Fierce clashes between Yemeni troops and al-Qaeda kill 44 in volatile south [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
Yemeni military sources said 44 people were killed, including 12 civilians, two soldiers, and 25 members of Ansar al-Sharia group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, in the battles and air strikes against elements of the group, in Lawdar City of Abyan Province.

Presenter, Male #1
The same sources said the Yemeni Air Force launched strikes on the surroundings of Lawdar City, especially the Jabal Yusuf area, where al-Qaeda militants are entrenched.

Reporter, Male #2
Battle scenes between Yemeni forces and various armed groups in southern Yemen are regularly repeating themselves during the past several days in numerous locations. The Yemeni government says it will carry on its campaign until it regains control of all the areas where these groups are found. The Yemeni forces, with cooperation from popular committees and militias comprised of tribesmen, continued carrying out intensified operations on Ansar al-Sharia's fortified strongholds in Abyan Province from different directions. The forces have taken control of a number of sites, including al-Qaeda's stronghold in Lawdar City, and the fortified strategic Jabal Yusuf area overlooking the city. But this caused a large numbers of casualties, including civilians. At the same time, the Yemeni forces and their aides continue to control al-Hasm City adjacent to the city of Jaar. Meanwhile, military members are advancing to fully recover the city of Zinjibar, which was occupied by armed groups over a year ago, and reinforced their presence there.

Reporter, Male #2
Yemen's intensified campaign against armed groups in multiple regions, most notably Abyan Province and Zinjibar City, has found absolute support from the West, especially the United States. The current confrontations are the essential subject in President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi's latest talks with the US president's counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan.

Reporter, Male #2
This is a difficult mission the Yemeni government is facing, especially since these targeted groups' locations and movements are complicated. Many followers of Yemeni affairs believe that these groups took advantage of the preoccupation of the world, the region, and Yemen with the Yemeni revolution and its developments, to strengthen their strongholds. Nonetheless, the Yemeni government, along with popular committees and tribesmen who are well aware of the reality, are intensifying their countering methods in various directions. In addition, it is organizing voluntary campaigns, as well as study and training sessions for Yemenis of all ages, in the targeted regions, in order to cut off the source for recruitment which these groups have been conducting.

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Palestinian prisoners end hunger strike as Israeli forces clash with protestors on 'Nakba' Day [Al-Alam, Iran]

Reporter, Female #1
Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip commemorated the 64th anniversary of Nakba Day with massive marches. In Ramallah, demonstrators condemned the Israeli occupation's ongoing systematic displacement of Palestinians, and stressed the refugees' right of return to their country, affirming that they would never give up this right. In the Gaza Strip, protestors stressed the importance of the Palestinian people's unity and commitment to their national unequivocal rights. They reiterated that the Palestinian people's rights can only be retrieved by force and through resistance, especially since the negotiations have failed and reached a dead end.

Reporter, Female #1
As part of the ongoing events in occupied Palestine to mark the anniversary of Nakba Day, Palestinian youth in occupied Jerusalem burned flags of the Israeli entity and challenged the occupation forces, which attempted to arrest them and prevent them from commemorating Nakba by force. Coinciding with Nakba Day, an Israeli official report warned that this year's anniversary could be the beginning of an overwhelming popular intifada, whether through a decision by the Palestinian leadership, or in the framework of the recent popular protests, influenced by the wave of revolutions witnessed in the Arab world.

Reporter, Female #1
So 64 years have passed since the Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe, which displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled to neighboring Arab countries, bringing their number now to five million refugees, most of them living in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The total number of Palestinian refugees in the world is 11 million.

Reporter, Female #2
Sixty-four years have passed since the Palestinian Nakba Day, and the Palestinians' slogan has never changed: "One day we shall return to Haifa, Jaffa and Acre, even if we have to travel far." It is the hope to return that every Palestinian holds on to. This year's anniversary, as previous years, surrounds the Israeli occupation with events and marches in and outside the Palestinian territories. The events extended to various countries around the world, reaffirming the Palestinian people's unequivocal rights to return, liberate their land, and determine their own fate.

