Syrian leader in concession to Kurds

Syria’s president has granted citizenship to thousands of Kurds living in a north-eastern province as part of overtures to ease the pressure of widespread anti-government protests.

State-run television said Bashar Assad issued a decree granting citizenship to more than 250,000 Kurds registered as aliens in the Hasaka province records, fulfilling a key demand by the country’s long-ostracised minority.