Bashar al-Assad initially called the unrest a “conspiracy” fomented by foreign countries
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to address the nation for the first time in two months, as his security forces continue operations against protesters.
The state news agency said Mr Assad would address “current circumstances”.
Concessions made during his last televised address have not dampened anti-government demonstrations.
Meanwhile, thousands of people who fled a military assault in the north-west of the country are now living in refugee camps across the border in Turkey.
Some refugees said the army had cut off the border town of Bdama, which had been providing supplies to those fleeing Jisr al-Shugour.
No further information about the contents of Monday’s speech has been given.
But Syria’s ambassador to the US said his government differentiated between the legitimate demands of protesters and those of armed gangs, and that Mr Assad would deal with “all these issues”.
President Assad’s first address to the nation about the unrest came on 30 March – two weeks after it began.
But instead of striking a conciliatory tone, he called the violence a “conspiracy” fomented by foreign countries.
After another two weeks of protests, Mr Assad announced on 16 April that the emergency law in force in Syria since 1963 would be abolished, expressed his sadness at the many deaths, and called for national dialogue.
His latest speech is due a day after opposition activists announced the creation of a body to lead the struggle against the regime.
“We announce the creation of a National Council to lead the Syrian revolution, comprising all communities and representatives of national political forces inside and outside Syria,” spokesman Jamil Saib told reporters near the Turkish border, according to the AFP news agency.
The council urged people to “co-operate in all cities and provinces of Syria to achieve the legitimate goal of overthrowing the regime and bring it to justice”, Mr Saib added.
Also on Sunday, activists said the army had surrounded Bdama – only 2km (1.2 miles) from Turkey – with checkpoints and was stopping people attempting to head for the Turkish border.
Nonetheless, hundreds have managed to escape.
More than 10,000 Syrian refugees have crossed the Turkish border, and Turkish officials say another 10,000 are sheltering on the Syrian side.
One refugee said of the Syrian president: “He killed our friends… he makes us leave our homes, our families”
The local Turkish governor’s office said some Syrians were collecting food at the border to take to the stranded families.
The governor’s office said there was no question of Turkish soldiers crossing into Syria.
Raka al-Abduh, 23, told AFP that his family fled Bdama on Saturday but he went back on Sunday morning to get bread.
He reached the village using mountain routes and found it all but abandoned.
“They closed the only bakery there. We cannot get bread any more,” he said. “I saw soldiers shooting the owner of the bakery. They hit him in the chest and the leg.”
There were also protests overnight in the cities of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Deir al-Zour, Madaya, and several suburbs of Damascus, activists said.
Syrian human rights groups say at least 1,300 civilians have been killed and 10,000 detained since anti-government protests began in mid-March.
More than 300 soldiers and police have also been killed, they say. The government blames “armed terrorist gangs” for their deaths.
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Donald Trump is due to spend a number of days overseeing work at his Aberdeenshire golf complex
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US tycoon Donald Trump is due to fly into Aberdeen to oversee progress on his new golf course development.
The businessman is expected to spend a number of days at the Menie Estate after jetting in on his private plane.
The development, which is being built on a site of special scientific interest, remains controversial.
All 18 tees have now been shaped and turfed at the championship golf course, where work began more than a year ago and should be completed by summer 2012.
A handful of local residents, who had been threatened with compulsory purchase orders, have been told by the Trump Organisation that it is no longer interested in buying their homes.
Despite that move, protests – led by the Tripping Up Trump campaign group – have been continuing.
The total cost of the project, north of Aberdeen, is likely to be about £750m.
As well as a championship golf course, the development includes a 450-room hotel, 950 holiday apartments and 500 residential homes.
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French Open runner-up and sixth seed Francesca Schiavone faces unseeded Jelena Dokic in the second match on Centre Court.
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Fifa vice-president Jack Warner resigns from his position with world football’s governing body.
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An artist’s impression of the planned power station under construction in Pembroke
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Plans for a £1bn gas-fired power station in Pembrokeshire are set to be approved.
The Environment Agency has announced it is likely to grant an environmental permit for the 2000 Mw plant.
