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Iran and Ban Ki-moon's intriguing independence
Should we despair of, or praise, Ban Ki-Moon’s courageous independence in this moment of burgeoning tension?
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Should we despair of, or praise, Ban Ki-Moon’s courageous independence in this moment of burgeoning tension?
Prime Minister David Cameron and US president Barack Obama agree that use of chemical weapons in Syria or even a threat to deploy them is “completely unacceptable”.
Syrian rebels say they have downed a fighter jet, with pictures emerging showing a man identified as the pilot surrounded by three armed men.
Syrian and Jordanian forces clashed along the border overnight in an incident that highlights international concerns that the civil war in Syria could ignite a wider regional conflict.
Syrian forces storm the last rebel stronghold in Damascus in tanks and armoured vehicles and blast artillery at rebels in Aleppo, where the UN say the army was preparing a massive assault.
Former US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz says the international community should have supported the Syrian opposition months ago and time has now run out.
Heavy fighting in the streets of Damascus follows a bomb blast which killed Syria’s defence minister, deputy defence minister – President Assad’s brother-in-law – and a senior military official.
Fighting has intensified in Damascus as the UN tries to persuade Russia and China to impose tougher sanctions on Syria.
As the Assad regime fights back in the south of Damascus, its opponents in the Free Syrian Army say they have launched their fight for the capital, dubbed “Operation Damascus Volcano”.
As fighting intensifies around Damascus, Russia’s foreign minister threatens to block a UN resolution that threatens sanctions against Syria, if western allies do not stop resorting to “blackmail”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says the conflict in Syria should be treated as a full-blown civil war.
UN officials head for the Syrian town of Tremseh to investigate reports of a massacre of civilians by Syrian troops and pro-government militia.
Syrian forces attack the capital with mortars for the first time since the uprising against President Assad began, as a senior diplomat calls for others to join him in defecting from the regime.
Confirmation came this morning that a confidant of President Assad of Syria has defected, writes Jonathan Rugman, and that will give some hope to those hoping to encourage President Assad to quit.
A Syrian general from a powerful family close to President Bashar al-Assad defects and is on his way to Paris, the French government confirms.