all unarmed civilians. >> this week saw the biggest protests in damascus yet. not on the scale of egypt, but people here say the fear barrier has been broken. lloyd roberts, bbc news, damascus. >> colonel gaddafi is still clange clinging to power in libya. opposition fighters have suffered heavy losses as gaddafi forces keep up the pressure. they are struggling to push forward. the bbc's andrew harding is there, and he sent this report. >> silence. on the frontline, outside a place -- some of these rebel fighters have families trapped inside the town. >> i've got nine. >> i've got 13. >> i've got six. >> they are highly motivated, but also worried about their faces being photographed. that was close. >> for libyan's barefoot volunteers, this has become something like trench warfair. deadly, deadlocked. the front barely inching forward. rocket fire. again, it will be very difficult for them to endure this. >> gaddafi is pounding us, he says. the result is a chaotic stalemate. the rebels blame nato for their air campaign, but those dug in here want fighting to be

the clashes have killed many south of damascus. security is reported to have fired at professors as they were leave the mosque. the first to be killed today, his mother mourning her loss. but president al-assad's loyalists are out in big numbers, they are calling for change but only the ones that president al-assad would lead. for those on the ground the change does not include this regime but rather force to overthrow it. >> the u.s. house of representatives have dealt a symbolic blow to president obama's military rejection in libya, this reflects the anger of members of congress of mr. obama's refusal to consult them prior to launching the campaign. >> the u.s. congress, home to many who question the wisdom of intervening in libya. but at the same time they don't want to be seen as unpatriotic, so the discussion on friday. >> if the commander of chief takes our forces into war, he must take ownership of it. and if strikes in libya are critical, it's his responsibility to explain to the american people and seek authorization from

some countries want to give damascus more time. it's still not clear what actions will be taken against syria this week. referring damascus to the un security council will be a contentious decision. of the three years of what u.n. inspectors call little progress, it is clear that the pressure on the syrians is mounting. >> in case you did not know, it is blockbuster season in america and hollywood is relying on some big super hero movies to generate heat at the box office. the latest in "x-men" has just been released in 30 countries. america's ongoing fascination with the genre -- >> four big super hero movies will be released. it began one month ago with "thor." it is followed by "x-men." >> people are always looking for a hero, especially in these times, which is complicated with world concerns about the economy and the specter of terrorism. >> hollywood's latest super hero films aimed to be more than a fantasy. as"x-men" also explores reflective thinemes. >> a person who is uncomfortable in their own skin, who is on the run from

bbc news, damascus. >> a rare look inside syria there. well, in libya, the fort city of of misurata has come under fire to forces loyal to muammar gaddafi as the rebels are slowly expanding their control after months of standoff. one of the rebels targets is the town of lichten. a rare moment of silence on the front lines outside a place called rit. some of these rebel fighters have families trapped inside the town. >> i've got nine there. >> i've got 13. >> i've got six. >> they're highly motivated but also worried about their faces being filmed. that was close. the lull is over. the libyans barefoot volunteers, this is something like trench warfare. deadly. deadlocked. barely inching forward. >> a lot of rockets and artillery fire on the front lines. they still have 20 kilometres to go before they can liberate their town and meet their friends and family again. it is difficult for them to advance. gaddafi's artillery is so much more. >> gaddafi is pounding us with rockets. we just have light weapons. the result is a chaotic stalemate. t

we thought it was a gay girl in damascus and of course is just an american guy that's sitting around on his computer but i don't know on one hand you have to make fun of the media for falling for it because stories right now what do you think i think it's really sad i mean he had said that he did it for vanity which is really disturbing but also i think it undermines the people who are out there in these really terrible situation is everything to be questioned and not really taken seriously going forward so i'm worried about it i think this story is disturbing on so many levels i mean you touched on it a little bit with the media following this story as if this is the news and this is of course something that we you know this day and age have to be careful that we take blogs as gospel that we see a picture when we say oh this must be who is behind it so i think the media aspect is a little disturbing i think of the fact that this guy who is very well educated and wanted to just show how good of a writer he was took someone's picture took someone's image and that has been associated w

