Iraq's deadliest day in two years leaves 107 dead in 13 cities [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
The death toll of the bombings witnessed in several parts of Iraq reached 107; most of them were civilians. In addition, over 300 people were injured. Twenty-two attacks occurred in 14 cities; most of the attacks targeted civilian gatherings and security checkpoints.

Reporter, Male #2
Today was another bloody day in Iraq after over two years of calm. Hundreds were killed and wounded in a series of attacks that hit the Iraqi capital and northern cities. The 23 attacks that took place in 15 Iraqi cities were carried out with explosive belts and devices, booby-trapped cars, and a carload of gunmen. They mostly targeted the security and military centers of the police and army.

Reporter, Male #2
These attacks are considered the bloodiest since 110 people were killed in similar attacks in May of 2010. The area of al-Taji in northern Baghdad witnessed seven attacks, including the detonation of explosive belts and devices, and a booby-trapped car, causing the deaths and injury of dozens of people. The attacks also destroyed some homes and damaged many others.

Guest, Male #3
Fifteen minutes before we were supposed to go up, a bomb was detonated. Where is the government? Where are the police? Where is the security and stability? And then there's all this material damage. All of these homes were damaged. Here, four homes were destroyed, and about 15 homes were damaged.

Reporter, Male #2
The city of al-Sadr, east of Baghdad, also witnessed booby-trapped car attacks that caused several deaths and injuries. The attacks caused massive damage to a number of stores and homes.

Guest, Male #4
We were sitting by the door, and a booby-trapped car exploded. This area has families, children, young people, and elders.

Reporter, Male #2
An armed attack with automatic weapons and grenades targeted a military base in Dhuluiya, north of Baghdad, leading to the death of several soldiers. Security sources reported two booby-trapped cars exploded near a military checkpoint in the town of Khan Bani Saad, northeast of Baghdad, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries. And in the northern city of Kirkuk, a number of people died and others were injured when five booby-trapped cars exploded.

Reporter, Male #2
Diyala Province, northeast of Baghdad, witnessed explosions and armed attacks on checkpoints in different areas, leaving dozens of casualties. These attacks come on the eve of statements made by the leader of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq group, in which he called on Arab gunmen to head to Iraq to participate in bloody attacks during the holy month of Ramadan. This escalation also comes amid a political crisis, as pressure is being placed on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by his political opponents.

--

Syrian regime asserts it would not use chemical weapons under any circumstances [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
The Arabs have offered President Bashar al-Assad a safe exit in exchange for his quick resignation. However, Syrian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad al-Maqdisi confirmed that the people will decide, not the Arabs. Meanwhile, clashes are continuing in Aleppo, and the army has taken control of most neighborhoods in Damascus.

Reporter, Female #2
After fierce clashes erupted in the neighborhood of al-Mazza in Damascus between regime forces and members of the Free Syrian Army, the Maher al-Assad-led Fourth Division, supported by helicopters, was able to regain control of most neighborhoods in Damascus, according to confirmations by the official authorities. Syrian television broadcast images of the identification cards of those it referred to as terrorists, indicating that they are Jordanians and Egyptians.

Reporter, Female #2
The Syrian Revolution's General Commission reported the resumption of violent shelling this morning in several neighborhoods in the city of Homs, as fierce clashes continue between regime forces and opposition fighters in the neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo. On the other hand, official authorities denied that clashes occurred in Aleppo, as state television broadcast video clips of the city's streets, assuring that it is calm. Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Jihad al-Maqdisi, held a press conference during which he condemned the Arab ministers' call on Assad to resign, and discussed the issue of biological weapons.

Guest Male #1 (Jihad Maqdisi, Syrian Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
We confirm that chemical and biological weapons will never be used. To reiterate: they will never be used during the crisis in Syria regardless of the developments on the Syrian front. The different types of weapons are stored and secured by the Syrian armed forces, and are under its direct supervision and will never be used, unless Syria is subjected to a foreign aggression. At the same time, the ministry is warning of another concerning issue, and that is the possibility of terrorist groups armed from abroad amid the increasing failure to hit the political regime in Syria. Arming these groups with tactical bombs or mines that contain biological substances and, God forbid, detonating them in a village then accusing the Syrian forces of it.

