Presenter, Man # 1
According to medical sources, about 100 people were killed mainly women and children, and more then 200 others were injured by a car bomb attack in a major market in Peepal Mandi, in Peshawar northwest Pakistan. Al Jazeera correspondent in Islamabad said that the Taliban Pakistan denied responsibility for the explosion, reiterating that the movement does not attack civilians.

Presenter, Woman # 1
Meanwhile tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers continue the military operation which they started on the 17TH of October against Taliban Pakistan in tribal areas along the Afghan borders.

Reporter, Man # 1
A crowded market is shaken during peak hours, by a huge explosion in Peepal Mandi in Peshawar northwest Pakistan, along the Afghan borders. According to local medical sources, dozens of people were killed and injured, mainly women and children. The market has old wooden buildings with narrow alleys that impeded rescue operations. The images show the brutality of the explosion which is not the first of its kind. This attack took place as tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers, who are well trained on guerrilla warfare, continue major military operation against the Taliban Pakistan since October 17. Taliban Pakistan fighters threatened to carry out retaliatory attacks and they have fulfilled their promises. So far they have attacked Pakistani military targets, UN institutions and civilian locations like today’s explosion. Another similar attack took place in another market in Peshawar about three weeks ago.

Presenter, Man # 1
Al Jazeera correspondent Ahmed Barakat joins us from the city of Peshawar.Ahmed, the numbers of casualties keep changing. What is the latest toll caused by this attack?

Reporter, Man # 1
According to local Pakistani police, so far 98 people were killed and 230 others were injured. These numbers can increase since the rescue operations are still ongoing. Also, rescue teams continue to search for people under the rubble. A short time ago, bulldozers came to the scene, and are now pulling up some of the wreckage, buildings that completely collapsed during the explosions. Many bodies are still under the rubble; therefore the numbers of people killed and injured may increase. Hospitals have many critical injuries and they have asked people to donate blood. The situation here is truly tragic, almost every minute somebody is being pulled out from underneath the rubble. The police here has completely surrounded the area and there is a fear that other explosions may take place. The police is not allowing people to gather in the area, and has isolated the explosion site with barbwires. The market has narrow alleys which make it hard for heavy equipment to reach the explosion site, but fire trucks have managed to put out the fire that started in some buildings. The ambulances are still transporting the dead and injured to hospitals. The situation here is very tense, and people are extremely angry. Some people are linking this incident to US secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the country. They say that this is one of the results of the war on terrorism. The Pakistani Minister of Media said that this is a reaction to what is happening in Waziristan, despite denial by the Taliban.

Presenter, Man # 1
President Barack Obama is expected to sign a controversial defense bill that would allow monetary payments directly to people in order to have tempt them not to support the Taliban. This is similar to another bill that was used in Iraq with the same name. Obama is getting ready to announce a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan following the recommendations of Stanley McChrystal, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan.

Reporter, Man # 2
NATO forces managed to move the battle to Taliban strongholds last summer, but the price was high. The latest victims of these explosions which targeted the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF were 8 American soldiers thus raising the number of American casualties since the beginning of October to 55. This makes October 2009, the worst for the US since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Although the number of casualties is mounting, military commanders still believe that they can win the war and they are trying to achieve that by making direct payments to people to switch sides. This plan is aimed at stopping the infiltration of armed groups to villages and remote areas after pushing the Taliban forces away. Under this plan NATO forces will keep their locations and work towards strengthening local administrations. All of this will coincide with doing what is possible for promoting prosperity in Afghanistan even if a small amount of money is paid directly to the people.

Guest, Man # 3
This has to do with convincing people that their government is working for their good with the help of the international community, in order to achieve long term development.

Reporter, Man # 2
This is a complicated plan which combine three unique and limited factors; time, money and soldiers. The last part of this plan is the Afghan army. Teams are training them to launch a war that they are still unable to carry out alone. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been recruited to the government forces within an intensive program that was put together in a hurry. Regardless of the new Western strategy in Afghanistan, it must be based on the ability of the Afghans to conduct their own wars. However the military commanders realize that achieving such a goal requires many years of preparation and training before the Afghan forces can take over the security responsibilities. Until this happens, more foreign forces are needed to be deployed to Afghanistan. While waiting for the Afghan soldiers to be ready to take over, the world is waiting for the American new strategy pertaining to achieve victory. Some generals think that they have a plan that will bring them victory, but they are looking for a political policy that helps them achieve their goals. This means additional funds and more humanitarian losses.

Presenter, Male #1
According to our Al-Arabiya correspondent in Cairo, an Egyptian court has postponed the trial of a Hezbollah cell until Thursday. This news comes after the Lawyers’ Guild told the court that it needs to appoint a new defense team after the defendants’ lawyers walked out of the court, claiming that it lacks jurisdiction over the case. The charges facing the Hezbollah group include passing intelligence information to a foreign organization, plotting to carry out terrorist attacks on tourists and foreign installations, and possessing illegal weapons and explosives. The court has listened to testimonies from a number of witnesses in the case. Joining us from Cairo is our correspondent, Randa Abu-Azem. Randa, can you explain the reasons for the withdrawal of the defense team?
They are calming that the court has no jurisdiction over the case. Does their walking out of the court mean that they will no longer be able to represent the defendants?

