Syria protesters given surrender ultimatum

Hundreds of people were on Sunday occupying Istanbul's Taksim Square, the epicentre of the biggest demonstrations in a decade against Turkey's Islamist-rooted government which have seen almost 1,000 people detained and scores wounded nationwide.

Afghanistan was once a magnet for eager young men who arrived from around the world to fight Soviet forces. Most later returned home to their every day lives, but some became infatuated with militancy and were drawn into al-Qaeda. Now Syria is attracting significant numbers of foreign fighters, hundreds from Western countries. And while most have joined mainstream rebel groups, some have turned up in extremist factions such as the Al Nusrah Front.

Syrian forces backed by helicopters killed dozens of pro-democracy protesters, as the United States stepped up pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.The latest deaths came as security forces launched a long-feared crackdown in the northwest flashpoint town of Jisr al-Shughur near the border with Turkey.Protesters poured on to the streets of towns and cities across the country after the weekly Muslim main prayers, many chanting slogans against Assad and in support of Jisr al-Shughur residents.

Syrian opposition movements readied for more rallies across the country Friday after Muslim prayers even as authorities announced a raft of measures aimed at meeting protesters' demands."Our date is Friday, from all houses, all places of worship, every citizen and every free man, to all squares, for a free Syria," said a statement posted Thursday on Facebook group The Syria Revolution 2011.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister on Sunday rejected claims that he is a “dictator,” dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe, even as thousands returned to the landmark Istanbul square that has become the site of the fiercest anti-government outburst in years. Over the past three days, protesters around the country have unleashed pent-up resentment against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who after 10 years in office many Turks see as an uncompromising figure with undue influence in every part of life.

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate end on Saturday to the fiercest anti-government demonstrations for years, as protesters clashed with riot police inIstanbul for a second day.

The U.S. has been selling arms to Bahrain amid the small Mideast nation's increasingly repressive crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, Justin Elliot of ProPublica reports.

Syrian security forces killed 26 people at the funerals on Saturday of protesters killed in and around the southern town of Daraa the previous day, human rights activists said."Police and security services broke up peaceful demonstrations on Saturday by firing live ammunition, causing the death of 26 people," six Syrian rights groups said in a joint statement.The funerals had been held for 17 people gunned down in the southern agricultural town of Daraa, flashpoint of more than three weeks of anti-regime protests, and another 10 killed in surrounding villages on Friday.