The Syrian government launched an offensive yesterday to retake rebel-held neighbourhoods in the nation's commercial hub of Aleppo, unleashing artillery, tanks and helicopter gunships against poorly armed opposition fighters.

The Syrian government launched an offensive to retake rebel-held districts in the nation's commercial hub of Aleppo today, unleashing artillery, tanks and helicopter gunships against poorly armed opposition fighters.

Syrian government tanks backed by attack helicopters swept into Aleppo today as the regime launched an assault to regain control of the city.

A Saudi man was killed and his wife and two children were injured when their car crashed off a bridge while being pursued by religious police in the conservative Islamic kingdom, a spokesman for the religious police said.

Hours of clashes across Syria killed at least four people today and wounded dozens more - including an 11-year-old girl who was struck by stray bullets that flew across the border into Lebanon, officials said.

Syrian tanks and elite troops were today heading to a northern area ahead of a possible attack on a town where soldiers reportedly joined an anti-government uprising.

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad yesterday issued decrees ending nearly five decades of emergency law, abolishing state security courts and allowing citizens to protest peacefully, state television reported.

The tip-off that foiled the airline ink bomb plot came from a leading al-Qaida militant who surrendered to Saudi Arabia, Yemeni intelligence sources said today.

A TEENAGE girl has been sentenced to a 90-lash flogging and two months in prison as punishment for assaulting a teacher, a Saudi judge said yesterday.

A criminal court has ordered a Kuwaiti newspaper to close for three days for publishing what it ruled were “indecent” photos of Saddam Hussein’s granddaughter, but the newspaper has appealed, its lawyer said today.

The unprecedented shake-up in Kuwait’s ruling family should not effect the tiny, oil-rich country’s close ties to Washington, but analysts said tonight there could be significant changes in Kuwait, such as the imposition of taxes.

A suspected militant killed by Saudi police at the weekend was carrying a six-month-old letter from Osama bin Laden, it was reported today

SAUDI ARABIA yesterday said it had arrested an alleged mastermind of the deadly suicide bombings in Riyadh along with four other suspects, as newspapers said all five were believed to be members of al-Qaida.

A number of militants believed to be linked to the Riyadh bombings have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, Interior Minister Prince Nayef said.

Kuwaiti television has trumpeted the joy of Iraqis after the fall of Baghdad to US troops, with a presenter saying it is a “slap in the face” to those Arabs who sided with Saddam Hussein.