France to shut embassies in over 20 countries of anti-Prophet cartoons [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
France announced that it will shut down its embassies and schools in over 20 countries next Friday, fearing violent reactions against them, after a satirical French newspaper published caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, peace and prayers be upon him. The French foreign minister announced that there would be special security precautions in case of any problems.

Presenter, Female #1
As for the interior minister, he regarded the publication of the caricatures as falling into the category of freedom of expression, which is a matter guaranteed by law. France also banned a demonstration that had been planned for next Saturday in Paris, to protest the film that insults Islam.

Reporter, Male #1
While the streets of several Islamic countries in the east are still trembling with the impact of the protests against the film that offended Islam, the press in the West opened their doors wide to insult Islam.

Guest, Male #2 (Jean-Marc Ayrault, French Prime Minister)
If there are people who feel that their rights have been violated, and that there was a breach of the law, then we are in the country of the law, and we all must respect the law.

Reporter, Male #1
However, the insults that appeared this time on the pages of a French magazine didn't differ much from the insults in the film. The caricatures were considered just as insulting to Islam. However, the magazine's staff and French officials found an excuse for themselves, under the banner of freedom of speech and expression.

Guest, Male #3 (Manuel Valls, French Interior Minister)
It is just a drawing, not a provocation. The freedom of expression is essential, and the freedom to draw caricatures is part of this freedom. It may offend some, as we see with this new drawing, but there is a judiciary, and those who are offended can seek it.

Reporter, Male #1
The Muslim community in France feels very disappointed, which translated into harsh statements to their representatives.

Guest, Male #4 (Dalil Abu Bakr, Dean of the Paris Mosque)
We strictly condemn this action. They say that humans are the only animals that don't fall in the same hole twice. This is stupidity.

Reporter, Male #1
The hole that Dalil Abu Bakr refers to is what happened to the same magazine in 2005, when it was subjected to an attack, the effects of which are still visible on the building. It was for the same reason, after the magazine republished offensive drawings from a Danish newspaper.

Reporter, Male #1
But the biggest consequence of what the magazine published remains the interior minister's decision to take special security precautions to protect French embassies all over the world. The decision included the embassies in all countries where problems could occur, according to the ministry. The French Foreign Ministry announced the closure of its diplomatic missions and schools in over 20 countries next Friday, fearing reactions that may be violent.

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Al-Azhar, Vatican slam anti-Islam cartoons as 'fuel on the fire' [Press TV, Iran]

Condemnations continue to pour in against the latest cartoons that insult Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The Vatican has slammed the sacrilegious act by the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, saying the anti-Islamic move threatens to add more fuel to the growing anger across the Muslim world. Egypt's top religious seminary, al-Azhar, has also censored the publications of the caricatures. Tunisia's ruling Ennahda party says Muslims have the right to protest against the cartoons' publication. The Arab League has also urged people to demonstrate against the caricatures in a peaceful manner.

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Pakistan to summon US envoy over anti-Islam film as protests continue [Press TV, Iran]

Angry protests are underway for the ninth consecutive day over the blasphemous movie that insulted Islam. Protestors took to the streets across several provinces in Afghanistan, including Nangarhar, Jowzjan, and Laghman Provinces, burning the US flag and calling on Kabul to protest all diplomatic ties with Washington and try the producers of the film in an Islamic country.

Similar protests were also held across Pakistan. In the capital Islamabad, angry lawyers broke through the gates of an area that houses the US and other foreign embassies. In Quetta, lawyers demanded the expulsion of US diplomats. Protestors were also out in the eastern city of Lahore and the port city of Karachi to condemn the film, calling for legislation at the international level to prevent future insults. The Pakistani government plans to summon the US envoy, and has declared Friday a public holiday after the ruling party called for a general strike and peaceful protests against the movie.

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Bahrainis hold mass funerals for latest victim of regime crackdown [Press TV, Iran]

Bahrainis hold a massive funeral for the latest victims of the regime's crackdown on protests. The funeral for 59-year-old Haj Hassan Abdullah was held in Sitra. He died when Saudi-backed regime forces fired tear gas at his home. The protestors chanted slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling al-Khalifa regime.

