a pro and anti government factions have fought battles on lebanese soil. >> the lebanese city of tripolinot far from the city on the border, and heavily influenced by what happens with its much more powerful neighbor. it surprises no one here when clashes break out on the streets of tripoli between pro and anti assyrian militias. -- syria and militias. heavy gunfire was exchanged on the streets. in a small city where opposing communities live cheek by jowl, regular patrols are made and there are narrow cease-fire lines. they are wary. few expect this truth -- of this trutce to hold. lebanese troops are keeping the peace, but the tensions here and the dividing line among the community are very real. it is the sinews that dominate here in tripoli. sunni religious leaders are in no doubt who is to blame for the violence. >> the asada regime in sierra is sending aid to deliberate -- a move deliberately create tension .erido >> leaders of this largely secular minority reject allegations that their proxies of a foreign government. >> we are first and foremost lebanese, and cannot be used by an

lebanese troops are keeping the peace. the tensions here on the dividing line are very real. it is the sunni is who dominate here in tripoli. the their fighters are the real power on the streets. the religious leaders are in no doubt to blame for the violence. >> the assad regime in syria is sending its agents to destabilize the situation here, to the liberal and create tensions. >> less than a mile away, posters of bashar al-assad look down on the staunchly pro syrian community. leaders of this largely secular minority reject allegations that they are proxy's for a foreign government. >> we are first and foremost lebanese. we are also part of a wider coalition of resistance whose leader is bashar al-assad. we did not start all of this talk. >> , bullet-scarred homes, frightened presidents, the conflict is mirrored on either side of this small hillside. as the situation across the border deteriorates, the fear is that violence here will inevitably escalate. >> two scientific studies showing how the bird flu virus could be deliberately mutated will not be published. security o

lebanese troops are keeping the peace. the tensions here on the dividing line are very real. >> it is the sunnis u dominate here in tripoli. -- who dominate here. leaders have no doubt who was to blame for the violence. >> the assad regime in syria is sending its agents to destabilize the situation here and to deliberately create tension. >> less than a mile away, posters of bashar al-assad looked down on the staunchly pro-syrian community. leaders of this largely secular minority reject allegations that they are proxy's for a foreign government. the >> we are first and foremost lebanese and we cannot be used by anyone. we are part of a wider coalition of resistance. we did not start all of the stock. -- all of this talk. >> this has frightened residents. the syrian conflict is mirrored on either side of the small hillside. as the situation deteriorates, the fear is the violence here will inevitably escalate. >> here in washington, a man thought he had explosives for an attack on the u.s. capitol and was arrested as part o

lebanese army and according to my own analysis this only shows is strong signal actually towards not only syria but also the middle east by itself because lebanon is not only enabling a state for syria the public syrian that was shot last saturday the regime actually but the sunni and the shiite the problem is that the allawi the interconnector to the shiite in the area and most of the powerful groups inside let alone such as hezbollah or the party of god they are immediately shiite animal movement let's say they are major ruling parties actually representing the shiite muslim they are recruits they connected to the regime of president bashar al assad and they are not well thought of by current local sunni is inside tripoli and i courage and which is a very close region geographically and strategically towards the border with the republic of syria so these there is a high tension between the not only the two peoples that see but certain people they have been you know supporting actually the opposition is inside syria by the people from north london on majorly they are sunni sunni but

rabbi a professor at lebanese international university thank you very much for your analysis. but with less than a month ago before russia's presidential vote emotions are running high i am a campaign shift up a gear following a day of demonstrations and. prime minister and presidential candidate for dinner putin continues to lay out his electoral program this time it's more about whether shape democracy with initiatives allowing the people to suggest their own laws online can offer has more for the main idea of the sort of go is that a civil society in russia has grown and developed and become much more active most importantly compared to say ten years ago and what comes to the state well it's a lagging behind at the moment people do want to be more active and have more influence on the political life and one of the mechanisms providing them with these opportunities is the internet and this is not only about the tens of thousands of people who now take to the streets for this or that rally is about millions of internet users in russia who over the past few years have become v

