a state senator comes out in support of syrian president bashar al-assad. republican richard black delivered a letter to the syrian u.s. ambassador, calling bashar al-assad a hero. syria's army shows gallantry in the war aknaips terror its -- against terrorists. the state senator was an army lawyer stationed in germany. he became fam lar with middle east politics, and opposes intervention in syria. >> it was back to school for the first time since the deadly rampage in u.c. santa barbara. councillors from on southern california's campus for those mourning the deaths of six classmates. 13 were injured when elliot rodger went on a killing spree. elliot rodger stabbed three students. shot three more before taking his own life. chicago is a city overone by gun violence. six killed, 16 others injured by gun violence. federal courts ordered the city to allow gun sales. city leaders looked at how to regulate the industry. ashar quraishi has the latest. >> reporter: chicago's mayor is pushing for tougher regulation as the city allows gun sales for the first time sin

the military tide is turned in favour of the government in damascus, and president bashar al-assad. now what? the leaders of the main syrian umbrella group head to the white house at a time when it looks like bashar al-assad might hang on - hang on to what - his country is in ruins, people scattered, continent destroyed. militants met asitiesized through the country. it's harter than at the beginning of the war to imagine what syria looks like, how it becomes a normal country again. today is day 1,153 of the syrian conflict, and the fighting rages on. and after nearly two years of trying to end the war,iations arab -- united nations arab league convoy lakhdar brahimi announced his resignation. >> i am sure the crisis will end. the question is everyone with a responsibility and influence in the situation have to remember that the question is how many more dead, how much more destruction. >> more than 150,000 have died, according to activists. millions more have been internally displaced or fled to neighbouring nations as refugees. in accepting lakhdar brahimi's resignation. ban ki-moo

the chemical weapons, because moscow pressured president bashar al-assad. moscow put pressure on bashar al-assad, something will come of it. until then, you know, talks are meaningless. >> i'll talk about whether or not there's a mediator on the planet that can make a difference. i'm looking for something that may be positive. do you see anything potentially positive in a possible ministerial-level meeting between the foreign ministers of iran, and saudi arabia, that we may mention up earlier in the news cast. >> yes. i mean, i think, you know, some sort of alliance between iran and saudi arabia would be helpful to syria. a lot of people view it as a proxy war between saudi arabia and iran. iran has a lot of sway with the bashar al-assad government. sure there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. iran would have to be committed to seeing changes, and i do hear from some people on the ground in iran, that people are becoming fed up with supporting the syria war, especially with iran having its own economic issues. so, yes, who knows. >> maybe. is there a

. >> i will vote for president bashar al-assad. the guardian protector. >> a man and his mother voted for bashar al-assad. >> as did this family. even though they come from one of the most rebellious areas in syria, some people here are stark supporters and consider the election a sign of his military victory. that he has won after three years of fighting. people refused to blame bashar al-assad for the destruction of syria. >> it's the rebels that drove us out of our homes, not him. >> many showed up here, out of fear. fear for their families, who are still in syria. fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. >> so many believe that president bashar al-assad is not going away soon. they want to be able to go. >> desperation could be seen as pregnant women, old people and parents with dehydrated children refused to turn back before he could vote. that was despite treatment by lebanon security men who sometimes struggle to control the crowd. >> neither the heat, thirst tore exhaustion was stronger

most we talked to said they were voting for bashar al-assad. some are staunch supporters, and feel this is a victory. >> many have left their homes two years ago and have been living as refugees. they feel that if they don't vote their family in syria may be punished, and feel that their access to syria and their ability to return will change. they have to deal with this reality, and that's why they're here. we've seen pregnant women, children, and they're not moving away until they are able to vote because they want to be registered. >> and as you can see from the report, syrian refugees are scattered throughout the middle east, and they've taken up refuge in france. but those homes could be broken down because of an outbreak in scabies. >> reporter: this is one of the camps that will be destroyed by the police. you can see the conditions here. it's extremely muddy and wet. to keep the rain out and you can see. now this is not the first time this has happened. france has a huge immigration issue with many people who come from syria and north o

