Kuwait's opposition organizes protests against voting rules ahead of boycotted election [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
In Kuwait, candidates' registration for the upcoming parliamentary elections has closed. The final day witnessed an impressive registration turnout that reached a total of 387 candidates. They will compete for parliamentary seats in elections scheduled for early next month. This comes as the opposition renewed its position calling for a boycott of these elections. It also accuses the government of using what it described as political money during the registration process, a claim denied by the Kuwaiti government.

Reporter, Male #1
There was a large turnout of candidates in Kuwait registering on the final days of nominations for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country. Some candidates viewed their participation in these elections, scheduled for early next month, as a gift. They believe the dispute over the amendment of the election system should not turn into hostility between Kuwaitis.

Guest, Male #2
This decree is a gift; we will accept this gift and be proud of it.

Guest, Male #3
We Kuwaitis are one people, brothers; we watch out for each other, and parents do not betray one another. We have different opinions, but we do not antagonize each other.

Reporter, Male #1
The number of candidates stands at 387. Nearly 160 of them registered their names on the last day of the nomination process that began on the 31st of last month. The impressive turnout was viewed by some opposition parties as the result of what they described as the interference of political money, an accusation denied by the Minister of Information, assuring that there was no government interference in the course of the registration process.

Guest, Male #4 (Mohammed Abdullah Mubarak, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs)
I assure you that nobody in the government played any role in pressuring people.

Reporter, Male #1
For its part, the Kuwaiti opposition is firm in its position to boycott these elections. It said the boycott is a message of protest, which the government should carefully look into.

Guest, Male #5 (Bashar Sayegh, Secretary of the National Alliance Movement in Kuwait)
The boycott is a message of protest. It's a peaceful message of protest and aims to send a message that this amendment is unacceptable to us and that we reject it. We believe that the amendment, any amendment, to the election law must come from parliament.

Reporter, Male #1
The registration for the elections is now closed, and all that remains is election day to choose the members of the new parliament. Until then, no one can predict what the country's situation will lead to amid the struggle between the opposition and the government over the latest amendment to the election law.

Reporter, Male #1
The opposition says the only choice it has is to resort to putting pressure on the government through a popular mobilization on the streets. This will lead to the return of a tense and obstructed political situation in the country once again, and that could be the destiny of the political stage in Kuwait. Saed al-Saidi, Al Jazeera, Kuwait.

--

US-approved Syrian opposition group forms governing body [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
In Syria, clashes continue, and in Qatar, the general secretariat of the Syrian National Council postponed electing a new president for the council.

Reporter, Female #2
Four people, including a woman, were killed in a car bomb explosion in front of al-Muadamiya's city hall in Damascus' countryside, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Syrian air force continued shelling cities and villages in Damascus' countryside, also according to the Observatory, that said violent clashes erupted between Syrian regime forces and opposition fighters in the area of al-Basateen, located between the town of Daraya and the Kafr Susa district west of the capital.

Reporter, Female #2
In the province of Deir az-Zour, the observatory reported the killing of 19 people in artillery shelling on the city of Qouriya. It indicated the city of al-Bukamal in the same province was shelled by regime forces using war planes. The Observatory added that at least 20 members of the Syrian regime forces were killed in clashes with opposition fighters near a border crossing with Turkey.

Guest, Male #1
The Abdullah Bin Salam battalion and the Issa Bin Mariam battalion affiliated with the beloved Mustafa brigade, and the Ansar al-Sunna battalion that is affiliated to al-Islam Brigade, and special forces in the countryside of Damascus, have captured the Frees military post.

Reporter, Female #2
A leader in the Free Syrian Army announced that the Free army is reorganizing its ranks to gain the trust of the international community. He added that his leadership has started to settle inside Syria. This comes as several protests took place in various areas under the banner, "Time to march on Damascus," in condemnation of the Syrian president. At the sixth Syrian humanitarian forum in Geneva, the UN High Commission on Human Rights announced that the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries exceeds 408 thousand.

Guest, Male #2 (Panos Moumtzis, UNHCR Regional Coordinator)
In the last 24 hours alone, almost 11 thousand Syrians sought refuge in neighboring countries, nine thousand in Turkey, 1,000 in Jordan, and 1,000 in Lebanon.

