>> this is "bbc world news funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news >> inside syria, hundreds of refugees flee the escalating violence. we have a special report. reforming morocco, king mohammed proposes wide ranging constitutional changes after a wave of protests. from misrata, one student who's traveled from britain to join the battle against colonel gaddafi. welcome to bbc news, broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. coming up later for you -- the right to drive. saudi women go online in their fight to get behind the wheel. and what's in a name? how a man with a very familiar name came to the rescue of the resident of a small u.s. town.

hello and welcome. government forces in syria are reported to have shot dead 16 people at a demonstration against the rule of president assad. across the country, thousands have again joined an anti-government rally. 10,000 people are estimated to have fled the violence, taking refuge on the bored we're neighboring turk -- on the border with neighboring turkey. this special report. >> we took the routes the smugglers use. winding through the olive groves and down the hillsides to avoid the border patrols. after an hour's hike, we were inside syria. this is how some 10,000 now live here. stranded along the border, too scared of their own army to return home. in one tent sat fatmi kabic

hifment, elderly and frail. "i came here because of the violence, she said, because of the army. we're frightened of them." everyone here has a tale of horror. few will tell theirs on camera, too afraid of reprisals. but their stories are all similar. >> we were watching from a place in the city so we could tell our families what was happening. the soldiers went in with tanks and army vehicles. they brought bulldozers and they started to attack the buildings. they entered offices and they stole whatever they wanted and then they set fire to them. >> the people of syria have been all but sealed off for three months now. appearance the president has tried to crush a rebellion he blames on religious extremists. what many people here have told us is that the syrian army and secret police are getting closer to this point every day.

we now believe that they are two or three miles in that direction. and on the other side. country we also know that army units are getting closer to centers of rebellion along the iraqi border. the tactic seems clear. the army, the regime is trying to assert its dominance across the country. to quash the rebellion. and this many here told us is how the army's doing it. we can't show this mobile phone footage. it's of a dead man with a long bloody wound along the top of his skull. what does this make them think of their president? he's a traitor, this man told us. he should give us our freedom. sanch hofment was once unheard -- dissent was once unheard of in syria, and brutality, far from crushing this rebellion s. actually fanning its claims. math yu price, bbc news,

northern syria. >> we are speaking to a representative of the syrian revolution coordinators union and joins us online from damascus. you were at a protest in diplomatic cuss. just describe what you saw today. >> good evening, ma'am. yes, indeed. i was in a province north of damascus today. we were 1,500 people approximately. and almost 200 security forces members and a number of militia personnel confronted us right after we arrived to the main square of the area. we were -- we received many gas bombs, tear gas bombs. and later, rubber bullets just to make a note, it's the first time during the last three months that we enjoy the privilege of rubber bullets. because usually we're shut out with live ammunition. later, some arrests were made. two people were arrested. one of them was brutally hit.

in my area. and we believe that later, during this week, there will be more arrests based on this detention because we know that every time there was somebody arrested here, we will be asked to identify other peaceful protesters. i would like just to mark up that we are not quite comfortable with the term rebellion. because we believe it's a revolution and that's how we would like to call it. we never carry weapon and we will keep up doing it in a peaceful way. >> we are hearing president assad is describing this rebellion and he's blaming this as you say you're not happy but he's blaming it on religious extremism. how does that make you feel? >> well, i'm happy that the foreign media is following this story now. but i'm quite upset a little bit because you're only following it only after the syrian state tv marked a mass grave with 120 soldiers which is something there was a mass

grave, more than a month before. it was committed by the regime itself, and yes, the syrian state tv keeps -- hag telling this statement over the last three months. and nobody here believes it. because we have seen in the street how different it is. no extremeists in the street, nobody's armed. there's no armed insurgency. it's just the official story that they're telling so they can remove the legitimacy from the revolution. and i think all the audience all over the world has seen this happen in libya, in egypt, and we also expect it to happen here. and we don't believe that they're going to quit in story. >> one of the people at a protest in damascus. thank you very much for describing your views there. king mohammed of morocco has announced reforms that will curb his wide-ranging powers and increase the authority of the prime minister and parliament. the king put forward the plans in a speech to the nation three months after announcing a

