Arab protests

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Syria Monitor Quits, Calls Mission a 'Farce'

And a second says he's on the verge of doing the same

(Newser) - An Arab League monitor has bailed on the Syria mission, and another says he's on the verge of doing so, amid frustrations about how ineffectual the mission has been. On Tuesday, Algerian observer Anwar Malek told al-Jazeera he was resigning because the mission was a "farce" and unable...

Syria's Assad Makes Rare Public Appearance

Bashar al-Assad tells supporters he wants to 'draw strength' from them

(Newser) - President Bashar al-Assad hasn't exactly been a man of the people since the Syrian uprising began, but today he joined thousands of supporters at a Damascus rally, the AP reports. "I wanted to be with you so I can draw strength from you in the face of everything...

Assad Vows to Meet 'Terrorists' With 'Iron Fist'

He condemns Arab League as hypocrites for pushing democracy

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad gave a rare speech on state-run TV today, in which he lashed out at the Arab League and vowed to deal harshly with violent unrest. The Syrian president asked what right the Arab League, which includes absolute monarchies, had to preach about democracy and reform. "Their situation...

Arab League Sending 135 New Monitors to Syria

League hopes more observers will lead to decreased violence

(Newser) - Amid concerns that its monitors are not making much of a difference in Syria, Arab League officials have decided to almost double the number of observers in the country in an effort to put more pressure on the regime. At a meeting yesterday, League members decided to bring the total...

Activists: Syria Is Tricking Monitors

Even as Syria releases another 500 prisoners

(Newser) - Arab League observers in Syria have been claiming as their chief triumph the regime's evacuation of its troops from protest-prone cities. But activists say that hasn’t actually happened—the regime is just using some cheap tricks to make it look like it has, Reuters reports. Activists say the...

Prosecutor: Mubarak Must Hang
 Prosecutor: Mubarak Must Hang

Prosecutor: Mubarak Must Hang

Opening arguments conclude after three days

(Newser) - The team prosecuting Hosni Mubarak says he and all the other defendants in his case must die. Mustafa Khater, one of the prosecutors, concluded the team's three-day opening statement in Mubarak's trial today with a call for the death penalty, according to Reuters and the AP . "The...

Syrian Rebel Leader Vows 'Surprise' for Regime

Colonel Riad al-Asaad says he's frustrated with Arab League's lack of results

(Newser) - The head of the Free Syrian Army is fed up with the ineffectual Arab League observer mission, and if it doesn’t show some progress soon, he’s going to “take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world,” he told Reuters in an interview...

Egyptians Head to Polls for Final Round of Voting

Plus: Hosni Mubarak's trial resumes

(Newser) - The final round of voting began in Egypt today, and it looks like the Muslim Brotherhood could walk off with a controlling majority of seats in Parliament's lower house. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, the country's mainstream Islamist party, had already won a high percentage...

Arab League: Syria 'Killings Continue'

But chief praises progress, says tanks have been pulled from cities

(Newser) - Syria's government has withdrawn heavy weapons from inside cities and freed about 3,500 prisoners, but security forces continue to kill protesters even with foreign monitors in the country, the Arab League chief said today. Nabil Elaraby said pro-regime snipers also continue to operate in Syria. But despite the...

10 Killed, Thousands Protest in Syria

But Arab League monitors fuel activists' hope

(Newser) - Tens of thousands—perhaps hundreds of thousands—of protesters rallied across Syria today in an effort to show Arab League monitors the extent of opposition anger. At least 10 were reported killed in ensuing clashes with security forces, the BBC reports; the deaths follow up to 40 others yesterday. But...

Syrian Activists Lambaste Arab League Observers

Say violence rages despite their presence

(Newser) - Arab League observers are scheduled to visit Daraa today, but activists are quickly losing faith that their presence will make much difference. Human rights activists had criticized the Arab League’s choice to lead the mission—former Sudanese military intelligence head Mohammed al-Dabi—from the start, the New York Times...

Syrian Army Leaving Homs
 Syrian Army Leaving Homs 

Syrian Army Leaving Homs

Arrival of Arab League observers leads to withdrawal

(Newser) - Soldiers and tanks began pulling out of Homs this morning, in response to the arrival of Arab League observers in Syria yesterday. Prior to the army’s retreat, fighting in Homs had been on the rise , with 34 civilians reportedly killed there yesterday. “The government’s goals haven’t...

Arab League Observers Land in Syria

Team of 60 likely headed for Homs

(Newser) - Arab League monitors are officially on the ground in Syria, reports Reuters . The Arab League delegation includes some 50 monitors and 10 other officials, and will eventually number 150 people working to ensure that Bashar al-Assad is in fact backing off his nine-month-long crackdown on protesters. The monitors come not...

Gadhafi Son in 'Good Physical Condition'

But he has no access to lawyer, says Human Rights Watch

(Newser) - Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is imprisoned in isolation and has not been given access to a lawyer, but the son of Moammar Gadhafi is in “good physical condition,” according to Human Rights Watch. In a 30-minute meeting with the group, Gadhafi called his treatment “OK” and said he...

Syrian Defectors Kill 27 Soldiers

Civil war fears grow amid anti-government attacks

(Newser) - Syrian army defectors killed at least 27 of their former comrades in Daraa province today, in one of the deadliest battles yet in what many fear is a budding Syrian civil war, activists tell the AP . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has eye-witness reports of at least...

Time's Person of the Year: the Protester

He is once again a 'maker of history'

(Newser) - In 2010, Time's Person of the Year was someone who united millions of people. This year, the magazine has chosen to honor ... those millions of people. Time today announced that "the protester" is its 2011 Person of the Year. Writing for the magazine, Kurt Andersen presents a world...

Syria Death Toll Tops 5K
 Syria Death Toll Tops 5K 

Syria Death Toll Tops 5K

20 more killed yesterday

(Newser) - The death toll in the Syria protests now tops 5,000, according to the UN human rights chief, who wants the situation referred to the International Criminal Court. That number, which does not include soldiers or security personnel killed by the opposition, is up by 1,000 from the one...

Syria Uprising: President Bashar al-Assad Tells Barbara Walters He Did Not Order Crackdown (VIDEO)


 Assad: I Didn't 
 Order Crackdown 
barbara walters interview

Assad: I Didn't Order Crackdown

He feels no guilt, says he tried to protect his people

(Newser) - A defiant Bashar al-Assad sat down with Barbara Walters and denied ordering a brutal crackdown against Syrian protesters, saying that he feels no guilt because "I did my best to protect the people." In fact, most of the dead are his own supporters and troops, Assad insisted, blaming...

Arab League Sanctions Syria
 Arab League Sanctions Syria 




Arab League Sanctions Syria

Syria calls move a betrayal of Arab solidarity

(Newser) - The Arab League has approved sanctions against Syria to pressure the regime to end its deadly eight-month crackdown on dissent. Damascus slammed the move as a betrayal of Arab solidarity. At a press conference in Cairo, Qatar Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim said 19 of the League's 22 member...

Egypt Protests Send Economy Into Crisis

Egyptians frustrated that end of Mubarak rule has not spurred economy

(Newser) - The ongoing public unrest in Egypt is now threatening to devastate the country's economy and turn into a full-bore financial crisis, reports the AP . Continued protests, violent crackdowns, and a huge decline in tourism have driven Egypt's annual growth rate down to just 1% from its usual 7%,...

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