>> 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." >> protesting to oust the president, but a backlash from syrian security forces leaves at least 15 people dead. kong says obama a mixed message for military action, but funding continues. tax rises and hefty spending cuts, how will greece react to the latest warning over its debt crisis? welcome to "bbc news," broadcasting to our viewers around the world. back to prison. an american court says newspaper barron conrad black should serve more time for defrauding investors. the actor, peter faulk, who played column bo for more than 30 years, has died.

>> hello and welcome. tens of thousands of people have again taken to the streets in towns and cities across syria. clashes and death continues. reports suggest that 15 people were killed in the latest protests calling for the removal of president bashar al-assad. the e.u. has extended sanctions against the syrian regime. our correspondent reports from the syrian capital, damascus. >> 100 days since the up rising started, and protestors are king with their call for change. despite violence and killings, they are out in big numbers. it has spread across the country, starting from the center, and the city in the city, the two cities that have

faced crisis in the recent days. they are the birth place of serious upricings. in past days, many have been called south of damascus. security forces reportedly fired at protestors as they were leaving. he was the first to be killed today, his mother morning her loss. but president al-assad's loyalists are also out in big numbers. they are also calling for change. but only the ones that president al-assad would keep. for those on the ground, the call for change has not been for this regime, but rather to overthrow it. >> the u.s. house of representatives has dealt a

symbolic blow to president obama's military intervention in libya by rejecting a resolution to authorize operations for a year. the vote reflects anger at president obama's refusal to consult them before the campaign. before the vote, the republican house speaker john boener argued for the measure saying the president must take ownership of the war. >> if the commander in chief is going to take our forces into war, he must take ownership of it. if he believes that missile strikes and drone operations taking place in libya are critical, it is his the american people and to seek authorization from this congress. because the president has failed to do that, because he has failed to fulfill his obligations, we are here today. >> but some democrats accuse the republicans of playing politics with national security.

>> the message will go to all the world. the message will go to qadri ismail. the message will go to our nato alleys. the message will go to every nation of the world, that america does not keep faith with its alleys. >> among those who voted against the measure was the republican congressman mike turner of ohio. >> i believe this congress needs to come to congress for his authority. secondly, there is a great deal of concern as to what the u.s. involvement in, what the mission is. we are not certain who these rebels are. we don't know what their geopolitical view is to their neighbors or the united states, what their ideological bent is, what their commitment is to domestic diversity. are we going to have atrocities? the outcome of a post-gaddafi libya has not been discussed or what involvement the united states or what other countries of the united nations might have if gaddafi falls.

>> the opposition says it has drawn up what it claims are detailed plans to rebuild the nation. our correspondent reports from benghazi >> all ordinary life is on hold in this city, even for the children. schools are closed. so instead they march and wait for the fall of gaddafi. but the question is how might he fall, and with how much violence? on benghazi's street corners and coffee shops, people are wonder what awaits them. for the first time the rebels have confirmed to the bbc their link to an underground network in tripoli. this member of the once-banned libyan muslim brotherhood is part of the rebel leadership. every day he talks by skype and satellite phone to 100 people

across tripoli if and when the gaddafi regime collapses. >> we are 100% sure it will happen. the only thing is the timing. >> what will be the trigger? >> no one can tell exactly the timing because timing is multi-dimensional. the rebels, nato, all other parameters all have to hit at one time. >> in march, protests were brutally put down by gaddafi's mention. this time the plan is for any new uprising in tripoli to erupt after victory is imminent. it is the day after gaddafi falls that they are worried about. they paid for the freedom. the military barracks is

twisted metal, a stark reminder of what could happen in tripoli. they hope to move to the libyan capital as soon as they can, and hope that a widely respected former judge can hold the country together. >> we are truly worried about security in tripoli. but we have put in place plans and people, and we hope this will protect the city. >> so, the rebels hope to secure the secret loyalty of police and the army in tripoli. >> many people in the army and security forces will help us. some of them are telling us as if we are with gaddafi. but we will be with the libyan people. that is the clear message we are getting from many people in the army and in security. >> it is not easy from here to check out a scent underground network from tripoli, but it fits in what i have been hearing from other sources, that any uprising in tripoli

will depend on the success of the military campaign, both the rebels' and nato's. "bbc news," benghazi. >> the u.n. scournl has sexeffed -- security council has expressed grave concern over things that have happened since the anti-government union pacific rizzutoing. the president is receiving medical treatment in saab rain following an attempt on his life. european leaders have warned the greek government that there is no alternative to cutting spending and putting up taxes as it struggles to deal with its financial crisis. the stark message was delivered at a summit in brussels on friday. what do the people make of it? tim kill cox reports from athens.