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UN foreign policy chief, Iran nuclear negotiator call talks 'constructive' [Press TV, Iran]

The UN's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council have commented on their talks in Istanbul. Saeed Jalili called the talks "instructive" and "truthful," said that Iran was awaiting an answer to their proposal, and added that a Syrian solution was needed for the Syrian crisis. A spokesperson for Ashton called the talks "constructive."

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Iran's foreign minister meets embattled Syrian President Assad in Damascus [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
In Damascus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, while military and diplomatic battles continue in the search for an end to the crisis.

Reporter, Male #1
With an Iranian initiative to solve the Syrian crisis, Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, arrived in Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They discussed the results of the contact group meeting, which Iran attended along with Turkey and Egypt, as well as Tehran's recommendation to send observers from these countries to Syria. Salehi met with his counterpart, Walid al-Moallem, stating at his arrival that the Iranian initiative to solve the Syrian crisis aims to launch peace negotiations and start the reform process.

Guest, Male #2
Syria is facing a problem, and we hope that this problem will be managed at the earliest opportunity. The solution lies solely within Syria and within its kin, along with the participation and coordination of all government and international institutions. It had been decided that Saudi Arabia would participate in this meeting, but for some reason, it was unable to participate. We wish to see its participation in future meetings.

Reporter, Male #1
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, said that the League had asked the United Nations for authorization to send observers to Syria. In a press conference held in Cairo, he clarified that the United Nations responded by saying that it takes four months to prepare for a new observer deployment, while the League established a program to be executed over the course of four days.

Guest, Male #3
The Arab League is ineffective, and the international community has failed. This is the reality. According to its charter, the Arab League is not even authorized to use any force, except to defend a country against an attack by another country. It has to be country against country, otherwise, it doesn't have the authority, and it must hold talks with other countries regarding the matter. There were some recommendations to deploy peacekeeping forces.

Reporter, Male #1
On the ground, opposition activists reported fierce battles between government forces and the armed opposition in parts of the capital. Reports mentioned that the Syrian army is inching toward the area of al-Hajar al-Aswad, in southern Damascus. In the meantime, violent clashes continue in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria, where the armed opposition is carrying out repeated attacks on sites where regime forces are located, according to a military source.

Reporter, Male #1
Syrian State TV, SANA, reported military sources saying that the Syrian army carried out a quality operation that killed a number of terrorists and injured dozens of them. They confiscated their weapons near the Vocational Training Institute in the Maysaloon district, as well as in a number of other districts in Aleppo.

Reporter, Male #1
In response, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 23 people were killed in different parts of Syria. A correspondent for Agence France-Presse in Aleppo said that according to a military source, gunmen carried out an attack on Tuesday evening in the Maysaloon area, targeting Syrian army sites. The same source said that the air force intelligence center and artillery battalion in the Zahra'a area came under attack by gunmen, who failed to come close, pointing to their almost daily attempts to take control of it.

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Israel exiles Palestinian hunger striker to Pakistan [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
Despite their happiness for their son's release, the happiness of al-Barq's family is not absolute. The decision to release him is tied to his exile to Pakistan. This was based on a request by their son Samer, who fought an open-ended hunger strike for over 120 consecutive days.

Reporter, Male #1
Once again, the will of the oppressed prevails over the oppressor's shackles. Samer al-Barq forced the occupation's forces to release him after a long period of suffering in an empty stomach battle, which he fought in solitary confinement for 115 days.

Guest, Male #2 (Issa Qaraqe, Minister of Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs)
According to the reports that you all heard, there is a risk to their lives, and while time is tight, there is deliberate Israeli negligence of their lives and health.

Reporter, Male #1
Al-Barq's family is not completely happy for the delayed meeting. They have eagerly waited to see their son, who was held by the occupation without being charged for over a year and a half. This follows the decision to exile him, at his request, to Pakistan, where his wife and children live.

Reporter, Male #1
Al-Barq's family lived in a state of fear and worry that lasted for days and weeks. They feared for the life of their son, who remains weak and unable to move, in addition to having an irregular heartbeat.

Guest, Male #3 (Father of Samer al-Barq)
I said before that his health is very problematic. As in, he has ulcers in his mouth, gum bleeding, an irregular heartbeat, kidney problems, a low red blood cell count, and problems with his stomach. He is unable to move. He is unable to even sit and drink water.

