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 it began. >> syria has been wracked by military coups. parliamentary institutions have been weak. when the father of bashar al- assad gave up power -- seized power, pro-democracy activists began leaving the country in droves. many of them found asylum in britain which is now home to a large exile community of syrians would like to see their home country become a democracy. what's down with the -- >> down with the assad regime is the chant outside of the syrian embassy. >> they will do anything to shut our mouths. and we don't have weapons.

protest in syria is brutally repressed by security forces. demonstrators are shot, beaten, and killed. in the absence of free media, such videos made by the protesters themselves are the only evidence of what the syrians are going through. but confirmed the authenticity is difficult, and reports are contradicted by the syrian government and its own media. syrian state television broadcasts its view as well, from reports of brutal demonstrators to extensive footage of dead soldiers. it shows detained opposition member is giving concessions. the government says the unrest is caused by foreign powers that want to destabilize the country. many syrians did not know which side to believe. opposition supporters are having difficulty telling their stories. many have fled abroad. this person says his city is pure hell. two weeks ago he escaped to be rude, but he believed -- he escaped to be rude, but he believes that syrian intelligence agencies are there as well. >> they bt andortured at 10 days in jail. they arrested 4000 people, except for 500 peop

that is also true of syria's richest man. he is the president's cousin and has become a billionaire on under the regime and a symbol of corruption. he has immense influence on business in syria and has no interest in change. >> it could be hard for assad to push through reforms like these if reform is what the president wants. >> so is he really pulling the strings in syria now? earlier, we talk about that with someone from the german institute for international and security affairs. >> there is a lot of speculation about what exactly happens behind closed doors. i do not really think the question is really that relevant. the regime seems to be acting with one mind, one well, and one strategy. who exactly might be pushing for a harder line and will for a softer line inside does not really matter to us and to the people who have to endure the results. >> how likely is it that the syrian regime will open itself up to democratic reforms? >> i did not think it is likely at all. this is a regime built from the top down, and distri

>> they say they have good relations with syria. they do not need that again, the catastrophe that happened when the kurds came in and all the people died and turkey was stuck with the kurdish fighters for decades to come. they were trying to keep things stable in syria. they were supporting the regime and calling for reforms, but not calling for the regime to step down alike in egypt and elsewhere. we have ben seeing a lot of frustration on the turkish part. they are just not going anywhere. last week, a member of the turkish parliament said that they have been talking to the opposition. the town of voice is becoming more frustrated towards the syrians. we are seeing a shift happened. >> steve is here to tell us about the inflation watchers of europe. >> it seems that interest rates might be heading higher. the ecb left rates unchanged on thursday. they ve been talng about the greek debt crisis. >> ecb president rejected a proposal by the german finance minister to get private bondholders to swap current funds for bonds with more m

the president of syria has once again promised reform. bashir al-assad told the country on monday that changes will come within months, but he also blamed saboteurs for the under arrest, and he vowed not to deal with a gunman. >> for president bashir al- assad, the unrest in syria is the work of a small group of extremists. it is not the first time the president has blamed this on saboteurs, as they suffer through the most serious challenge to the leadership in nearly 40 years. >> there can be no political settlement with those who use guns and kill people. we want a political settlement, and we hope that the army will be able to return to its barracks as quickly as possible. >> assad promised to look into broadening amnesty for his political opponents. he also announced that parliamentary elections originally scheduled for last month will now be held in august. president asssad's supporters were jubilant, but soon after, rallies were reported in damascus. for many in the opposition movement, the president's speech offered too little, too

