[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 07/06/12: World News From The Middle East [VIDEO]

Presenter, Male #1
Sudanese activists organized new protests today dubbed "Vagabonds Friday" in response to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's description of protestors as a handful of rogue vagabonds with no prospects. In a statement to the media in Cairo, Sudanese Tourism Minister Hassabo Abdel-Rahman said the protests witnessed in his country are normal, and expressed doubt that the Sudanese people will revolt the way they did in neighboring Egypt and Libya.

Reporter, Male #2
This is the third week of protests in Sudan that is witnessing unprecedented popular anger due to deteriorating living conditions in the aftermath of the government's attempt to implement austerity measures in response to worsening economic conditions, especially after the secession of the South one year ago.

Reporter, Male #2
The protests that were sparked by the students at the University of Khartoum quickly turned into a revolt against corruption, and soon afterward became a demand for the removal of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been ruling the country for 23 years.

Reporter, Male #2
The opposition's political parties are insisting on repealing laws that restrict freedoms, and are calling for holding a national constitutional conference, and to get the country ready for free elections. As for the Khartoum government, it confirms that the protestors are implementing a foreign agenda, and are in the service of hostile parties.

Reporter, Male #2
The government reiterated that conditions in the country are normal, as described by a Sudanese official who said the latest protests witnessed in his country cannot be compared to the uprisings of the "Arab Spring." Officials indicate that the latest government measures aim to address the inequality between the rich and poor, especially when it comes to state subsidies.

Reporter, Male #2
Sudan witnessed demonstrations after the government removed the subsidies on some goods, the price of public transportation increased, and the price of oil and food doubled. Then, they started demanding an end to the rule of the Sudanese president. Some protestors also raised slogans calling for civil disobedience.

Reporter, Male #2
Al-Bashir, who is known for his inflammatory statements, was quick to describe the demonstrators as a few deviants, and threatened to send those he called true warriors to deal with them. The first Friday protests were held on June 22, under the banner of "Sandstorm Friday" that security forces confronted with rubber bullets and tear gas. The second Friday protests were held on June 29, under the banner of "Elbow-Licking Friday" that security forces also responded to with force. As for the third Friday, activists called it "Vagabonds Friday," and it seems it is a response to al-Bashir's description of protestors as a handful of rogue vagabonds with no prospects. Sadi al-Dousali, BBC.

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in the second-largest city in Jordan, Irbid. They said that the government should curb the price hikes while there has been no raise in salary or wages. Activists want authorities to find alternative ways to tackle Jordan's economic problems, and to focus on widespread corruption.

Pakistan has been facing growing anger over the reopening of the Afghan border for US-led forces' supplies to pass through. Angry demonstrators in the capital Islamabad and the eastern city of Lahore want the border to remain closed. In Peshawar and Karachi, people have held similar protest rallies to denounce the reopening of key overland routes for the supply trucks. Pakistan authorities have said they will scan every truck for what they call "lethal supplies."

Violence in Libya continues: One day before national congress elections, militants have shut down three oil refineries in the eastern cities of Ras Sedr, Brega, and Sedra. They have also blocked roads on the country's main coastal highway. The militants do not want the elections to go through, arguing that the oil-rich east is only given a third of the 200 seats in congress. Some are even calling for a boycott of the vote.

Presenter, Male #1
Amid fears over the inability of the Tripoli government to maintain security, Libyans are preparing to hold their first elections in over four decades. Nearly three million voters will head to the polls tomorrow to elect 200 foundation council members, out of the 3,700 mostly Islamist candidates. However, the election process is facing significant challenges, mot notably security threats and anti-election groups, which include pro-federalism protestors who closed the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf today. They are protesting the allocation of seats in the General National Congress, whose members will be elected tomorrow. Al-Saghir Salam reports.

Reporter, Male #2
On board this train is the new Libya taking its first steps towards a democratic state. However, many of the 2.7 million registered voters are expressing fear, as they are preparing to taste democracy for the first time, amid hope that the process will not be hijacked by militias that continue to grow in post-revolution Libya.

Guest, Male #3
My decision will be based on the qualifications of the candidates, as opposed to tribalism and affiliation. I will vote for anyone who is patriotic, and who cares about the country and the revolution.

Guest, Male #4
Because of a lack of knowledge, since this is the first experience we have as Libyans especially after 42 years of repression, we need to excuse the election committee and the transitional council in case of any shortcomings.

Reporter, Male #2
This is the first free general election in Libya in over half a century. The objective is to elect the 200-member National Assembly, which will form a new government in lieu of the transitional council formed after the revolution that toppled al-Gaddafi's regime. The National Assembly will also appoint a new prime minster.

