Syria’s Assad makes rare appearance for Eid prayers

BEIRUT | Sun Aug 19, (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad performed prayers in a Damascus mosque marking the start of the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday, state television showed, his first appearance in public since a July bombing that killed four members of his security brass.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (3rd L) attends Eid Al Fitr prayers at al-Hamad mosque in Damascus August 19, 2012, in this handout photograph released by Syria’s national news agency SANA. REUTERS/Sana/Handout

Opposition activists reported anti-government protests at cemeteries and mosques around Syria including Damascus, Hama and Idlib at the outset of the three-day Eid al-Fitr feast, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Assad, battling a 17-month-old uprising against 42 years of rule by his family, was accompanied to the Damascus mosque by his prime minister and foreign minister but not his vice president, Farouq al-Shara, whose reported defection was denied the previous day.

His administration shaken by the July 18 bomb attack in Damascus and defections including that of his last prime minister, Assad’s recent appearances had been restricted to state television footage of him during official business. He was shown swearing in the new prime minister a week ago.

Thousands of protesters clash with police in Chicago: Chaos in the Windy City as 45 activists arrested and one cop stabbed after demonstrators target NATO

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights have raised the intensity of a march in downtown Chicago on Sunday as world leaders assembled for a NATO summit. The protest, one of the city's largest in years, turned violent at the end of an anti-NATO march, where demonstrators confronted Chicago police, pushing against a line of officers several blocks from the lakefront convention center where President Obama hosted a gathering of world leaders. Authorities were seen making arrests one by one and leading individual demonstrators away in handcuffs. After a clash near McCormick Place, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a news conference that the protests resulted in 45 people being arrested and four officers suffering injuries - one from a stab wound in the leg. Scroll down for video Clash: Demonstrators try to flee the police as they are move in on them ...

Mushikiwabo to UN: Enhance civilian protection

By Eugene Kwibuka Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to invest more energy in the prevention of conflicts for better protection of civilians living in conflict-torn areas. Rwanda’s Foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo Louise Mushikiwabo made the call during an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict which the UNSC held in New York on Tuesday. “Rwanda’s core message today is that enhancing the protection of civilians in armed conflict requires action before a conflict starts. The proliferation of non-state armed groups makes civilian protection both more urgent, and harder to achieve,” she said. For better protection of civilians in armed-conflict areas, the minister emphasised the need to increase investments in professionalising the military and police forces through adequate training. “Only when the leadership of armed forces shares the international...

Mwana muziki Marufu kwa jina la Chuck Brown Afariki Dunia Akiwa na umri wa miaka 75

View Photo Gallery — Chuck Brown dies at 75: The “godfather of go-go” has died By Chris Richards, Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 4:42 PM Chuck Brown, the gravelly voiced bandleader who capitalized on funk’s percussive pulse to create go-go, the genre of music that has soundtracked life in black Washington for more than three decades, died May 16 at the Johns Hopkins University hospital in Baltimore. He was 75. The death, from complications from sepsis, was confirmed by his manager, Tom Goldfogle. Mr. Brown had been hospitalized for pneumonia. Known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” the performer, singer, guitarist and songwriter developed his commanding brand of funk in the mid-1970s to compete with the dominance of disco. Like a DJ blending records, Mr. Brown used nonstop percussion to stitch songs together and keep the crowd on the dance floor, resulting in marathon performances that went deep into the night. Mr. Brown said the style got its name because “the music j...

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