Somalia MPs vote for new president in 'historic' poll [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
The Somali parliament is voting in a special session to choose a new president for the country in the first election of its kind in 40 years.

Presenter, Male #1
The voting started after 25 presidential candidates presented their programs focused on security and rehabilitation of the country. Some candidates promised to combat financial and administrative corruption by establishing independent monitoring and accounting agencies, to protect the appropriation of public funds. They also promised to restructure the Somali army to combat the security challenges facing the country.

Reporter, Male #1
In a highly anticipated move, Somali representatives began a secretive poll to choose the first president to be elected by parliament in Somali for more than 40 years. The presidential race witnessed a heated competition between 22 candidates that aspire to serve as president.

Reporter, Male #1
A number of candidates are considered to have higher chances to winning the presidential seat. However, the actual competition is expected to be swept by Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who is endorsed by the former speaker of parliament, and his Prime Minister Abdul Wali Mohammad, and Professor Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who descends from the same tribe as Sheikh Ahmed.

Reporter, Male #1
Other leading figures are former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Formajo, senior diplomat Abdullahi Ahmed Addou, a former military figure, and a moderate Islamist. But the deals between the candidates may result in surprises that may outweigh one candidate over another, as they are operating within in a political process that lacks parties and is dominated by tribalism.

Guest, Male #3 (Mokhtar Haroun, Political Analyst)
There are some candidates that may possibly be elected as a president of the country, but there may be some surprises as a result of concessions or deals that may occur between the candidates, if none of the candidates win the first round of the elections.

Reporter, Male #2
Holding the elections in Mogadishu received unprecedented attention from citizens of all classes.

Guest, Male #4
We are the rising the generation, we are expressing our happiness that parliament was elected in Somalia, and now we are witnessing presidential elections. We hope that the next president is different from the presidents that were elected outside of the country.

Guest, Female #2
As university students, we welcome these elections, and see them as a positive step towards building a country again.

Reporter, Male #2
The former transitional governments were formed outside of the country that was torn apart by war. After the speaker of parliament was elected for the first time in Somalia, it was the president's turn to be elected. The hope is for this election to mark real change in Somalia's history.

Reporter, Male #2
Somalis are anxiously waiting for the results of the current election process, a result that they hope will yield in electing a man who is capable of solving the security and political crises that the country is facing. Omar Mahmoud, Al Jazeera, Mogadishu.

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IDF shoots, wounds Palestinian man in West Bank city of Hebron [Press TV, Iran]

Israeli forces have shot and wounded a Palestinian man in the West Bank. The shooting took place in the southern city of al-Khalil, also known as Hebron. Israeli sources claim the Palestinian was shot after throwing a firebomb at Israeli forces. Hebron is the largest city in the West Bank, home to about 200,000 Palestinians.

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Palestinians strike to protest rising prices in the West Bank [Press TV, Iran]

Meanwhile, Palestinians in the West Bank have taken to the streets again to protest the high cost of living. Demonstrators demand that the Palestinian Authority take action on the soaring costs of food and fuel, and blame the Israeli occupation and its tough laws as the sources for the price hikes. This is the third consecutive day of protests. Public transportation workers have gone on strike.

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UK's Channel 4 documentary 'Islam: The Untold Story' sparks outrage among Muslims [Press TV, Iran]

Britain's Channel 4 recently broadcast a controversial documentary on the origin of Islam that sparked a wave of criticism worldwide, and Press TV says it is seen by many as another effort by Western media to misrepresent and target the religion under the guise of freedom of speech. The documentary questions the time that the Quran was written, and says that Mecca may not have been the real birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

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US hands over Bagram Prison administration to Afghan authorities [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
The United States has officially handed over 3,000 detainees in Bagram Prison to the Afghan authorities. Kabul welcomed the handover of the prison's administration, considering it a leadership victory.

Presenter, Male #1
Afghan authorities held a ceremony to raise the Afghan flag atop the prison, which was attended by American and NATO officials. The head of Bagram Prison, Colonel Robert Taradash, whose mandate expired, said prisoners held by Afghanistan and NATO will not return to the battleground.

Presenter, Male #1
This comes as the occupation forces are intensifying the full transfer of security to the Afghans, and plan to withdraw all combat units by the end of 2014.

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Taliban expresses willingness to work with US on security in Afghanistan [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Male #1
A report indicated a Taliban group is ready to negotiate a comprehensive peace deal that includes long-term American military presence in Afghanistan.

Reporter, Male #2
Once again, the issue of holding negotiations between a group of the Taliban and the United States comes down to the interests of Afghan observers and the movements of this group. In the latest development on the issue, the British newspaper The Guardian said some Taliban figures showed readiness to reach a peace agreement that includes long-term American military presence in Afghanistan, but rejected the leadership of Hamid Karzai.

