Syrian ex-official urges Assad's ouster

A former vice president of Syria called from exile for the overthrow of the regime he served for decades, saying Friday that "a shameless mafia" is running the country and that its president surrounds himself with sycophantic advisers and is unfit to rule. Khaddam told The Associated Press in an interview that Hariri was "threatened in a crystal-clear way on numerous occasions" before his death in a truck bombing last year - including by Assad himself.