Syrian diplomats around the world expelled

Beirut – A U.N. official says international envoy Kofi Annan has left Syria without securing any major steps from the Syrian government to implement his faltering peace plan for the country.

Speaking by phone from Damascus, U.N. spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh told AFP that Mr. Annan flew out of Syria on Wednesday morning local time. The U.N.-Arab League envoy met with President Bashar al-Assad the previous day and later told reporters that he appealed to the Syrian leader for