Video shows Assads at aid centre

Syrian state television has released a video showing President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma apparently joining hundreds of volunteers at an aid distribution centre for residents of the battered city of Homs. Many of Homs's residents have been displaced by fighting between the Syrian military and rebel groups that has swept the country for over a year. Assad and Syria's first lady Asma visited the aid distribution centre in capital Damascus where, according to state broadcaster, volunteers were collecting donations for Homs residents. The video showed the couple receiving a rapturous welcome as they arrived at the al-Fayha' stadium to assist in packing food donations. They are shown smiling as they package aid baskets, which will purportedly be delivered to families in Homs and its suburbs. The UN estimates Assad's forces have killed more than 9,000 people across the country over the past year. Syrian authorities claim foreign-backed militants have killed over 2,600 soldiers and police. Syria's first lady has made few public appearances since a popular uprising against her husband's leadership began a year ago. On Tuesday, she came under scrutiny as the wives of United Nations ambassadors from Britain and Germany released an online appeal imploring her to help stop the killing of anti-government protesters and innocent civilians. The video contrasted the lavish lifestyle of the 36-year-old mother of three, with the images of dead and injured Syrian children. The 15-nation UN Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to authorise an initial deployment of 30 unarmed observers to monitor a shaky truce that started last week.