Reporter, Female #2
With a variety of events, the Palestinian people commemorate this anniversary before the eyes of the occupation, which is mobilizing its forces along the borders with neighboring countries, in anticipation of a repeat of last year's incidents. The Palestinian refugees have never given up the right of return since the Nakba, the day when the occupation invaded their land on May 15, 1948. 760,000 Palestinians were forced to live in exile, far from their country, their land, and their houses, carrying the keys to their homes, their flags, and maps of their occupied Palestinian towns.

Reporter, Female #2
They have been retaining these items since the day they were banished, hanging onto their identity and their right of return. They challenge the occupiers, who are celebrating the myth of their Independence Day, built on the ruins of over 90 percent of Palestinians' land. The occupation annexed 774 villages and cities, destroyed more than 530 others, and committed over 70 massacres, martyring around 15,000 Palestinians. Palestinian government figures reported that the number of Palestinians in 1948 was 1,037,000, and their population around the world by the end of 2011 was estimated at over 11 million. Internally displaced refugees account for 44 percent of the entire Palestinian population living in the country.

Reporter, Female #2
The number of refugees registered last year at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, reached five million, counting for more than 45 percent of the entire Palestinian population in the world. Fifty-nine percent of them live in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, 17 percent in the West Bank, and around 24 percent in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 29 percent of Palestinian refugees live in 58 refugee camps, 10 of which are in Jordan, nine in Syria, 12 in Lebanon, 19 in the West Bank, and eight in the Gaza Strip. All that is the outcome of Nakba, which Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are commemorating today.

Reporter, Female #2
The pain of the memory has been deteriorating for over six decades, while the Palestinian people suffer from displacement, killing, and arrests amid the international community's silence towards the occupation's crimes. But the people are the proof of this resistance and embody the right of return. They're determined to return, despite the continuous aggression, because they believe that the night must become dawn and the chain must break.

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Palestinian hunger strikers reach deal with Israel [Saudi TV, Saudi Arabia]

Presenter, Male #1
The Palestinian prisoners signed an agreement with the Israeli prison administration to end their hunger strike in Ashkelon Jail. Head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, Qaddoura Fares, said all factions signed the agreement to end the suffering of the prisoners who had been on a hunger strike for 28 days. The most notable provisions of the agreement include ending solitary confinement, improving the prisoners' living conditions, allowing them contact with their families regardless of whether they are from the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, and ceasing the practice of extending administrative detention.

Reporter, Male #2
The marathon of rallies which intensified during the past several days resulted in an agreement being reached. According to the agreement, the Palestinian prisoners will end their 28-day hunger strike in exchange of the prison administration meeting most of their demands. Foremost is allowing the prisoners' families in the Gaza Strip to visit them in prison for the first time in seven years. In addition, the agreement stipulates ending the practice of solitary confinement, and finds an acceptable solution to the detainees in administrative detention. It was reported that representatives of the prisoners signed the agreement at their meeting with the occupation's prison administration in the Ashkelon prison. They considered the agreement to be a major achievement.

Guest, Male #3 (Ziad abu Ein, Representative of the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs)
It is truly a victory in the history of the Palestinian nation, a victory of the Palestinians' will over the wills of the jailors and the occupation. Today, the Palestinian prisoners recorded a glorious page in their history; so did the Palestinian leadership and all of the Palestinian people. This is the result of all the pressure exerted by all parties; its success proves that the Palestinian people are all united behind our prisoners. The glory belongs to the prisoners, and the victory belongs to our prisoners and our Palestinian people.

Reporter, Male #2
The movement of solidarity with the prisoners expanded in the Arab world and internationally. The issue was brought to the Arab League's attention, while marches and sit-ins continued in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip supporting the prisoners' struggle. It seems the occupation authorities have responded out of fear that Nakba Day events may turn into massive demonstrations leading to the deterioration of the situation on the ground. Perhaps the unity that Palestinians have achieved in the prisoners' cause is the beginning of restoring the national unity and ending the division. The Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization asked the Hamas movement to respond to the call for conducting elections for municipalities and local councils.

