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Russia’s Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (Reuters) – Russia’s Vladimir Putin derailed Barack Obama’s efforts to win backing for the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad at a G8 summit on Tuesday, warning the West that arms supplied to the rebels could be used for attacks on European soil.

Originally posted here: 

Russia’s Putin torpedoes G8 efforts to oust Assad

Syrian minister: Political solution still possible


Syria’s new ‘reconciliation minister’ offers plan to stymie carnage

By Frederik Pleitgen and Holly Yan CNN

June 18, 2013 — Updated 0745 GMT (1545 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Syria’s president appoints Ali Haidar as the new national reconciliation minister
  • Haidar says all parts of the government should be up for negotiation
  • But he says there can’t be any preconditions to talks
  • Haidar challenges claims that the regime used chemical weapons on rebels

Damascus, Syria (CNN) — Ali Haidar has a job title that may sound more like a pipe dream than an official post.

But Syria’s new minister for national reconciliation said he believes the country can still unite for a political solution — even after two years of incessant bloodshed and more than 92,000 deaths.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Haidar said all parts of the Syrian government should be up for negotiation.

“The best compromise that we can achieve today is that the regime and we, as a part of the homeland peaceful opposition, agree to the negotiating table without any preconditions, without excluding anybody from the opposition — which means everything is subject to discussion,” Haidar said.

And that includes the presidency.

“The office of the president is a matter related to the whole political structure of the country … and we believe the shape and structure should be discussed among Syrians and should be decided by the Syrians in a referendum because only the Syrian people can decide what happens.”

But Haidar, who was appointed by President Bashar al-Assad, emphasized there can’t be any preconditions to political talks between the opposition and government.

Preconditions have been a major sticking point, as members of the opposition have said they won’t negotiate with the regime unless al-Assad steps down from four decades of family rule. Similarly, the government has said it won’t deal with “terrorists” — a term often used to describe rebels.

So the fighting on the ground rages on, killing about 5,000 people a month, according to the United Nations. Thousands of children have died in the conflict.

“The military problems on the ground only deal with the problem of violence. It does not resolve the political crisis,” Haidar said. He said the only solution is a political one, not a military one.

Haidar’s comments came days after the United States announced it will start arming Syrian rebels, who have begged the world for more weapons to fight al-Assad’s better equipped military. The Obama administration said Syria’s government had crossed a “red line” by using chemical weapons — including sarin gas — against the opposition.

But Haidar challenged assertions by the United States, Britain and France that the regime used chemical weapons.

“The talk about chemical weapons is only for political reasons,” Haidar said. “So far, no one has proved anything about who used them and where they were used, and who was behind using the chemical weapons.”

But with a precondition of having no preconditions for a political dialogue, it’s unclear if or when “national reconciliation” will take place.

CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reported from Damascus; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta.

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Syrian crisis

For ongoing Syria coverage, we have an interactive that details the regional rivalries that are helping shape the conflict.

May 27, 2013 — Updated 1541 GMT (2341 HKT)

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez talks to CNN’s John Defterios on the likelihood of the U.S. arming Syrian rebel forces.

May 27, 2013 — Updated 2308 GMT (0708 HKT)

Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22, 2013.

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May 16, 2013 — Updated 1737 GMT (0137 HKT)

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May 10, 2013 — Updated 0944 GMT (1744 HKT)

The conflict in Syria entered a new phase — one that threatens to embroil its neighbors in a chaotic way.

May 21, 2013 — Updated 1129 GMT (1929 HKT)

Exiled Syrian cartoonist, whose hands were broken in an attempt to end his craft, says pens have the power to topple dictators.

May 27, 2013 — Updated 2227 GMT (0627 HKT)

CNN’s Becky Anderson spoke to Khalid Saleh, director of the Syrian Coalition Media Office, about the ongoing crisis.

