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![Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)]()
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, Virginia: photo by Evan Vucci/AP, 2 August 2016
![Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)]()
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, Virginia: photo by Evan Vucci/AP, 2 August 2016
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The dark side of Duterte's deadly but popular drugs war: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 30 July 2016
Joseph Ceravolo (1934-1988): Dead Sea Scrolls (August 1, 1984), from Collected Poems, 2012
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The Road To Elections - False Promises #SouthAfrica #Elections2016 #photojournalism: image via John Wessels @wesselsjohn1, 28 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica EFF supporters attend a closing rally for the municipal elections in #Polokwane #AFP @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
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#SouthAfrica #elections Police vehicles patrol on the outskirts of Vuwani yesterday #AFP Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
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#SouthAfrica #elections Police vehicles patrol on the outskirts of Vuwani yesterday #AFP Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016 ![]()
#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016![]()
#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
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#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
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#SouthAfrica #elections Posters outside a polling station in #Durban #AFP Photo by @mlongari: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
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Women carry water bottles while crossing a field near the synthetic fuel plant in Secunda @AFPphoto @SafodienMujahid: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 31 August 2015
![Rio Olympics]()
![Rio Olympics]()
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#Palestinian A boy jumps into a pool of water in Gaza City #AFP Photo by @m55baba: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016 ![The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool in Gaza City]()
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GAZA CITY - The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool. By @mohmdabed #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016
![The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool in Gaza City]()
The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool in Gaza City: photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP, 2 August 2016
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UK - The West Pier is seen from The British Airways i360 Observation Tower in Brighton. By @TopshotKirk #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 2 August 2016
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BRAZIL - A surfer walks along the shore at a beach in Barra near Rio de Janeiro ahead of #Rio. by @lewelsamad #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 2 August 2016
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Syria gas attack after Russian helicopter shot down: image via Reuters TV @ReutersTV, 2 August 2016
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Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
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Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
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Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
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Le 'heros inconnu' #Syria #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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Rechercher la vie, de jour comme de nuit. #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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Admiration for #WhiteHelmetswho give and sacrifice their lives to save #humanity. #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets#SCD: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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#NobelPrize #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets because they have a courage that nobody has. #Syria: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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#Justimagine... #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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So if you dont give them the #Nobel, who can receive it? #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets #Syria #Aleppo: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
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#Aleppo: Rebels combing the streets and buildings in #Ramousseh District in search of remaining pro-Assad forces: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
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#Aleppo: Parts of New #Aleppo District in western #Aleppo are burning this evening. Rebels advancing.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
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#Aleppo: #Ramousseh Artillery Base burning. Pro-Assad forces collapsing in different areas of #Aleppo.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
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#Aleppo: #Syrian rebels advancing and parts of Ramousseh Artillery Base are burning after rebel shelling.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
![US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House on August 2, 2016 in Washington, DC]()
US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, DC: photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP, 2 August 2016
![US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House on August 2, 2016 in Washington, DC]()
US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, DC: photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP, 2 August 2016
![A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen's cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group. Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church. The church attack came less than two weeks after another attacker ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and wounding more than 300 others]()
A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen’s cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group: photo by Joel Saget/AFP, 2 August 2016
![A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen's cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group. Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church. The church attack came less than two weeks after another attacker ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and wounding more than 300 others]()
A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen’s cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group: photo by Joel Saget/AFP, 2 August 2016
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#francechurchattack Funeral in Rouen of Father #JacquesHamel murdered by two jihadists #AFP Photo by @CTriballeau: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016
