[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 04/18/12: World News From The Middle East [VIDEO]

Presenter, Male #1
The Bahraini opposition continues to organize demonstrations for the third consecutive day to protest the hosting of the Formula One race scheduled to begin on Friday. Thousands took to the street in the Deir area of al-Muharraq Island, carrying pictures of those who were killed in the protests. Reuters agency quoted activists saying security forces arrested over 60 opposition activists in the past few days.

Reporter, Male #2
Bahrain is witnessing two simultaneous races. One is for reforms, and the other is the Formula One car race. Which one is more important? The opposition has already decided, so it takes to the street to call for canceling the Formula One race and beginning real reforms. According to the Bahraini opposition, reforms include the release of the detainees and the prosecution of those it describes as responsible for the killing and ongoing human rights violations.

Reporter, Male #2
Here, they are demonstrating in the Deir area of al-Muharraq in eastern Bahrain. In the opposition's view, the only legitimate race the country should be engaged in is the one toward a real transformation to democracy, and a reinforcement of citizenship principles. This is what it is calling for. Earlier, they demonstrated to demand the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has become an icon for the opposition. Al-Khawaja, who has been detained for nearly a year, began an open-ended hunger strike nearly two months ago. Human rights organizations say his health is now in critical condition, and there's fear his life is in danger. Organizations and countries, including Denmark, since al-Khawaja is also a Danish citizen, called on the Bahraini king to release him. The release did not happen.

Reporter, Male #2
The opposition says his case represents a crucial test to prove the regime's goodwill in regards to reforms and reconciliation. The man was detained during the protests at Pearl Roundabout. The authorities demolished the monument, and later announced an end to martial law, formed a fact-finding commission, and the king announced the regime is committed to implementing the commission's recommendations. However, al-Khawaja is still in prison. For this reason, the opposition says the authorities failed the test, while at the same time, it says human rights violations and the killings have increased.

Reporter, Male #2
As for torture, Amnesty International is monitoring the practice in the country, saying it is still receiving reliable reports of torture and of an excessive and unnecessary use of force despite the reform promises. For their part, the Bahraini authorities responded by saying they are moving along with the race for reform, which they believe does not conflict with the Formula One race. The authorities say hosting the race is a reaffirmation of the country's capability and reputation, not to mention it has many benefits. In a previous Formula One season, 100,000 tourists visited the country, netting a USD 500 million profit. The race's supporters say life must also go on.

Recently released photographs show US soldiers smiling as they pose next to the mangled remains of militants in Afghanistan, straining US-Afghan relations. The photos, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, were taken on different occasions in the southern Zabul Province back in 2010. The US military says it is investigating the incidents.

More Shia Muslims have been killed in Pakistan amid continuing sectarian violence in the country. Police say five people, including the vice principal of Jinnah Polytechnic Institute, were shot dead by unknown gunmen in the southern city of Karachi.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is in Libya to discuss the trial of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam. The court and Libya's transitional council have been locked in a legal dispute as to who is to try the 39-year-old, who is accused of crimes against humanity during the Libyan Revolution.

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said 17 people were killed today by the gunfire of government forces in Homs, Idlib, Daraa, and the countryside of Damascus. Meanwhile, activists said the neighborhoods of Homs endured sporadic heavy shelling that started at dawn and continued as the international observers' committee arrived to the city's neighborhood of Jubar. Syrian state media SANA said an armed group detonated an explosive device today targeting law enforcement in al-Mastoumeh Street of Idlib, killing six soldiers.

Reporter, Male #2
Dissidents in Syria send their news every day. Their video clips filmed in Homs report artillery and rocket shelling of the city. The Syrian government that says it is committed to the ceasefire and the initiative of UN-Arab League Envoy Kofi Annan did not comment on the reports of the shelling, but its media networks reported security forces seized weapons and captured groups they described as terrorists. According to activists, the shelling of Homs began early in the morning, as the international observers' delegation arrived to the city and met with the residents. The Syrian army's military operations continued in many regions. Activists said the bombardment targeted Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib, and an arrest campaign took place in the province that also witnessed new defections from the army's ranks, as displayed in this video.

Guest, Male #3
They kill, displace, and arrest unarmed civilians; they desecrate holy sites and violate their sanctity.

Reporter, Male #2
Syrian security set up barricades and checkpoints in Daraa's countryside. Dissidents say gunfire and explosions were heard this morning in the city. Opposition figures spoke of raid campaigns and warplanes hovering over Hama and its countryside. In Aleppo, two explosive devices were detonated Tuesday night. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one of them targeted a bus carrying security members and killed three security soldiers and two civilians. Syrians demonstrated in many areas in solidarity with what they referred to as disaster-stricken cities and villages. They chanted their usual slogans and called for the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Wael Hajjar, BBC.

