Syria crisis: Troops move into towns in north

Security forces were gathering in Khan Sheikhoun and Maarat al-Numan, a town of 90,000 between Damascus and Aleppo.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria to halt the bloodshed and "stop killing people".

The UN says that at least 1,100 people have died as the government has violently sought to quash protests over the past three months.

State television said late on Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad's cousin, Rami Makhlouf, intends to give up his business interests - which span telecommunications, construction and oil - and donate his profits to charity.

"As for his businesses, they will be directed so that they [...] create jobs and support the national economy. He will not enter into any new project that (brings) him personal gain," the television said of the tycoon.

A first cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, Rami Makhlouf is arguably the most powerful economic figure in Syria.

He has been the subject of persistent accusations of corruption and cronyism, and protesters in Syria have specifically targeted his business interests.

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