Victorious Spain ‘world’s best team’
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Roberto Soldado celebrates after scoring Spain’s second goal in the 2-1 win against Uruguay at the Confederations Cup.
Pedro had put Spain ahead in the 20th minute when his shot took a wicked deflection off Uruguay captain Diego Lugano.
Luis Suarez, out of shot, gave Uruguay a late consolation in Recife when he curled a free-kick past Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Mario Balotelli celebrates after scoring Italy’s winner in the Group A match against Mexico, but was booked for taking his shirt off.
The AC Milan striker fired past Jose Corona in the second half at Rio’s Maracana Stadium.
Mexico striker Javier Hernandez had leveled the score in the 37th minute from the penalty spot.
Andrea Pirlo celebrated his 100th appearance for Italy when he scored the opening goal from a free-kick.
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(CNN) — The score looked close, but Spain’s domination was all too apparent as the world champions began the Confederations Cup with a 2-1 victory over Uruguay on Sunday.
The eight-nation tournament is a warm-up for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, but on this evidence Vicente del Bosque’s team will once again be favored to lift the trophy.
“It’s very difficult to generate any kind of danger when you don’t touch the ball,” said Uruguay striker Luis Suarez, who scored a superb late consolation with a curling free-kick that matched the one by Italy’s Andrea Pirlo against Mexico earlier in the day.
“Spain is the best side in the world. They are a candidate to win the World Cup,” Suarez added.
His team trailed after 20 minutes of the Group B opener in Recife when Pedro’s volley was diverted into the net by captain Diego Lugano, completely wrongfooting goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
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If that effort had a slice of luck, Spain’s second in the 32nd minute was straight from the counter-attacking guidebook.
Suarez lost the ball deep inside the opposing half, and seconds later it was in the Uruguay net as striker Roberto Soldado finished off a clever pass from Cesc Fabregas which beat the offside trap.
Read: Neymar stunner sets up Brazil win
With Spain in control, Uruguay’s frustrations grew — and the team which finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup and won the South American title the following year could have gone 3-0 down as Fabregas hit the inside of the post.
Suarez, who has been publicly courting a transfer from Liverpool to Real Madrid, showed flashes of the brilliance which made him one of the top scorers in the English Premier League last season.
His 88th-minute set-piece was too good for keeper Iker Casillas, who started the match despite being frozen out at Real in 2012-13 under the Spanish club’s former coach Jose Mourinho.
Italy joined hosts Brazil on three points in Group A after beating Mexico 2-1 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Veteran Juventus midfielder Pirlo celebrated his 100th international appearance with the opening goal in the 27th minute, curling a superb right-foot shot past goalkeeper Jose Corona.
Read: ‘The man who made Brazil cry’
Javier Hernandez leveled before halftime from the penalty spot after Andrea Barzagli brought down Giovani dos Santos, but striker Mario Balotelli showed great strength to hold off two defenders and fire a 78th-minute winner.
However, he was booked for taking his shirt off in celebration — earning a rebuke from coach Cesar Prandelli.
“Mario needs to stop showing off his muscles. With celebrations like that, he’s only going to pick up pointless yellow cards,” Prandelli said.
“As for Pirlo, I don’t have words to describe what he did today. He’s the epitome of football and an example to everyone. He deserves a big round of applause. He gave us the lead and controlled the game.”
Mexico coach Manuel de la Torre said his players had hoped to play a cautious game and wear down the four-time World Cup winners.
“But we were up against a great side who were very well organized and made the most of their individual assets. That’s what made the difference,” said De la Torre, whose team suffered a first defeat since August.
Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/16/sport/football/spain-italy-confederations-cup-football/index.html?eref=edition
Some did it for the money, some did it for idealism, others didn’t do it at all. Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed himself Monday as the leaker of details of U.S. government surveillance programs to The Guardian. The U.S. has seen a number of high profile leak scandals including the Pentagon Papers during the administration of President Richard Nixon. Click through to see more high-profile intelligence leaking cases.
Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked the 7,000-page Pentagon Papers in 1971. The top-secret documents revealed that senior American leaders, including three presidents, knew the Vietnam War was an unwinnable, tragic quagmire. Further, they showed that the government had lied to Congress and the public about the progress of the war. Ellsberg surrendered to authorities and was charged as a spy. During his trial, the court learned that President Richard Nixon’s administration had embarked on a campaign to discredit Ellsberg, illegally wiretapping him and breaking into his psychiatrist’s office. All charges against him were dropped. Since then he has lived a relatively quiet life as a respected author and lecturer.
Jonathan Pollard is a divisive figure in U.S.-Israel relations. The former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst was caught spying for Israel in 1985 and was sentenced in 1987 to life imprisonment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly called for President Barack Obama to release Pollard after Pollard’s wife appealed to Netanyahu.
Pfc. Bradley Manning is an Army intelligence specialist who is charged with passing along classified material to WikiLeaks, a group that facilitates anonymous leaking of secret information. Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges against him and could face 20 years in prison. But he pleaded not guilty to the most serious charge, aiding U.S. enemies, which carries a potential life sentence.
Wen Ho Lee was a scientist at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico who was charged with 59 counts of downloading classified information onto computer tapes and passing it to China. Lee eventually agreed to plead guilty to a since count of mishandling classified information after prosecutors deemed their case to be too weak. He was released after nine months in solitary confinement. Lee later received a $1.6 million in separate settlements with the government and five news agencies after he sued them, accusing the government of leaking damaging information about him to the media.
Members of the Bush administration were accused retaliating against Valerie Plame, pictured, by blowing her cover in 2003 as a U.S. intelligence operative, after her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, wrote a series of New York Times op-eds questioning the basis of certain facts the administration used to make the argument to go to war in Iraq. 
In 2007, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, was convicted on charges related to the leak of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury in connection with the case. His 30-month sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush. Cheney told a special prosecutor in 2004 that he had no idea who leaked the information. 