Presenter, Male #1
The head of the UN observers' delegation to Syria, Ahmed Himmiche, said his team is continuing to make contact with the Syrian government and opposition. He denied that gunfire was directed at him in Arbeen area in the countryside of Damascus. An amateur uploaded a video showing angry Syrian protestors in Arbeen following a UN car, and attaching a banner on it that mocked the international observers' mission. They chanted slogans in support of the Free Syrian Army. In addition, the sound of gunfire can be heard in the video showing the demonstration site, causing the protestors to disperse. Syrian activists accuse the Syrian army of opening fire at the march, wounding a number of protestors.

Presenter, Female #1
Only six weeks before the Egyptian presidential elections, the list of candidates has been finalized after the presidential electoral commission permanently disqualified 10 candidates. The most notable barred candidates are General Omar Suleiman, former vice president of resigned president Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Khairat al-Shater, and Salafi candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail. The decision generated an overwhelming wave of anger among their supporters. Our correspondent Tawfeeq Ahmad reports from Cairo.

Reporter, Male #1
The supporters of the permanently disqualified presidential candidates are angry. They condemned the presidential high electoral commission's decision. Supporters of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail protested in front of the commission's headquarters.

Guest, Male #2
To summarize the issue, it is a question of a people's dignity. All the Egyptian people are behind Hazem Abu Ismail's slogan that this is a question of dignity.

Guest, Male #3
We will return to the square, and we will retake the revolution from the square, God willing. And we will get a president from the square, God willing.

Guest, Male #4
We don't accept fraud. We don't accept fraud.

Reporter, Male #1
Mohammed Mursi, head of the Freedom and Justice Party, doubts the Mubarak regime fell after Muslim Brotherhood candidate Khairat Shater was disqualified.

Guest, Male #5 (Khairat al-Shater, Disqualified Presidential Candidate)
I confirm the issue is not about Khairat al-Shater. It is about the theft of a nation, and a revolution under threat, so be wary and don't forget this truth.

Reporter, Male #1
The head of Ghad el-Thawra Party, Ayman Nour, also rejected the decision. He said his disqualification violates the constitution and the law. As for former Vice President Omar Suleiman, who is also permanently disqualified from the presidential election, his position was completely different, as he confirmed his respect of the judiciary. So how does the presidential race look?

Guest, Male #6 (Emile Amin, Journalist)
It all depends on unifying the votes. If the Islamist bloc unifies, and picks Dr. Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, for example, then he will have a good chance of winning. But, if they take different positions, and the Brotherhood and the Salafis don't vote for Dr. Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, then the Islamists' vote will be split and Amr Moussa will be the beneficiary. I think the latest surveys confirm that point.

Reporter, Male #1
The decision to disqualify candidates heightened the criticism of the Constitutional Declaration's Article 28, from which the presidential high electoral commission has derived its decision. This has led many to question the presidential elections that will be held late next month. Dusty sirocco winds are blowing on Egypt, disturbing the presidential campaign, but only for those who were permanently disqualified. As for the 13 other candidates still in the race, these winds are passing through unnoticed despite the damage they've inflicted. The political scene is still prone to additional surprises that could completely change the path of the elections. Tawfeeq Ahmad, Dubai TV, Cairo.

Presenter, Male #1
Retrieving Egyptian monuments from abroad is the goal of a campaign launched on the social networking site Facebook. The campaign is trying to collect one million signatures to ask UNESCO to return the country's major treasures from abroad. Among them are Nefertiti's head and the statue of the engineer of the greatest pyramid.

Reporter, Female #1
The "Return of the Great Five" is not the title of a film or a police novel. It's the name of a campaign, launched on the social networking site, Facebook, to collect one million signatures to demand that UNESCO return five Egyptian monuments located in European countries, in light of these monuments' great value and importance. The monuments are a metal coin that belonged to Cleopatra the Seventh, the statue of Humayun, who was the engineer of the greatest pyramid, the oldest map in the world, an old linen garment, and Nefertiti's head.

Guest, Male #2
Those five major pieces are equally important. First, a law should be enacted. And second, can you imagine what it means for a million Egyptians to demand their monuments? And throughout this demand I will go around universities, institutes, and schools to teach people about the Great Five. I would go all around Egypt to teach about these national treasures. I can go to any university, faculty, or school, and any organization. We should start teaching about the Great Five.

Reporter, Female #1
Egyptian monuments in European countries are generating billions of dollars at a time when our need for such treasures is growing, and they could be used to revive tourism and increase our national revenue.

Guest, Male #3
There are tens of thousands of very important monuments that are found abroad. Just the Louvre alone has tens of thousands of pieces, and the museum of London, and others. The Rosetta Stone is not less important than the Great Five, so I cannot just limit the request to the Great Five.

Reporter, Female #1
The campaign for the "Return of the Great Five" resonated in the archeological sector, and generated many reactions.

Guest, Male #4
This stir-up will be beneficial for us, but I don't think they will give us back something as valuable as Nefertiti's head. It's impossible. If Nefertiti's head was theirs and we had it, we would not give it back to them. The campaign might help us in the reconciliation process. It might make them want to put an end to all this trouble and force them to give us back something.

