Syrian rebels start evacuating from Homs: activistsMay 7, 2014 - 13:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The evacuation of Syrian rebels from their last stronghold in the central city of Homs appeared to be getting underway on Wednesday, May 7, as several buses entered the besieged Old City district to ferry them out, activists said, according to Reuters. The withdrawal of more than 1,000 fighters from Homs is part of a complex deal with President Bashar al-Assad's forces which also involves easing a rebel siege on two northern Shi'ite Muslim towns loyal to Assad. It will also mark the end of any rebel presence in the heart of a city once called the "capital of the revolution" against Assad, handing the president a major symbolic victory less than a month before he is likely to be elected for a third term. A picture uploaded on the Internet showed two green buses driving through the dusty ruins of central Homs towards a collection point for the withdrawing rebel fighters. Rami Abdelrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters were expected to leave Homs city for rebel-held areas in northern Homs province. Their departure would be staged over several phases, coordinated with the evacuation of some residents from Nubl and al-Zahraa in northern Syria, and the entry of humanitarian aid into those two Shi'ite towns. More than 150,000 people have died in Syria's civil war. Millions more have fled their homes and the government has lost control of swathes of territory across the north and east. Fighting regularly kills more than 200 people a day. Despite the carnage, Syrian authorities have scheduled presidential elections for June 3, a vote likely to give Assad a third term in office. Assad's opponents have dismissed the election as a farce. Photo: FARS Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |