 A mannequin used by rebel fighters as a decoy is seen in an area where clashes continue with pro-government forces in Aleppo on Friday, November 2. Click through these photos from October and November; also see September photo s from the conflict.  A member of the Free Syrian Army runs for cover from sniper fire in Aleppo on Friday.  Members of the Free Syrian Army stand close to an unexploded bomb dropped by a fighter jet weeks earlier, at a checkpoint in Aleppo on Thursday, November 1.  Buildings lie destoryed by what activists say were missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in Erbeen, near Damascus on Thursday.  The Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, is now under full army control, according to state media. Heavy damage can be seen on Tuesday, October 30.  The Armenian Surp Kevork Church (Saint George Church) in Aleppo shows damage on Tuesday from a fire that broke out during fighting between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces.  The streets are littlered with rubble from a building in Aleppo on Tuesday.  A Syrian rebel fighter looks at smoke billowing from a bus that caught fire after a regime sniper allegedly shot at it in Aleppo on Sunday, October 28.  A Syrian rebel fighter aims through a hole in the wall that overlooks a position held by troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday.  Commander Abu Sleiman looks at the pro-Syrian government forces' position prior to an attack in Aleppo on Saturday, October 27. The latest reports of violence saw each side accuse the other of violating the conditions of a cease-fire called over religious holiday Eid al-Adha.  A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman after he was detained by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on Friday, October 26.  Syrian rebels take position Friday in a classroom at an empty school to observe the movement of regime forces nearby in Aleppo.  Syrian rebels run to take position in the Bustan al-Basha district in Aleppo on Friday.  Smoke rises from a gas station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk by on a rainy day in Aleppo on Thursday, October 25.  A member of the Free Syrian Army watches for snipers during fighting against pro-government forces in Idlib Governorate on Thursday.  A family crosses a street flooded by heavy rains in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday.  Syria drivers attempt to drive through a flooded street in Aleppo, Syria on October 25. The Syrian military and the country's main rebel force have agreed to halt combat operations starting Friday morning for the Muslim holiday weekend, but both also reserved the right to respond to attacks.  Members of the Free Syrian Army patrol an area under their control, as they advance on pro-government forces in Harem town, Syria on October 25.  People crowd around a bakery in the Salaheddin district of Aleppo, Syria, on October 25,  Civilians carry their belongings along a street strewn with garbage and debris following fighting between Syrian government troops and rebel fighters in the Salaheddin district of Aleppo, Syria, on October 25.  The Syrian Arab News agency (SANA) reported that a car bomb in the Tadamon neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, killed six people and injured 20 on Wednesday, October 24.  Cars destroyed by the car bomb explosion in Damascus on Wednesday.  Smoke rises after Syrian government forces shelled the outskirts of Atareb, Syria, on Wednesday.  A family drives through Atareb, Syria, which was recently shelled by Syrian government forces, on Wednesday.  Relatives of Syrian detainees who were arrested for participating in protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime wait in front of a police building for detainees to be released in Damascus on Wednesday. The Syrian government said it released a total of 290 prisoners who had not been involved in homicides.  A Syrian woman, displaced by the ongoing violence and living along a street in Aleppo, on Tuesday, October 23.  A woman sits on the sidewalk of a debris strewn street in Aleppo, Syria, on October 23.  A rebel fighter looks towards the crossroads, destroyed during fighting between government and rebel forces, in the Salaheddin district of Aleppo, Syria on October 23.  Rebel fighters have lunch in the old sector of the northern city of Aleppo, on October 23. Violence raged across war-torn Syria, a watchdog organization said, dimming hopes of a cease-fire for this week's Muslim Eid al-Adha as proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.  A shopkeeper clears the rubble from in front of his store in the old sector of Aleppo.  A member of the Free Syrian Army flees sniper shots from pro-government forces in Salqin, Syria, on Monday, October 22.  Members of the Free Syrian Army celebrate on a tank that belonged to pro-government forces after they took over the site from them early Monday in Salqin.  A member of the Free Syrian Army celebrates on the captured tank.  Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters in the Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on Saturday, October 20.  Syria youths react following an airstrike by Syrian government forces in Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, October 18. Syrian regime warplanes launched a new wave of strikes on the northwestern town, seized by rebels last week, an AFP correspondent reported.  A wounded Syrian boy is carried to the hospital following Thursday's airstrike in Maaret al-Numaan.  A Syrian rebel fighter mans an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun as he heads to the frontline in al-Bab near Aleppo on Wednesday. October 17. Rebels downed a helicopter in fierce fighting Wednesday with troops seeking to retake a key Syrian town, a watchdog said.  Syrian rebel fighters on Wednesday ride a motorcycle in Maaret al-Numan, an area under the control of rebel fighters in the northwestern Idlib province.  A Syrian rebel fighter holds a gun as he guards a post during clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Wednesday.  A handout photo from the Shaam News Network shows smoke rising after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib, Syria, on Tuesday, October 16. Click through the gallery to view images of the war-torn country in October. See photographs from September.  Members of the Free Syrian Army check for snipers in the old part of Aleppo, Tuesday.  Damaged buildings are seen after they were fired upon by a Syrian government forces near the northern province of Idlib, Tuesday.  A Syrian man walks past destroyed buildings following shelling by regime forces in Aleppo on Monday, October 15.  A Free Syrian Army fighter climbs under barbed wire as he trains at their camp in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib in an area under the control of rebel fighters on Monday.  A young fighter climbs along a rope as he trains at a Free Syrian Army camp in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Monday.  Syrian rebels take cover during clashes with regime forces at the historic Umayyad Mosque in the old city of Aleppo hours before the Syrian army retook control of the complex on Sunday, October 14.  A Syrian rebel walks inside a burnt section of the Umayyad Mosque. Opposition activists reported that the 12th-century mosque was set afire during heavy fighting on Saturday, October 13.  A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on Thursday, October 11.  Syrians carry a wounded girl into a hospital in Aleppo on Thursday.  A heavily armed Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on Thursday.  A Syrian man walks through rubble in Aleppo on Thursday.  A Syrian man and boy ride a horse cart in Aleppo on Thursday.  Smoke billows from buildings following shelling by government forces in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian people carry bread as they walk in the streets of Aleppo on Thursday.  Bodies of Syrian civilians lie in the back of a truck outside a hospital following shelling by Syrian government forces during clashes with opposition fighters in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian civilians walk in front of damaged buildings in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian opposition fighters walk in the streets of Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian government forces take cover during clashes with rebel fighters at the Karam al-Jabal neighborhood in Aleppo on Thursday.  A Syrian opposition fighter flashes the sign for victory as he guards a post with his comrades in Aleppo on Thursday.  A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on Wednesday, October 10.  Syrian youths walk past graffiti in the rebel-held city of Minbej on Wednesday.  A Syrian rebel fighter holds a cigarette and prayer beads in Aleppo on Tuesday, October 9.  A Syrian man carries the body of his 5-year-old son, Mohammed Mustafa, outside a hospital after shelling by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Tuesday.  An injured Syrian woman rides to a hospital after an airstrike by regime forces in Aleppo on Tuesday.  A Syrian rebel commander prays in a damaged mosque during clashes with government forces on Tuesday in Aleppo.  A rubble-filled street is seen during clashes between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces in the Saif al-Dawla district of Aleppo on Tuesday.  Relatives wheel a injured boy outside a hospital on Tuesday in Aleppo.  A Syrian rebel fighter takes position inside a house in Aleppo during clashes with government forces on Tuesday.  A Syrian man watches an army fighter jet flies over Aleppo on Monday, October 8.  A Syrian army fighter jet flies over the northern city of Aleppo on Monday.  A wounded Syrian rebel fighter holds his blood-stained hands as he receives treatment at a hospital near the frontline in the city of Aleppo on Monday, October 7.  Abdul Razzak from the Aleppo News talks on a walkie talkie in Aleppo on Monday.  