Renewed demonstrations in Saudi Arabia's al-Qatif press for political reforms [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
In eastern Saudi Arabia's city of al-Qatif, a protest was held to demand an end to oppression and the release of political prisoners, in particular religious scholar Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr. Protestors marched on the city's streets, confirming that the authorities must guarantee freedom and justice in its dealings with the residents of the area.

Reporter, Male #1
With this slogan, a large demonstration was held in the eastern Saudi Arabian region of al-Qatif, and was attended by thousands of residents. The protest was peaceful, and included all segments of the society. The protestors took to the city's streets, chanting slogans demanding the release of political prisoners, notably religious scholar and imam of al-Awamiyah Mosque, Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr. They stressed their commitment to resisting the Saudi authorities' crackdown.

Reporter, Male #1
The protestors did not only demand the release political prisoners, and specifically Sheikh al-Nimr, but they also demanded political reforms based on justice and freedom in governance, and equality between the different sects and social classes. They believe this would lead to an improvement to the deteriorating situation the society is experiencing due to the authorities' oppressive and abusive practices.

Reporter, Male #1
At the end of the protest, a clear and transparent closing statement was issued, explaining the banners raised during the demonstration, and providing the protestors' outlook at the situation and the ruling system.

Reporter, Male #1
Two developments distinguish the latest demonstration in al-Qatif. First, the growing number of participants from the general public, including from different social classes, and second the shattering of the barrier of fear imposed by the Saudi authorities on the residents of the region and its cities. Fear was created by liquidating and arresting activists and those taking part in the demonstrations and protests that started last year.

Reporter, Male #1
The presence of police and army forces, the closing of the city's entrances and the wide-scale deployment of these forces to nearby towns and cities failed to frighten the residents. Not even the crackdown, or the use of live bullets, which led to the martyrdom of 12 people since the start of the protests, kept them away. In addition, they have been subjected to an arrest campaign that targeted the leaders and symbols of the protests, such as Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr and dozens of others.

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Palestinian youth hold economic protests demanding downfall of Paris agreement [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
Participants in a protest called for by the youth against the high cost of living in Hebron demanded the Palestinian government subsidize basic goods, and set a minimum wage in both the public and private sectors.

Reporter, Male #2
For the fourth time, young activists are protesting here, in the Ibn Rushd Square in central Hebron, against the difficult economic conditions and the high price of goods, and especially basic goods.

Guest, Male #3 (Mohammad Hashilmun, Palestinian Youth Against High Cost of Living)
As youth, our first demand is to live in dignity, to be able to live. We are unemployed youth; we have the best diplomas in the Arab world but we are unemployed. The youth can't eat; the youth can't get married; the youth can't do anything, they can't even take a single step forward.

Guest, Male #4 (Jihad Siyaj, Palestinian Citizen)
I am demonstrating for the Palestinian people, and for the Palestinian youth because the unemployment rate for the young people in Palestine is 80 percent. Talking is not enough. We are asking the Palestinian government to provide a livelihood for the people.

Reporter, Male #2
The protest was held following calls by the youth against the high cost of living on the social networking site Facebook, and was attended by many citizens from across the province.

Guest, Male #5 (Mohammad Habmouni, Palestinian Citizen)
The cost of living is really high, and so is the university's tuition. I paid all my tuition by taking loans; we can't afford to eat if we want to pay our tuition.

Reporter, Male #2
The demonstrators asked the Palestinian government to decrease the price of goods, to review the Paris economic agreement, and to set a minimum wage for both the public and private sectors by taking into account the high cost of living.

Guest, Male #5 (Hani Jobhan, Palestinian Citizen)
Everything is now expensive, even food and fuel; only the value of human life keeps decreasing.

Reporter, Male #2
The wave of high prices comes as the occupation is still taking hold of our people, leading the burden to be placed on the shoulders of the citizens. The demonstrations and marches in the city of Hebron are ongoing against the high cost of living amid confirmations by the protestors that they will continue their popular mobilization until they attain their demands. Sari el-Aoud, Palestine TV, Hebron.

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Jordanians march for resignation of government, end to corruption [Press TV, Iran]

Another mass rally in Jordan, where thousands of people are out on the streets calling for the resignation of the government. They held a march to demand an end to widespread corruption, accusing the government of failing to fight corruption and implement reforms.

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Thousands of Tunisians rally against old regime remnants [Press TV, Iran]

Thousands of people in Tunisia demonstrated to demand a purge of all remnants of the former regime. The protestors gathered outside the government headquarters in the capital Tunis, calling for administrative purges in the media, judiciary, and political opposition. The party of the ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, known as RCD, is still playing an active role in the politics of Tunisia.

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Bahraini villagers take to the streets to demand freedom [Press TV, Iran]

Bahraini protestors have taken to the streets to demand freedom and the downfall of the al-Khalifa regime. The demonstration was held in Sanad Village, south of the capital Manama. The protestors also called for the release of political prisoners. Manama has detained thousands as part of a crackdown on dissent. Scores of others have been killed, many under torture while in custody.