Reporter, Female #2
On a different front, the Syrian opposition announced during its ongoing meetings in Doha that it accepted a proposal to establish a transitional government headed by opposition member Riyad Saif, according to the Anadolu news agency. The initiative, headed by Riyad Saif, stipulates creating a unified leadership, dubbed the Syrian National Initiative, from which a government in exile will be formed. The general secretariat elected an 11-member executive office that will eventually elect a new president for the National Assembly.

Reporter, Female #2
Al-Assad, in a sequel to his TV interview with Russia Today, launched a stinging attack against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He accused the PM of believing he's the new Ottoman Sultan who can take control of the area, as was the case during the Ottoman Empire. Al-Assad said Erdogan's government is supporting the Syrian opposition that demands the overthrow of al-Assad. He indicated that Erdogan thinks that if the Muslim Brotherhood was to come to power in the region, and especially in Syria, he would be able to guarantee his political future.

Guest, Male #3 (Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President)
I think for the president to stay or leave is a popular issue that can only be done through the ballot boxes. We do not have a civil war. It is about terrorism, and the support coming from abroad to terrorists, to destabilize Syria.

Reporter, Female #2
The Syrian president expects the war in his country to be prolonged if the initiatives to arm and provide logistic assistance to terrorists continues, denying that his forces may have committed war crimes.

--

Syrian opposition bloc elects Christian as leader [Press TV, Iran]

The main foreign-backed Syrian opposition bloc, the Syrian National Council, has picked a new head amid divisions with other opposition groups. The SNC has chosen George Sabra, a Christian and former communist, as its new leader. Groups opposing the Syrian government have gathered in the Qatari capital Doha in an effort to seek a united front against Damascus.

--

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces kill teenage protestor in Diraz [Press TV, Iran]

In Bahrain, the Saudi-backed al-Khalifa regime intensifies its crackdown on anti-government protests. Sixteen-year-old Ali Abbas Radhi was killed in the village of Diraz, west of Manama. A security vehicle ran him over as he was trying to enter a mosque. He later died of his wounds. Security forces have now surrounded the mosque to prevent people from entering it. The Friday prayers at the mosque were to be led by Sheikh Issa Qassem, a strong critic of the regime.

--

Canadians slam country's nuclear deal with India as 'double standard' [Press TV, Iran]

Canada and India have signed a nuclear cooperation agreement despite criticism from some sectors of Canadian society. Critics accuse the government in Ottawa of double standards in its foreign policy, as India refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Canada houses the second-largest uranium deposits in the world, and much of it will now be exported to the Indian subcontinent.

--

Iraq: Car bomb kills three in southern Baghdad [Saudi TV, Saudi Arabia]

Presenter, Male #1
In an unrelated development, Iraqi security forces arrested eight people on terror and criminal charges during security operations in Diyala and Ninawa provinces. The Iraqi police and medical sources announced that a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant in the area of al-Alexandria in southern Baghdad, killing three people and injuring 20 others. It's worth mentioning that attacks are continuing in Iraq but in a smaller scale than previous years.

--

Israeli soldier injured in Gaza border blast as hundred attend funeral of slain Palestinian teen [Saudi TV, Saudi Arabia]

Presenter, Male #1
The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, has claimed responsibility for detonating a bomb targeting an Israeli army unit that carried out an incursion into the southern Gaza Strip. For its part, Israel announced that one of its soldiers was injured during clashes in the area. Meanwhile, Palestinians held a funeral procession for the Palestinian youth who was killed in Gaza by the Israeli occupation's gunfire. The victim was killed yesterday during clashes between the Israeli army and armed Palestinians near the border fence. The Popular Resistance Committees said their members confronted an Israeli force backed by four armored vehicles and a bulldozer that crossed the border into the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian rescue crew said the boy was hit by gunfire launched by either an Israeli helicopter or tank.

Presenter, Male #1
In addition, the occupation forces quelled the weekly peaceful demonstration against the apartheid wall and settlements. The occupation soldiers arrested an Israeli peace activist who joined dozens of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists against the occupation authority's practices.

