>> bashar al-assad is a traitor. he should give us all freedom. >> such open dissent was almost unheard of in syria. this is perhaps a sign that the brutality, far from crushing the rebellion, is actually fanning the flames. >> we want to pick up from where matthew was saying. he said that far from crushing the rebellion, this is actually standing it. is that true? >> we have seen hundreds of not thousands of people across syria. they're not scared. their relatives have been taken and tortured. they have been relentless in their demand that they wanted to change the government. i think despite everything, the monetary crisis that we've seen across the country, people are crossing into turkey. in terms of 10,000 people that are arrested and detained despite everything. their seriousness and it is a matter of time before we see some kind of change. >> there clearly up against a formidable opponent in the form of bashar al-assad. there are the huge numbers of people turning out and the government having to cave. that ha

will president bashar al assad step down? and a very disappointing jobs report is weighing heavily on the white house and the president's lee election bid. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." host: could switchco ally save you 15% or more on car insurance? did the little piggy cry wee wee wee all thy home? piggy: weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeee weeeeeeee. mom: max. ...maxwell! gg mom: you're home piggy: oh,cool, thanks mrs. a. anncr: gei. mutes could save you 15% or more. i thought it was over here... ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back. ♪ we devote every second of every day figuring out how to give our clients a better mortgage. maybe that's why j.d. power and associates ranked us "highest in customer satisfaction in the united states." so, we thought we'd take a little time to celebrate. ♪ all right, then, back to work helping clients. individual attention from our highly-trained mortgage professionals. one more way quicken loans is

other words, will we start to see one side against another in syria. >> how much support does bashar al assad have from the rest of the arab world right now? we know so many of the arab countries turned against gadhafi in libya. are they turning against bashar al assad or are they more cautious? >> they are not. turkey's prime minister saying what's happening in syria constitutes in certain cases atrocities. we are starting to see some old friends, now there is a split between syria and turkey right now. so there is now clearly a cooling of those relations. the question is, if we start seeing cracks, as you said, among the security forces, what will the countries around syria start doing? but the western powers, as far as they're concerned, have only reached the level of verbal condemnation and even a u.n. security council only has the support of a few of the permanent members of the security council. >> i want to remind our viewers here in the united states and around the world, the syrian regime is not letting international news media in. we can't get a personal eyewitness account of what's

"bashar al-assad "he says holding up his son. "what did this boy do to you? what right do you have to take him from the home of his grandfather?" and bashar al-assad was supposed to be the reformer, a man much different from this brutal and ruthless father. assad will announce his future plan for syria as early as tomorrow night, but to many syrians, the harsh reality is, he learned from his father too well. russ. >> mitchell: wyatt andrews in turkey, thank you. afghan president hamid karzai confirmed today his government and the u.s. are engaged in peace talks with the taliban. an insurgent attack on a police station inicable later in the day killed nine people. the taliban claimed responsibility for that attack. nato said today its aircraft accidentally hit rebel forces in libya on thursday. a rebel spokesperson says the attack in eastern libya injured 16 rebel fighters and destroyed six trucks. back in this country, you can call it golf diplomacy it's president of the united states and the speaker of the house took to the lings today in what was billed as a

almost 30 years ago, the dictator bashar al assad's father, hafez al assad faced a rebellion from the muslim brotherhood, he handled it by killing 10 to 20,000 people. history written in blood, history repeating itself every day in syria. tonight the white house issued a statement. the united states strongly condemns the syrian government's outrageous use of violence across syria today, and particularly in the northwestern region. there must be an immediate end to the brutality and violence. earlier i spoke by internet phone with human rights activist, dissident and fugitive in her own country. we almost didn't manage it. the regime has been shutting down internet service, trying to keep word from getting out of the country. we lost the conversation shortly before the conversation and soon after, but we managed to find a narrow window to talk. rezan, we have found another video of another young boy allegedly tortured and mutilated by security forces. his name was tamir. do you know what happened to him? >> tamir was arrested the same day when hamza was arrested. he was disappeared, th