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Kashmiri government rejects request to investigate mass graves [Press TV, Iran]

The Kashmiri government has rejected a public request to investigate mass graves found on its soil. Many think an inquiry could shed light on the fate of thousands of missing people in Kashmir. The government's Home Department report says that all those buried in the graves are militants, and if families want DNA tests, they would have to identify both the graveyard and the exact grave where they think their relative is buried. The government's decision has sparked public outrage.

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Two bomb blasts strike Damascus as violence escalates across Syria [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
Two large explosions rocked the Damascene neighborhoods of Rukn al-Din and Mezze. The Syrian Observatory said hundreds of soldiers raided the town of Babbila. As for Damascus, it replied in a video to the statements by Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi.

Reporter, Female #2
As Friday prayers were ending, and worshippers were leaving al-Ruknia Mosque in the Damascus neighborhood of Rukn al-Din, a bomb planted on a motorcycle near the mosque caused a large explosion. According to state TV, it led to the death of five members of the security forces and injured others. It was only a matter of hours before Syrian TV announced the explosion of a car bomb, placed between the Justice Palace and the Information Ministry on the Mezze highway in Damascus. The official Syrian channel didn't speak about a loss of life, but only reported the material damage to the cars onsite.

Reporter, Female #2
These explosions come after activists called for holding demonstrations after Friday prayers in a number of Syrian cities against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At the same time, Syrian state TV reported that regime forces are continuing to cleanse the area of the Eastern Ghouta farms in the countryside of Damascus from armed groups, saying the forces found tunnels in Deir al-Asafir in Damascus.

Reporter, Female #2
From the opposition's camp, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced clashes are continuing in the capital Damascus, and in Aleppo and Homs. Rami Abdulrahman, the president of the Observatory, revealed that hundreds of soldiers with military vehicles, cars, and buses stormed the town of Babbila near Damascus. He also said the regime forces arrested dozens of young men in the Kazaz area, southeast of the capital.

Reporter, Female #2
Politically, the statements made by Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi on the Syrian crisis are still generating reactions. After the Syrian Foreign Ministry's sharp criticism of Morsi's speech, describing it as a grave interference in its internal affairs, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad went even further. He held the Egyptian president responsible for the bloodshed in Syria. He said in a discussion on state TV that his country positively considers any initiative that wishes to offer assistance to contain the crisis and to return normal life to Syria's streets and cities. He said the Troika initiative that was discussed, and includes Egypt, was killed by the Egyptian president due to his latest stand.

Guest, Male #1 (Faisal Meqdad, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister)
I think the speech was neither rational nor balanced, and doesn't represent a true understanding of what is happening in Syria.

Reporter, Female #2
As for the Turkish government, it had its share of al-Meqdad's attacks.

Guest, Male #1
The Turkish government's hands are stained with the blood of Syrians, and we believe that the Turkish people will judge this government.

Reporter, Female #2
On the international front, during a conference in Ankara titled, "The Arab Spring and Peace in the New Middle East: Muslim and Christian Perspectives," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of what he called "killings based on religious identity" in Syria. He viewed the Karbala events as being replicated in Damascus, calling for wise leadership in the transitional phase. This comes as Russia, through its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, renewed its opposition to any attempt to adopt a resolution at the UN Security Council that would lead to foreign intervention in Syria.

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Western spy agencies: Assad may have already ordered chemical, biological attacks [IBA, Israel]

Spy agencies suspect that embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has given the order to disperse his chemical and biological weapons stockpile throughout the country. Officials believe that Syria has several hundred tons of deadly material, and that it has been scattered throughout as many as 20 cities. The Washington Post reported that the West has deep concerns about the ability to secure the arsenals in the event of the Assad regime's collapse. The stockpile appears to be larger and more widely distributed than originally expected.

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EU foreign ministers discuss assistance to Syrian opposition [IBA, Israel]

European Union Foreign Ministers gathered in Cyprus to discuss how best to assist the Syrian opposition on diffusing a humanitarian crisis in the country. The meeting follows talks in Cairo between several Western foreign ministers, the head of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi, and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Italy condemned the ongoing massacres in Syria, while Australia stressed the need for the Syrian opposition to join together.

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Barak: US would join Israel in military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities [IBA, Israel]

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a high-level meeting with Admiral James Winnefeld, the vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat. Afterward, Barak hinted to party supporters that he believed the United States would join Israel in any military strike to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also praised the US for deploying additional forces in the Persian Gulf.

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Eighteen detained Eritreans sent to Egypt; three allowed into Israel [IBA, Israel]

Eighteen of the 21 Eritreans detained at Israel's southern border will be sent back to Egypt, while two women and a boy will be allowed to enter the country and be brought to the Negev Detention Center. Officials in the prime minister's office said the decision was made at the highest levels, and was a humanitarian solution to the problem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary, and that it was very important that Israel no longer be a destination for migrants.