Aldrich Ames, a 31-year CIA employee, pleaded guilty to espionage charges in 1994 and was sentenced to life in prison. Ames was a CIA case worker who specialized in Soviet intelligence services and had been passing classified information to the KGB since 1985. U.S. intelligence officials believe that information passed along by Ames led to the arrest and execution of Russian officials they had recruited to spy for them.
Robert Hanssen pleaded guilty to espionage charges in 2001 in return for the government not seeking the death penalty. Hanssen began spying for the Soviet Union in 1979, three years after going to work for the FBI and prosecutors said he collected $1.4 million for the information he turned over to the Cold War enemy. In 1981, Hanssen’s wife caught him with classified documents and convinced him to stop spying, but he started passing secrets to the Soviets again four years later. In 1991, he broke off relations with the KGB, but resumed his espionage career in 1999, this time with the Russian Intelligence Service. He was arrested after making a drop in a Virginia park in 2001.
John Walker ran a father and son spy ring, passing classified material to the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1985. Walker was a Navy communication specialist with financial difficulties when he walked into the Soviet Embassy and sold a piece of cyphering equipment. Navy and Defense officials said that Walker enabled the Soviet Union to unscramble military communications and pinpoint the location of U.S. submarines at all times. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors promised leniency for Walker’s son Michael Walker, a former Navy seaman.
Former intelligence worker Edward Snowden, 29, revealed himself as the source of documents outlining a massive effort by the NSA to track cell phone calls and monitor the e-mail and Internet traffic of virtually all Americans. He says he just wanted the public to know what the government was doing. “Even if you’re not doing anything wrong, you’re being watched and recorded,” he said. While he has not been charged, the FBI is conducting an investigation into the leaks.
Starting in 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service studied untreated syphilis in black men who thought they were getting free health care. The patients weren’t told of their affliction or sufficiently treated. Peter Buxtun, who worked for the Public Health Service, relayed information about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment to a reporter in 1972, which halted the 40-year study. His testimony at congressional hearings led to an overhaul of the Health, Education and Welfare rules concerning work with human subjects. A class-action lawsuit was settled out-of-court for $10 million, with the U.S. government promising free medical care to survivors and their families. Here, participants talk with a study coordinator.
In 2005, retired deputy FBI director Mark Felt revealed himself to be the whistle-blower “Deep Throat” in the Watergate scandal. He anonymously assisted Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward with many of their stories about the Nixon administration’s cover-up after the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The stories sparked a congressional investigation that eventually led to President Nixon’s resignation in 1974. The Post won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage. Felt was convicted on unrelated conspiracy charges in 1980 and eventually pardoned by President Ronald Reagan before slipping into obscurity for the next quarter-century. He died in 2008 at age 95.
Mordechai Vanunu, who worked as a technician at Israel’s nuclear research facility, leaked information to a British newspaper and led nuclear arms analysts to conclude that Israel possessed a stockpile of nuclear weapons. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its weapons program. An Israeli court convicted Vanunu in 1986 after Israeli intelligence agents captured him in Italy. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Since his release in 2004, he has been arrested on a number of occasions for violating terms of his parole.
President Ronald Reagan addresses the media in 1987, months after the disclosure of the Iran-Contra affair. A secret operation carried out by an American military officer used proceeds from weapons sales to Iran to fund the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua and attempted to secure the release of U.S. hostages held by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Mehdi Hashemi, an officer of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, leaked evidence of the deal to a Lebanese newspaper in 1986. Reagan’s closest aides maintain he did not fully know, and only reluctantly came to accept, the circumstances of the operation.
Tobacco industry executive Jeffrey Wigand issued a memo to his company in 1992 about his concerns regarding tobacco additives. He was fired in March 1993 and subsequently contacted by “60 Minutes” and persuaded to tell his story on CBS. He claimed that Brown Williamson knowingly used additives that were carcinogenic and addictive and spent millions covering it up. He also testified in a landmark case in Mississippi that resulted in a $246 billion settlement from the tobacco industry. Wigand has received public recognition for his actions and continues to crusade against Big Tobacco. He was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 1999 film “The Insider.”
For 10 years, Frederic Whitehurst complained mostly in vain about practices at the FBI’s world-renowned crime lab, where he worked. His efforts eventually led to a 1997 investigation that found lab agents produced inaccurate and scientifically flawed testimony in major cases, including the Oklahoma City and World Trade Center bombings. The Justice Department recommended major reforms but also criticized Whitehurst for “overstated and incendiary” allegations. He also faced disciplinary action for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into how some of his allegations were leaked to a magazine. After a yearlong paid suspension he left the bureau in 1998 with a settlement worth more than $1.16 million.
FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley accused the bureau of hindering efforts to investigate a suspected terrorist that could have disrupted plans for the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. In 2002 she fired off a 13-page letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller and flew to Washington to hand-deliver copies to two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and meet with committee staffers. The letter accused the bureau of deliberately undermining requests to look into Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in the United States of playing a role in the attacks. She testified in front of Congress and the 9/11 Commission about the FBI’s mishandling of information. Rowley was selected as one of Time magazine’s People of the Year in 2002, along with whistle-blowers Sherron Watkins of Enron and Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom.
Sherron Watkins, a former vice president at Enron, sent an anonymous letter to founder Kenneth Lay in 2001 warning him the company had accounting irregularities. The memo eventually reached the public and she later testified before Congress about her concerns and the company’s wrongdoings. More than 4,000 Enron employees lost their jobs, and many also lost their life savings, when the energy giant declared bankruptcy in 2001. Investors lost billions of dollars. An investigation in 2002 found that Enron executives reaped millions of dollars from off-the-books partnerships and violated basic rules of accounting and ethics. Many were sentenced to prison for their roles in the Enron scandal.
