Syrian Army is gearing up for an all-out offensive to clear the Salaheddin district in the country’s commercial hub of Aleppo of insurgents. Reports say heavy clashes are underway between Syrian government forces and insurgents on the outskirts of the flashpoint city, but the government says it is in full control of Damascus. Fighting is also underway in the Sukkari, Hamdaniyeh, and Ansari districts... 

US President Barack Obama has signed a secret order allowing the CIA and other American agencies to support rebels seeking to overthrow the Assad regime, a US government source told Reuters. Obama reportedly gave the order, known as an intelligence “finding”, earlier this year. The presidential finding also provides for US collaboration with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies. The... 

Rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters capture a policeman who the FSA allege is a “Shabiha” or pro-regime militiaman, on July 31, 2012, as the rebels overran a police station in Aleppo A horrifying amateur video from Syria emerged online, showing an apparent mass execution of Assad supporters in Aleppo at the hands of rebels from the Free Syria Army. The footage shows several bloodied men stripped... 

Syrian Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha Syria’s deputy defense minister Assef Shawkat and security Chief General Hisham Ikhtiyar have been killed in a bomb attack on a security building in the capital Damascus. Syrian Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha was also killed in the bombing at the headquarters of the National Security Bureau on Wednesday. Cabinet ministers and senior security officials were meeting... 

A sweetener used in Diet Coke and many other products is to undergo a safety review over fears that it has harmful effects on human health. An artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke is to undergo an urgent EU safety review. Aspartame is ingested every day by millions of people around the world in more than 6,000 well-known brands of food, drink and medicine. However, it has been the subject of a number...