Guest, Male #4 (Taisir al-Ali, Palestinian Central Committee)
The local elections are necessary, and in Gaza, we hope that Hamas will not disrupt the discussion of elections for local councils again. Therefore, we have taken one step forward in the path, which we hope to lead to further steps toward reviving and restoring the democratic life in the Palestinian society.

Reporter, Male #2
The agreement has met most of the demands by the Palestinian prisoners who went on hunger strike. The people's determination and unity played a major role in reaching this agreement. Will this unity be achieved on the remaining issues? From the Palestinian territories, Abdul Karim Samarat, Saudi TV.

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Israeli PM willing to restart PA talks 'without preconditions,' says spokesman [IBA, Israel]

With IBA to shed some light on the contents of the letter sent by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas is Mark Regev, spokesman for the prime minister, who says that diplomacy must be done with a "great deal of discretion," but adds that Israel is interested in restarting direct talks with the Palestinians without preconditions. IBA asks, "Is Prime Minister Netanyahu willing to make the concessions necessary to move forward in the peace process?"

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UN observers under fire again in Syria [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
Sixty-six people were killed today by the gunfire of al-Assad's brigades. Most of the victims were killed in Deir az-Zour. Meanwhile, several Syrian cities and towns witnessed heavy shelling. The UN observer team was targeted during a tour in the town of Khan Shaykhun. The Free Syrian Army launched a counterattack on regime forces, and destroyed armored vehicles in the city of Dael, north of Daraa, which witnessed heavy shelling.

Reporter, Male #1
Shells, tanks, and al-Assad brigades; none of these distinguish between a UN observer and a Syrian citizen. In the town of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib, Syrian regime tanks didn't give the residents a chance to chat with UN observers. The regime forces shelled the UN convoy, leaving behind a massacre among the residents. However, none of the observers were hurt in the attack.

Reporter, Male #1
In the town of al-Rastan in Homs Province, activists posted images online showing dozens of injured people by the heavy shelling of al-Assad brigades, which used tanks, rockets, and mortar shells. The activists said that a humanitarian crisis is looming in al-Rastan amid the rubble of destruction caused by the recent heavy shelling.

Reporter, Male #1
A blast rocked the coastal city of Baniyas, killing several people. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, several people were killed by gunfire of regime forces in the countryside of Damascus. Also in the countryside of Damascus, security forces opened indiscriminate fire in the area of Shihab al-Din, killing an infant girl. In addition, a man was killed by sniper gunfire in the city of Duma.

Reporter, Male #1
The Observatory said that regime forces carried out a campaign of raids and arrests across various parts of Duma, which is considered to be a key protest hub in the countryside of Damascus. In the countryside of Daraa, the area of Lajah witnessed heavy rocket shelling overnight, causing panic and fear among the residents. In Dael, Syrian armed forces targeted residential homes with moderate and heavy shelling, amid the sound of explosions and gunfire. Several people were killed or injured in the shelling. On the other hand, the Free Syrian Army launched a counterattack on regime forces and destroyed armored vehicles in the city of Dael.

Reporter, Male #1
The scene on the ground was not much different than the one in Hama and its countryside, especially in al-Qisour neighborhood, which has been rocked by a series of powerful and simultaneous explosions since last night, amid the heavy gunfire of security forces, which used automatic weapons. Furthermore, a series of powerful explosions rocked the city of Homs and its countryside, as regime forces opened fire along the Siteen Street connecting Deir Baalba with al-Biyadah. In Idlib's Jisr al-Shughour, security forces stormed the residential homes and arrested several minors between the ages of 15 and 18.

Reporter, Male #1
In another development, the student opposition movement in Syria announced a general strike protesting the storming of the University of Damascus by security forces, which opened fire on campus. This news comes a day after regime forces and shabeha launched a fierce attack on the College of Electrical and Mechanic Engineering. The regime forces opened fire on campus and arrested dozens of students, prompting the university's administration to suspend classes.