style of splintering which would be tragic i mean the lebanese debacle has still unrolling after forty years. we would it would be terrible if syria were to go the same way. right ian williams that trent u.n. correspondent for only new york thank you very much indeed for sharing your views with us. thank you. right now on our see our interview with investigative journalist also winstanley focusing on the turbulent situation end and around serious do stay with us. only. today i'm drawn by a so when stanley an investigative journalist rajan on the middle east whose latest piece delves into the discrepancies amongst the casualty figures in the syrian crisis a certain thanks for speaking to r.t. now one of the most quoted sources for those casualty figures is the syrian observatory for human rights but you've recently found out information that suggests it can't necessarily always be trusted why is that i think first of all we have to establish who really is this the syrian observatory for human rights. in our investigation we didn't really uncover any particular reason to doubt the genuin

this is one of three checkpoints on the three hundred fifty kilometer syrian lebanese border in the last year as we've been told here there were only three attempts to smuggle weapons across your business confiscated thousands of bullets dozens of guns and hundreds of kilograms of little metal pieces like this one used to make a world but the azores is main concern and make little clothes like this one but parts of the border where there isn't any security at all like here look at this in the middle of nowhere there is nothing only one road across the road right now and at the same time across the border and i'm already in lebanon. and further south she remains extremely vulnerable the city of daraa the cradle of the syrian uprising it all started here and it continues to play a role in the country's crisis where the water was jordan just several kilometers away from here and numerous reports suggesting that foreign weapons and troops going is only flow through it has become one of the weakest points in the country's security the city has become the scene of fierce and bloody clashes at

on a table and discuss the democratic reforms or a doctor or a shabby lecture a professor at the lebanese american university of beirut thanks for your insight. stay with us here on r.t. still ahead this hour a whistleblower is nominated for the nobel peace prize and you were very huge difference in secret files to wiki leaks now want to list of candidates for the prestigious award. that anders breivik appears in court sharing shocking comments as survivors look on in disbelief. but first with less than a month to go before russia's presidential vote emotions are running high and the camps are running into high gear following a day of demonstrations in russia a prime minister and presidential candidate let him near putin continues laying out his electoral program this time it's more about web shape democracy with the initiatives allowing people to suggest their own laws online or. well the main idea of the sort of go is that civil society in russia has grown and developed and become much more active most importantly compared to say ten years ago and what comes to the state well it's a lag

wholesale destruction and death that's how much al qaeda will pay to smugglers usually iraqi or lebanese drivers according to ziad ismail chief of the customs service on the border with lebanon. these people bring weapons here to destroy our nation to try to kill syrian people in the syrian territory to arm our enemies. syria has more than two thousand kilometers of front here with five states a stroll iraq jordan turkey and lebanon the syrian cities where the most violent clashes have taken place homes and there are all over the in our of the border is a fact that some believe has determined their fate or destiny is. this is one of three checkpoints on the three hundred fifty kilometer syrian lebanese border in the last year as we've been told here there were only three attempts to smuggle weapons across your business confiscated thousands of bullets dozens of guns and hundreds of kilograms of little metal pieces like this one used to may well but the azores is main concern and make little pellets like this one but parts of the border where there isn't any security at all like here look

. >> lebanese and has died. >> are you serious? this is ridiculous! i am a huge and, obviously it. that is really discerning. >>brian: this is the shot from mt. tam the city of san francisco is breezy tonight. those breezes diminish and and crank up again. san jose is at 51. here is a look at future cast going into tamara abstinent. we will see whether slide to the south as we get into the evening hours. the rain gets heavier between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.. we could see some scattered isolated showers into the day on monday. there are also gusty winds. some are mostly cloudy skies. mid-upper 50s and a few low 60s. we will have another system arriving tuesday night. then, sunny and warm. >> off a dock worker in san francisco recovering after falling into a fuel tank on a ship near pier 70. craig skalar was there and it tells us what happened. >> rescue teams colgate sandblasts are out of this ship. fire officials say he fell into a fuel tank while helping to sandblast the inside. >> he was in a fuel tank with fuel oil. we had to set up a road system to lower our rescuers down we h

