Pakistan calls in army to guard embassies as thousands clash with police [Press TV, Iran]

Pakistan is at the center of an anti-US uprising. Protestors angry with an anti-Islam movie and cartoons rioted across the country, calling for the trial or death of the producers. In the capital Islamabad, thousands of demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the US Embassy. The Pakistani Army has been called in after protestors refused to move away from the road leading to the embassy. Some students were able to break into the diplomatic enclave. Protests were also held in Quetta and Karachi. The Christian community in Karachi also joined protests, saying that the film jeopardizes world peace.

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Afghans protest against US-made anti-Islam film [Press TV, Iran]

A large number of Afghans have taken to the streets in the capital Kabul to protest against the US-made anti-Islam video. They demand severe punishment for the filmmakers and an immediate withdrawal of US-led forces from their country. Police guarded the protests, which remained peaceful. Protests were also held in Jalalabad, and in other parts of the country.

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Israeli air strike kills two Hamas security officers in Gaza [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
Two Palestinians were killed, and two others were wounded last night, when an Israeli raid targeted the car that was transporting them in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Presenter, Male #1
According to the officials there, the raid shaped an Israeli escalation aimed at causing disruption in the Gaza Strip.

Reporter, Male #2
The Israeli night raid came as a surprise. The area of Rafah, like the rest of the area, did not witness any remarkable tension. No rockets were launched from there that could serve as a pretext for the Israeli shelling.

Guest, Male #3
Suddenly, the car was on fire, and at the same time, the car was moving, and the fire was moving with it.

Reporter, Male #2
However, the Israeli justification was not surprising. The occupation's army said that the group was plotting to conduct an operation against Israel. The raid is not new in terms of numbers, but this time it involves new implications that are worth noting.

Reporter, Male #2
The people targeted were soldiers of the ousted government's interior ministry. They were on an official mission near the tunnels by the Egyptian-Palestinian border. It was also considered a surprise, and a kind of message to Hamas.

Guest, Male #4 (Islam Shahwan, Spokesman for Ousted Government's Interior Ministry)
They want there to be turmoil and confusion on the internal front. Here at the interior ministry, we are ready for any escalation, with orders from the leadership.

Reporter, Male #2
This raid violated the agreements that have been in place between the Palestinian and Israeli sides during the last few years.

Guest, Male #5 (Mikhaimar Abu Saada, Political Analyst)
If an escalation occurs, and the Palestinian side reacts, this may lead to a new wave of violence between the Gaza and Israel. So it will create obstacles and add complexity to the relationship between Israel and Egypt, as well as between Hamas and the Egyptian authorities, if a new war occurs in the Gaza Strip.

Reporter, Male #2
However, it is plausible that the agreements will continue, if Israel does not approach the spiraling escalation in a way that calls for Hamas and other factions to respond in an appropriate manner. Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera, Gaza.

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Israeli air strike kills Hamas operatives planning terror attack [IBA, Israel]

In Gaza, a terrorist attack was prevented when three Hamas operatives were killed in an Israeli air strike. The air force targeted a car that belonged to a terror cell, driving east of the town of Rafah near the Egyptian border. The Israeli army's spokesman confirmed the action, saying that one of the men targeted was planning an attack against Israeli civilians. Palestinian sources identified one of the dead men as a Hamas security officer tasked with securing smuggling tunnels, and one was an explosives smuggler in the final stages of planning an attack.

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Surprise IDF exercises simulated deteriorating security situation in Golan Heights [IBA, Israel]

Senior Israeli army officers said that immediate steps have been taken to improve the IDF deployment along the northern border, saying that while the results of yesterday's large-scale military exercises in the Golan Heights were satisfactory, several weaknesses were discovered.

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France steps up police near Jewish buildings after kosher supermarket firebomb attack [IBA, Israel]

French authorities have decided to step up police presence along all Jewish religious buildings following yesterday's firebomb attack on a kosher supermarket in a Paris suburb that injured one person. Witnesses said that two masked men entered the store and threw explosive devices, then left without saying anything.

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UN human rights rapporteur arrives in Morocco to investigate torture claims [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, arrived in Morocco to prepare a report on the condition of human rights and detainees there. The Moroccan Committee Against Torture demanded that the United Nations envoy pressure authorities to put an end to torture. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch called for opening a torture investigation.

Reporter, Male #2
In a statement, Human Rights Watch demanded that Moroccan authorities launch a serious investigation into accusations of torture, with respect to February 20th activists who were arrested during a demonstration organized by the movement this past July in Casablanca. They affirmed the right of those activists to undergo medical tests to confirm or deny rumors of torture, and for the results of these tests to be included in the case, which has been transferred to the general court.

Guest, Male #3 (Abdallah Bin Abed al-Salam, Moroccan Committee Against Torture Coordinator)
We have elements that confirm the practice of torture on activists of the February 20th Movement, be they in Casablanca, the city of Kenitra, or other Moroccan cities.

Reporter, Male #2
The organization said that the jail sentences against five of the movement's activists, which range between eight and ten months, raise questions about the independence of the judiciary. This comes despite their signed confessions, which were obtained by torture and prepared by the state comptroller's office, then used by the court to sentence them.