Cynthia Cooper and her team of auditors uncovered massive fraud at WorldCom in 2002. They found that the long-distance telephone provider had used $3.8 billion in questionable accounting entries to inflate earnings over the past five quarters. By the end of 2003, the total fraud was estimated to be $11 billion. The company filed for bankruptcy protection and five executives ended up in prison. Cooper started her own consulting firm and told her story in the book “Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower.”
In 2003, federal air marshal Robert MacLean anonymously tipped off an MSNBC reporter that because of budget concerns, the TSA was temporarily suspending missions that would require marshals to stay in hotels just days after they were briefed about a new “potential plot” to hijack U.S. airliners. The news caused an immediate uproar on Capitol Hill and the TSA retreated, withdrawing the scheduling cuts before they went into effect. MacLean was later investigated and fired for the unauthorized disclosure of “sensitive security information.”
Joe Darby is the whistle-blower behind the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq. He says he asked Army Reserve Spc. Charles Graner Jr. for photos from their travels so he could share them with family. Instead, he was given photos of prisoner abuse. Darby eventually alerted the U.S. military command, triggering an investigation and global outrage when the scandal came to light in 2004. Graner was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in the abuse. He was released in 2011 after serving 6½ years of his sentence. The military and members of Darby’s own family ostracized him, calling him a traitor. Eventually he and his wife had to enter protective custody.
The New York Times reported in 2005 that in the months after the September 11, 2001, attacks, President George W. Bush authorized the U.S. National Security Agency to eavesdrop without a court warrant on people in the United States, including American citizens, suspected of communicating with al Qaeda members overseas. The Bush administration staunchly defended the controversial surveillance program. Russ Tice, an NSA insider, came forward as one of the anonymous sources used by the Times. He said he was concerned about alleged abuses and a lack of oversight. Here, President Bush participates in a conversation about the Patriot Act in Buffalo, New York, in April 2004.
Several hundred protesters took to Hong Kong’s streets on Saturday to support Edward Snowden, a week after the 29-year-old whistleblower behind the U.S. National Security Agency’s mass surveillance program revealed he was hiding out in the city.
The rain led protesters determined to show their support to prepare laminated placards and umbrellas painted with slogans. 
Protesters and media gathered in Chater Garden in the city’s business district to kick off the three-hour protest.
“We’re rallying in order not to disappoint him and to ask Hong Kong to protect his well-being, not to extradite him, and to uphold Hong Kong law,” said blogger-activist and protest co-organizer Tom Grundy (L).
“The U.S is supposed to be the champion of democracy, but it’s been conducting blanket surveillance on a global scale. If the guy at the top has access to all our lines of communication, how is…anyone ever going to start a revolution?” said Claudio Mo, a member of the Hong Kong legislature.
Standing in Chater Garden in the city’s business district, Hong Kong legislator Albert Ho said the protest was a “march for justice.”
The protest brought together representatives from 27 civil rights, labor rights, and left-wing democratic groups, as well as many ordinary members of the public and media. 
Organizers announced an overall turnout of 900 protesters, while police cited a peak turnout of 300.
Ruth Jopling brought her daughters, Amber, 8, and Jade, 3, to the protest, who held cut-out masks on sticks bearing Snowden’s image. “It’s not just about our generation, but the next generation as well,” Jopling said. Amber echoed her mother’s sentiment: “When I grow up, I can tell my children about this.”
“As Americans, it’s kind of disheartening to know (the surveillance program) is going on behind our backs and we don’t have a say in it,” said Adi Koul (R), a University of Texas student studying abroad in Hong Kong. “It’s empowering to see people who aren’t necessarily American fighting for something they feel is a universal human right.”
In a televised interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday on how Hong Kong would handle Snowden’s case, Leung repeatedly responded that he “does not comment on individual cases.” His stonewalling infuriated many Hong Kongers.
Protesters unfurl a banner en route to the U.S. consulate, where organizers presented an open letter addressed to ambassador Stephen Young. 
George Orwell’s concept of “Big Brother” dominated much of the signage and discourse.
Hong Kong legislator “Long Hair” spoke to the crowd at the second rallying point outside the U.S. consulate.
Police at the Hong Kong government headquarters in Tamar blocked off most of the square with two circles of fences, forcing protesters into a narrow outer perimeter.
People carry the coffin of Ethem Sarisuluk, who was killed during recent protests in Turkey, on Sunday, June 16, in Ankara. Protests that began as a demonstration against the planned demolition of a park have grown into general anti-government dissent across the nation. 
Tens of thousands attend a rally to hear Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speak in Istanbul on June 16, a day after he ordered a crackdown on anti-government protesters at Gezi Park. 
A protester faces water cannons during a clash with police at an anti-government demonstration in Ankara on June 16. 
Police walk through tear gas during protests at Kizilay Square in central Ankara on June 16.
Police detain protesters after a crackdown on a demonstration at Istanbul’s Gezi Park on June 16.
A protester runs during clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the streets adjacent to Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 16. 
A protester throws a tear gas canister back at riot police during clashes near Taksim Square on June 16.
Trash containers burn in front of riot police forces in Ankara, Turkey, on June 16.
Protesters gather in the main shopping street near Taksim Square in the early morning hours of June 16 as riot police clear Gezi Park in Istanbul. 
Turkish riot police officers use rubber bullets on June 15 to disperse demonstrators in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 15. 
Protesters scramble for safety as Turkish riot police officers push them out of Gezi Park using tear gas and rubber bullets. 
Protesters run for cover as riot police spray them with a water cannon on June 15. 
A protester throws rocks at police during clashes at the entrance of Gezi Park on June 15.
A protester on June 15, reacts in pain to a salvo of tear gas fired by Turkish riot police chasing out demonstrators in order to dismantle their tent camp in Gezi Park in Istanbul. 
Riot police move in a line through the tent camp on June 15. 
Protesters escape from tear gas during the crackdown at Gezi Park on June 15
Protestors fire fireworks as police drive them out of Gezi Park on June 15.
Protesters sleep in Gezi Park in Istanbul’s Taksim Square early Thursday, June 13. Turkey’s prime minister on Thursday called on protesters camped out in the park to pack up and leave. 