it's ab surd to talk about a victory for iran, for russia, for bashar al-assad. the game is far from over. >> there's an election on june 3rdrd. two opponents are running against bashar al-assad - if we can call them opponents. is there a possibility that bashar al-assad will be removed from power through this election? >> not by the candidates as the i know them, no. first of all, the bashar al-assad family, his father, they have a tradition of winning elections one way or the other. i expect him to win. what it means - well, it will show that he still has supporters, those loyal to his ideas, those afraid of what might come after him. baut the -- but the sooner he settles down to proposing reforms that are serious, that have the intention of reshaping the governing structure of syria, there'll be significance. in the election itself i don't see significance. >> former u.s. ambassador to syria, thank you for your time and ineight. >> thank you -- insight. >> thank you. >> 40 are dead after a boat carrying migrants sank. libyan authorities said the boat capsized a

coming up on today's show -- syrian refugees satirize bashar al-assad campaign program. aking a pledge on social networks, and a unique perspective on tightrope walking. announcing hey will be running in syria's june 3 selections. bashar al-assad has been promoting himself by facebook and online campaigns coming is going all out. aroundction campaign is the slogan in arabic for together and has been facing strong opposition online. his opponents have taken to social networks to air their grievances and some have given the slogan a sarcastic twist. his opponents say together, he and his friends destroyed, pillage, and plunder the country or murder their own people. they have also used the slogan to denounce the interaction -- the connection of the international community after more than three years of unrest. the criticism was primarily aimed at the u.n., the organization accused of turning russia and will stop china, bashar al-assad's allies are seen as untrustworthy in syria. every year, thousands of women are killed in india as a dowry payment. the age-old custom where

president bashar al-assad's regime has until 30 june to surrender all of it. >>> three al jazeera journalistse been held in an egyptian prison for 132 days, peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed is accused of conspiring with the muslim brotherhood, declared a terrorist organization. our colleague, abdullah al-shami, has been on hunger strike for 10 # days. al jazeera rejects all the charges and is demanding their immediate release. >>> now, the fill peeps military -- philippines military objective replaced thousands of members of a last indigenous tribe. we have this report. >> these are the last remaining indigenous tribes of the philippines whose culture remains intact. they are considered the keepers of the southern rainforest. they are homeless. driven from their homes after the philippine military launched an offensive more than a month ago against communist rebels hiding in their area. over 1,000 are forced to live in evacuation camps, and they are angry. military forgave the villages. there are no communists here. what we want it the to go back to our homes, plough our fi

the opposition says the elections are rigged in bashar al-assad's favour. violence is expected to increase >>> force-feeding a prisoner on hunger strike - a federal judge lifting a restraining order, saying that her decision is based on the fact that his life is in jeopardy. lawyers call it abusive, and it comes a year after president obama recommitted to closing the prison. >> a day after a military cue in thailand hundred of political leaders are in custody or under house arrest. the military takeover comes after months of civil unrest. detaining politicians on all sides gives everyone time to calm down. there were a few small demonstrations today. >> joie chen is standing by to tell us what is coming up on "america tonight", at the top of the hour. >> good evening. tonight on our program an "america tonight" investigation into health care behind bars. in our continuing focus on crime and punishment in america, we launch a 6-month long having into arizona's prison, where privatized health care is alleged to have failed some inmates. some charge for-profit

. >> they cannot do much more than find humor in president bashar al-assad's reelection. convincing many to continue the have struggle. >> not joining the government, saying.okay, i don't want this anymore, i don't want the rest of my children to die. i want to keep the $5,000 i have. i don't want to spend it on the revolution, i have already spent it on my house. i think that's what most of the people feel. >> so was ad nanan hadad, four months later they say they feel even more hopeless. >> this election is meant to bring more oppression, is meant to basically make bashar al-assad sound like he is the letting president of syria. and you know, this is going to have -- to worsen the situation, to make the world continue for few more years at least. >> jarah and hadad say the poll will be no more than a show. he may stay in power but that is different than maintaining the power in a destroyed and divided country. so the syrian presidential vote is scheduled on june the 3rd. there will be only electoral ballots in -- electoral apology stations, overseas voting, many europea

it's turned out almost at times into a kind of pro-bashar al assad rally. lly everybody here seems to have turned out to vote for the incumbent president, bashar al assad, despite the fact that there are two other names on the ballot sheet. there's been such a crush on the facilities here that a lot of people have actually given up. many of these people are actually making their way out of the embassy because at one point as a man passed me he said you'd die 100 times over trying to get in there. many have been taken over by heat exhaustion. it's been very far from perfect as an exercise in quiet polling, as it were. but huge enthusiasm by the bashar al assad fans who've turned up to vote for him. there's suggestion going around that some people may be voting because they think if they don't, they won't be able to go home if bashar wins the war. which a lot of people here seem to think he might be doing. quite extraordinary things here. not normal things for an embassy or, indeed, for a polling station. >> you mentioned the diaspora of syrians. how many peop

