Assad wants to hold elections in April

- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will hold April 13 parliamentary elections. He did this on Monday. The last elections were in 2012.

In Syria, a bloody civil war raging since 2011. Which stemmed in part from the violent repression of protests against the dictatorial regime of Assad made his father in 1970.

In 2011, Syria had an estimated 23 million inhabitants. Half has been killed, displaced, fled or disappeared. The devastation is colossal. Earlier this month published a Syrian Center for Political Research, a report which is already estimated to exceed 470,000 the number killed in this war.

Monday said the US and Russia announced that they are in Syria together for a cease-fire strive to Saturday must take effect.