review of the constitution following anti-government protests. >> the pressure on king mohammed has been mounting for months. protesters have been on the streets since february. inspired by the arab spring, they've been demanding reform. then in april an explosion ripped through this cafe in marakesh, killing 17 tourists. all that has added to calls for change. now in a rare appearance on national television, he says he'll surrender some of his powers to parliament. the king said he was committed to a new constitution. which he said represented a watershed for the country. but left unsaid, the king keeps much of his mower and stays on as head of the army. so will that be enough to satisfy the people of morocco? a referendum on the proposals will be held in july. that's when they'll get to have their say on the response.

bbc numings. -- bbc news. >> and is the king finally listening to what protesters have been asking for? >> yes. because the constitution is applying more to the government rather than to the king. and so beside the king who is the highest representative of the nation and the head of state, there will be a strong political president who will preside over the government and he will be able to conduct the policy of the country and it will be accountable to the parliament and not to the king. and the prime minister will be allowed to dissolve the assembly and to suggest potential ministers. the elected house of parliament has a final say upon the nominated house, in the legislative process, which has never been the case before. >> now, rebels in libya say at least 10 people have been killed in a rocket attack by colonel gaddafi's forces. in recent weeks, rebel numbers have been swelled by some libyans who live abroad, returning to join the fighting in the besieged city of

misrata. our correspondent andrew harding met one student who left behind his studies in britain to join the fight on the frontline. >> in high spirits, full of rebels heading for the besieged city of misrata. the front lines that surround it. among today's reinforcements, a young math student from lancaster university. >> i couldn't do much for this revolution. so i decided to go and hold a gun for the first time in my life. >> for sadik this is personal. his father came to greet him but gaddafi forces have taken 16 members of their family. within hours, a shy, earnest student seems transformed. it's a short journey to the frontline.

but is sadik ready for this? those were uncomfortably close. gaddafi's superior fear power is a constant threat to these part-time soldiers. -- firepower is a constant threat to these part-time soldiers. sadik has come to the front lines here. very active front lines. colonel gaddafi's forces just a mile or so down the road. you can hear the missiles whistling overhead. nato planes patrolling the skies, too. now, the men here are bracing themselves for what they believe could be an imminent gaddafi offensive. in a quieter moment, sadik's training begins. >> these are the rockets. >> he hopes his math skills will help with targeting. >> nice. >> to my friends, we had to

fight. so where is the enemy now? >> sadik's lack of experience is nothing new here. the rebels need training and weapons and too many are dying. and so after a mere hour or so of training, sadik joins the ranks. >> weert elive in peace and -- either we live in peace and freedom or we die. we will die. >> andrew harding, bbc news, misrata. >> the leaders of the two largest euro zone economies have presented a united front on a new rescue package for greece. the german chancellor angela merkel and french president nicolas sarkozy have been meeting in berlin to discuss the issue. in athens itself, a new greek cabinet has been sworn in as gavin hewitt reports. [chanting] >> a cabinet reshuffle, greek

style. european leaders and the financial markets watched as a new cabinet was sworn in. facing violent unrest, prime minister george papandreou dumped his finance minister. a desperate gamble that a new team could more easily push through austerity measures and so prevent a devastating default. outside parliament, the protesters remain at the gates. late evening, they were sitting in. they had heard that the new finance minister might try and negotiate with his european paymasters to soften some of the reforms. the protesters were skeptical. the mood here was uncompromising. no more austerity. >> the more austerity you have, people are more unemployed. we have less to spend and the economy is collapsing. it's an obvious thing. >> the protesters who have been camping here for weeks are trying to make it impossible for the government to implement

cuts. away from these tent protests here in greece, they have also been divisions elsewhere in europe about how to resolve this crisis. germany and france, the big beasts in the euro zone, haven't seen eye to eye on this and today their two leaders were meeting in berlin. the smiles didn't disguise the tension between president sarkozy and chancellor angela merkel. the germans had wanted private investigators to shoulder some of the burden of a second greek bailout. the french disagreed. today, angela merkel backed down. that means more pain for the german taxpayer. >> europe and the euro hang together. our economic strength depends on a strong euro. and because of this, i will do everything to ensure the euro's stability. >> greece's debt mountain is at 298 billion pounds. a year ago greece was loaned

