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Citizens speak out. Demand for change continues across the globe, with peaceful protest movements
inspiring others to also speak up for better living conditions and greater participation
in government, including those in Armenia, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal,
Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
Tea workers in Nepal agreed to return to work for the first time since April 17 after the
government and worker representatives as well as tea plantation owners agreed to establish
a taskforce to address their concerns, including social security.
Both the United Nations and Palestinian leaders welcomed the reunification agreement Wednesday,
April 27 between the Fatah and Hamas parties, while President Mahmoud Abbas announced the
Palestinian Liberation Organization would continue overseeing peace negotiations with
Israel.
Public transportation workers in Lebanon protested on Thursday for the second day in a row over
rising fuel prices, with drivers stopping work in Beirut, Mansourieh, Chtoura, and the
country’s south.
As the Chilean government prepares to sell its remaining shares in the water system,
various citizens' groups protest the move, citing concerns over rising tariffs, decreases
in water without compensation, and the unaccounted actions of certain entrepreneurs involved
in construction.
PressTV reports that on Thursday, Saudi officials had detained an additional 30 activists who
have attempted to protest for government reforms, bringing the total number who remain in custody
since the unrest began to 140.
In Iraq, Minister of National Reconciliation Amir al-Khuza’I announces that in response
to the government’s national reconciliation efforts with armed groups across society,
nine militia factions have agreed to disarm and join the political process.
A senior Turkish government delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday
to discuss reforms needed to end the unrest in the country. Meanwhile, Syrian families
have been fleeing to Lebanon and Jordan to escape the government’s violent crackdown
on peaceful protesters that has left around 500 people dead. On Friday, thousands of protesters
marched despite warnings by the Interior Ministry not to hold demonstrations as they gathered
in cities such as Aleppo, Qamishli, Latakia, Homs, Deir al-Zour and the southern city of
Daraa and continued to call for government change.
As we mourn the loss of precious lives, we pray for a halting to conflicts in all nations
and that people everywhere may join in deciding to live side-by-side in safety, dignity, freedom
and peace