Reporter, Male #2
The Assembly was slated to appoint a committee to draft a new constitution, but leaders of the Transitional Council decided that the committee should be selected directly by the Libyan people. With such a move, observers believe that the Transitional Council is seeking to please pro-federalistgroups opposing the elections of the foundation council.

Reporter, Male #2
Libyans are set to elect their foundation council, as the world watches them closely, in hopes of leaving behind their post-revolution conflicts and chaos. However, the scene in Sirte, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's last stronghold, is still casting its shadow, as if the revolution happened only yesterday.

Guest, Male #5
Whoever gets elected needs to come here and see the way we are living. It's very bad. Fear God, fear God.

Reporter, Male #2
In between the cries of Sirte's residents and the optimism of many Libyans for a better future, today's elections are a step toward building a state of institutions, amid security concerns not only in Sirte, but across many other areas of the new Libya.

Presenter, Female #1
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi issued a presidential decree ordering the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the killing and injury of protestors during the January 25th revolution. The decree orders a review of the investigations and a reexamination of sites that witnessed acts of violence and killings.

Reporter, Female #2
The events of the Egyptian revolution that toppled deposed President Hosni Mubarak are resurfacing again. President-elect Mohamed Morsi, who vowed during the presidential elections to reopen the investigation into the cases of the revolution's events, and the acts of violence and killing of protestors, is fulfilling his promise, it seems. He issued a presidential decree ordering the formation of a fact-finding committee to collect information and evidence of the killing and injury of protestors during the January 25th revolution.

Guest, Male #1
A fact-finding committee will be formed to gather evidence and information on the killing and injury of the protestors in all parts of the republic.

Reporter, Female #2
The committee that was assigned by President Morsi is tasked with reexamining sites that witnessed acts of violence and killings during the revolution; its members include a number of judges, law professors, and members of the security services and intelligence agency. It also includes six representatives of the martyrs' families, the injured, and revolutionary youths, who will act as monitoring members.

Guest, Male #2
The committee specializes in collecting information and evidence related to the proceedings mentioned in the previous article, and will investigate the period between January 25, 2011 and the date on which power was transferred, on June 30, 2012.

Reporter, Female #2
Reopening the cases of the revolution, and holding accountable those involved in the acts of violence and killing will undoubtedly stir things in Egypt, especially after reduced sentences were issued in the case of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, and the heads of the interior ministry were acquitted. On the Egyptian street, these verdicts were described as theatrics.

Reporter, Female #2
This development comes in the framework of the accountability vowed by President Morsi. It will allow the fact-finding committee to reveal those who were responsible for these events, and will call for the testimony of witnesses who are still concealing information about these bloody events.

Reporter, Female #2
In this context, Egypt's prosecutor general, Justice Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, filed a notice calling on Omar Suleiman, the vice president of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, to appear at the Cairo court of appeals to investigate the case of killing protestors during the revolution. The notice accuses Suleiman of concealing the truth, after he confirmed in previous press statements that he is keeping important secrets related to the killing of revolutionaries on the Friday of Rage and the Battle of the Camels.

Presenter, Male #1
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton noted that the increase in the number of defections from the Syrian army indicates that soldiers have started to see the truth, evaluate the issue in a sound manner, and are moving on. She viewed the defections as sending a strong message to the Syrian president and his allies. Clinton said that al-Assad and those who surround him will not be part of the equation in Syria, adding that work is now concentrated on guaranteeing the implementation of sanctions against the regime, and spoke of the importance of having countries commit to implementing them.

Presenter, Female #1
On the ground, 72 people were killed by al-Assad's brigades; most of them died in Damascus, Idlib, and Deir az-Zour. Al-Assad's army raided Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib, while tanks shelled the city of Maarrat al-Numaan. Clashes erupted between the regime's army and the Free Army in the area of al-Sayyida Zeinab in the countryside of Damascus. And tonight, there were violent clashes between al-Assad's brigades and the Free Army in the neighborhood of al-Tadamun in Damascus.

Reporter, Male #2
"The people's liberation war" is the slogan raised by the Syrian opposition on Friday, in a clear message to the world that armed revolution is the only way to topple al-Assad's regime. Supporters of the opposition held mass demonstrations that swept different Syrian cities and towns despite the intensified security deployment, notably near mosques. Protestors chanted anti-regime slogans and confirmed the importance of continuing the revolution until al-Assad's downfall.

Reporter, Male #2
The Revolution's General Commission said that clashes between regime forces and the Free Army occurred after shots were fired at protestors in the neighborhood of Salaheddine in Aleppo that lead to a number of casualties. Meanwhile, the civilians' suffering is growing in Homs Province, which is enduring a suffocating siege and difficult humanitarian conditions.

