Kenyan forces surround al-Shabab militants' final stronghold [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Fighting continues to rage in and around the coastal Somali city of Kismayo between forces loyal to al-Shabab Islamist movement, which was in control of the city, and Kenyan forces, which launched a predawn offensive from three fronts. The objective is to expel the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab movement from its final and most powerful strategic stronghold in Somalia.

Reporter, Male #2
In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammad Ali announced that there is no place for the Islamic al-Shabab militants in the new Somalia. At the same time, his words were translated into military action on the ground in Somalia.

Reporter, Male #2
The predawn Kenyan attack on Kismayo was launched from three fronts, land and sea. The objective is to capture the last stronghold of the Islamic al-Shabab movement in Somalia. While reports confirmed that an attack has indeed taken place and was successful to a certain degree, they conflicted over the extent of control gained by the invading Kenyan forces in the coastal city.

Guest, Male #3 (Ali Halni, BBC Mogadishu Correspondent)
With regard to the intensity of gunfire, the battle is not balanced. A large number of al-Shabab fighters are still inside Kismayo. The number is larger than any pervious estimate. They are preparing to launch street battles against the African Union and Somali government forces, which could prolong the war.

Guest, Male #3
The intensity of gunfire and missile attacks will work to the advantage of the government and African Union forces. However, the situation remains sketchy at this time. The area is witnessing an explosive military escalation, which continues until now.

Reporter, Male #2
However, the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab movement confirmed on their radio and Twitter accounts that they are still resisting the invading forces in Kismayo. The imminent fall of the city into the hands of Kenyan and African Union forces, which operate under an international mandate in cooperation with Somali government forces, will likely represent a major blow to the Shabab movement in Somalia.

Reporter, Male #2
Kismayo, in addition to being an important strategic hub, serves as the main source of financing for the movement, which collects taxes and tolls on goods and port activity. However, concern is growing over the humanitarian consequences of the ongoing fighting. According to news reports, 13,000 residents have fled the city since the beginning of the month as a result of the Kenyan attacks. The number is subject to increase with the launch of this latest wide-scale attack. Naser Farghali, BBC.

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Bahrainis stage massive marches on the 'Friday of Rage' [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
The revolutionaries of Bahrain called for a "Friday of Rage" in all parts of the country. Opposition groups called for demonstrations in the western part of the capital, al-Manama. Meanwhile, the released Bahraini journalist Ahmed Radhi revealed that prisoners had been tortured into confessing to acts they did not commit.

Reporter, Male #1
The day to commemorate martyr Issa al-Taweel was the day marked by the revolutionaries to come out for demonstrations in different areas of Bahrain, confirming that they will continue to walk the path of the martyrs until their legitimate demands are fulfilled.

Reporter, Male #1
The Day of the Martyr is a special day that revolutionaries are accustomed to holding for one of the revolution's martyrs every week. They give flower bouquets to the families of the martyrs, or as the revolutionaries call them, "bouquets of vows and loyalty."

Guest, Male #2
We present to you the "bouquet of vows and loyalty" for our dear martyr, Hajj Issa al-Taweel.

Reporter, Male #1
The demonstrations and events were faced with a crackdown by the regime's forces, which waged a campaign in several areas to punish citizens who held events to express their opinions. They used bullets and poison gas, which filled residential areas.

Reporter, Male #1
The journalist who was released four days ago from the Bahraini regime's prisons, Ahmed Radhi, exposed the condition of prisoners and the ongoing torture within the Interior Ministry. He asserted that most of the confessions are fabricated, and that prisoners are forced to sign them. Otherwise, the torture continues, through electricity and other methods, until death.

Guest, Male #3 (Ahmed Radhi, Bahraini Journalist)
There are some prisoners in very critical health, who require urgent medical attention. Many youths have been subjected to physical and psychological torture, as well as sexual harassment. Thus far, they haven't found sufficient treatment.

Reporter, Male #1
As for the official regime, it returned to the song and dance of foreign intervention, making arbitrary accusations of interference in its country.

Guest, Male #4 (Khalid al-Khalifa, Bahraini Foreign Minister)
Bahrain is facing continuous intervention in its internal affairs. Recently, we have listened to threats and vows against the Gulf Cooperation Council that violate the principle of good neighborliness.

