As protests broke out across Syria on Sunday, crowds were dispersed yet again by gunfire that left many dead. The conversation in the capital dwelled not on the uprising but rather on nails, along with the choice of polish and hair colour and the latest in make-up trends.
“I want either fuchsia or orange to match my dress,” a woman in her 50s said, as she rummaged through a box of nail polish in an upscale salon in Damascus. It does not take long to realise that there is a disconnect between Damascus and the rest of Syria. Sometimes jarring, sometimes reassuring, the detachment appears to have only deepened as the country plunges into some of its starkest international isolation since the Assad family took power in 1970.
Syria’s uprising has entered its sixth month, and protesters continue to defy the security forces that have, by the UN count, killed more than 2,200 people since March. But Damascus remains the linchpin, a reality that even activists acknowledge.
Gaddafi not in Niger convoy: Minister
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was not in a convoy of vehicles that crossed the border from Libya into Niger, Niger foreign minister Mohamed Bazoum said.
“It is not true, it is not Gaddafi and I do not think the convoy was of the size attributed to it,” he said over the phone from Algiers.
{{/usCountry}}“It is not true, it is not Gaddafi and I do not think the convoy was of the size attributed to it,” he said over the phone from Algiers.
{{/usCountry}}(With AFP inputs)