A man plays piano for hundreds of protesters in Taksim Square on Wednesday, June 12, in Istanbul.
A man waves a flag in Taksim Square on June 12.
A man sleeps in Gezi Park in Istanbul’s Taksim Square early on June 12, hours after riot police moved into the square in an attempt to push demonstrators out. 
Municipal workers clean up a street in Taksim Square early on June 12, after police moved in to disperse protesters.
A protester prepares to throw a tear gas canister back toward police in Taksim Square on Tuesday, June 11.
Riot police fire tear gas canisters at protesters in Taksim Square on June 11.
People run from a tear gas cloud in Taksim Square on June 11.
People flee as riot police fire tear gas on Taksim Square on June 11.
Protesters run behind a barricade during clashes with police on June 11.
A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
Photographers crowd around a protester posing in front of a riot police vehicle at Taksim Square on June 11.
Protesters seek shelter behind a barricade on June 11.
Protesters try to run from riot police on June 11.
Riot police aim a water cannon at a protester as others take cover behind a makeshift shelter in Taksim Square on June 11.
Police enter Taksim Square during clashes with protesters on June 11.
Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Gezi Park in Istanbul on June 11.
A protester uses a slingshot to throw stones at riot police on June 11.
Protesters take cover behind a barricade in Taksim Square on June 11.
A protester holds fireworks during clashes with riot police in Istabul on June 11.
Riot police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse a crowd near Istabul’s Taksim Square on June 11.
A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on June 11.
Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Taksim Square on June 11.
Police fire a water cannon at protesters on June 11.
Protesters hold molotov cocktails in Taksim Square on June 11.
A protester throws a stone during clashes with riot police on June 11.
Protesters run from smoke as they clash with police in Istanbul on June 11.
Protesters take cover behind a barricade as fireworks go off nearby on June 11.
Medics carry Yasin Ayhan, 23, a protester who broke his leg in a raid early Monday, June 10, in Kugulu Park. Riot police doused thousands of protesters in Ankara with tear gas and jets of water for a second straight night. 
Protesters sleep at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 10. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters who have taken to the streets demanding his resignation that his patience has its limits and compared the unrest with an army attempt six years ago to curb his power.
A demonstrator is detained by police officers as protests resumed in Kizilay Square in Ankara on Sunday, June 9. 
A demonstrator covers his face with a makeshift gas mask during protests in Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 9. 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his wife, Emine, wave to supporters upon their arrival in Ankara on June 9. Erdogan told supporters that “even patience has an end” as he went on the offensive against mass protests that have consumed Ankara and Istanbul.
Erdogan addresses supporters from the top of a bus as police stand guard at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara on June 9.
Protesters gather during a demonstration at Taksim Square in Istanbul, on June 9. 
A demonstrator runs toward police during clashes with riot police in Istanbul, on Saturday, June 8.
Demonstrators shout slogans as they gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara, Turkey, on June 8.
Women sing as people gather at Kizilay Square in Ankara on June 8.
Protesters rest in Gezi Park next to Taksim Square during a demonstration in Istanbul on Friday, June 7.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the opening session of the Ministry for European Union Affairs Conference on June 7 in Istanbul. Erdogan said today his Islamic-rooted government was open to “democratic demands” and hit back at EU criticism of his government’s handling of a week of unrest.
Supporters of Erdogan wave the Turkish flag upon the prime minister’s arrival in Istanbul, on June 7.
Protestors dance at Gezi Park in Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6.
A man walks past damaged buses near Taksim Square on Thursday, June 6, in Istanbul, Turkey.
A mother and her daughter read notes placed by protestors on a destroyed car in Taksim Square on June 6. Thousands of striking union members joined the anti-government protests on June 5, marching in Istanbul and Ankara in a sea of red and white union flags, drumming and yelling for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.
Protestors spend their day at Gezi Park on June 6. 
Protestors demonstrate near the office building of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul early on June 6.
A municipal worker collects garbage set on fire by Turkish protesters in a restaurant district of Ankara on June 5. 
A woman is wheeled away by paramedics during clashes on Kizilay Square in Ankara on Wednesday, June 5.
Protesters confront police forces during riots in a restaurant district of Ankara, on June 5.
Demonstrators run for cover as police use water cannons and tear gas on the crowd in Ankara on June 5.
Protesters gather in Taksim Square as they shout slogans while protesting on Tuesday, June 4, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Riot police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Istanbul on June 4.
Paramedics carry a woman injured during clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Istanbul on June 4.
Turkish police detain a demonstrator during clashes in Istanbul on June 4.
A protester looks on during clashes with Turkish police outside of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office, near Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday, June 4. 
Demonstrators wave their national flag on June 4, during a protest in Ankara. 
Protesters cover their faces with plastic. After chaotic scenes in the streets Monday that continued late into the night and sent tear gas wafting through the air, the situation was relatively calm on Tuesday morning in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, near the park where the movement began.
A demonstrator takes cover at a road block between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on June 4.
Protesters clash with riot police between Taksim and Besiktas in Istanbul on Monday, June 3.
Protestors pass bricks for building barricades during clashes with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
Riot policemen unload tear gas during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
Protesters throw riot police’s tear gas back at them in Istanbul on June 3.
Protester wounds are treated during clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
Demonstrators set up road blocks between Taksim and Besiktas. Barricades remain up around the square, and Erdogan’s opponents appear determined to continue the demonstrations despite the prime minister’s comment on June 3 that he expects the situation to return to normal “within a few days.”
A medical team tends to a protester. The Turkish Medical Association claimed that at least 3,195 people had been injured in clashes on June 1 and June 2. Only 26 of them were in serious or critical condition, it said.
Protesters stand atop a pile of rubble during clashes with Turkish police on Monday, June 3. 
Turkish riot police fire tear gas canisters to disperse protesters near Taksim Square on June 3.
