Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces pounded resistance strongholds Saturday, opposition activists said, raising questions about what immediate effect a plan by world powers to end the violence will have in the hardest hit areas.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces pounded resistance strongholds Saturday, opposition activists said, raising questions about what immediate effect a plan by world powers to end the violence will have in the hardest hit areas.

The United States is having "intense discussions" with the Egyptian government to resolve the case of more than a dozen American overseas aid workers facing charges as part of an Egyptian crackdown on nongovernmental organizations, a senior a…