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Opposition says Syrian forces rounding up people in Tartus region

Syrian opposition groups charged Friday that government forces were continuing to round up people in a village near Syria's Mediterranean coast where an alleged massacre left scores dead. A major opposition umbrella group, known as the Syrian National Coalition, said troops and pro-government militia executed at least 150 people, including women and children, Thursday in the village of Bayda, in the coastal region of Tartus. The coalition labeled the killings “genocide” and said corpses had been burned. Other opposition accounts spoke of heavy bombardment and mass arrests. Latimes reports The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition group, said government sweeps continued in the area on Friday and that loyalist forces were taking away many residents. Opposition activists called for the Red Cross and other international organizations to head to the area in a bid to stop the violence. United Nations observers who once responded to reports of mass killings i

Google recognises Palestine

Google has recognised the Palestinians' upgraded UN status, placing the name "Palestine" on its search engine instead of "Palestinian Territories". The domain name www.google.ps, Google's search engine for the territories, now brings up a homepage with "Palestine" written underneath the Google logo. The change took effect on Wednesday, Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said in a statement. Smh reported "We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN ... and other international organisations," he said. Advertisement The UN General Assembly in November upgraded Palestine to the status of non-member observer state by a vote of 138 votes in favour, nine against and 41 abstentions. Palestinian authorities have since begun to use the "State of Palestine" in dipl

U.S. believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria

United States believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria, CNN reported on Friday, citing two unnamed U.S. officials. CNN quoted the officials as saying Israel most likely conducted the strike "in the Thursday-Friday time frame" and that Israel's warplanes did not enter Syrian airspace. Reuters reported It said the officials did not believe Israel had targeted a chemical weapons facility. There was no immediate confirmation. A White House spokeswoman referred questions on the CNN report to the Israeli government. In Jerusalem, an Israeli defense official declined comment, and a military spokeswoman said, "We do not comment on reports of this kind." The CNN report said that during the time frame of the attack, the United States had collected information showing Israeli warplanes overflying Lebanon. Israel has made clear in the past that it might intervene to prevent Syrian advanced weapons falling into the hands of militant groups, including Lebanon'

US to tightens student visa rules after Boston bombing

The US is tightening its screening of international students, its first security change in response to the Boston Marathon bombings last month. The move comes after a student from Kazakhstan - who did not have a valid visa - was accused by police of hiding evidence for one of the bomb suspects. The Department of Homeland Security has ordered border agents to automatically check the visa status of every student. Bbc reported Azamat Tazhayakov had returned to the US despite being dismissed from school. The 19-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of helping to throw out a backpack belonging to his friend, Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. No second check Mr Tazhayakov's student visa had been terminated by the time he arrived in New York on 20 January, following his academic dismissal from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on 4 January. The Department of Homeland Security will "effective immediately" verify that every international student visa is

California wildfire grows to 18,000 acres; 20% contained

The Springs fire has scorched at least 18,000 acres between Pacific Coast Highway and the 101 Freeway, damage worsened by a harrowing about-face shift in winds that sent the fire roaring back to the north. The latest estimate from the Ventura County Fire Department said the blaze was only 20% contained as of 4:15 p.m. Officials said flames have crept within 100 feet of homes in Hidden Valley as the fire veered dangerously close to luxury homes and ranches in the area. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft flying through thick smoke to drop water and flame retardant. Latimes reports Residents in Hidden Valley, the southern part of Newbury Park, and off Portrero Road have been ordered to evacuate. Evacuations in Sycamore Canyon, Deer Canyon, Brome Ranch, La Jolla Canyon, and Yerba Buena remained in effect, Ventura County fire officials said. Evacuations for the Cal State Channel Islands campus and Dos Vientos area have been lifted

Anne Curry 'wasn't good at job': Brian Stelter said in his book "Top Of The Morning"

Anne Curry 'wasn't good at job': Brian Stelter said in his book "Top Of The Morning" - New York Times reporter Brian Stelter has a new book out called "Top Of The Morning." In it, he explains how NBC's "Today" show finally gave up a 15-year ratings winnings streak against ABC's "Good Morning America." We had Stelter in for an interview and asked him who deserves the blame for the loss. He said NBC executives, who let the show "get stale" amidst its winning streak. He also said fired co-host Anne Curry didn't help. "She wasn't good at the job."

Vonn without Tiger: at the NYC Gala says He's Practicing

Vonn without Tiger at recent NYC gala and said tiger wood Practicing. Tiger Woods missed out! Lindsey Vonn got all dressed up to attend the Delete Blood Cancer Gala at Cipriani in NYC on Wednesday, May 1 -- but she had to walk the red carpet without Woods. "He's practicing," the 28-year-old professional skier told E! News of her boyfriend's absence. (Vonn and golf pro Woods, 37, confirmed their relationship on Facebook in March.) UsMagazine reports Though she didn't have a date, Vonn still went all out with a glam ensemble for the occasion. "Hair by Mario Mele and makeup by Mac Cosmetics artist Fatima T for the gala tonight. More info to come!" the blonde gold medalist tweeted with a gorgeous headshot. On the carpet, Vonn showed off her stunning blue Derek Lam dress and even posed with the designer himself. "Love this dress," she captioned beneath a photo. In addition to her boyfriend, Vonn was missing another accessory on the carpet -- her k