May 9, 2013 — Updated 0951 GMT (1751 HKT)

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May 24, 2013 — Updated 2247 GMT (0647 HKT)

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May 20, 2013 — Updated 1004 GMT (1804 HKT)

CNN’s Nic Robertson reports on the alarming increase in atrocities in the Syrian conflict.

May 20, 2013 — Updated 1143 GMT (1943 HKT)

War and disease threaten a 4-year-old’s life. She survives both with the help of doctors in an enemy state. Sara Sidner reports.

May 30, 2013 — Updated 1140 GMT (1940 HKT)

The Arab Spring toppled regimes in power for decades within only months of each other.

May 14, 2013 — Updated 1027 GMT (1827 HKT)

Turkey’s loss of at least 47 people in the car bombings in Reyhanli illustrates that Turkey isn’t immune to the violence next door.

May 17, 2013 — Updated 1700 GMT (0100 HKT)

Turkey is increasingly wary as violence rages next door. CNN’s Nic Robertson reports.

A devout man prays. A fighter weeps over a slain comrade. These are a few faces of the Syrian conflict captured by photographer LeeHarper.

March 7, 2013 — Updated 2324 GMT (0724 HKT)

A woman participates in a demonstration in support of the Syrian people on July 7, 2012, in front of the Pantheon in Paris.

The role of women in Syrian uprising is little reported, but many have played a key part as activists and medics since the bloodshed began.

Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport, but please stay safe.

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Syrian minister: Political solution still possible

Officials: U.S. to send arms to Syria

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • NEW: President Barack Obama will meet with Russia’s president on Monday
  • A rebel general says he has not been told what type of weapons U.S. will provide
  • The CIA will provide small arms and maybe anti-tank weapons, sources say
  • Syria accuses U.S. of producing a “statement full of lies” on chemical weapons

Washington (CNN) — The United States plans to send small arms, ammunition and potentially anti-tank weapons to Syria’s rebels, two officials familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.

President Barack Obama’s administration has declined to provide details about increased military assistance for the rebels following its announcement Thursday that Syria crossed a “red line” with its use of chemical weapons.

Ben Rhodes, a U.S. deputy national security adviser, told reporters that Washington will “increase the size and scope of the assistance.”

When pushed for more details, Rhodes said: “I can’t give you a specific timeline or itemized list of what that assistance is.”

Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that the Syrian government has crossed a Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that the Syrian government has crossed a “red line” with its use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

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The weapons will be provided by the CIA, the officials told CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the issue.

The U.S. announcement set off a series of claims and counterclaims in Syria and world capitals over the conflict that has claimed more than 90,000 lives with no sign of progress toward a political solution.

Britain backed the U.S. change in position, but Syria and its allies in Russia quickly sought to cast its integrity into doubt.

The Syrian foreign ministry accused Washington of releasing “a statement full of lies regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” according to a statement released on state TV.

And a government statement carried by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency accused the United States of using “flagrant tricks to come up with any possible means to justify the decision of President Barack Obama to arm the Syrian opposition.”

An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled as “unconvincing” the U.S. evidence of chemical weapons use by Syria.

However, British Foreign Secretary William Hague backed the U.S. government’s assessment and called for a coordinated response from the international community.

‘Weapons and ammunition’

Obama has been criticized at home and abroad for not acting sooner to assist the Syrian opposition, and the declaration that the red line of chemical weapons use had been crossed raised expectations of U.S. arms heading to the rebels.

“What we need, really, is weapons and ammunition, and especially anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles,” Gen. Salim Idriss of the rebel Free Syrian Army told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Friday.

Idriss said he has not been told what type of weapons the United States will provide to the rebel army.

Louay Almokdad, political and media coordinator of the rebel Free Syrian Army, told CNN that he expected the United States initially to send ammunition, rather than heavy arms.

What complicates any U.S. military support for the opposition is that many of the rebel fighters are militants with pro-al Qaeda sympathies, the same stripe of militants America has battled in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They include the al-Nusra Front, a rebel group that the United States says has links to al Qaeda.