abroad begin voting this wednesday on an election that is widely expected to return president bashar al-assad to power. >> we first begin with the story of the syrian elections with syrians are broad -- abroad begin counting their votes this wednesday and a boat that is widely expected to return bashar al-assad to power. lebanon in particular held voting amid allegations syrian officials may have pressured refugees into voting. an estimated 200,000 of the 3 million syrians living abroad are eligible to vote, but the syrian opposition and its allies declared the election to be a sham. the rest of syria will be going to the polls next tuesday. for more on the story, let's .ross what was the turnout like today in lebanon where there are many syrian refugees about? >> it was pretty tumultuous. thousands of syrian refugees and the embassyed up at today. it was the only polling station in the whole country. ashas been extended tomorrow an emergency measure because .here were so many people schoolchildren had to cancel exams in the area because they said they could not get to their schools. the traf

it is significant success for bashar al-assad. we have more from beirut. >> reporter: after more than three years of fighting and two years of government. syrian rebels had to evacuate their last strong hold in the country's third largest city. deemed as the capital of the resolution, now under control of the president's forces. this was an unprecedented deal. brokered and overseen by the ambassador of syria, with the help of the united nations. hundreds of rebels were allowed to leave the city with their lights on to areas controlled by the rebels. those that agreed to lay down their arms were allowed to stay. in return, the rebels released pro-government civilian fighters, whom they held as hostages elsewhere in the country. the rebels allow aid to be delivered to shia visitors. it had been under seen by rebel forces. >> it was in homs where the armed rebels started their fight against bashar al-assad. also here the government used all weapons at its disposal to crush the armed rebellion. neighbourhoods were destroyed and thousa

it was here where the armed rebels started their fight against bashar al-assad. here the government used all weapons at its disposal to crush the armed rebellion. whole neighbourhoods from destroyed in battle, and thousands of lives lost on both sides. it's a set back for the opposition. the government was adamant to regain control of homs, ahead of presidential elections due on june 3rd. and it did. for the syrian opposition, it's not just the loss of a strategic city, but a moral blow for fighters all over syria. some rebels are vowing they will come back to homs, but with the way that the battles are going, it doesn't seem they'll be able to do so in the future. >>> the united states has temporarily clones its yemen embassy, after an increase in attacks against western interests. a security alert in august last year saw all staff withdrawn. >>> thailand's anticorruption commission says former prime minister yingluck shinawatra should be impeached, saying there's enough evidence to indict over a failed rice subsidy scheme costing the government billions in loss

>> that's a great question, three years ago this summer, president obama said that bashar al-assad had to go, and now he has dropped chemical weapons, and the administration has taken the steps to remove those, and 92% of them have now been removed from syria, but now dropping chlorine barrel bombs on the opposition, he has the upper hand on the battlefield. and things are not going well. the humanitarian work continues, and he made a show of it. but the white house has made it a protocol. and politics are not going well for the opposition. i think they decided to low-key this event today at the white house. in ukraine, the u-s says russian troops *are still stationed on that country's eastern border . and has pictures to prove it . last week . vladimir putin claimed that moscow was pulling its forces out. the state department has released these satellite photos the images on the right were taken over the past 4 days. what looks to be helicopters and armed vehicles . can be seen on russia's side of the border. in eastern ukraine . pro-russia rebels have staged their deadliest attack ye

posts that claimed responsibility for the attack saying the hotel is being used by president bashar al assad courses. what are shouts also rained down on the capital damascus on wednesday but despite the spike in violence the government in syria says is pressing ahead with presidential election scheduled for two thirds the detroit school situation call of the most the three candidates from an originally spoken to three all relate to bow to contest in the country's first presidential elections in more than sixty years well me and that the elections will be developed controversy. i just honestly the opposition inside syria is boycotting the election because they think no one stands a chance against the current president well opposition of broccoli think about toppling the government using force the west refuses elections in this result. it is not an easy goal to be helped the syrians are acutely aware of the significant obstacles that lie ahead. on the strategic opinion about the election is mixed photographed by saying he should not hold the elections let us prey on them and they hope has a n