try blurry photo of congressional genitals in damascus. now you have our attention.] still, it raises the question, why claim that this fake person amina was kidnapped, a stunt that put real non-maidup syrians in danger. >> he was going on vacation to istanbul and sort of as an away notice, he has her kidnapped in the blog. >> because he was going on vacation and he wanted to put it on hold for a little while. >> jon: vacation from what? are you worn out from sitting in your apartment all day pretending to be a lesbian on the internet? [laughter] what i wouldn't give to have a couple quiet days to myself in my apartment lez blogging. though the hoax fooled almost everyone in the media a few had their suspicions. >> the journalist who really helped uncover this whole thing is this guy, andy carvin. he's a senior strategist over at npr >> jon: this is going to be an interesting interview about following social media. >> when did you start "something's gotta give" fishy? when did you start smelling something fishy? [laughter] january >> jon: that one physically hurt. no

who calls herself a girl in damascus and on monday night she was said to be in the uk due in syria by men believed to be working for the government so why is the woman who were you sitting here tonight you are confident that this woman whose face appears on the blog of the gay girl in damascus as you is to says of some of them are pictures being taken last year paris the story of a lesbian voters and seriously it was a hard pill to old americans how much more so than study in the university you claim this is so real so that hard you know if you know. we thought it was a gay girl in damascus that of course is just american guy that sitting around on his computer i don't want to hear you have to make fun of the media for falling for it because stories right i mean what do you think i think it's really fair i mean he had thought that he did it for vanity which is really disturbing but also i think it undermines the people who are out there in these really terrible situation is everything going to be questioned and not really taken seriously going for it though i'm worried about it i thin

the center of damascus and aleppo remained relatively calm. they are home to the beneficiaries of the economic growth, a new middle class that has come out and protested in support of the assad regime. the strongest supporters are the villages minority that the south belongs to. -- are the religious minority that the south belongs to. they have the most to lose. they say that reprisals from the city majority -- they fear reprisals from the sunni majority that they rule over. many do not know which side they should be on. the stance is propagated by iran. syria is an important toehold in the region. damascus is a vital ally against israel along with lebanon in gaza. iran is supporting a sock in his fight against his own people with weapons and know-how. -- iran's supporting president assad in his fight against his own people. earliethis month, tens of thousands of people took par in a demonstrators tossed in a demonstration, the largest number since it began. -- tens of thousands of people took part in a demonstration, the largest number since

she joins us from damascus. it seems like you'd never know there's bloodshed and revolt in other parts of the country from damascus. >> reporter: joe, the image we managed to get here in the short amount of time that we were able to get out onto the streets, we were accompanied by a government official, especially since we were intending on filming. but this part of the capital we were concentrated in is the heart of damascus itself. one has to remember the demonstrations when they were taking place inside damascus, really happening on the outskirts. while we were there, we were hearing music blaring from a loud speaker, pro-government music. we saw a number of individuals selling all sorts of paraphernalia that had the president's image imprinted on them from party cats to key chains to t-shirts. a fair amount of anger directed at us because we're viewed as representing the west. people coming to us saying they don't want the u.s. involved anymore, they don't want foreign metalling, blaming the unrest on what i

she filed this report from the capital of damascus. >> in the heart of ancient damascus, the appearance media cameras prompts a small crowd to erupt into pro government chants. posters and pictures of the president quickly materialized. government minders escorted us here. to the historic old city outside the mosque, one of the holiest sites in islam a few dozen gathered raging against foreign powers. claiming the unrest in syria is a well-plotted international conspiracy to bring down the regime that includes the media. transwe feel like the international media is conducting a world war against us. >> not a single outlet broadcast what is really happening. we explained that we have just only officially been let in the country. it's out of concern for you, the man next to him says. in fact, government officials tell us that they were worried about our safety with so many armed gangs fomenting on rest throughout the country. that is how the government justifies military crack downs. in the northwest of the country. they sent 10,000 refugees fleeing to turkey. her voice trembling with emo

let's go to damascus right now.e, you have been trying and trying and trying to get into damascus for a long time. you are fanlly there. tell our viewers what you are seeing. >> well, wolf, this particular part of the capital is in the center of this city itself, bearing in mind that the demonstration when they take place in damascus tend to happen on the outlying area. the part that we went to has seen little if anything by way of significant demonstrations. take a look at what we saw today. at one of the main entrances to the old city in damascus, there is now a massive speaker who is blairing pro government music. we just heard lyrics saying we are your men and you are the one who is protecting syria. we spoke to the restaurant manager, the ones who set up the speaker and the manager was telling us that the restaurant decided to do it as a symbol of nationalism. we are escorted a a government minder as we wander through the streets at the heart of the capital. the image is everywhere. in this part of damascus, he

