car bomb killed at least 13 people, including 10 policemen

A car bomb killed at least 13 people, including 10 policemen, when it exploded outside the police headquarters in a town north of the Syrian capital, AP reported Monday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition group, told AP the explosion happened overnight in Deir Atiyeh, a town about 80km north of the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The observatory said one child was killed in the blast.
Syria's state news agency confirmed the explosion, but said it was caused by a suicide bomber detonating an explosives-laden car in a neighborhood in Deir Atiyeh. It also said "terrorists" were behind the attack - a term used by the government for the rebels battling to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. [AP]

A shell fired from Syria hit near the Israel-Syria border in the northern Golan Heights.

A shell fired from Syria, where insurgents and government troops are locked in fierce fighting, exploded in the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights plateau on Sunday, a military spokeswoman told AFP.
"A shell fired from Syria hit an open area near the Israel-Syria border in the northern Golan Heights," the spokeswoman said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
"Initial evidence suggests the shell was a result of errant fire from Syria. IDF (Israel defence forces) soldiers are currently searching the area," she said. "The UN forces operating in the area were notified of the incident." [AFP]

Two French journalists kidnapped june are alive and Paris is working for their release.

Two French journalists kidnapped shortly after arriving in Syria in June are alive and Paris is working for their release, the defence minister said on Sunday.
Didier Francois, 53, a seasoned reporter in troublespots with Europe 1 radio, and 22-year-old photographer Edouard Elias were taken hostage after being stopped at a checkpoint on the road to Aleppo.
It was unclear who was holding them.
"Every effort is being made to ensure that the conditions for their release can be met very quickly," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told journalists.
"We know they are alive and we are stepping up our efforts," he said. "In the interests of everyone, especially those two, I cannot say any more."
According to Reporters Without Borders, 24 journalists have been killed and 23 imprisoned since the outbreak of Syria's civil strife in March 2011.
[AFP]