Middle East turmoil

Syrian govt has used chemical weapons, missiles - Turkish PM

RT

10 May, 2013

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he believes the Syrian government has used chemical weapons, crossing a “red line” set by US President Barack Obama. “It is clear the regime has used chemical weapons and missiles,” he told NBC News on Thursday. Erdogan declined to say when or where such weapons were used. He added that Obama’s “red line” passed a long time ago, and called for stronger US action against Syrian President Bashar Assad. The US and other western countries have raised concerns about the use of chemical weapons in the two year revolt against the leader. According to UN estimates, 70,000 people have been killed since the uprising began.

Britain to temporarily withdraw staff from Libya over instability

Britain will withdraw some non-essential staff from Libya over concerns about political uncertainty, the British Embassy said in a statement. "Given the security implications of the ongoing political uncertainty, the British Embassy is temporarily withdrawing a small number of staff," the statement reads. At the same time, the mission in Libya remains "open as usual," including for consular and visa services, a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

Bomb strikes police station in Benghazi, Libya

A bomb has exploded outside a police station in Libya’s second-largest city of Benghazi, causing no injuries but severely damaging a nearby building and shattering the windows of a school. The explosion struck at around 4:00am (02:00 GMT). Police stations in Benghazi have been bombed at least three times in the past month, Reuters reports.