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Israeli defense minister seeks ability to close Sinai border during terror alerts [IBA, Israel]

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that he will be seeking legislation to allow the government to close the border into the Sinai, and to bar Israelis from entering at times of high terror warnings. Barak said this was needed since there were some Israelis who ignore warnings about traveling to the peninsula, and Israel wants to lower the possibility of having to deal with kidnappings and terror attacks against its citizens.

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Several killed in bomb attacks targeting Shiites in Iraq's Kirkuk [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]

Presenter, Female #1
A number of citizens were martyred and injured after three booby-trapped cars exploded. The explosions targeted people praying in the three Husseiniyat in Kirkuk Province.

Presenter, Male #1
The first car exploded near the Imam Ali Husseiniya in the center of the city. The second one exploded near al-Mustafa Husseiniya, in the Ras Domiz area, and the third near Khazaal Husseiniya in the area of Ahmed Agha.

Reporter, Male #1
The explosions that surrounded the office of martyr al-Sadr in Kirkuk did not hinder the preliminary elections, which were held at the same time as Friday prayers. A number of people were injured in the explosion that targeted the election center. The aim is to sow chaos, and fear among the residents, and cause the failure of this democratic experience that pushes forward the country's development and advancement.

Reporter, Male #1
It is worth noting that the Kirkuk city center witnessed a series of explosions that claimed the lives of a number of people and caused injuries, especially at the al-Mustafa Husseiniya, in the southern part of the city.

Guest, Male #3 (Sheikh Raad al-Sharkhi, Head of the Sadr Movement Office in Kirkuk)
The explosion that coincided with the preliminary elections targeted the citizens' freedom, and targeted the real foundation of the state. Frankly, these explosions did not happen in our office or in our Husseiniya; they happened in many Husseiniyat in Kirkuk Province.

Guest, Male #4
I don't know why someone would do this. We don't. This is an inhumane act. We were performing Friday prayers, obeying God's will, and they targeted us like this.

Reporter, Male #2
Since the early morning, a large number of civilians visited the office of martyr al-Sadr to choose who will represent them in the upcoming local elections, in which there are six candidates from the city, districts, and sub-districts.

Guest, Male #5
The issue of preliminary elections is similar to a preliminary exam for a main exam. This is where people get to know these candidates, and what is worthy and what isn't, so people form a strong opinion.

Reporter, Male #2
The preliminary election process at the office of martyr al-Sadr is considered a positive step ahead of choosing candidates that are able to fulfill the aspirations of the citizens to have a bright future in a new Iraq.

Reporter, Male #2
The prominent trait of the preliminary elections was manifested in the implementation of the foundations and principles of the democratic process. In addition, it helped citizens choose who will represent them in the next term. Mohamed Sigara, Al-Iraqiya, Kirkuk.

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Istanbul hosts 'Arab Spring and Peace in New Middle East' international conference [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
In Istanbul, an international conference titled "The Arab Awakening and Peace in the New Middle East: Muslim and Christian Perspectives" opened today. It was attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and a number of religious figures and experts. The conference discusses the Arab people's revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa that some view as a decisive turning point in modern history.

Reporter, Male #2
The Arab Awakening and Peace in the New Middle East is a conference that looks into the role Muslim and Christian societies, and their religious leaders, play in turning risks into opportunities, and in establishing religious and social harmony in the new Middle East. The conference includes prominent religious leaders and experts from Arab countries, the Middle East, and Turkey, who will look into Muslim-Christian relations in the Arab region's current stage. It is an attempt to imagine a shared future, removed from the battles for religious identity.

Guest, Male #3 (Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt)
We must sit down and try to find answers together to the many questions being raised right now. We must do so away from the rowdy and noisy culture that is unfortunately plaguing the scene at the moment.

Reporter, Male #2
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the conflict in Syria and compared what happened in Karbala nearly 1,400 years ago to what is happening in Syria today. He described the events that occurred in both cases as religiously prohibited.

Guest, Male #4 (Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister)
Very frankly, what happened nearly 1,300 years ago in Karbala is the same thing happening today in Syria. We are now witnessing an oppressive regime and an unmerciful dictator in Syria. He kills his people with heavy weapons, and there are those who not only turn a blind eye to his actions, but also help him for sectarian reasons.

Reporter, Male #2
Erdogan stressed that the popular mobilization in the Arab world is a natural result of the peoples' desire for freedom, but that suppression of this movement is abnormal. Erdogan denied that what is happening is a result of foreign intervention. He also assured that it is impossible for change to be implemented quickly, and that the people in the Arab world must be patient with the new regimes they choose.

Guest, Male #4
The events happening in the Middle East and North Africa are not a result of foreign intervention; it is a natural development, exactly like a river that flows in its stream.

Reporter, Male #2
A number of Muslim and Christian clerics spoke at the conference, as well as Amine el-Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Phalangist party, who warned against transforming the new regimes that came to power after the Arab awakening in some Arab countries to new dictatorships.

Reporter, Male #2
The conference is one of several Turkey hosted in the past year to look into multiculturalism, and according to the organizers of the conference, it aims to establish a world where coexistence prevails, and a region that is dominated by justice and peace. Hayyan Yaqoub, BBC.