The rebels promised U.S. and European officials that any military weaponry they get won’t end up with extremists among the anti-government forces, Almokdad said.

The officials told CNN that beyond small arms and ammunition, anti-tank weapons were also under consideration. They did not spell out what was being given to rebels, but small arms can include such items as rocket-propelled grenades, small rockets, mortars and mines as well as guns.

Anti-aircraft weapons were considered less likely, and Rhodes made clear Friday that Obama has ruled out sending any U.S. troops to Syria.

“The one option that we’ve basically taken off the table is boots on the ground,” Rhodes said, adding that Obama has made the final decision on the step that “dramatically increases assistance to” rebel forces.

Read: White House: Syria crosses ‘red line’ with chemical weapons use

‘Convincing’ evidence

Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the United States had shown Russian officials data and information on Syria’s use of chemical weapons, Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Friday.

“What we saw does not look convincing to us,” Ushakov was quoted as saying.

In a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said arming the rebels “would lead to an escalation in the region, since the U.S. accusations that Damascus has used chemical weapons are not rooted in reliable facts,” according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Washington and Moscow have been deeply divided over how to end the bloodshed in Syria, and the issue is expected to top the agenda when Obama and Putin meet for one-on-on talks Monday at the start of G8 summit in the UK.

“This is a fluid situation. So it is necessary for us to consult with leaders of the G8 about the types of support that we are providing for the opposition,” Rhodes said.

Asked about Russia’s questioning of U.S. evidence that Syria forces used chemical weapons multiple times, killing between 100 to 150 people, Rhodes said the information provided to Putin’s government included samples of sarin gas and other “convincing” evidence.

That evidence, according to Rhodes, includes intelligence reports, eyewitness accounts and “physiological samples” of the nerve agent sarin.

No single piece of intelligence led to the conclusion that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The finding, according to the official, was a result of looking at a number of instances of suspected use, seeing similar evidence and patterns of usage and coming to the conclusion chemical weapons had been used.

Rhodes acknowledged the differences that remain between the United States and Russia on the Syrian crisis.

The administration believes al-Assad’s forces have used saran gas at least eight times in the more than two year conflict, said a U.S. Senate sourced briefed on the matter.

A boost in support by the United States for the rebels could put at risk the gains made by Syrian forces in recent days, especially in central and northern Syria, with the help of Hezbollah fighters from Iran.

In Damascus, an al-Assad loyalist who spoke to CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen said he believes the United States is “inventing stories” about the government’s use of chemical weapons “because our army is winning.”

McCain: Rebels losing fight

The White House announcement comes at a critical time for the Syrian opposition, which has suffered a series of significant losses in recent weeks. Those losses have coincided in large part with the arrival of thousands of Hezbollah Shiite fighters, backed by Lebanon and Iran, to reinforce al-Assad’s forces battling the mainly Sunni uprising.

After months of gaining ground, the rebels this month lost Qusayr — one of their strongholds near the Lebanese border — which was considered essential for the rebels’ supply route.

Until now, the United States has limited its aid to rebels, providing communications equipment, medical supplies and food. Obama signed off on a new package of non-lethal aid in April. That assistance was expected to include body armor, night-vision goggles and other military equipment.

Sen. John McCain, who has repeatedly pushed the Obama administration to step up its support for the rebels, told CNN on Friday that they need anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.

Asked whether the rebels were losing the fight, the Arizona Republican said: “Absolutely, there’s no doubt about it.”

He also called for taking out al-Assad’s air assets to create a safe zone for the Syrian opposition.

“I know that we have the military capability to impose a ‘no-fly’ zone, to crater their runways and their fixed installations where fuel and parts are, and establish a ‘no-fly’ zone with Patriot missiles,” McCain said.

“And if we can’t do that, then the question ought to be asked to the American taxpayer — to the Pentagon, ‘What in the world are we wasting tens of billions of dollars for defense for if we can’t even take care of this situation?’” McCain said.

