Deadly bombings in Syria's Idlib target security buildings [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
An explosion targeted a military security compound and another hit an aviation intelligence headquarter in the Syrian city of Idlib, leading to the killing of nine people. Our BBC correspondent reported local sources saying Colonel Ali Youssef, the head of the aviation intelligence in the city, was killed in the attack on the headquarters. State media blamed the attack on two suicide bombers. Our BBC correspondent also confirmed an explosive device was detonated near the headquarters of the popular army in the same city, leading to injuries and financial damages.

Reporter, Male #2
The scale of violence is escalating in Syria as death is quickly hitting the Syrians' homes and destruction is spreading across their cities and towns. An explosion here, and another there. The killing machine is moving from one Syrian city to the next. Sometimes it is undercover, and in other instances, it is indifferent to who can see it. In between killing and protecting civilians, a scary debate continues, and is primarily being paid for by Syrian citizens.

Reporter, Male #2
Today, in Idlib, one of the leading cities in the revolt, residents there woke up to the sounds of large explosions and armed clashes near an intelligence building, which left behind dozens of killed and injured, and damaged property. State-run Syrian TV broadcast video showing civilians whose homes were destroyed, and confirmed that residential buildings and the Department of Education, located near a security branch, were targeted. A few hours after these blasts, another explosion targeted the building of what is known as the popular army.

Guest, Male #3
Look at this destruction. This is the freedom they're calling for, this damage, this destruction of the country. People, what are these people guilty of?

Reporter, Male #2
The Syrian authorities blamed armed terrorist groups for the explosion, as sources from the Syrian opposition confirmed that defections from Idlib's aviation intelligence took place and ended with bloody clashes that led to the death of the head of the intelligence in the city.

Reporter, Male #2
Nighttime in Damascus was not calm either, as the Syrian Central Bank, with its symbolic image of the Syrian economy, was subjected to RPG attacks that cracked the bank's exterior walls. No casualties were reported. Syrian TV also broadcast videos of what was said to be an armed attack against a police patrol in the neighborhood of Rouken el-Deen in Damascus. In the countryside of the Syrian capital, and specifically in the cities of Harasta and Douma, activists confirmed that Syrian forces continued to reinforce their sites and deploy additional security members.

Reporter, Male #2
Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition said armed clashes erupted in Hama, the countryside of Aleppo, and al-Qusayr near Homs. The series of daily killings and roving explosions in Syria point to the escalation of the violence, moving faster than political attempts to solve the Syrian crisis. It will difficult to turn back time.

Presenter, Male #1
Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad confirmed during a meeting with the head of the international observers' delegation today that his country will confront what he called the acts of the armed groups and their supporters. Official news agency SANA reported al-Mekdad saying Syria will deal with these groups that have escalated their attacks in an unprecedented manner since the arrival of the international observers to Syria.

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Case of jailed Palestinians on mass hunger strike to be raised at UN [Press TV, Iran]

Medics have raised the alarm over the health of two Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails over two months. Officials from an Israeli rights group say Bilal Thiab and Thaer Halahla, who began their hunger strike on February 29, are risking death as they are receiving inadequate medical care. Over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began a mass open-ended hunger strike on April 17. Solidarity protests have been held across the Palestinian territories, notably in Gaza City. Malaysian and Indonesian delegations to Gaza met with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and called on Arab and Muslim governments to step up efforts to highlight the Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike internationally.

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Iraq's fugitive VP faces over 300 criminal charges [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female #1
A spokesman for the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council said the trial of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and his bodyguards will begin on Thursday.

Presenter, Male #1
The spokesman added that the defendants will face 300 criminal charges related to the assassinations and bombings.

Reporter, Male #2
Tension has been rising over the political atmosphere in Iraq for several months, and it is escalating with the Supreme Judicial Court's announcement that the trial of Iraq's Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and his bodyguards will start on Thursday with charges linked to terrorism, according to the government. The spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council said al-Hashemi and his bodyguards are facing 300 criminal charges, ranging from assassinations and bombings to other cases still under investigation. Seventy-three out of the 86 defendants in the case remain in custody after 13 of them were released for lack of evidence. The first session of the trial will focus on one case that includes three issues: the assassinations of a director in the national security institution, a lawyer, and a senior officer in the interior ministry.

Reporter, Male #2
The outbreak of this case in December 2011 led to a severe crisis in the political process, and its ramifications are still continuing even today. Local, regional and international efforts did not succeed in finding a solution to the issue. The al-Iraqiya bloc, which al-Hashemi is affiliated with, previously accused the head of the government of what it referred to as attempts to drag the judiciary into a political conflict, and is being used to remove its political opponents. Regional and international fears then developed over a political vacuum that could lead to the return of violence to the street. These developments are casting their shadow on the general political atmosphere, as some political leaders are trying to settle the issue and bridge the gaps between opponents, especially in light of the oil exportation crisis between the government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan region. The issue of beginning al-Hashemi's trial is fueling disputes and bringing the controversy into the spotlight once again.