$95 billion in a bailout. it didn't do the trick and a second bailout of around 106 billion pounds is now being considered. >> this is the end game because europe has to make up its mind whether it's going to have the political will and the financial resources to address this finally and definitely or whether it faces chaos. >> the next big test will come early next week with a confidence note in the prime minister's leadership. gavin hewitt, bbc news, athens. >> you're watching bbc world news. coming up, the latest international sport and why the energy-rich state of the united arab emirates is facing petrol shortages. mexico's liquid gold is falling into the hands of criminals. that's according to one of the country's state-owned oil companies. it says it's facing massive losses because of criminal

gangs tapping the pipes and stealing the contents. our report from mexico city. >> mexico is the world's seventh largest oil producer and profits from the state-owned oil giant make up a third of the state's revenues. but authorities now admit that illegal tapping on its pipelines around the country has reached an all-time high. and it's hurting its finances. this year, through april, our estimated losses for theft from pipelines amounts to $251 million. slightly above the total amount stolen in 2010. this means that almost 70% of the company's first quarter profits were lost to organized crime gangs. they steal the oil from pipelines using state of the art technology and then sell it in the black market both in mexico and according to the mexican government, in the united states. officials also admitted that gangs have kidnapped more than

20 workers. it is believed that illegal tampering may have caused explosions like this one in which 28 people were killed. and other similar blasts are around the country. mexico's war against organized crime seems to have opened a new front. bbc news, mexico city. >> the former head of football's world governing body fifa is being investigated over corruption allegations. it follows claims in a bbc program that he was given a million dollar bribe from fifa's former marketing partner i.f.l. fifa has refused to investigate the allegations. this is bbc news. our main headlines now, tens of thousands of people across syria have again defied the security forces to stage anti-government protests.

the king of morocco has proposed wide ranging constitutional reforms in response to the unrest sweeping the arab world. the gulf states are awash with oil and gas. though it's not exactly the place you would expect to be suffering petrol shortages. but that's exactly what's been happening in the u.a.e. some petrol stations have been closed and where there is petrol, drivers have been waiting for as long as half an hour to fill up. so what's going on? our report from dubai. >> whatever the time of day or night, there's no shortage of vehicles on the u.a.e.'s major roads. limited public transport, there's a huge reliance on cars and the fuel needed to run them. but right now, not everyone's finding it easy to fill their tank. in a country where the car is king, this is perhaps not what you'd expect to see. but petrol stations are empty because the pumps have run dry, and it's not the first time it's happened.

the northern emirates have already suffered two petrol shortages this year. the companies involved, dubai-owned enoc and its subsidiary have blamed technical issues and the installation of new equipment. but while there is evidence of work being done at some service stations, observers point to a system that sees the government fix the price of fuel at the pump but leaves the retailers and oil prices. >> the gasoline retail business in the u.a.e. is a ross-making business. they -- a loss-making business. they bleed money. they lose one -- one of the retailers said they lose an average of $2 million a day to cover government subsidies. unless you get some respite from the cash flow problem, which is what this is really all about, then i think you're not going to see the end. shortages -- the end of the shortages and lines at the petrol stations. >> u.a.e. has some of the

largest -- produces did i some analysts say means it can afford to soak up the losses from petrol retail. especially with the price of oil back at around $100 a barrel. but dubai is more cash strapped after the financial crisis and its dwindling oil supplies only make up about 5% of g.d.p. tankers of fuel are getting to most petrol stations in the u.a.e. and there's no real sense of panic. but this latest incident is fueling speculation that some change will have to happen. >> women in saudi arabia have been openly driving cars in defiance of an official ban on female drivers in the ultra conservative kingdom. the action has been organized on social network sites where women have been posting i willages -- posting images of them behind the wheel. >> it's friday, june 17. and i would like to go to the supermarket. says the woman at the wheel of

