InfoAnda - Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Air France chief says reaction to crash was timely | International | | 9 July 2009
7 Folsom inmates hurt after riot, shots fired | 30 August 2010
Sanyo reveals $400 mln loss in first half | 23 October 2009

Asia struggles to spend its way out of gloom | 16 February 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province |

Edition: U.S. Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Investing Simplified Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB Dividends World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Africa Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus Nicholas Wapshott Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Zachary Karabell Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Reihan Salam Frederick Kempe Mark Leonard Steven Brill Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Video Full Focus Editor's Choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Slideshow Best photos of the year 2012 Download our Wider Image iPad app Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Analysis: Boehner has few options in fiscal cliff mess 20 Dec 2012 First major storm of winter pelts Midwest 20 Dec 2012 Boehner abandons fiscal cliff plan as Republicans balk | 20 Dec 2012 Stock futures drop after Boehner "cliff" vote falls short | 12:23am EST NASA posts YouTube video debunking Maya 'Armageddon' 20 Dec 2012 Discussed 123 Republicans put squeeze on Obama in ”fiscal cliff” talks 111 Connecticut gun rampage: 28 dead, including 20 schoolchildren 84 U.S. ”fiscal cliff” talks turn sour, Obama threatens veto Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Prepping for the apocalypse "Preppers" work to be self-sufficient for threats like nuclear war, natural disaster, famine and economic collapse. Slideshow Miss Universe pageant Highlights from the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. Slideshow Sponsored Links Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province Tweet Share this Email Print Related News U.N. anti-genocide envoy: Syria minorities face reprisal risk Thu, Dec 20 2012 Iran firms that shipped arms to Syria hit with U.N. sanctions Thu, Dec 20 2012 Analysis & Opinion Afgthan forces thrown into the deep end in the race to 2014 A two-state Middle East solution hangs in the balance as Obama waits Related Topics World » Syria » Middle East Turmoil » Related Video Taking aim in Syria Wed, Dec 19 2012 1 of 4. Free Syrian Army fighters take their positions as one of them fires during clashes with forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Qastal Harami area in Aleppo in this picture released December 19, 2012. Picture released December 19, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Saad Al-Jabri By Mariam Karouny and Erika Solomon BEIRUT | Thu Dec 20, 2012 8:34pm EST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels began to push into a strategic town in Syria's central Hama province on Thursday and laid siege to at least one town dominated by President Bashar al-Assad's minority sect, activists said. The operation risks inflaming already raw sectarian tensions as the 21-month-old revolt against four decades of Assad family rule - during which the president's Alawite sect has dominated leadership of the Sunni Muslim majority - rumbles on. Opposition sources said rebels had won some territory in the strategic southern town of Morek and were surrounding the Alawite town of al-Tleisia. They were also planning to take the town of Maan, arguing that the army was present there and in al-Tleisia and was hindering their advance on nearby Morek, a town on the highway that runs from Damascus north to Aleppo, Syria's largest city and another battleground in the conflict. "The rockets are being fired from there, they are being fired from Maan and al-Tleisia, we have taken two checkpoints in the southern town of Morek. If we want to control it then we need to take Maan," said a rebel captain in Hama rural area, who asked not to be named. Activists said heavy army shelling had targeted the town of Halfaya, captured by rebels two days earlier. Seven people were killed, 30 were wounded, and dozens of homes were destroyed, said activist Safi al-Hamawi. Hama is home to dozens of Alawite and Christian villages among Sunni towns, and activists said it may be necessary to lay siege to many minority areas to seize Morek. Rebels want to capture Morek to cut off army supply lines into northern Idlib, a province on the northern border with Turkey where rebels hold swathes of territory. From an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, Alawites have largely stood behind Assad, many out of fear of revenge attacks. Christians and some other minorities have claimed neutrality, with a few joining the rebels and a more sizeable portion of them supporting the government out of fear of hardline Islamism that has taken root in some rebel groups. Activists in Hama said rebels were also surrounding the Christian town of al-Suqeilabiya and might enter the city to take out army positions as well as those of "shabbiha" - pro-Assad militias, the bulk of whom are usually Alawite but can also include Christians and even Sunnis. "We have been in touch with Christian opposition activists in al-Suqeilabiya and we have told them to stay downstairs or on the lowest floor of their building as possible, and not to go outside. The rebels have promised not to hurt anyone who stays at home," said activist Mousab al-Hamdee, speaking by Skype. He said he was optimistic that potential sectarian tensions with Christians could be resolved but that Sunni-Alawite strife may be harder to suppress. SECTARIAN FEARS U.N. human rights investigators said on Thursday that Syria's conflict was becoming more "overtly sectarian", with more civilians seeking to arm themselves and foreign fighters - mostly Sunnis - flocking in from 29 countries. "They come from all over, Europe and America, and especially the neighboring countries," said Karen Abuzayd, one of the U.N. investigators, told a news conference in Brussels. Deeper sectarian divisions may diminish prospects for post-conflict reconciliation even if Assad is ousted, and the influx of foreigners raises the risk of fighting spilling into neighboring countries riven by similar communal fault lines. Some activists privately voiced concerns of sectarian violence, but the rebel commander in Hama said fighters had been told "violations" would not be tolerated and argued that the move to attack the towns was purely strategic. "If we are fired at from a Sunni village that is loyal to the regime we go in and we liberate it and