a blogger in syria who goes under the name of gay girl damascus was abducted and so because of course the media doesn't usually like to cover with necessarily what's going on in syria or bahrain or libya or yemen all that much less there might be a pretty gay girl that's abducted they went crazy over it and then they had to walk it back let's take a look at a few clips. let's be right that you know when you see you know job at all for social commerce you do ok go to my space it's a top to bottom for me to call so sell some girl in damascus and on monday night she was said to have been adopted in syria by men believed to be working for the government so why is the woman who wears that are you sitting here tonight you are confident that this woman whose face appears in the blog of the gay girl in the dust is you to says of some similar pictures been taken last year paris the story of her let's get over to that since it was for me it was hard to two year old americans home and study in the university you claim that this is so real so the idea that carried through in this. we thought it w

now inside damascus for cnn. glad she finally got there.. >>> a bank robber goes to jail for a $1 heist but he gets something he thinks is more valuable -- health care. and a new plan to surrender a major battle in the war on drugs. should the federal government stop enforcing marijuana laws? os with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. >>> an incredible story. a north carolina man walked into a bank and handed the teller a note. you might think that's a standard robbery. but it's what happened next that has a lot of people stunned. here's cnn's martin savage. >> reporter: it wasn't your typical bank heist. >> we're being robbed, please, rbc. >> james verone, unarmed and unemployed says he wasn't looking to get rich, merely to get help. so he walked into this rbc bank and demanded a single dollar. >> first time i've ever been in trouble with the law. >> reporter: he says he is suffering a number of health issues incl

two great reporters on the ground in damascus.ming up, new york says, "i do" to same-sex marriage. might this be the vote that changes president obama's mind? >> all across this country. >> announcer: this past year alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever. >>> gay rights parade there you are seeing in new york yesterday. a celebration. on friday, late friday, governor andrew cuomo signed into law legislation allowing same sex marriage in new york state. new york now joins five other states in allowing same-sex marriage. iowa, new york, vermont, and new hampshire. massachusetts, connecticut and the district of columbia. so six states and the district of columbia allow same-sex marriage. if you look at the map as well, seven additional states allow e

syrian opposition activists have held a public meeting in damascus. the intellectuals and politicians discuss how to receive a peaceful transition to democracy. the events had the blessing of the syrian regime, but some opposition groups have described it as a cheap ploy. >> this was the first public meeting of dissidents in serious since anti-regime protests began in march. some 200 opposition figures gathered in a damascus hotel to discuss the future of their country. they called for peaceful transition to democracy and an end to the assad regime. >> we want him to go out. our demands are on the part of the syrian people. [unintelligible] >> other activists have dismissed monday's event as an attempt by the regime to give an appearance of openness while continuing to crack down on dissent. many of regime opponents stayed away from the meeting for that reason. unverified images appear to show that the crackdown is ongoing. footage was reportedly found over the weekend in a suburb of damascus, showing security forces beating demonstrators, some of the

even today a prisoner was delivered, a dead body to his family, in damascus. he was detained a few days ago. today his dead body was delivered to his family. he was killed under torture. this is happening every day in syria. such violations, and the crimes are committed every day in syria. >> nothing the government says or does seems to satisfy the opposition, this promise of an inquiry into hamza's death, the release of political prisoners, the setting up this -- up of this committee to start a national dialogue. does this show this is a zero sum game, there will be a definite winner and definite loser and compromise will not work anymore? >> how people can be satisfied with something done by the government when it says nothing. after hamza's death, new prisoners got killed under torture in detension. what does that mean? that means that the government does nothing to solve the crimes against syrian people. while the government declares it forms a dialogue, the same day more than 40 people were killed in arrests in their homes. it is a massacre. how can peopl