affiliated terrorists who are now operating inside syria against the bashar al assad regime. there are a lot of them who have come in, foreigners, including some americans, who were being trained there. this represents, according to intelligence, some of the greatest threats out there. what should the u.s. do about that? >> well, wolf, in this case, as many others that reached the level of the presidency, it's not a choice between a good alternative and a bad alternative. it's the choice between a lousy one and a really bad one. i think we have been too cautious in arming them. i recognize there are dangers down the road. but the immediate threat is the continuation of the government that is bombing its own citizens, dropping bombs on elementary schools in the cities of its own country. and the president has said many times assad must go. he drew the line and then didn't act on the crossing of the line. i think unless and until assad goes, american policy will be questioned. >> so what do you recommend? because he is succeeding apparently with russian cooperation, and destroy

many feel president bashar al-assad is not going anywhere soon and they have to deal with this reality so that's why they are here. we saw pregnant women in the ninth month due to deliver any time, standing up to vote. they wanted to be registered in the embassy, that they did show up. >> rula, we are going to roll some pictures in the studio of violence earlier in the day. can you talk us through what's happening then? >> i think crowds here were overwhelmingly much bigger than anybody had anticipated including the lebanese security. in one corner you see the lebanese security trying to control the crowds, beating tell up with different kinds of batons and tree branches. helping the mothers bring their children into the embassy and trying to give them water. it is a very, very chaotic crowd. this is the only voting station in the whole of lebanon and tens of thousands of people are supposed to cast their vote in one day. now the syrian ambassador who is here, give a chance to all these people to be able to vote. many were turned back by the lebanese security or simply that they gave u

military training for what you describe as moderate syrian rebels opposed to the bashar al assad regimee of that support could wind up in the hands of al qaeda, which has built up a significant presence fighting bashar al assad itself. >> now, wolf, there are no good choices when it comes to syria. that time for potentially successful, easy, fast resolution has passed. we deal with an opposition that wants to look like they're doing enough to exist so they let civilians in the north go unpunished. they don't want to change the nature of the battle on the ground. the syrian opposition allied with al qaeda, a potential training ground for terrorists and a concern about them coming back to the united states. it's complex in syria to say the least. the other issue is while the u.s. and middle east tries to seek a negotiated statement with iran, it's not compatible to oust their main ally in the region. some say the u.s. has taken a broader strategic look at the middle east and decided that trying to negotiate iran from having a nuclear weapon is the best way forward and then perhaps the con

does bashar al-assad have a secret stockpile of weapons ready to be unleashed. >>> philadelphia police robbing stores and actually are assaulting women, why are the officers still on the job? >>> and are mental diseases superpowers? i'm antonio mora and welcome to "consider this." here's more on what's ahead. >> the conflict in ukraine is getting worse. at least 40 people died. >> clash between pro-russian and government supporters. >> most of the clashes came when the building was set on fire. >> did the administration deliberately deceive americans about thing benghazi attack? >> a wave of hysteria. >> a select committee on benghazi. >> we've being produced tens of thousands of items for the hearings. >> latest voyages in syria's civil war. >> also reports that the syrian government, attacked with chlorine gas. >> men women being deliberately targeted, a flagrant violation of the basic tenets of war. >> we begin with the deadliest day of ukraine since the toppling of viktor yanukovych in february. 33 people killed after a fire engulfed a building inning odessa. battling in the street

the vote in syria nearly assures that bashar al-assad will have another term. yrnz outside the -- syrians outside the country, one fifth of that population in lebanon, half of them have been displaced because of the war. thousands of syrian refugees are voting in lebanon, most of them for saud. they worry if they -- assad. they worry if they don't vote they won't be allowed to return to syria or that relatives stiff living there will be punished. have to deal with the reality and that is why they are here. >> assad's forces are gaining ground over the rebel fighters in syria and once the results are in the vote will likely give him the stamp to continue that crack down on the opposition john. >> all right richelle, thank you. up next, the passing of a an american eye coffin. we'll look at the legacy she leaves. in his own words. the man who leaked nsa secrets says: he wants to come home. >> i open my mouth to the lord and i won't turn back, no ♪ i will go ♪ i shall go ♪ ♪ i'll see what the end is going to be ♪ flaw [applause] >> tonight we remember one of the m

