Rights group reports 'appalling' torture of Syrian children [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Official Syrian TV said that seven people were injured in an explosion that it described as terrorism, at the headquarters of the "Sons of Martyrs School" in the capital Damascus. Websites for the Syrian opposition uploaded pictures of what it said was an explosion that targeted the security headquarters near the Palestine Branch of Syrian Military Intelligence.

Presenter, Male #1
Local coordination committees said that the number of deaths from gunfire of government forces reached 84, mostly in Damascus and its countryside, Aleppo, and Daraa. Opponents reported shelling that targeted neighborhoods in Deir az-Zour, and led to deaths and injuries.

Presenter, Male #1
According to a new report released today by Save the Children Foundation, the children of Syria are being subjected to horrific acts of torture, arrest, and kidnapping, and it called for better documentation of these violations. The report by Save the Children, the headquarters of which are in Britain, was based on stories from children in refugee camps at the Syrian border who were able to flee the ongoing conflict in their country. Last week, the Security Council discussed violations against children in armed conflicts, and made a decision to condemn the violations, and call for the children's protection. It was a decision on which Russia and China did not vote.

Reporter, Male #2
In the al-Zaatari Camp on the Jordanian side of the Syrian border, workers from the Save the Children Foundation collected children's stories. They published their report, which included testimonies of torture, arrest, kidnapping, and other acts of violence.

Guest, Female #1
I was happy in Syria. I used to play soccer and other games. And then the violence began. At the beginning, they used tanks. Then the air raids and rocket shelling began, and all the weapons you can think of. They killed us.

Reporter, Male #2
Most children here faced difficult situations.

Guest, Male #3
They are telling us about their schools, which have been bombed, and the tanks that destroyed their homes, or about their relatives who were killed by the military, or their homes being raided at night, or watching their siblings or fathers get shot. They are telling us about children who are not even 10 years old being tortured in prison, with their nails getting pulled, or their fingers getting cut off. This is horrific, and it must stop now.

Reporter, Male #2
The organization's report intensified international concerns about the effects of the conflict in Syria on children. This discussion reached the Security Council a few days ago. The Council made a decision to condemn all violations of international law against children, and called for their protection. Although the Security Council's decision did not exclusively specify Syria, the Syrian crisis played a big part in the discussion.

Reporter, Male #2
The United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, announced to the Council that the situation of Syrian children is painful, and that international workers have documented the government's attacks on schools, and children being prevented from reaching hospitals, as well as being subjected to torture.

Reporter, Male #2
The violence practiced against Syrian children had been previously addressed in reports by Human Rights Watch, which held the Syrian government more accountable for these violations, but did not exempt the armed opposition of the suspicion of arming children in acts of war. Children do not have a voice in what is happening in Syria, with its uprising, war, and armed conflict. Yet they are definitely its most innocent victims. Wael Hajjar, BBC.

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Kuwait's highest court rejects election law challenge by government [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Kuwaitis have had their eyes on the deliberations by the Kuwaiti Constitutional Court. In the Court's conclusion today, it rejected the appeal presented by the government with regard to the five voting districts.

Presenter, Male #1
The Kuwaiti government had asked the Constitutional Court last August to issue a ruling regarding a law that would have divided the country into five voting districts. The opposition saw this as an attempt to organize the voting districts in a manner that would suit the desires of the government, where the voting power held by the opposition is concentrated in the smallest number of areas possible, and would once again deny the opposition a majority in the next parliament.

Presenter, Male #1
We remain in Kuwait, and are joined there by our correspondent, Ahmad al-Enzi. Ahmad, how did Kuwaitis receive the Constitutional Court's rejection of the government's appeal?

Guest, Male #2
Yes, Faisal, Kuwaitis received this long-awaited ruling today with great impatience. The ruling preceded much of the political mobilization, sit-ins, and protests in Irada Square, and other areas.

Guest, Male #2
The opposition today is in the best shape after this ruling. They sighed in relief, because the ruling was, perhaps, very much in tune with their demands. It was not what they had feared, which was a ruling in tune with the government's desires.

Guest, Male #2
But I believe, and observers believe, that the ruling today dispelled any rumors that were spread, in which the judiciary would align itself in one form or another to the government, and what it desires in this regard.

Guest, Male #2
Perhaps even those who were not awaiting the ruling with the opposition, came out welcoming it, as it represented a strong shift for the Constitutional Court, which one of the sides here in Kuwait wanted to spread doubt about, in one form or another.

Presenter, Male #1
Ahmad, what steps will follow the Court's decision?

Guest, Male #2
The next step, whatever its shape, will be in the hands of the prince. The Kuwaiti prince here is the one in charge of dismissing the 2009 assembly, which was also formed by a Constitutional Court ruling.

Guest, Male #2
What is expected-- what observers expect-- is the dissolution of the 2009 assembly, and a call for new parliamentary elections, in which the public is called upon to choose their representatives from members of the National Assembly for a new Assembly, which perhaps will be different, or perhaps similar, in one form or another, to the current Assembly, which includes several opposition political parties.

Presenter, Male #1
Our correspondent, Ahmad al-Anzi, from Kuwait, thank you very much.

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Pro-Israel subway ads in New York City equate Muslims with 'savages' [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
In the U.S, the pro-Israel American Freedom Defense Initiative published ads in ten subway stations in New York that describe jihad in Islam as an act of barbarism.

Presenter, Male #1
The New York transportation authority had failed to prevent the ads after a court in the city rejected its request last July. The ad caused mixed reactions among Americans.

Reporter, Male #2
This poster, which has spread to subway stations in New York, will remain for an entire month. It reads, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad." American Muslims tried to counter the ad with other propaganda methods.

Guest, Male #3 (Cyrus McGoldrick, Council on American-Islamic Relations)
We are trying to unify instead of divide. We are trying to spread awareness in place of ignorance. The war is between the barbaric and the civilized, between ignorance and knowledge, and between beauty and ugliness.

Reporter, Male #2
Although some Americans defended the poster under the banner of freedom of speech, others rejected it because of the bad message it sends.

Guest, Male #4
I think it is offensive towards everybody, because it promotes hate. I know the ad under the guise of freedom of speech, but it is still hate.

Reporter, Male #2
And similar to Dill's opinion was this British tourist's thoughts.

Guest, Female # 2
I find it incredibly offensive. It is a racist ad that I see as a call for non-coexistence. It is frightening for this horrible and offensive language to tell lies about other people.

Reporter, Male #2
Some Americans fear that the ad causes societal divisions.

Guest, Male #5
It's a bad idea, and it really raises controversy when it categorizes some as barbaric and others as civilized.

Reporter, Male #2
Some defended the ad under the freedom of speech, but this freedom, which affects religions and has caused the loss of life, faces those who advocate for placing limits to stop it at the beliefs and the humanity of others. And despite this, an American court allowed such an ad to be published, rejecting the transportation authority's attempts to prevent it.

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Afghanistan welcomes US decision to try Marines in corpse urination case [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Afghanistan welcomed the American Defense Department's decision to try two Marines who were recorded urinating on the bodies of dead Afghans.

Presenter, Female #1
This comes one month after three other soldiers from the American Navy who were involved in the same act faced disciplinary charges. This act stirred up anger on the Afghan street. An Afghan spokesman asserted the importance of bringing all those who committed illegal acts to justice, whether in the United States or Afghanistan.

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Pakistani civilians 'terrorized' by CIA drone attacks, says US report [Press TV, Iran]

Civilians in northwestern Pakistan are being terrorized 24 hours a day by the threat of drone attacks. The law schools of Stanford University and New York University have jointly conducted a study on the human impact of the US's controversial drone activity, saying that drones flying overhead lead to substantial levels of fear and stress in Pakistan's rural communities.

