Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addresses the new members of parliament in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 12, 2020.
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Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, in apparent first public statement

A statement posted to social media in Moscow appears to detail the events leading to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s decision to flee the country for Russia. CNN’s Frederick Pleitgen breaks it down.

2:40 • Source: CNN
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Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addresses the new members of parliament in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 12, 2020.
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Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, in apparent first public statement
02:40
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<p>President Trump discusses Iran during a meeting at the G7 with the Emir of Qatar, saying the US will not invest in Iran and "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon." </p>
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Trump says no investment will go to Iran
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<p>The US and Iran say they have reached an agreement that will end a US blockade of Iranian ports and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iranians in Tehran welcome the outcome but remain cautious. </p>
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Iranians welcome US agreement to halt war but remain cautious
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<p>British painter David Hockney, whose vibrant portraits and sun-drenched depictions of the everyday made him one of contemporary art’s most beloved figures, has died at 88.</p><p>The artist died “peacefully at home” on Thursday, one month short of his 89th birthday, according to a statement provided to CNN by his longtime publicist Erica Bolton.</p>
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Celebrated British artist David Hockney dies at 88
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