Rhodes, however, indicated that a “no-fly” zone was unlikely, saying it would be “dramatically more difficult and dangerous and costly” to enforce one in Syria compared to the one NATO forces imposed with U.S. backing during Libya’s civil war.

Libyan rebels had control of large portions of the country, unlike the Syrian rebels, he noted, and the Libyan military had fewer air-defense systems. He added that a “no-fly” zone “is not a silver bullet.”

U.S. defense officials are not reviewing any new or updated options for a no-fly zone, two Pentagon sources said.

Even if U.S. planes monitored a no-fly zone along the Syrian-Jordanian border, the Syrian regime could attack targets in southern Syria using long range artillery or Scud missiles, a senior Pentagon official said.

Syria’s stockpile

Syria has long maintained that rebels, not government forces, are behind the use of chemical weapons. It also went to the United Nations with its claims, but al-Assad would not allow U.N. inspectors into the country to try to verify the claims.

Analysts believe the Syrian government may have one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world. Specifically, the supply is believed to include sarin, mustard and VX gases, which are banned under international law. Syria has denied the allegation.

Sarin gas can be hard to detect because it is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It can cause severe injuries — including blurred vision, convulsions, paralysis and death — to those exposed to it

In recent months, reports have repeatedly surfaced that Syrian forces have moved some of the chemical weapons inventories, possibly because of deteriorating security in the country, raising fears the stockpile could fall into the hands of al Qaeda-linked groups working with the opposition should al-Assad’s government fall.

U.S. officials have been closely monitoring Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles and are certain they remain in the control of al-Assad’s regime, Rhodes said, adding that it would be too dangerous to destroy the chemical weapons stockpiles from afar.

As recently as last week, the French foreign minister said sarin gas had been used several times in the Syrian civil war, citing results from test samples in France’s possession.

In early May, the head of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that evidence points to the use of sarin by Syrian rebel forces. But the commission later issued a news release saying it “has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.”

Barbara Starr reported from Washington and Chelsea J. Carter reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN’s Elise Labott, Hala Gorani, Tom Cohen, Laura Smith-Spark and Igor Krotov contributed to this report.

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Officials: U.S. to send arms to Syria

U.S.: Syria has crossed ‘red line’

Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/politics/syria-us-chemical-weapons/index.html'>the Syrian government has crossed a “red line”</a> with its use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto001″ style=”margin:0 auto;” width=”640″/><cite style=Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that the Syrian government has crossed a “red line” with its use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

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U.S.: Syria has crossed ‘red line’

‘Suicide attacks kill 14′ in Damascus

Syrian soldiers place the national flag on a truck after taking control of the border town of <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t2'>Qusayr</a> on Wednesday, June 5, dealing a major defeat to rebel fighters battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto001″ style=”margin:0 auto;” width=”640″/><cite style=Syrian soldiers place the national flag on a truck after taking control of the border town of Qusayr on Wednesday, June 5, dealing a major defeat to rebel fighters battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

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‘Suicide attacks kill 14′ in Damascus

Russia can replace Austria in U.N. Golan monitoring force: Putin

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is ready to replace peacekeepers from Austria in the Golan Heights, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, after Vienna said it would recall its troops from a U.N. monitoring force due to worsening fighting in Syria.

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Russia can replace Austria in U.N. Golan monitoring force: Putin

Israel moves tanks on Golan as Syria takes crossing


Israeli tanks move to Golan Heights’ border

From Saad Abedine and Elise Labott, CNN

June 6, 2013 — Updated 1338 GMT (2138 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • NEW: The Israeli military files a complaint with the United Nations
  • The Syrian Army and rebels clash in Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied heights
  • The Israeli military says it is trying to prevent spillover
  • At least 10 Syrian rockets fall on Lebanon, the Lebanese army says

(CNN) — Israeli tanks moved Thursday to the border on the Israeli-occupied side of the Golan Heights.