a lot of my friends were lebanese and from syria. i had yewish and irish american friends.our identities were mixed. my sense of being american was being in a mix of things. >> margaret could you also reflect in a prior conversation you talked about your father had a sense of where he came from and it was a little more difficult for your mom to articulate that? >> sure. mother's side is irish american my father come from a different heritage. he is a genealogy. he traced his family all the way back to the times when they moved from spain to a region of france. that's where his family came from as peasants in 1850. and for generations, his family members had been going back to this place to visit their distant cousins. they knew exactly where it was. i was thinking that was a year after my irish american family came here. why don't my irish american family know this information. i want to try to find out what it is. i didn't know at that time what i was undertaking. i heard it said with irish american it's not genealogy it's archaeology. i found out about that later. it's ex

we have our lebanese style sangria. this is the white sangria made with fresh fruits. it is garnish with an orange spice and cinnamon and basil. this goes well with our food. we have a sweeter version made with wine. >> this gives people a chance to try a drink they may not have had before. this is inspired by the food of love and lebanon. you can register at a time at harboreast.com. $45 gives you a chance to get a drink at many restaurants. go to harboreast.com a chance to register. we're checking a chance for rain. rain is showing up on the radar but more is on the way. i'm going for the martini. >> there is a trend that you wind up behind a bar. >> i picked it right. >> that is a good deal. $45 and you get to sample the drinks and appetizers. >> there are six restaurants altogether but you'll go to four on that night. va.thank you, a 37 at the airport. 35 in parkton. a chilly start but elise it is dry. -- but at least it is dry. we have some light showers moving into western maryland. all that is drifting over towards baltimore. once it gets here it will stick arou

one is a syrian nationa the other holds dual german lebanese citizenship. >> prosecutors say syrian opposition activists living in germany had been kept under close surveillance by syrian agents. they, in turn, have been watched by germany's domestic intelligence service. last weekend, opposition protesters stormed the syrian embassy in berlin. for years, diplomats have been suspected of maintaining a network of agents. their job -- to identify regime opponents in germany. if those people return to syria, the risk detention, interrogation, and beatings. >> we will once again make it perfectly clear to syrian representatives that we will in no way tolerate any crackdown on syrian opposition activists in germany. it is against the law here. it was just weeks ago that this regime critic was a salted in his berlin apartment by two unknown attackers. a member of the opposition syrian national transitional council, he believes syrian agents were behind the attack. prosecutors say so far, there is no connection between that incident and tuesday's arrests. >> now, to athens where government and intern

israel accused iran and it lebanese ally hezbollah of being responsible. the united states has implied that iran may also be connected to the incident in bangkok. >> these events do come on the heels of other disrupted attacks targeted at israel and western interests including an iranian sponsored attack in baku, azerbaijan and a hezbollah-linked attack in bangkok, thailand. >> reporter: iran denied involvement calling it an israeli plot to damage iran's relationship with thailand. security in bangkok has been tightened since last month when a man was arrested for possession of explosives. the man was expected to having links to hezbollah, but a thai government spokesperson told nhk world that the latest event was unrelated. the bomb blasts in thailand happened as confrontation between iran and israel intensifies over iran's nuclear development. all eyes are now focused on investigations being conducted by thai authorities in their bid to find out more about those believed to be responsible. reporting for nhk world, bangkok. >> investors are worried that w

and then during the night, he was smuggled back across the lebanese border, probably the same route they took to get in there, traveling with opposition people. now ambassador officials here who have been working hard to bring a resolution to this issue have now confirmed he is now safe and well in lebanon. we do not know exactly where he is and when he will head home, but we assume he will fairly quickly make his way back to his home and family. >> and the newspaper -- another newspaper has had a worker injured? >> well, we can't confirm she, too, has come back across the border, but she was a trickier case, because of the nature of her injury, which is a very complicated fracture of her left leg, which had to be kept straight, so really she probably should have had a proper ambulance to take her out. but it seems they decided not to do that and get her back by unofficial means. we can't confirm that 100% but it does seem very likely. >> we just heard a clip from the mother of marie who was a great friend of yours and tragically killed in that attack and she is asking for the situation

