BREAKING NEWS

Assad sacks Syrian provincial governor after protests

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad has sacked the governor of the province of Hama, the state news agency said on Saturday, a day after tens of thousands called for Assad to step down in the provincial capital.
The agency said Assad issued a decree dismissing Ahmad Khaled Abdulaziz, without giving details. Video footage showed big crowds of protesters in a central square in the city of Hama on Friday calling for an end to Assad's rule.
Hama was the site of an armed Islamist uprising against Assad's father, Hafez Assad, who sent the army to crush the revolt in 1982. At least 10,000 people were killed and part of the old city was flattened in the military operation.