The move came after the Syrian army recaptured Quneitra crossing, Syria’s only crossing to the Golan Heights.

A few hours earlier, an opposition group said Syrian rebels had seized the crossing from Syrian forces.

After the army retook control, clashes continued at a lower intensity.

The Israeli military has filed a complaint with the United Nations’ Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights about Syrian tanks crossing the demarcation line, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

Quneitra is important to the Syrian regime because it represents former President Hafez al-Assad’s attempt to liberate Israeli-occupied territory.

Pentagon official: Russian warships may be carrying weapons to Syria

Israel captured Quneitra from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, but lost it back in 1973. The struggle continued until a disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria left the city in Syria’s hands.

The fighting in Quneitra could be seen on Thursday from the Israeli-occupied side of the Golan Heights. Rebels fired on the Syrian forces, who responded with tank fire. Mortars and small arms fire set bushes and shrubs ablaze.

Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner said mortar shells fell on the Israeli side of the border near the Quneitra crossing. He said Israel was taking precautions to prevent spillover.

Israeli authorities have told farmers in the Golan Heights not to approach the border fence in the Quneitra area due to the fighting on the Syrian side, Lerner said.

The Golan Heights, formerly Syrian territory, was seized by Israel in 1967. The two sides signed an armistice in 1974, and United Nations forces have been stationed there since.

But the Austrian government has notified Israel that it is pulling its peacekeepers from the heights, Israeli officials said Thursday.

Syrian rockets fall in Lebanon

In another sign that Syria’s civil war is spilling across borders, at least 10 missiles from Syria landed overnight on the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, the Lebanese army said Thursday.

The rockets wounded one person and damaged property, the army said.

Baalbek’s population has grown 50% in recent months due to the influx of Syrian refugees fleeing their country’s violence.

But it appears the violence is following them.

CNN’s Tom Watkins, Kareem Khadder, Ben Wedeman, Arwa Damon, Michael Schwartz and Nada Husseini contributed to this report.

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Syrian crisis

May 27, 2013 — Updated 1541 GMT (2341 HKT)

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez talks to CNN’s John Defterios on the likelihood of the U.S. arming Syrian rebel forces.

May 27, 2013 — Updated 2308 GMT (0708 HKT)

Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22, 2013.

Mouaz Moustafa, who helped plan McCain’s trip to Syria, discusses details of the trip with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

May 16, 2013 — Updated 1737 GMT (0137 HKT)

The horrifying video of a Syrian rebel leader apparently eating the heart of a dead government soldier caused a storm of disgust on social media.

May 10, 2013 — Updated 0944 GMT (1744 HKT)

The conflict in Syria entered a new phase — one that threatens to embroil its neighbors in a chaotic way.

May 21, 2013 — Updated 1129 GMT (1929 HKT)

Exiled Syrian cartoonist, whose hands were broken in an attempt to end his craft, says pens have the power to topple dictators.

May 27, 2013 — Updated 2227 GMT (0627 HKT)

CNN’s Becky Anderson spoke to Khalid Saleh, director of the Syrian Coalition Media Office, about the ongoing crisis.

May 9, 2013 — Updated 0951 GMT (1751 HKT)

Ramiz Rafizadeh was driving past Syria’s famous Ummayad Mosque in December when another vehicle abruptly cut him off.

May 24, 2013 — Updated 2247 GMT (0647 HKT)

Assad isn’t winning the conflict in Syria, but neither is the opposition, Syria expert Fawaz Gerges tells Fareed Zakaria.

May 20, 2013 — Updated 1004 GMT (1804 HKT)

CNN’s Nic Robertson reports on the alarming increase in atrocities in the Syrian conflict.

May 20, 2013 — Updated 1143 GMT (1943 HKT)

War and disease threaten a 4-year-old’s life. She survives both with the help of doctors in an enemy state. Sara Sidner reports.

May 30, 2013 — Updated 1140 GMT (1940 HKT)

The Arab Spring toppled regimes in power for decades within only months of each other.

