BREAKING NEWS

Russian UN draft on Syria raises Western hopes of action

BEIRUT - Russia offered the UN Security Council a new, stronger draft resolution on the violence in Syria, lifting Western hopes of UN action after the killing of 27 Syrian soldiers by deserters raised the specter of a slide into civil war.
Western envoys said the Russian text was too weak, but they were willing to negotiate over it, offering the council a chance to overcome its deadlock and issue its first resolution on Syria's nine-month-old crackdown on protesters.