Crisis: Civil unrest and protests shakes Syria, Israel, and London

August 7, 2011– Syria: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to “immediately end” the use of troops against civilian protesters. In a telephone call to the Syrian leader, Mr Ban also said the use of mass arrests against protesters must be stopped, the UN said. It was the first contact between the two men since April. President Assad is facing increasing international condemnation for using troops and tanks to quell protests. Meanwhile, a leading activist said on Sunday that Syrian talks had launched a pre-dawn attack on the eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Rami Abdel Rahman, of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP news agency that shelling was reported from at least three suburbs. The report cannot be verified. Activists say about 1,650 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands arrested across Syria since the anti-government demonstrations began in March. The UN Security Council recently issued a statement condemning the crackdown.  –BBC 

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally in the Middle East, recalled the kingdom’s ambassador to Syria today, saying the violence in that country is unacceptable. King Abdullah said Syria has “two options, either wisdom or chaos.” His written statement was read on Al Arabiya television. At least 100 anti-government protesters were killed in Syria yesterday and hundreds of others arrested, including journalists and activists, Ammar Qurabi, of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, said in a telephone interview. The killings took place in the eastern city of Deir al- Zour, in Homs province in central Syria, and in the northern province of Idlib, Qurabi said. Syrian forces began the raids Aug. 7. Heavy gunfire was heard in the Al-Maidan area of Damascus, Al Jazeera reported, citing unidentified activists. The increased violence by government forces in the almost five-month revolt began July 31 on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan as protesters vowed to enlarge their rallies against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad during the period of fasting and prayer. Khalid Rashid, a witness from Deir al-Zour, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview that tanks shelled mosques and houses and opened fire randomly in the city, and that snipers shot at any moving object in the streets. He said the number of dead there rose to 65. –Bloomberg

LONDON (AP) – The riot that tore through parts of north London’s deprived Tottenham neighborhood has cast a pall over Britain’s capital, echoing an earlier era of racial unrest, while spreading malaise through a city preparing to host the Olympic Games. Eight officers were hospitalized after a peaceful protest against the shooting death of a young man degenerated into a Saturday night rampage, with rioters torching a double-decker bus, destroying patrol cars and trashing a shopping mall. Looters descended on the area around midnight, setting buildings alight, and piling stolen goods into cars and shopping carts. Sirens could be heard across the capital as authorities rushed reinforcements to the scene. “This is just a glimpse into the abyss,” former Metropolitan Police Commander John O’Connor told Sky News television Sunday. “Someone’s pulled the clock back and you can look and see what’s beneath the surface. And what with the Olympic Games coming up, this doesn’t bode very well for London.” –My Way News

(c) Al Jazeera                               contributions David/GMW/Luisport