Police officers tend to a demonstrator during the violent clashes in Istanbul on June 3.
A protester waves the Turkish flag from a rooftop at Taksim Square on June 3 as large crowds continue to demonstrate below.
A protester wears a gas mask as smoke from a burned car fills the air at Taksim Square on June 3.
Despite Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call for calm on Monday, June 3, protests continued in Istanbul. Protesters carry the Turkish flag and shout against the government in Gezi Park near central Istanbul.
After protests that lasted until the early morning, a protester sleeps in a damaged and vandalized vehicle in Taksim Square on June 3. Protests showed no sign of letting up on Monday, almost a week after a peaceful sit-in was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots the city has seen in a decade.
A tired protester rests in front of the graffiti-sprayed wall of an information booth at Taksim Square in central Istanbul on June 3.
Turkish protesters clash with riot police near the prime minister’s office between Taksim and Besiktas early June 3.
Protesters drive an excavator toward Turkish riot police as they make their way to Erdogan’s office on June 3.
During the clashes, volunteer doctors helped injured protesters in a mosque on June 3.
A protester is silhouetted by a burning car at Taksim Square during clashes in the early morning of June 3.
A protester covers his face on June 3 near Erdogan’s office in Istanbul. 
Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul on June 3.
Protesters gather in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday, June 2. 
Riot police fire tear gas during a protest against Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party in central Ankara on June 2. Sparked by the events in Istanbul, general anti-government protests have sprung up in Ankara.
Demonstrators hide behind makeshift shields during clashes with Turkish riot police in Ankara on June 2.
Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters outside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s working office in Istanbul on June 2.
Protesters cling to a police vehicle mounted with a water canon in Istanbul on June 2.
Turkish police detain a protester during demonstrations in Ankara on June 2.
A protester flashes a victory sign as he takes part in a demonstration in Ankara on Saturday, June 1 in support of the protests in Istanbul against government plans to demolish a park. 
Protesters clash with riot police in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 1. 
Protesters clash with riot police near Gezi Park on June 1. Earlier this week, several dozen activists tried to stage a sit-in at the park, the last bit of green space left in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the city’s transit and commercial hub.
Turkish protesters wearing gas masks face off against riot police near Istanbul’s Taksim Square on June 1. 
Riot police use tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd of demonstrators on June 1. 
A man flees the clashes between Turkish protestors and riot police on June 1. On Friday, May 31, riot police stormed the growing camp in Gezi Park with water cannons and tear gas, pushing protesters into surrounding streets and triggering the clashes that have continued for more than 24 hours.
The clashes damaged surrounding businesses in Istanbul and forced them to close on June 1.
A man catches his breath behind the line where clashes are taking place on June 1.
A pair of tourists gasp for air as riot police use tear gas and water cannons the fend off the demonstrators. Turkish security forces allowed small groups of pedestrians to travel through the square.
Protesters buy gas masks from a local shop near the square on June 1.
Riot police fire tear gas into the crowd of protesters overnight on Friday, May 31.
Demonstrators set up barricades and build a fire as they clash with Turkish officers on May 31.
Friends carry an injured protester on May 31. More than a dozen people have been injured in the clashes.
Riot police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd at Taksim Square on May 31.
An activist wearing a gas mask is enveloped in a cloud of tear gas on May 31.
A crowd scatters during clashes on May 31, as one demonstrator throws back the tear gas canister that was launched by riot police.
Protestors brace themselves as they are fired upon with a water canon by Turkish police forces.
A large group of demonstrators gather to protest the demolition of Gezi Park in Taksim Square on May 31.
A Turkish riot policeman uses tear gas in Taksim Square on May 28.
Roberto Soldado celebrates after scoring Spain’s second goal in the 2-1 win against Uruguay at the Confederations Cup.
Pedro had put Spain ahead in the 20th minute when his shot took a wicked deflection off Uruguay captain Diego Lugano.
Luis Suarez, out of shot, gave Uruguay a late consolation in Recife when he curled a free-kick past Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Mario Balotelli celebrates after scoring Italy’s winner in the Group A match against Mexico, but was booked for taking his shirt off. 
The AC Milan striker fired past Jose Corona in the second half at Rio’s Maracana Stadium.
Mexico striker Javier Hernandez had leveled the score in the 37th minute from the penalty spot. 
Andrea Pirlo celebrated his 100th appearance for Italy when he scored the opening goal from a free-kick.
On January 26 a courtroom in Cairo passed down 21 death sentences to fans of Al Masry soccer club for their role in the deaths of 72 supporters of Al Ahly, Egypt’s biggest club from Cairo, during a match last February.
Some 15,000 fans of Al Ahly, many members of the club’s Ahlawy ultras group, gathered in front of a billboard displaying pictures of the dead at the team’s training ground to hear the verdict.
The news of the death sentences sparked wild celebrations among the supporters.
Smoke filled the air as flares and fireworks were set off.
Many of the fans had come armed with homemade pistols, expecting the judgment to go against them.
The jubilant fans were let into the club, where they held a rally on the training pitch. 
Many of the victims’ families were also there, holding pictures of loved ones. Here one young fan holds a portrait of his best friend, who died in Port Said.
The Ahlawy played a crucial role in Egypt’s two-year-old revolution. Graffiti honoring them and the dead can be seen throughout Egypt. This piece of graffiti next to Tahrir Square shows a line of police, each with the former dictator Hosni Mubarak’s face. The acronym ACAB stands for “All Cops Are Bastards.”
Meanwhile, in Port Said, the announcement sparked violence that led to the deaths of more than 30 people and the imposition of a curfew by President Morsy. A protest was organized to break the curfew. Here a protester carries a picture of Morsy blowing bubbles.
The army was called onto the streets. Many in Port Said blamed the police for the deaths and greeted the army as heroes, kissing soldiers as they passed.
A cross section of Port Said society attended, including several hundred women. The 9 p.m. curfew came and went. The protesters stayed on the streets.