the regime of bashar al assad in syria.y try to hide their crimes by keeping reporters out, but the videos continue to emerge. this is what syrian soldiers do to helpless handcuffed prisoners. >> this is what syrian soldiers do to a helpless elderly man. >> this is what the regime does to its people who are protesting. [ gunshots ] video today from a damascus suburb. right now syrian soldiers and government thugs are on the brink of exacting bloody retribution on an entire city. and their leader, bashar al assad is according to the prime minister of neighboring turkey taking all of this, in his words, very lightly. tonight for whatever it's worth and whoever can do something about it, we want to show you the truth of what is happening in syria. the pictures are hard to look at, i know, but people are risking their lives to take these images. they are dying so that you and i may know the truth. this is exclusive video, new video of a recent protest. a peaceful protest in northern syria, photographed by a dissident who manage

proves to be true or not, a growing number of countries say it is time for the regime of president bashar al-assad to go. >> in syria, the process of reforms is dead. we think bashar al-assad has lost his legitimacy to rule the country. >> that is certainly the feeling amongst those involved in protest movements in jisr al- shughour, who have been burying their dead. they witnessed one of the bloodiest episodes so far in this uprising, and could now face further military action. bbc news. >> there has also been further violence in yemen days after president saleh left the country for medical treatment in saudi arabia. at least 30 people have been killed in a southern town during heavy clashes between government forces and what officials say are al-qaeda militants. tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes because of flooding in china. at least 14 people have been killed. the torrential rainfall in some areas of central and southern china follows the worst drought in decades. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, life and death on afg

proves to be true or not, a growing number of countries say it is time for the regime of president bashar al-assad to go. >> in syria, the process of reforms is dead. we think bashar al-assad has lost his legitimacy to rule the country. >> that is certainly the feeling amongst those involved in protest movements in jisr al- shughour, who have been burying their dead. they witnessed one of the bloodiest episodes so far in this uprising, and could now face further military action. bbc news. >> there has also been further violence in yemen days after president saleh left the country for medical treatment in saudi arabia. at least 30 people have been killed in a southern town during heavy clashes between government forces and what officials say are al-qaeda militants. tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes because of flooding in china. at least 14 people have been killed. the torrential rainfall in some area china follows the worst drought in decades. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, life and death on afghanistan's front lines. b

secretary general is urging bashar al-assad to stop the violence. syrian troops have killed 1300 civilians and the three months old popular uprising. so far, the crackdown is not appear to have silenced anti regime protesters. the crowd chants, "go away, we don't like you." for weeks, they have demanded the departure of the syrian president. this was shot on wednesday in damascus suburb but it cannot be verified. the regime will not allow foreign journalists into the country. demonstrators hold up signs in support of deserting soldiers. there have been numerous reports of troopsrefusing orders tose violencegain prosters. in northwestern syria, the army is reported to be chasing down opposition activists with brute force. thousands of refugees are on the run. many have already arrived in turkey. >> i am here at the border. none of us can go back now. we are in a secure area so all the families can be kept safe. everyone is leaving the villages. they are shelling randomly. there are tanks and heavy machine ns. children are dying. >> they have made our

and with the international community asking for bashar al- assad to step down. this might add to the regime change but so far we are far away from that. >> thank you for joining us. >> with that, we wrap up "the journal," for this hour. thank you for joining us. ♪ after you've gone

. >> you understand bashar al- assad, is anything to convince him to make political reforms or step out of the way? >> he is facing a very difficult situation, to say the least. he has no credibility with the bulk of his people, although he has some support. he has an economy that is collapsing around him because he cannot attract foreign investment. tourism is very important. obviously, nobody is coming. agriculture is very important to syria and they have had a terrible drought since 2006. he depends on patronage to keep the support of those around him. he allows corruption. >> if the economy is collapsing, how will he carry on pain those people, for example the security forces? >> they will be the last one to feel any pinch or pain. he asked to pay his elite forces. he must pay the people who keep him in power. at the same time, he can expect to lose the future of the business each week in damascus and the second city of aleppo because part of their support is based on stability and an improving economy. >> is there anything that makes you think that this has the potential for a posi

suggest that 15 people were killed in the latest protests calling for the removal of president bashar al-assadthe 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 militar

