Bahrainis rally in solidarity with political prisoners sentenced to death [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
From the February 14th Coalition to mass protests in Bahrain, stands taken in solidarity to support those unjustly sentenced to death took place in all parts of the country. Protests took place on the day of the week reserved for honoring Bahrain's martyrs, and a mass sit-in was organized in the town of al-Maqsha in association with the Human Rights Council, part of the United Nations in Geneva.

Reporter, Male #1
This week, the day of the week reserved for the martyrs of Bahrain was dedicated to the female martyr Zeinab al-Juma'a. Demonstrations took place in several parts of the country, under the slogan "Our dignity is from God, we will continue in the path of martyrdom until victory is achieved." In honor of the female martyr, the revolutionaries presented her family with a bouquet of flowers, and promises of commitment and loyalty. As protestors also like to say, "The people want the downfall of the regime."

Reporter, Male #1
These demonstrations and events have not been silent since taking off on February 14th of last year. They are reinvigorated daily with a new slogan. This time, the slogan encompasses all political associations in the town of al-Maqsha. It is in line with the session of the Human Rights Council, part of the United Nations in Geneva, entitled, "Bahrain is the graveyard of human rights."

Guest, Male #2
They inflicted all forms of torture on my body.

Reporter, Male #1
These are the words of a child no older than 12 years old. They ask, "What are the sins of the children of Bahrain? And why has regime harassment been limited to children?"

Guest, Male #3
You cannot listen to what one family says. They mock some of their supporters in the form of institutions, saying, "This is the recommendation of the Ministry for Human Rights, and this is the recommendation of the Minister for Human Rights."

Reporter, Male #1
There is no end to the violations. This is the conclusion reached by the president of the Bahrain Human Rights Monitor, Abdulnabi al-Ekri.

Guest, Male #4 (Abdulnabi al-Ekri, President of Bahrain Human Rights Monitor)
A report by the secretary-general regarding activists and those who cooperate with the United Nations, has put Bahrain at the top of a list of 16 countries, making it the most dangerous country for human rights violations and the persecution of human rights activists.

Reporter, Male #1
In Geneva, where the Human Rights Council was held, rights activists were surprised at the size of the official Bahraini delegation. This spurred comments by some that the regime has suspicious plans to justify their violations.

Reporter, Male #1
Yet the delegation's mission was uncovered after it deliberately sabotaged the seminar held by human rights activists in the Persian Gulf. The sabotage and harassment of Bahraini activists did not satisfy the regime. A regime journalist intimidated the Vice President of the Persian Gulf Center for Human Rights, Khaled al-Feymi, during an intense exchange of words.

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Seven dead in PKK ambush of Turkish military convoy [Press TV, Iran]

Militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, ambushed a military convoy in Turkey, killing at least seven soldiers. The attack took place near the southeastern city of Bingol. Over 50 Turkish soldiers were also injured. Ankara has responded to the recent PKK ambushes with air strikes and ground operations.

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Police clash with anti-US protestors in Pakistan and Afghanistan [Press TV, Iran]

Fury over the anti-Islam movie made in the US rages on. People in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are out on the streets to condemn the sacrilegious film. In Pakistan, clashes erupted between police and angry protestors marching on the US consulate in the city of Peshawar, injuring several people.

In Afghanistan, protestors have also taken to the streets of the northern Kunduz Province, chanting anti-US slogans and demanding that all US-led forces leave their country.

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Dozens injured in Kashmir as anti-US protests continue [Press TV, Iran]

Meanwhile, dozens of Muslim protestors have been injured as anti-US rallies turned violent in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Kashmiris have called on world peace organizations to take note of peace violators in the world, and organizations called on people to boycott goods made in America. Many institutions in Kashmir have been shut down due to the protests.

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Female suicide bomber kills 12 in Kabul over anti-Islam film [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
NATO decided to limit the number of its joint operations with Afghan forces, after dozens of its soldiers were killed within the last few months by elements of the Afghan security forces.

Presenter, Female #1
NATO announced that most joint patrols or training sessions will not be performed except at the brigadier level or above. Meanwhile, the collaboration process with each separate lower-level unit needs to be studied and approved by provincial leaders.

Presenter, Female #1
The American Leaders of ISAF acknowledged that these attacks are a dangerous threat to Western military efforts in this country.

Presenter, Female #1
With that, at least 12 people were killed, among them nine foreigners, in a suicide bombing that occurred on the road leading to the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul. The Islamic Party of Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it came in response to the film that insulted Islam.

Reporter, Female #2
A new explosion in the Afghan capital Kabul, occurred specifically on the road leading to the airport. The result was several deaths, mostly of foreigners who worked for an international company. As for the bus that was transporting the victims, it was completely charred. The Islamic Party of Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the operation, and said that it was in response to broadcasting the film that insulted Islam, which was produced in the United States and sparked a wave of anger and protests in a number of Islamic countries.