israel accused iran and lebanese ally hezbollah of being responsible. the united states has implied that iran may also be connected to the incident in bangkok. >> these events do come on the heels of other disrupted attacks targeted at israel and western interests. including iranian sponsored attack and hezbollah attack in bangkok, thailand. >> reporter: the iran denied involvement, calling it an israeli plot to damage iran's relationship with thailand. security in bangkok has been tightened since last month when a man was arrested for possession of explosives. the man was suspected of having links to hezbollah. but a thai government spokesperson told nhk world that the latest event was unrelated. the bomb blasts in thailand happened as confrontation between iran and israel intensifies over iran's nuclear development. all eyes are now focused on investigations being conducted by thai authorities in their bid to find out more about those believed to be responsible. nhk world, bangkok. >>> turning to myanmar, a european commissioner has wrapped up a three

an american of lebanese descent, mr. shadid was 43. it appears he died from an asthma attack. he died paying tribute at the time to the executive editor, she said he died as he lived, determined to bear witness to the sweeping transformation in the middle east. >> you're watching "bbc world news." i'm david eades. germany's president announced his resignation live on television. he said confidence in him had been damaged over the last few weeks. chancellor merkel is due to make a statement shortly. dozens of artifacts have been stolen from a museum in olympia, the birthplace of the ancient greek olympics. let's get some more now oned reds ignition of christian wulff, the german president. the bbc's tristana moore joins me from berlin. perhaps now we have that resignation, so can you give us some appreciation as to what this means in party political terms? how damaging is it for the government? >> well, it's extremely damaging for chancellor merkel. because after all, christian wulff is a member of chancellor merkel's conservative christian democratic union party. and actually,

have clashed with other whites who supported in the northern city of tripoli ten of the wounded or lebanese soldiers including a sergeant who is in a critical condition the two sides fired guns and rocket propelled grenades at each other clashes have continued since friday and other blighted since june when six people died and demonstrators against syria's government. building are now greek pm lucas papademos has warned of uncontrollable it can all make chaos of parliament does not approve a plan for fresh council sunday near seventy measures have already been adopted by the greek cabinet to secure one hundred and such a billion euro bailout from the international monetary fund without the country would default on march sixth ministers have already resigned in protest over the new cards and some who's from two major coalition partners are threatening to vote against it and parliament the draft a bill suggests firing fifteen thousand civil servants and lowering the minimum wage increases to biggest trade unions have held a forty eight hours trying to gauge the new measures while demonstrator

peter all of our reporting for us there now sticking with the same story dr omar a lecturer at the lebanese american university of beirut says moscow and beijing don't support the crackdown on the opposition but wish to end of the conflict in syria by peaceful means. the russian position and the chinese position was not to support the syrian regime or to support the the heart of images that are coming from syria on the contrary quite the opposite it was to stop this bloodshed and in the view of russia and china to stop this bloodshed is to stick to the un charter and the principles of the un charter and to stick to the united nations as an organization that works for peace and therefore that encourages dialogue and that what that i think is the position of russia and by actually is saying that there should be more time to actually for the attempts the russian attempts to model minister lavrov is going to be in in syria he will attempt to bring the parties together as a closer together to actually sit down on a table and solve things in peaceful ways if they if they are somebody form should

through turkey and earlier through lebannon that apparently has stopped by an agreement with the lebanese government and you know the push here for regime change betrays the nature of this so-called. you know resistance to the free syrian army as a matter of fact even on al-jazeera the day i was reported to attack the syrian army and kill ten of their you know the ten military people you cannot have an armed rebellion in a country and turn your back on providing security meanwhile the same players that made up numbers out of thin air about a massacre in libya that turned out to be completely false from human rights watch to gulf cooperation states western media are now doing the same thing they say there were two hundred fifty people killed yesterday or in the last twenty four hours in a home and there is absolutely no evidence of this whatsoever except for reports from free syrian army and quote unquote rebel spokespeople so you know this of the same scenario that happened in libya is you know attempting to come into being again and this time russia and china are not allowing it interest