after months of silence in the face of rising protests, syria's president bashar al-assad addressed his nation today. but his defiant message only sparked further demonstrations. al-assad accused saboteurs of masterminding the protests and urged the thousands of syrians who have fled the country to return. international journalists are banned from syria. matthew price has sent us this report from the border with turkey. >> president al-assad's audience chanted that they would sacrifice their blood for him. his family's rule is being challenged like never before. protestors calling for reform blame him for the violence in syria. he has a different view. >> we should bring to account the saboteurs who are terrorizing people and destroying property. how can you deal politically with those who keep on killing people? >> he said 64,000 people are on the authorities' wanted list. a third of them have been arrested. he promised reforms. the audience applauded. the protestors took to the streets in several cities, including the capital. if president al-assad hope his speech could stop this, he

it has turned into food are praising president bashar al assad for his company prove we did emergency power was more constitutional risk. uhm how were only to the month he decided on the seaview down and the police stepped up the violence against the opposition plainly june syrian human rights organizations estimated some thirteen hundred people have been killed and more than ten thousand arrested escape in their own wrist refugees have been crossing the border into turkey more than twelve thousand syrians are housed all seeking shelter in turkish refugee camps in early june president assad announced the junior minister for political prisoners however his concessions have neither the opposition nor stalk the e.u. and the u. worst from imposing sanctions some experts speculate syria may fall into a virtual civil war. or do you think that the syrian scenario can follow the example of libya as we just heard about i mean well the degenerating into into a full scale civil war look syria it's a different than any via the civil relation in secret syria to twenty two million in libya in any w

yeah who had just stated explicitly into knesset the israeli regime prefers bashar al assad to the resistance to him because bashar assad like his part of the hamas. notwithstanding the attempts on the part of the israelis and the united states to undermine the sovereignty and independence in syria colluded with them at every critical instance and the bashar al assad regime is not different in that respect it's a repressive regime every time however there is a general uprising against these repressive regime is there not been a closet where you are openly supported by imperialism the imperialist she could intervene to control the al. in syria as in libya in india gender is not dissimilar because initially the uprising against gadhafi took place in the little town restaurant who funded part of the workers in keeping with the uprising in egypt and in tunisia it's important to point out to conduct the backbone and then only. and that was the opportunity or seized as such by nato and the imperial powers to launch in general intervention using qaddafi as a pretext as they had saddam hussein in ira

the current dictator in syria is bashar al-assad, and he learned violence at an early age. is father, hafez al-assad killed more than 5,000 of his own people in one town during a revolt in 1982 when his son was 16. the nato alliance is fighting two wars tonight, in libya and afghanistan. the members of the north atlantic alliance are supposed to be america's best friends, but you wouldn't know it by the very undiplomatic parting shot taken today by the u.s. defense secretary. here's david martin. >> reporter: at the end of his last overseas trip as secretary of defense, gates told his fellow nato defense ministers of what he really thinks of america's oldest military alliance. he accused many of the other 27 other members of freeloading. >> if you told the american taxpayers, as i just did, that they're bearing 75% of the financial burden of the alliance, this is going to raise eyebrows. >> reporter: he didn't name names, but look at what members of nato spend on defense as a percentage of their gross domestic product. most of them are between 1% and 2% of g.d.p. while the u

really begin to feel the ripples i norrish it had turned into a full scale are praising president bashar al assad fired his cabinet in a group with did emergency powers more and more nj constitutional reform how will only the monthly decided on the state of the crackdown and the police stepped up the violence against the opposition family june syrian human rights organizations estimated some thirteen hundred people have been killed and more than ten thousand arrested this week in their own wrist refugees crossing the border into turkey and more than twelve thousand syrians are housed all seeking shelter in turkish refugee camps in early june president assad announced the general amnesty for political prisoners however his concessions have neither it pleased the opposition nor stop the e.u. and the us from uncles in saying sions some experts speculate syria may fall into a virtual civil war. or do you think that the syrian scenario can follow the example of libya as we just heard about i mean well the generating into into a full scale civil war in iraq syria to different than in libya the civil re