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Saudi police arrest Shiite cleric for participating in anti-US protest [Press TV, Iran]

Another Shiite cleric, Sheikh Hussein Radi, has been detained in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, after taking part in anti-US protests over a film that insulted Islam's Prophet. Meanwhile, police presence was stepped up in Qassim, as protestors near a prison there demanded the release of their relatives held behind bars.

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Obama condemns anti-Islam film and violence in UN speech [Press TV, Iran]

US President Barack Obama began his UN General Assembly address by paying tribute to US Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in Libya, and rejected the anti-Islam movie that led to the violence, as well as the violence itself, saying that "there is no speech that justifies mindless violence." He also said that he wished to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue peacefully, and called for a secure Jewish state for Israel, along with an independent Palestine.

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Ban Ki-moon: Syrian crisis a 'calamity' that threatens world peace [Press TV, Iran]

At the opening ceremony of the 67th UN General Assembly, Ban Ki-moon said that the Syrian crisis is a calamity that threatens world peace, and called on UN member states to support the efforts of UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. With regards to Palestine, he also said that the two-state solution is the only viable option, and said that Israel's settlement activity remains an obstacle in the talks between the two sides.

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IDF soldier killed in border attack laid to rest as jihadist group claims responsibility [IBA, Israel]

Hundreds of mourners were in Modiin for the funeral of Corporal Netanel Yahalomi, who was killed along the Egypt-Israel border on Friday. The 20-year-old artillery corps soldier was from north Ayalon, and was shot as he and his unit were giving water to African migrants who had arrived at the border. A second soldier was wounded in the attack and is recovering in the hospital. Following the attack, the IDF cautioned soldiers to be more cautious when dealing with migrants. A jihadist group called Ansar Bait al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was carried out to protest the anti-Islamic video that sparked Muslim riots worldwide.

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Border security, Iran nuclear program dominate Israeli Cabinet talks [IBA, Israel]

Security issues dominated by the Israeli Cabinet meeting today. Ministers discussed the violence along the Egyptian border last week, border security to prevent migrant workers and terrorist groups from infiltrating Israel, as well as the Iranian nuclear program. This was the final Cabinet meeting before Prime Minister Netanyahu heads to the UN General Assembly, where he will warn the world that Iran cannot be allowed to gain nuclear weapons.

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Egyptian president: US must help build Palestinian state [IBA, Israel]

According to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, the United States must change its approach toward the Arab world and help build a Palestinian state. In an interview with The New York Times, he said that if the US wants his country to honor its treaty with Israel, it must live up to its own Camp David commitment to Palestinian self-rule, signed in 1978, which was supposed to lead to full Palestinian sovereignty.

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Eritrean migrant kidnapping, extortion plot uncovered by Israeli police [IBA, Israel]

A major crime scene was revealed by Israeli police which involved the kidnapping of Eritrean migrants and extorting USD 15,000 from their families in Israel to pay ransom. Four suspects from Netanya were arrested for involvement in the plot. Also arrested was an alleged Hamas operative from East Jerusalem who was suspected of transferring funds to Hamas in Gaza.

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Gaza women call for implementation of Palestinian unity deal [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
With the attendance of political and national figures, the General Union of Palestinian Women held a sit-in in the city of Gaza to demand an end to the division between the Hamas and Fatah movements. The demonstrators stated that the division harms the Palestinian cause, and benefits the Israeli entity. They called on the sides involved in the reconciliation to get the stalled process moving.

Reporter, Male #1
In order to end the unconstructive efforts in this chapter of the Palestinian reconciliation issue, and with a call by the General Union of Palestinian Women, as well as the participation of several influential national figures, Palestinians held a sit-in in front of the legislature in Gaza City. They delivered a message to both the Hamas and Fatah movements, demanding that they put the reconciliation process in motion, and give up their division.

