Syria

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US Ambassador Visits Syria Flashpoint City

Regime accuses ambassador of interfering, destabilizing

(Newser) - America's ambassador to Syria visited one of the cities worst-hit by the crackdown against anti-government protesters yesterday, reports CNN . Robert Ford went to the city of Hama "to make absolutely clear with his physical presence that we stand with those Syrians who are expressing their right to speak...

Clinton: Assad Is 'Running Out of Time'

Says Syria needs democratic reforms, or there will be more violence

(Newser) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his allies are "running out of time," and need to begin democratic reforms, said Hillary Clinton today, or else his government is “going to see increasingly organized resistance.” Clinton was speaking at a democracy conference in Lithuania when she targeted...

Syria&#39;s Assad Meets With ... Dennis Kucinich?
 Syria's Assad Meets With ... Dennis Kucinich?
'FACT-FINDING MISSION'
Jun 27, 2011 2:57 PM CDT

Syria's Assad Meets With ... Dennis Kucinich?

Congressman says he's 'investigating conditions on the ground'

(Newser) - An American politician is leading the way on the Syrian crisis and it’s not a former president or even John Kerry, but rather ... Dennis Kucinich. This morning, the Atlantic spotted this tweet from a CNN reporter in Damascus: “Ran into Dennis Kucinich in another hotel. Told me he’...

Syria Allows Opposition to Meet

Leaders converge on Damascus, may call for talks with government

(Newser) - A host of Syrian opposition figures gathered in Damascus for a meeting that actually has the blessing of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Despite that approval, it was hard for organizers to find a venue, because many feared the government would attack the summit, the New York Times reports. Some activists...

Syria Toll Hits 20; Hundreds Flee

Refugees stream into Lebanon

(Newser) - Hundreds of Syrians, some with gunshot wounds, have crossed into neighboring Lebanon in search of a refuge from the growing violence in their homeland, a Lebanese security official said today. Most arriving at the border came after Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters demanding the ouster of President Bashar...

Syrian Troops Push to Turkish Border

Refugees flee regime's advance

(Newser) - Syrian troops pushed to the Turkish border Thursday in their sweep against a 3-month-old pro-democracy movement, sending panicked refugees, including children, rushing across the frontier to safe havens. The European Union, meanwhile, announced it was slapping new sanctions on the Syrian regime because of the "gravity of the situation,...

Syrian Men: We Will Marry Rape Victims

One group plans to end the brutality

(Newser) - A group of Syrian men wants to overthrow more than just the regime in their country—they also want to change the brutal practice of killing women who have been raped or, at the very least, not allowing them to marry. Upon hearing about the recent rapes of four sisters...

Obama, Tell Assad to Get Out
 Obama, Tell Assad to Get Out 
pj crowley
Jun 20, 2011 12:46 PM CDT

Obama, Tell Assad to Get Out

Or else the US risks losing credibility, influence: PJ Crowley

(Newser) - In response to the Arab Spring uprisings, the US has been taking the traditional diplomatic approach of “leading from the shadows, doing many things in private and saying little in public,” writes PJ Crowley in the Washington Post . But these uprisings, fueled by social media, are not quite...

Assad's 'Groundbreaking' Speech Offers Little

Speech enrages protesters, who Assad called 'saboteurs'

(Newser) - Protests broke out across Syria today, after president Bashar al-Assad delivered a speech that blamed “saboteurs” and “foreign conspiracies” for the country’s unrest. The speech had been hailed in advance as one that would potentially be "groundbreaking," but it actually offered little new in terms...

Angelina Jolie Visits Syrian Refugees

Actress visits Turkish border amid more violence in Syria

(Newser) - Syrian security forces fired on thousands of protesters today, killing a teenage boy and at least 15 other civilians as more accounts emerged of summary executions by the autocratic regime of President Bashar Assad, activists said. The renewed violence came as UN envoy Angelina Jolie visited the Turkish border to...

