UN sets April deadline for Syrian pullout (tags)
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned Syria it must withdraw all its forces from Lebanon by April in the latest escalation of tension between the international community and Damascus. The hardening of attitude comes as Syria said it will "redeploy" all of the 15,000 troops it has stationed in Lebanon to the country's eastern border with Syria in a last ditch attempt to defuse increasing international pressure against it.
Lebanese protesters denounce Syrian interference (tags)
Waving Lebanese flags and denouncing the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, thousands of students rallied at the National Museum on Friday as hundreds of police in full riot gear watched but did not intervene.