Thousands of Mauritanians declare readiness to kick out President Aziz [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
The Mauritanian opposition organized a festival in Nouakchott to demand the departure of President Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz's regime. The ruling party's deputy chairman, Oumar Ould Matallah, said the people placed their trust in Ould Abdel Aziz, and the president is continuing the path of reforms and combating corruption.

Reporter, Male #1
Maybe the ruling party's time has come in Mauritania. It is probably the governing thread and the common denominator unifying these people, who hold different views and varying political affiliations and ideologies. The leaders of the Opposition Coordination Committee took to the street again for a permitted march, in anticipation of what they called the protest to force the departure.

Guest, Male #2 (Saleh Ould Hanana, President of Mauritanian Hatem Party)
The people of Nouakchott came out today to say one thing to Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz's regime: leave! Let the people of this country choose the kind of rule they deserve.

Reporter, Male #1
And during the festival, which ended here in one of the public squares, the opposition considered the turnout a new referendum on the legitimacy of the regime. The majority says the only way to topple the president is through the ballot box in about two and a half years. The opposition responds with, "you see it as far, we see it as near." The former Mauritania president, Ely Mohamed Vall, who is one of the most prominent figures supporting this movement, escalated his tone against the regime again, describing it is as a failure and finished.

Guest, Male #3 (Ely Mohamed Vall, Former Mauritanian President)
We should hold prayers for the dead regime. God willing, this regime is very close to its end.

Reporter, Male #1
The Mauritanian opposition promised to engage in peaceful protests to force the current regime to leave. It also called on the military and security forces to quote, "side with the people and refrain from cracking down on them." On the other side, pro-government forces are intensifying their campaigns aimed at clarifying what they call the false allegations of a power-hungry opposition.

Reporter, Male #1
The majority views the accomplishments of President Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz on the ground as ranging between right and void. Mohamed Abdallah el-Mane, Al-Alam, Nouakchott.

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Devastating bombings hit Syrian capital as the blame game continues [New TV, Lebanon]

Reporter, Female #1
The Jasmines of Damascus are once again stained by the blood of Damascenes. Blind terrorism struck employees, students, and workers. The scenes are difficult to watch, but we must broadcast these images as they are. Two terrorist bombings rocked the Qazzaz area in the southern part of the capital as workers, students, and employees were heading to their schools, universities, and workplaces. Syria's Interior Ministry confirmed the two bombings were carried out by two suicide bombers driving two booby-trapped vehicles carrying a large amount of explosive materials, estimated at over 1,000 kilograms. The blasts punched two craters in the ground; one is five meters long, three meters wide, and one meter deep; the other is approximately eight meters long and two meters deep.

Reporter, Female #1
This took place in the crowded area of al-Qazzaz that is filled with cars and pedestrians and located near a law enforcement station. The preliminary figures of this terrorist attack is 55 martyrs, and 372 injured civilians and soldiers. In addition, 15 unidentifiable bodies were found, and great material damage was reported, which includes cars and private and public properties. Besides the remains of the victims, the images showed the widespread massive destruction the two bombings caused. Rows of cars were burnt, houses were destroyed, as rescue teams were working to tend to the wounded. Outside Damascus, columns of smoke were seen rising over the capital's sky.

Reporter, Female #1
Meanwhile, the chief of the international observers' delegation, Major-General Robert Mood, visited the site of the two terrorist bombings and examined the situation on the ground, calling on everyone in and outside Syria to end the violence.

Guest, Male #1 (Robert Mood, UN Observer Delegation Chief)
My deepest condolences, my warmest thoughts to all the families, to all the victims. My very clear message to anyone that is engaging in this kind of violence is that it is not going to solve any problems. So we need everyone inside Syria, everyone outside Syria to understand that this is going only to create more suffering for women, children, the Syrian people.

Reporter, Female #1
And as usual, the two sides of the conflict traded accusations. The authorities blamed armed terrorist groups, while the Syrian National Council accused the regime of orchestrating the two bombings to show the observers that the country is in danger, and to tell the international community that armed gangs and al-Qaeda are taking root in Syria. As for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, it confirmed that one of the two blasts seemed to have targeted the Palestine Branch of the military intelligence service, located near the bombing site.

Reporter, Female #1
On the international front, UN envoy Kofi Annan condemned the two bombings, saying these disgraceful actions are unacceptable, and that the violence in Syria must end. He said every act that leads the tension and level of violence to escalate will be counterproductive to the interests of all parties. Annan confirmed that his plan, which calls for ceasing the violence and starting a national political dialogue, is the country's final chance to avoid civil war.

Reporter, Female #1
The Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced the two bombings, and called on all parties in Syria to adhere to the Security Council's resolution to end the bloodshed in Syria. It stressed Qatar's position is rejection to terrorism in all forms, regardless of its source. The European Union described the two bombings in Damascus as pure terrorist acts, affirming that Annan's plan is the best way to move the situation forward.