>> the acropolis. for many, a strategic vantage point to watch hostile forces approaching from abroad. today athens finds itself under attack once again, teetering on the eng of financial catastrophe and risking taking much of rest of europe with it. this port is one of the busiest in europe. millions of tourists leaves from here for the greek olds. but this is now up for sale in one of the biggest and most controversial privatization plans the world has seen. the latest blow for national pride, and for greeks still reeling from recession and previous austerity packages. the sense of uncertainty in crisis runs through the whole of greek society. he is a married hotel worker who hasn't had a pay raise in three years.

he is mortgage-free, but relies on his wife's income as well. >> life is growing more expensive. it is not only that prices get higher, but we have to pay more money for taxation and insurance. >> greeks describe their country as a poor one full of rich people. >> there is a tremendous sense of unfairness for those who do pay taxes in greece regardless of how much they earn. that is because so many people don't pay taxes and get away with it. the government has to come to grips with it. after all, we are the home of democracy. >> how did greece end up in this mess? should it have ever fon in the euro zone in the first place? i spoke to the former finance minister. >> if they do it, in a couple of years it would be better off and will have survived. if not, problems will keep on existing and the recession,

stagnation and poverty may expand. but i do hope that the reforms will go on. >> but one prominent greek academic thinks that if the bill is passed, the ee mens are only bad. >> it is going to make the dote crisis worsen, but more importantly, the legitimacy of the class, the rift between the people on the street and politicians is going to render greece ungovernable. >> none of the options seem platteable for greece or the euro zone, trying to stitch together what could be a looming financial hurricane. >> tim kill cox wsh wilcox reporting from athens. on our website you will find more details and an explanation of what could happen if it defaults on its debt. that is on the "bbc news"

websites. this is "bbc news." still to come up. ♪ >> toronto gets a bit of bolywood glitz. the international film awards heads to north america for the first time. >> archeologists in mexico have used a tiny video camera to explore a mayan too many that has been closed for 1,500 years. it was discovered in 1999. but archeologists have not been able to excavate for fear of undermining the pyramid. >> this is what is 1,500 year old tomb looks like. with the help of a tiny camera, mexican archeologists managed to look eyed a burial chamber. it was lowered 16 feet down in

the tomb, they saw that the walls of the sideline were coated with red paint and black drawings. it contain what appeared to be the remains of a mayan leader surrounded by potty -- pottery, jaidon and shale. >> it has not been well investigated here. the city was growing and all the strunths of the city were modified. it is difficult to identify the original occupation, the original dynasty of the city. >> the chamber has been untouched for thousands of years. it is located in an ancient city in southeast mexico. the mayans flourished between the third and the 10th century. "bbc news." >> in argentina the adopted

heirs to the country's main media group have given d.n.a. samples. the tests were ordered earlier this month. they said they wanted to put an end to what they called the harassment of themselves and their adoptive mother. >> you're watching "bbc news." our main headlines. in syria at least 15 people have been killed in the latest mass protests calling for the removal of president bashar al-assad. the u.s. has refused to authorize military operations in libya. let's get more now on the protests in syria. i have been speaking to a 47-year-old mother of two from a city where there were huge protests and deaths and

injuries. are asked her to tell me what happened. >> a lot of people joined in the demonstrations. this was the biggest rally ever we have seen in this city. people were trying to gather around into the city center, which is like the downtown area. but as a lot of people know, the city is cut in two sectors like islands. it has been separated by the security forces and the regime in order to prevent what took place back on april 18th when 50,000 people gathered in the biggest square of the city. there was a small rally in different sectors. when i mean small, it is about like 5,000 to 10,000 people. those people from all sectors of the city, they tried to gather in one big square. >> a number of people were killed at the protests which you were at today. the authorities are blaming

unidentified gunmen. were you concur with that? >> no, absolutely not. we started with a peaceful rally, very peaceful. all the protestors were heading to the main square at the city center. when the numbers started increasing, we were talking about 30,000 people were on the street coming from different parts of the season, then this is when the shooting started. first of all, they used tear gas bombs trying to break up the rallies and shooting in the air, but that did not prevent the protestors from continuing to head towards the city center. then they started shooting at people when the people increased. >> so you feel that the protests will continue? you feel empowered, and you feel this is sending out a

strong message to the current regime? >> oh, yes, definitely. every day, every single day, youngsters, 15 years old, they are not willing to accept shooting at peaceful demonstrations or a lot of people being detained because they speak out. this is not acceptable in any part of the world. it is so hard not to be able to speak out. >> that was our report from syria. torrential downpours have caused flooding in central and southern china, causing many people to leave their homes. the rainy season has left nearly 200 people dead and caused damage worth hundreds of millions of dollars the >> in china, a dramatic rescue. soldiers help stranded villagers across a flooded river. the crossing sint easy, but

