Syria

It's the midmorning commute, and time for the horoscope on "Good Morning Syria," the nation's hottest radio show. "Cancer," host Honey Sayed addresses listeners first in Arabic, then in English, with an air of sisterly candor, "don't get all worked up for nothing." On the other side of the window, deejay Abdullah Shaaban cues an oldie from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. "I got chills, they're multiplying," Travolta sings. "And I'm losing control."

An Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility Tuesday for the devastating suicide bombings at two government ministries in Baghdad last week, while Iraq and Syria recalled their ambassadors in an escalating dispute over whether Damascus may have aided the attacks. The claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on the Internet by the Islamic State of Iraq, the name now used by the Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. The group does not often acknowledge a role in bombings, and the ones it does claim tend to be among the most spectacular.

David Lesch remembers how, as the first-round winter draft pick for the Dodgers in 1980, he was singled out by Tommy Lasorda to throw against all-stars Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell on his very first day of spring training. His initial pitch to Cey sailed over his head. Cey got up from the dirt and shot him an angry glance. But Lesch calmed down and pitched the rest of the practice without a hitch.

Syrian President Bashar Assad began a landmark visit to Turkey on Tuesday, marking a dramatic shift in relations between the two countries that were close to war just five years ago. Assad's visit -- the first by a Syrian head of state -- is likely to focus on a growing number of mutual concerns, including the U.S. occupation of Iraq, fears of resurgent Kurdish nationalism in that country and regional instability.

The outdoor cafe was crowded with men drinking beer when Osama bin Laden suddenly appeared on a television screen in the corner. The men rose, cheering and toasting, when Bin Laden said America would not know security until the Palestinians do. Bin Laden says he is waging a jihad, or holy war, in the interest of Islam. So Abdel Razzak was a bit taken aback to see his friends and neighbors toasting the zealot with alcohol, which is prohibited by the Muslim faith.

Vice President Dick Cheney scolded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for "bad behavior" in traveling to Syria, a country that he said promoted terrorism. In a conversation with fellow conservative Rush Limbaugh on Limbaugh's radio show, Cheney belittled Pelosi's public statement after she met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday.

U.S. commandos crossing into Syria in an unprecedented raid this weekend killed a senior Al Qaeda associate accused of funneling fighters, weapons and cash to the insurgency in Iraq, U.S. officials familiar with the operation said Monday. Abu Ghadiyah, the chief of a Syrian smuggling network who was killed in the controversial operation Sunday, was "one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, facilitators of foreign fighters going into Iraq for Al Qaeda," a senior U.S. official said.

The Bush administration was quick to pin responsibility on Iran and Syria when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers this week. Yet those countries may not have specifically planned and ordered the raid that has brought the Middle East to the edge of war, U.S. officials and terrorism experts say. Iran and Syria each have long-standing ties to Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant group, and no Western government doubts that they provide financial, political and logistical support.

Efforts by Syria to seal its border with Iraq and prevent smuggling of Iraqi antiquities through its territory are easing tensions with the Bush administration. However, trickier challenges lie ahead that are expected to keep alive the political conflicts between the United States and Syria. Foremost is Washington's demand that Syria expel extremist Palestinian groups operating here in the Syrian capital and cut ties to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Secretary of State Colin L.

Syria has functioned as a hub for an Al Qaeda network that moved Islamic extremists and funds from Italy to northeastern Iraq, where the recruits fought alongside the recently defeated Ansar al Islam terrorist group, according to an Italian investigation. The investigation, which began last year, could intensify the growing debate about Syria's alleged ties to terrorism. Two weeks ago, Italian police arrested seven alleged Al Qaeda operatives.

An Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility Tuesday for the devastating suicide bombings at two government ministries in Baghdad last week, while Iraq and Syria recalled their ambassadors in an escalating dispute over whether Damascus may have aided the attacks. The claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on the Internet by the Islamic State of Iraq, the name now used by the Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. The group does not often acknowledge a role in bombings, and the ones it does claim tend to be among the most spectacular.

Iran has significantly boosted its supply and output of reactor-grade nuclear material, according to a quarterly report issued Friday by the United Nations' arms control division. Meanwhile, in Syria, international inspectors reported finding unexplained particles of modified uranium at a lab in Damascus, far from an alleged nuclear site.

David Lesch remembers how, as the first-round winter draft pick for the Dodgers in 1980, he was singled out by Tommy Lasorda to throw against all-stars Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell on his very first day of spring training. His initial pitch to Cey sailed over his head. Cey got up from the dirt and shot him an angry glance. But Lesch calmed down and pitched the rest of the practice without a hitch.

A 64-year old dissident was sentenced to three years in jail for "weakening national feelings" after he wrote articles critical of the political system, human rights activists said. The sentencing of Habib Saleh, who has spent five years as political prisoner over two terms between 2001 and 2007, reflects a tougher approach as Syria undergoes rapprochement with the West, they said. Saleh's lawyer said the law used against him could be invoked only if Syria was at war.

Syria has built a missile facility over the ruins of what the U.S. says was a nuclear reactor destroyed by Israeli warplanes, diplomats said. Citing comments by Syrian nuclear chief Ibrahim Othman at a closed meeting, the diplomats said the new structure appeared to be a missile control center or actual launching pad. The two Westerners demanded anonymity for divulging what Othman told the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board....

Lebanon chose its first ambassador to Syria, the latest step toward normalizing relations since the neighboring countries agreed this year to establish diplomatic ties. Information Minister Tarek Mitri made the announcement after the Cabinet approved the nominee. He told reporters the government would not disclose the ambassador's name until Syria had approved the choice. Lebanese TV stations, however, reported that the position will go to Michel Khoury, Lebanon's ambassador to Cyprus.

Uranium particles: A Nov. 20 Section A article about International Atomic Energy Agency reports on Syria and Iran misattributed an explanation for the presence of uranium particles in Syria to the IAEA. The explanation that the modified uranium particles must have been "contained in the missiles dropped from the Israeli planes" was from a Syrian government letter that was quoted by the report.

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief clashed with some Western nations who wanted to block aid for a planned Syrian nuclear power plant, saying intelligence pointing to a secret effort to produce plutonium was unproven. Mohamed ElBaradei said Syria was innocent until proved guilty. China, Russia and other nations rejected the Western challenge as political interference.

An investigation into a remote Syrian site bombed by Israel 14 months ago has provided no conclusive answers so far, but sparked speculation about the source of trace amounts of radioactive material found at the site. A report published Wednesday by the International Atomic Energy Agency said satellite imagery from the location near Dair Alzour suggested that the construction site "appears to have been similar" to the layout of a nuclear reactor.

Samples taken from a Syrian site bombed by Israel on suspicion it was a covert nuclear reactor contain traces of uranium combined with other elements that merit further investigation, diplomats said Monday. The diplomats -- who demanded anonymity because their information was confidential -- said the uranium was processed and not in raw form, suggesting some kind of nuclear link.