Activists lash out at Morocco's loyalty ceremony as 'backward' [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
Security forces in Rabat dispersed dozens of protestors as they were gathering to hold a symbolic ceremony in front of the Moroccan parliament Wednesday night. The demonstrators were protesting the annual loyalty and allegiance ceremonial rituals, which are usually performed by Moroccan officials in front of the king in observance of Throne Day.

Reporter, Male #2
Moroccan security forces dispersed dozens of demonstrators who were taking a stand against slavery and affirming the sanctity and dignity of human life. The protestors were getting ready to hold a symbolic ceremony in front of parliament to denounce the annual loyalty and allegiance ceremonial rituals, which are usually performed by Moroccan officials in front of the king in observance of the so-called Throne Day. Security forces used batons and sticks to prevent Moroccan activists from gathering in front of parliament. Most of the activists were members of the February 20th movement, which called for the protest on social networking sites under the banner, "A celebration of loyalty to freedom and dignity." They denounced the bowing and kneeling practices that usually take place during the king's ceremony of allegiance.

Reporter, Male #2
Foreign news agency correspondents and Moroccan citizens were savagely assaulted over their support for human dignity, citing that all divine religions prohibit slavery. Moroccan citizens said that such practices remind them that their country is living in medieval times, and not in the twenty-first century. They widely resent the way the king's celebration of loyalty and allegiance is being conducted.

Reporter, Male #2
During the ceremony, senior civic and military officials as well politicians wearing traditional clothes vowed loyalty to the king by bowing and kneeling down in front of him, after a long wait under the direct heat of the sun. It's a display of the humiliation of the people by their king who appointed himself as above everyone else. The celebration of allegiance and loyalty is an official ceremony held annually in the Kingdom of Morocco on July 30, or occasionally on other dates, with the aim of renewing allegiance and loyalty to the Moroccan monarch.

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Demonstrations in Saudi Arabia's northwest in solidarity with prisoners [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Demonstrations in solidarity with male and female prisoners held in the Saudi regime's jails are continuing for the third consecutive day in the northwestern province of al-Jawf. Al-Jawf residents chanted slogans denouncing the indiscriminate campaign of political detention that is being carried out by the regime. They also held banners that read, "The people want to liberate the prisons." The demonstrators called for the immediate release of prisoners held in Saudi intelligence-run jails in the regions of Hayeth, al-Tarfiyah, and Dahaban, vowing to continue the popular mobilization until their demands are met.

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Bahraini police attack protestors mourning slain teenager [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
The Bahraini police arrested eight people following clashes with protestors. Police fired tear gas in the midst of Molotov cocktails. These clashes come days after the Bahraini police killed a Shiite young man. More details in this report.

Reporter, Male #1
Once again, tension returns to Bahrain's streets: protests, then clashes, then arrests. This time, the crisis started after the mourning ceremony for a young Shiite man Hussam al-Haddad ended. He was killed by the police that claimed self-defense, accusing al-Haddad and his companions of throwing petrol bombs at police members.

Reporter, Male #1
A group of mourners held daily protests to eulogize their dead and to demand the downfall of the government. They also headed to the grave of the slain man marking the end of condolences while chanting slogans condemning the government. This led the authorities to consider these marches to be unlicensed protests, especially since they were held after a series of demonstrations condemning the killing of the young man.

Guest, Male #2
The Bahrainis who belong to "the People of the House," peace be upon them, the Shiites, traditionally go in groups to the grave after receiving condolences to mark the end of the ceremonies. The problem is that the authorities view such a march as unlicensed. This issue is very problematic because the authorities are unable or unwilling to acknowledge that they are familiar with our customs and traditions.

Reporter, Male #2
The Ministry of the Interior broadcast these images, and issued a statement announcing the arrest of eight people following what it described as "saboteurs" throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at security forces from the roof of a mosque. The ministry also accused another group of people of shutting down a number of roads, and protesting without receiving prior permission.

Guest, Female #2 (Samira Rajab, Bahraini Information Minister and Bahraini Government Official Spokeswoman)
After they ended the funeral ceremonies, they went to many alleys, and not just to one place. It was an attempt to circumvent security forces. Then, the forces repeatedly told them to disperse and to leave the area, but they did not do so.