Hated Assad Cousin Retires From Business

Rami Makhlouf was Syria's most powerful, least popular, tycoon

(Newser) - Syria’s most powerful, and possibly most hated, tycoon announced yesterday that he was retiring from business, in what’s seen as a major concession from President Bashar al-Assad to the protests raging through the country. Rami Makhlouf is Assad’s cousin and is seen as “a symbol of...

Syria Deserter: We Were Ordered to Shoot Civilians

Story supports claim that Syrian army is tearing apart

(Newser) - A Syrian Army deserter says he fled after his unit was ordered to shoot at unarmed anti-regime protestors, reports the Christian Science Monitor. Darwish Mohammed Fidou also says he saw soldiers shooting each other as the army further split over orders to kill civilians. “My heart is broken to...

'Gay Girl in Damascus' Actually Man in Turkey

Tom MacMaster admits he is blogger 'Amina Arraf'

(Newser) - The blogger behind “Gay Girl in Damascus” is not Amina Arraf, supposedly kidnapped last week in Syria , but a man who lives in Turkey. After the kidnapping story unraveled and led many to speculate the whole thing was a hoax , Tom MacMaster came forward today with a post on...

Syrian Army Retakes Restive Border Town Jisr al-Shughour
 Syria Retakes Restive Town 
Jun 12, 2011 12:03 PM CDT

Syria Retakes Restive Town

Jisr al-Shughour largely empty, state media reports 'heavy clashes'

(Newser) - Under the rattle of heavy gunfire and loud explosions, Syrian troops today regained control of the restive northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, clashing with mutinous soldiers whose decision to side with armed protesters posed a potent threat to the authoritarian regime. Residents who fled to Turkey said thousands of young...

Syrian Army Moves to Attack Empty Town

Reporters allowed to travel with troops

(Newser) - Syrian troops and tanks surrounded Jisr al-Shughour and prepared to move in today—not that anybody was home. The town was all but deserted, with thousands of residents fleeing across the nearby border into Turkey, according to an AP reporter given rare permission to travel with the army. The regime...

Syrian Refugees Still Streaming Into Turkey

As village braces for attack from Assad's troops

(Newser) - Syrian troops and heavy armor encircled the restive northern town of Jisr al-Shughour today, and thousands of people continued to stream across the lush Turkish border. Turkey's government said more than 2,000 people had crossed in the past day—sharply escalating the upheaval that threatens Syria's authoritarian...

Kidnapped Blogger in Syria May Be a Hoax

Photos are fake, and nobody seems to have met Amina Arraf

(Newser) - The world grew alarmed yesterday at the fate of Amina Arraf , an American-born blogger said to have been kidnapped on the streets of Syria. Today, it appears Amina Arraf may not actually exist. NPR has been digging into the story and can't find even one person who has met...

Syrian Town of Jisr al-Shughour Braces for Military Assault
 Syrians Flee Approaching Tanks 
Jun 8, 2011 11:50 AM CDT

Syrians Flee Approaching Tanks

Jisr al-Shughour braces for military assault

(Newser) - Syrians are fleeing to Turkey as residents of Jisr al-Shughour brace for a military assault, with troops in tanks and armored vehicles approaching the now nearly empty town. Turkey promised to accept the refugees as its prime minister, who has had a good relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, called...

Syrian Ambassador: That Wasn't Me Who Quit on TV

Ambassador says she was impersonated, network disagrees

(Newser) - Syria's ambassador to France, hours after apparently announcing her resignation during a telephone interview with news network France24, now says she was impersonated. Lamia Shakkour appeared on camera on another French TV network and said she plans to sue France24 over its "campaign of falsification of information and...

Syria Nabs American Blogger
Syria Nabs American Blogger
Jun 7, 2011 2:40 PM CDT

Syria Nabs American Blogger

'Gay Girl in Damascus' writer taken on the street, blog says

(Newser) - Outspoken Syrian-American blogger Amina Arraf was grabbed on the street yesterday, someone claiming to be her cousin wrote on her blog. Araff wrote a blog entitled A Gay Girl in Damascus , which had spoken out in favor of the protest movement, according to MSNBC . A post yesterday from a woman...

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