the car. a routine errand but in saudi arabia, a mission is strictly clandestine. the pictures have apparently come from a social media website. and her location isn't revealed as she drives along the deserted streets in the early hours of the morning. all this is about, she says, is the -- if i need something, i can go and get it. saudi arabia is the only country where women are prevented from driving. there's no written law as such, but driving licenses are not issued to women. now, though, campaigners have turned to the internet to gather support. >> we should have courage in this country at the highest levels. the leadership in this country should resolve the issue so women are not deprived of their natural rights. women are part of this society. they form at least 50% of this community. why deprive half of the community of their rights?

>> this youtube video shows a saudi woman driving while talking to a passenger. we want change in the country, she said to say. last month, the authorities arrested her. she's now been released but tens of thousands of people are said to have joined the campaign calling for her acquittal. the determination to defy the ban on women driving has made the government nervous in this era of instant communication. >> a week ago, you got there in a matter of 30 minutes, i guess we were reported. we were attacked. six cars were surrounding us. and they -- took us to the police station. we weren't allowed to meet unless our guardians came and signed a pledge to take us -- to take us home. >> some saudi women complained that they experienced problems

of harassment when riding in taxis. driving themselves, they argue, would allow them greater independence and security. public protests in saudi arabia are extremely rare. and it's why this call for social change has drawn so much attention. peter biles, bbc nuelings. >> in -- bbc news. >> a town was nearly destroyed by a deadly f-5 tornado. residents of the community were to celebrate their 100th anniversary this weekend but canceled their plans in favor of working on their battered homes. then came a phone call from a man with a very familiar name which changed their minds. it's a unique and very philanthropic event. sandy gallaher reports. >> the path of the storm was -- from a mile to a mile and a quarter and even a little bit wider than that in areas. >> we were notified that it was on the way to phil campbell and

gave us seven minutes to prepare. and it didn't matter if it's a mobile home, 12 feet wide, or $250,000 home, same effect. this f-5 tornado had done a clean sweep. >> six weeks after the tornado struck the landscape of phil campbell, lays in ruins. the twisters sliced through the middle of town taking homes, snapping trees like toothpicks, and claiming lives. it was the deadliest storm in alabama's history. >> a lot of people we found alive. a lot of people we found that were deceased. we were frnt at not to lose -- fortunate not to lose any more than 27 people. >> the residents here are slowly starting to clean up and rebuild. and now they have help from a group of men who share a unique link with the town of phil campbell. the original idea was for phil campbells to meet in a place that bears their name. but all that changed after the storm. >> when the tornado hit, and it

was decided we would still come, there was a little bit of a pause like what can you do? and then excitement. kind of growing enthusiasm for the idea that we were still committed and trying to make a difference. >> and collectively, the phils as they've become known are making a real difference. wherever you look throughout this devastated community there are signs of reconstruction and rebuilding but with the help of phil campbell, phil campbell, phil campbell, and phil campbell, and all the other phil campbells heading here from around the world, this is now an international relief effort. >> to be able to come here and do even a little bit to help and to raise money, and with our connection, with phil campbells, it's a wonderful opportunity to try to help people who have been through >> i couldn't wait to get up in the morning and talk to people and see how they were doing and really get first hand knowledge

and see if i could do anything. >> all i can do is empathize and support them the best way that i can and that is to use my name in the same way of everybody else taking part. is to raise profile and indirectly, you know, get donations to help them rebuild. >> so far, the phils have raised over $30,000. but perhaps more importantly, they brought hope to their newly adopted home. andy gallagher, bbc news, phil campbell, alabama. >> what a great story. let's get our main news again. disturbances have been reported throughout syria as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets after friday prayers. activists said that security forces shot dead at least 19 people while syrian state media reported that a policeman had been killed and many others wounded. much more on our web site.

bbc news. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news waspresented