Bashar al-Assad

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Medvedev: Annan Syria's 'Last Chance'

Russia backs UN envoy as only way to avoid war

(Newser) - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev today got definitively behind Kofi Annan's mission to end the yearlong violence in Syria, reports Reuters , calling it the " last chance for Syria to avoid a long-lasting and bloody civil war." Medvedev met with Annan, the UN envoy to Syria today in Moscow,...

EU Bans Assad's Wife From Travel, Shopping

Asma Assad will likely have to tone down free-spending ways

(Newser) - It may not mean much to the forces fighting Syria's government, but it's something: The EU decided today to impose sanctions on first lady Asma Assad, Reuters reports. That means she is no longer welcome for travel and her beloved shopping sprees, adds AFP . She and about a...

Syrian Leader's Wife: 'I Am the Real Dictator'

Asma al-Assad also mocks the people of Homs in hacked emails

(Newser) - So the Syrian president's wife can do more these days than buy pricey candlesticks and chandeliers . Hacked emails reveal that Asma al-Assad, British-born wife of Bashar, also mocks the people of Homs (not long before hundreds died there ) and jokes with friends that she is "the REAL...

Car Bomb Rocks Syria; Casualties Reported

Blast hits northern city of Aleppo ahead of uprising's 1-year mark

(Newser) - Syria's state news agency says a car bomb has gone off between two residential buildings in the northern city of Aleppo. The report today by SANA gave no information on casualties or damage, but called it a "terrorist bombing." Opposition sources tell the BBC that there were...

2 Bombs Rock Damascus

 2 Bombs Rock 
 Damascus; 
 27 Dead 
UPDATED
Mar 17, 2012 5:52 AM CDT

2 Bombs Rock Damascus; 27 Dead

Violence returns to Syrian capital, suburbs

(Newser) - Two car bombs rocked Damascus this morning around 7:30 local time, killing civilians and security forces, report al-Jazeera and AP . State media reports 27 dead and more than 100 injured. One bomb hit the criminal security department and the other the aviation intelligence department. The usual blame game unfolded:...

One Year On, Syria Rallies for Assad

Gov't increasingly confident of putting down opposition

(Newser) - One year after the start of violent uprisings in Syria, thousands of flag-waving supporters gathered in Damascus to show their loyalty toward President Bashar al-Assad, reports Reuters . Rallies were also reported in several other Syrian cities, as the military stepped up its assault on rebel strongholds such as Homs and...

Activists Spied On Assad's Private Emails

And now you can, too: Guardian posts them

(Newser) - The Guardian has a big Syrian scoop today in the form of what it says are more than 3,000 private emails from the accounts of Bashar al-Assad and wife Asma. Activists apparently had access to the accounts for months, sometimes using them to get wind of military maneuvers, until...

Russia: We Won't Stop Arming Assad

Assad's forces capture Free Syrian Army stronghold of Idlib

(Newser) - Russia has rejected calls to stop arming and training Bashar al-Assad's regime, despite evidence that its weapons are being used against civilians. "Russia enjoys good and strong military technical co-operation with Syria, and we see no reason today to reconsider it," Russia's deputy defense minister said...

Kofi Annan 'Optimistic' After Meeting Syria's Assad

But no peace deal yet

(Newser) - Kofi Annan left a second round of talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today without a deal to stop the bloodshed, but "optimistic for several reasons," the UN-Arab League envoy tells al-Jazeera . "It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult but we have...

Syria's Assad Rebuffs Peace Effort by Annan

Meanwhile, the army lays siege to city of Idlib

(Newser) - Hoping that Kofi Annan's meeting with Bashar al-Assad today might yield a diplomatic miracle and an end to violence in Syria? Not so much. Assad's regime released this statement afterward: "No political dialogue or political activity can succeed while there are armed terrorist groups operating and spreading...

Syria's Deputy Oil Minister Defects, Joins Rebels

Abdo Hussameddin slams 'barbaric' Assad regime

(Newser) - A top Syrian official has decided to abandon Bashar al-Assad's "criminal regime" and join the uprising. Deputy oil minister Abdo Hussameddin is the highest-ranking civilian to defect since the rebellion began a year ago, reports the BBC . "I am joining the revolution of the people who reject...

UN Humanitarian Chief Tours Homs

As Syrian regime tries to scrub shattered city

(Newser) - UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos arrived in Damascus to begin her tour of Syria today, and is now touring the flashpoints of Homs and Baba Amr, the BBC reports. The Assad regime was moving desperately to clean up evidence of the recent shelling assault on the city ahead of her...

Syria Shells Homs, Blocks Red Cross

Civilians stranded without fuel or food in cold conditions

(Newser) - Syrian forces continued to pound the city of Homs today and blocked the Red Cross from reaching civilians who are enduring cold weather without fuel or food, Reuters reports. Syria is exacting revenge on Homs for harboring rebels who pulled out this week , according to a human rights group: "...

Putin: I May Run Again in 2018
 Putin: I May Run Again in 2018 
Mar 2, 2012 9:24 AM CST

Putin: I May Run Again in 2018

He also mocks UN Syria resolution

(Newser) - Russia isn't going to be rid of Vladimir Putin anytime soon. Putin hasn't even officially won his third term as president, but in an interview with six foreign newspapers today he was already speculating about whether he'd run again in 2018. "It would be normal, if...

Syria Launches Ground Assault to 'Clean' Baba Amr

Western journalists trapped inside city

(Newser) - Syrian ground troops advanced on Homs today, indicating that the regime was about to launch a ground assault to take the restive city. One Syrian official told the AP that the rebel-held Baba Amr neighborhood would be "cleaned" in a matter of hours. Three western journalists are still trapped...

144 Killed in New Syria Massacre
 144 Killed in Syria Massacre 
Feb 28, 2012 7:05 AM CST

144 Killed in Syria Massacre

Some 64 slaughtered at single checkpoint, say witnesses

(Newser) - At least 144 people were killed yesterday in the latest Syrian violence, including some 64 slaughtered in a "horrifying massacre" at a single checkpoint in Homs province, according to witnesses. But the government has no plans to end its attacks on citizens. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem vowed to...

As Syria Votes, West Decries 'Sham'

Hillary Clinton calls on Syrians to oust Bashar al-Assad

(Newser) - Syria is deciding today on a referendum on a new constitution, with embattled President Bashar al-Assad leading the voting on his central effort to placate those who've sought his ouster for nearly a year now. Assad's detractors, however, were unconvinced, reports the AP , with many in the West...

UN: Syrian Snipers Targeting Children

Regime leaders accused of crimes against humanity

(Newser) - Syrian army snipers are deliberately targeting women and small children, and its security forces are dragging wounded people out of hospitals to be tortured, according to a United Nations report accusing the regime of crimes against humanity. Fragmentation mortar bombs have been fired into densely populated neighborhoods, and the orders...

27 Young Men Shot Dead in Syria

Is the US considering arming the rebels?

(Newser) - Some 27 young men were shot dead when Syrian troops raided three villages in the northern province of Idlib, a human rights group said today. The latest bloodshed came as US officials appeared to open the door to arming the rebels if a political solution to clashes can't be...

China to Syria: End Violence, Diss the West

China foreign minister calls for peace in Syria, but wants UN out

(Newser) - China may have voted against the UN Security Council resolution calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down , but Beijing says it wants an end to the violence there, reports al-Jazeera . "China supports all the mediation efforts by the Arab League to find a political solution to the...

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