Erstellt am: 20. 7. 2012 - 15:46 Uhr

On the border and in the capital

Reality Check: Syrian rebels seize border crossings; Mitt Romney's tax secrets; Democracy in Latin America

EPA/STR

Syrian rebels flash 'Victory signs' and hold the revolutionary flag.

Syria

Abu Kamal, Bab al-Hawa, Jarablus. Crossing points on Syria’s border with Iraq and Turkey, taken by rebels. Abu Kamal is on the Euphrates River highway into Iraq, one of the major trade routes across the Middle East. It was captured after a clash with government forces. Video from the Bab al-Hawa crossing into Turkey showed rebels defacing a portrait of President Assad, although they were later reported to have withdrawn from the position. It appears to have been a coordinated effort to seize control of the borders, so how significant is this and does it show more unity among the fractured opposition groups? We hear from Anthony Mills from the International Press Institute, who for several years was based in the region as a foreign correspondent:

Romney’s tax secrets

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is at the centre of increasing controversy as there are increasing calls from even within his own party for him to release more than just one year's worth of tax returns. Riem Higazi explains why:

Latin America

Steve Crilley hears from one of the participants of this week’s conference in Vienna of Latin America experts about the best and worst examples of democracy in that part of the world:

Listen to the programme after the show via Podcast or at fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.