the situation in syria is getting so severe that the top people at the u.n. charged with preventing genocide are voicing concer they point to police and military attacks on unarmed civilians, mass detention, and reports of people disappearing. human-rights groups estimate 10,000 people have been taken by force since protests began in march. we have this report on the fate of one of those detainees. >> these young women are said to be protesters in the city of homs. they are carrying banners demanding an end to the killings, and a picture of a young syrian boy. footage from the internet's -- purports to show -- footage from the internet purports to show his violent and after protesting. state tv showewehis father praising the president. they said the boy's body was handed over to his parents weeks after he died. a u.n. spokesman pledged to find out what had been done. >> we have been deeply med and ashad abt what hapned t that boy. i have no idea why anybody would brutalize a young boy like that. >> but the name is one among many. detentions are widespread, li

more protests and more deaths in syria, as security forces again opened fire on demonstrators. can this man prevent disaster in greece? a last-gasp grasp. and saudi women get behind the wheel in a bid for the right to drive. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> human rights activists say at least 12 people are dead ar syrian security forces opened fire on protesters. this as several governments around the world try to figure out how to up the diplomatic pressure. france wants suffer sanctions against the regime, and the u.s. has been trying to persuade russia to back a u.n. security council rest luge on the issue. the eants government demonstrations continue -- anti-government demonstrations continue. >> they have defied the government crackdown and rallied around cities in syria. reports posted online by members of the opposition say soldiers in tanks and helicopters opened fire on civilians, leaving at least 16 people dead. those reports could not be independently verified. the syrian military says it now has taken control of cities in the nort

the city in syria's northwest was the scene of heavy fighting. and troops loyal to bashar al-asaad. and there are images of a mass grave, with government forces killed by rebels. tehy saihey said they were killd for not opening fire on civilians. thousands have fled to nearby turkey. and anti-governemnt protesters are congradulating the turkish prime minister, and renewed their calls for the overthrow of the regime. they will keep their borders open to syrians looking for safety. 1300 have benen killed. the -- prime minister has said their would be 30 ministers, connected to the hezbollah goverment. says it will represent all lebanese. they have been without a president after kariri was overthrown. we will look at the human right s situation later in this half hour. silvio bullous toberlusconi hasd a trial immunity for goverment officials. he had urged a boycott. turnout is believed to be 57%. >> anti-nuclear activists celebrated the results, cluding having italy being a nuclear-free country. >> the only possibility -- >> this puts an end to berlusconi's plan to restart the nuclear

was this a massacre in syria? state television says 120 security troops were killed over the weekend in the northwest. the government has reportedly sent a convoy of military tickles. there is no way of knowing what is happening in the town now. we have this report. >> state television broadcast pictures of what it said are over 100 soldiers and police killed in an attack on sunday. the incident took place near the syrian border with turkey. syrian officials say armed gangs attacked security forces. people said to be residents of the town were shown on state television. it journalist banned from syria, it is impossible to verify whether the official account is true. the opposition tells a different story. this video shows anti-government protests probably last friday. soldiers shot comrades who refused to open fire on civilians. other versions claimed that mutinous soldiers attacked loyalist forces. this is the first time the discipline in the security forces might be weakening. >> we will deal with the situation

worth a biioeusin a move aimed at creating jobs and help get the greek economy back on its feet >> in syria, more reports of security forces firing on pro democracy protesters after friday prayers. activists say more than a dozen people have been killed. theyrn army has also been raiding villages along the turkish border as part of its crackdown. thousands of refugees have osd toury to escape the bloodshed. >> protesters flee as security forces fire tear gas and live ammunition. syrians across the country turned out in large numbers after friday prayers. unverified video shows violence in several locations. activists say at least 15 people were killed. syrian television is presenting other picture, free from the crackdown on anti-government protests. it's called upon residents to rern to their homes saying the army restored stability from armed terrorist gangs. the town has been a flashpoint of pro democracy demotrations. >> the hospital has resumed service and all citizens are welcome to seek treatment. we have people from the surrounding villages coming for medical attention. >> sirans ar

groups and northern syria are also joininghe protest. monica is here to talk about the green light for greece. >> auditors from the imf, at the e.u., and european central bank agreed athens should a group receive -- should receive the next installment of their bailout, but they also want more caps on public spending from the debt stricken country. >> the chairman of the euro group and the greek prime minister or relieved to hear that athens had qualified for a second bailout. >> it is obvious that there will be no exit from greece from the area. greece will be able to fully honor its obligations. >> auditors from the imf, the eu and the ecb give a positive assessment of their efforts to rein in public spending. that paves the way for athens to receive the next installment of 12 billion euros in bailout funds. fthe money will come from the 10 billion euro fund that was set up for that purpose a year ago. there are also increasing signs greece can expect additional financial support of up to 65 billion euros. but the cash injection comes w