for a peaceful resolution to quote it in syria in an exclusive interview to our t's arabic channel lebanese foreign minister. says meddling in syria's internal affairs worsen the crisis. and over to asia had we rejected the idea of interference from syria's internal affairs from the very start as meddling from the outside will not serve the interest of its people or the syrian government such interference will only complicate the conflict that's why we've said the dialogue is the only way out of the crisis we think that russia and china have taken a wise position after all where does the outside interference lead to there are many examples of this in the region does it lead to stabilization as afghanistan become more stable in the last ten years no one can look at what's happening in the arab states outside interference only worsen the crisis in terms of both the struggle and causes the outright damage to the people and the economy we're standing by syria by its people and its government we're standing for a solution to the crisis. and the u.s. and its allies are teaming up against present

we are going to discover more and more smuggling and more and more of a negative role from some lebanese in the syrian issue. middle east expert talking to us from. moving on a year as a member states have refused to give their immediate backing to a second bailout for greece there despite athens brokering a multi-party last minute deal honestly really matters demanded by credit says the blocks finance ministers say they will only be able to decide on the one hundred thirty billion euro rescue plan next week or the french austerity plans have already triggered a general strike increase the last time the country was bailed out the outcry over public sector cuts led to violent riots and brought down the government and robert oulds chaldea think tank a british group in london says the new deal might in fact of ruin the greek economy . greece is in severe economic difficulties and it's failed to meet many of the targets that the eurozone and the i.m.f. has set it for what it has to do in terms of to be able to reform its finances to be able to pay back some of the debts that it so that has b

different factions will do or different sects inside the muslim religion in the area between even lebanesethemselves and syrian this is the whole plot that has been demonstrated all architected actually all engineered let's see by the worst sort of one in the united states in particular and even israel in order to divide the nations of the leading nations such as lebanon and syria which is a great enemy towards israel because they have supported the islamic and certain resistances with inside lebanon all inside palestine i meant gaza and hamas in particular and their state of journalist in middle east specialist winstanley told r.t. the syrian opposition is fragmented and says there is no unity between groups over the means of fighting the regime is a quick case of the interview coming your way in about twenty minutes. although both sides deny differences in. military intervention actually in political differences there is different trends in the syrian opposition mainly between the poor. and the protesters with save the syrian national. council which are now openly you favor over the no f

well and with money it's our same trainers on the ground plus they have another conduit through the lebanese border the syrian national council for instance they are supported data actually by nicholas such goes in david cameron by the turkish government and by the qataris and there's also the free syrian army which heaver that i would see normally biased analysts in europe see that it's not the end it's not an army it's a bunch of the realist infiltrated by people feel. that we salafi jihadists so the foreign interference is already there now this is a super shadow war build with the civil war which the only people who will lose you know this are this so-called syrian people that once in a while our muster pieces of the democracy or mediocrities like coming on suckers in research of. asia times correspondent have asked about talking to us from bangkok that. have his held a referendum on whether russian should become the country's second official language authorities claim it threatens national integrity despite russians making up a third of the population and as an axiom fifty reports this

there are two concepts two words that come to my mind one is militarization and the other one is lebanese ation and i'm of course i'm referring to the civil war that played out in all in lebanon for such a long time that was so horrific for that small country i mean it is a civil war and we have such a good example of historical example you don't have to look at libya look at lebanon and you have a reasonably good fit. i agree that i think it should be seen in that kind of way as a civil war i also think you know it's a civil war a slightly different story because it is very difficult to establish exactly who the opposition is in syria and exactly how they came here and that is now do you think in terms of the struggle against this are that is one of the problems you have quite a split into its kind of chaotic situation in syria more so than you did in the the arab spring last year in say egypt or tunisia there's less of a sense of ok here in the opposition so i can understand why it's a bit hard to understand to define it in very clear cut but at the same time i think you know the west t