Syrian Constitution

Syrian government forces and allied militias have raped and sexually assaulted women, girls and men in a campaign to punish opposition communities - acts that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Thursday.

Turkish police killed two suspected ISIS terrorists in a clash during a raid on an apartment in Ankara overnight, who they believe were planning an attack. The raid came before the ruling AK Party was expected to elect President Tayyip Erdogan as their leader after constitutional reforms approved last month.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday reiterated his call for a national unity government, as the White House said his inclusion would make any such proposal a "non-starter".

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Syria needs to start working on a new constitution as a first step to finding a political solution to its civil war, though he acknowledged the process was likely to be difficult.

Amnesty International said today Russian air raids have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, many in targeted strikes that could constitute war crimes, since beginning nearly three months ago.

Russia wants the Syrian government and opposition to agree on launching a constitutional reform process of up to 18 months, followed by early presidential elections, a draft document obtained by Reuters showed on Tuesday.

The U.S. and its allies dismissed the Syrian regime's referendum on a new constitution on Sunday as a "farce" meant to justify the bloody crackdown on dissent.

Syrians are to vote on Sunday on a new constitution that could end five decades of single-party rule, although the opposition has called a boycott amid a bloody crackdown on dissent.

Syrian government forces and allied militias have raped and sexually assaulted women, girls and men in a campaign to punish opposition communities - acts that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Thursday.

Turkish police killed two suspected ISIS terrorists in a clash during a raid on an apartment in Ankara overnight, who they believe were planning an attack. The raid came before the ruling AK Party was expected to elect President Tayyip Erdogan as their leader after constitutional reforms approved last month.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday reiterated his call for a national unity government, as the White House said his inclusion would make any such proposal a "non-starter".

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Syria needs to start working on a new constitution as a first step to finding a political solution to its civil war, though he acknowledged the process was likely to be difficult.

Amnesty International said today Russian air raids have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, many in targeted strikes that could constitute war crimes, since beginning nearly three months ago.

Russia wants the Syrian government and opposition to agree on launching a constitutional reform process of up to 18 months, followed by early presidential elections, a draft document obtained by Reuters showed on Tuesday.

The U.S. and its allies dismissed the Syrian regime's referendum on a new constitution on Sunday as a "farce" meant to justify the bloody crackdown on dissent.

Syrians are to vote on Sunday on a new constitution that could end five decades of single-party rule, although the opposition has called a boycott amid a bloody crackdown on dissent.