(Euronews: 0759 PT, May 6, 2011) Protests have broken out across Syria as thousands heeded calls for a "day of defiance" against the regime. Reports say that security forces killed five pro-democracy demonstrators and wounded dozens more in the city of Homs.

The protests began as Friday prayers ended. A march in Damascus did not last long before it was broken up. One opposition leader, Riad Seif, was arrested with other demonstrators, according to human rights campaigners. Witnesses said security forces fired at protesters just north of the capital, wounding some.

Protest on Syria's 'Day of Defiance'

(France 24: 0617 PT, May 6, 2011) Thousands of anti-regime demonstrators have taken to the streets across Syria following Friday prayers for a "day of defiance." Security forces are out en masse and have reportedly opened fire in at least one town.

Several days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas a choice between seeking reconciliation with Hamas and achieving peace with Israel. Today, Abbas said the Palestinian Authority will stand by Hamas. He made this statement at the signing ceremony for the national reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo, Egypt. Palestinians expressed cautious optimism over the agreement, hoping it will open a new chapter for Palestinians.

Dubai TV reports that Syria protests have spread to the country’s second largest city, Aleppo. Students from the University of Aleppo took to the streets to demand that authorities lift the siege on Daraa. Nearly 3,000 protestors demonstrated in the coastal city of Baniyas with the same demand. Over 1,000 people have been arrested over the past three days, raising the total number of Syrian detainees to 2,800.

In Bahrain, 23 doctors and 24 nurses will be put on trial for their involvement in the uprising. The Bahraini military court is accusing them of providing medical care to protestors, being involved in the attempts to topple the ruling family, participating in illegal gatherings, and damaging public opinion by spreading false news. Al-Alam reports that this comes days after the military court issued death sentences to four young men accused of killing two police officers during protests.

In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi’s forces have shelled the Misurata port again, this time killing five people. Al-Jazeera reports that the forces are preparing to launch a new attack on the Wazen border crossing with Tunisia. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that over 80,000 Libyans have been displaced from the western Jabal al-Gharbi district in the past few days. International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that NATO forces might be used to capture Gaddafi.

France 24 reports tonight from Morocco, where demonstrators are gathering under the slogan “the people want to topple corruption and despotism.” The Morocco protests began on February 20, and have been growing in size everyday, despite King Mohammed VI’s promises to release of political prisoners and enact reforms.

Hundreds of Iraqis poured into Tahrir Square in central Baghdad last week to participate in the “Friday of Resistance.” Protestors are demanding the end of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government, the eradication of corruption, and the release of detainees. In Mosul, demonstrators rallied in Ahrar Square for the 20th consecutive day, despite the government’s attempts to scatter the crowd.

(France 24: 0844 PST, April 18, 2011) Tension simmered in Yemen on Monday after a fruitless meeting with Gulf mediators and violent late-night demonstrations in Sanaa. The streets of the capital appeared quiet on Monday following overnight clashes with security forces. Late on Sunday, hundreds of thousands of men and women protested against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's call for an end to men and women demonstrating together against the regime, and called for his departure.

These powerful reports sent by France 24 and Al Jazeera English from inside the besieged Libyan city of Misurata reveal a city where the lines between fighters and civilians have all but disappeared. The siege is now in its seventh week, with the rebel-held parts of the city suffering under constant, heavy bombardment from Gaddafi's forces.

Defiant Rebels Fend Off Gaddafi Forces in Misurata

(France 24: 0827 PST, April 18, 2011) Exclusive France 24 footage depicts the grim reality of urban fighting in the besieged city of Misurata, where Gaddafi's relentless assault has taken a heavy toll on the rebels.

Fighting Continues in Misurata

(Al Jazeera English: 0338 PST, April 15, 2011) Britain is due to hold urgent talks on Libya's humanitarian crisis at the United Nations later on Monday. The besieged city of Misurata is one of the main places of concern. An opposition spokesperson says shelling by Gaddafi's forces on Sunday alone killed at least 17 people.

Al Jazeera has gained access to the city. Cameraman Craig Pennington and corrrespondent Jonah Hull boarded a trawler carrying supplies from Malta, and made the 24 hour voyage to Misurata.

Special Report: With Misrata's Rebels

(France 24: 0841 PST, April 18, 2011) Conditions in the rebel-held Misurata were getting increasingly desperate Sunday, as Muammar Gaddafi's forces bombarded the city for the fourth straight day. Libya's third-largest city has been under siege by pro-Gaddafi troops for seven weeks.

(France 24: 0747 PST, April 14, 2011) France 24 correspondents report from the western Libyan city of Misurata as they follow anti-regime rebels, caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the hidden danger of Muammar Gaddafi's snipers.

(Euronews: 0751 PST, April 6, 2011) Fighting has reached the bunker of the presidential palace in Ivory Coast, as forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, attempt to force out Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo is believed to be in the bunker underneath the palace with his family.

France Leads Cote d'Ivoire Talks

(Al Jazeera English: 0808 PST, April 6, 2011) France has played a central role in trying to force Laurent Gbagbo from power. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says that Gbagbo must sign a document ceding power to his rival Alassane Ouattara. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland has more.

Gbagbo Denies Reports of 'Imminent' Surrender

(France 24: 0730 PST, April 6, 2011) Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo reiterated on Wednesday that he considers himself the winner of a November vote, denying UN reports of his "imminent" surrender as he sheltered in a bunker surrounded by rival troops.

(Euronews: 1400 PST, April 4, 2011) Police and snipers in civilian clothes have reportedly opened fire on anti-government protesters in Yemen. According to medical sources, at least 15 people have been killed with hundreds more wounded as demonstrators in Taiz tried to storm the provincial government building. There were similar scenes in the Red Sea port of al-Hudaydah as security forces used tear gas on opposition forces.

(France 24: 0502 PST, April 4, 2011) At least 12 protesters were killed when security forces opened fire in the Yemeni city of Taiz, south of the capital Sanaa on Monday, a medical source told Reuters.

(Al Jazeera English: 0850 PST, April 1, 2011) On the battlefields of Libya, it appears the fighting has reached something of an impasse. Pro-Gaddafi forces are again reported to be attacking pro-democracy positions in the third city of Misurata, while the two sides are also engaged in a struggle for territory near the key port of Brega.

In a new development, the opposition today offered a conditional ceasefire. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from Benghazi.

Libya : Opposition Sets Conditions for Ceasefire

(France 24: 0745 PST, April 1, 2011) Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi brushed off the defection of his foreign minister on Thursday, again criticising foreign powers for their military intervention in Libya and calling on their leaders to resign at once.

(France 24: 0839 PST, March 31, 2011) Colombia's battle against armed rebels continues, but now there's a new force to fight. "Bacrims" -- or bandas criminales -- started to emerge after another paramilitary group demobilised in 2006. These gangs are responsible for much drug-related violence and extortion, and the government has deployed 11,000 soldiers to try to bring the situation under control.

(France 24: 0547 PST, March 31, 2011) Forces loyal to Cote d'Ivoire's internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara, have seized the country's administrative capital, Yamoussoukro, and threatened to march onto the main city of Abidjan.