Reporter, Male #2
The paper published a report by the Royal United Services Institute, RUSI, that said the Taliban are aware of a critical split from al-Qaeda under the framework of compromise, and are ready to hold negotiations on female education, an issue it has always been opposed to. One of the founding members of the movement who gave the interview went further by announcing the willingness of the group to accept the American operations targeting what in Afghanistan are called terrorists to continue until 2024 from five military bases: Kandahar, Mirat, Jalalabad, Mazar al-Sherif, and Kabul. The report also stated that the five leaders who were consulted, said any agreement with the Taliban must be pre-approved by al-Mullah Omar, who confirmed his willingness to hold a ceasefire in the framework of a comprehensive deal.

Reporter, Male #2
This is not the first time talk of negotiations between Washington and the Taliban take place. For two years, the United States has been speaking of negotiations with the group in different parts of the world.

Reporter, Male #2
The latest was the launch of negotiations between Taliban and American representatives on January 2nd of 2011, under Qatari mediation, where an estimated eight Taliban delegates from Pakistan headed to Qatar to establish a political representation bureau for the group. Observers view these negotiations as American recognition of a Taliban group, which contradicts the previous claims given by America to invade Afghanistan.

Reporter, Male #2
And it appears that America's intentions behind these negotiations are to guarantee a safe exit for its forces, as if it had succeeded in its mission while exiting under a face-saving political agreement, as the level of violence in Afghanistan has hit a record high since the invasion.

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Fugitive Iraqi VP al-Hashemi rejects death sentence, calls terror trial a 'sham' [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi waged a clear attack against the death sentence verdict that was issued against him in absentia by the Iraqi criminal court in Baghdad yesterday. In a press conference from Turkey, al-Hashemi rejected the verdict saying that his trial is a sham and that the case is political, expressing his willingness to appear before a fair judiciary, and not the judiciary which he described as corrupt. Al-Hashemi called on Iraqis to stand up to what he confirmed are attempts by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to incite sectarian strife.

Guest, Male #2 (Tariq al-Hashemi, Iraqi Vice President)
The court deprived me even of the right to have defense witnesses, and from constitutional immunity, and from my legal rights to transfer the case from Baghdad to Kurdistan or Kirkuk. This once again confirms that the entire case is political and not criminal, and aims to topple me politically. The verdict is unjust, political, and illegitimate, and I will not acknowledge it.

Presenter, Male #1
The verdict against Tariq al-Hashemi returns the political conflict to the forefront, as it also reminds Iraqis of the short period of time that turned their vice president into a primary defendant in terrorism cases.

Presenter, Male #1
This comes as the Iraqi judiciary issued an arrest warrant against him on December 19th of 2011. After the warrant was issued, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave him 48 hours to clear his name. During this grace period, al-Hashemi left from Baghdad to al-Sulaymaniyah through mediation efforts by Iraqi president Jalal Talibani, while three of his bodyguards were arrested.

Presenter, Male #1
However, the mediation efforts did not succeed at canceling the warrant, which forced him to leave the country, saying that the accusation is political and not criminal. However, it did not halt his trial, and the first hearing was held on May 15th. Joining from Baghdad is Dr. Ihsan al-Shimary, professor of political science at Baghdad University, welcome. In your opinion, what are the political and security implications that this verdict will bring to Iraq, especially after a series of explosions by booby-trapped cars rocked areas of Baghdad after the verdict was issued?

Guest, Male #3 (Dr. Ihsan al-Shimary, Professor of Political Science at Baghdad University)
Certainly, the response may have come in two ways. The first is related to the political implications. His Iraqi list has completely rejected this verdict, and today it is in the process of issuing a statement concerning the nature of the death sentence verdict that was issued against one of its leaders.

Guest, Male #3
Certainly there is another side. There are implications and major repercussions that were used by some armed groups and as soon as this verdict was announced by the criminal court.

Guest, Male #3
So there were organized operations, and then these armed groups are trying to benefit from the nature of the political conflict between the Iraqi political forces. Yes, the case of the trial may be import, but with the nature of the situation, I don't think it deepened the political crisis, which is certainly very turbulent, and similar to the political atmosphere inside Iraq. Also, there is a lack of trust between political forces, and it came through a verdict announced by the criminal court.

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Syrian forces resume shelling of Damascus neighborhoods as rebels execute 20 soldiers in Aleppo [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian General Commission said 29 people were killed today by regime forces, most of whom in Damascus and Aleppo. Activists confirmed that the Syrian army resumed shelling several neighborhoods of Aleppo at dawn, as fighting continued in southern Damascus, particularly in the center of al-Tadamon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced the execution of 20 regime soldiers by armed opponents in Aleppo.

