Lebanese lawmakers stage sit-in as parliament fails for 11th time to elect new president

STORY: Lebanese lawmakers stage sit-in as parliament fails for 11th time to elect new president DATELINE: Jan. 20, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:15 LOCATION: Beirut CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. lawmakers arriving in the parliament for the presidential election session 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MP WADDAH SADEQ, Parliament member 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MP NAZIH MATTA, Parliament member 4. various of the interior of the parliament STORYLINE: Some Lebanese parliament members on Thursday implemented a sit-in inside the parliament until they see the election of a new president for the republic, as the parliament failed for the 11th time to elect a head of state. "The Lebanese people are hungry, and they have become desperate... Unfortunately, the vacant presidency leads us to more misery and collapse. This is why I won't leave the parliament hall until this goal is achieved," MP Melhem Khalaf said in the parliament session. Other MPs took the same decision in solidarity with Khalaf, including MP Osama Saad, who said

Repair work begins for railway linking Afghanistan's Herat to Iran

STORY: Repair work begins for railway linking Afghanistan's Herat to Iran DATELINE: Sept. 24, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:14 LOCATION: Kabul CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1 various of the railway project 2 SOUNDBITE (Dari): SAYED SADEQ GILANI, Professor, Herat University STORYLINE: Afghan authorities have begun the work to repair the railway linking the western Herat province to Khawaf of the neighboring country Iran. Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, head of Afghanistan Railways, said that the repairing work began on Wednesday at the Rozanak station on the Herat-Khawaf railway. Sharafat added that the project would be completed at a cost of some 53 million afghani (about 600,000 U.S. dollars) within two and half months. A total of 149 km in length on the Afghan side out of the 225 km railway has been damaged over the past more than one year, according to the official. SOUNDBITE (Dari): SAYED SADEQ GILANI, Professor, Herat University "Repairing of the railway would bolster trade and economic activities not only between

Iran launches 2-day massive drone drills

STORY: Iran launches 2-day massive drone drills DATELINE: Aug. 25, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:22 LOCATION: Tehran CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Iran's massive drone drills STORYLINE: Iran started on Wednesday two-day large-scale drone maneuvers involving different army units, semi-official Mehr news agency reported. On the first day of the war game, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by the Iranian army and the Defense Ministry successfully carried out reconnaissance and monitoring missions in border areas and in international waters, said the drills' spokesman Mahmoud Mousavi. The missions were conducted by Yasir, Sadeq, Pelican, Ababil-3, Yazdan and Mohajer-6 drones, which are only a small part of Iran's drone capabilities, he added. The central headquarters of the war game is located in the province of Isfahan, according to the IRIB news agency. Speaking to IRIB on Tuesday, Mousavi said more than 150 drones, including underground ones, will be tested in the drills. Omid (Ho

Afghans celebrate return of horsemen game with improved security

STORY: Afghans celebrate return of horsemen game with improved security DATELINE: March 7, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:12 LOCATION: Kabul CATEGORY: SOCIETY/CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): NOOR MOHAMMAD AKA, Retired Buzkashi Champion 3. various of the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): ANAYATULLAH SADEQ, Chairman of Buzkashi Federation Committee 5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): KASHMIR KHAN, Fan of Buzkashi 6. various of the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul 7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Uzbek): DOSTAM, Samangan resident 8. various of the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul 9. various of the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul STORYLINE: With the improving security situation in Afghanistan, Buzkashi, a most popular horseback game among Afghans, has returned to the country as the national Buzkashi championship in Kabul attracted thousands of spectators. Noor Mohammad Aka, a retired Buzkashi champion, surveyed the field of play on t