Bahraini activists hold 'volcano of anger' protest [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
The Bahraini capital Manama and other regions witnessed protests this morning that blocked main roads. Members of the regime confronted the protests with live bullets. These demonstrations came as part of the "Volcano of Anger" mobilization that started last week in protest of the continued arrest of women.

Reporter, Male #2
There are a number of traffic jams in various areas of Bahrain, especially around the capital Manama and on the most important roads and arteries of the city. This is part of a new mobilization organized by the youth of February 14 Revolution called "Volcano of Anger" in protest of the regime's practices, particularly pertaining to the continued arrest of women.

Guest, Male #3 (Karim Mahrous, Bahraini Political Activist)
There is a large number of participants in various areas of Bahrain. Numerous streets and vital roads leading to Manama were blocked. Some streets in Manama including the streets leading to the Bahraini Airport were also shut down. All these are attempts and technical approaches to exert pressure on the Bahraini authorities.

Reporter, Male #2
The mobilization aims at shutting down the main roads in the capital Manama and a number of regions to protest the continued arrest of women. The most important streets and vital roads blocked by the mobilization include Sheikh Jabir as-Sabah Street, February 14 Street, the road leading to the Bahraini International Airport, and a number of other streets in the villages of Tubli, Akar, Dumistan, Sitra, Sar, Shadd Hafz, and Na'eem. The Bahraini regime's forces backed by mercenaries opened fire with live bullets to end the protests. The mobilization has been ongoing since last week amid demonstrations and protests in various parts of Bahrain demanding the toppling of the regime and the establishment of a political system that meets the people's aspirations for democracy, power-sharing, and respect for freedoms. Bahraini security forces backed by Saudi occupation troops confronted these protests by force in an attempt to silence the revolution which began nearly ten months ago.

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Steep court fees obstruct Palestinians' demand for justice [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male # 1
Five thousand dollars is the fee every Palestinian must pay Israeli courts if they file a lawsuit against Israeli forces for their actions during the Gaza War in 2009 in order to receive compensation. The fees will probably impede hundreds of Gaza residents from suing the Israeli army because they are unable to pay them. But some see the Israeli measures as an obvious attempt to shield Israeli soldiers from prosecution, according to Palestinian human rights organizations.

Reporter, Male # 2
These images captured with a mobile phone show some residents holding white flags; perhaps to protect themselves from the bullets of Israeli soldiers during the latest Israeli war in the northern Gaza Strip. However, the Abu Hajjaj family succeeded in proving that Israeli soldiers killed their grandmother and mother despite having raised white flags. They received financial compensation after filing a lawsuit in Israeli courts.

Guest, Male # 3 (Youssef Abu Hajjaj, mother and sister killed in the war)
Thank God, we won the case. We received 500,000 shekels. All the money in the world can't bring my mother, may God have mercy on her soul, and the girl back.

Reporter, Male # 2
Palestinian human rights organizations report that over 1,400 were killed in Operation Cast Lead in early 2009. Most of their family members filed lawsuits in Israeli courts to receive compensation but the problem is that Israeli courts require that each plaintiff pay fees that can reach over 5,000 dollars; fees that most Palestinians cannot afford.

Guest, Male # 4 (Mohammad Alme, Lawyer, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights)
The first and ultimate goal is to prevent the victims from reaching the court. On that basis, they are unable to file lawsuits to prosecute Israeli soldiers. But we're not only seeking the prosecution of soldiers; we want the prosecution of those who gave the orders, those who executed them, and the way in which they were carried out.

Reporter, Male # 2
The Abdel Dayem family, which lost seven of its members and had more than 40 others injured during the war, also filed lawsuits to receive compensation. They were surprised to find out they have to pay fees of a quarter of a million dollars to finalize the lawsuits. If they don't, they have to withdraw the claim.

Guest, Male # 5 (Hasan Abdel Dayem, lost two brothers and son was paralyzed)
We are absolutely not ready to relinquish our rights. If we don't get them today, then we will tomorrow.

Reporter, Male # 2
You won't withdraw the lawsuits?

Guest, Male # 5
We will not withdraw the lawsuits. We will raise these cases as long as we're alive.

Reporter, Male # 2
Why won't you pay these fees?