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Algeria holds parliamentary elections amid voter apathy [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
Algerians continue to cast their votes in the parliamentary elections to choose members of the People's Assembly. Our correspondent there said the turnout reached 18 percent in the capital Algiers and 25 percent in other provinces. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika urged Algerians to vote en masse to begin what he called a new phase of development, reforms, and democratic growth.

Reporter, Female #2
Voters in Algeria are headed to the ballot boxes to cast their votes in parliamentary elections described as "fateful" by the authorities. Over 21 million people are registered to vote to elect 462 candidates affiliated with 44 political parties, and a large of number of independent candidates. However, the election campaign that looked weak did not attract much attention from many people.

Guest, Female #3
I do not expect anything from politicians, and I don't care about this issue because everything is decided ahead of time. There's no politics.

Reporter, Female #2
Mobilizing the voters is the largest challenge facing the authorities and political parties, since a weak turnout will cause a political embarrassment.

Guest, Female #4
Everyone should vote. We're waiting for change, and the matter is in our hands because nothing changes on its own.

Reporter, Female #2
Islamists from seven parties are running in the elections. Three of them are allied through the "Green Algeria Alliance" coalition. They confirm they will become the main political force in the elections, which came one year after Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced political reforms in a bit to avoid an "Arab Spring" in his country. For the first time, 150 European observers are taking part in monitoring the elections, in addition to observers from the African Union, the Arab League, and the United Nations, raising the number of observers to 500. And even though Algeria is hanging a lot of hope on these elections, no one can predict their outcome until the results are announced Friday morning, seeing that the scene remains ambiguous, and lacks any indicators that one political family's control is under threat. Maha Sukkar, BBC.

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Relatives of Palestinian hunger strikers slam Red Cross for 'negative' role [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas to disperse dozens of Palestinians who gathered in front of Ofer prison near Beitunia, west of Ramallah, to protest Israel's ongoing implementation of its administrative detention policy against Palestinian prisoners.

Presenter, Male #1
A number of the prisoners' relatives challenged employees at the International Red Cross in the city of al-Bireh, and barred them from entering its headquarters to protest what they described as the negative position taken by the International Red Cross in regards to the case of prisoners on hunger strike.

Reporter, Female #2
This has become a daily scene at the gate of Ofer military prison: occupation soldiers armed to the teeth. And this time, a bulldozer is brought to shut down the streets around the Beitunia commercial crossing, and two cars to spray foul-smelling wastewater mixed with chemicals at demonstrators. All this effort to repress a number of protestors standing in front of the gate in solidarity with the prisoners on hunger strike. Some of them joined the prisoners' relatives at the sit-in in front of the headquarters of the International Red Cross in the city of al-Bireh to protest what they described as the negative and biased role played by the international organization.

Guest, Male #2 (Abu Thaer Halahla, Father of Prisoner on Hunger Strike for 72 Days)
The Red Cross has to explain the case of our detainees inside the prisons. They have been unable to receive medical treatment, including some who are nearing death right now. Why is there this silence?

Reporter, Female #2
And in solidarity with the prisoners, hundreds of school students, including students at the school of Nabi Saleh, west of Ramallah, went on a hunger strike for hours to support a number of their schoolmates who are behind bars.

Guest, Male #3
We are standing today in solidarity with the prisoners, and our classmate Bahaa, who has been on a hunger strike in prison. They arrested him, and he's missing school right now. We joined their hunger strike today to tell them that we support them no matter what.

Reporter, Female #1
As Thaer Halahla and Bilal Diab continue their hunger strike for the 72nd consecutive day, their health has deteriorated. Like hundreds of other prisoners, they insist on continuing their strike until their demands are met, most notably the demand to put an end to solitary confinement.

Guest, Male #4 (Qaddoura Fares, Head of Palestinian Prisoners' Society)
Israel's Prison Service has confiscated all the prisoners' possessions and belongings, and placed many of them in solitary confinement. It also transferred most of the hunger strikers from prison to prison with the goal of creating instability. But, despite all these oppressive conditions, the prisoners are determined to achieve the goals of their hunger strike.

Reporter, Female #2
On the eve of the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe, the prisoners insist on continuing their battle until the end, even if it means death. As for those on the outside, they confirm this Nakba has not yet ended in light of Israel's continuing violations of all human rights, not to mention political and international rights. Jibal al-Buderi, Al Jazeera, from in front of Ofer military prison, west of occupied Ramallah.

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Bahrain postpones retrial of medics jailed for treating protestors [Press TV, Iran]

Bahrain has postponed the retrial of some 20 medical professionals accused of giving medical care to protestors injured during crackdowns on anti-regime protests last year. The doctors and nurses have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison by a military tribunal. This is the second time the court is delaying the proceedings. A retrial is also underway for a group of 21 activists, including a prominent rights defender who has been on a hunger strike for three months.