Guest Male #1
The change in Mr. Annan's mission is not in the hands of the Arab ministers. As for stepping down and such matters, we tell everyone, to the Arab League, and to everyone, that the Syrian people make their own decisions. They are the ones who decide the fate of governments, presidents, states, etc. They are the ones who participate in a national dialogue.

Reporter, Female #2
Arab foreign ministers had agreed during their meeting to offer Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a safe exit in exchange for relinquishing power.

Guest, Male #3 (Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatari Prime Minister)
The Syrian opposition must now unite, internally and abroad, to form a transitional government. This does not mean that any transitional government that is formed now will remain in power forever.

Reporter, Female #2
The Iraqi government announced that Iraq rejected the Arab League's call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign, saying that al-Assad's fate can only be decided by the Syrian people. As for Russia, President Vladimir Putin assured that toppling al-Assad may lead to a continued war, and stressed that Syria's future is decided through negotiations, and not on the basis of victory or loss in the conflict. And with that, the European Union decided to tighten its sanctions against Damascus and implement a weapons ban. In their meeting in Brussels, EU ministers confirmed that the ban will include the Syrian airline which is prohibited from landing in Europe, and additional people will be added to the list of those sanctioned.

--

Police attack Moroccan citizens protesting government corruption [Press TV, Iran]

Moroccans hit the streets to protest government corruption and the high cost of living. The peaceful demonstrations, called for by the February 20th Movement, were held in the city of Casablanca and the capital, Rabat. But the protests in Casablanca turned violent after the state police attacked protestors when they chanted slogans against the Moroccan government. Dozens were wounded and several were arrested. Back in January, the Moroccan government raised the price of gasoline by 20 percent, which led to an increase in food prices as well.

--

Turkish activists demand resignation of interior minister over harsh crackdown on Kurds [Press TV, Iran]

Turkish activists are demanding the resignation of the country's interior minister over a crackdown on Kurds in the southeast. Hundreds of academics, peace activists, and intellectuals accuse Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin of displaying an aggressive attitude toward Turkey's Kurdish population and have slammed the government's response to a protest rally in the city Diyarbakir over a week ago.

--

Family of Afghan civilian killed by US forces demands justice [Press TV, Iran]

The Afghan government and the US military recently signed a deal based on which foreign forces would have to stop nighttime raids in Afghanistan, but US-led nighttime raids on Afghan homes are continuing, especially in the southern parts of the country. Families of victims demand justice and the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.

--

Morsi praises Egypt's 1952 revolution, chides its failure to bring about democracy [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
In a televised speech on the 60th anniversary of the July 23rd revolution, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said that the revolution enabled the Egyptian people to start determining their fate. But at the same time, the president added that the revolution failed to accomplish some of its goals, especially those associated with civil liberties.

Presenter, Female #1
This is the first time a president with an Islamic political background participates in the events commemorating the July revolution since that era witnessed clashes between Islamic and nationalist forces.

Guest Male #2 (Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian President)
The 1950s and the 1960s, and you remember the 1960s.

Reporter, Male #3
And you know what the sixties were like. This is how the new president referred to the era of Gamal Abdel Nasser and the July revolution during his inauguration speech. That era witnessed clashes between the Islamic movement and nationalist forces. On that day, the president was in Tahrir Square speaking to the revolutionaries about the revolution's cost.

Reporter, Male #3
But today, the president is in the presidential palace, and he must speak to all Egyptians about the July revolution. It was a glorious revolution in Egypt as a state, and for Egyptians as a people. But it does not hold the same status for the Islamist forces. So here's the issue. What does an Islamist president say on a nationalist holiday to a street that celebrates annually a revolution that changed the face of Egypt?

Guest, Male #2
The January revolution of 2011 is certainly an extension of the Egyptian people's history of struggle, starting from the time of popular uprisings at the end of the 18th century.

Reporter, Male #3
The speech discussed half-complete past glories that could lead to a bright future. This is how the president avoided shocking the nationalist street, and distorting the Islamist street's recollection of the events.

Guest, Male #5 (Mohamed Hassan, Gama'a al-Islamiyya Spokesman)
In the past, and during the former president's era, the July revolution was completely glorified, and had no flaws. Some claim this is because of the former president's affiliation to the revolution's era and the military.

Reporter, Male #3
But there are some people who glorify the revolution without glorifying the military. They distinguish between the military of that time and today's military. In both cases, the Islamists have no claim to the July revolution.