Reporter, Female #2
The speaker of the group said that the operation was conducted by a woman who was wearing an explosive belt. The group is not known to have conducted suicide operations in the past. The attack comes after clashes occurred between thousands of protestors against the film that insulted Islam, and Afghan security forces, in the worst wave of violence witnessed in the country since the demonstrations that occurred after the American army burned copies of the Quran in February. Maha Sokar, BBC.

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Somali forces battle al-Shabaab on outskirts of Kismayo [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
Somali Defense Minister Hussein Arab Isse told the BBC that Somali government forces, as well as African Union forces, remain in the suburbs of the coastal city of Kismayo, in the southern part of the country, and they are preparing to enter the city in an organized fashion. He expressed his hope that the operation to control Kismayo will not be bloody.

Presenter, Female #1
Eyewitnesses had previously reported that clashes erupted in the suburbs of the city of Kismayo between Somali government forces, which are supported by forces from the African Union, and fighters of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen movement. Eyewitnesses added that the movement had evacuated its offices and dismantled its radio transmitter, and withdrew heavy weaponry from the city.

Presenter, Female #1
For more from Mogadishu, BBC correspondent Ali Halani is joining us now. Welcome, Ali. How is the situation developing in the suburbs of the city of Kismayo?

Correspondent, Male #1 (Ali Halani, BBC Correspondent)
Honestly, the city has been seeing a very heated situation since this morning, after the Somali government forces and African Union forces approached its suburbs.

Correspondent, Male #1
The latest development right now is that airplanes were seen flying over the skies of Kismayo. These airplanes are unidentified, but they flew at a high elevation over the city, and then flew back out of the city. It seems that they may be surveillance planes participating in these military operations.

Correspondent, Male #1
But there are also very violent clashes between the Somali government forces, which are supported by African Union forces, and al-Shabaab fighters, in areas that are not too far from Kismayo.

Correspondent, Male #1
The Somali defense minister said in a statement to the press today that it's only a matter of time before Somali government forces and African Union forces will enter the city of Kismayo, and he hopes that the operation will be done without shedding blood, and without violent clashes, which have occurred previously in other cities.

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Iran proposes sending regional observers to Syria, as UN envoy visits refugees in Turkey [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius asserted that change in Syria is inevitable. Meanwhile, during the quartet meeting in Cairo, Iran proposed sending international monitors, as clashes continue in several parts of Syria.

Reporter, Female #2
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is visiting Syria on Wednesday to meet his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem. Iran had proposed that Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia send monitors from their four countries to Syria, to assist in ending the violence in the country. Salehi presented this suggestion at a meeting held by the Syria "contact group" in Cairo, and proposed to its observers that Tehran host the contact group's next meeting. Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced after the Cairo meeting that the contact group decided to meet a second time in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Reporter, Female #2
For the first time since taking up his post on June first, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi visited the Altinozu camp housing Syrian refugees, in Hatay in southern Turkey. Brahimi met several refugees who repeatedly chanted, "Liberate Syria" and "We will fight to the death."

Reporter, Female #2
A delegation of Turkish local authorities looked into the living conditions and needs of the Syrian refugees, as Turkey requested support from the international community to host the Syrians, and hopes Syria can regain peace, and that refugees may return there as soon as possible. Brahimi also expressed ease at the welcome he received from Turkish authorities, confirming that Syrian refugees are welcome and generally receive good treatment in Turkey.

Reporter, Female #2
After Turkey, the Algerian diplomat moved on to Jordan, where he also visited the al-Zaatari camp housing Syrian refugees, affirming that the situation in Syria is facing further deterioration. On that note, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned of the Syrian conflict spilling into Lebanon. Fabius' words came at a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, after a meeting with President Mohamed Morsi.

Guest, Male #1 (Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister)
The situation is extremely dangerous, not only on the local level, because it may spiral into a regional conflict with international consequences. The spillover of aggression into Lebanon must be avoided, and there can be no solution without the departure of Assad.

Guest, Male #2 (Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary-General)
I confirm the position of all Arab states. We all aim to create an area void of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, an area that includes all states in the region, not only Iran. This is the position of the Arab nations.

Reporter, Female #2
On the ground, violent clashes took place in the neighborhoods of Bustan al-Qasr, al-Itha'a, and al-Sukkari in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who also spoke of the shelling of the al-Sakhour neighborhood east of the city.

Reporter, Female #2
At the time, regime forces confirmed that they have taken control of the al-Meidan neighborhood in Aleppo, after clashes that lasted a week. However, they advised residents to avoid some parts of the neighborhood, indicating that snipers were barricaded there.

Reporter, Female #2
The Observatory also highlighted the shelling of the town of Muadamiyat al-Sham in the Damascus countryside, and the city of Rastan in Homs. In Deir az-Zour, fighter jets carried out raids on the city of al-Bukamal.

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Hollande: 'Hatred and violence are ruining the values of Islam' [IBA, Israel]

According to French President Francois Hollande, "Hatred and violence are ruining the values of Islam." He spoke at the opening of a new Islamic art wing in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The audience featured several dignitaries from the Middle East, who financed the Islamic department at the museum. Hollande emphasized that France would always stand against any threat to human dignity or freedom of speech.