At the center of the protest was Al Masry’s biggest ultras group, the Green Eagles. Many deny involvement in last February’s Port Said tragedy.
The protest was ended when police fired automatic weapons. One protester was killed. 
The following day, after the protest, burnt out cars remained in the street.
A defaced election campaign poster for President Morsy found nearby.
Outside a mosque next to Port Said’s soccer stadium, a crowd gathered for the funeral of a protester killed the previous night. Dozens of men crowded around to show their injuries sustained during the protest, as well as spent bullet casings.
The stadium was only a few hundred meters away. It was here that more than 70 Al Ahly fans were killed. The stadium is closed with little prospect of any soccer returning here for a long while, even though the pitch had been freshly mowed. Al Masry has been temporarily banned from soccer when the league eventually restarts. 
Inside, the stands have been left virtually untouched since the tragedy last February.
An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police during clashes outside the Egyptian presidential palace on Friday, February 1, in Cairo. Egypt has been embroiled in violence since last week, the two-year anniversary of an uprising that led to the ouster of then-President Hosni Mubarak.
A protester holds a smoke flare outside the presidential palace on February 1.
The entrance of Egypt’s presidential palace in Cairo is in flames February 1, as protesters battle security forces.
A protester faces off against riot police during clashes near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Wednesday, January 30.
A police officer fires a tear gas canister during clashes with protesters near Tahrir Square on January 30.
Police in plainclothes detain a youth suspected of being a member of the Black Bloc opposition group during a demonstration on January 30 in Cairo.
A protester sprays water into the eyes of a man after his exposure to tear gas during clashes with police near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday, January 29.
The lobby of Cairo’s Semiramis InterContinental Hotel is full of debris on January 29 after protesters stormed the entrance.
An Egyptian man takes part in a rally in Port Said on January 29. Protests in Port Said and nearby cities along the Suez Canal are symbolic because that region was among the first where the Mubarak regime lost control during the 2011 unrest, analysts say. 
Mourners carry the coffins of six people killed in clashes after the soccer riot ruling in Port Said on Monday, January 28. Rage exploded when a judge sentenced to death 21 residents of Port Said for roles in a deadly 2012 soccer riot.
Egyptians walk past destroyed cars in Port Said on January 28 following the funeral of those killed in clashes.
A riot police officer clashes with a protester near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on January 28.
A protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Sunday, January 27. 
Egyptian policemen and relatives on January 27 gather upon the arrival of the coffins of their colleagues killed in the violence one day earlier in Cairo.
A protester throws a rock toward opposing demonstrators on January 27 in Cairo.
Egyptian protesters throw stones toward riot police on January 27 in Tahrir Square.
An Egyptian protester runs with a live tear gas canister toward Egyptian riot police on Saturday, January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club’s headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club’s headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Egyptian protesters stand by the burning door of a school building on January 26, in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester carries an injured boy away from clashes with Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptians climb over a fence at the Al-Ahly home stadium on January 26 in Cairo.
An Egyptian fan of Al-Ahly football club fires celebratory shots in the air and lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
A protester throws a rock at riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate on January 26 in Cairo.
Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate outside the club’s headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate on January 26.
Smoke billows from a burning vehicle set on fire by Egyptian protesters outside the Port Said prison on January 26.
Egyptians react after the sentencing in Port Said on January 26.
An Al-Ahly soccer fan swings a live flare above his head on January 26 in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester tries to carry an injured man away from clashes with riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club rally outside the club’s headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
An Egyptian protester runs away from a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo. 
Relatives of victims killed during the 2012 Port Said soccer game react after the verdict of the court, at a courthouse in Cairo, on January 26.
Relatives and friends of Egyptian protesters who were killed in Suez during clashes with riot police Friday, load a body onto an ambulance outside the morgue in Suez on January 26.
A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Two protesters stand on top of a piece of furniture while riot police watch from a nearby rooftop in Cairo.
A protester throws a rock at riot police in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester walks through a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police.
An “Ahly-Ultra” soccer fan holds a smoke flare above his head in Cairo.
A protester walks through a damaged school building.
A protester removes the net from a basketball goal in a Cairo schoolyard.
Protesters and football fans clash with riot police near Egypt’s interior ministry.
Protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in Port Said.
Egyptian protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club wave their club colors as they take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in the Egyptian Suez Canal city of Port Said on Friday, January 25, calling for the prisoners who are suspected of killing 74 fans of Al-Ahly club during a football match in February 2012 not to be transferred to Cairo to attend their trial. A judge sentenced 21 people to death for their roles in the riot last year.
Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that 
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen near Qusayr on Thursday, May 30. 
Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22.
Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. 
Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12. 
Searchers use a flashlight as they look for survivors among the rubble created by what activists say was a missile attack from the Syrian regime, in Raqqa province, Syria, on April 25. 
A Kurdish fighter from the “Popular Protection Units” (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21.
People walk past destroyed houses in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday, April 21. 
Free Syrian Army fighters take positions prior to an offensive against government forces in the Khan al-Assal area, near Aleppo on Saturday, April 20.
Men inspect damage at a house destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo on April 15.
Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14.
A female rebel monitors the movement of Syrian government forces in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood on April 11.
A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11.
Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10.
Rescue teams and security forces check out the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion in Damascus on April 8.
The fighting has taken a toll on buildings in Aleppo’s Saladin district, seen here on April 8.
A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2.
A rebel checks for snipers across the street toward the Citadel in Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Free Syrian fighter mourns the death of a friend in Aleppo on March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Syrian opposition fighter runs for cover from Syrian army snipers in Aleppo on Wednesday, March 27.
A Syrian girl covers her face to protect herself from fumes as a street covered with uncollected garbage is fumigated in Aleppo on Sunday, March 24.
A Syrian man and his family drive past damaged buildings in Maarat al-Numan, on Wednesday, March 20.
Syrians carry the body of a Syrian army soldier during a funeral ceremony in Idlib province on Tuesday, March 19.
Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11.
Syrian men search for their relatives amongst the bodies of civilians executed and dumped in the Quweiq River on March 11.
A Free Syrian Army fighter looks back as smoke rises during fighting between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Aleppo on Saturday, March 2. 
Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2.
A member of the Free Syrian Army reacts to the death of a comrade who was killed in fighting, at Bustan al Qasr cemetery in Aleppo on Friday, March 1.
A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16.
A member of the Free Syrian Army stands with his weapon as he looks at a rainbow in Aleppo on February 16.
A Syrian woman looks through a bus window in Aleppo on February 14.
Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7.
A Syrian rebel gestures at comrades from inside a broken armored personnel carrier in Al-Yaqubia on February 6.
A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3.
People stand in the dust of a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on February 3.
Free Syrian Army fighters run as they enter a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus on February 3.
An unexploded mortar shell fired by the Syrian Army sits lodged in the ground in Damascus on January 25.
Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20.
A Free Syrian Army fighter walks between buildings damaged during Syrian Air Force strikes in Damascus on January 19.
A Syrian rebel fighter tries to locate a government jet fighter in Aleppo on January 18. 
Syrian rebels launch a missile near the Abu Baker brigade in Albab on January 16.
A Syrian boy walks near rubbish next to tents at a refugee camp near the northern city of Azaz on the Syria-Turkey border, on January 8.
Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in Aleppo on January 7.
A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3.
A patient smokes a cigarette at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo on December 18, 2012. The psychiatric ward, housing around 60 patients, has lacked the means to function properly since fighting broke out there in July.
Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8.
Members of Liwa (Brigade) Salahadin, a Kurdish military unit fighting alongside rebel fighters, monitor the area in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
A member of Liwa Salahadin aims at a regime fighter in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
Two young boys sit underneath a washline in a refugee camp on the border between Syria and Turkey near Azaz on December 5.
The bodies of three children, who were allegedly killed in a mortar shell attack that landed close to a bakery in Aleppo, on December 2, are laid out for identification by family members at a makeshift hospital at an undisclosed location of the city.
Smoke rises in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts in Aleppo on December 1 as fighting continues through the night.
Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29.
A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20.
Syrians protesters stand on Assad’s portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16.
A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15.
Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11.
A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6.
A Syrian rebel leaps over debris left in the street while running across a “sniper alley” near the Salahudeen district in Aleppo on November 4.
Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo.
A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31.
A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31.
A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26.
Smoke rises from a fuel station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk on a rainy day in the Arqub neighborhood of Aleppo on October 25.
A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22.
A wounded Syrian boy sits on the back of a truck carrying victims and wounded people to a hospital following an attack by regime forces in Aleppo on October 21.
A man lies on the ground after being shot by a sniper for a second time as he waits to be rescued by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malek Battalion, part of the Free Syria Army’s Al-Fatah brigade, in Aleppo on October 20.
Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20.
Smoke rises after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib on October 16.
A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11.
A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on October 10.
A rebel fighter is carried by his friends and laid on a gurney to be treated for gunshot wounds sustained during heavy battles with government forces in Aleppo on October 1.
Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18.
Free Syria Army fighters are reflected in a mirror they use to see a Syrian Army post only 50 meters away in Aleppo on September 16.
A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on September 14.
A woman walks past a destroyed building in Aleppo on September 13.
Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8.
A Syrian man wounded by shelling sits on a chair outside a closed shop in Aleppo on September 4.
A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by a Syrian air raid, near Homs on August 26.
Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soliders in Aleppo’s Saif al-Dawla district on August 22.
A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo.
Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo.
People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21.
A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian airstrike in Azaz on August 20.
A Syrian woman holds her dead baby as she screams upon seeing her husband’s body being covered following an airstrike by regime forces on the town of Azaz on August 15.
A Syrian rebel runs in a street of Selehattin during an attack on the municipal building on July 23.
Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23.
Members of the Free Syrian Army’s Mugaweer (commandos) Brigade pay their respects in a cemetery on May 12 in Qusayr.
Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10.
A Free Syrian Army member takes cover in underground caves in Sarmin on April 9.
Rebels prepare to engage government tanks that advanced into Saraquib on April 9.
Men say prayers during a ceremony in Binnish on April 9.
A young boy plays with a toy gun in Binnish on April 9.
A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his horse in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began.
Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14.
A rebel takes position in Al-Qsair on January 27.
A protester in Homs throws a tear gas bomb back towards security forces, on December 27, 2011.
A man stands under a giant Syrian flag outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 24, 2011.
A member of the Free Syrian Army looks out over a valley in the village of Ain al-Baida on December 15, 2011.
Members of the Free Syrian Army stand in an valley near the village of Ain al-Baida, close to the Turkish border, on December 15, 2011.
Displaced Syrian refugees walk through an orchard adjacent to Syria’s northern border with Turkey on June 14, 2011, near Khirbet al-Jouz.
A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows Syrian anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by security forces in Damascus on April 29, 2011, during the “Day of Rage” demonstrations called by activists to put pressure on al-Assad.
Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011.
A woman sits by the hospital bed of a man allegedly injured when an armed group seized rooftops in Latakia on March 27, 2011, and opened fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel according to official sources.
Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011.
Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said on Thursday that the Syrian government has crossed a “red line” with its use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen near Qusayr on Thursday, May 30. 
Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22.
Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. 
Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12. 
Searchers use a flashlight as they look for survivors among the rubble created by what activists say was a missile attack from the Syrian regime, in Raqqa province, Syria, on April 25. 
A Kurdish fighter from the “Popular Protection Units” (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21.
People walk past destroyed houses in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday, April 21. 
Free Syrian Army fighters take positions prior to an offensive against government forces in the Khan al-Assal area, near Aleppo on Saturday, April 20.
Men inspect damage at a house destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo on April 15.
Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14.
A female rebel monitors the movement of Syrian government forces in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood on April 11.
A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11.
Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10.