bashar al assad is widely expected to win. syrians in lebanon lining up for the chance to vote early. >> since early in the morning, thousands of syrian refugees filled the streets leading to the embass in beirut. brut. under the grueling sun, they waited at check points before their turn came to enter the compound. this is the only voting station in lebanon, even though there are a million and a half syrians living in the country. this man from aleppo waited for his turn for hours, but he wouldn't leave until he voted. i will volt for president assad. >> some people here are staunch supporters of president assad and consider this presidential election a sign of his mill mily victory, that he has won after three years of intensive fighting. >> it's the syrian rebels who drove us out of our homes, not him. >> many people showed up here also out of fear, fear for their families who are still in syria, fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. >> so many people seem to believe these days that

he's been known to have close dies with bashar al-assad, and publicly thanked economical and political support given by saudi arabia and the arab emirates for the 2013 cool. he stands little chance of beating abdul fatah al-sisi, and criticised him for taking part in a process that many say is unfair and ub demo -- undemocrat k from the start. >> later in the news we'll bring you a look at abdul fatah al-sisi. that's coming up at about 6:45. remember to stay with us. >>> next on al jazeera america - the pope's visit to the holy land. his statements about the middle east peace process that is sparking controversy. live to jerusalem next. >>> and we introduce you to the oldest world war ii vet. his words of wisdom about service on this memorial day weekend. >> i'm joe berlinger this is the system people want to believe that the justice system works. people wanna believe that prosecutors and police do the right thing. i think every american needs to be concerned about that. we do have the best justice system in the world, in theory... the problem is, it's run by human beings... human bein

there are other candidates, however all believe that bashar al-assad is the only one who can win this election. >> thank you. objective, rate, and hung from -- abducted, rate, and hung from a tree, that was the fate of two girls in india. they were both 14 years old. they were getting ripped and their -- gang rates and their bodies were found suspended from a tree. and angry silent protesters at the scene. two police officers have been suspended over negligence. tensions are running high in the central african republic. shots can be heard in the streets as demonstrations were held in the capital near the airport. the protesters say they are angry over the government and foreign military forces deployed in the country. ground, we speak with the head of the doctors without borders there. thank you for taking the time to speak with us. what is the current situation where you are? very tense.tion is it is very early this morning. demonstrations started at 4:00 in the morning. there has been fighting with the demonstrators and armed groups. it has been very difficult. in a small part of th

well, on monday one dark horse candidate has officially announced he's running for president, bashar al-assad. >> here he is president bashar assad is announcing his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. >> he will run for a third seven year term in june. >> stephen: bashar assad has thrown his hat in the ring. and by hat i mean nerve gas and by ring i mean people. (laughter) and while syria is technically in the middle of a civil war, you know, you know who else won the presidency in the middle of a civil war? lincoln. that is where the similarities end. now he may be unpopular but my money is still on assad because he's a tough campaigner. he can go very negative because his attack ads are actual attacks. (laughter) meanwhile, electorally back here in america the mid-term elections are upon us and i could not be more mid-excited. i am half pumped. because, because the democrats are going to get whipped like one of their beloved smoothies. pineapple and mango blended together as one. i'm sorry, that is fruit sodomy. by the way, do not google fruit sodomy. (laughter) and it's all

this is a significant victory, it would appear, for the government of bashar al-assad. >> yes, it is. it's not just a battle over who controls that prison, but the prison occupies a very strategic point. it sits on the top of the hill. it's not just a building, it's a huge complex, almost the size of a small village. for the government to take it over, it's not only a strategic position, it's a blow to the rebels. al qaeda-linked groups and other groups have been besieging the prison for 13 months. deadly clashes took place, but they failed to take over the prison. they besieged it, the government was airlifting supplies to the prisoners and the guards. according to the syrian observatory for human rights, hundreds of prisoners died in the siege because of a lack of food, humanitarian and health services that were lacking. the government is, again, saying they are in control of more territory, more trat eejic places a -- strategic places ahead of elections. they want to say that to give these elections credibility and legitimacy. >> thank you very much. >> updating us with the latest

bashar al assad is riding high and running for another term. he believes he can win a military victory. the opposition is in disarray, but still formidable. they have to sort things out among themselves. even though you have the u.s. and many of the other powers are doing with at the legitimate representative of the syrian people and the opposition, you have very, very radical groups that don't acknowledge his leadership and that will go their own way. >> as a person with a life in diplomacy such as yourself, what do you think is the way forward here on a diplomatic path? is it worth replacing brahimi? can someone out there possibly make a difference? >> as i said, it may be worth replacing him only to have somebody to step in when an opportunity arises and well acquainted with the players. at the moment there's no prospect for a settlement of this conflict. in my opinion, the u.s. administration, for what it's worth, would like to see a realigning of the balance of the power so that the legitimate opposition could win some victories against as

