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Muslim Brotherhood's Morsy claims win in Egyptian presidential election, UN demands the evacuation of civilians from Syria's Homs, Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in Gaza, and more.
Al Jazeera English | Nov 22
Smugglers bringing in goods to Gaza from Egypt have taken a hit after the recent Israeli attacks on the strip. Bombs have destroyed many of the tu...
Muslim Brotherhood's Morsy claims win in Egyptian presidential election [BBC Arabic, UK]
Presenter, Female #1
The Muslim Brotherhood announced that its presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsy, is leading the preliminary results of the Egyptian presidential elections. Morsy's campaign spokesman said he has 61 percent of the total votes counted thus far, placing him ahead of his rival Ahmed Shafiq. The spokesman for Morsy also announced that the latter will begin forming a new government one week after the announcement of the official results of the elections, which are expected on Wednesday. The spokesman said that Morsy will resign from his position as the head of the Freedom and Justice Party as soon as the results are announced.
Reporter, Male #1
In Egypt, Tahrir Square is receiving revelers. Mohamed Morsy's supporters announced their presidential candidate's victory in a runoff round that kept Egyptians holding their breath until the early hours of Monday morning.
Guest Male #2 (Mohamed Morsy, Egyptian Presidential Candidate)
The dear families, who voted for me, and the dear families who did not vote for me, all of them are the children of Egypt, and all of them are my family and neighbors. All of them hold a dear place in my heart.
Reporter, Male #1
In the center of Cairo, the Freedom and Justice Party's campaign held a press conference, announcing Morsy's lead in the runoff round with a comfortable margin over his rival, Ahmed Shafiq, in different governorates.
Guest, Male #3
The total number of eligible voters before this committee is 86,932. The total number of voters who turned out to vote is 45,781.
Reporter, Male #1
In Ahmed Shafiq's campaign headquarters, anxiety had been visible on people's faces since midnight. They were following updates from the campaign representative, and waiting for a surprise that would differ from the indications received by their rival's campaign as they confirmed their candidate is approaching the presidential seat.
Guest, Male #4 (Ahmed Sarhan, Ahmed Shafiq Campaign Media Spokesman)
Until now, the vote-counting process is continuing in committees. Only about a quarter of the results were announced. The turn out is about 40 percent, so we are talking about 20 million votes; whoever collects more than 10 million votes wins the presidential election. We are waiting the results of the major governorates like Cairo, al-Sharqiya, al-Dakahlia, al-Monofiya, al-Gharbia, and Kafr al-Sheikh.
Reporter, Male #1
Two days before the Supreme Electoral Commission's official announcement of Egypt's next president, the counting records, published by the Freedom and Justice's candidate, point to Morsy's lead. He has started celebrating and making vows to the Egyptian people. However, Shafiq's campaign is continuing to reject these results, assuring that the hours to come may result in their candidate's victory. Ahmed Khaireddine, BBC, Cairo.
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UN demands the evacuation of civilians from Syria's Homs [New TV, Lebanon]
Presenter, Female #1
The head of the international observers' delegation in Syria, Robert Mood, confirmed attempts to evacuate the besieged families in Homs have failed. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad announced that the Syrian leadership has achieved three or four goals of the delegation's mission.
Reporter, Female #2
The head of the UN observers' delegation in Syria, Major-General Robert Mood, urged the Syrian army and the opposition's fighters to allow the evacuation of women, children, elderly, and injured people from the conflict zones. Mood confirmed the attempts to transfer civilians from the besieged city of Homs last week have failed. Major-General Mood's request came after he announced the UN observers' mission in Syria is being suspended due to the escalation of violence.
Reporter, Female #2
For her part, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay demanded to hold accountable those responsible for the assaults on the international observers in Syria, and an end to the attacks on civilians. She accused, again, the Syrian regime of committing crimes against humanity, using heavy weaponry and shelling residential areas.
Reporter, Female #2
Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said that Syria's leadership supports the Annan plan and has implemented a large part of what was stipulated in the six-point plan. He stated that despite everything that is being said, Syria is supporting the mission of the observers and has provided the delegation all the facilitation it requires. He noted that the Syrian government cares about protecting the observers and their personal safety, affirming that the observers' delegation was never barred from reaching any site. Al-Miqdad believes that equipping the armed groups with the latest deadly weapons and communication devices is hindering the process of reaching a peaceful solution.