Reporter, Male #1
The Bahraini appeals court rejected the demand to release rights activist Nabeel Rajab on bail, as it has scheduled a session next Thursday for his trial. The lower court had ruled to imprison him for three years, on the charges of participating in a peaceful demonstration and calling for participation on social network sites. International rights organizations and Western governments condemned the arrest of Rajab, who works to document the violations of the ruling regime, and they demanded his immediate release.

Presenter, Female #1
Families in al-Qatif, in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, announced a general mourning period today, Friday, and tomorrow, Saturday, for the lives of martyrs in the area. Protests continued against the Saudi regime's oppressive practices. A demonstration took place in the area condemning the massacre committed by the regime's forces. The families urged the continuation of the general mourning period, a strike, and the shutdown of stores, if they do not receive the bodies of the martyrs. The gunfire of Saudi regime forces had killed Khalid Abdelkarrim al-Labad and Mohamed Habib al-Manasif during a raid of dozens of homes in the Eastern Province town of al-Awamiyah last Wednesday.

Presenter, Female #1
On Wednesday, the Committee to Defend Human Rights in the Arab Peninsula condemned the Saudi regime's crime of killing civilians by gunfire, and warned of the consequences of transgressions against the free people of the Eastern Province. Meanwhile, the president of the committee, Sheikh Mohamed al-Hussein, asserted that remaining silent on the regime's practices is a major crime against religion and the country. He called on scholars and prominent figures to unite and take a courageous stance to reject the oppression, which does not exclude anyone. Sheikh al-Hussein urged international organizations to condemn al-Riyadh's practices against the people of the Eastern Province, who are calling for their legitimate rights.

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Palestinians shrug off Abbas's bid for UN statehood [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Several steps have been taken to form a Palestinian state, and they have all led to one result. Faced with Netanyahu's persistence regarding the politics of the occupation, and with a world that is occupied with ongoing crises, announcing a Palestinian state remains, in the eyes of Palestinians, an elusive dream. At this point, Palestinians don't rely much on President Mahmoud Abbas asking the United Nations to grant Palestine the status of a non-member state.

Reporter, Female #1
Palestinian society is reacting without hope to President Mahmoud Abbas's speech at the United Nations. They see it as a reflection of their state of anger, impatience, and frustration, without the optimism of change in the situation any time soon. And they are disappointed by the international community, which is constantly occupied with issues, and keeps the Palestinian issue at the end of its list.

Guest, Male #2
He doesn't stand with us, you could say. He is the weakest link.

Guest, Male #3
Yes to reconciliation, which has not solved the Palestinian issue.

Guest, Male #4
They give us nothing.

Reporter, Female #1
Therefore, Palestinians need practical steps, and are looking into their options, between negotiation and resistance. This comes at a time when authorities have started to negotiate with international groups to complete their plan to attain observer nation status for Palestine.

Guest, Female #2 (Hanan Ashrawi, PLO Minister of Information)
In the speech of President Mahmoud Abbas, there is a clear vision of the dangers of the current situation, with regard to the need for direct intervention concerning Israel's practices, which eliminate the possibility for peace.

Reporter, Female #1
Even though the Palestinian street and the speech both admitted to the failure of the negotiation process, the Palestinian step toward the United Nations will pave the way for recognizing Palestine as a state, even if only under observer status, and to hold negotiations based on the 1967 principles.

Reporter, Female #1
Palestine will be subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention as a country under occupation, and not as a disputed land. As such, everything Israel does, with regards to colonization and occupation, will be illegal. Not much optimism, then, on the Palestinian street, as everyone is searching for other options. Sherouk Asaad, Dubai TV, Ramallah.

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What will happen to Arab citizens if Israel is recognized as a Jewish state? [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
The Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel organized a conference that discussed the implications of defining Israel as a Jewish state, and the effects of this on the legal, political, and social status of Palestinians. The participants called for unifying efforts to face this question, and warned of its implications and consequences on Palestinian existence, as well as its legal situation.

