Syria - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has granted a general amnesty for all crimes committed during the 10-month uprising, state-run media report.

It would apply to army deserters who turned themselves in before the end of January, peaceful protesters and those who handed in nlicensed weapons, Sana news agency is quoted as saying.

Tens of thousands of people have been detained in the past year.

At least 28 people died in violence across Syria on Sunday, activists said.

Among them, five factory workers were killed when their bus was hit by a bomb in the northern province of Idlib.

A further five were also killed in the same province, the Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of opposition activists, said.