Reporter, Male #2
These videos were posted by the opposition on social networking sites, showing protestors shutting down public roads with burning tires. The opposition also posted other videos showing clashes between the protestors and members of the police who used tear gas. The Bahraini government is accusing the Shiite opposition of adopting an Iranian agenda, but the opposition denies the claim, confirming that its demands for democracy are legitimate. Imad Chehab, BBC.

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Egypt's revolutionary socialists speak out against IMF loan [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Egypt is starting a phase of economic advancement with the support of the International Monetary Fund. Managing Director of the IMF Christine Lagarde concluded a visit to Cairo, where she discussed with Egyptian officials ways to endorse the Egyptian government's plans in the transitional period. The Egyptian government asked for nearly USD 4.8 billion dollars from the IMF, which is more than the USD 3.2 billion dollars that was initially proposed. Tawfiq Ahmed reports from Cairo.

Reporter, Male #2
After the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Freedom and Justice Party, clearly rejected a loan of almost USD 3.2 billion, the dismissed al-Ganzouri government sought to obtain the loan during a session of the currently dissolved parliament. Egypt officially asked for a loan of USD 4.8 billion from the IMF while its director was in the country.

Guest, Male #3 (Hisham Kandil, Egyptian Prime Minister)
God willing, the loan will be over five years, with a grace period of 39 months, and the interest rate on the loan is 1.1 percent.

Reporter, Male #2
As for Christine Lagarde, the director of the International Monetary Fund, she confirmed that the fund's technical delegation will arrive to Cairo in early September to discuss the planned funding program with the Egyptian authorities. She clarified that the fund supports countries passing through critical periods.

Guest, Female #1 (Christine Lagarde, Director of the IMF)
The IMF seeks to support the Egyptian government and people to strengthen stability and security, and so economists can align that with economic stability. President Morsi indicated to me that this is his goal.

Reporter, Male #2
Lagarde's visit came as the central bank announced in its latest statement that Egypt's foreign reserves fell by nearly USD 21 billion after the revolution. It also came as some parties and movements spoke of their rejection of foreign loans.

Guest, Male #4 (Mohamed Fouad, Revolutionary Socialists Movement)
We announce our rejection of any new debt that Egypt takes from the IMF, because the conditions that were imposed by the IMF on all the loans we took before exhausted the Egyptian economy and condemned it to its current status. There are many dilemmas and many problems with these loans; most importantly is that they eliminate stable Egyptian sovereignty, and render the country constantly subservient to the IMF.

Reporter, Male #1
If an agreement is reached between the two sides, then that will positively reflect on Egypt in three aspects. First, the loan will raise the value of foreign reserves. Second, it will contribute to filling the budget deficit. And finally, it will receive a certification from the IMF that Egypt is able of pay off its loans, which would then enable it to get loans from other institutions.

Reporter, Male #1
Egypt is really striving to get a loan it believes has many advantages amid the difficult economic situation it is facing, but some economic experts believe that it will be place the burden on poor citizens and further impoverish them. Tawfiq Ahmed, Dubai TV, Cairo.

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Gantz warns Iran against attacking Israel [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
Israel conveyed an implicit warning to Iran that it will face the might of the Israeli army if it takes any action. As for the United States, it rushed to send an aircraft carrier to the region ahead of schedule in light of the threats facing the Middle East, of which Iran constitutes an essential part.

Reporter, Female #2
In between the military threats on one hand and diplomatic calls for calm on the other, various statements on the existence of Israel and the Iranian nuclear case are being expressed by Israeli and American officials.

Reporter, Female #2
The Israeli army's Chief of Staff Benny Gantz sent a warning to those who believe they can eliminate Israel, implying Iran, whose officials reiterated that Israel is a cancerous tumor that will soon disappear.

Reporter, Female #2
Gantz clarified that threats to eliminate Israel demonstrate an underestimation of Israel's might and capabilities. He said the Israeli army has the world's best and bravest soldiers and commanders, and they are standing steadfast along the country's borders.

