DAMASCUS —  Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, starting a second term after an unopposed referendum on Sunday, has repeatedly offered to resume peace talks with Israel, only to rebuffed by the Israelis and their US ally.

DAMASCUS  (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad cast his vote at a polling station at Damascus University on Sunday as part of a one-day public referendum to endorse him for a second term.

BAGHDAD (AP) — US and Iraqi troops raided Sadr City on Sunday, targeting Shiite insurgent cells in the Baghdad slum for a second day, while British forces stepped up pressure on Shiites in the southern city of Basra, killing three in an overnight operation, the US and British military said.