Reporter, Male #1
The occupation's government adheres to its administrative detention policy against prisoners, under the pretext of "protecting" intelligence sources for its so-called Israeli Shabak security service, in case the international community, which preaches democracy, wakes up. So the policy remains a bargaining chip with which the occupation allows itself to violate the law. Khaled Motawea, Palestine TV.

Presenter, Female #1
During its meeting in Ramallah, the ministerial council, presided over by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, confirmed the continuation of efforts by the government to overcome the financial crisis. The council asserted that the Ministry of Economy is intensifying its efforts to adjust and regulate the internal market, and prevent exploitation and the unjustifiable price hikes for basic supplies, as well as hold violators accountable.

Presenter, Female #1
The council held the Israeli occupation primarily accountable for limiting the Palestinian economy's ability to grow sustainably. It called on influential international powers to compel Israel to stop this policy, which undermines the Palestinian National Authority and its clout, and subjects the two-state solution to real danger.

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Palestinian President Abbas protests Egyptian invite to Hamas PM Haniyeh [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Saleh Raafat, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, confirmed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in which he objected to the Egyptian authorities receiving Ismail Haniyeh as a government leader. Raafat added that Abbas intends to meet with Morsi soon to discuss this matter with him, because the Palestinian Authority fears that Egypt is unintentionally sending the message that it recognizes Hamas as an official authority, a matter that has intensified the Palestinian division, and isolated the West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

Presenter, Male #1
The spokesperson for the Hamas movement, Sami Abu Zuhri, accused the West Bank's security agencies of carrying out a broad campaign of arrests among the ranks of the supporters and leadership of his movement. The number of arrests exceeded 100 between last night and this morning. Abu Zuhri regarded these arrests as a failed attempt to shatter the efforts of reconciliation, according to his statement.

Guest, Male #1 (Sami Abu Zuhri, Leader in the Hamas Movement)
There is a broad and ongoing arrest campaign against the leadership ranks and supporters of the Hamas movement in the occupied West Bank. The arrests in this campaign exceed 100 as of this moment. There are also hundreds of calls by supporters of the movement in the occupied West Bank condemning the arrest campaign, which we see as an attempt to undermine reconciliation efforts, and as further evidence negating claims by the Fatah movement that it desires to reconcile.

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IDF conducts massive surprise military exercise [IBA, Israel]

The Israeli army conducted its largest surprise military exercise in years. Tens of thousands of soldiers reportedly took part in the maneuvers, which included artillery fire and aircraft. A military spokesperson called in the drill in northern and central Israel "routine," but other officials said the exercise is unique in terms of the number of soldiers and senior officers involved. Part of the exercise was staged in the Golan Heights near the Syrian and Lebanese borders.

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Palestinian Authority slams Romney remarks [IBA, Israel]

The Palestinian Authority has reacted angrily to statements by US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who claimed that Palestinians have no interest in making peace, and they remain committed to Israel's destruction. Romney's remarks were made at a private Florida fundraising dinner back in May. PA officials, including Saeb Erekat, branded his comments as dangerous and unacceptable, saying that Palestinians do in fact want peace.

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Defected Syrian general: Assad regime planning chemical weapons assault [IBA, Israel]

The Assad regime has plans in place to conduct a chemical weapons assault on the rebels that it has been battling for the past 18 months. This, according to a top Syrian general, Major-General Adnan Sillu, who defected to the West. He was head of the Syrian weapons program, and said that the Assad regime also made plans to transfer missiles with chemical warheads to Hezbollah to be used in an attack on Israel. Meanwhile, the rebels have made progress on the ground by taking over the Tel Abayad border crossing on the Turkish frontier.

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France hosts conference on human rights in Saudi Arabia [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
At the French Senate, the Paris Academy of Geopolitics organized an international conference on human rights in Saudi Arabia. The conference addressed human rights violations in the kingdom, which have become a matter of debate on the global level.

Reporter, Female #2
The Senate in Paris is engaged in an international conference for human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. News outlets were banned from recording or taping the conference after the Saudi regime pressured the Senate, a matter that sparked sharp criticism from those following the meeting.