Correspondent, Female #1
The court session has witnessed a number of surprising twists. The court started the trial session two hours late. It was expected to show some of the videotapes, which were introduced as evidence in the third trial session that was held last Saturday. The court was also expected to call some of the witnesses to the stand. However, none of this happened, as the defense team walked out of the court. The defense team demanded that the court allows the defendants’ families, who have not seen their sons since their arrests last November and December, to attend the trial session. The court had previously issued a decision allowing three family members of each defendant to attend the trial. However, the court didn’t follow through with this decision. Consequently, the defense team called for the sanctioning of the court due to its lack of jurisdiction over the case. The court is part of the Abdeen Criminal Division. Abdeen is a district of the province of Cairo. None of the suspects reside in or were arrested in the area of Abdeen. This means that the court has no legal jurisdiction over the case. The court adjourned the trial nearly half an hour after it was convened. Some of the defendants’ family members were allowed into the courtroom. However, the defense team announced their withdrawal in order to give the judge a chance to review the defense’s claim of the court’s lack of jurisdiction. The defense lawyers said their withdrawal was partial. The judge adjourned the court. Then, he called on the Lawyers’ Guild to appoint 19 other defense lawyers. However, the defendants said they wanted their old lawyer back. The lawyers left after the first recess and didn’t go back to the courtroom. They met and decided to boycott tomorrow’s session. Some of the lawyers called on the Lawyers’ Guild not to appoint any new lawyers. They also called for the punishment of any lawyer trying to participate in the case. The defense team reiterated that their withdrawal was partial and that they still represent the defendants.

Despite international tensions, Italy has taken the lead as Iran’s principal European trading partner. In the first 6 months of 2009, bilateral commerce between the 2 countries reached 1.775 billion Euros. A large part of the Italian export to Iran is made up of industrial machinery, while exports from Iran to Italy are mostly primary goods like oil and natural gas. In turn, Italian businesses have come to know Iran and its people better.

Presenter, Female #1
Alongside the economy, politics was the focus of discussion at the Arab-British Economic Forum currently underway in London. The forum aims to help boost trade cooperation between the Arab world on one side and Britain on the other. During his opening remarks at the London economic forum, the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amer Mousa, said that peace in the Middle East is the gateway for boosting economic cooperation between Britain and the Arab world at various levels, including trade, cultural, scientific, and touristic. Mousa warned that until peace is achieved in the Middle East, the region will continue to witness deterioration. Thus, hampering any efforts for progress. Our correspondent, Diar al-Umari, reports from London.

Reporter, Male #2
The global economic crisis was strongly evident on the agenda of the Arab-British Economic Forum currently underway in London. The forum aims to draw a new road map to activate investment and trade cooperations between the Arab world and Britain. The conventioneers, led by the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amer Mousa, stressed the importance of creating the right environment for stability and peace in the Middle East in order to help boost investment and trade activities in the region.

Guest, Male #2 (Amer Mousa)
We need to create a safe and stable region. This requires us to support the peace efforts in the Middle East in order to help improve investment, trade, and security in the region.

Reporter, Male #1
According to the latest Arab economic estimates, there has been an evident increase in the level of trading activities among Arab states. This prompted some of the conventioneers to call for boosting Inter-Arab trade cooperation in order to maximize the level of investment in the region.

Guest, Female #2
There are many positive factors involved. The Arab states are seeking to boost and diversify their economies. They are also seeking to boost economic cooperation with Western nations.

Reporter, Male #1
The forum made it clear that the British market is eager to attract Arab investors and trading companies, especially after the Arab economies were able to show resiliency in countering the global economic crisis. This Arab resiliency was due to the drafting of conservative legislation and the adoption of advanced economic strategies, and the reliance on strong financial institutions. All of the speakers stressed the importance of creating a new environment in order to help expand the level of trading and investment activities between the East and the West. This requires the reactivation of Arab-based investment mechanisms in order to help move the Arab economy forward. Diar al-Umari, Dubai TV, London.

Presenter, Male #1
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Richard Falk said that the siege that the Zionist occupation imposed on Gaza prevents the residents there from accessing their basic daily necessities, and is causing a humanitarian crisis. In a meeting for members of the United Nations, Falk stated that the occupation forbid him from entering the Palestinian areas to investigate the situation of the residents there.