chilling pictures, these from outside damascus on friday. security thugs jamming a protester into the trunk of a car beating them. watch as someone rush into the crowd with sticks, batons, trying to rescue the guy. he's beaten senseless and the trunk is shut. and another person, someone's father, uncle, best friend, is 45u8ed away. and a young man being led away by security forces his face unmar ford now. his future? we can't tell we don't know. each new tragedy seems to bring more people into the streets. this weekend i spoke with a woman whose husband was taken away weeks ago. she, herself is a fugitive and she's on the run in syria with her life in danger. we talked by phone earlier. there were more protests and more brutality over the weekend. what can you tell us about what happened? >> actually, the protests became daily. on this same time that security campaign against the protests and the protesters are still continuing. more than 1,000 persons get arrested during last week only. and many of them are citizens of the university. >> we

we are accompanied when we film out on the streets of damascus by government minders. own when we're not filming, when we're out doing the work of television journalists on the streets of the capital but we are under close supervision. we ask for permission to shoot in certain neighborhoods where we know anti-regime demonstrations are either going to take place or are in the process of unfolding, and in many cases we're told we're working on that permission, we're working on it. just be patient with us and by the time we get the permission to go there the demonstrations and demonstrators have disbanded so, indeed, we are working under the close supervision of government minders, and we have very real restrictions when we do our job here, but it is -- wolf, i have to say, it's still a fascinating insight into the story in damascus. this is three months plus into the uprising, and our first opportunity to see the syrian capital, and as much as we can talk to ordinary people away from the ear shot of our -- our government escorts. >> excellent. glad you're there, hala. th

of damascus.is a commercial market. it is usually very busy. the people were chanting for freedom and for the army to go out from the other cities that were invaded, and for the government to stop the killing. but a lot of pro-government and security forces beat them. the protesters, you can see from the video that is displayed now, it is totally peaceful. and they were only chanting and singing national songs. after that, at least eight of them were confirmed arrested and three cars were smashed because the drivers of those cars were using them on the streets in protest. after that, security forces and pro-government brought at least 500 or 600 people to make pro- government protests in the streets. they also beat a girl who was just arguing with security forces that they should stop beating the other protesters. they gathered on them and started beating them. >> he was describing a protest in the capital of damascus there. protesters have gathered in the yemeni capital to demand a transitional g

arwa damon, cnn, damascus. >> arwa getting a firsthand look at the syrian capital damascus. ef every time she and the crew were shooting everything, there was always a government minder present. >>> more than a million indonesians work in saudi arabia. now jakarta says it won't give anymore visas to go there until saudis agree to changes. it's over a huge you of the treatment given out to an indonesian maid. we'll tell you that brutal story in a minute. that can go the distance. that's why we gave the chevy equinox an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon highway. but do passengers appreciate all of the comfort features we put in the equinox? hey. want me to drive? we'll take that as a yes. the count on chevy event is going on strong with a full selection of chevys to choose from. come claim yours today. visit your local chevy dealer. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. so delicious. i think you'

we are joined by razan on the line from damascus. i think everyone can understand the anger. is this going to change anything as far as the opposition movement is concerned? >> the opposition movement is continuing. after the death of hamza everybody was shocked.

i was in a province north of damascus today. we were 1,500 people approximately. and almost 200 security forces members and a number of militia personnel confronted us right after we arrived to the main square of the area. we were -- we received many gas bombs, tear gas bombs. and later, rubber bullets just to make a note, it's the first time during the last three months that we enjoy the privilege of rubber bullets. because usually we're shut out with live ammunition. later, some arrests were made. two people were arrested. one of them was brutally hit. in my area. and we believe that later, during this week, there will be more arrests based on this detention because we know that every time there was somebody arrested here, we will be asked to identify other peaceful protesters. i would like just to mark up that we are not quite comfortable with the term rebellion. because we believe it's a revolution and that's how we would like to call it. we never carry weapon and we will keep up doing it in a peaceful way. >> we are hearing president assad is describing this

the united states and its western allies want damascus to be reported to the u.n. security council, but several countries oppose that move. well, in vienna, the agency is based there, and our correspondent, bethany bell, is there. and this meeting is likely to go on all week. is the u.s. likely to be successful on several fronts now? >> very much. and i think there is a sense of diplomatic pressure mounting on syria. a week of intensive negotiations here at the i.e.a. as you say, this is a contentious thing. the united states and its western allies do want to see syria reported to the u.n. security council over this report by the iaea. other countries much more cautious. they say that this perhaps isn't the right moment to move against syria, that syria has now offered more cooperation with the agency and perhaps damascus should be given more time. now, interestingly, the dim macts have all said that this report has nothing to do with the uprising currently going on in syria itself, but i think some countries are worried that this perhaps isn't the time to put more

