Syria Gas Attack: 'My Eyes Were On Fire'

Survivors have described the horrific aftermath of the "gas attack" in Syria in a series of chilling interviews from Damascus.

Victims told how a gas with "a faint green colour" stung their eyes "like needles", causing their legs to buckle and making their bodies convulse in pain.

One told how he regained consciousness after succumbing to the gas, seeing wild hallucinations "like Alice in Wonderland" with his "eyes on fire".

Others described how they saw hundreds of suffocating, twitching victims in the streets and in hospitals following a barrage of "whistling" rockets.

Girls who survived rest in a mosque in Damascus

In several interviews, released by the Associated Press news agency, witnesses told how the rockets made a "strange noise", never heard before.

The rocket assaults came around the same time on two suburbs on opposite sides of the capital: Moadamiyeh to the west and several districts to the east.

Ammar, a resident who said he miraculously survived the barrage on Moadamiyeh, where 80 people were killed, said he was awakened by shelling around 5am. 

He said he heard a screeching sound, followed by the sound of people screaming on Rawda street below his apartment - and saw the green gas.

A boy who survived and took cover in a Damascus mosque

"I ran out to see what was going on and saw people in various stages of suffocation and convulsions. I tried to help, but then my legs buckled and I fell to the ground," he said.

Ammar woke up at a makeshift hospital, where he said he spent five days getting oxygen and injections of atropine, which counteracts the effects of nerve gases.

A week later, Ammar said he has not fully recovered. He suffers bouts of cold sweats, exhaustion, hallucinations and a runny nose.

Worst of all, he said, were the nightmares.

"I can't sleep anymore. I keep seeing the people who died, the scenes from the hospital of people twitching and foaming. I can never forget that," said Ammar, 30.

A child victim of the attack

His father, who identified himself by his nickname, Abu Ammar, was at the nearby al-Rawda mosque waiting for dawn prayers when the first rockets hit.

He said some people ran outside and then came back in immediately, shouting: "Chemicals! Chemicals!"

He put water on a tissue and covered his mouth and nose, and then went out.

"I saw at least seven people lying on their backs, completely still," he said.

Qusai Zakarya said the rockets crashed with a strange whistle "like a siren".

Friends took him to the hospital, where he saw dozens of people crowding the rooms and corridors, many of them in their underwear.

Nurses and doctors doused them with water. That was when he fainted. When he came to, doctors were injecting him with atropine and he started vomiting.

"Strange colours came out of my stomach," the man said. He fainted again and later woke up in the street outside in his underwear, apparently moved out to make room for others.

Later, he felt well enough to go home and said he slept for 13 hours.

Many children fell ill after the assault

"When I woke up I felt like Alice in Wonderland," he said.

"Everything looked distorted and I couldn't remember anything.

"My eyes felt as if they were on fire, and every time I tried to smell something I felt terrible pain. My chest also ached," he said, his speech interrupted by a hacking cough.

To the east of Damascus, some 600 patients poured into a makeshift hospital in the district of Arbeen. Of those, 125 died, including 35 children.

Abu Akram said he was told by several medics that some people were found in their homes, with wet towels on their faces or hiding with their children in bathrooms.

"People didn't die in their sleep; they tried to save themselves," he said.

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Syria Crisis: US May Act Without Allied Support

Syria: Russia 'To Send Ships To Mediterranean'

Updated: 9:08pm UK, Thursday 29 August 2013

Russia and the US have sent further warships to boost their military capacity in the Mediterannean as expectations grow of an imminent strike on Syria.

Syria's ally Russia is sending an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the Mediterranean, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

An armed forces source reportedly said the planned deployment was in response to the "well-known situation" - a clear reference to the conflict in Syria.

The navy has denied the deployment is linked to events in Syria, saying it is part of a planned rotation of its ships in the Mediterranean.

In the US, a defence official has said a fifth destroyer, the USS Stout,  has been deployed to the Mediterranean and is "heading and moving east".

The guided missile destroyer is due to relieve the Mahan, but both ships might remain in place for the time being, the official said.

Other destroyers in the region - the Ramage, the Barry and the Gravely - criss-cross the Mediterranean and could launch their Tomahawk missiles toward Syria if so directed by US President Barack Obama.

As military action inched closer, Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces removed several Scud missiles and dozens of launchers from a base north of Damascus, possibly to protect them from bombardment, opposition sources claimed.

The White House said it is on track to release an unclassified intelligence report on Syria this week, although the information is not a "slam-dunk" that will make an open and shut case for military action.

A spokesman added that what the US is contemplating in terms of its response is "very discrete and limited".

Russia and the US have taken part in an "urgent" meeting of the five permanent UN Security Council members in New York - the second such meeting in two days.

Russia is strongly against any military intervention in Syria, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believing it would seriously destabilise the region.

Mr Lavrov has said any attack without UN Security Council approval would be a "crude violation" of international law.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has spoken to German leader Angela Merkel by phone, with the pair agreeing the Syrian conflict can be solved politically, the chancellor's spokesman said.