Guest, Male #3
The judiciary does not play a role in protecting rights and freedoms. The judiciary is still whitewashing human rights violations.

Reporter, Male #2
The declaration by Human Rights Watch was timed with a visit to Morocco by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture. During the visit, he met with a number of rights organizations, as well as previously arrested students, February 20th Movement members, and Salafis.

Reporter, Male #2
Rights organizations were keen to provide the United Nations rapporteur with documents and authentic testimonies that prove the ongoing practice of torture in police stations and prisons. They also demanded that he pressure Moroccan authorities to open jails to the rights movement.

Guest, Male #4 (Abdel al-Majid Ayet Hussein, Moroccan Human Rights Commission Secretary-General)
They also demanded pressure on the Moroccan state, to persuade it to enact judicial provisions related to criminalizing torture.

Reporter, Male #2
Observers see that Morocco, which aims to win a seat at the United Nations' Human Rights Council, will find difficulty in convincing the United Nations rapporteur of its compliance with the agreement to fight torture, with regards to torture practices the rapporteur has observed inside and outside of the prisons.

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Syrian helicopter crashes as regime kills dozens in air strike on gas station [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
In Syria, a helicopter crashed in Douma, and the Syrian Observatory accused the regime of committing a massacre in ar-Raqqah. Also, a group called "Friends of the Syrian People" is looking into tightening sanctions on Damascus, while Russia is supporting the Syrians.

Reporter, Female #1
News of a regime helicopter crash in Douma, in the Damascus countryside, sparked many questions and commotion between the two conflicting sides. The Syrian Observatory confirmed that opposition fighters were the ones who downed it, after firing upon it. The SANA agency attributed the crash to a collision with the tail of a civilian plane carrying 200 passengers, which landed safely in Damascus Airport.

Reporter, Female #1
In the most recent development, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused the regime of committing a new massacre in the province of ar-Raqqah. Over 100 people were killed or injured during a raid by regime jets on a petrol station in Ain Issa. This incident came with an announcement by the Syrian National Council that the southern areas of the capital are disaster spots, specifically the neighborhood of al-Hajar al-Aswad, and the Palestinian refugee camp, al-Yarmouk.

Reporter, Female #1
According to the opposition council, both have witnessed violent air raids that targeted civilian dwellings. Meanwhile, Homs was exposed to violent clashes by Syrian regime forces. For its part, state TV indicated that a military unit captured 100 gunmen in Damascus, in the al-Talae garden, which is in the Palestine Refugee Camp, and near the Waseem Mosque, which is in the Yarmouk Camp.

Reporter, Female #1
The SANA agency reported that military units carried out an attack on the city of Aleppo and its countryside, in the process destroying 15 cars equipped with machine guns in Mahawer al-Bab, Ikhtarin, and Azaz. They indicated that a unit in the regime army captured more than 100 Afghan gunmen, who had barricaded themselves near the al-Fida al-Arabi school, in Bustan al-Qasr, in Aleppo.

Reporter, Female #1
Internationally, in a move to tighten the noose on Assad's regime by renewing financial sanctions and an asset freeze, Holland hosted a meeting of representatives of the group known as "Friends of the Syrian People," which includes 60 countries and the Arab League.

Reporter, Female #1
In his opening speech at the meeting of the working group on sanctions, the Dutch prime minister said that President Assad's regime and allies are attempting to circumvent sanctions. For that reason, the group must work with private and public partners in order to exchange information. He indicated that the question is not whether Assad will depart, but when he will depart.

Reporter, Female #1
Within the framework of Russian support to Syria's regime and citizens, 38 tons of food supplies were sent as humanitarian aid by Moscow, aboard a Russian cargo plane that landed in Damascus Airport.

Guest, Male #3
The Russian government decided to direct humanitarian aid to the Syrian Arab Republic. This aid is to assist the people of Syria.

Reporter, Male #2
In a related development, and in preparation for an approaching war on Iran, occupation forces in the Syrian-occupied Golan performed surprisingly extensive maneuvers simulating a real war in the region, which would begin with Iran. This is according to the Israeli intelligence site, DEBKA.

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Iraq urges international community to recognize Saddam Hussein's crimes as genocide [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]

Presenter, Female #1
The human rights ministry called on the international community to consider the crimes of the defunct dictatorial regime as genocide crimes.

Presenter, Male #1
During a talk at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani called on the United Nations and the international community to recognize the crimes committed by the dictatorial regime.

Reporter, Male #2
This time, in the Swiss capital Geneva, the United Nations General Assembly is holding an international conference on Iraq. A large exhibition marked the opening of the conference, in which the crimes of the former regime were documented. It was sponsored by the Iraqi human rights ministry, with the participation of the state institutions that are responsible for war victims and mass graves, the effects of which remain poignant in human consciousness.

Guest, Male #3 (Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani, Human Rights Minister)
This is being held to expose the crimes that were committed during this period. This is not the first such mobilization to address these issues. This is a series of mobilizations that have attracted international attention, at this conference as well as the London conference. We hope to continue mobilizing in the rest of the world's capitals, God willing.

