Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad has given a general amnesty for all crimes committed during the 10-month demonstrations. It would deal with all army deserters who turned themselves in before the end of January, peaceful protesters and the owners if unlicensed weapons. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Mr Assad to end the bloodshed. "Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end," Bbc.co.uk.quotes Mr Ban’s speech at a conference on Arab world democracy in Beirut as saying.