Guest, Male # 6
We don't have any money. Let human rights organizations pay for us. I tell any official side, come adopt these suits and if we lose the case we will pay them back. I promise, if my son?in the name of Mohammad Arafat Abdel Dayem?if my son loses the case, I am ready to sell everything I own to pay those fees back.

Reporter, Male # 2
The shelling rendered Arafat's son quadriplegic and he is now confined to a wheelchair. His family says it is ready to abandon its demands in exchange for seeing their son walk again. Shuhdi el-Kashef, BBC, the Gaza Strip.

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Khamenei: Iran will respond to any attack with 'iron fist' [Press TV, Iran]

The leader of Iran's Islamic revolution says his country will respond to any aggression with full force. Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran will never attack any country but will give a crushing response to invasion. He says all Iranian armed forces must be ready to maintain Iran's dignity and international standing. Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran's most powerful deterrence is national unity and the solid structure of the Iranian system.

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UK official predicts Israeli attack on Iran in one month [IBA, Israel]

Turning now to the Iranian nuclear issue as Russia and China shy away from sanctions. A report in a British newspaper today says Israel may launch an aerial strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in a matter of months. The Daily Mail has quoted British government sources as saying the Cabinet expects Israel to attack Iran "sooner rather than later. We are expecting something as soon as Christmas or very early in the new year." Their sources say there is a consensus understanding that Israel will try to damage or destroy Iranian nuclear facilities with American logistical support.

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The search for an Iranian smoking gun continues [Syria TV, Syria]

Presenter, Female #1
Israel, backed by the West and outside the framework of any international accountability, continues to engage in double a standard alongside the US's stupid and blatant contradictions. On one hand, the West demands that harsh sanctions be imposed on Iran but at the same time, it encourages Israel to evade its international obligations.

Reporter, Female #2
From time to time, Israel, backed by the US and the West, publicly complains about the Iranian nuclear program. These countries ignore that Israel developed its own nuclear arsenal without any international monitoring. Not only does Israel's massive military arsenal threaten the region, it threatens the entire world. The Israeli occupation entity demands that deadly sanctions be imposed on Tehran, and is backed by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. Juppe says it has become necessary to refer the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security Council, calling for imposing harsh sanctions on Tehran in light of the International Atomic Energy Agency's report. These statements obviously reveal the double standards and selective policies adopted by Washington and its allies in relation to Israel, which has possessed nuclear reactors for over five decades. With the help of France, Israel built its nuclear reactor Dimona in 1955 and possesses nearly 200 nuclear bombs. Every single one of these bombs has a destructive power equal to that of the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. On one hand, they pose a serious threat to the region's peace and security. On the other, they raise issues of justice, imbalance of power, and Israel's intransigence and determination to maintain its military superiority, especially its nuclear power.

Presenter, Female #1
The Russian foreign ministry confirmed that the International Atomic Energy Agency's report on Iran's nuclear program does not contain any new information. In a statement, the Ministry said that because there is no conclusive evidence in the report, the West is resorting to assumptions, doubts, and manipulation of information to create the impression that Iran's nuclear program holds a military component. The allegations also remind us that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The statement pointed to Tehran's readiness to hold direct talks with the agency and criticized the foundations that the international agency relied on to make these accusations against Iran. The statement also expressed Russia's grave concern that the report will be used on a broad scale to undermine the international community's efforts to find a political and diplomatic solution to the issue.

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Syrian security forces fire on protestors, kill 30 [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
Syrian activists announced the military operations by Assad's brigades killed 30 people today, including four children in the city of Homs. On the eve of a Friday dubbed "membership freeze," supporters of the Syrian opposition defied the crackdown by the regime's forces. The protestors held a general strike to express solidarity with Homs and to reject the heinous military operation launched against the city for days.

Guest, Male #2
Ibrahim Mohammed Adnan Hasriyah, a martyr and hero, was killed by Assad's shabeha.