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US: Democratic countries make better allies [IBA, Israel]

Amid the ongoing anti-American protests sweeping the Muslim world, the US reiterated its support for new democracies in North Africa and the Middle East. US State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland defended Washington's policies in the region, stressing that democratic countries make better allies.

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Mitt Romney: Palestinians have 'no interest whatsoever' in peace with Israel [IBA, Israel]

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said that chances for peace between Israel and the Palestinians are nearly unthinkable since the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in achieving that goal. Romney was recorded by a hidden camera when he made the remarks at a lavish USD 50,000-a-plate fundraiser in Florida in May.

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Syria tests firing systems for chemical weapons [IBA, Israel]

Syria tested firing systems for poison gas shells at the country's largest chemical weapons research center, according to the German weekly Der Spiegel, citing statements from various witnesses. The paper also said that Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers were flown in by helicopter to witness the exercise.

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US, Canada call on UN to bar Iranian president from General Assembly meeting [IBA, Israel]

The world's leaders prepare to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A list of top diplomatic figures in the United States is calling on the international body to prevent the attendance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Among those spearheading the initiative is former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Kotler.

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Israeli occupation demolishes homes to expand excavation under al-Aqsa Mosque [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
In the framework of Judaizing the holy city, the occupation's forces intensified their oppressive measures against Jerusalemites in the town of Silwan, south of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque. It issued evacuation orders to a number of homeowners in preparation for demolition, in addition to confiscating the lands of al-Rahma Cemetery, southeast of the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Reporter, Male #2
The town of Silwan, which borders the southern wall of the holy al-Aqsa, is one of the militant fronts in the occupied city. In their preparations to demolish the whole mosque, the occupation's authorities seek to obtain the town, because of its important geographic location adjacent to the holy mosque.

Guest, Male #3 (Ibrahim Awadallah, Assistant Undersecretary for the Palestinian Dar al-Ifta)
The neighborhoods of al-Bustan and al-Silwan are very close to or adjacent to al-Aqsa Mosque. It's quite normal for them to be targeted. They are targeted by legal and judicial means, either by seizure of the land, or through claims of purchase, and so on. Anyway, these neighborhoods are being targeted.

Reporter, Male #2
The occupation's excavations reached all along the southern wall, the Umayyad palaces, and the Arab and Islamic ruins, in its attempt to eradicate them. The town of Silwan was also targeted, in the form of orders issued to citizens to evacuate their homes, and in hints that dozens of homes would be demolished under the pretext of a lack of permits.

Guest, Male #3
Al-Aqsa Mosque is in imminent danger, and it seems that the plots are no longer being hidden. Many of them are being announced. Some extremist forces are publicly targeting the existence of al-Aqsa Mosque. And sadly, they're sponsored by the Israeli government.

Reporter, Male #2
With that, Tel Aviv's government is intensifying all of its Judaization projects, by supervising and inexhaustibly endorsing settlement communities who are actively working inside of occupied Jerusalem.

Reporter, Male #2
From west to east, the city is being subjected to plots of seizure and displacement, and the stricken Silwan neighborhood is nothing but a blatant Arab and Palestinian example of what occupied Jerusalem and its holy mosque are being subjected to. Ali Dar Ali, Palestine TV, northern occupied Jerusalem.

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The two Sudans resume flights between Khartoum and Juba [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
The first Sudanese airplane arriving from Khartoum landed at Juba Airport. This comes after a halt in services that lasted several months, due to the conflict that erupted between the two countries. Khartoum and Juba had signed an agreement regarding the resumption of flights, while the controversial issues are still awaiting the results of negotiations in Addis Ababa.

Reporter, Male #1
After a halt that lasted more than five months, the first Sudanese plane landed in Juba, restoring hope for bridging the gap between the two countries, after the gap was deepened by political conflict. The plane's return was overshadowed by the warmth of the welcoming reception, as though everyone had been waiting for this moment.

Guest, Female #2
I was stranded for four months in Khartoum with nothing to do. Getting to the South is hard. The only way was through Ethiopia or Kenya, and I can't travel to Kenya or Uganda.

Reporter, Male #1
The occasion was filled with political messages that spread the hope of reconnection, after hope was lost.

Guest, Male #2 (Faisal Abdel-Azim, Charge d'Affaires of Sudanese Embassy in Juba)
Thank God, now the communications that had been cut between these two brotherly peoples is restored. We are firmly convinced that no matter how many political differences arise, in the end, there will be mutual relations based on respect, cooperation, and serving the interests that link the people of the two countries.

Reporter, Male #1
These hopes are met with similar ones from the South, despite the difficulties and ambiguities of the current political scene.

Guest, Male #3 (Kau Nak, South Sudanese Ambassador)
The route between Khartoum and Juba will be monitored by Sudanese companies until South Sudan establishes their own airlines. Everyone hopes that the current talks in Addis Ababa will succeed, and result in a permanent solution for the airline issue between Juba and Khartoum.

Reporter, Male #1
This return of flights does not only represent reconnection. It also carries important economic and social consequences. Opening the airspace between the two countries may be followed by opening other land and sea crossings, which are also very important for the citizens of both countries.