Three dead in Alawite protests on Syrian coast, local officials say

LATAKIA, Syria Dec 28 - ‌Three people were killed on Sunday when protests in Syria's Alawite heartland of Latakia spiralledinto ‌gunfire and other violence, according to the province's media office. Syria has been rocked by several ‌episodes of sectarian bloodshed since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the Muslim Alawite minority, was ousted by a...

Austria offers Syrian refugees 1,000 euros to return home

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's conservative-led government said on Friday it is offering Syrian refugees a "return bonus" of 1,000 euros ($1,050) to move back to their home country after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer reacted quickly to Assad's overthrow on Sunday, saying the same day that the security situation in Syria should...