Reporter, Female #2
As for the United States, it was quick to send an aircraft carrier to the region four months ahead of schedule due to the threats facing the Middle East, of which Iran constitutes an essential part, according to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Reporter, Female #2
Panetta confirmed that his country is maintaining a force in the region due to the risk of Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and amid the Arab Spring revolutions, which present challenges. And despite this mobilization, the US continues to try to calm the situation, as the State Department's spokeswoman confirmed that it conveyed a message to Israel saying there is still time for diplomacy to solve the crisis with Iran over its nuclear program.

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Hezbollah simulates capture of Israeli cities in massive military exercise [IBA, Israel]

Lebanon's Hezbollah has reportedly completed a massive military exercise simulating the capture of highly populated areas in Israel's northern Galilee. According to a report in the Lebanese al-Joumhouria newspaper, over 10 thousand Hezbollah troops took part in the maneuvers, which were supervised by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and senior officials from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

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US president, British PM warn of foreign intervention if Assad regime uses chemical weapons [IBA, Israel]

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are warning the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that they will be forced to intervene immediately if Damascus deploys chemical weapons, or even threatens to use its chemical arsenal against the rebel forces. In a telephone conversation, the two leaders agreed that any movement of chemical weapons from Syria's stockpiles would not be tolerated, and would spark an international response. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also instructed the American armed forces to form contingency plans to secure the weapons if it becomes necessary to do so.

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Migron residents protest evacuation of West Bank outpost [IBA, Israel]

Dozens of Migron residents demonstrated outside the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem against the recommendation of Attorney General Yeuda Weinstein that the West Bank outpost be evacuated next Tuesday. Weinstein submitted his response to the High Court earlier this week following the residents' petition claiming that the evacuation should be canceled following their purchase of portions of the land from Palestinians.

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Knesset speaker personally apologizes to Arab teenager for Jewish attack [IBA, Israel]

Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin went to the Hadassa Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, where he paid a visit to Jamal Julani, the Arab youth who was severely beaten by a mob of Jewish teens in the city's Zion Square early Friday morning nearly one week ago. Rivlin said that he came to give his personal apology to the 17-year-old victim and express his condemnation over the attack, saying that such acts threaten the democratic nature of the Jewish state. So far, eight suspects have been arrested in connection to the incident.

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Egyptian forces beef up Sinai presence; Israeli officials nervous [IBA, Israel]

Egyptian forces continue to beef up their presence in the Sinai as part of Cairo's crackdown on suspected terrorists in the area. Additional tanks and armored personnel carriers have been deployed along the southern border. Israeli officials have expressed fear that the Egyptian government may be trying to unilaterally alter the terms of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, but they have so far refrained from issuing any official statements out of concern of straining relations with the new government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

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Ban Ki-moon to attend Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran [IBA, Israel]

Despite opposition from the United States and Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed his intention to attend next week's scheduled summit of leaders from Non-Aligned Nations meeting in Tehran. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Netanyahu told Ban that such a move would be a "big mistake" that would grant legitimacy to Iran.

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Israel releases Syrian political prisoner after 27 years [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
The Israeli occupation forces have released the longest-held Syrian prisoner, Sidqi Suleiman al-Maqt, after he completed his sentence 27 years after his arrest.

Reporter, Male #1
The Israeli occupation forces released the longest-held Syrian prisoner, Sidqi Suleiman al-Maqt, at the end of his sentence. He spent 27 years in captivity on charges of resisting the occupation and opposing its projects. According to the Syrian news agency, SANA, the longest-held Syrian and Arab prisoner by Israel, the hero Sidqi Suleiman al-Maqt, has embraced freedom and returned to the occupied Golan Heights.

Reporter, Male #1
Al-Maqt, who was born in the town of Majd al-Shams in 1967, is an Arab leftist. He was arrested on August 23, 1985, and charged with participating with some of his comrades in the establishment of an underground resistance movement in the Golan. He was subjected to different types of physical and psychological torture after the Lod military court sentenced him to 27 years in prison. He was transferred to many different detention centers, including Nafha, Ashkelon, Bir es-Sabaa, al-Ramla, al-Damun, Tel Mond, al-Jalameh, and Shatta.