. >> we turn our attention to syria. the u.s. has condemned what it calls the syrian government's outrageous use of violence against the opposition and the u.n. secretary general is urging bashar al-assad to stop the violence. syrian troops have killed 1300 civilians and the three months old popular uprising. so far, the crackdown is not appear to have silenced anti regime protesters. the crowd chants, "go away, we don't like you." for weeks, they have demanded the departure of the syrian president. this was shot on wednesday in damascus suburb but it cannot be verified. the regime will not allow foreign journalists into the country. demonstrators hold up signs in support of deserting soldiers. there have been numerous reports of troops refusing orders to use violence against protesters. in northwestern syria, the army is reported to be chasing down opposition activists with brute force. thousands of refugees are on the run. many have already arrived in turkey. >> i am here at the border. none of us can go back now. we are in a s

elsewhere in syria, anti- ackermann protests reportedly continue. some images -- anti-government protests reportedly continue. some images show demonstrations. the messages on these boys' chests read, "stop the army" and "there are no gangs." turkey has set up camps for refugees and kept its borders open. >> we share a common destiny with the syrian people. there is no way we will close the border. we will not stop posting them, even if the number reaches 10,000 -- hosting them, even if the number reaches 10,000. beyond that, could become an international problem. -- it could become an international problem. >> iran has successfully placed an imaging satellite into orbit. state television said that the satellite was fully designed and built by iranian scientists. the rocket carried a 15-kg satellite into orbit, at 260 kilometers above the earth. iran launched its first satellite in 2009. united states a ity he concernshat e techlo could be used to deploy nuclear weapons. tehran has denied that its space program has military aims. they plan to launch

. >> syria oppose the president has declared amnesty for political prisoners serve -- political prisoners. they show the latest demonstrations. activists have dismissed it as too little too late. it is a major legal setback for the russian oil tycoon. it is an unexpected victory. he was jailed back in 2005 on tax evasion. >> he is behind bars. in 2003, the zero oil billionaire was arrested and went on trial and was found guilty. many of observed the the kremlin not targeted him because of his political activities. they believe they wanted to neutralize a potential presidential rival. his company was broken up have sold off by the state. it is a symbol of the ruthless hold on power. and i see him as the most famous victim of the authoritarian regime. he refuses to maintain his innocence. they say he violent -- he violated his rights. >> russian police have accused a man. the suspect was arrested at his parents' house in chechnya according to his lawyer. he has been on the run for several years. she has been an outspoken critic against insurgents. we're going to switch gears. my colleague a

. >> the reports coming out of syria suggest that the regime there is willing to shoot anybody who dares to protest. 22 protesters were reportedly shot on friday, and others are fleeing to escape the military crackdown. this has been described as savagery. -- >> down with asaad is what the protesters are setting in damascus. people also to the streets to the north of the country, and their outrage is growing by the day. these images are from the northern regions. the people there refuse to be intimidated. the footage is uploaded to the internet through web sites for the opposition movement. independent reporting is not possible at the moment. in the far northwest, the streets are empty and many of the 50,000 residents have fled. they are afraid that there will be a hard crack down on the civilian populations. more and more people are trying to escape across the border, and they are shocked by what is happening. -- >> he is killing his own people to stay in power and this is sheer cruelty. >> 3000 have found refuge here, and more are coming every day. many of them tell about the atrocitie