is outside interference in syria just a matter of time we look at how the shoe is a building on damascus the international energy agency that other people want the country to know when it's the puti turn so. vegetables have been that menu at it today you russian summit and not for dinner assures random food imports from europe for doing a recent. outbreak has been discussed with the world trade organization membership . things contentious missile defense system is also on the agenda. has more from a venue where the talks are being held. on the first informal day of the summit host president dmitry medvedev showed his guests around the ancient city of. on the revolt the forty two code walked down the river bank and there they were looking for a change of light above the gloomy landscape of the arab world uprisings and big euro crisis well hope to muse must build largely around resume various quest for reforms more than eyes asian and also breakthrough agreements reached between brussels and mosco since the last russian you summit but progress on russia's accession won't always accession i

and france as i mentioned also urges countries to not supply weapons to damascus it also calls on syria to comply and to work with the u.n. human rights organization now this is a big effort on the part of these european countries to try to get the international community to clamp down on syria following three months of unrest but as we've been reporting other countries veto wielding countries such as china and russia have spoken out against adopting any resolutions against syria russian ambassador to the united nations the tally churkin says he believes that diplomacy should be used for solving political problems not creating conditions for a new armed conflict the russian envoy said passing more and more and more resolutions puts the international community in a position where it's picking sides within an internal conflict is a concern of interfering in syria for years merely to an escalation of violence because it may be misinterpreted by the destructive opposition forces who want change of power in damascus such a position will definitely lead to more bloodshed and escalation of vio

down of anti-government protesters it urges countries not to sell any weapons to damascus it also calls for independent investigation into what has taken place in syria over the past three months but these are these consultations are ongoing because there hasn't been a consensus reached despite the aggressive campaigning that has been taking place by britain and france we do know and we have heard in the past officials from russia saying they do not support and they don't think it's in the best intentions to syria with a resolution we did hear from the russian ambassador to the u.n. for saying that he believes that diplomacy should be used for solving political problems not creating new armed conflicts and here's a little bit of what he said to. me concerning interfering in syria through an escalation of violence because it may be misinterpreted by destructive opposition forces who want change of power in damascus such a position will definitely lead to more bloodshed and an exclusion of violence and it's important to avoid that dialogue is needed and we remember that in libya it also s

people here say that a mass demonstration in damascus would not be like egypt, this would be like africa. a syrian soldier explained what happened. >> they give us the orders to fire heavily on our nine people. we were told to shoot randomly, no distinction between women, children, on on demand. many people were killed. all were civilians. >> this is the biggest protest yet. hundreds turned out to pour scorn on the latest attempts at reconciliation. the barrier of fear has been broken. >> as the president seeks to tighten his grip and syria, colonel gaddafi still is clinging to power. that is despite the campaign against him. his forces keep the pressure. rebels are in console of misrata but they are struggling for control. andrew harding is there and from there he sent us this report. >> a rare moment of silence and the front lines outside of a place called -- some of these rebel fighters have families trapped inside of the town. i have not in there, he says. i have 13, i have six. they are highly motivated but there are also worried about their faces being filmed. that was close. >> fo

it was perhaps a warning from damascus. offering a glimpse of the chaos that will follow if they fall. >> there are reports of further clashes in yemen days after the country's wounded president left the country to seek medical care. many have taken to the streets to celebrate. he will return within days despite calls from hillary clinton from others that a transition to democracy must begin immediately. for more on the uncertainty and the bloodshed in syria, i spoke with the former jordanian minister. this is really serious stuff and it seems to be getting worse. the regime -- with the regime pushed into a corner, do expect a crackdown to be tougher? >> this is a minority that understands any opening up of the political process is going to mean they are losing power and in my view, this is not a regime that is interested in opening a process. it will fight to the last soldier. >> either in power or in jail. >> or worse. i think we can expect a bloody and long battle before this is over. >> hillary clinton called for a tran