Developer RWE npower said it was confident the plant, which is due to supply energy to around 3m homes, would receive all the necessary permits.
Friends of the Earth Cymru has previously claimed marine life would be damaged.
DECC, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, gave planning permission in February 2009.
“Discharge is likely to have a small, localised impact around the power station itself”
Environment Agency
Building work started in May 2009 and is due to be completed in 2012, providing about 100 jobs.
“We are pleased that our application for an environmental permit for the operation of Pembroke Power Station is progressing,” said RWE npower.
“We welcome the announcement today from the Environment Agency that, having thoroughly reviewed the information we have provided, they are ‘minded to’ grant a permit in due course.”
Last year, Friends of the Earth complained that the power station could damage marine life in the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation.
But the then Environment Minister Jane Davidson responded, saying she was “content that the Environment Agency is applying the appropriate approach”.
The Environment Agency has now delivered its findings, saying it is likely to grant the environmental permit.
“The agency has imposed high standards in the draft permit, set under EU and UK laws and guidance, to protect the important wildlife habitats in and around Milford Haven, and also to protect people living in nearby communities,” said a statement.
“Some of these tough standards include controls on noise levels from the site, stringent limits on emissions to air and controls on the temperature and composition of the discharge into the Haven.
“This discharge is likely to have a small, localised impact around the power station itself, but overall this will not have a detrimental effect on the integrity and status of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation.
“The agency is satisfied that by insisting on these tough standards, the site will be able to operate without causing harm to people in the nearby communities or causing unacceptable harm to local wildlife and their habitats as a whole.”
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A Jewish rabbinical court has categorically denied that a dog was condemned to death by stoning, as was widely reported.
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Five-time champion Venus Williams advances to the second round with a 6-3 6-1 win over Uzbekistan’s Akgul Amanmuradova.
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Tennis fans have been camping out ahead of the first day of the All England championships, in the hope of securing centre court tickets.
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Buses are stranded in a flooded tunnel in Wuhan in Hubei province
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More than two million people are now reported to have been affected by deadly floods in eastern China.
Torrential rain was continuing, leaving large parts of Zhejiang and Hubei provinces under water, state-run news agency Xinhua said.
It said nearly 1,000 businesses were being disrupted and crops destroyed, pushing up food prices.
This month’s flooding – the worst since 1955 – has already left about 170 people dead or missing, reports say.
The government has mobilised troops to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people.
China’s disaster alert has been raised to the highest level, four.
Downpours earlier this week triggered landslides that buried houses and killed at least two people in Zhejiang and another two in Hubei.
The floods come after months of crop-destroying drought in the centre and north of the country.
Some areas along the Yangtze River have suffered their worst drought in half a century.
Despite the rain, officials have warned that the crop shortages and dislocation caused by drought will remain severe.
Analysts say crop shortages in China could affect prices around the world.
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Greece’s new Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the country could meet its targets
Eurozone finance ministers are meeting in Luxembourg, where they are expected to approve a 12bn-euro (£10bn) loan to debt-stricken Greece.
The loan is the latest tranche of a 110bn-euro EU and IMF aid package.
The finance chiefs are also expected to discuss a second bail-out for Greece. PM George Papandreou confirmed that talks were taking place about a new deal “roughly equal” to the first.
Mr Papandreou urged a “national accord” in parliament to deal with the crisis.
“I have asked for a renewal of confidence in the government, because the country finds itself at a crucial point,” he told parliament, at the start of three days of debate.
Mr Papandreou reshuffled his cabinet on Friday, with former Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos replacing George Papaconstantinou as Finance Minister.
Arriving at the Luxembourg meeting, Mr Venizelos said Greece remained fully committed to the EU/IMF financial aid programme and achieving its targets.
“It is a great opportunity for me to repeat the strong commitment of the Greek government and the strong will of the Greek people for the implementation of the programme,” he told reporters.
Analysis
Even if there is another bail-out of around 110bn euros, Greeks have lost faith in the plan. All they see is debt piling on debt.
