Syria has promised that most of its 1,300-ton stockpile will be delivered by 13 April, when a meticulous plan will swing into action Interactive guide: how the weapons will be destroyed In the middle of the MV Cape Ray's cavernous car deck stand two large white tents. With their interior lights casting eerie shadows of the constant activity within, they look like twin crime scenes. But the commanders,...
Pope Francis pays tribute to Francis Van Der Lugt and others dying in his 'beloved Syria' Pope Francis has denounced the "brutal slaying" of an elderly Jesuit priest in Syria and called for an end to the violence. A masked gunman killed Francis van der Lugt in his monastery on Monday in the besieged Syrian city of Homs. The attack underscored fears among many of Syria's Christian and Muslim...
Does George Brandis' claim that, per capita, Australia is one of the largest sources of foreign fighters in Syria stack up? While the prime minister, Tony Abbott, toured Asia on Tuesday spruiking Australian wheat, wine and cheese, the attorney general, George Brandis, was in Washington DC reporting a grimmer national export. I am sorry to have to tell you that per capita, Australia is one of the largest...
Francis van der Lugt appears to have been targeted by lone gunman in rebel-held district of Syrian city A masked gunman shot dead a Dutch priest in the garden of a monastery in the Syrian city of Homs on Monday. Father Francis van der Lugt, 75, a Jesuit the same order as Pope Francis had lived in Syria for decades and had refused to be evacuated with other civilians from the battleground city of Homs....
Former PM defends Iraq invasion and says failure to confront Assad regime would have ramifications far beyond region The world will face terrible consequences over many years to come for failing to intervene in Syria, Tony Blair has said. The former prime minister, who serves as the envoy for the Middle East quartet of the UN, US, EU and Russia, said the failure to confront President Bashar al-Assad...
Leader of Lebanese group Hassan Nasrallah claims Damascus president has defeated rebels thanks in part to his help Syria's regime is no longer in danger of being toppled and the risk of the country being divided has passed, according to the head of Hezbollah. Hassan Nasrallah's comments to the al-Safir newspaper come as his Shia movement in Lebanon is increasingly involved in the conflict in neighbouring...
One person shot dead at Zaatari refugee camp, and two people killed as mortar shells explode near Damascus opera house At least one Syrian refugee has been killed and 31 people injured in rioting at a refugee camp in Jordan. Jordanian police said they used teargas to break up crowds who had attacked police stations and set fire to several tents at the Zaatari camp in protest at the arrest of refugees...
Islamist fighters in Raqqa, Syria, burn a truckload of confiscated cigarettes. The men, part of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), pour fuel and alcohol over the boxes before setting the pile alight using ignited cardboard. Isis has imposed Sharia laws on Raqqa residents since it took control of the northern city...
Asked if he would again meet President Bashar al-Assad, party chairman John Shipton says answer is 'a flat no' Members of the WikiLeaks party will depart for Iran and Syria this week, paying their second visit to Damascus to distribute aid and run activities for children affected by the countrys ongoing civil war. The partys chairman, John Shipton, will be joined by Father David Smith, an Anglican...
The millionth Syrian refugee in Lebanon registered with United Nations refugee agency UNHCR on Thursday. A year ago there were 365,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the country is struggling to cope with the number of people it has taken in. A UNHCR representative calls this a 'devastating milestone'...
Refugee agency describes figure as devastating milestone for a country already stretched to breaking point The number of refugees who have fled Syria and registered in Lebanon has exceeded 1million, the UN said. Refugees from Syria, half of them children, now equal a quarter of Lebanon's resident population, the UN high commissioner for refugees said, warning that most of them live in poverty and depend...
Ukip leader judged to have beaten Liberal Democrat opposite number in head-to-head by 69% of those polled Nigel Farage triumphed in the second television debate on Europe by a clear-cut 69% to 31%, an instant poll showed, suggesting that a more emotional but often overscripted Nick Clegg failed to convince viewers that Ukip is selling the British people a "dangerous con" and a "fantasy"....
The US is the largest donor to Syrian refugees and has the largest resettlement program in the world. No more excuses When I met with Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey a few months ago, many were already struggling with the realization that they would not be able to return home any time soon. For some, home no longer even existed. "If we returned to Syria, we have nothing left," a father...
Ukip leader's remarks at odds with most expert opinion follow criticism of his admiration for Vladimir Putin The Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, has broken the consensus inside western intelligence by telling the BBC before his Europe debate with Nick Clegg that he believes the chemical attack in Syria last summer was conducted by the Syrian rebels, and not by the forces of the president, Bashar al-Assad....
The displaced Syrians I met in northern Iraq know the farthest extremes suffering, but are coping with great dignity Live webchat with Khaled Hosseini, Wednesday 2 April at 4pm I set the The Kite Runner against a backdrop of the troubled history of Afghanistan over the last three decades. The story of Amir and Hassan unfolded against 30 long years of conflict and massive human suffering, during which...
Third of casualties in three-year-old civil war are civilians, claims Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as peace talks stall At least 150,000 people have been killed in Syria's three-year-old civil war, a third of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said. The UK-based Observatory, which monitors violence in Syria through a network of activists and medical or security sources,...
On Wednesday 2 April at 4pm, the author of The Kite Runner and UN refugee agency ambassador will be live online. Post your questions on anything from the refugee crises affecting Syria, South Sudan and other countries to the wider challenges facing people displaced by humanitarian crisis and conflict Khaled Hosseini , best-selling author of The Kite Runner , will be live online on Wednesday 2 April...
On Wednesday 2 April at 4pm, the best-selling author of the Kite Runner and UN refugee agency ambassador will be live online. Do you have a question about the refugee crises in Syria, Somalia or South Sudan? Are you eager to understand more about the challenges facing people displaced by humanitarian crisis or conflict? Post your questions in the thread below Khaled Hosseini , the best-selling author...
Ukip leader praises Russian president's handling of Syria crisis, but describes Germany's chancellor as 'incredibly cold' Nigel Farage has named Vladimir Putin as the world leader he most admires, praising the Russian president's handling of the crisis in Syria. But the Ukip leader had less kind words for Angela Merkel, describing the German chancellor as "incredibly cold". ...
Two Spanish journalists, freelance photographer Ricardo García Vilanova and El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa, have been freed after being held for more than six months in Syria by a rogue al-Qaida group. The pair were reunited with friends and family on their arrival in Madrid on Sunday ...