. >> the protest in damascus, a woman protested in the suburb of damascus. the worry is about the army. there was a huge protest today in these two cities. people were chanting that the army and the people are one, calling the army not to intervene in the cities, not to make any armed purpose against the people and to not try to kill the people in other cities. the also made a statement signed by the people telling the army not to repeat what has happened in other cities of syria. there is also worry because it is surrounded by the army. it is expected that it will be attacked by the army any minute now. >> are people really worried about going back to protest against the regime? or are they still really defined? >> actually, we see that people, even in the area are in siege of the army. they went to protest today even, even under army and security siege. there was a protest and heavy gunfire against the protest there. if people are going -- people are going on to protest around the country, actually. >> there may be differences between both sides, but over

it was perhaps a warning from damascus. offering a glimpse of the chaos that will follow if they fall. >> there are reports of further clashes in yemen days after the country's wounded president left the country to seek medical care. many have taken to the streets to celebrate. he will return within days despite calls from hillary clinton from others that a transition to democracy must begin immediately. for more on the uncertainty and the bloodshed in syria, i spoke with the former jordanian minister. this is really serious stuff and it seems to be getting worse. the regime -- with the regime pushed into a corner, do expect a crackdown to be tougher? >> this is a minority that understands any opening up of the political process is going to mean they are losing power and in my view, this is not a regime that is interested in opening a process. it will fight to the last soldier. >> either in power or in jail. >> or worse. i think we can expect a bloody and long battle before this is over. >> hillary clinton called for a tran

it's been several years since you were in damascus. you can give me some sense of how it's changed since the last time you were there? >> this is very significant what's going on. that said, unlike egypt, we're in the seeing millions of people top he wi t topple the regime. the pockets of uprisings around the country are smaller. they're spread out to be sure, but not enough to put that kind of pressure on the regime that they feel in any way lettened in the shorter term. the big question going forward is what happens to this economy. what happens to the middle and merchant class that is in many ways benefited from this government when the economy continues to suffer. there are no tourists. investment is down. growth prospects and forecasts for the country have been lowered. if the regime loses that vital merchants class, then things might change drastically. this country according to many and from what i've seen today will not go back to what it was. the question is what time line are we looking at and it might be much longer than wha

in the kishwa suburb outside damascus, tear gas and automatic gunfire. at least 10 killed across the country today, dozens more wounded. as many as 1600 have been killed since the uprising began more than three months ago. but as we said, people taking to the streets now at any cost. in some cities they're now chanting "the germs want to fold the regime squgz. bashar assad has compared this uprising to an infection and called it 6400 criminal thugs that's what he said at large in syria. the it is absurd 6400 much less 64,000 murderous criminals can be wandering around in a police state as repressive as syria. it's a police state that has fired on people not even fighting the regime but simply trying to flee into turkey. turkish officials say nearly 12,000 syrians have crossed the border, others are still on the syrian side. troops have burned their crops. they've destroyed the sole bakery supplying bread to one of the camps. today the european union expressed grave concerns about syrian military activity near the border and called for "maximum restraint"

women and damascus have been seen holding posters that said of " we're all the mothers of hamza al-khatib" >> and another note, the report from the united nations say both libyan troops and rebels of committed crimes in that conflict. for more on the waves of protest would continue across the arab world, i spoke with the president of the john hopkins -- johns hopkins school of international studies. the situation in libya, in yemen appears to be an ongoing, bloody stalemate between opposition forces and the government digging in. where do you see the end? >> there you have that. there you have the hopes and the terrorism of the arab world, side-by-side. then you have these entrenched regimes that have no intention of reforming, no intention of sharing power, and i think syria is beginning to understand this ruler in damascus -- they are worried about what has happened to syria's children. it is the reckoning time in the arab world for this great fight, and in many ways an epochal fights between the rulers and the people in the streets. >> but they know there is such a thing as peaceful re

susan roberts has been in damascus under cover for the bbc. surely getting off the plane in london, she spoke to me about her experience in the country. >> the president in his address was talking about conspiracy and seven touch. there is tremendous paranoia in the country. they suspect everyone. which does not make it easy for local people. it makes it difficult for a journalist in the country. foreign journalists are not allowed. any foreigner is regarded as a spy. carrying a camera is as bad as carrying a gun in any other country. it is a criminal offense. >> how did you get access to people and their opinions? >> i could not move around much. i had good contact with one of the activists in the country. they got me to people's houses. most of the prominent political activists are in hiding. there was a lot of varying between the suburbs of damascus, often at night. i talk to a surprising number of people who were willing to talk. >> the opposition you spoke to -- who were they? >> i spoke to the grand old man of syrian opposition, rais --