This is where the danger lies. A creeping despair. Injured national pride. Ten years of austerity.
Even so the bet must be that the Greeks reluctantly, sullenly, will go along with new austerity but I have sensed a despair that last year just wasn’t there and no-one knows where that will lead.
Read Gavin’s thoughts in full
“We can achieve our target, thanks to the efforts of our people, and thanks to the co-operation and the assistance of our partners.”
In May last year, the EU and IMF agreed to lend Greece 110bn euros, but the loan is conditional on the government implementing a series of painful domestic reforms which have sparked nationwide strikes, rallies and violent riots on the streets of Athens.
Greece needs the latest tranche to avoid defaulting on its looming debts.
Mr Papandreou told parliament the country would soon run out of money if politicians did not take action.
The prime minister said his priority was “a national accord to tackle the Greek debt and deficit which are a national problem”, warning that the image of disunity was damaging the country’s reputation.
Greek bail-out timelineMay 2010: EU and IMF agree bail-out package to prevent Greece defaulting on its debts; in return, Greece agrees to make 30bn euros of budget cuts over the next three yearsFebruary 2011: EU and IMF experts tell Greece it must make further cuts to keep recovery on trackApril 2011: EU figures reveal Greek deficit revised up to 10.5%, worse than previously thoughtMay 2011: Greece begins privatisation programme but is warned the IMF may not release more funds as Athens cannot guarantee it will remain solvent for next 12 months29 June 2011: Deadline for Greece to agree new austerity package
Q&A: Greek debt crisis Viewpoint: Politics of Greek crisisBut he also said a reform of the political system was needed, and proposed a referendum later this year on possible changes to the constitution.
However, opposition politicians who oppose the government’s austerity plans rejected Mr Papandreou’s appeal and asked why the public should be asked to make sacrifices in vain.
There were calls for Mr Papandreou to resign and call elections.
The BBC’s Chris Morris said Mr Papandreou’s speech was intended to appeal to parliament, the Greek public and the public across the eurozone.
The prime minister does not want to be appear to be doing nothing in a crisis, says our correspondent.
But what public support there was for the austerity plans appears to be fading, with a recent poll suggesting the majority of people now oppose it.
Many critics say the country should just default, but doing so would raise the cost of borrowing for other struggling eurozone countries, forcing them to default in turn.
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The world’s largest falcon spends much of its life at sea, the first bird of its type known to do so.
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Brazilian security forces occupy one of Rio de Janeiro’s biggest slums in a crackdown on crime ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.
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How Catherine Deneuve became a trophy wife
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The plans will see pension entitlement for men and women equalised by 2018
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Government plans to make women wait longer for their state pension will be debated in the Commons later.
The Pensions Bill, which would see the entitlement rise from 60 to 65 by 2018, and then increased to 66 for both sexes by 2020, gets its second reading.
Critics from all parties say it is unfair on about 330,000 women in their late 50s who will need to keep working.
Ministers are looking at ways of softening the impact but say the changes will go ahead.
However the detail of any compromise which could help those women close to retirement are yet to be agreed, says the BBC’s deputy political editor James Landale.
The Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says he will stick to his timetable to raise and equalise the age when men and women can claim the state pension.
And a Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “If we delayed the move to 66, it would cost the taxpayer £10bn and would be an unfair burden on the next generation.”
Last year, Chancellor George Osborne announced plans to accelerate the rate at which women’s pension age will rise to equal that of men, currently 65.
The previous Labour government had agreed to achieve equalisation by April 2020, but the coalition’s plans will see it achieved by November 2018.
Ministers would then use this extra time to raise the pension age to 66 for everyone.
MPs opposed to the changes include Conservative and Liberal Democrat backbenchers.
“Ministers must listen to reason on this issue”
Ros Altmann Saga director general
The critics say many women affected by the proposals will have to wait between 18 months and two years longer than expected before they get their state pensions.
They also say the changes are unfair as some women are being given as little as five years’ notice of the changes.
Lorely Burt, chair of the Lib Dem parliamentary party, said those affected “won’t have time to plan their retirement and many will be financially a great deal worse off”.