of course bashar al assad, bashar al assad, ali abdullah sale >>> eight minutes to the top of the hour." we turn to the situation in syria where 15 people were killed friday as demonstrations against the government of president al assad continues to spread. the u.n. reporting more than 1,000 people dead in less than three months. thousands of syrians are streaming across the board near turkey and allegations that children have been tortured. yesterday's crackdown came after the government announced it would punish the town, claiming armed groups killed at least 120 security forces there. let me bring in our nadia bilchik for the morning's passport. you have so many diplomats, so many governments, heads of state trying to find a solution to get president al assad to stop what's happening there, but it turns out maybe one of the most important people in this whole thing could be the woman he's married to. >> yes. asma al assad. there was so much hope, t.j. he married her in 2000 when he actually had met her when he was in london studying optimalology and his father brought him back to sy

he and his colleagues are doing they are in fact telling us there is a future for syria beyond bashar al assad. i think for the obama administration again all illusions pinned on dealing with bashar, the illusions entertained by none other than senator john kerry, the head of the foreign relations committee, that bashar will see the light of day. all this is junk. >> every friday i -- in one sense i sort of hope for what is going to happen in syria, that people will continue to come out and protest. on the other hand, i fear the inevitable crackdown, the inevitable murders that will occur. what happened today? how bad was it? >> indeed, anderson, unfortunately today also the military and the security forces continued oppressing the protesters. and the death toll so far is 19. we're talking about hundreds of people detained, we're talking about more than 60 people injured all over syria. this friday, the number of protestors in the resort in damascus, the crowd was much bigger. and people are sending a very clear message. no one is talking about reform anymore. i think it's too late. we have re

bashar al assad have gone to the north of the country right to the borders and really you've seen the evacuations of of. villages like gibbet of jews. where they virtually just fled in the advance of the syrian forces this is a desperately serious situation the international community must act to bring the syrian regime to its senses we had all hoped that assad would prove to be a moderating force in libya that he would calm tensions that he would not give in to the military in the way that he has clearly he has become the captive of his own military and intelligence agents you want you calling you are calling for the international community to get involved with syria are you suggesting a similar campaign to what's going on in libya. no not at all no i salute you not but what i am suggesting is that there must be serious sanctions against the regime and i think that is absolutely right and it's important russia's voice is heard in this it's important that they get the message through it through the channels that russia has into the syrian leadership that this is absolutely unacceptabl

and so, you know, what will happen if bashar al assad goes, it is not at all clear, because you would think the opposition would insist most of the regime go with him, and who will follow them is not at all clear. >> now, fran, you know and i know iran's influence is something secretary gates has been very frank about in his exit interviews. take a listen to this. >> i am worried about iranian influence. the truth is, most of our kids who have been killed recently have been killed by extremist shia groups, not by al qaeda in iraq, but by extremist shia groups, and they are clearly getting some fairly sophisticated and powerful weapons from iran. and so, i do worry about that. and frankly, i think, based on what i've seen in the last few days, i think prime minister maliki's beginning to get worried about it as well. >> so, fran, what is this warning from the outgoing defense secretary telling us? >> well, as i mentioned, joe, look, this is not a new worry for him. i can remember my own time in the white house, we saw weapons being transferred from iran to extremist groups inside iraq

and we see the ruler himself, bashar al assad, for what he is. in a way, history repeats itself. at it this way. go back to the '80s. assad was the man and his younger brother was the killer. you now have the same cast of characters. bashar assad at the head of the state and his younger brother as the killer. >> i yyou make a salient point. we fall prey to the veneer of this. the superfishalities deceived us into believing the terror he used at home dissipated but it never had. >> remember, "vogue" magazine did a piece on bashar al assad's wife and called her "roese in te desert." practice the art of concealment. and the art of deception. that sold the world on the idea of this moderation. it always had one thing going for it. it always said we're a secular awe autocracy and the alternative to muslim fundamentali fundamentalism. >> anybody who stood in opposition to the theocracies we were terrified of was given carte blanche to do whatever they wanted. as long as you're not -- as long as you're not khomeini, we will let you govern how you wish. now, did we, do you believe, know