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#francechurchattack Funeral in Rouen of Father #JacquesHamel murdered by two jihadists #AFP Photo by @CTriballeau: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016 ![LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street on August 2, 2016 in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)]()
An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street, in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.: photo by Carl Court, 2 August 2016
![LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street on August 2, 2016 in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)]()
An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street, in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.: photo by Carl Court, 2 August 2016
![A woman arranges signs showing departments of Tokyo Metropolitan Government as she prepares an event where Tokyo's first woman governor Yuriko Koike makes a speech at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan, August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon]()
A woman arranges signs showing departments of Tokyo Metropolitan Government as she prepares an event where Tokyo’s first woman governor Yuriko Koike makes a speech at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan: photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters, 2 August 2016
![A woman arranges signs showing departments of Tokyo Metropolitan Government as she prepares an event where Tokyo's first woman governor Yuriko Koike makes a speech at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan, August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon]()
![People walk on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China, August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA.]()
People walk on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province in China: photo by Reuters, 2 August 2016
![People walk on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China, August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA.]()
![MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 01: Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitos in the Wynwood neighborhood as the county fights to control the Zika virus outbreak on August 1, 2016 in Miami, Florida. Today, it was announced that 10 more individuals have been infected with the Zika virus by local mosquitoes. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***]()
Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitos in the Wynwood neighbourhood as the county fights to control the Zika virus outbreak in Miami, Florida: photo by Joe Raedle, 2 August 2016
![MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 01: Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitos in the Wynwood neighborhood as the county fights to control the Zika virus outbreak on August 1, 2016 in Miami, Florida. Today, it was announced that 10 more individuals have been infected with the Zika virus by local mosquitoes. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***]()
![Fishing boats are parked in a port as Typhoon Nida approaches Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, August 1, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY]()
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, Virginia: photo by Evan Vucci/AP, 2 August 2016
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stand for the pledge of allegiance during a campaign rally at Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, Virginia: photo by Evan Vucci/AP, 2 August 2016
The dark side of Duterte's deadly but popular drugs war: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 30 July 2016
Dead Sea Scrolls
August 1, 1984
Heightened in passion
The bird clears his throat
The trail through desert
is loaded with tears
The clan is alive
in the mountain walls
The bird throttles on
into a nearby grove
Joseph Ceravolo (1934-1988): Dead Sea Scrolls (August 1, 1984), from Collected Poems, 2012
Children of the quarry. @NabilaElHadad in #Burkina @AFPblogs: image via AFP Correspondent @AFPblogs, 29 July 2016
The Road To Elections - False Promises #SouthAfrica #Elections2016 #photojournalism: image via John Wessels @wesselsjohn1, 28 July 2016
#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
#SouthAfrica Violence between two communities in Ennerdale #AFP Photo by @wesselsjohn1 @AFPAfrica: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 29 July 2016
#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
#SouthAfrica ANC and #Zuma closing rally for the municipal elections in #Johannesburg #AFP by @GGuercia @AFPAfricaSafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
#SouthAfrica EFF supporters attend a closing rally for the municipal elections in #Polokwane #AFP @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 31 July 2016
#SouthAfrica #elections Police vehicles patrol on the outskirts of Vuwani yesterday #AFP Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
#SouthAfrica #elections Police vehicles patrol on the outskirts of Vuwani yesterday #AFP Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
#SouthAfrica An open air polling station on the eve of Municipal elections in Vuwani Photo by @SafodienMujahid: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
#SouthAfrica #elections Posters outside a polling station in #Durban #AFP Photo by @mlongari: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
Women carry water bottles while crossing a field near the synthetic fuel plant in Secunda @AFPphoto @SafodienMujahid: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 31 August 2015
Children are silhouetted against sunset as they run on the sand at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: photo by Felipe Dana/AP, 2 August 2016
Children are silhouetted against sunset as they run on the sand at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: photo by Felipe Dana/AP, 2 August 2016
#Palestinian A boy jumps into a pool of water in Gaza City #AFP Photo by @m55baba: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 2 August 2016
The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool in Gaza City: photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP, 2 August 2016
The trail through desert
is loaded with tears
GAZA CITY - The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool. By @mohmdabed #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016
The shadows of Palestinians are seen on a piece of gauze as they cool down at a pool in Gaza City: photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP, 2 August 2016
UK - The West Pier is seen from The British Airways i360 Observation Tower in Brighton. By @TopshotKirk #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 2 August 2016
BRAZIL - A surfer walks along the shore at a beach in Barra near Rio de Janeiro ahead of #Rio. by @lewelsamad #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 2 August 2016
Syria gas attack after Russian helicopter shot down: image via Reuters TV @ReutersTV, 2 August 2016
Rescuers say toxic gas dropped on Syrian town where Russian helicopter shot down: Lisa Barrington, Reuters, 2 August 2016
BEIRUT - A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons.
A spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which they suspect was chlorine, in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province.
The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defense uniforms.
"Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gases. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas," said the spokesman.
The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment.
Later, state news agency SANA said rebels had fired rockets armed with toxic gas on the government-held old quarter of Aleppo city, killing five people and causing eight breathing difficulties. It gave no further details. Rebels have denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons.
The SNC said of the reported use of poison gas in Saraqeb: "After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases.
"The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous security council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless for the Assad regime."
The Civil Defence spokesman said it was the second time Saraqeb had been hit by toxic gas. The group was aware of around nine suspected chlorine gas incidents across Idlib province since the conflict began, he said.
The U.S. State Department said it was looking into the reported use of chemical weapons in Saraqeb.
"I’m not in a position to confirm the veracity of (the reports)," said spokesman John Kirby.
“Certainly, if it’s true, it would be extremely serious.”
Monitors at the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence on all sides in the civil war, said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, wounding a large number of citizens.
Russia's defense ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb during the day on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria.
DENIALS
The helicopter came down roughly mid-way between Aleppo and Russia's main air base at Hmeimim in the western province of Latakia, near the Mediterranean coast.
Russian air power began supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad late last year, an intervention which tipped the balance of the war in Assad's favor, eroding gains the rebels had made that year.
No group has claimed responsibility for downing the Mi-8 military transport helicopter.
Government and opposition forces have both denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war. Western powers say the government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks. The government and Russia have accused rebels of using poison gas.
U.N. investigators established that sarin gas was used in Eastern Ghouta in 2013. The United States accused Damascus of that attack, which it estimates killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Damascus denied responsibility, and blamed rebels.
Later that year the United Nations and the Syrian government agreed to destroy the state's declared stockpile of chemical weapons, a process completed in January 2016.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed in late 2015 that sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, had been used for the first time in the conflict, without saying which party in the many sided conflict it thought had used it.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons.
A spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which they suspect was chlorine, in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province.
The group, which describes itself as a neutral band of search and rescue volunteers, posted a video on YouTube apparently showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by people in civil defense uniforms.
"Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gases. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas," said the spokesman.
The Syrian government and its Russian allies were not immediately available for comment.
Later, state news agency SANA said rebels had fired rockets armed with toxic gas on the government-held old quarter of Aleppo city, killing five people and causing eight breathing difficulties. It gave no further details. Rebels have denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons.
The SNC said of the reported use of poison gas in Saraqeb: "After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases.
"The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous security council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless for the Assad regime."
The Civil Defence spokesman said it was the second time Saraqeb had been hit by toxic gas. The group was aware of around nine suspected chlorine gas incidents across Idlib province since the conflict began, he said.
The U.S. State Department said it was looking into the reported use of chemical weapons in Saraqeb.
"I’m not in a position to confirm the veracity of (the reports)," said spokesman John Kirby.
“Certainly, if it’s true, it would be extremely serious.”
Monitors at the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence on all sides in the civil war, said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, wounding a large number of citizens.
Russia's defense ministry said a Russian helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb during the day on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria.
DENIALS
The helicopter came down roughly mid-way between Aleppo and Russia's main air base at Hmeimim in the western province of Latakia, near the Mediterranean coast.
Russian air power began supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad late last year, an intervention which tipped the balance of the war in Assad's favor, eroding gains the rebels had made that year.
No group has claimed responsibility for downing the Mi-8 military transport helicopter.
Government and opposition forces have both denied using chemical weapons during the five-year-old civil war. Western powers say the government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks. The government and Russia have accused rebels of using poison gas.