May 14, 2013 — Updated 1027 GMT (1827 HKT)

Turkey’s loss of at least 47 people in the car bombings in Reyhanli illustrates that Turkey isn’t immune to the violence next door.

There’s more to the Syrian civil war than rebels versus the regime. Syria’s neighbors in the Middle East also have a stake in the conflict.

May 17, 2013 — Updated 1700 GMT (0100 HKT)

Turkey is increasingly wary as violence rages next door. CNN’s Nic Robertson reports.

A devout man prays. A fighter weeps over a slain comrade. These are a few faces of the Syrian conflict captured by photographer LeeHarper.

March 7, 2013 — Updated 2324 GMT (0724 HKT)

A woman participates in a demonstration in support of the Syrian people on July 7, 2012, in front of the Pantheon in Paris.

The role of women in Syrian uprising is little reported, but many have played a key part as activists and medics since the bloodshed began.

Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport, but please stay safe.

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Israel moves tanks on Golan as Syria takes crossing

Source: Russian ships may be carrying arms to Syria

Syrian soldiers place the national flag on a truck after taking control of the border town of <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t2'>Qusayr</a> on Wednesday, June 5, dealing a major defeat to rebel fighters battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto001″ style=”margin:0 auto;” width=”640″/><cite style=Syrian soldiers place the national flag on a truck after taking control of the border town of Qusayr on Wednesday, June 5, dealing a major defeat to rebel fighters battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

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Source: Russian ships may be carrying arms to Syria

Syrian army captures strategic border town of Qusair

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army seized control on Wednesday of the strategic border town of Qusair, Syrian media and security sources said, in a major advance for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s two-year civil war.

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Syrian army captures strategic border town of Qusair

BSkyB starts rolling out enhanced search feature for Sky+, letting you search by cast, keywords and more

152403433 520x245 BSkyB starts rolling out enhanced search feature for Sky+, letting you search by cast, keywords and more

UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB (Sky) has started rolling out an all-new Sky+ search service today, kicking off first with its Android app.

Users can now discover TV shows by cast names, actors and keywords, letting them hone in on anything from football and cartoons, to cooking and comedy. This feature is in addition to the existing service which lets people search content by programme name.

How it looks

When you start searching for a particular piece of content, you’ll see a list of best-guesses as you type, covering just about any search parameter.

The enhanced search is also based on current popular TV search trends, and we’re told this will develop over time as more Sky customers use the search function.

Sky Plus App Android Search Lions Rugby 520x332 BSkyB starts rolling out enhanced search feature for Sky+, letting you search by cast, keywords and more

Similarly, if you search for an actress, such as Kirsten Dunst, the search results will display all the movies she’s currently in that are broadcasting on Sky.

With this latest Android app update, Sky has also introduced on-demand listings which lets customers browse catch-up, TV box sets, Sky Movies and Sky Store. When users connect the app to their Sky+HD box, they can actions downloads directly from the app.

GT N8000 Standard BOX SETS 520x329 BSkyB starts rolling out enhanced search feature for Sky+, letting you search by cast, keywords and more

Back in February, the Sky+ Android app received remote control functionality, as well as a new recording planner feature, which brought it into line with the iPhone and iPad apps. But just last week, Sky was forced to remove its Android apps, including Sky+, from Google Play after they were seemingly ‘compromised’ by the Syrian Electronic Army. The apps were eventually added again, after almost a week.

To access the full feature-set of the Sky+ Android app, you must have your Sky+HD box connected to the same WiFi network as your device. And, as this is part of a staged roll-out, we can expect this search feature to arrive on its other apps and Sky+ box shortly.

Sky+ 4.0 for Android is available to download now.

Sky+ | Android

Feature Image Credit – BEN STANSALL/AFP/GettyImages

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BSkyB starts rolling out enhanced search feature for Sky+, letting you search by cast, keywords and more