bashar al-assad must go. when he does, the mullahs of iran will find themselves isolated and more vulnerable. syria is their only ally. if we peeled away, it will hasten their fall. that is the ultimate goal that we must pursue. it is the singular arbor city offered to the world by the brave men and women of the -- the singular opportunity offered to the world by the brave men and women of the arab spring. freedom is not just born of particular ethnic groups unified. but it is born of -- this is a moment to ratchet up pressure and speak with clarity. more sanctions, more and better broadcasting into iran. more assistance to access to satellite tv and the knowledge that comes with it. and very critically, we must have more clarity when it comes to iran posing nuclear program. in 2008, kennedy barack obama told aipac that he would "-- candidate barack obama told aipac that he would " always defend the security of our allies, at israel. this year, he said, we remain committed to preventing iran from acquiring nu

. >> president bashar al-assad is under increasing pressure. the campaign human rights watch said his forces have been killing and torturing with complete impunity. the report said the actions resulted in crimes against humanity and said the un security council should take action. there are fears that the reported killings of syrian security forces by armed demonstrators will be used to justify even tougher action against protesters -- whether or not they carry weapons. >> libyan rebels are hoping for more support from nato. apache helicopters and their french equivalent began operations over libya last friday. it has not carried out any attacks in this area. rockets continue to cause damage to civilian targets and rebels on the front line. from there, this report. >> a filled ambulance carrying another casualty from the front line. he was one of almost 20 meant to be injured or killed. another ambulance and volunteers like this medical student had eight lucky escape when another rocket hit a mosque -- had a lucky escape when another rocket e.t

activists say anti- government protests will continue as they rejected a speech by president bashar al- assad. a tunisian court has sentenced former president zine al-abdine ben ali and his wife to 35 years in prison for corruption. >> in the second of our series on asian megacities, we will look at singapore. the government foresaw the need to have millions of people on a limited space decades ago, and went about making it one of asia's most planned cities. it looks as though they will -- we look at whether they have succeeded. >> construction never stops here. another building joins the thousands that already dominate this island landscape. singapore is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. more than 7000 people filled the square kilometre of the island. as much as 50 years ago, authorities knew meticulous planning needed to be at the heart of their urban future. reality here is an exact match for the scale models of singapore's master planners. in water and waste management, singapore has been named one of the most efficient in the world. they have plans for everything fro

women accused government troops of committing atrocities and they have denounced the president, bashar al-assad. >> there is uncertainty over whether the syrian ambassador to france has resigned. there was statement that was reportedly from the syrian envoy to paris that said that she was quitting. the syrian state television has broadcast in the aisles of this. we will bring you more on the story as it develops. muammar gaddafi has vowed that he will never surrender and that he will fight to the end for his country. he made the comments in an audio broadcast after nato carried out a rare daytime attack on tripoli. several bombs appeared to have hit gaddafi's compound. 29 people were killed in the air strike. the attack hit buildings. the intelligence services and the state broadcaster. the injuries that president saleh received are more serious than previously thought. this raises questions about his return to power. he was flown to saudi arabia for treatment on sunday. in the capital, dozens of protesters called for the creation of an interim council to govern the country. they said they will

the united nations that could carry general says he has spoken to bashar al-assad and has urged him to stop killing his own people correct thousands of refugees continued to stream across the border of turkey. >> the beguiling scenery is deceptive. just behind these fields in the trees why syria. over there, much of the population is on the move. they are writing every day in turkey and the hundreds. entire families. once they are here, they are confined to these regimented camps. the assyrian refugees say they are grateful for the trouble that turkey is taking to look after them. the facilities are basic. there is even a children's playground. outsiders have been kept out. turkey may be generous, but it is also determined to take -- he can control -- keep tight control of this problem. >> what happened to you? >> i came to turkey because the syrian government kills people. my father died. >> they are only talking. they're just telling us their story, nothing else. we were able to get someone inside to meet one of the newest arrivals. attacked by syrian troops in just the past 48 hours