"The chancellor called on the Russian president to use negotiations in the UN Security Council for a quick, unanimous international reaction," he added.

Public opinion in Germany is overwhelmingly against military action in Syria, less than four weeks before an election in which Mrs Merkel hopes to win a third term.

The warship reports come after US President Barack Obama said the US had studied evidence and concluded that the Syrian government was behind the alleged attack.

Mr Obama said any strike would be to "send a shot across the bow" and give a "pretty strong signal that [Syria] better not do it again".

He added the US had not yet made a firm decision about how to respond, but that it could take action even without the backing of allies or the United Nations.

The president's national security adviser Susan Rice, intelligence director James Clapper, defence secretary Chuck Hagel and secretary of state John Kerry are to brief Congress on Syria later, according to Reuters.

Questions are said to remain about who actually controls some of Syria's chemical weapons and whether President Assad himself explicitly ordered the alleged attack.

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta told state radio that his country condemned the Assad regime but would not join any military operation without UN Security Council authorisation.

The Syrian leader was shown meeting Yemeni politicians on state television on Thursday.

It quoted President Assad as saying the country would defend itself in the face of any aggression.

A draft resolution by the UK on authorising a strike failed to win the approval of the UN Security Council on Wednesday as Russia reiterated its objections.

China has also entered the discussion and warned the West against any military action. 

"China calls on all parties to exercise restraint and remain calm and to remain committed to the correct track of political solutions," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

British involvement in any strike will be debated today by politicians in the House of Commons.

Meanwhile, United Nations weapons inspectors set out on Thursday morning for the Damascus suburbs in a third day of investigations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has pleaded for all sides to hold off on any military strikes.

He said his inspection team would soon finish its investigation, leaving Syria on Friday and reporting their findings to him the following day.

Samples they have collected will go to labs around Europe for testing, AP reported.

Last week's alleged chemical attack is claimed to have killed 1,300 people.

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Mexican Drug 'Chief' Linked To 350 Murders

Police in Mexico have arrested a suspected lieutenant of the country's most wanted drugs lord on suspicion of murdering more than 350 people.

Mario Nunez, a former police officer, is thought to be the operations chief of Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman in Chihuahua, a state bordering the US which has been dominated by drug-related violence over the past few years.

"This person (Nunez) is related to, and believed to be responsible for, the murder of more than 350 people recovered from 23 hidden mass graves," said government national security spokesman Eduardo Sanchez.

Guzman heads the Sinaloa Cartel, which is widely regarded as the country's most powerful drug-running organisation.

In February it was reported that he had been shot dead but this was never confirmed.

US court documents say Guzman hired Nunez and gave him the job of snatching the smuggling corridors into the US from the local Juarez Cartel, through ordering gangs of hitmen to carry out killings that included mutilations and decapitations.

The Juarez Cartel lost ground to the Sinaloa organisation in a three-year battle that wound down in 2011.

But Nunez's criminal career continued, authorities say.

The Mexican government claims Nunez's power struggle with another drug lord in 2011 resulted in the killings of the 350 people unearthed in the mass graves in the northern state of Durango.

"Much of the violence seen in the states of Chihuahua and Durango is partially because of the actions carried out by this man," Mr Sanchez said.

Nunez, 39, is wanted in the US on drug-trafficking charges in a federal court in Texas.

The Mexican government said he could face up to 40 years in prison in Mexico.

It was not immediately clear whether there was a US extradition request for him.

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China's Bo Xilai Admits 'Some Responsibility'

The disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has admitted "some responsibility" for 5m yuan (£514,000) of embezzled public funds.

Bo denies embezzling the money, intended for a local government construction project, but said: "I feel I should take some responsibility" for the money ending up in his wife Gu Kailai's bank account and for failing to investigate.

"I feel ashamed. I was too careless, because these are state funds," he said, according to transcripts that the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan, in eastern China, is providing on its account on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter.

The courtroom scenes come after a lurid scandal triggered by the death of British businessman Neil Heywood - for which Bo's wife Gu was convicted of murder - that rocked the ruling Communist Party.

The trial has gripped millions.

Until the admission Bo's performance had been defiant, denying charges of bribe-taking and embezzlement totalling 26.8m yuan (£2.8m).

He also faces accusations of abuse of power in connection with the investigation into Mr Heywood's death, and Wang Lijun, his police chief and right-hand man in Chongqing, appeared in court to testify against him.

Earlier, Bo launched a scathing attack on a key witness, saying even the most stupid official knew not to discuss bribery where they could be overheard.

Wang Zhenggang, a former planning official in Dalian, where Bo was the mayor in the 1990s, told the court the politician had telephoned Gu in front of him in connection with the 5m yuan.

The claim did not make sense, Bo argued.

"It is not even what the most stupid corruption offender would do. Corrupt offenders with even the lowest IQ would ask who else in Dalian was aware of the money," he said.

He added: "All those who know me know that I ask them to switch off their mobile phones before I speak. I am quite cautious."

The court is posting regular but delayed transcripts of the hearings, and no live audio or video is available, nor are any foreign media or independent observers present in the room.