--

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak blames Hamas for smuggling tunnel blast [IBA, Israel]

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak blamed Hamas for the detonation of an arms smuggling tunnel along the Gaza border last night, during which one IDF soldier was lightly injured. Barak says that Israel views the incident with severity, and is now considering how and when to respond. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz consulted with the head of the Southern Command, Major-General Tal Russo, as the IDF continues to investigate the cause of the explosion, and the purpose of the four-meter-deep tunnel.

The blast came just hours after a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was killed when IDF troops exchanged gunfire with terrorists east of Khan Younis. The IDF said that while responsibility for the shooting cannot be determined, there is no information that the IDF targeted a specific individual. The Palestinian teenager died in an area hospital after being hit by gunfire around noon.

Palestinians from the Gaza Strip also fired rockets that landed in an open field in the Eshkol region, causing no injury or damage.

--

Israeli attorney general to make decision on FM Lieberman's indictment within one month [IBA, Israel]

In Israel, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein notified the High Court of Justice that he will decide whether to indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman within one month. He has been considering whether to press criminal charges against Lieberman since April 2011, as only the attorney general can do in cases concerning government ministers or court justices suspected of criminal activity. Lieberman's alleged offenses include fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and tampering with a witness. Weinstein's statement came in response to a petition filed by the Movement for Quality of Government in Israel, demanding that such a decision be made before the January 22 national elections.

--

Israeli president denies intention to run against Netanyahu in upcoming elections [IBA, Israel]

In other Israeli election news, President Shimon Peres has categorically denied that he intends to run against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming Knesset elections as the head of a center-left bloc. Shortly before boarding his return flight to Israel from Moscow, Peres vowed to serve out the remainder of his 22 months in office. According to reports, former Kadima leader Tzipi Livni has been pressing the 89-year-old Peres to enter the race to block Netanyahu as the head of a new faction in which she would be placed second on the party list.

--

US: Unprecedented new sanctions will block satellite broadcasts, Internet for Iranians [IBA, Israel]

US legislators are working on another set of new and unprecedented sanctions against Iran that could prevent it from doing business with most of the world until it agrees to international constraints on its nuclear program. The severe bipartisan financial and trade restrictions could, however, put the Obama administration in a difficult position with US allies who continue to do business with Iran, but are much needed by Washington to help secure a peaceful solution to the nuclear standoff. In the first foreign policy announcement since the president's reelection, the White House targeted four Iranian officials and five organizations with punitive measures for jamming satellite broadcasts and blocking Internet access to Iranian citizens. Additional measures under consideration would range from taking aim at Iranian overseas assets to all foreign goods imported into Iran. Earlier measures have already cut Iran's petroleum exports in half and severely impacted its economy.

--

Civil society institutions support Palestinian statehood bid at UN [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
Tulkarm commissions, institutions, and figures expressed complete support for the Palestinian leadership's decision to head to the United Nations to raise the status of Palestine to an observer state.

Reporter, Male #2
In the framework of Palestinian efforts to place an end to the suffering of our people and salvation from the Israeli occupation and the occupiers' practices on the ground, the Palestinian leadership decided to head to the United Nation to raise Palestine to an observer status. National factions confirmed complete support for the leadership's decisions, assuring that the Palestinian bit is in line with the UN's consecutive decisions.

Guest, Male #3
The president resorted to the United Nations to complete the political effort exerted by the political leadership to delegitimize this occupation, and to assert Palestinian national rights.

Guest, Male #4
The Palestinian people are determined to continue down the path of struggle to achieve full national rights such as freedom, the right of return, independence, self-determination, and establishing the independent Palestinian state. We call on everyone to unite all their efforts to fulfill the hopes and visions of our people, and most importantly the recognition of the membership of the state of Palestine at the United Nations.

Reporter, Male #2
Tulkarm's commissions, institutions and figures said this bid is a natural, historic, and legal right for the Palestinian people, who have full rights to freedom, independence and sovereignty.

Guest, Male #5
We are discussing a peace process, and although it has been stalled, we say that the Palestinian people have resisted, and announced their identity in a civilized way through their resistance, and by building the state's institutions. Today this is being embodied by the president heading to the United Nations to speak to them about a non-member state status.

Guest, Female #1
The world must be aware of this case, and to understand this case, and it must dismiss foreign pressure, whether it is Israeli or American.