of syria dramatic new deechlts developments including a reversal of the government president bashar al-assad, the syrian leader saying will grant amnesty to protestors arrested for various alleged crimes. >> jon: wow. that's actually kind of good news. assad is a brutal dictator and i did not expect him to offer up amnesty. >> this is not necessarily an amnesty as one would understand the world in the sense that it is not a blanket pardon. those who had received a life sentence, for example, would be imprisoned for 20 years. he would see that reduced to serving out a life sentence. >> i see. so i think someone doesn't really know what the word amnesty means. slow down there, rainbow bright, that's going to leave your re-election chances vulnerable to being soft on crime. i guess to assad sam nest ash-- add nesty is just the return address on all the junk mail he throws out. i think i hear from the audience we got time for one more spin. (cheers and applause) help, help, help, oh, why, stop, i'm starting to feel good, oh, never mind,out,out,out why, why, help, help, help, oh, god,out,out oh!,

. >> we turn our attention to syria, where thousands of supporters of president bashar al-assad have turned out for federal government rally -- for a pro-government rally. the fighting in the northern part of the country has led to dozens of military and civilian deaths and to thousands of people fleeing to neighboring turkey. men from the village set up checkpoints to protect residents from government security forces. this footage was recorded by a turkish camera team. the village is about 30 kiloloters from the turkish border and a short distance from jisr al-shughour, the city that syrian forces invaded on sunday in the might crack down on the opposition. >> we need immediate intervention. this man is massacring the syrian people. he is killing children. he is starting as. there is no bread, no milk, nothing. no food or medicine. nothing at all. >> syrian television shows thousands of people unfurling a huge flag in damascus. it was reportedly paid for with the nation's raised on facebook. -- with donations raised on facebook. the message -- turkey denies that it is meddling. else

. >>> in syria the strand off between bashar al assad is escalating. security forces reportedly opened fire on defiant protesters in hammad. that's the same city where his father was brutally crushed in an uprising years ago. let's go to arwa damon in lebanon. what are you hearings about the latest crackdown in hama? some of the pictures will stop you in your tracks. >> reporter: they certainly will. they'll say what happened on friday is not an isolated incident. this is how is the regime has been dealing with this uprising since it began. we saw tens of thousands of people, gathering in various neighborhoods trying to converge on the main square when eyewitnesss tell us syrian security forces, as they have repeatedly in the past according to eyewitnesss indrimly opened fire on people peacefully demonstrating, people who were unarmed. at least 60 people were killed on friday. today we saw about 100,000 individuals, according to one human rights organization, coming out for the funerals of those who had died. as people will tell you, even though they k

the rejected a speech by president bashar al-assad. >> a tunisian court has sentenced exiled president ben ali and his wife for corruption for 35 years in prison. in burma, the opposition leader likened her campaign for democracy to the uprising in the middle east. she gave the first of a lecture for the bbc broadcast by satellite link. in rangoon with john simpson. >> in the drenching monsoon heat, rangoon feels deeply cut off from the outside world. but burma has oil and gas to sell. even in the seven months since she was released, you can see signs of growing investment from outside. because of foreign journalists are barred from here, bbc technical team came to rangoon secretly to work with their issue recorded your lectures. >> to be speaking to your notes to the bbc is a very special meaning for me. it means once again i am officially a free person. >> her words will go around the world and people here will listen to them with great care. she has a lot of support in burma. the general feeling is that her campaign has stalled. she knows all of this perfectly well. the people close

in doing so, the government of president bashar al assad showed it was prepared for an all-out battle to stay in power after three months of protests. that town is not far from the border with turkey where thousands of syrians have been taking refuge in recent weeks. nbc's john ray who made his way across the border into syria today reports on the battle and those trying to get out. >> reporter: this is the same treacherous terrain thousands of syrians have crossed for safety. but we're heading in the opposite direction. into a country in turmoil. to discover hundreds of desperate people clinging to the remnants of their lives. and almost everyone here has a tale of tragedy or terror to tell. this man shows us how the army attacked with machine guns and helicopters. another takes off a bandage to reveal a bullet wound. he says he was hit by a sniper. there are women and children here and few of the essentials of life. food and water is smuggled into them from turkey. we're about half a mile inside the syrian border. and although conditions of this makeshift camp are basic, it is far,