Presenter, Female #1
Joining us from Baghdad is Dr. Kazim al-Magdad, professor of international media at Baghdad University. Dr. Magdad, al-Hashemi described what he was subjected to as politically motivated, precisely because the Iraqi judiciary is subordinate to Nouri al-Maliki's government. He described the trial as a dark comedy. In light of this trial, how can the Iraqi judiciary prove to al-Maliki's opponents that it is real, and not politically motivated?

Guest, Male #3 (Dr. Kazim al-Magdad, Professor of International Media in Baghdad University)
Well, perhaps on Thursday, we will see professionalism, if there is any, in the Iraqi judiciary. If there truly is an independent Iraqi judicial system, instead of a politicized one, then this will be the moment of truth.

Guest, Male #3
The case of al-Hashemi, or the protection of al-Hashemi, and all the 300 charges, I believe that, as of now, they have not been completely convincing. There are still doubts over this case, on the basis that the only source of this case is a government source. I always believe that in the third world, the judiciary, even if it's not politicized at one time, it can be at other times. In my judgment, this judiciary, in one form or another, also falls under the influence of the executive authority. For this reason, we might see convictions while the truth remains unclear in this case, even if the allegations are indeed to protect al-Hashemi.

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Bahrain court orders retrial for 21 activists [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Bahrain's Court of Cassation refused to release a group of 21 dissidents, including rights activist on a hunger strike Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, and ordered their retrial. Meanwhile, revolutionaries shut down dozens of roads as part of a mobilization under the slogan "For the freedom of the detained leaders." At the same time, Human Rights Watch accused the Bahraini authorities of relocating the torture chambers from police stations to remote sites.

Reporter, Female #2
The relentless protests in Bahrain did not subside despite the regime's use of an iron fist against the protestors. Instead, protests were escalated as the detained human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja entered his 82nd day of hunger strike, as the authorities refuse to release him. The Court of Cassation only repealed the verdicts issued against 21 opposition leaders, including al-Khawaja, and referred them to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The court ordered the retrial of 14 of these opposition figureheads, who were tried in a military court while the country was under a state of emergency, but refused to release them. Outside the building of the court, dozens of Bahrainis, the political elite, and human rights advocates held a sit-in to protest the prosecution of the movement's leaders.

Reporter, Female #2
As for the youth of the revolution, they managed to shut down the main roads with burning tires in a mobilization under the slogan, "Red freedom for the freedom of the detained leaders". The revolutionaries closed down more than 60 vital roads, most notably the roads leading to the capital al-Manama, the Bahraini airport in Muharraq Island, the industrial district of Sitra Island, as well as al-Tahrir Street leading to Saudi Arabia. The situation caused severe traffic jams.

Reporter, Female #2
Meanwhile, the February 14 Youth Coalition said this mobilization was a warning to the regime. This comes on the day of the trial of the revolution's figureheads, and one day after a 13-year-old boy was detained and tortured. Human Rights Watch accused Bahraini regime forces of relocating torture chambers from inside police stations to remote sites. The organization said police deliberately and regularly torture the protestors while they are detained, and transfer them to isolated detention centers for certain periods of time before sending them to the official detention facilities. The organization asserted it has collected detailed information on two of these centers, one of them in the Sanabis area and the other in Budaiya.

Reporter, Female #2
And in an attempt to cover up the repression and the daily protests, the authorities at al-Manama Airport denied entry to a European Parliament representative who holds a diplomatic passport, after mentioning she is familiar with Zainab al-Khawaja. The representative called on EU governments to send a strong message to Bahrain's rulers that they will be held accountable for detaining and torturing human rights activists. This move comes as the Manama authorities' decision to impose restrictions on tourist visas to Western citizens is being implemented, in anticipation of a scene similar to the 11 foreign activists who joined protests in Bahrain before getting arrested and deported.

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Ansar al-Sharia releases kidnapped Yemeni soldiers in Abyan [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
A new variable has emerged in Yemen's battle against al-Qaeda and its allies, after the Ansar al-Sharia group released 73 soldiers captured last week in a bloody attack on a military base south of Yemen. The group's decision not to execute the prisoners is being attributed to the relative progress made by the army, which is trying to tighten the noose on armed groups in the Abyan Province. Our correspondent Abed al-Rahman al-Shimiri reports from Sanaa.

Reporter, Male #2
The release of 73 Yemeni soldiers captured by al-Qaeda affiliated with Ansar al-Sharia group is being interpreted differently. Some are describing it as an attempt by the armed group to improve its image among Abyan residents, who suffered a tremendous loss during the recent battles.

Guest, Male #3 (Amin Dibwan, Writer and Journalist)
It could be a political tactic. Ansar al-Sharia is a shrewd political group, and it is not a religious group as its members claim. If they were a religious group, they wouldn't have killed so many Yemeni soldiers. I think it was a clever political move.