clean it," he said. "So should we not do the same when it comes to an Alawite village just because there is a fear of an all-out sectarian war? We respond to the source of fire." President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Assad's main ally and arms supplier, warned that any solution to the conflict must ensure government and rebel forces do not merely swap roles and fight on forever. It appeared to be his first direct comment on the possibility of a post-Assad Syria. The West and some Arab states accuse Russia of shielding Assad after Moscow blocked three U.N. Security Council resolutions intended to increase pressure on Damascus to end the violence, which has killed more than 40,000 people. Putin said the Syrian people would ultimately decide their own fate. Assad's forces have been hitting back at rebel advances with heavy shelling, particularly along the eastern ring of suburbs outside Damascus, where rebels are dominant. A Syrian security source said the army was planning heavy offensives in northern and central Syria to stem rebel advances, but there was no clear sign of such operations yet. Rebels seized the Palestinian refugee district of Yarmouk earlier this week, which put them within 3 km (2 miles) of downtown Damascus. Heavy shelling and fighting forced thousands of Palestinian and Syrian residents to flee the Yarmouk area. Rebels said on Thursday they had negotiated to put the camp - actually a densely packed urban district - back into the hands of pro-opposition Palestinian fighters. There are some 500,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants living in Syria, and they have been divided by the uprising. Palestinian factions, some backed by the government and others by the rebels, had begun fighting last week, a development that allowed Syrian insurgents to take the camp. A resident in Damascus said dozens of families were returning to the camp but that the army had erected checkpoints. Many families were still hesitant to return. LEBANON BORDER POST TAKEN Elsewhere, Syrian insurgents took over an isolated border post on the western frontier with Lebanon earlier this week, local residents told Reuters on Thursday. The rebels already hold much of the terrain along Syria's northern and eastern borders with Turkey and Iraq respectively. They said around 20 rebels from the Qadissiyah Brigade overran the post at Rankus, which is linked by road to the remote Lebanese village of Tufail. Video footage downloaded on the Internet on Thursday, dated December 16, showed a handful of fighters dressed in khaki fatigues and wielding rifles as they kicked down a stone barricade around a small, single-storey army checkpoint. Syrian Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday for treatment of wounds sustained in a bomb attack on his ministry in Damascus a week ago. Lebanese medical sources said Shaar had shrapnel wounds in his shoulder, stomach and legs but they were not critical. The Syrian opposition has tried to peel off defectors from the government as well as from the army, though only a handful of high-ranking officials have abandoned Assad. The conflict has divided many Syrian families. Security forces on Thursday arrested an opposition activist who is also the relative of Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa, the Syrian Observatory said. The man was arrested along with five other activists who are considered pacifists, it said. Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim who has few powers in Assad's Alawite-dominated power structure, said earlier this week that neither side could win the war in Syria. He called for the formation of a national unity government. (Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Andrew Osborn) World Syria Middle East Turmoil Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Friday, 21 December 2012
WikiLeaks' Assange says door open to end London stand-off |
South Africa's Mandela has steadily improved: Zuma |
South Africa's Zuma pledges ANC renewal to dispel doubts |
U.N. authorizes African force to take on al Qaeda in Mali |
Kenya approves new, more independent, head of police |
French national kidnapped in northern Nigeria |
U.S. government report faults Bahrain 2011 labor crackdown |
Deutsche Telekom finance chief to replace CEO Obermann |
Vatican takes first spot in Internet domain name draw |
Vatican says pope beats Justin Bieber on re-tweets |
Telenor warns Europe falling behind U.S. in telecoms |
Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province |
Analysis: Japan's new cabinet likely to be long on loyalty, short on reform |
Analysis: Allies to lose socialist patron if Venezuela's Chavez goes |
Jailed Briton seeks to overturn Florida murder conviction |
Mexican President Pena Nieto picks central bank deputy governor |
Israel complains to U.N. about rearming by Hezbollah |
Mandela has steadily improved: Zuma |
Panasonic to appeal EU ruling on cathode-ray tube cartel |
Apple presses case for Samsung sales ban in appeals filing |
Instagram retreats on some service terms after backlash |
Red Hat revenue beats estimates on subscription gains |
Mobile game companies race to make it to the holiday app charts |
RIM shares slump as service revenue, subscriber concerns weigh |
Facebook tests charging users to send certain messages |
It's a Wonderful Life is top Christmas film with critics |
Comedienne Rebel Wilson to host MTV Movie Awards |
Judd Apatow makes it a family affair in 'This is 40' |
Hundreds pay tribute to legendary Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar |
Clashes as Egyptian Islamists stage rally |
Italy Prime Minister Monti resignation expected on Friday |
Russian lawmakers back adoption ban in row with U.S. |
Public fury over New Delhi gang-rape sparks protest across India |
Sunni protests flare after Iraqi minister's staff held |
Raiders armed with machetes burn Kenya village, kill 30 |
Sarkozy under fire over 2012 campaign spending |
EU, Russia condemn Israeli settlement expansion plans |
South Africa's soothing Ramaphosa leads ANC charm offensive |
RIM shares fall at the open after earnings |
Nokia patent deal with RIM to lift finances |
Google executives acquitted in Milan autism video case |
RIM's new services model to pressure margins: analysts |
BT ordered to repay overcharged comms providers |
Cogeco to buy Peer 1 for C$526 million to boost data hosting |
Hutchison's Orange Austria buy clears last hurdle |
Moroccan road film subverts Hollywood stereotypes |
It's a Wonderful Life is top Christmas film with critics |
Soap operas give Brazil the edge in Mozambique rush |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01