more cities after having taken place in various Saudi communities in a wide-ranging number of areas.

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Heavy fighting rocks Syrian capital [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Syrian opposition sources said 13 people were killed across Syria today. Activists said Syrian army forces shelled a number of neighborhoods in the old city of Homs, especially in al-Khalidiya, which led to the injury of civilians. The Qasir area of Homs was subjected to gunfire by heavy machine guns and mortar shells; five citizens were injured as a result. In Aleppo, a group of gunmen attacked a military vehicle, and killed a lieutenant colonel and wounded others.

Reporter, Male #2
The exact details of the clashes between Syrian regime forces and Free Syrian Army members in al-Mezze area remain unknown. Activists believe these clashes were the most violent in a Damascus neighborhood since protests began in Syria. Meanwhile, Syrian state media said the clashes were with a group that took over a home and used it as a hideout in the neighborhood.

Guest, Male #3
Gunmen were staying here, conducting corrupt and terrorist operations. They opened fire; then they went down the Malwar street and went from home to home, burning, vandalizing, and smashing things inside homes. Then, they started firing at security forces and the army.

Reporter, Male #2
Al-Mezze neighborhood is close to the security centers in the Syrian capital. A large number of army officers loyal to the regime and government security institutions live there. The presidential palace overlooks the large neighborhood. And an infamous prison is located in this area, and has detained a large number of anti-regime dissidents for a long time. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 18 soldiers from the regime's forces were injured. State media said the three of those it referred to as terrorists were killed and a fourth was wounded, while one regime soldier was killed and three were injured.

Guest, Male #4
The security conducted a surgical operation to protect the residents, children, elders, and women. About an hour later, around 9 o'clock, and a little after that, security took control of the area and arrested part of the group, and the members died.

Guest, Male #5
God is greater than you Bashar. Arabs, this is Homs.

Reporter, Male #2
Activists said Syrian army forces shelled a number of neighborhoods in the old city of Homs, especially al-Khalidiya, where multiple mortar shells fell on houses, injuring civilians. Websites run by activists reported that security forces stormed other neighborhoods in a wide-ranging arrest campaign in the city. The Qasir area of Homs endured gunfire by heavy machine guns and mortar shells, and at least five citizens were wounded.

Reporter, Male #2
In Jabal al-Zawiya of Idlib, military forces stormed the village of Ebdeta, and opened heavy fire. In the village of Marayan, security forces burned more than 60 houses within 24 hours. In addition, clashes broke out in Deir az-Zour between the regime army and Free Syrian Army members. In Aleppo, a group of gunmen attacked a military vehicle, killing a lieutenant colonel and wounding others. Daily protests continued in a number of Syrian areas, despite the regime's use of an iron fist against these demonstrations. At the same time, a number of international experts arrived to Syria. They are delegated by the UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan to hold talks with the Syrian leadership on means to put an end to the violence. Hayyan Aqoub, BBC.

Presenter, Male #1
On the political front, the UN envoy's technical team arrived to Damascus to hold talks on the UN envoy's propositions and the Syrian response. Our correspondent in Damascus reported that a joint assessment mission from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations began on Friday to evaluate the civilians' need for humanitarian aid in Syrian cities subjected to violence, including Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Dara'a and the countryside of Damascus.

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Yemeni parliament to question government over return of al-Qaeda [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
The return of al-Qaeda to the scene in Yemen has prompted members of parliament to seek a questioning of the new government. While some Yemeni legislators have accused members of the former regime of seeking to refuel al-Qaeda in a bid to halt the revolution's progress, others rejected the authorization given to US forces to deploy near Yemeni territories. No tangible progress has been made by the military committee designated by the Gulf initiative to restructure the army and security forces. Abed al-Rahman al-Shimiri reports from Sana'a.

Reporter, Male #1
The military committee resumed its duties by removing the remaining military checkpoints and posts across various parts of the Yemeni capital. However, this measure has failed to restore order to other cities, where the security deterioration is intensifying and spiraling out of control. The Yemeni opposition accused members of the former regime of using al-Qaeda to stir chaos in the country.

Guest, Female #2 (Suad al-Alaia, Yemeni Journalist Guild Member)
I agree, the security situation is continuing to deteriorate, and there's a security breach in the country. Several disturbing phenomena have emerged. Terrorism has spread for the first time to new areas. These acts of terror are being blamed on al-Qaeda. However, I don't believe that al-Qaeda is behind this. I think certain groups are using al-Qaeda in order to stir chaos and benefit from it.

Reporter, Male #1
The unprecedented security breach witnessed in the country's southern regions has prompted members of parliament to question the national consensus government. While Saleh's supporters are calling for the launch of a national dialogue before restructuring the army and security forces, the Yemeni opposition believes it should be the other way around.

Guest, Male #2 (Ahmed al-Zarqa, Writer and Journalist)
Certain groups are pushing for the restructuring of the army at the expense of holding a dialogue and drafting the Law of Transitional Justice. The international community, the UN, Ben Omar, and the countries that oversaw and signed the Gulf initiative, all these groups must send a strong message to the Yemeni sides and urge them to implement the agreement. Otherwise, they must take a decisive position and sanction the parties that continue to procrastinate.

Reporter, Male #1
Rights groups and parliamentarians have criticized the ongoing violations of Yemeni national sovereignty. They also demanded to revoke Saleh's sponsored mandate, authorizing the US army to launch military raids on southern Yemen at any time and by any means. Nearly a month has passed since the inauguration of Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi as president of Yemen, in a move that was described then as the first step in a 1,000-mile journey to resolve the Yemeni crisis. However, the fragile security situation continues to diminish opportunities to rescue Yemen. Abed Rahman al-Shimiri, Dubai TV, Sana'a.

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Emirati woman becomes first female train conductor in MENA [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
Twenty-eight-year-old Mariam al-Safar became the first woman to work as a metro driver in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East. After years of working in the banking sector, she decided to obtain a license to drive Dubai's metro.

Reporter, Male #2
She is not just a passenger riding the train from one place to another; she is conducting the train. On the two train rails, she professionally conducts the train and skillfully plans the routes and movements of the train. Mariam al-Safar is the first woman in the United Arab Emirates, and the Middle East, to work as a train conductor.

Guest, Female #1
The metro system in Dubai is new, so I decided to enter this sector since I am interested in this site and field. I will enter this sector and quickly move up. This is the idea that sparked my interest to work here and operate the train.

Reporter, Male #2
Dubai's metro is considered one of the most advanced metro systems in the world. It is fully automated; however, it sometimes requires manual activation, especially in case of emergencies and during maintenance.

Guest, Female #1
I drive the train manually if there is a problem with the train. We've faced problems before. For example, if the train is stuck at the station and we must evacuate the passengers, that's when we manually drive the train. But the train is normally completely automated through the control center.

Reporter, Male #2
Besides the automatic and manual control of the train, Mariam's responsibilities include patrolling the automatic train to determine if all its technical parts are functioning.

Guest, Female #1
Of course, before I start the train on the trajectory, I inspect the electronic parts of the metro and make sure that the brakes, batteries, and the doors are all fully functioning, and ensure the cleanliness of the train. We check all of those things before the train is operational.

Reporter, Male #2
It is worth mentioning the UAE's government is exerting major efforts to encourage its local citizens to be involved in the country's various fields. Mariam, the 28-year-old young woman, is considered a beneficiary of these policies that attempt to change the world's view on the Emirati women's abilities.