Presenter, Male #1
These are daily occurrences in Aleppo: death in the city's neighborhoods and streets. The battles in Aleppo remain far from being settled, which justifies their viciousness and brutality. These confrontations have transformed the city into a battleground, whose toll is paid by the residents' blood and properties.

Presenter, Male #1
The heinous bombing of the local stadium and the number of victims sent a message to the international and humanitarian communities about the fate of civilians in the struggle in Syria. The bombing of the local stadium, near a regime checkpoint at the Mezlat al-Furat al-Ardiya, caused dozens of deaths and injuries.

Presenter, Male #1
It's one episode in the long struggle that resumed today in bloody confrontations between regime forces and armed opposition in the al-Sukkari neighborhoods, al-Shaar, and al-Sakhour. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the killing of five civilians in air strikes targeting al-Marja, al-Sakhour, Hanano, and Tarik al-Bar neighborhoods.

Presenter, Male #1
In a statement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 20 members of the regime forces were executed by gunmen affiliated with the armed opposition brigades in the city of Aleppo. In the Syrian capital, regime forces are trying to cleanse a number of the capital's rebellious neighborhoods of the pockets of armed opposition members.

Presenter, Male #1
Their operations are targeting al-Tadamon and al-Maidan neighborhoods, and the surroundings of al-Yarmouk camp, where regime patrols were visible, along with checkpoints manned by what is known as the "popular committees" that support the government forces.

Presenter, Male #1
In the countryside of Damascus, opposition activists confirmed the killing and injury of a number of civilians during the shelling of al-Seyida Zainab area. Opposition activists spoke of human losses resulting from the shelling on areas in the countryside of Daraa, and in the towns of Hama, Deir az-Zour, and Idlib where the armed opposition had gathered.

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US State Secretary denies Israeli PM claims of discussion on red line for Iran [IBA, Israel]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel and the US are discussing what kind of red lines need to be drawn in order to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear development at a time when sanctions are proving to be ineffective. Speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Netanyahu said Tehran will not cease its nuclear development unless it sees clear determination from Western countries. However, in an interview with Bloomberg News, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Obama administration is not setting deadlines for Iran, and still considers negotiations as the best approach to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.

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German FM holds talks with Israel on Iranian nuclear issue [IBA, Israel]

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle wrapped up his whirlwind visit to Israel by holding high-level talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Iranian nuclear issue dominated the discussions. The German diplomat urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table with substantial offers.

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Ehud Barak: Israel may reoccupy Gaza [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
Revealing the nature of his hostile government, the occupation army's minister Ehud Barak said he does not rule out occupying parts of the Gaza Strip in the future. During a conference in Herzliya addressing his army's aggression on Gaza in 2008, Barak added that his army is able to reoccupy Gaza and control it if a political decision is taken, unveiling that they will also occupy Rafah during this aggression.

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EU mulls imposing ban on 'Made in Israel' goods [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Female #1
As part of a growing action, a Greek diplomat revealed that the European Union is seriously looking into banning settlement products in the countries of the union.

Presenter, Female #1
The website for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharanoth quoted the Greek diplomat saying that the "EU's committees are currently deliberating on the issue of settlement products and are expected to present their conclusions to the EU Executive Commission for its decision on the matter" this month.

Presenter, Female #1
The website noted that the British government had requested legal consultation regarding settlements, and that legal experts confirmed that in their opinion, settlements are illegal.

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Rights groups call for self-determination of Western Sahara [Algerie TV, Algeria]

Presenter, Female #1
Ahead of the United Nations' fourth committee on decolonization in New York in October, a meeting was held today between the president of the advisory committee for promoting and protecting human rights, Farouk Qusanteni, and the advisor for the Sahrawi president at the headquarters of the National Committee for solidarity with the Sahrawi people. Ahmed Amin Dreidi reports.

Reporter, Male #1
There's no talk of human rights in the Western desert, clear breaches and blatant violations that according to experts, do not reflect a single article of international treaties that recognize the people's right of self determination.

Guest, Male #2 (Al-Hassan Hussein Lahraitani, Advisor to the Sahrawi Presidency)
Certainly, the struggle will continue. It is continuing and will continue until the Sahrawi people fulfill their goals that are embodied in the right of self-determination, and their rights for independence and freedom.

Guest, Male #3 (Farouk Qusanteni, President of Advisory Committee for Promoting and Protecting Human Rights)
We direct a call to the United Nations to bear its responsibility, and to take the expected stance, and that is to allow the Sahrawi people to hold a referendum on self-determination.

Guest, Male #4 (Mehriz al-Amari, President of the Algerian Committee for Solidarity with the Saharawi People)
We should organize our efforts to send a strong message to the United Nations to bear its responsibilities and to protect these people.

Reporter, Male #1
This is a historic and political issue that international activists, and the oppressed Sahrawi people in occupied territories, hold the Moroccan occupier fully responsible for.