Guest, Female #2 (Najah Eliwa, Fatah Movement Women's Issues Negotiator)
Why remain silent? Why not tell everyone in a leadership position, enough, enough, enough! This division is deadly for everyone. This division serves no one except the enemy; it only serves the Israeli occupation. Why are we walking down the path of division? Why do we remain in this division? If we were to unite and speak in one voice, we would be able to accomplish something. We'd be able to serve our cause, and move forward in our national plans.

Reporter, Male #2
The demonstrators sensed the dangers looming over the Palestinian cause due to the division, which, in their view, surely benefits no one except the Israeli occupation.

Guest, Male #2 (Faysal Abu Shahla, Fatah Movement Revolutionary Council Member)
Israel's interests lie in our division, in laying siege to us, and in breaking us apart. We must be aware that our national plans are in danger, and that this division is the pickaxe that will sabotage us, and prevent us from attaining any national gains.

Reporter, Male #1
Initiatives that refute the state of division and separation were put in motion in the Gaza Strip. The organizers confirmed that these initiatives will continue in various forms until the division is ended. They called on supporters to pay more attention to the stalled reconciliation efforts, while bearing responsibility in the wake of the big changes witnessed in the region, and the feverish Israeli plans to put an end to the Palestinian cause.

Guest, Male #3 (Issam Abu Dakka, Democratic Front Political Office Member)
Today, we want to tell all decision-makers in the Palestinian arena: No more division, and no more concessions to the Israeli occupation, both in grabbing our land and in the judaization of Jerusalem, without encountering any deterrent from political forces because of the divisive situation. Since we see them as the supporter of reconciliation efforts, we ask the new Egyptian leadership, headed by its new president, brother Morsi, to put pressure on all Palestinian sides to resume applying the agreement, not just to reopen it.

Reporter, Male #1
After wasting years due to division and separation, what Palestinians are saying here is that Palestine must rise above its differences and factions. They demand both sides to promptly end their division and to unite, in order to realize their large national plans, on which lie the destiny of the people, and the future of their national cause. Mustafa Abdel Hadi, Al-Alam, Gaza, Palestine.

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Algeria focuses on traditional industries to boost economy, tourism [Algerie TV, Algeria]

Presenter, Female #1
During a business and inspection trip leading him to the state of Setif, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Mohammed Ben Marradi, stressed the importance of promoting traditional handicrafts and skills, because they are a factor in tourism attraction. The minister also inspected new hotel foundations and other sites under construction yesterday.

Reporter, Male #1
In addition to being an important factor in preserving cultural heritage and knowledge, and bequeathing it to future generations, traditional industries have several features that endorse local economies and employment, as well as being important attractions for tourists.

Guest, Male #2
Tourists pay at least 100-150 euros for Algerian products. That's the minimum estimate.

Reporter, Male #1
And for this reason, the state recently paid great attention to these traditional industries to increase tourism. This was stressed by the minister of tourism and handicrafts, Mohammed Ben Marradi, during the opening of the national exhibition of traditional clothing in Setif.

Reporter, Male #1
And because tourists are only met with high-class service facilities, the minister also inspected two hotels that have recently begun service. He stopped at the construction site of the Burj al-Aaly compound and its various facilities.

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Algerian rights groups call on UN to protect human rights in Western Sahara [Algerie TV, Algeria]

Presenter, Female #1
Today in Algeria, the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights called on the United Nations to develop measures to protect and monitor human rights in the occupied lands in the Western Sahara.

Presenter, Female #1
And during a press seminar that followed a meeting with the delegation, which was led by President Dupe Atoki, the President of the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People, Mehriz al-Ammari, stated that the delegation of the African Committee for Human and Peoples' Rights is in Algeria as part of a tour that would take it to the Sahrawi lands.

Presenter, Female #1
After Bamako initially agreed with ECOWAS to the conditions of the deployment of African forces in northern Mali, the Malian defense minister stated that in the event of a deployment, the presence of these African forces will be in the capital Bamako.

Presenter, Female #1
The Vice President of the ECOWAS commission confirmed that communication between the two parties has reached a level where they are discussing the technical aspects of the process to deploy these forces.