eventually everyone makes it to safety. china's summer rainy season has arrived. in this village, the bridges across the river have either been washed away or left impassable. this has had a big impact on all of us. these bridges were the only way for local people to cross the river. >> the rains have also hit towns and cities across the region. downtown streets turned into rivers, often causing gridlock. but not enough to stop people venturing out. young and old are used to these summer are storms. so far, this year's rainy season has left nearly 200 dead and caused losses running into billions of dollars. forecasters say more rains and flooding are on the way. china's months of misery aren't over yet. "bbc news." >> a court of the united states has sent the former newspaper

barron conrad black back to jail after a number of charges were upheld. testifies originally charged in 2007 for the falling shares of the cone. but he was released earlier when two convictions were overturn. paul reports from washington. >> conrad black has lost this latest stage in his protracted battle with the courts, but not without a fight. before the judge passed sentence, he gave a 20-minute address to the judge. he said i never asked for mercy. i do ask for justice. the judge followed that by giving a 3 1/2 year sentence, which is likely to be reduced by time already served in prison. but that was more than enough for conrad black's wife, barbara. she collapsed in court and had to be attended to by

paramedics. the prosecution argued that the charges were sufficiently severe even though, as you will recall, a year ago crab ballad was -- conrad black was released from jail due to a change in the law. it was argued that the basis on which he was originally arrested in 2007 had been constitutionally vague, and that led to a successful appeal against two of the charges against conrad black last october. but then his efforts to appeal against the remaining charges of fraud and obstruction of justice were dismissed. that is why the judge today sent him back to prison. his defense team thad argued that he had been -- defense team had arguing that he had been a model prisoner while in jail. but the prosecution really argued that the severity of the crime and the fact that he had

shown no remorse so far meant that he needed to go back to jail. >> judge, you have made very clear that it was important to impose a serious sentence on people who steal from their companies. this is a very strong message, to return mr. black to prison, to make clear that he fulfills the punishment for stealing from the company. >> conrad black has come a long way since being barron black of cross harbor. the courts will take some time to decide where he will go back to jail. this would appear to be the final stage in conrad black's protracted battle with the courts. >> paul yeffs reporting from washington. the actor peter faulk, best known for playing the detective

"columbo" has died. >> he gave the correct pass word. >> the best homicide cop on the planet. that is how peter faulk described the character which made his name. column beau first appeared on the small screen in 1971 and was still tracking killers 30 years later. >> isn't it funny how people are different? me, if i found my partner dead, i would never think of opening any letters. he won four emmys for his slouchy, cigar-smoking cop, who always found something to lead him to the murder. he lost an eye to cancer as a child and was told he would never make it in movies. a pocketful of miracles won him two oscar nominations.

he appeared in many hollywood movies, among them the great race, and was always a popular figure on the red corp -- corporate. he starred in the princess bride and shark tails. peter faulk had been ill for some time with dimension ya and alzheimer's. during a family dispute it was revealed he couldn't recall the iconic tv role which had made him so famous in the u.s. and around the world. he died peacefully in his home in beverly hills. he was 83. "bbc news," los angeles. >> remembering peter faulk there. stars of the world's biggest film industry are gathered for the biggest event on their calendar. they are in toronto. >> from the shores of mumbai to toronto, they are in canada. the international indian film awards are always held yoits of

industry to boost the profile of the industry. this year they are in north america for the first time. mr. is a buzz in time. >> it is about time that we were out here that we can also get to know what bolywood actually is. >> it means everything for our economy, for our general public. for people who don't know about boly wood, they get to learn about it. >> it is a great way to showcase what toronto has to offer. >> about 1.5 million asians leave her. the ontario government has invested $14 million to bring it in. >> all the hotels are sold out. that is 20% to 3% increase in occupancy alone. the city has already been used as a backdrop for several indian films.

this venture, "breakaway" stars rob lowe. they are getting a lot of bolywood productions here. they are kind of drawing up because of the american dollar and there is no advantage for them to come here. canada is looking for new sources for film production. that is why bolywood is stepping in. >> bolywood has been able to translate beyond the whole out asian awedian -- audience. it is a return to feel-good cinema. >> preparations are well under way for the event. with an expected global audience of 500 million, organizers are opening the event will put toronto and bolywood on the map. "bbc news," toronto.

>> make sense of international news at "bbc 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" was presented by kcet, los angeles.