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US Marking 50 Years Since 'Dream' Speech

The United States has marked a turning point in its history with a rally held ahead of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington DC.

Tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to re-enact the moving civil rights rally where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the Lincoln Memorial.

On Wednesday, the anniversary of the speech, church bells will ring out across the US while President Barack Obama will speak from the same steps.

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the murdered civil rights leader, said at Saturday's event: "This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration.

"Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more."

Kathleen Johnson at the Martin Luther King March on Washington in 1963

Among those in the crowd to hear Dr King's speech 50 years ago were Kathleen Johnson and Jean McRae. Both women returned to the site on Saturday.

Speaking about the address on August 28 1963, Ms Johnson told Sky News: "It was a beautiful day. It was white and black together. It was a united day."

The image of her stumble into Washington DC's Reflecting Pool made magazines and newspapers across the country. Since then she has spent decades mobilising her community.

She said: "Back then there was so much wrong that we needed to stand against. I had to be there I had to be apart of it and I still feel that way."

Dr King delivered his speech on August 28, 1963

Greg Ward and his 12-year-old son, Benjamin, kept cool by fanning themselves with their "Voting Rights" banners, brought from their home state of Florida.

The two stood among the thousands lining the Reflecting Pool under a brilliant blue sky, listening to a host of speakers with varying plights.

Florida is the state in which George Zimmerman was found innocent in the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin, whose name and face adorns countless banners and T-shirts at Saturday's event.

Sky's US correspondent Amanda Walker said they want a repeal of the stand your ground law that they say allowed Zimmerman to walk free.

She added: "It's the most tangible sign of the census of the crowd: Martin Luther King's dream, shared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, has yet to be fulfilled."

Tens of thousands take part in the reenactment of the historic march

Mr Ward echoes the words of America's first black president - 'Trayvon could have been my son'.

He said: "It was important for us to be here. What happened in Florida broke my heart - it took us back. It could have been Benjamin. We need to move forward and this march can help that."

Patricia Major sat in the fold up chair she brought on the train from Connecticut.

She carried a Trayvon Martin banner and said: "That verdict was important but it's not the only issue.

Reverend Al Sharpton joins hands with Congressman John Lews in the march

"Immigration reform, voting rights, poverty - we are not there yet. Sure we have a black president but that doesn't make US society postracial."

Many other events are planned around the country over the coming days, giving Americans a chance to reflect on race relations.

An estimated 250,000 people of all races descended on the Mall on August 28, 1963, chanting "Equality now!" and singing "We Shall Overcome," in what was officially billed as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Millions more watched on television, among them President John F. Kennedy, who until then had been dragging his feet on legislation to end racial segregation in conservative Southern states.

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Syria: Iran Warns US Not To Cross 'Red Line'

Iran has warned the US not to cross the "red line" on Syria, saying it would have "severe consequences", according to the Fars news agency.

The warning comes after Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama said they are "gravely concerned" about signs that an alleged chemical weapons attack took place in Syria.

The two leaders spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper by telephone last night as calls increased for UN investigators - who are already in the country - to be allowed access to the site of the alleged attack.

The war of words has intensified in recent days, as Iran shows its support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Medecins Sans Frontieres has said 355 people died in the attack

"America knows the limitation of the red line of the Syrian front and any crossing of Syria's red line will have severe consequences for the White House," said Masoud Jazayeri, the deputy chief of staff of Iran's armed forces.

Mr Jazayeri was reacting to statements made by Western officials regarding the possibility of military intervention in Syria, according to Fars.

Earlier, Iranian Press TV reported that Damascus had told Tehran it would allow inspectors to visit the site of the alleged chemical attack.

A Downing Street spokesperson stressed that any significant use of chemical weapons would merit a "serious response".

The attacks took place in the Damascus suburbs of Zamalka and Ein Tarma

The spokesperson added: "The fact that President Assad has failed to cooperate with the UN suggests that the regime has something to hide.

"They reiterated that significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community and both have tasked officials to examine all the options.

"They agreed that it is vital that the world upholds the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons and deters further outrages."

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the American military is ready to exercise "options" on Syria should force be called for, but he declined to say what that action might be.

He is under mounting pressure to act over the alleged use of chemical weapons, which humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said had killed 355 people due to "neurotoxic" symptoms.

A boy recovers after the alleged toxic gas attack on Wednesday

The group said victims flooded three Syrian hospitals after a "chemical massacre" on Wednesday.

MSF director of operations Bart Janssens said the reported symptoms "strongly indicate mass exposure to neurotoxic agent".

He said: "Medical staff working in these facilities provided detailed information to MSF doctors regarding large numbers of patients arriving with symptoms including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress.

"The reported symptoms of the patients, in addition to the epidemiological pattern of the events - characterised by the massive influx of patients in a short period of time, the origin of the patients, and the contamination of medical and first aid workers - strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent."

Rebel groups have claimed the attack was carried out by Assad's forces and that more than 1,000 people had died. The Syrian regime has denied the allegations.

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