Arab League to hold extraordinary meeting on Syria

The Cairo-based Arab League (AL) will hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday to discuss the latest situation in Syria, official news agency MENA said Friday. AL deputy chief Ahmed Bin Helli said the meeting will be held upon the request of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The GCC members expressed concerns about the situation in Syria on Thursday and demanded an AL meeting to tackle the ways to stop violence there. Large-scale protests erupted across Syria as thousands of people thronged to the streets on Friday, the pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV reported. However, Syrian state-run TV belied media reports and aired footage of several areas across Syria after Friday's prayers that seemed to enjoy normal weekend atmosphere.