Reporter, Male #2
However, al-Assad's brigades are still heavily shelling several areas, especially al-Rastan, al-Qusayr, al-Houla, and Tadmur. The spokesman for the opposition's fighters in Khan Shaykhun announced that al-Assad's brigades are controlling the city located in Idlib after launching an attack that was supported by helicopters. The city of Maarrat al-Numaan in Idlib, in the northwestern part of the country, is being subjected to shelling with tanks, as continuous shelling with missiles and heavy artillery continues in the city of Hreitan in the countryside of Aleppo.

Reporter, Male #2
Violent clashes were reported in the neighborhood of Kfar Sousa in Damascus, between al-Assad's brigades and the shabeha on one side, and the Free Syrian Army on the other. The situation in Daraa is similar to that of other governorates, as the city of Ankhil and the town of Nawa and the village of Shajara are being shelled and raided by al-Assad's brigades.

Reporter, Male #2
Meanwhile, shelling was renewed in the city of Madaya in the countryside of Damascus with artillery and rocket launchers, which lead to the destruction of 10 homes. The Free Syrian Army confronted al-Assad's brigades in a number of areas, leading to heavy losses for both the brigades and the shabeha.

Presenter, Male #1
During a hearing at the occupation's Supreme Court, an officer in the occupation army revealed the constructing of the annexation and apartheid wall will be resumed in the area of Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion settlement. In addition, settlers seized agricultural land in the town of al-Khader in southern Bethlehem.

Reporter, Male #2
In a plot to Judaize occupied Jerusalem and isolate it from its surroundings, the Israeli occupation will resume, in the coming weeks, the construction of the apartheid wall around the Gush Etzion settlement, in the southwestern part of Bethlehem, after work was halted over the past five years.

Guest, Male #3
The settlement campaign is intensifying on the land of the town of Khader, and especially in the areas bordering the settlements. Recently, the Israeli Knesset issued a decision allowing this Palestinian land to be seized by the settlers. The so-called Israeli education minister also came out with a project to construct biblical gardens and schools in the areas of Khalt al-Fahim.

Reporter, Male #2
The new Israeli endeavor seeks to occupy more than 20,000 donums of agricultural land, in addition to the thousands of donums on which settlements were built; all that land belongs to residents of the towns of al-Khader, Rfas, and Beit Jala. This is in addition to the provisions to Judaize Jerusalem, annex the settlement's land, and seize the Palestinians' right to their land.

Guest, Male #4 (Ibrahim Moussa, Resident and Farmer)
They are now on my land that they took, that was devoured by the wall; they took 8 donums from it. Right now, the wall is surrounding the city of al-Khader, and reduced it from 24,000 donums to 20,000 donums. The wall has prevented people from communicating with people in other villages and towns. And this also poses a problem for the farmers who cannot reach their land and crops.

Reporter, Male #2
The targeting of Bethlehem is not limited to the occupation's procedures that are embodied in constructing the annexation wall, but citizens are also prevented from receiving building permits, while the occupation excels in sending demolition orders to the villages of the western countryside, and actually demolishing the homes of the residents.

Guest, Male #5 (Taha Hamamra, Village Council Member)
About a month ago, we were surprised by the Israeli occupation's decision to confiscate some land in the village. We feel that the confiscation of these donums, and although it is a small number of donums, is a way to seize a large amount of land.

Reporter, Male #2
So the occupation's one-sided procedures undermine the two-state solution, and the occupation's government is even mapping a new geographical reality on the ground. It is an attempt to impose a political solution that places our people and their dream of freedom and independence in closed cantons, unable to survive. It is an occupation story, and its acts are revealed day-by-day. What the governorate of Bethlehem is being subjected to, from Judaization to settlement construction, are mere chapters of that story. Alaa Eddine al-Abd, Palestine TV, Bethlehem.

Judge Joseph Shapira became Israel's eighth state comptroller. The 67-year-old former Jerusalem District Court justice took the oath of office during a special ceremony held in the Knesset plenum. The changeover marks the first time that a new comptroller has assumed the position while his predecessor is allowed to conclude his own work, following the passage of special legislation in the Knesset last week committing an additional three months to finalize reports already in progress.

Outgoing seven-year comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss is continuing his investigation of the so-called Harpaz affair, involving the alleged forgery and military impropriety committed by a close aide of then-IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi.

Bnei Brak resident Elhanan Esterovitch has been arraigned for vandalizing the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and defacing national war memorials in the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill. The 31-year-old suspect told police interrogators that he would have also blown up the Knesset, the Supreme Court, and IDF bases if he could have. Esterovitch and three other ultra-Orthodox suspects from Jerusalem, Ashdod, and Bnei Brak are members of an extremist anti-Zionist sect, and possessed what was described as a large quantity of anti-Israel material and PLO flags.

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