Damascus mortar attack kills 12

Twelve people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a mortar attack on a technical institute in central Damascus, Syrian state media say. Four mortar shells struck the mainly Shia Shaghour neighbourhood of the city, police told the Sana news agency. Two of the shells hit the Badr al-Din al-Hussein technical institute. The attack comes a day after President Bashar al-Assad registered to stand for re-election defying calls to step down as a way of ending Syria's civil war. aThe president's forces have pushed back rebels from many of their strongholds around the capital, but residents say they have responded by increasing the number of rocket and mortar attacks in the centre of the city, according to BBC.