. >> reporter: homs was one of the first towns of large demonstrations against bashar al assad in 2011 syrian supporters and soon the military protected the area and homs became the uprising against the assad regime. and then heavy shelling and a siege that cut off residents from food and water. finally, both sides agree to a truce and the rebels withdrew from homs last week, a deal that they say they endorse. i think it was the best thing to do, he says. it gives the people a chance to come back and start rebuilding their lives. with so many killed and wounded and so much of the historic town destroyed, there are no winners in homs. but many people now returning back here are still optimistic that maybe there is a chance for a new beginning. fred pleitgen, homs, syria. >> and joining us is the foreign minister. thank you for coming in. you've seen the heartbreaking pictures coming in. a parliament member just said assad has won in syria. the regime will stay, the americans have lost. it certainly looks like assad at least for now has won. >> well, i don't think so. in fact, everything

told syrian opposition leaders that it waiswaistwasted a year without g can syrian president bashar al-assad. >>> in washington the secret service is underfire. a washington post report claims, welfare checks at the expense of guiding the white house. the secret service has denied claims that patrols went on for two months for the former secret service aide who was in dispute with a neighbor. a spokesman for the agency say daily patrols were sent to the home while the president was at camp david. the agency says the home checks only lasted four days. >>> coming up on al jazeera america, one of the most elusive men on the planet. what's being done to find joseph coney. coney. f real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong

his resignation coming largely out of frustration as bashar al-assad ignored the efforts for peace talks then scheduled lek sh lek -- elections again f june. >> the question is how many more will have to die. the syria we have loved and admired. >> the resignation takes effect may 31st. >>> at least 31 minors are dead trapped in a mine inside turkey. authorities say an explosion caused a fire and collapse at the mine. there are conflicting reports on the number of casualties. more on this story as it becomes available. >>> and there has been another confirmed case of mers, this one in florida. it loves a 44 year old man who was always a health care worker from saudi arabia. it has sickened close to 500 people around the world, most in the middle east. 144 have died. workers at the hospital in orlando are being tested and put on leave. >> in our hospital we identified a total of 15, 18 members that were exposed. as i said all of these team members were notified. they have been asked to stay off work for 14 days. and they have been asked to check their temperature twice a day and to monito

supporters of president bashar al-assad were outcome paining for his reelection on june 3rdrd. >>> the the catholic church will arrive in the middle east on saturday for what he is calling a strictly religious pilgrimage. >> reporter: waving the vatican good-bye before his trip to the holy land. on saturday pope francis embarks on a trip to jordan, the palestine territories and israel. the first meeting between the heads of the catholic and orthodox churches in nine centuries. on saturday i will go to the holy land, the land of jesus. it will be a strictly religious visit. firstly to meet with my brother, to mark the 50th anniversary of the meeting between [ inaudible ]. paul and andrea will meet again another time. and this is really beautiful. the secondn't have to pray for peace in that land that suffers greatly. i ask you to pray for my visit. >> reporter: the trip is officially a pilgrimage, but in a land still marred by political and religious divisions. every step will be watched closely. one of them will be this man who has lived in italy since 1972. he is one of millions who a

moscow is a close ally of bashar al-assad government's. the un expressed outrage at the russian and chinese veto. >> today is about accountability for syria, but it is also about accountability for this security council. it is this council's responsibility to stop atrocities, if we can, and at a minimum to ensure that the perpetrators of atrocities are held accountable. it was towards that minimum that we sought to make progress today. my government applauds the vast majority of members of this council who voted to support and the some 64 countries who joined us in cosponsoring this effort. >> translator: is it just a try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the syrian conflict? one could not overlook that the head of french diplomacy took his recent visit to washington to publicly criticize the us. this damage to the p-5 unity is inflicted at a critical point in the efforts to find a solution to the syrian crisis. >> james, some expressed outrage at this veto, but it's hardly surprising is it? >> well, i think we knew