Reporter, Male #1
"The self-definition of Israel as a Jewish democratic state, and how this self-projection affects the overall living conditions of the Palestinian minority." This was the most prominent slogan in the conference held by the Mossawa Center in the city of Nazareth. Politicians and academics, as well as researchers and lawyers, discussed its effects on the legal, social, and political status of the original landowners. They concluded that there is an essential contradiction in that statement.

Guest, Male #2 (Sameh Iraqi, Advocate and Government Relations)
There is a clear contradiction between judaizing the state and making it democratic. The two sides of the equation will never be equal. And the proof is in the case of unfair appropriation of resources between the Arabs, or the minority Palestinians, and the Jewish people.

Reporter, Male #1
The second half of the conference discussed the importance of a united strategy for action, in order to combat the project of judaizing the state. It asserted the importance of impacting Israel by resorting to international courts.

Guest, Male #3 (Nidal Othman, Legal Advisor and Projects Coordinator)
Israel's government, and sadly its people as well, are entering a phase of fascism, after going through a phase of racism. Therefore, using legal measures inside the country is no longer sufficient. We must move to international platforms in order to expose their policies, as well as expose the racist tendencies in the state.

Reporter, Male #1
This is a preliminary step to draft a unified message, and crystallize a strategy for action to combat the project to judaize the state, a project that Arabs say threatens their existence, and seeks to distort their history and identity. The important point being put forward by Arabs in this encounter is the call for an independent cultural and education administration that would give them the freedom to select academic curricula. This would free them from the Israeli education system, which intentionally makes their history absent from the curriculum.

Guest, Male #4 (Mohamed Hayadri, Chairman of the Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education)
The reality today ignores the identity and the intellect of the Arab student. And the goal is for them to be distanced from their culture, their language, and their nationalism.

Reporter, Male #1
The appropriation of economic resources and the incorporation of academics into the job market is one of the most important pillars of the strategy of action posed by the Arabs. This is in addition to demanding the fair distribution of land. Arabs are concentrated in two percent of Israel's area, even though their number has increased eight times since 1948. Elias Karram, Al Jazeera, Nazareth.

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Fierce clashes as Syrian rebels launch major offensive to take Aleppo [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
Two days after the launch of the "decisive" battle of Aleppo by the Free Syrian Army that targeted the position of al-Assad's gangs, the Free Army was able to make notable advancements on various fronts, after they seized control of several neighborhoods and besieged others.

Presenter, Female #1
The number of victims killed by Bashar al-Assad's brigades rose to over 125. Meanwhile, fierce battles continue to rage across Damascus and its countryside, Homs, Idlib, and Deir az-Zour.

Reporter, Male #1
Aleppo, Syria's second city, is witnessing unprecedented battles on various fronts.
This news comes hours after the Free Syrian Army launched an offensive dubbed, "The decisive battle of Aleppo."

Reporter, Male #1
An opposition military source confirmed that violent clashes are taking place in the neighborhoods of al-Ithaa, al-Akramiya, al-Athamiya, Saif al-Dawla, and Halab al-Jadida, near the military security headquarters. The Free Syrian Army was able to take control of key neighborhoods in the city, which include al-Amiriya, Bab Antakia, and Sheikh Mahsoud. The Free Army also besieged the area of Bab Jenin.

Reporter, Male #1
The clashes between the regime and Free armies in Aleppo were also accompanied by tank and mortar shelling. Assad's army launched attacks on the Nairab Camp, Reitan, Bianoun, Azaz, and other areas. Dozens were killed or injured in the attack. Local hospitals were unable to accommodate the number of injured, due to the acute shortage of medical supplies.

Reporter, Male #1
On the ground, dozens were killed in violent shelling by regime forces on the town of Qudsaya, in the Damascus countryside. The regime forces also executed more than 10 people in the Damascus neighborhood of Barzeh, amid the savage ongoing campaign targeting the neighborhood.

Reporter, Male #1
The northern neighborhoods of Damascus witnessed a major security and military campaign, particularly in the neighborhoods of Jobar, al-Qaboun, and Barzeh. The campaign included raids, house searches, and arrests targeting young people. The campaign also included acts of vandalism and looting that targeted homes and shops in the area.

Reporter, Male #1
Meanwhile, regime forces resumed their fierce shelling of the Tadamon neighborhood and the Yarmouk camp. In Hama's countryside, Assad's army fired heavy artillery on the city of Karnaz from the new Tal al-Sheikh military base. In addition, the towns of al-Yadouda and al-Bzeireeb in Daraa's countryside endured heavy artillery shelling, which led to several injuries.