U.N. investigators established that sarin gas was used in Eastern Ghouta in 2013. The United States accused Damascus of that attack, which it estimates killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Damascus denied responsibility, and blamed rebels.
Later that year the United Nations and the Syrian government agreed to destroy the state's declared stockpile of chemical weapons, a process completed in January 2016.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed in late 2015 that sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, had been used for the first time in the conflict, without saying which party in the many sided conflict it thought had used it.
Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
Photos from #Idlib #SyriaCivilDef showing cylinders said to have contained chlorine that were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
#Idlib #SyriaCivilDef cylinders said to have contained chlorine were dropped in #Saraqib: image via Jake Godin @JakeGodin, 2 August 2016
Le 'heros inconnu' #Syria #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
Rechercher la vie, de jour comme de nuit. #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
Admiration for #WhiteHelmetswho give and sacrifice their lives to save #humanity. #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets#SCD: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
Working by day and night. #NoDayOff #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
#NobelPrize #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets because they have a courage that nobody has. #Syria: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
#Justimagine... #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
So if you dont give them the #Nobel, who can receive it? #Nobel4SyriaWhiteHelmets #Syria #Aleppo: image via Laetitia Utopie @Humanityanon, 2 August 2016
#Aleppo: Rebels combing the streets and buildings in #Ramousseh District in search of remaining pro-Assad forces: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
#Aleppo: Parts of New #Aleppo District in western #Aleppo are burning this evening. Rebels advancing.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
#Aleppo: #Ramousseh Artillery Base burning. Pro-Assad forces collapsing in different areas of #Aleppo.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
#Aleppo: #Syrian rebels advancing and parts of Ramousseh Artillery Base are burning after rebel shelling.: image via WorldOnAlert @worldonalert, 2 August 2016
US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, DC: photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP, 2 August 2016
US First Lady Michelle Obama touches the nose of US President Barack Obama before he welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, DC: photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP, 2 August 2016
A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen’s cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group: photo by Joel Saget/AFP, 2 August 2016
A man holds a picture of the priest Jacques Hamel outside Rouen’s cathedral on August 2, 2016 during the funeral of the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group: photo by Joel Saget/AFP, 2 August 2016
#francechurchattack Funeral in Rouen of Father #JacquesHamel murdered by two jihadists #AFP Photo by @CTriballeau: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016
#francechurchattack Funeral in Rouen of Father #JacquesHamel murdered by two jihadists #AFP Photo by @CTriballeau: image via AFP Photo Department @AFP, 2 August 2016
An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street, in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.: photo by Carl Court, 2 August 2016
An armed Metropolitan Police officer poses for a photograph as he patrols in Downing Street, in London, England. Security measures continue to be high in London while the current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.: photo by Carl Court, 2 August 2016
A woman arranges signs showing departments of Tokyo Metropolitan Government as she prepares an event where Tokyo’s first woman governor Yuriko Koike makes a speech at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan: photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters, 2 August 2016
A woman arranges signs showing departments of Tokyo Metropolitan Government as she prepares an event where Tokyo’s first woman governor Yuriko Koike makes a speech at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan: photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters, 2 August
People walk on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province in China: photo by Reuters, 2 August 2016
People walk on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province in China: photo by Reuters, 2 August 2016
Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitos in the Wynwood neighbourhood as the county fights to control the Zika virus outbreak in Miami, Florida: photo by Joe Raedle, 2 August 2016
Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitos in the Wynwood neighbourhood as the county fights to control the Zika virus outbreak in Miami, Florida: photo by Joe Raedle, 2 August 2016
Fishing boats are parked in a port as Typhoon Nida approaches Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China: photo by China Daily/Reuters, 2 August 2016
![Fishing boats are parked in a port as Typhoon Nida approaches Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, August 1, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY]()
Fishing boats are parked in a port as Typhoon Nida approaches Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China: photo by China Daily/Reuters, 2 August 2016