Guest, Male #5
This process will take a lot of effort, and we should not lose hope. We should do our best to retrieve our valuables.

Reporter, Female #1
The demand for the return of our important monuments located abroad, and the insistence that they be retrieved, must be somehow beneficial, whether it's by their return, or by receiving part of the money these touristic monuments generate. Suzanne Mustafa, Nile TV.

The Israeli cabinet will be asked to authorize three new settlements in the West Bank. That's the word from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told a Likud faction meeting that he will personally lobby to upgrade three Israeli outposts into fully authorized settlements. Netanyahu also said that the apartment buildings in the Ulpana outpost on the outskirts of Beit El should not be evacuated.

During a two-day visit to Colombia, Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed the latest nuclear negotiations with Iran. He told Army Radio that Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear sites remains an option, even as diplomatic efforts continue, and added that he has strong doubts that the latest round of negotiations will yield any progress.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Washington will continue to pressure Iran as world powers prepare for the next round of nuclear talks in Baghdad, stressing that the burden now falls on Tehran to prove that it is serious.

Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to hold talks with his Palestinian counterpart, Salam Fayyad, later this evening. Details of the location and time of the summit remain unclear, and very little information has been released. If the talks do take place, it will be the first time the two leaders have met, and the highest level of Israeli-Palestinian talks in over 15 months.

Presenter, Male #1
In observance of the international Palestinian Prisoners' Day, French and European activists who were prevented from traveling to occupied Palestine held a solidarity rally in Paris. The demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing the Israeli occupation over its violations of Palestinian prisoners' rights.

Reporter, Female #1
Dozens of French and European activists, who were prevented from traveling to occupied Palestine, expressed solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in the Israeli occupation's jails. The activists organized a demonstration denouncing the Israeli occupation authorities' crackdown on Palestinians and solidarity activists. The demonstrators called on the French government not to succumb to Israeli pressure.

Guest, Male #2
I was not able to travel. But many solidarity activists who were able to make it to Bethlehem, are currently held in Israeli jails. We decided to hold daily mobilizations to condemn the coordination between the Israeli government and the French government, police, and airlines.

Reporter, Female #2
Activists shackled their hands with chains and marched across Metro stations in Paris, demanding that the Israeli entity releases Palestinian prisoners.

Guest, Female #2
We are gathering to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. Although we were barred from traveling, our ordeal is nothing compared to what the Palestinians endure on a daily basis. Israel commits human rights violations on a daily basis, so we must do something to inform people of what's happening there.

Reporter, Female #1
The demonstrators chanted slogans calling for "the downfall of Israel" in a bid to rally the French public against the Zionist entity's crimes and crackdown inside and outside occupied Palestine. The voices of pro-Palestinian solidarity activists seem to be shaking the Zionist entity. In response, the occupation is mounting pressure aimed at silencing anyone rallying in support of the Palestinian national identity. Zina al-Jamal, Al-Alam, Paris.

Presenter, Male #1
In observance of the International Palestinian Prisoners' Day, several Belgian and Palestinian groups held a demonstration in front of the European Union's headquarters in Brussels. The demonstrators called on the EU to mount pressure on the Zionist entity to immediately release all Palestinian political prisoners held in the occupation's jails.

Reporter, Male #4
The Palestinian flag is once again flying high in front of the headquarters of the EU decision-making body in Brussels. This is part of a Palestinian mobilization that comes amid the Arab movements for change. The demonstration attracted Belgian and Arab activists, who knocked strongly on EU doors as they mark Palestinian Prisoners' Day.

Guest, Male #5
Since 1967, more than 750,000 Palestinian have been imprisoned. European solidarity activists and our brothers came here today to submit a letter to the European parliament and commissioner, reminding them that human rights in the Palestinian territories have been violated for decades on a daily basis. Prisoners are a big part of an issue that is ignored.

Reporter, Male #4
On the list of demands submitted to the EU, the demonstrators called for an immediate international mobilization to help put an end to the suffering of thousands of prisoners, including political activists, women, and children.

Guest, Male #6
The first task facing European parliamentarians is to remove Palestinian resistance groups from the European list of so-called terrorist organizations. The second task is to lobby for the immediate release of 4,600 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Reporter, Male #4
The demonstration was held to express rage at the authorities' decision to ban a delegation from traveling to Palestine via Brussels airport, as part of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign launched last Sunday. The demonstrators accused European governments of adopting a double standard, and of conspiring with the Israeli entity instead of imposing sanctions on it.

Reporter, Male #4
Palestinian Prisoners' Day activities will continue on various fronts, and organizers are calling for the launch of an official international solidarity campaign. Activities held in observance of Palestinian Prisoners' Day across various regions of Europe have once again highlighted the humanitarian implications of the prisoners' issue, as an important component of the Palestinian plight, which seems to be remerging on the scene of developments after being overshadowed by the more than one year of Arab Spring revolutions. Karim Bakhasri, Al-Alam, Brussels.

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