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International community, especially US, turning blind eye to Bahrain [Press TV, Iran]

Press TV reports that despite blatant human rights violations and condemnation by rights groups, the international community remains largely indifferent to the situation in Bahrain, and adds that the United States in particular seems to keep its interests in mind with regards to the Arab Spring uprisings. Press TV points out that Bahrain is home to the United States Fifth Fleet, and that Egypt had close ties to Israel under Mubarak's 30-year dictatorship. It also notes that the US has not acknowledged any uprising in Saudi Arabia in spite of the Kingdom's crackdown on anti-regime protests, especially in the oil-rich Eastern Province.

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Mubarak's PM reenters Egyptian presidential race [Press TV, Iran]

Egypt's electoral commission has reportedly decided not to ban former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq from the presidential race. This comes despite the administrative court's attempt to reinstate a law that would ban ministers from Hosni Mubarak's era from running in the elections. Shafiq had been disqualified from the elections in late April after the disenfranchisement law was passed by parliament and approved by the ruling military council.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Higher Presidential Elections Commission has called for the immediate resumption of its suspended activities, while all prominent presidential candidates have rejected any attempt to delay the election.

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Netanyahu's last-minute Kadima deal sparks protests across Israel [IBA, Israel]

News of the political deal between Netanyahu and Mofaz brought hundreds of protestors to the streets last night. Demonstrators gathered in separate rallies in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba, where they demanded a more ethical system of government. Several leading political figures participated in the Tel Aviv protest, including former opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who told the crowd that they deserve politics of principles and not Knesset seats.

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Moody's downgrades rating for Israel's banking system [IBA, Israel]

In other news, Moody's international credit rating agency lowered the ratings of Israel's banking system from stable to negative. According to Moody's, the move comes in part due to the bank's heavy exposure to a small group of large business concerns, and took into account Israel's security outlook, explaining that increasing geopolitical tensions could compromise business confidence and economic activity.

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Israeli settlers burn hundreds of olive trees in West Bank [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
Jewish settlers burned hundreds of trees in the villages of Bureen and Jamaeen in Nablus Province with the goal of seizing more land from the Palestinians.

Reporter, Male #2
These trees were burnt by settlers here in the town of Jamaeen in southern Nablus. It is an expression of their deep hatred for the Palestinian land and people. Over 100 trees were burnt in this area, located three kilometers southeast of the town of Jamaeen. The area between the town and the two settlements of Ariel and Tafuh has witnessed torching operations targeting fruit trees. The two settlements have seized vast areas of Palestinian villages in this region.

Guest, Male #3 (Suleiman Samara, Mayor of Jamaeen)
The settlers are part of the occupation, and as usual they burn trees and cut down olive trees to clear the land and completely seize it.

Reporter, Male #2
Olive trees were planted on these vast areas. The land owners live with the hope of profiting from the fruits during the yearly olive harvest season. But the settlers' targeting of Palestinian land disrupts the lives of these citizens.

Guest, Male #4 (Mohamed al-Zinawi, Landowner)
These are all oppressive measures. These oppressive measures are used to clear the land from its residents, and destroy the livelihood of its citizens.

Reporter, Male #2
No day or night is devoid of aggressions against the Palestinian farmers by the settlers or occupation soldiers. They have developed a systematic plan that is overseen by the Israeli government to clear Palestinian land of its owners, who are trying by any means to protect their land from the settlements' invasion.

Guest, Male #5 (Ghassan Daghlas, PA Official Monitoring Settlements in the Northern West Bank)
What happened today in the towns of Jamaeen and Bureen, where dozens of trees were cut down, comes as part of a ruthless campaign led by the Israeli government to impose a new reality on the ground. And of course, as a response, we are reforming and reactivating the watchdog committees with the cooperation of village councils in all residential areas.

Reporter, Male #2
So it is a policy carried out by the settlers under the supervision of the Israeli government. They aim to seize large areas of the citizens' land across most Palestinian villages, which are targeted by the settlers to tighten the noose on the Palestinian people. The crimes of the occupiers and their settlers have no limits. What happened here is evidence of the settlers' practices, and their attempt to completely expel the Palestinians from their land for rejecting these measures. From the town of Jamaeen, Khalil Abu Arab, Palestine TV.

Presenter, Male #1
For the third consecutive time, the occupation's bulldozers demolished three commercial stores in Bethlehem. In addition, the occupation seized equipment from an auto parts shop in the industrial district in the village of Housan.

Guest, Male #6
Without a warning, I received a phone call this morning from some youths in Housan informing me that my store was demolished by Israelis at 4:00 AM. They demolished it with the equipment inside.

Guest, Male #7
We were caught off guard when an Israeli force stormed the village at four in the morning, and demolished some retail stores, as you saw. This is not the first time. In fact, this is the fourth or fifth consecutive time the Israelis have raided this area under the pretext that it is part of "Area C." The aim is to squeeze in the residents and the shop owners, who are trying to secure their children's daily food needs.