Levant

AFP 0500 GMT News Advisory

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:45:23 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Duty Editor: James Hossack Tel: +852 2829 6211

-- TOP STORIES --

+ France becomes 14th country to allow gay marriage

+ Sixty-seven dead in bomb attacks on Iraq's Sunnis

+ $1m in jewellery stolen from Cannes Film Festival

France-politics-gay,WRAP

PARIS

France becomes the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage after President Francois Hollande signs it into law following months of bitter political debate.

600 words 0530 GMT by Abhik Kumar Chanda. Graphic. Picture. Video.

UN assembly slams Assad 'escalation' in Syria war

Agence France-Presse — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:24:59 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The UN General Assembly condemned President Bashar al-Assad's "escalation" of the Syrian war on Wednesday as rebels battled to free inmates from a prison in the key city of Aleppo.

But, in a move that underlined the diplomatic divisions that have hampered international efforts to end the crisis, Syria's key ally Russia fiercely opposed the resolution passed by 107 votes to 12 at the 193-member assembly.

Jordan to host 'Friends of Syria' next week

Agence France-Presse — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:16:51 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Jordan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday Amman will host a meeting of the so-called "Friends of Syria" group next week to discuss latest developments in Syria's civil war.

"The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the United States, Britain, France, Turkey, Germany and Italy will hold a meeting in Amman in mid-next week," ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafei told AFP.

Syria Internet 'restored' after blackout

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:31:56 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Syria's Internet appeared to have been restored on Wednesday afternoon after a two-day blackout, residents and state media said.

State media blamed the blackout on a technical fault but activists and a watchdog accused the regime of deliberating cutting the connection to shield military operations.

In a breaking news alert, Syrian state television announced the Internet and communications were back up and running.

Landline phone services between Syrian provinces had also been down since Tuesday, state news agency SANA said.

Syria Internet 'restored' after blackout

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:31:17 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Syria's Internet appeared to have been restored on Wednesday afternoon after a two-day blackout, residents and state media said.

The blackout was blamed by state media on a technical fault, but activists and a watchdog accused the regime of deliberating cutting the connection to shield military operations.

In a breaking news alert, Syrian state television announced internet and communications were back up and running.

Landline phone services between Syrian provinces had also been down since Tuesday, state news agency SANA said.

AFP 0500 GMT News Advisory

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:11:56 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Duty Editor: James Hossack Tel: +852 2829 6211

-- TOP STORIES --

+ Pakistan holds landmark general election

+ Guatemalan ex-leader jailed for genocide

+ Carbon dioxide passes symbolic threshold

Pakistan-unrest-vote,update-WRAP

KARACHI

Pakistanis vote in an election that marks a historic democratic transition, but early turnout is muted in parts of the country amid Taliban threats to disrupt polls.

750 words 0600 GMT by Ashraf Khan. Graphic. Picture. Video

AFP 0500 GMT News Advisory

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:00:18 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Duty Editor: Sarah Stewart

Tel: +852 2829 6211

-- TOP STORIES --

+ 19 hurt in Mother's Day parade shooting

+ Turkey accuses Syria over bomb attacks

+ Sharif moves to form Pakistan government

US-crime-shooting,6thlead

WASHINGTON

Nineteen people are hurt in a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans as the mayor called for an end to "relentless" violence on the streets of the southeastern US city.

650 words 0600 GMT by Veronika Oleksyn

Syria-conflict-Turkey,WRAP

AFP 1900 GMT news advisory

Agence France-Presse — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:45:20 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Duty editor: Olivia Hampton

Tel: +1 202 414 0541

-- TOP STORIES --

+ Sharif in talks to form new Pakistan govt

+ Turkey warns Syria after bombings

+ Man U's Ferguson oversees final home game

Pakistan-unrest-vote,WRAP

LAHORE, Pakistan

Pakistani election winner Nawaz Sharif holds talks to form a new government, with fixing the shattered economy and tackling Islamist militancy likely to be his two biggest challenges.

850 words 1930 GMT by Damon Wake. Picture. Video. Graphic

Turkey blames world's 'silence' on Syria for attacks

Agence France-Presse — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:45:22 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday blamed the world's inaction on the Syrian conflict for the "barbarian act of terrorism" that claimed dozens of lives near the border.

"The latest attack shows how a spark transforms into a fire when the international community remains silent and the UN Security Council fails to act," he said during a Berlin visit.

"It's unacceptable for the Syrian and Turkish people to pay the price for this."

Israel asks Russia not to sell Syria advanced S-300 air shield: officials

Thomson Reuters — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:31:22 +0000

Thomson Reuters

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked Russia not to sell Syria an advanced air defense system which would help President Bashar al-Assad fend off foreign military intervention as he battles a more than two-year-old rebellion, Israeli officials said on Thursday.

Citing U.S. officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Israel had told Washington that Syria had already began payments for a $900 million purchase of the S-300 and an initial delivery was due within three months.

Turkish PM says Syria used chemical weapons

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:18:43 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told an American television channel he believes Syria has used chemical weapons, crossing a "red line" set out by US President Barack Obama.

"It is clear the regime has used chemical weapons and missiles," Erdogan told NBC News on Thursday, without providing details on when or where they were used.

"It has been passed (a) long time ago," Erdogan said of Obama's "red line," calling for stronger US action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Kerry condemns 'awful' Turkey bombings near Syria

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:31:41 +0000

Agence France-Presse

US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the "awful" car bombings blamed on pro-Damascus groups that killed at least 43 people in a Turkish town near the Syrian border on Saturday.

"The United States condemns today's car bombings and we stand with our ally, Turkey," Kerry said in a statement.

"This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey, and how many times Turkey's been a vital interlocutor at the center of my work as secretary of state these last three months."

Syrian rebels unite to retake strategic town near Damascus

Thomson Reuters — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:45:04 +0000

Thomson Reuters

By Mariam Karouny

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have counter-attacked east of Damascus to retake a town that served as a conduit for arms from Jordan into the capital before it was seized by government forces last month, rebel sources said.

The rebels' struggle to end four decades of Assad family rule has been complicated in part by internal divisions along ideological and political lines, as well as a shortage of heavy weaponry that could decisively turn the tide of conflict.

AFP 1900 GMT news advisory

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 11 May 2013 12:46:47 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Duty editor: Susan Stumme

Tel: +1 202 414 0541

-- TOP STORIES --

+ US kidnap suspect jailed on $8 million bond

+ Syria threatens quick response to Israeli strike

+ Eight dead in new Bangladesh factory disaster

+ Moyes succeeds Ferguson as Man Utd manager

US-crime-kidnap,WRAP

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Unemployed US bus driver Ariel Castro is ordered held on an $8 million bond on charges he kidnapped and raped three women and held them in his home for a decade.

Lebanese director says Arab League trying to ban his film

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:09:49 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri whose award-winning film "The Attack" has been banned in his home country said on Friday that the Arab League has asked its 22 member governments to take steps to prevent the film being shown.

"The Arab League has asked Arab governments, Lebanon included, to withdraw the permit to distribute the film," he told AFP in Paris.

"The reason they gave was very simple: they don't want the film to come out, quite simply because Doueiri, Lebanese citizen, has set foot in Israel."