Guest, Male #6
The president left with the ambitions of the entire Palestinian people. The Palestinian leadership should have thought of this step a long time ago.

Reporter, Male #2
These big hopes for the Palestinian bid at the United Nations are supported by the international community. The international community bears humanitarian and legal responsibilities, and should not surrender to the threats and pressures of the superpowers. The victory will be for rights, law, and national legislation.

Reporter, Male #2
Despite the threats and pressure the Palestinian leadership is being subjected to, this leadership is determined to head to the United Nations in order to win Palestine's membership in the international organization as an observer state. Everyone hopes this step will shape the beginning of the end of the Israeli occupation that is established on Palestinian land. Moeen Shadid, Palestine TV, Tulkarm.

--

Thousands sign petition to grant Malala Yousafzai the Nobel Peace Prize [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
Over 60 thousand people signed a petition calling for Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The 15-year-old girl is recovering in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Britain, after suffering an armed attack by the Taliban movement in Pakistan.

Reporter, Female #1
Well-wishes, letters of support, and many gifts reached the young Pakistani girl who drew the world's attention to her touching story. Malala, who is 15 years old, is now recovering from her wounds in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Britain. Malala's gratitude for the support she has received from the world was expressed through her father. He called on the world to listen to his daughter's voice, the rights activist, because it reflects the voice of the Pakistani people.

Guest, Male #2 (Ziauddin Yousafzai, Malala's Father)
I thank the world that strongly condemned Malala's assassination attempt. I thank them for their wishes of health and well-being. I thank them for supporting her case that is calling for peace, education, and freedom of expression and thought.

Reporter, Female #1
Support for Malala has become a global phenomenon. Over 60 thousand people signed a petition calling for awarding Malala the Nobel Peace Prize.

Reporter, Female #1
Before being hit by the Taliban's bullet, Malala demanded education for girls on her blog. She denounced the Taliban movement's violation of girls' rights, and for denying them an education.

Reporter, Female #1
Malala and her campaign for education gained notoriety around the world after she wrote her memoirs in the Urdu section of the BBC about life under the teachings of the extremist Taliban movement that rejects girls' right to an education. Malala was among the nominees for the International Children's Peace Prize which is granted by the Dutch Kids Rights foundation. Doctors were able to extract the bullet that was in her head. Malala had been transferred to Britain to complete her treatment nearly a week after being attacked while returning from school. Jamil Boulos, BBC.

--

Egypt draft constitution to be finalized before November 19 [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
In Egypt, leaders of civil forces called on the constituent assembly tasked with drafting the new constitution to be cautious while drafting its articles. They warned against what they described as an inadequate draft if they rush to complete the constitution ahead of the general referendum next month. Rights organizations expressed reservations over some articles in the proposed constitution, as judges are objecting to what they view as the assembly's disregard for the judiciary.

Reporter, Male #2
The constituent assembly drafting the constitution is facing another obstacle. The committee's leadership scheduled the vote on the final draft on November 19, and its fate will be decided at the end of the month. However, there are forces that have reservations over some of the draft's articles, warning in a joint statement against what they viewed as rushing the process that places the proposed constitution in jeopardy.

Guest, Male #3 (Amr Moussa, President of the Conference Party)
The project requires deep professional and political work, and loyalty to Egypt, not to any other force, group, or party, only Egypt.

Reporter, Male #2
With regards to the drawbacks in the drafts of the proposed constitution, judges say no article was included to provide immunity for the judiciary against criticism of its verdicts, especially in the media and of undermining the attorney general's authority.

Reporter, Male #2
Civil society organizations also issued a statement rejecting the draft constitution of the constituent assembly, claiming that it entrenches tyranny, and that no fair rules were put in place to ease the work of these organizations.

Guest, Male #4
We are expressing our stance since the civil society's reference for Egypt's human rights should conform to international treaties signed by Egypt. We call on those who are in charge of the constituent assembly to abide by the international treaties and charters that were signed by Egypt, regardless of whether they are the current members or members of another assembly, in case the court invalidates the current one.

Reporter, Male #2
The process of drafting the new Egyptian constitution is still laborious even, though the date of the scheduled vote and referendum is approaching, while Egyptians are increasingly worried and exhausted by the political disputes. Abdel Basir Hassan, Al Jazeera, Cairo.