Topic - Syria

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A nation-by-nation look at Arab Spring's progress
On Wednesday, Egypt began its first free presidential election since it came under dictatorship 60 years ago. The winner will succeed Hosni Mubarak, one of four rulers toppled in the uprisings that began 18 months ago across the Middle East and became known as the Arab Spring. But replacing dictatorships with democracy is proving much harder.
World Briefs: U.N. says radiation doses below norms
A year after Japan's nuclear accident at Fukushima, the World Health Organization says several areas near the plant had radiation above cancer-causing levels but most of the nation did not.
Bomb kills 5 in Syrian capital
A bomb that apparently struck a restaurant in the Syrian capital killed at least five people, the state-run news agency said Tuesday, as activists reported intense clashes between army defectors and soldiers in the restive north.
Senate panel votes to cut aid for Egypt and Pakistan
In a fresh warning to Pakistan, a Senate panel approved Tuesday a foreign aid budget for next year that slashes President Obama's request for assistance to Islamabad by more than half and threatens further reductions if it fails to open supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Hezbollah appeals for calm after Syria kidnapping
The leader of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah appealed for calm Tuesday after people blocked roads and burned tires in Beirut to protest the kidnapping of 11 Lebanese Shiites in neighboring Syria.
Lebanese Shiites kidnapped in Syria
Syrian rebels kidnapped 12 Lebanese Shiites in northern Syria on Tuesday, fueling fears that Lebanon is getting drawn into the chaos next door, security officials said.
Violence in Syria spills over into Lebanon
Syria's war barreled over the border with an angry, raucous funeral Monday for an anti-Syrian cleric whose killing set off a night of deadly street battles in Beirut and raised fears that Lebanon is getting drawn into the chaos afflicting its neighbor.
Bomb explodes near top U.N. officials in Syria
A roadside bomb exploded in a restive suburb of the Syrian capital as senior U.N. officials toured the area on Sunday. The blast blew off the front of a parked vehicle but caused no casualties.
World Briefs: Israelis mark 45 years since E. Jerusalem's seizure
Israeli ministers held a special Cabinet meeting at Ammunition Hill on Sunday to celebrate Jerusalem Day, when the Jewish state captured the Arab eastern sector 45 years ago during the Six-Day War.
G-8 leaders hope Greece remains in eurozone
President Barack Obama and other leaders of the Group of Eight industrial nations expressed hope Saturday that Greece will remain in the Eurozone, anxious to keep its economic troubles from spreading around the world. The leaders said all of the nations have an interest in the success of efforts to strengthen the eurozone and help Europe's economy grow.
Largest protests yet in Syrian city of Aleppo
Syrian security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse thousands rallying Friday in the northern city of Aleppo, which activists said saw the largest turnout since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in March 2011.
Syrian opposition head offers to resign
Syria's main opposition council is crumbling under the weight of infighting and divisions over issues that cut to the heart of the revolution, including accusations that the movement is becoming as autocratic as the regime it wants to drive out.
Syrian opposition group fractured as leader pledges to resign
Syria's main opposition group is in disarray, and its leader Thursday offered to step down, nearly 15 months after the start of an uprising aimed at toppling President Bashar Assad's regime.
Assad says mercenaries are behind Syria unrest
In his first interview since December, Syrian President Bashar Assad insisted Tuesday his regime is fighting back against foreign mercenaries who want to overthrow him, not innocent Syrians aspiring for democracy in a yearlong uprising.
U.N. team evacuated from tense Syrian town
A team of international observers was evacuated Wednesday from a tense town in northern Syria a day after their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb, a U.N. spokesman said.