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UNHRC to discuss Bahrain's human rights record in quadrennial review [Press TV, Iran]

The UN Human Rights Council will discuss Bahrain's rights record in its upcoming Universal Periodic Review, or UPR, in Geneva. The UPR examines the human rights records of all human member states; Bahrain's human rights situation will be discussed on May 21. The Persian Gulf kingdom has come under fire for its human rights violations in the wake of the revolution that has shaken the US ally since February 2011.

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Iran calls nuclear talks with UN 'constructive' [Press TV, Iran]

Iran says talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear energy program have been constructive. Iran's IAEA ambassador, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, made the announcement before the second day of talks in the Austrian capital Vienna. IAEA Deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts is heading the nuclear watchdog's negotiation team. The talks are reportedly focusing on defining a modality and framework for answers to questions about Iran's nuclear energy program, which Tehran insists is solely for peaceful purposes.

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UK threatens Iran with more sanctions ahead of P5+1 talks [Press TV, Iran]

Britain has threatened Iran with further sanctions ahead of upcoming talks with the P5+1 group. Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Iran would face more sanctions unless it takes concrete steps over its nuclear program, warning that the new sanctions would be gradually strengthened. Iran and the P5+1 are preparing for new talks in Baghdad later this month.

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Witnesses say Iraqi vice president masterminded killings [Press TV, Iran]

In Iraq, victims' families and witnesses have accused Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of masterminding assassinations. They've given testimony at Hashemi's trial in the capital Baghdad. The hearing was over the murders of two security officials and a lawyer. Neither Hashemi nor any of his staff were present in court.

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Airlift of South Sudanese underway in Khartoum [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
One hundred sixty-four South Sudanese were airlifted last night to Juba Airport, in an operation organized by the International Organization for Migration. Nearly 12,000 South Sudanese were stranded in the Nile port of Kosti almost one year ago. The stranded Sudanese left Sudan with mixed feelings after having received orders to leave last month, since the conflict erupted between the neighboring countries. This comes after the UN Security Council issued a resolution demanding both sides settle their differences within a ten week deadline, under penalty of sanctions. Sami al-Shinawi reports from al-Khartoum.

Reporter, Male #1
With heavy footsteps, the caravans head back to South Sudan, whose passengers are thousands of South Sudanese who have been stranded in the river port of Kosti. Many of those returning say that they are on their way to a country that they don't have a sense of belonging to. But it is a final return journey overlapped with feelings of fear of the unknown, and happiness with the new future, despite the uncertainty.

Guest, Female #2
We are going to families in the South; they are ready to receive us. We are good, nothing is wrong.

Reporter, Male #1
Despite the readiness of the southern families and the mixed feelings that appear on the faces of everyone, many expressed regret over leaving the north. But the train of return has departed, and those past years will soon turn into a mere memory.

Guest, Male #2
The good relationship that ties together the people of Sudan and the people of South Sudan has left a big impact on the returnees.

Reporter, Male #1
It is true that the people of Juba in Khartoum were affected by the political crisis, and made them foreigners overnight, and the security tension between both countries has added to their suffering. But with all that in mind, the social and family ties are still strong along the border between them.

Guest, Male #3
The Southerners did not leave because they were expelled, or because they do not have families in Sudan. In fact, they still have family, social, and economic ties with the North.

Reporter, Male #1
Elders, women, and children packed up all their memories to their newly-born nation in a difficult return journey. But it does not lack hope of escaping an economic suffering that has haunted them for long in the North. Although their new nation is still lacking a lot of basic life necessities, it is the political reality that forced them to depart a country in which they were born and raised, to the homeland of their ancestors, which they know nothing about. However, departing in any case will not be like entering, making the north a faded memory in the mind of the Sudanese of Juba. Sami al-Shinawi, Dubai TV, al-Khartoum.