Reporter, Male #1
The siege is a tragedy that has affected everything in Gaza for over 3 years. The occupation forces are trying to prevent normal life in Gaza and have put more than 1.5 million citizens there in a giant prison. The free people of the world and many human rights organizations accused this despicable entity of intentionally cutting off life from Gaza and starving the Gazans as a way to force them to compromise their unequivocal rights. Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinians territories, warned that the United Nations is facing a pressing challenge to take effective measures to protect the civilian residents in the Gaza strip. He stressed that the human rights situation in Gaza is deteriorating, as a result of the latest Zionist invasion, and the continued tightened siege on Gaza. Falk confirmed that the occupation completely destroyed more than 3, 500 residential units.Tens of thousands of families were displaced, fires and missiles led to massive damages to 50,000 residential units which are no longer suitable for living. Falk added that the UN should take the suggestions stated in the previous special report by Richard Goldstone pertaining to the Zionist war crime in Gaza, and take necessary measures to force the occupation to fulfil the UN resolutions on the matter. Many calls have been made here and there to lift the siege from Gaza strip. The citizens in the strip are waiting for the siege to be removed. The siege has taken hundreds of lives, most of which are women and children. The people of Gaza are not afraid of death, but their eyes are yearning for the day when they will be allowed to enter this gate for medical treatment and get the medicine that they need to ease their pain.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The Iraqi Ministry of health in cooperation with the World Health Organization held a seminar about ways to minimize the probability of breast cancer and to detect it early on. We leave you Ma’ali Qise.

Reporter, Man # 1
Breast cancer cases in Iraq have increased in the last three decades. About 2,700 people have been diagnosed with breast cancer; women are not the only victims, and about 1% of total breast cancer cases are men. Shyness and ignorance were the main reasons behind the rise in breast cancer among women, which explains the need to hold seminars and workshops by government institutions and international organizations. These institutions are important to teach women ways to detect this disease early on.

Guest, Woman # 2
I used to have seminars with 100 women or more, when I used to ask the women how many times they have performed breast self-exams, only two women out of the 100 would tell me that they have done the self-exam. However Iraqi women are very receptive when we communicate this information to them because it gives them peace of mind.

Guest, Man # 2
Surveys show that he numbers of breast cancer cases have increased in the past years.
The reasons are due to a lack of healthy practices that are necessary to minimize the probability of this disease as well as the fact that Iraq has been subjected to many wars. In addition to a lack of attention to healthy practices at the individual level.

Reporter, Man # 1
Establishing special centers to treat breast cancer cases in Baghdad, Basra and Ninawa and the increase in the number of specialized medical clinics that deal with this disease are important factors in discovering breast cancer early on and treating it effectively.

Guest, Man # 2
These special centers and clinics adhere to international standards. Doctors are instructed to conducted breast exams on bed. They also conduct X-Rays exams as well as sample tests using the so called ‘Fine Needle Aspiration”.

Reporter, Man # 2
Factors increasing the probability of this disease vary and include the lack of personal health practices, nutritional imbalances and psychological problems. Health institutions and international organizations stress the importance of self or bed exams to detect breast cancer cases early on so that women can avoid future problems associated with it. Ali Qaise, Alsumariya.

Presenter, Female #1
The health situation in schools in various regions across Lebanon has become a daily topic of discussion among parents. Especially with the partial closure of one of the schools as a precautionary measure and Lebanon’s seasonal weather change, which results in an increase of the seasonal influenza and the fear of the spread of swine flu. Report by Rania Sanchar.

Correspondent, Female #1
The closure of the International College’s middle school in Beirut has caused fear of the spread of swine flu among parents of the students in Lebanon. But this fear didn’t stop the need to face the realities on the ground. The school that refused to comment on its precautionary measures, however, it issued a statement showing thirty-two cases of swine flu, thirteen among them were cured and nineteen confirmed H1N1 cases.

Guest, Male # 1
What is happening is unbelievable.

Guest, Female # 1
Let them take care of it now…it’s better than later.

Guest, Female # 2
No, I am not afraid. I would prefer for him to get inoculated now and get it over with.

Guest, Female #3
I know there have been some cases before. No, it is better not to exaggerate.

Guest, Male # 2
I am taking all the available precautions.

Correspondent, Female #1
But there have been some cases in the school already.

Guest, Male # 2
I already know, but from my understanding, they have been limited and most cases are from abroad, and not from Lebanon.

Correspondent, Female #1
This problem is not limited to the International College only; it could have reached Shuwayfat International school in Koura, which has registered a few cases among its students. Even though the school has refused to comment on the matter, medical sources have reported about the absence of dozens of students in various schools around the Koura region.

Guest, Male # 4
Honestly, I have diagnosed approximately seven cases so far; five of them are in the hospital, and two are at home. All of them were H1N1, and the diagnostic was completed in coordination with the Ministry of Health.

Correspondent, Female #1
The Ministries of Health and Education reassured the public that intensive measures are being taken, and indicated that the number of registered cases up until now are still within the expected norm.

Guest, Male #5
The cases in the schools are, of course, due to the fact that students sit in closed classrooms and school buses, which facilitates the spread of the virus. It is the parents’ responsibility to make sure, before the child goes to school, that he’s in good health and doesn’t have a fever, does not have a dry cough and that his throat is not hurting. Because, if we send the child to school, it’s possible that he will infect his classmates in the school bus or in class.

Guest, Male #6
If there are absences due to confirmed H1N1 cases, maybe there is a specific number, and following the advice of the Ministry of Health, the school can be closed if that’s the case. But we shall continue in a normal manner if the number of cases is limited. And we need to reiterate that in case we do shut down a school, we want to insure that the students don’t lose any educational benefits.

Correspondent, Female #1
With the arrival of the winter season, officials have indicated that the number of those infected with the virus has increased, and that in order to address the problem, one should follow the announced health instructions.