Guest, Male #6 (Abdallah al-Sinawi, Editor-in-Chief of the Nasserite Party)
We must say that the July revolution is glorious, whether we want to or not, because this is a duty, for us and for the president. July is a national holiday, and its vision must be clear.

Reporter, Male #3
It is too early to speak of reconciliation between the Islamist forces and the July revolution's forces. But there is no doubt that as political Islam has gained power, priorities will be reassigned, and maybe history will be reinterpreted, if not rewritten. It is a precedent in Egypt for an Islamist president to mark the anniversary of a nationalist president who clashed with the Islamists. A precedent that may indicate that what the first revolution missed, the second revolution is attempting to continue.

--

More Palestinian children suffering from hunger in Gaza as Israeli siege continues [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The international organization Save the Children said a quarter of the world's children do not receive the nutrition required for normal growth, as 300 children die every hour due to malnutrition. A report by the organization revealed that malnutrition stunted growth for over half of the world's children, and that 170 million children under the age of five have stopped properly growing due to food shortages. The report ranked Japan as the best place to be a child, while Somalia was considered the worst, and a significant decline in children's living conditions was noticeable in the Palestinian territories. Shouhdi al-Kashef reports from Gaza.

Reporter, Male #2
We are in the area of al-Manalha near the al-Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City. Over 200 families live here. Children, people, and cattle live in the same place: in houses under construction. We will try to look into their situation and visit some of the houses to see how people live here.

Reporter, Male #2
The condition of Radwan al-Malahi's home is almost unbearable, as insects and flies have almost become part of this home that barely fits him, his six children, and their mother. There are only two rooms with asbestos roofs that obviously can't shelter them from the winter's cold or the summer's heat.

Guest Male #3 (Radwan Malahi, Household Head)
It would be enough for me if my kids get an education, and study, and succeed. What can I tell you? I want them to have a good future. That's the most important thing for me. I don't care about anything else. I worry about them; of course I worry about them. I'm deadly afraid for them. Your child is your life; of course you're going to worry.

Reporter, Male #2
Children here only eat one meal a day that consists of some vegetables. They rarely change their clothes, and frequently complain about diseases caused by poverty and poor hygiene. However, child Malak seems to suffer even more, as her face is disfigured, and she endures pain in her eye. Her mother complains about the international and local organizations' lack of interest in helping them.

Guest, Female #1
How can I get her treatment? Do you see the situation here? How can I? From where? If I go see a doctor and they ask for money, and I say I don't have any, will they believe me? No, they won't. We have no food, no clothes, and no money. We didn't get any help for Ramadan.

Reporter, Male #2
The international organization has indicated that institutions and governments have neglected to care for the children, seeing that the rates of poverty and unemployment, and the political situation in the Palestinian territories, have negatively impacted the lives of Palestinian children.

Guest Male #4 (Usama Damu, Save the Children)
More than 68 percent of the children are anemic. In general, this is an indicator that the children's situation in the Gaza Strip is getting worse and worse, as long as the Israeli authorities are imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip.

Reporter, Male #2
Their conditions cannot even be wished for an enemy. In small rooms inside houses under construction, a large number of them live in an area that lacks an infrastructure and essential services. International organizations believe the poverty, hunger, and unemployment will not end unless Israel lifts its ongoing siege on the Gaza Strip. Shouhdi al-Kashef, BBC, the Gaza Strip.

--

Shaul Mofaz submits request to oust four Kadima members from party [IBA, Israel]

Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz has asked the Knesset's house committee to approve a request to oust four Kadima Knesset members from the party after they tried to join the coalition. After submitting the request, Mofaz held a news conference in the Knesset and told anyone who wanted to join the "corrupt and draft dodgers" to leave Kadima. The move follows late-night meetings in which Kadima rebels, headed by former Minister Tzachi Hanegbi attempted to recruit seven Kadima MKs to leave the party for Likud.

--

Another Israeli man self-immolates over dire financial straits [IBA, Israel]

Another man tried to commit self-immolation in order to bring attention to his financial difficulties. Reports say the man was from Ofakim and tried to set himself ablaze near the town's local police station. Police extinguished the flames before the man suffered major injuries.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old disabled IDF veteran, Akiva Mafi'i, remains in critical condition after he torched himself in the town of Yahud. He is still in the hospital with burns covering 80 percent of his body. Doctors described his chances of survival as slim.