Guest, Male #1 (Ali al-Ahmed, Rights Institute Director in Washington)
Generally, Western states ignore Saudi Arabia with regard to human rights. I am talking about Western nations-- the United States and Europe, in addition to the main international organizations, such as the United Nations. They all support the Saudi government in its suppression of human rights, be it through direct support, by keeping silent, or by not applying sanctions and international laws that are applied to other nations.

Guest, Female #3 (Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul al-Aziz, Journalist and TV Producer)
We are not the problem. The problem stems from those who support these human rights.

Reporter, Female #2
Despite that, we met with conference participants in front of the Senate. They confirmed the tragic state of human rights, and the choking of freedoms that the Saudi regime exercises against its citizens.

Guest, Male #2 (Jacques Nguyen Thai Son, Diplomat and Geopolitical Consultant)
There is no political freedom. Political parties are nearly nonexistent, because the power is exclusively in the hands of the kingdom.

Guest, Male #3 (Nader Aloush, Lebanese Journalist)
I believe that it has become important for a revolution to take place in the Saudi kingdom, which is considered a tool created by the United States in the Middle East. It is not a nation with historic legitimacy. From this perspective, I invite the Saudis to stand in the face of the ruling family, because it bears no legitimacy.

Reporter, Female #2
Conference attendees see Saudi Arabia as taking first place in the suppression of women's rights, according to the latest statistics.

Guest, Male #4 (Gerard-Francois Dumont, Sorbonne University Dean)
The text of the accord to fight discrimination against women was officially recorded and ratified by Saudi Arabia with some caveats. These caveats, put in by Saudi Arabia for its own interests, enabled it to not apply the accord.

Reporter, Female #2
Participants confirmed the need for the Islamic Awakening to reach Saudi Arabia. They regard Saudi Arabia as bearing the primary duty of respecting and applying the human rights that have been dictated by Islamic Sharia law.

Reporter, Female #2
We were forbidden from recording or taping the conference, but we were able hear the message of the Saudi people, who are exposed to daily violations in a country that considers itself Islamic in character.

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Over 90,000 Sudanese flee country each month amid dire economic crisis [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Sudanese citizens cannot find a way out of their country, which is stricken by an economic crisis, except for emigration, legally or illegally, in search of new sources of income. According to official numbers, foreign embassies issue more than 3,000 visas a day for Sudanese nationals. There are similar numbers for those who can only travel covertly, in the largest wave of emigration in Sudan's history. Sami al-Shinawi reports from Khartoum.

Reporter, Male #2
If your homeland cannot accommodate you, there are thousands of others that can. This slogan describes the state of thousands of Sudanese who decided to immigrate to countries they do not know much about. These unusual circumstances forced doctors, engineers, lawyers, even those who have skilled jobs, to emigrate, after the land of the two Niles was unable to provide for them.

Guest, Male #2
There are people who are emigrating, young and old, and there are people who don't have the opportunity to emigrate, or even the opportunity to work.

Reporter, Male #1
Big hopes and ambitions may not be fulfilled in a country that lost one third of its population and land. And the ones who remain are continuing to struggle under the harsh living conditions imposed by compelling circumstances.

Guest, Male #3
We are emigrating due to poor economic conditions.

Guest, Male #4
I would travel in an emergency situation. For example, if I have a sick family member, I cannot treat my sick family member here.

Reporter, Male #1
Three thousand visas per day, for legal immigrants who had high hopes that their government would provide job opportunities. But the government could only assist in their exit, and wait for their contribution to the national income with hard currencies.

Guest, Male #5 (Karar al-Tohami, Secretary-General of Expat Services)
I personally don't have any problem with people traveling in search of a job. If they want to do it, they should go now, before they reach the age of 60, which is the retirement age. It is good if they work and earn money abroad for their homes, family, and country.

Reporter, Male #1
It is the biggest wave of emigration in Sudan's history, despite the obstacles for some of them, especially those immigrating to post-Gaddafi Libya. There, thousands of them were shocked with a painful reality, the darkness of which has not faded away. Ninety thousand people leave Sudan per month, fleeing from a painful reality, only to face alienation. This may be the most ruthless economic situation the country has experienced. Official statistics show the mismanagement of a country that fails, day after day, to fulfill the needs of its citizens, despite their qualifications. Sami al-Shinawi, Dubai TV, Khartoum.