Reporter, Male #1
Al-Maqt became the longest held Arab prisoner in an Israeli jail after Lebanese detainee Samir al-Kuntar, who spent nearly 30 years in Israeli prisons, was freed. The number of Syrian detainees still held in the occupation's prisons is 10, and they include the hero Sham Kamal Shams, who was sentenced for a second time to 13 years, and the militant Majid al-Shaer, who was sentenced to five and a half years, and al-Shaer's son who received three years. So congratulations to freedom that welcomed its new groom, in hopes of completing that circle of freedom with the release of all prisoners.

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Syrian forces continue to target journalists as death toll rises to 19 this year alone [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
The body of Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto was transported to Istanbul Airport ahead of its transfer to Tokyo. Yamamoto was killed in Aleppo in the shelling by the Syrian regime's army.

Presenter, Female #1
The killing of Yamamoto, the sixth foreign journalist to be killed in Syria since the revolution began over 17 months ago, raised questions about the targeting of journalists by the Damascus regime attempting to silence the voice of truth.

Reporter, Male #2
This car is carrying the body of Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto before a sad trip to her final resting place. Mika's body was transported from Aleppo to southern Turkey's city of Gaziantep, before being transferred to Japan. She was killed by the gunfire of the Syrian regime's army. Mika was a victim of the targeting of journalists and the media in Syria, which probably makes the country the most dangerous place in the world for reporters. International organizations that advocate for freedom of the press are concerned about this phenomenon.

Guest, Female #2 (Soazig Dollet, Reporters Without Borders Spokeswoman)
Our organization has been closely following all violations against journalists since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, whether they are committed by regime forces or the opposition's forces.

Reporter, Male #2
After Mika, Syrian journalist Mosaab al-Odaallah was murdered by elements of the regime's security for covering the events for media outlets, according to opposition activists. Regime forces also killed Omar al-Zamel, a media activist in Daraa, and before him, colleague Omar Khashram, our Al Jazeera correspondent, was seriously injured in Aleppo. Ali Abbas, a journalist at the official Syrian Arab News Agency was killed in front of his house near Damascus and a Syrian government television team was kidnapped.

Reporter, Male #2
Anti-regime activists accuse the government of waging a systematic campaign against journalists in an attempt to silence them. The anti-government Syrian Journalists' Association estimated that 54 Syrian journalists and reporters have been killed since the beginning of the revolution. In addition, others have been injured and detained.

Reporter, Male #2
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for Journalists estimated that 19 journalists have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the year. French journalist Gilles Jacquier was the first foreign journalist to be killed in Syria in January 2012. French media outlets accused the regime's army of killing him.

Reporter, Male #2
Among the most notable victims of the regime's targeting of media workers is Lebanese television cameraman Ali Shaaban. However, the regime accuses the Free Army and the opposition of targeting government media employees. The government funded Al-Ikhbariya channel was subjected to a destructive explosion in June. The regime believes a media campaign is being waged against it.

Reporter, Male #2
It seems that the government's understanding of war is controlling its attitude toward journalists, who convey a facet of the truth that the regime does not want the world to hear.

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More reports of foreigners joining Syrian opposition to fight regime [Press TV, Iran]

More foreigners join insurgents as many Syrians celebrate the army's advances in the northwestern city of Aleppo. The militants say the foreigners are fighting alongside them against the Syrian government. Some al-Qaeda-linked militants are also said to be among them.

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Pakistan summons US diplomat over assassination drone attacks [Press TV, Iran]

Pakistan has increased its condemnation of the United States. The US Embassy in Pakistan says Islamabad has conveyed a message of protests against attacks from the US. Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned a senior US diplomat to say that such attacks are unlawful and are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.

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Taliban claims killing six US soldiers in Afghanistan [Press TV, Iran]

The Taliban says that it has killed at least six US troops in Afghanistan after hitting a military convoy in the city of Bagram. Afghan officials have confirmed the attack but did not give any casualty numbers.

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New Somali parliament to elect speaker [Press TV, Iran]

Somalia's newly-inaugurated 275-member parliament has met officially for the first time in Mogadishu. They have agreed to form a 15-member electoral committee to oversee the election of the new speaker of the national assembly, which will culminate in the election of the president, and Somalia will have its first formal elected government in decades. However, international groups say that the current political process has been as undemocratic as the one it seeks to replace, with unprecedented levels of political interference, corruption, and intimidation.