Syrian rebels take up positions inside a building during clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Saturday, October 6.  Syrian members of the Al-Saiqa rebel brigade clean weapons on Saturday before going to the front line in Aleppo.  A Syrian rebel runs across a heavily damaged street to dodge sniper fire during clashes on Saturday.  Syrian rebels patrol a neighborhood in Aleppo on Friday, October 5.  A Syrian demonstrator shouts during an anti-regime protest in Aleppo on Friday. Tensions rippled across Turkey a day after Syrian shells struck a Turkish border town and killed five people.  A Syrian rebel takes position during clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Friday.  An injured Free Syrian Army fighter rests after receiving treatment at Dar al Shifa hospital in Aleppo on Thursday, October 4.  A child covers his wounds from a Syrian army sniper at Dar al Shifa hospital on Thursday.  A Free Syrian Army fighter cries after one of his friends was injured in fighting with government forces outside the Dar El Shifa hospital on Thursday.  A Dar El Shifa worker cleans the floor outside the hospital in Aleppo on Thursday.  Syrian rebel fighters look at a multirocket launcher in Tal Abyadh, a Syrian town close to the Turkish border, on Thursday.  Rebels climb the stairs of a destroyed building Thursday in Tal Abyadh.  Smoke rises from the explosion area after several Syrian shells crashed inside the town of Akcakale in Turkey, killing at least five people on Wednesday, October 3. It wasn't the first deadly cross-border incident between the two neighbors during the 18-month-long uprising in Syria.  A police officer is injured in Wednesday's attack on Akcakale in Turkey's Sanliurfa province.  Three car bombs destroyed the area around a military officers' club and a hotel in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday. At least 40 people were killed and 90 wounded, most of them soldiers, a monitoring group said.  Car bomb explosions on Wednesday left a crater in the ground.  A nurse helps treat a 7-year-old girl who's neck was badly wounded by shrapnel at the Dar Al Shifaa hospital in Aleppo on Monday, October 1.  Friends lay a rebel fighter on a gurney after he was shot in the chest during heavy battles in the Midan neighborhood on Monday. See photographs from September.                                                                                          
(CNN) -- Russia insisted a political solution was the only answer to end the bloodshed in Syria, where the death toll mounted on Monday. Here are the latest developments in the Syrian civil war: Russian diplomat: 'No need for any type of resolution' Russia's top diplomat dismissed a call by the U.N.-Arab League special envoy for the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a transition of power in Syria. "If the priority is the change of (the government,) then there will be more blood. But if the priority is to save lives, then there is no need for any type of resolution," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday after a meeting with the special envoy in Cairo.   Explosion in Damascus, Syria  Syrian rebels launch new offensive  On the run with rebels in Syria Lavrov's comments followed news that the special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a transition of power in Syria that permanent Security Council members agreed upon in June. The resolution, known as the Geneva deal, was put together by his predecessor, Kofi Annan, and called for a transitional government in Syria. Brahimi's call for the resolution came after a holiday cease-fire he pushed for between government forces and rebels collapsed. The Geneva agreement did not lay out how power would be transferred, nor did it spell out any role for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been under enormous international pressure to step down and end the conflict that began in March 2011. China and Russia, members of the U.N. Security Council, have repeatedly blocked attempts to adopt a resolution. Many have accused Russia of backing the Syrian government, but Russia says it just wants a political solution for Syria determined by its own people. China, meanwhile, has offered a four-point plan to end the war, calling for a cease-fire, plans for political settlement and transition, and international humanitarian aid. Rebels regroup Syria's opposition groups began a second day of negotiations Monday in Qatar's capital city of Doha as part of an effort to unify the rebellion. The move comes after reports that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that the exiled Syrian National Council should no longer be considered the "visible leader" of efforts to form a government to replace al-Assad, whose iron-fisted attempt to crush anti-government protests has resulted in the bloody civil war. Clinton said the opposition must include seats for "those who are on the front lines fighting and dying today."  