arwa damon joins us now live from a damascus.me in damascus since the uprising began. what's it like? >> reporter: well, anderson, it was quite surreal to be coming here, especially because we spent so much time covering the story of the refugees along the syria-turkey border just hearing about how they had to flee with the clothes on their back out of fear of the military, believing they would have been killed or detained had they stayed behind. all of a sudden we're in da mass cass, in the capital. we went to the center of the city, next to the old city. this i not an area that has been the scene of any significant demonstrations in the past. and while we were there, we were hearing music blaring from this giant microphone that had been set up. i had never seen this in this part of the city before. we were told that it was just put up, pro-government lyrics, chant songs about how the president was the protecter and savior of the nation. people peddling pro governmentwares, anything from party hats to key chains to t-shirts with

house, and you go across the street and visit your mom for a bit. >> a busy art explanation, but damascusay not care too much about world opinion. the u.n. is split with russia and china blocking any action even if the west did have the stomach for it >> cuss toms official in thailand have interpreted an illegal shipment of hundreds of tortoises at bangkok airport. it is the second shipment of turtles in a week. a passenger had checked the luckage at the airport but failed to collect the luckage when it landed. >> there may have been the worst spring drought in germany since records began. the government may have to provide farmers with $1.5 billion in aid to help them. jare cook now reports. >> it is official. huge parts of "evening edition" land are in drought, farmers battling to water their crops. it may be hard to believe if you have been exposed to all that rain in scotland. but here, months of dry weather have triggered today's announcement. >> we are monitoring the situation carefully. we are being particularly vigilant in terms of environmental impact. we are working with farmers

due to the difficulty of the reporting from damascus, we apologize for the audio quality. >> 100 days since the uprising started, protesters are continuing with their calls for change. despite violence and killing, they have brought out big numbers. protests have spread across the country, in the north, and the center. these two cities have had clashes with the government and loyalists in the past days. >> this is also an deraa, the first place is the protests. forces are reported to have fired on protesters as they were leaving the mosque. . one protester was killed. his mother is mourning his loss. they are out in big numbers. they are calling for change. >> for those on the ground, the call for change does not include this regime but rather calls to overthrow it. >> joining me now to discuss the ongoing crackdown is the former american ambassador to syria. thank you for coming in. you understand the family, what is motivating the president at the moment? >> they are fighting for their survival. this is a terrible regime, it has been in power for over 40 years and have a lot to acco

in past days, many have been called south of damascus.ecurity 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 americ

last night an agency reported that a crowd tried to mob the turk eric embassy in damascus.they tried to tear down the turkish flag and put up a syrian flag. as we've seen again and again in syria, when you try to organize a street protest there, more often than not the syrian forces try to open fire and try to kill you. the fact that this crowd was able to gather in you up town damascus and swarm the embassy suggests the sear yab authorities wanted to send a signal to the turkish government even after its quiet remarkable victory. >>> let's take a closer look now at that syrian refugee situation. thank you very much for being with us. as we heard there from our skronlt in istanbul, ivan watson, it's difficult for anyone to get firsthand accounts of what they've been through or what they are going through at this pint. have you been able to talk to anyone within the refugee camp? >> you know o. yes, it's correct that it's impossible until now to get inside the refugee camp, however, it is possible to get information by effectively sneaking into one of two of the hospitals in

>> reporter: we are reporting live from damascus in syria, some 100 plus days into unrest and uprisings that have gripped this country and perhaps changed it forever. i'm joined now by the presidential adviser, she is here with us. while many people have been watching over the last three months and seeing so much violence across the country, want to ask you why is the government targeting demonstrators? >> we're not targeting demonstrators. i think demonstrators are making their points every day. we have no problem with that. they have legitimate grievances but i think it is a complex problem. you have peaceful demonstrators, but you have extremeist ists wh using demonstrations to incite the violence. this is our biggest challenge at the moment. >> reporter: this is a new development. because in the initial days of the demonstrations really coming from the government we heard only that these are armed gangs. now you acknowledge that among them, there are peaceful demonstrators, that have been targeted as well by security forces? >> no, right from the beginning, the president spoke two m