Rescue teams and security forces check out the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion in Damascus on April 8.
The fighting has taken a toll on buildings in Aleppo’s Saladin district, seen here on April 8.
A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2.
A rebel checks for snipers across the street toward the Citadel in Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Free Syrian fighter mourns the death of a friend in Aleppo on March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Syrian opposition fighter runs for cover from Syrian army snipers in Aleppo on Wednesday, March 27.
A Syrian girl covers her face to protect herself from fumes as a street covered with uncollected garbage is fumigated in Aleppo on Sunday, March 24.
A Syrian man and his family drive past damaged buildings in Maarat al-Numan, on Wednesday, March 20.
Syrians carry the body of a Syrian army soldier during a funeral ceremony in Idlib province on Tuesday, March 19.
Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11.
Syrian men search for their relatives amongst the bodies of civilians executed and dumped in the Quweiq River on March 11.
A Free Syrian Army fighter looks back as smoke rises during fighting between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Aleppo on Saturday, March 2. 
Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2.
A member of the Free Syrian Army reacts to the death of a comrade who was killed in fighting, at Bustan al Qasr cemetery in Aleppo on Friday, March 1.
A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16.
A member of the Free Syrian Army stands with his weapon as he looks at a rainbow in Aleppo on February 16.
A Syrian woman looks through a bus window in Aleppo on February 14.
Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7.
A Syrian rebel gestures at comrades from inside a broken armored personnel carrier in Al-Yaqubia on February 6.
A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3.
People stand in the dust of a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on February 3.
Free Syrian Army fighters run as they enter a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus on February 3.
An unexploded mortar shell fired by the Syrian Army sits lodged in the ground in Damascus on January 25.
Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20.
A Free Syrian Army fighter walks between buildings damaged during Syrian Air Force strikes in Damascus on January 19.
A Syrian rebel fighter tries to locate a government jet fighter in Aleppo on January 18. 
Syrian rebels launch a missile near the Abu Baker brigade in Albab on January 16.
A Syrian boy walks near rubbish next to tents at a refugee camp near the northern city of Azaz on the Syria-Turkey border, on January 8.
Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in Aleppo on January 7.
A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3.
A patient smokes a cigarette at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo on December 18, 2012. The psychiatric ward, housing around 60 patients, has lacked the means to function properly since fighting broke out there in July.
Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8.
Members of Liwa (Brigade) Salahadin, a Kurdish military unit fighting alongside rebel fighters, monitor the area in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
A member of Liwa Salahadin aims at a regime fighter in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
Two young boys sit underneath a washline in a refugee camp on the border between Syria and Turkey near Azaz on December 5.
The bodies of three children, who were allegedly killed in a mortar shell attack that landed close to a bakery in Aleppo, on December 2, are laid out for identification by family members at a makeshift hospital at an undisclosed location of the city.
Smoke rises in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts in Aleppo on December 1 as fighting continues through the night.
Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29.
A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20.
Syrians protesters stand on Assad’s portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16.
A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15.
Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11.
A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6.
A Syrian rebel leaps over debris left in the street while running across a “sniper alley” near the Salahudeen district in Aleppo on November 4.
Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo.
A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31.
A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31.
A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26.
Smoke rises from a fuel station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk on a rainy day in the Arqub neighborhood of Aleppo on October 25.
A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22.
A wounded Syrian boy sits on the back of a truck carrying victims and wounded people to a hospital following an attack by regime forces in Aleppo on October 21.
A man lies on the ground after being shot by a sniper for a second time as he waits to be rescued by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malek Battalion, part of the Free Syria Army’s Al-Fatah brigade, in Aleppo on October 20.
Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20.
Smoke rises after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib on October 16.
A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11.
A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on October 10.
A rebel fighter is carried by his friends and laid on a gurney to be treated for gunshot wounds sustained during heavy battles with government forces in Aleppo on October 1.
Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18.
Free Syria Army fighters are reflected in a mirror they use to see a Syrian Army post only 50 meters away in Aleppo on September 16.
A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on September 14.
A woman walks past a destroyed building in Aleppo on September 13.
Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8.
A Syrian man wounded by shelling sits on a chair outside a closed shop in Aleppo on September 4.
A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by a Syrian air raid, near Homs on August 26.
Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soliders in Aleppo’s Saif al-Dawla district on August 22.
A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo.
Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo.
People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21.
A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian airstrike in Azaz on August 20.
A Syrian woman holds her dead baby as she screams upon seeing her husband’s body being covered following an airstrike by regime forces on the town of Azaz on August 15.
A Syrian rebel runs in a street of Selehattin during an attack on the municipal building on July 23.
Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23.
Members of the Free Syrian Army’s Mugaweer (commandos) Brigade pay their respects in a cemetery on May 12 in Qusayr.
Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10.
A Free Syrian Army member takes cover in underground caves in Sarmin on April 9.
Rebels prepare to engage government tanks that advanced into Saraquib on April 9.
Men say prayers during a ceremony in Binnish on April 9.
A young boy plays with a toy gun in Binnish on April 9.
A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his horse in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began.
Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14.
A rebel takes position in Al-Qsair on January 27.
A protester in Homs throws a tear gas bomb back towards security forces, on December 27, 2011.
A man stands under a giant Syrian flag outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 24, 2011.
A member of the Free Syrian Army looks out over a valley in the village of Ain al-Baida on December 15, 2011.
Members of the Free Syrian Army stand in an valley near the village of Ain al-Baida, close to the Turkish border, on December 15, 2011.
Displaced Syrian refugees walk through an orchard adjacent to Syria’s northern border with Turkey on June 14, 2011, near Khirbet al-Jouz.
A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows Syrian anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by security forces in Damascus on April 29, 2011, during the “Day of Rage” demonstrations called by activists to put pressure on al-Assad.
Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011.
A woman sits by the hospital bed of a man allegedly injured when an armed group seized rooftops in Latakia on March 27, 2011, and opened fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel according to official sources.
Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011.