there was this famous quote saddam is iraq iraq is saddam but when you look at bashar al assad he always makes a point about stressing delimits of his authority he always stresses in his interviews that he doesn't own the country and yet. this patrol of humor as these to rally can lead or who controls everything in syria is very persistent it seems that the american policy makers and the western media in general a very bad on presenting him as a tyrant no matter what. i don't see him in the manner in which you're characterizing him and i wouldn't try to talk to have people generically in the west in fact as i pointed out in that paragraph and as you emphasized in the special very interesting barbara walters interview he says i don't own the government i'm just the president and i infer from that that he's not fully in charge of the military as well so i don't see him at all as being similar to saddam hussein or or could i think he's does not really have the skills or personality to be a totalitarian dictator and yet he's trying to hold on to the country to achieve the sure the feels a se

fourth time the two countries use their veto power to prevent action against the syrian president bashar al-assad. the resolution was first put or words by france. the human ambassador joy to me a short time ago to talk about it. human ambassador jointly a short time ago to talk about it. ambassador, thank you for being here. why did you feel you should push ahead? >> i think you have to consider all of the situation in syria. the political track is gone. a special envoy of the secretary-general just resigned and says there is no prospect of negotiation because the regime does not want to negotiate, because the regime believes it is winning on the ground. there is no political solution in the short term. youhe ground, meanwhile, have atrocities, horrific atrocities committed by both sides. mainly by the regime, but by both sides. so, there is a sort of hope that presenting this text, which is a very balanced text, saying simply the criminals of both sides will be brought to oncece, we believed -- for french diplomacy was naÏve. we believed it would be possible to convince the russians to accept t

it will be wanting to exploit that ahead of a presidential election on june 3 at bashar al-assad is seen as absolutely certain to win. >> thank you for that reporting from beirut. a quick look at other world news stories on france 24. in panama, the former president ally turned rival has won the presidential election. the vice president who won the presidential vote with 39% of the vote compared to 32% for the choice of the president. that is a big slap in the face for the president and his attempt to extend his grip on power. in south sudan, government troops say they have taken back two key spots, both a rebel stronghold in another town, after the military launched a major offensive on rebel positions. an army spokesman says the rebel leader who has been fighting the resident since mid-d sabr has been forced to flee toward the ethiopian border. this comes days after this out the agreed during a visit by john kerry to hold direct talks on ending the civil war in the world's youngest nation. in kenya, at least three people have been killed and close to 60 injured when two homemade bombs

presented evidence in the form of a slide show showing where barrel bombs from dropped from bashar al-assad's aircraft. front line areas were targeted, and further attacks were used as a weapon to terrorize people away from the contested areas. the latest attacks took place after u.n. denouncing barrel bombs was passed in february. >> it's not just about the barrel bombs. there's a mountain of evidence about serious crimes committed mostly by the most, and by opposition groups. we established dozens of defaults. the u.s. commission of inquiry had dozens of faults. there's no question that the international criminal court would have more than the necessary material to start investigations and prosecuting people on both sides of the country. >> france decided it's time to take action in the security council. it's come up with a draft resolution, referring everything that's happened in syria to the international criminal court. it's due to be put to a vote in this chamber early next week. >> it's clear the majority of the security council , including the u.s. will support the resolution, but it

some of them are soup porters of president bashar al-assad, they feel it is a sign he has prevailed.nd for many, they came here out of fear. they are [ inaudible ] many of them believe that president assad is not going away any time soon. he is likely to win this new seven-year term no matter what the opposition says. and they want to make sure they don't burn their bridges with the regime in damascus because it is not going away. so they came here to show up, to register their name, to make sure the government knows they vote sod they can go home to syria one day. >>> it has been a very different picture in jordan. >> reporter: i am here outside the syrian embassy, where voter turnout appears to be rather low. although jordan is home to large population of syrians that reaches around 1.3 million and constitutes around 20% of jordan's population. not all syrians are ref fees about half of them have been living in jordan for decades, the other half have been displaced from the conflict. but it appears about half are against the assad government. the syrian ambassador went to jordan tw

live this afternoon in san president bashar al-assad blow -- san pablo, pablo alex salveige, ktvu news. >>> there's land linked-in wants to re-develop for office space. jana -- janine de la vega with more. >> reporter: linked in is at the britannia shoreline technology center. inside a set of older office buildings, that the company would like to re-develop. that is according to documents submitted to the city. here's a map of the two spots where the tech giant wants to expand. both along shoreline boulevard, larger parcels in the north bay shore area. the second location is near u.s. 101 across from the computer history museum. linked in, the largest social network for professionals has been expanding throughout the bay area. the company recently acquired property that uses office space in san francisco and earlier in the year laid down roots in sun anyveil -- sunnyvale. up to 8,000 square feet of office space would be redeveloped. the company also would like to buy highrises at one of the proposed sites. >> i think it's exciting to at least look at. we have not seen the detailed plan