Reporter, Male #2
The Iraqi human rights ministry is addressing the horrific numbers of mass graves that the former dictatorial regime left behind. This comes at a time when new excavations are exposing areas that had not been previously announced. This matter requires international condemnation and special legislation, which are now considered part of the United Nations' responsibilities, in order to accompany a series of Iraqi measures that were recently passed to punish the perpetrators and deliver justice to the victims.

Guest, Male #4 (Rasool Karim, Iraqi Activist)
The UN has everything to do with human rights. We must always focus on human rights violations, especially when it comes to the crimes and prisoners, because everything is related to human rights. The United Nations holds the power, and is the primary sponsor of human rights. They are responsible for making the decisions through the Security Council.

Guest, Male #5
In Iraq, there are still about 250,000 missing people, and I think that the work in Iraq continues to unveil their fate. This must be accomplished soon. We must speed this up, and this is a good start.

Reporter, Male #2
The influential international figures who visited the Iraq exhibition were not very familiar with the magnitude of these criminal acts of oppression and tyranny. This is due to a lack of information, as reports were not made available to the public for many years. And this is also due to the almost complete absence of documentation.

Reporter, Male #2
The human rights ministry is working in different languages to document over three decades of organized crimes against the Iraqi people by the dictatorship. And although it has ended, its effects remain. From the United Nations General Assembly in Geneva, Saif al-Khayat, Al-Iraqiya.

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Israel seizes agricultural land near Bethlehem for settlement expansion [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
The occupation's forces notified citizens from the village of Wadi Fukin, west of Bethlehem, of their seizure of 15 acres of land planted with vegetables and fruit trees.

Reporter, Male #2
In a new Israeli attempt to seize citizens' land, Israeli occupation forces delivered notices this week, which said that they would get their hands on 15 acres of land in the village of Wadi Fukin, west of Bethlehem. The notices included maps illustrating the areas due to be seized, which belong to a number of farmers in the village.

Guest, Female #1
The notices included maps illustrating the areas that are due to be seized. These lands are planted with vegetables and fruits that farmers care for on a daily basis. This area is part of the area of al-Bas and Khaliat Arar, adjacent to Qabu Village.

Guest, Male #3
We were able to cultivate this land with help from the farmers' association. We cultivated all of these lands. We were encouraged by the farmers' association, which helped open a road, making it easier to reach these plots of land. We were surprised last week by the notices and warnings that the Israelis sent us.

Reporter, Male #2
The citizens of the village of Wadi Fukin are famous for cultivating and farming the land. Today, they are subjected to a new attack by the occupation, which targets their land in a campaign that has targeted over 50 acres since the beginning of the year. This comes in an Israeli bid to control the surroundings of the village in three directions, for settlement expansion in the area.

Guest, Male #4
These trees have been cultivated for 80 years. Israel has no relationship with these trees. They were planted by our grandparents. They weren't planted in the last few years, they were planted in our grandparents' time. This is very frightening. We cultivated this land.

Guest, Male #6
We hope that our authorities, institutions, and organizations can stand by us. After all of this effort and work, we call on them to help us protect our property and land.

Reporter, Male #2
These are part of the continuing Israeli attempts that aim to confiscate citizens' land for settlement expansion, in the surroundings of the village of Wadi Fukin. This greed, with its many faces, will likely continue. Alaa-Eddin al-Abed, Palestine TV, Bethlehem.

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Afghan women's cricket team holds high hopes for the future [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Despite a lack of facilities and open space, a group of Afghan girls are trying to develop their cricket skills, hoping to one day represent Afghanistan in international competitions.

Reporter, Male #2
Afghan girls are training to play cricket in one of the suburbs of the Afghan capital Kabul. This scene would have been impossible to see during Taliban rule, which shut the door in women's faces for any activity, political and social, not to mention athletic.

Guest, Female #1 (Farahnaz Tazhib, Cricket Player)
Training in this small basement is hard. We don't have a field to play cricket, or the necessary equipment. I call on the government, and the president himself, to support us.

Reporter, Male #2
And as the male team participated in the Cricket World Cup competition that was held in Sri Lanka, Nabila hopes for a similar role for the female cricket team.

Guest, Female #2 (Nabila Hameed, Cricket Player)
I hope that our team can participate in the international competition, so we can serve our country and hold Afghanistan's name up high.

Reporter, Male #2
The one who established the Afghan female team is Diana Barekzai, who fled to Pakistan during the Taliban's rule, and fell in love with the game while she was there.

Guest, Female #3 (Diana Barekzai, Women's Cricket Team Founder and Trainer)
I spent about one hour convincing the girls' parents to allow them to join the team. I don't do this for the money, and I don't receive a salary in return. I only hope that one day, their families will be proud of them.

Reporter, Male #2
The idea of forming a female team can be considered a good start. But these girls must put in more effort to convince a society in which extremism has prevailed for years, and is not used to seeing women in athletic activities. Haidar Talibi, BBC.