the pro-government demonstrators held up pictures of president bashar al-assad and chanted in support of the syrian regime. although the international pressure is growing, the president is showing no sign of leaving power just yet. all the while, the shelling and gunfire in in the embattled cities continues almost a week after the military operation began. >> the former bosnian serb army commander ratko mladic has made his first appearance at the war crimes court in the hague. he refused to enter a plea on the charges he faces, including the massacre at srebrenica which claimed the lives of up to 8000 muslim men and boys. he told the tribunal he was gravely ill and needed more time to understand the charges. a former u.s. senator and democratic vice presidential candidate john edwards has been indicted on felony charges by a federal grand jury. during the 2008 presidential race mr. edwards is accused of spending nearly $1 million of campaign money to cover an extramarital affair. he has pleaded not guilty to the charges. european and imf officials say that greece will receive -- say t

. >> bashar al assad, the sole source of authority in syria. that was the image given by state tv on sunday. yes almost unlimited powers as president. if he wants something, then is supposed to happen. like this promise of a moderate approach to his opponents. >> we want a political solution, and we hope the army returns to the barracks as fast as possible. ." >> there is no sign of the regime and its oppression of the protest movement. one of the reasons for that could be the president's brother, the most powerful man in a series of forces behind the army goes a crushing of demonstrations. he has chosen a hard-line approach. many officers would have a lot to lose if serious reforms were in -- if serious reforms were introduced. that is also true of syria's richest man. he is the president's cousin and has become a billionaire on under the regime and a symbol of corruption. he has immense influence on business in syria and has no interest in change. >> it could be hard for assad to push through reforms like these if reform is what the president

. >>> to syria now, president bashar al assad is scheduled to deliver a national address today, only his third since mass protests against his rule began. syrian troops are blocking the border with turkey, more than 10,000 civilians have fled the crackdown on the protesters. at least 1,300 protesters have been killed since march. >>> the united states have been holding secret talks with the taliban for weeks. the talks are preliminary. a gradual troopwithdrawal from afghanistan is expected to begin next month. many are worried about the cost of the war and are calling for a faster withdrawal. yesterday gates warned of the mistake. >> what was the cost of 9/11 because we left afghanistan in 1989? how much money have we spent since 9/11 trying to deal with that problem? >> gates admits the country is wary of war but says the president must consider long-term consequences. >>> the race for the republican presidential nomination is about to get crowded. jon huntsman plans to announce his candidacy tomorrow. huntsman recently resigned after serving as president obama's ambassador to china

new wave of protests thousands took to the streets of several cities are to call on president bashar al assad to step down after four decades of his family's damascus meantime in the capital that protesters also came under fire as they blocked roads leading to the city center a three month long crackdown has reportedly left fourteen hundred people dead. but we have more on the situation in syria online for you just visit our website dot com you can watch an interview with one independent journalist who says the e.u. sanctions will not bring any resolution to the crisis in syria. also online and there's no fairytale ending for a real life cinderella a russian gold global supermodel on the run splits from her husband. and a smooth jazz legend saxophonist dave costs visits moscow one talks to us here at odds here about his passion for music watch that interview as well the website that is all to dot com. today children plea war in the old keys me. but in june nine hundred forty one these walls really first barrier for nancy troops on their way to moscow and. senators. one by one under ceaseless.

. >> the syrian president, bashar al assad called for amnesty.n follows weeks of anti-government protests and continuing the repression by the security forces that have has left more than 1,000 people dead. >> an innocent caught up in a bloody conflict. the funeral of the 13-year-old who was allegedly tortured and killed by security forces. one of the youngest victims of this 10-week uprising, bringing this response from the u.s. >> i can only hope that, you know, this child did not die in vain but that the syrian government will end the brutality and begin a transition to real democracy. >> elsewhere, the protests continue. these demonstrations are the biggest challenge of president assad in his 11 years in power. now in a possible concession, the syrian leaders announced an amnesty for members of political groups. but it's not clear whether that includes thousands of protesters arrested in recent weeks. the opposition rejected the offer with a verdict too little, too late. bbc news. >> a british journalist who has been in syria covering the pro