Reporter, Male #2
Despite the heavy presence of Ansar al-Sharia, particularly in the southern Abyan Province, which is a stronghold of the armed groups and the epicenter of the armed conflict, the Yemeni army has been able to make relative progress over the past few weeks in the fight against al-Qaeda. In a bid to tighten the noose on armed groups, the Yemeni army, backed by the US Air Force, was able to recapture some territories.

Guest, Male #4 (Dr. Mohamed al-Qadi, Researcher and Academic)
Al-Qaeda suffered a major blow in the battle of Lawder. The local popular committees displayed great persistence, defiance, and resistance. Al-Qaeda felt the danger, and realized that it was not facing only the government, but the entire population as well. The battle is continuing. The residents were able to prevent the group from entering and seizing control of the city.

Reporter, Male #2
In the so-called "war on terror," a positive change has emerged, following the latest military and civilian appointments in the area's hotspots. The army's march toward the strongholds of the armed groups across various districts in Abyan Province, which was backed by fighters from the popular committees, has weakened the groups' ability to counter such a wide-scale military campaign that had been unseen in the region. Abed al-Rahman al-Shimiri, Dubai TV, Sanaa.

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Knesset elections may come early due to draft law dispute, settlement eviction row [IBA, Israel]

Knesset elections may be underway, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told equal draft activists that if need be, he will go to early elections to make a more fair system for national service. The coalition partners and opposition leaders also signaled that the election could be near. The main issue is a new bill to replace the Tal Law, which allows Ultra-Orthodox Jews to defer their service in the army, and was ruled unconstitutional by the High Court in February.

Another issue causing political strife in Israel is the court-ordered demolition of Jewish homes in the West Bank community of Beit El. The High Court gave the government a two-month extension to execute the order, but officials requested a 90-day extension to further examine the issue. Also at stake are five residential buildings ordered to be evacuated in Ulpana, which has caused a serious rift in the Israeli government. Several Cabinet ministers have vowed to leave the coalition if the court upholds its May 1 eviction deadline for some 30 Ulpana families.

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Egypt's artists troubled by Adel Imam's 'religious defamation' case [Nile TV, Egypt]

Presenter, Male #1
The Giza Court of Appeals announced that artist Adel Imam and a number of writers and film directors were found innocent. The court rejected the two criminal and civilian lawsuits against them, and the plaintiff will be required to pay the lawsuit's expenses. Adel Imam and others were previously sentenced to three months in jail for films produced ten years ago. The artist was accused of defaming religion, which enraged artists who considered it a ruling against creativity and artists.

Reporter, Male #2
An atmosphere of fear and concern dominates the intellectual and literature circles after artist Adel Imam and others were sentenced in absentia to imprisonment, and fined for defaming religion with artwork they produced ten years ago. Some considered the sentence a veiled warning, and not to Adel Imam personally. They believe it constitutes a threat to freedom in art and creativity, which is inspired by freedom of expression and speech, for which the Arab revolutions were ignited.

Guest, Female #1 (Suhair Murshedi, Artist)
Who dares to prosecute imagination? If you want to prosecute imagination, you must prosecute the whole era, including its rulers, presidents, and its audience.

Guest, Male #3 (Magid al-Masri, Artist)
Are you going to prosecute me retroactively? Isn't there supervision? Isn't there a supervisor? Aren't there viewing committees? Where are all these things? Why did we ignore all of this? And why didn't we question the supervisor? Why didn't we ask him how he allowed this word? How come you allowed the use of this expression? Why did you leave this scene in the movie? Why didn't we question the supervisor and the viewing committees? But we are judging Egyptian art instead?

Guest, Male #4 (Ashraf Abdul Ghafur, Artist from the Actors' Association)
We are not here against judicial verdicts, but we are against putting creativity and ideas in the defendant's cage. That is our issue.

Reporter, Male #2
The Adel Imam case was not the only one that flared with the revolution, but it was the case that opened the door to a series of cases against at a number of innovators, writers, and artists.

Guest, Male #6 (Ahmed Abdul Warith, Artist)
I applaud this fair judge who understood the value of freedom of intellect, culture, and creativity. The initial ruling was unjust and unfair.

Reporter, Male #2
It is worth nothing that the films included in the lawsuit were already censored at the time, in the presence of the religious movements represented in today's People's Assembly.

Guest, Male #7
We are relying on this just, great, and grand judiciary that issued a fair verdict. We were all very worried about the sentence, because those who judge freedom of creativity today will come tomorrow to question me on the street and ask me why I'm not growing a beard, and why I'm not wearing traditional clothes. At this point, we will experience the 1970s again.

Reporter, Male #2
The verdict dismissing the charges marks the beginning of democratic expression and openness, with its most essential elements being freedom of speech and acceptance of different opinions. But campaigns against the arts and creativity will take Egypt, which has a glorious history and civilization, back to the Dark Ages.