US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pleaded once more for global sanctions against the Syrian regime as president Bashar Assad was rocked by the defection of a top aide.

The Reuters photographs of lines of bodies at Ali Bin al-Hussein’s mosque in Huola in Syria put our debate about this week’s EU referendum into perspective.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today called for international backing of an arms embargo and other stronger measures enforced by the UN against Syria if the country fails to abide by a ceasefire designed to end the bloodshed on its soil.

Syria’s government is failing to honour its pledges to implement a ceasefire plan aimed at ending more than a year of bloodshed, and violence there has escalated since a truce took effect a week ago, the UN chief has said.

Campaigners from around the world are urging Russia to back the UN Security Council and help bring an end to the crisis in Syria, coinciding with what they are calling the one-year anniversary of violence in the country.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague today called for more sanctions against Syria in the wake of continuing “appalling” violence.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has blasted Russia and China’s opposition to UN Security Council action on Syria, calling it “despicable”.

The US State Department said last night the best outcome for Syria would be a political solution but if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refused this “we may have to consider additional measures”.

The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution backing an Arab League plan that calls for Syria’s president to step down and strongly condemns human rights violations by his regime.

David Cameron and Barack Obama could tighten sanctions against Syria to increase the pressure on President Bashar Assad, Downing Street said today.

The Arab League will call on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution creating a joint peacekeeping force for Syria.

The Arab League will call for the UN Security Council to create a joint peacekeeping force for Syria, the latest effort by the regional group to end the 11-month old crisis that has killed more than 5,000 people.