Reporter, Female #2
In turn, Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi indicated during his visit to Cyprus that the UN observers' delegation cannot carry out its mission if the two conflicting sides do not cooperate with the delegation.
Guest, Male #1 (Nabil al-Arabi, Secretary-General of the Arab League)
When there are two parties fighting each other, the international observers cannot simply be monitors. Someone should be there to impose a ceasefire.
Reporter, Female #2
On the ground, some areas in the countryside of Damascus witnessed violent clashes and shelling that specifically targeted the cities of Qudsaya and Duma in the countryside of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory asserted that regime forces resumed the shelling of the city of Homs, and are carrying out operations in Damascus Province, indicating that the death toll of this violence has reached 13.
Reporter, Female #2
In addition, Russia is preparing to send two amphibious warships to Syria's port of Tartus, according to Interfax News Agency's report, quoting a source from Russia's naval command. The source indicated that the two warships will carry a large number of sailors, and the ships can be used to evacuate Russian citizens.
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Syrian army finds Israeli weapons, Jordanian military uniforms in Latakia's al-Haffa [Press TV, Iran]
Press TV spoke with residents of al-Haffa in Syria's Latakia Province after the Syrian army cleared the area of armed groups. Residents said that the groups damaged infrastructure and forced them to protest against their will. The army found Israeli weapons and Jordanian military uniforms at the site.
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Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in Gaza [Al-Alam, Iran]
Presenter, Female #1
Two Palestinian resistance fighters were martyred and an Israeli settler was killed in a gunfire exchange during a commando operation that targeted an Israeli site near the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip. In addition, two Palestinians were martyred in an air strike on the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.
Reporter, Male #1
The Palestinian reaction to the Israeli entity's aggression was swift, as air strikes on the Gaza Strip intensified in the last several days and targeted unarmed citizens. A Palestinian operation targeted Israelis near the racist separation wall 30 kilometers south of the Gaza Strip, leading to the martyrdom of two Palestinian resistance fighters and the death of an Israeli settler during a gunfire exchange between the two sides. Following the operation, the occupation's army encircled the area and imposed tightened security measures.
Reporter, Male #1
The commando operation came in response to the air strikes, which the occupation launched days ago, and resumed today, with Israeli warplanes shelling sites used by al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement. The air strikes martyred two Palestinians in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli escalation was witnessed through intensified air strikes that targeted the city of Rafah in southern Gaza earlier, wounding five people, including a woman and her child.
Reporter, Male #1
Israeli warplanes launched a missile on a metal workshop in the town of Rafah, injuring passersby and damaging a number of buildings nearby. The West Bank was not spared from the racist Israeli aggression either. Two Palestinians were martyred, and two others were wounded when an Israeli truck driver opened fire at them in the West Bank. A Palestinian medical source confirmed that the two martyrs died from fatal gunshot wounds, one in the head and the other in the neck, near the occupied city of Hebron.
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Israeli contractor killed in bombing during border fence construction [IBA, Israel]
An Israeli contractor and 36-year-old resident of Haifa was killed by terrorists who entered Israel along the Sinai border with Egypt. He was working on construction of the southern border fence when he was attacked. IDF forces killed two gunmen.
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Suicide bombing kills southern Yemen military commander in Aden [Al Jazeera, Qatar]
Presenter, Male #1
The commander of Yemen's southern military region, General Salem Ali Qatan, was killed in a suicide bombing that targeted him after leaving his home in the city of Aden. In addition, two military officers were killed, and 13 others were wounded in the attack.
Presenter, Female #1
A military source said that the attack carries al-Qaeda's hallmarks. The Yemeni army, under Qatan's leadership, has recently recaptured territories that were under al-Qaeda's control.
Reporter, Female #2
Revenge from the man responsible for the expulsion of al-Qaeda members from the southern Yemeni provinces of Shabwa and Abyan was swift. The Yemeni army achieved a victory in the southern provinces only a short time ago. And as a result, the commander of Yemen's southern military region, General Salem Ali Qatan, was killed. A suicide bomber blew himself up after General Qatan left his home in the southern city of Aden. Some of Qatan's aides were killed and several soldiers and passersby were injured in the attack.
Reporter, Female #2
Major Qatan was appointed as commander of the southern region last March. He led fierce battles against members of al-Qaeda. The confrontations ended with the expulsion of the extreme elements from the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, which are now under the state's control.
