Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• Syrian security forces 'fire on protesters' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  Syrian security forces in Daraa have opened fire on anti-government protesters gathered in the city, protesters have told Al Jazeera. Reuters also reported that heavy gunfire could be heard in the southern city, the focal point for demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad's regime in recent days. The incident comes as protesters demanding greater freedom called for a "day of dignity" on Friday following a week-long crackdown by pro-regime forces that has left dozens dead. At least 200 people marched in the centre of Damascus after Friday prayers in support of the people of Daraa, scene of protests against Baath Party rule, a Reuters news agency witness said.

   

• Qatar designs artificial cloud to cool World Cup worries - Technology - ArabianBusiness.com

  Qatar scientists have designed an artificial cloud which could be used to hover over stadia when the Gulf state hosts the 2022 World Cup. The cloud, which has been designed at Qatar University, could be the solution to the summer heat at the 2022 World Cup. The cloud, manufactured from light carbon materials and helium gas and costing $500,000, can be held in place by solar power and moved by remote control, reports in the UK media said.

   

• French climber set to tackle Burj Khalifa next week - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com

  A French skyscraper climber nicknamed Spiderman is planning to scale the world's tallest tower in Dubai next week. The Emirates' Higher Colleges of Technology said climber Alain Robert has been given approval to climb the 2,717 ftl (828m) Burj Khalifa during the institution's Education Without Borders conference, newswire Associated Press reported.

   

• Israeli planes raid Gaza - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  **Israel continuing to collectively punish all Palestinians for the actions of a few*** Israeli jets have staged three air strikes over Gaza, hours after a bomb struck a crowded bus stop in West Jerusalem, killing at least one person and wounding 30 in what authorities said was the first major attack in the city in several years. Hamas, the Palestinian group which controls the Gaza Strip, said on Thursday that the strikes targeted smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, as well as one of its training camps in central Gaza. A third strike hit a power transformer, causing blackouts in the area, witnesses said. Medical workers said no one was injured in the strikes. Hamas said it ordered its personnel to evacuate their positions.

   

• Anger in Syria over crackdown - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  Around 20,000 Syrians chanting freedom slogans marched on Thursday in the funerals of nine protesters killed by security forces in the southern city of Deraa, witnesses said. "The blood of martyrs is not spilt in waste!" they chanted in Deraa's southern cemetery. The nine were among at least 25 people shot dead by security forces on Wednesday, residents said. A hospital in Daraa had said earlier that it had received the bodies of at least 25 protesters who died in confrontations with security forces.

   

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