EU renews Syria sanctions
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is prolonging for another year its sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad and other top political officials, military officers and business people over the regime’s continued crackdown on civilians in the conflict-torn country. The European Council, headquarters of the 27 EU countries, said in a statement Thursday that the sanctions would be extended until June 1, 2021, more than a decade after the conflict began, “as the repression of the civilian population continues.”