Reporter, Male #3
Following his arrest in Homs 10 days ago and subsequent torture, Syrian youth Ibrahim Hasriyah was added to the list of martyrs killed by the gunfire of Assad's brigades and his shabeha. He was killed in a heinous crime against humanity, with signs of torture all over his body. In solidarity with battered Homs, a general strike was observed in most Syrian cities and towns, as called for by the opposition. The city has been witnessing a wide-scale military operation for nine days. The Syrian streets were empty and businesses were closed in compliance with the strike. Meanwhile, opposition supporters across various regions staged demonstrations to condemn the Syrian regime's crimes. Activists posted scenes online from a protest rally held in the town of Sanamein in Daraa. The protestors raised anti-Assad slogans and called for imposing a no-fly zone. Opposition social media websites released scenes of a demonstration in Hilfaya in Hama, where protestors saluted the besieged cities. This video was taken in Talbisa in Homs, where several troops have defected and joined the protestors. This video shows clashes erupting between Assad's brigades and army defectors in the area of Harasta in Damascus. On the ground, Assad's brigades stormed several areas this morning, including the town of Khirbat Ghazala in Daraa, amid heavy gunfire. The goal was to prevent the residents from taking part in the general strike. Meanwhile, new defections were reported among the Syrian army, triggering fierce confrontations in the northern city of Idlib. This new mobilization comes after a bloody day that left behind dozens of dead and injured by the gunfire of the Assad's brigades. The brigades attacked protestors marking a "Wednesday of prisoners" rally. As Homs continues to witness a bloody military operation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that more than 40 people were killed in the Baba Amro neighborhood and surrounding areas over the past ten days. The "day of prisoners" activities started Wednesday morning and lasted until very late at night. Massive nighttime demonstrations were staged demanding the downfall of the regime. The protestors chanted slogans urging Arab countries to immediately mobilize and end the heinous crackdown against them. During the nighttime protests, the participants held banners in support of the Syrian National Council. Other banners criticized the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, saying it doesn't represent the Syrian people, in protest of its recent position on the Syrian crisis. Despite the bloody and destructive scenes emerging from Homs, Syrian news agencies aired reports from inside the city claiming that life is normal, as confirmed by the residents, adding that that what is being reported by the "instigating" media channels is untrue.

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Yemeni president's forces shell Taiz Freedom Square, kill young boy [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Our al-Jazeera correspondent in Yemen reported that a child was killed and over ten people were wounded in the city of Taiz when Saleh's loyalist forces shelled Freedom Square and ar-Raoda residential neighborhood with artilleries and tanks.

Presenter, Female #1
Our correspondent in Yemen added that the shelling is still ongoing in the two areas. The shelling came after a massive demonstration march to Freedom Square demanding the arrest and trial of President Saleh.

Presenter, Male #1
The following images show the child who was killed and a number of wounded in the shelling by President Saleh's forces on neighborhoods in the city of Taiz.

Reporter, Male #2
This is Freedom Square in Taiz on a Friday. Protestors flocked here after they marched through streets of the city. But security concerns dominate the atmosphere after President Saleh's forces stormed the square and tore down the camp there in late May. Armed supporters of the revolution managed to rebuild the camp several days later.

Guest, Male #3
The revolutionaries cannot continue protesting the same as before because the peacefulness of the squares was tainted by the repeated attacks on them.

Reporter, Male #2
A tour inside the square reveals the scale of the damages inflicted on it and the surrounding buildings by President Saleh's forces after they continuously shelled it, most intensely at night. Journalists, including a team from al-Jazeera, were staying in this hotel before it turned into evidence of the scale of violence facing the revolution. The square is filled with activities. Here, for instance, artists are painting the wishes of those they refer to as martyrs of the revolution. There are also children in Freedom Square doing what they like. Other children vigorously walk through the square on their way home. It seems they may learn a lot from the square. Many have abandoned their sites in the square to organize daily protests outside. But these young people refused to leave the square, even if staying costs them their lives. They stay in this camp and share the misery of life together.

Guest, Male #4
We are camping out here for our martyrs, for the young and children martyrs, and for the beaten women. We will be steadfast here until the final day when Ali Abdullah Saleh steps down.

Reporter, Male #2
In the city's suburbs and countryside, the youth of the revolution built squares with the same name, so the whole region of Taiz appears to be praising the revolution. The youth of the revolution here say that President Saleh's regime is seeing its final days because of the revolution's escalation outside the squares. To them, Freedom Square is a symbolic place people frequent in order to affirm the importance of unity in the face of the continued attempt to dismantle the organized leadership of the movement. Hamdi al-Bukari, al-Jazeera, Freedom Square, Taiz.