Latest update: 08/03/2012 

- Bashar al-Assad - cinema - demonstrations - Iran - Lebanon - Oscars (Academy Awards) - referendum - Syria


Syria referendum: Reform or farce?

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As the bombs continue to fall on Homs, Syria organises a referendum on a new constitution. The government says it will pave the way to a new democratic era, but Western powers dismiss the vote as a charade. Meanwhile, the Syrian strife sends ripples through Lebanon. We report on sectarian tension in the northern city of Tripoli. Finally, Iran triumphs for the first time at the 84th Academy Awards as the divorce drama "A Separation" wins an Oscar.

THE WEEK IN THE MIDDLE EAST
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