Video may show Syrian troops executed  Young Syrian amputee's story The United States has recommended people and organizations that should be included, she said -- and the State Department says Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, will be "on the sidelines" of the upcoming Doha talks. French President Francois Hollande made a similar statement Sunday, saying that the Syrian opposition needs a leader to set up "an interim government through a fair democratic process," the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. The negotiations in Doha began after the SNC announced it would elect a new president, replace half of its executive board and expand its membership. The SNC says its meetings are a prelude to talks with other opposition groups later this week. "Any discussion about bypassing the SNC or forming other alternative entities is an attempt to damage the revolution and sow the seeds of division and discord," the group said in a statement. Opposition: Two citizen journalists killed At least 32 people, including two citizen journalists, a woman and a child, were killed in fighting Monday across Syria, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. Samer Kreishi was killed in fighting in the Damascus suburb of Arbeen, where government forces and rebels have been fighting sporadically for months, the LCC said. Another journalist, Nasser Sheikhani, was killed during shelling in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, the group said. The two were described by the LCC as "citizen journalists" who routinely documented violence by government forces with the use of video and photographs, which were then uploaded on YouTube and other social media sites. More than 33,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, the opposition says. An additional 234 people were reported dead Sunday, including 100 in Damascus and its suburbs alone, the LCC said. CNN cannot independently confirm government or opposition reports out of Syria, as the government has restricted access by journalists. CNN's Saad Abedine contributed to this report.   |
11/05/2012
Russia: No U.N. resolution for Syria
Storm may 'add insult to injury'; commuting still tough
 Lucas Jackson / Reuters Local residents salvage food from bags thrown out of a flooded store on Coney Island on Sunday. By NBC News staff and wire reports NEW YORK -- A week after superstorm Sandy ravaged the New Jersey and New York coast lines, another challenge loomed Monday for the region: Commuters, public school students and motorists -- forced out of their own vehicles by fuel shortages -- will converge on transit systems not fully ready for them. While life was expected to return slowly to normal for many, close to 2 million people remained without power and a nor'easter, with the potential for 55 mph gusts and more beach erosion, flooding and rain, was expected to hit the region by midweek. "Though this storm will not have near the magnitude of the impact Sandy had, the combination of rain, wind and snow will add insult to injury for the recovery process along the East Coast," The Weather Channel's Chris Dolce reported. Yet another storm indicates it will blow through the Northeast, promising between two and three inches of flooding. It will likely be raining on Election Day in Florida, The Weather Channel's Kelly Cass says, but Ohio looks to be clear. The Weather Channel's Kelly Cass reports. "Well, the first storm flooded me out, and my landlord tells me there's a big crack in the ceiling, so I guess there's a chance this storm could do more damage," John Lewis said at a shelter in New Rochelle, N.Y. "I was hoping to get back in there sooner rather than later, but it doesn't look good." The good news in New York City was that, unlike last week, service on key subway lines connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn under the East River had been restored. But officials warned that other water-logged tunnels still were not ready for Monday's rush hour and that fewer-than-normal trains were running — a recipe for a difficult commute. "Service will not be normal tomorrow, and we need you to understand that before you enter the system," Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Sunday. Full coverage of Sandy's aftermath Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters he expected to take the subway to work on Monday. He will be joined by many of the students returning to class in the nation's largest school system. About 90 percent of the 1,700 schools will reopen for the first time since Sandy hit last Monday, the mayor said. Last week, with much of the subway system still crippled, commuters who turned to street transportation caused gridlock in Manhattan and elsewhere. A patchwork solution of shuttle buses and rules limiting bridge traffic to cars carrying at least three people did not provide much relief. Brooklyn Heights resident Whitney Browne, a 43-year-old father of two grade school girls, was lucky that their school provided some daycare last week. But the girls, 7-year-old Annabel and 5-year-old Lucy, frowned when asked how they felt about having regular school again and Browne worried about returning to work Monday as a digital marketer based in lower Manhattan. Want to help the recovery? Here's how "Everybody is going to be coming back to work so I expect it's going to be a zoo on the subway," he told The Associated Press. Repair crews have been laboring around-the-clock in response to the worst natural disaster in the transit system's 108-year history, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota said Sunday.  