Reporter, Female #2
One of Qatan's close asides described the general's death as "a major loss for Yemen and its efforts in the fight against al-Qaeda." The Yemeni leadership, which emerged as a result of the Gulf Initiative, vowed to crush al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula. Al-Qaeda has recently expanded its influence in the region by seizing control of key cities and towns in the south. In the past few weeks, the Yemeni army, backed by US drone attacks, gradually recaptured these territories, especially Abyan and Jaar. The army has achieved successes over al-Qaeda within 3 weeks, with the credit being largely attributed to General Qatan.
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New round of Iran, P5+1 talks begin in Moscow [Dubai TV, UAE]
Presenter, Male #1
The Iranian nuclear issue has been transferred to the Russian capital Moscow, specifically to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The new round of talks between the P5+1 group and Iran began with the attendance of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The last round of talks, held in Istanbul in April, failed to reach an agreement on reducing Iran's uranium enrichment activities. The six major powers at the time demanded Tehran to cease its 20 percent uranium enrichment, and swap its uranium stockpile with the nuclear fuel that it needs.
Presenter, Male #1
Joining us from Moscow over the phone is our correspondent Karim al-Mudhaffar. Karim, are the talks ongoing between the representatives from the six-nation group and Iran?
Reporter, Male #2
Yes, the negotiations are ongoing, but behind closed doors. So there is scarce information about what these meetings will achieve. There are also expectations that the meetings will last until tomorrow.
Presenter, Male #1
Is there a ceiling of expectations for these meetings?
Reporter, Male #2
As I've said, information is scarce; however, according to the little information that was leaked so far, the Moscow meetings will achieve little to no progress. The chance of making progress is still almost nonexistent, because all sides are adamant about their positions.
Reporter, Male #2
While Iran is showing readiness to accept the proposals from the international mediators, it is also laying down five conditions that it insists the six-nation group must approve. However, the West believes that Iran's conditions are pointless, and that Iran should accept its proposals first.
Presenter, Male #1
Karim, these talks aren't the first of their kind between the superpowers and Iran. Does anything distinguish today's talks?
Reporter, Male #2
There are distinctions, especially, like I said, the conditions put forth by Iran and the condition put forth by the six-member commission. But Moscow is seeking to achieve any progress in this round that could be counted in its favor. But unfortunately, until this point, there are no optimistic indications in that direction.
Presenter, Male #1
We will then wait for the results of these talks. Our correspondent Karim al-Mudhafar from Moscow, thank you.
Presenter, Male #1
From Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad presented an offer to the superpowers, announcing that his country is ready to stop enriching uranium by 20 percent if it received guarantees that they will supply it the nuclear fuel it needs. Ahmedinejad stressed Iran's readiness to negotiate its 20 percent uranium enrichment, in the framework of its cooperation with the superpowers.
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NGOs petition UNESCO World Heritage Committee after Turkish dam threatens Tigris River [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]
Presenter, Male #1
There are calls to include the Tigris River on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Presenter, Female #1
These calls were put forth by regional and international organizations. Alaa al-Khafaji has the details.
Reporter, Male #2
By not placing strategic policies aimed at guaranteeing Iraq's share of resources flowing through neighboring countries, which account for 65 percent of the potential of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in addition to the many dams built by upstream countries, Iraq lost its ability to regulate its water supplies, and control the dwindling water resources.
Reporter, Male #2
This placed Iraq at the mercy of these dams, and the excess water they pour into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The last such project is the Turkish Aliso Dam that Turkey worked on near the Iraqi-Turkish border.
Reporter, Male #2
Studies by international organizations confirmed the dam violates 159 international standards, and could possibly cause the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to dry up, in addition to its negative impact on Iraqi marshal land. This led these organizations to demand a halt to this project.
Reporter, Male #2
However, Turkey insisted on constructing the dam despite the severance of European funding. Organizations from Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and European countries initiated a project to collect the largest number of citizens asking for the Tigris River to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage list. This is a step to protect the river from the possible dangers, as in the case of Turkey building the Aliso Dam. It is also a warning of the negative consequences on future Iraqi water resources.
Reporter, Male #2
This issue requires growing popular participation, and an endorsement of the project as a way to express loyalty to the sacred Tigris River. Alaa al-Khafaji, Iraqiya.