troops loyal to president bashar al-assad made gains on another front today. insurgents have been trying to take a prison to free an estimated 4000 inmates held there. a government released a statement saying fighting around the prison had cut in supply line vital to the rebels. >> turkish police have clashed with protesters in istanbul after a man was seriously injured in the city earlier in the day. >> the man was shot during violence as demonstrators took to the street in protest of last week's mining disaster in western turkey. more than 300 miners died in an underground blast and fire in a coal mine in the town of soma. many people in turkey blame lax government 80 standards for that accident. and it was the deadliest clash yet for ukrainian soldiers in countering russian separatist. >> kiev says at least 13 soldiers died on thursday when separatist forces attacked south of theukraine shows no sign of g up as the whole country prepares for presidential election on sunday, and election separatist say that they will block. >> progression rebels displayed we

bashar al-assad, poised to remain in power after the current elections, insists he's winning the war. many in this village and elsewhere wonder how anyone can win when there has been so much destruction. >>> shia rebels in the north of yemen launched an attack on the army. the hutus demand more religious and political rites. it's not the only front. it launched a major offensive in the south against al qaeda. we have this report on the dangerous security situation. >> reporter: more government soldiers joined the fight against al qaeda in this province. they are trying to clear strat gik areas ever pushing the fighters out of a town where al qaeda have been strong. >> in this village jets attacked an al qaeda hideout. security forces are on alert. the general is in charge of hunting down al qaeda fighters across the country. >> translation: terrorism is the biggest problem. we expect revenge attacks. with the ministry of defense we have implemented measure. >> reporter: here in iran, a province north of the capital. the army is shelling shi'a rebel positions. this is the leader. the g

the president bashar al assad widely expected to win his third seven year term in office as violence continues in parts of that country. >> activists releasing this video of rebels attacking a pro government check point over the weekend. opposition groups and western leaders criticizing june 3 elections that are call them a far as. meanwhile, syria's deputy foreign minister is vowing to wipe out terrorists, the assad regime stepping up secured and installing barricades. that has forced the opposition to go underground. >> beneath the city, syrian rebel fighters crawl on their hands and knees. here guns aren't needed, replace the with picks and shovels. they dig through the day and night and while the snipers can't see them here, the lack of oxygen and threat of earth collapse is a deadly risk. >> we're facing certain difficulties, using simple tools like axes and shovels and the terrain is stoney and tough. >> the rebels in digging an underground network of tunnels to reach key posts held by syrian government forces. >> already, they say the tunnels have helped them destroy key strat

the rebels seized the area near iraq from forces loyal to bashar al assad two years ago.ack in this country, gm is recalling more than 50,000 suvs. the company says the vehicles have faulty fuel gauges that could cause drivers to run out of gas. the company has recalled about 7 million vehicles this year and is under federal investigation for delaying a recall a faulty emissions switch. >>> that health care worker hospitalized in indiana with the first known case in this country of the mrs virus middle east respiratory syndrome is often fatal according to the associated press around 400 people have contracted the illness and 100 have died since the outbreak occurred two years ago in saudi arabia. the hospitalized man had just returned from there. >>> the first openly gay episcopal bishop is getting a divorce. bish ol jean robinson made the announcement where he served for nearly a decade before retiring. he and his partner had entered a civil union in 2008, then married after new hampshire legalized gay marriage in 2010. robinson's election as bishop in 2003 had prompted

some would like to see an airstrike against syria after bashar al-assad gassed civilians last year and crossed the president's own red lines. >> i made a decision that we should not put american troops in the middle of this increasingly sectarian war. i believe that is the right decision. >> reporter: others complain that a lack of potent military support has let the situation boil out of control to assad 's benefit. the president said he'll run for re-election next month. and distracters to russian president vladimir putin and ukraine, and obama's repeated warnings are not an effective deterrent. president obama strongly rejected that notion. >> our ability to shape world opinion helped to isolate russia right away. the world immediately condemned russian action, and this served as a cut away to russian propaganda and russian troops on the border and armed militias in ski masks. but standing with our allies on behalf of international wor order, has give the ukrainian people to choose their future. without us firing a shot. >> reporter: the president's speech at west point a trip next