For Labour, shadow pensions minister Rachel Reeves said it was “simply wrong to punish women by moving the goal posts at this late stage”.
Conservative MP James Gray is among the Tories to want the coalition to think again.
“Going around the corridors and tea rooms in Westminster talking to Tories, Lib Dems and of course Labour MPs they are saying this is an injustice being done to a small number of people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ros Altmann, director general of over-50s organisation Saga and a former government adviser on pensions, says the government could face a costly legal challenge if they did not make changes.
“Ministers must listen to reason on this issue,” she said.
“The current plans are unfair and may, indeed, be illegal in public law terms, since they clearly do not give women adequate notice of the large changes in pension age that they face.”
The Commons debate comes as union leaders are threatening industrial action over the government’s proposals for public sector employees to work longer and pay more for less generous entitlements in retirement.
Ministers said negotiations were still ongoing but shadow chancellor Ed Balls accused Mr Osborne of being “desperate” to provoke industrial action so he could blame the unions for the weak economic recovery.
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Wing Commander Mike Bracken says that Nato is investigating the incident
Nato has admitted “a weapons systems failure” may have led to civilian casualties in Sunday morning’s air strike in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
In a statement, the alliance said the intended target of the strike was a military missile site, but “it appears that one weapon” did not hit it.
The Libyan government earlier said Nato bombed a residential area, killing nine civilians, including babies.
Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to defend Libyans from pro-Gaddafi forces.
“Nato regrets the loss of innocent civilian lives and takes great care in conducting strikes against a regime determined to use violence against its own citizens,” said Lt Gen Charles Bouchard, commander of operation Unified Protector.
“One shell whistled above us and smashed into an orchard perhaps 100m away”
Andrew Harding
Read more from Andrew
“Although we are still determining the specifics of this event, indications are that a weapons system failure may have caused this incident,” he added.
The statement said that more than 11,500 sorties had already been conducted and “every mission is planned and executed with tremendous care to avoid civilian casualties”.
Nato later released a video statement.
Our correspondent says the incident could prompt questions about what Nato is achieving in Libya – not least by Nato members who never agreed with the operation.
Sunday’s attack, in one of Tripoli’s poorer neighbourhoods, happened shortly after midnight, Libyan officials say.
They say that nine people were killed, including two babies, and another 18 people injured. It is not possible to verify this claim independently.
The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, who was taken to the site by government officials, saw two bodies being removed from the rubble.
Scores of men were working alongside the emergency services, pulling at sections of rubble and looking for bodies.
Our correspondent was then taken to a Tripoli hospital where he was shown the bodies of two men, a woman and two babies, who government officials said had been killed in the strike.
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the incident represented a “deliberate targeting of civilian houses”.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said Nato had deliberately targeted civilian houses
Nato spokesman Wing Cdr Mike Bracken earlier told the BBC he did not know the exact location of the building Libyans accuse the alliance of hitting.
The building is about a kilometre away from a military airfield, which has often been targeted by Nato.
“Those areas that might have been claimed to be residential by the Gaddafi regime in the past have turned out to be being used as C2 nodes [command and control centres],” said Wing Cdr Bracken.
The incident came shortly after Nato “regretted any possible loss of life” from an accidental air strike on a rebel column near the oil refinery town of Brega on Thursday.
A rebel spokesman said it was to Nato’s credit that it had admitted that mistake, which he said was understandable given the rapidly shifting front lines of the conflict.
It would be regrettable if civilians had been killed by a Nato air strike in Tripoli, he added, but praised the alliance’s overall accuracy record throughout the campaign.
Nato’s mission – to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians using “all necessary measures” short of a ground invasion – began in March in response to Col Muammar Gaddafi’s violent response to a popular uprising.
The intervention was mandated by the UN, and led by France, Britain and the US until the end of March, when Nato took over.
Having initially been given 90 days – which would have run out on 27 June – the mission has been extended for a further 90 days.
Libyan rebels hold a third of the country in the east and pockets in the west, including Misrata, although Tripoli remains under government control.
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