Lucas Jackson / Reuters Superstorm Sandy made landfall Monday evening on a destructive and deadly path across the Northeast. Problems getting fuel N.J. Gov. Chris Christie tried to reassure people that refineries and pipelines were back online and gas was being delivered. "We do not have a fuel shortage," he said at a news conference on Sunday. Fuel shortage expected to last for days, Cuomo says There was no rationing in New York City, where the search for gas became a maddening scavenger hunt over the weekend. Gas lines continue to stretch onto highways as New Jerseyans try to get back to normal following Sandy. NBC's Richard Lui reports. Manhattan doorman Iver Sanchez, who lives in Queens, waited at an Upper West Side gas station for three hours and still had a long line of cars ahead of him. "If I don't get gas today, I won't be able to get any for the rest of the week," he said. In the Bronx, a Citgo station had received gas early Saturday evening, but within seven hours had run through a supply which usually lasts two to three days, said gas attendant Nagi Singh. "A lot of people were angry with me," he said. Cops: 2 arrested over alleged gas hoarding In New Jersey, Monday promised to begin the return to some everyday activities. About half the school districts reported they will reopen and New Jersey Transit said it would have more train and bus service restored in time for the workweek. Philadelphia's transit authority loaned 31 buses that New Jersey Transit planned to use to support shuttle service for commuters traveling to New York City. Many who live in the blue-collar fishing town of Highlands, N.J. are still living in temporary shelters after Sandy's floodwaters forced them from their homes. NBC's Michelle Franzen reports. The challenges were more severe for tens of thousands of people unable to return to their homes and many more than that living without power or heat. Bloomberg said Sunday that 30,000 to 40,000 people in New York City were in need of shelter, including 20,000 in public housing. Temperatures will remain chilly in the days ahead, according to The Weather Channel. Highs in the 40s or low 50s will be commonplace through Wednesday. Some interior and New England locations may not get out of the 30s, it said. Election Day disruptions? New Jersey has said it will allow people displaced by the storm to vote by email. In New York City, some 143,000 voters will be reassigned to different polling sites. Both states are normally easy wins for the Democrats. After a peak of 8.5 million outages across 21 states affected by the massive storm, the rate of restoring power each day has eased as line crews must work on increasingly difficult and isolated outages. In Highlands, a blue collar fishing town, 1,200 homes were flooded, including the mayor's. The federal government has pledged to pay for housing in the region. Meanwhile in New York, transit returns on line. NBC's Michelle Franzen reports. Still, about 1.9 million homes and businesses remained in the dark on Sunday. In New Jersey, about a quarter of the state remained without power. For many, that meant they had no heat. New Yorkers eager to get back to the office In New York City, Con Edison said late Sunday night that it had restored service to more than 770,000 customers, or approximately 80 percent of all those who lost power from the storm. It said that 5,000 customers remained powerless in Manhattan, 45,000 in Queens, 22,000 in Brooklyn, 16,000 in Staten Island and 10,000 in the Bronx. But efforts to get everyone back on line could be hampered by more wet, windy weather. "Restoration crews love blue sky days," said John Miksad, Con Edison's senior vice president of electric operations. "When the wind gets high and the weather gets ugly. ... It just slows things down."  Allison Joyce / Getty Images Residents of Rockaway, N.Y., stay warm by a fire during near-freezing temperatures on Sunday. In Far Rockaway Sunday, on a basketball court flanked by powerless apartment buildings, emergency volunteers handed out bagels, diapers, water and blankets. Organizers said several hundred people had come through the playground distribution center. Genice Josey, who shares an apartment with her son, sleeps beneath three blankets and wears long johns under her pajamas — a common strategy in the no-power zone. "Nights are the worst because you feel like you're outside when you're inside," she said. "You shiver yourself to sleep." NBC News staff, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: |