Reporter, Male #1
The scene was not much different in Homs and its countryside, where military planes launched numerous raids, destroying several homes that were targeted with TNT barrels. Meanwhile, violent artillery shelling targeted the neighborhoods of Jobar and al-Sultaniya, amid the sound of powerful explosions that rocked the area. The towns of Kfeir, Tal Bissa, al-Ghant, and al-Rastan came under arbitrary shelling that struck a number of residents' homes. Several residents were killed and several others were injured in the shelling.

Reporter, Male #1
Supporters of the opposition answered a call to participate in demonstrations called, "The Friday to Unite the Brigades of the Free Syrian Army." Demonstrations took place across various Syrian cities, denouncing the failure of the international community to put an end to the regime's savagery.

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UNHRC condemns widespread rights violations by Syrian government forces [IBA, Israel]

The United Nations Human Rights Council condemned widespread gross violations by Syrian government forces, and voted to the extend the mandate of its own investigation for another six months. More than 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the violence so far. Although it has been denied entrance into Syria since it was established one year ago, the independent inquiry has interviewed more than 1,100 victims, refugees, and defectors.

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Syria, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran top P5+1 talks [IBA, Israel]

Meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly debates, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton spoke with foreign ministers of the P5 states, representing the permanent members of the Security Council, and Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The discussions were topped by the situation in Syria and the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, although Ashton said that the nuclear threat posed by Iran again took center stage.

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Israel slams South African 'Occupied Palestinian Territory' label for goods [IBA, Israel]

Israeli officials have condemned the decision by the South African Minister of Industry and Trade, who ordered that all goods, whether grown or manufactured in Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, must carry a label reading "Occupied Palestinian Territory." It has been estimated that Israeli-run companies in the West Bank turn out about USD 500 million a year in goods. The Palestinian Authority welcomed the South African move.

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Analysts question Netanyahu's mental health after UN bomb speech [Press TV, Iran]

Despite criticism from even its ally the United States, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again threatened Iran, this time using a drawing of a bomb at the UN General Assembly. The move has quickly become the butt of jokes in cartoons, and Press TV interviewees have hinted that there have been growing concerns over the premier's mental health. Meanwhile, Iran says that it will retaliate with full force against any attack on its soil.

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Libya: Chaos in lawlessness after NATO brought democracy [Syria TV, Syria]

Presenter, Male #1
Libya is drowning in chaos and lawlessness. Libyan citizens are running out of patience regarding the kidnapping and killing operations that armed militias are conducting.

Reporter, Female #2
Despite ongoing attempts by the ruling authorities in Libya to promote a state of calm, Libyan cities are still bleeding from the growing control of these militias. This is making Libyan citizens suffer substantially after the democracy that NATO promoted.

Reporter, Female #2
In this lawlessness, the kidnapping and killing operations conducted by these militias rank in first place, and have sparked strong reactions from Libyan civilians, who have become impatient with these militias' practices.

Guest, Male #2
The Ansar al-Sharia group were in a truck. My friend was hit, and I came to help them. A car hit me and didn't allow me to save him. I brought my friend here; he was dead.

Reporter, Female #1
And what indicates that Libya is drowning in chaos are the threats exchanged between the authorities, as well as the threat of isolating the new prime minister, Mustafa Abushagur, if he fails to present a list of members for the new ministerial council by the eighth of next month. This warning came after Abushagur asked for an extension of ten additional days to form his government.

Reporter, Female #1
The lawlessness and political chaos caused the document to draft the emergency law to be leaked from the Libyan parliament. It includes five articles that allow the National Congress to announce a state of emergency in case the country is facing danger, through a recommendation from the Congress president or by the ministerial council. The law includes taking the necessary measures to collect arms from any party, and to issue orders to disperse groups whose gathering would pose an imminent danger to public security.

Reporter, Female #1
With that, Libya is back to square one, after the destruction of the country and the deaths of its people, whether at the hands of Libyans or NATO rockets. And the alleged democracy remains under the feet of elements of the armed militias and Takfiri groups.