Assad fled the capital Damascus, and flew to Moscow in December 2024 after his government fell following a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces.
Read more: How Syrian rebels overthrew Assad in just over a week
On Tuesday, a Syrian court sentenced the former president and his brother Maher Assad in absentia for the crimes carried out over the Assad regime's 24-year rule.
Assad's maternal cousin Atef Najib - detained in Syria - was also sentenced to death for leading the 2011 crackdown in the southern province of Daraa, where teenagers were detained and tortured for anti-regime graffiti.
The incident in Daraa sparked a mass uprising against the Assad regime, and later the civil war, which lasted until the fall of the government.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), at its height, the civil war displaced 6.7 million inside Syria and led to 6.6 million fleeing the country, making it one of the worst humanitarian crises in history.
While total figures are disputed, the Assad regime is accused of killing between 580,000 and 656,000 by human rights groups.
From 2011 onwards, Assad's rule saw widespread accusations of atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons such as sarin, chlorine, and mustard gas.
In 2013, a gas attack on rebel-held eastern Ghouta near Damascus killed scores of civilians. There were also widespread reports of rapes, beheadings, and torture.
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Senior American officials told the New York Times and Washington Post that despite the US president's public claims that he returned from Ankara via Air Force One, he was moved for security reasons at the end of last month's NATO summit.
While he was in Turkey, the US military carried out a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region.
Mr Trump said at the time he would be leaving Ankara airport on 8 July by one of the older versions of Air Force One - as opposed to a luxury 747-8 controversially donated by Qatar that he had arrived in.
Photos from news agencies at the time show the US president boarding Air Force One in view of journalists, who then reported that he had travelled to RAF Mildenhall in the UK before making the switch to the Qatari jet.
However, the New York Times and Washington Post reported on Monday that after boarding in Ankara, Mr Trump was taken off Air Force One by a catering container which had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists travelling with him got on board.
After being transported via the catering truck, he was then moved to a C-32A, a military variant of a Boeing 757, according to the Washington Post.
Both outlets then reported that when he arrived in the UK, he was secretly moved back to the older version of Air Force One, where he was then seen disembarking.
The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some US troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the Qatari-gifted aircraft.
Reporters leaving Ankara with Mr Trump were told to keep their window blinds closed, the Post said. When asked why on the journey from Mildenhall to the US, he said he has threats against him "all the time" and that he is Iran's "number one" target.
The decision to switch planes - which both outlets said made the older Air Force One in effect a decoy - was made after Mr Trump was briefed on a threat to his life from Iran while in Ankara.
The Times and Post said a small group of top government officials were involved in the plan, including General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
It's unusual for the Secret Service to mislead the public on the US president's whereabouts: After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, officials working for ex-president George W Bush did not disclose his location for several hours, but they also did not say he was somewhere he was not.
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The White House did not respond directly to questions about the reports, but White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement: "As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."
The Secret Service declined to comment, and the Air Force referred questions to the White House.
Hepatitis C is a blood-born viral infection which if untreated can cause serious damage to the liver.
As global health leaders have set out plans to eradicate viral hepatitis by 2030, NHS England said the nation is one of a handful of countries to have already surpassed the World Health Organization benchmark of treating 80% of all known cases.
NHS England said deaths from the virus have reduced by 36% in the last 10 years.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS national medical director, said: "Hepatitis C can cause serious harm, including liver failure and cancer, yet many people live with it for years without knowing or having any symptoms at all until it's too late.
"That's why the NHS has worked hard alongside public health teams and charities to find and treat hidden cases, and it's really encouraging that over 100,000 people have now received potentially life-saving treatment in just a decade.
"England is now leading the world in the mission to eliminate this disease, and on course to beat the WHO's 2030 target, but we are determined to keep up the momentum and finish the job.
"With hepatitis C curable in more than nine out of 10 cases, we are committed to finding and treating everyone who needs support and would urge those at greater risk to come forward by ordering a free and confidential home-testing kit online."
It comes just after the closure of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which looked at how more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s.
Rachel Halford, chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said: "We are on the cusp of one of the most significant public health achievements in our country's history. To sustain this momentum, continued commitment and long-term investment are essential."
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "We are leading the world in wiping out this disease for good.
"This is exactly the kind of preventative, forward-looking healthcare that we want the NHS to deliver across the board - catching illness earlier, easing pressure on hospitals, and giving people the chance to live longer, healthier lives."
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Dr Sema Mandal, from the UK Health Security Agency, said: "The sharp fall in cases since 2015 shows the impact of expanded testing and sustained access to modern curative treatments, and the commitment of health services and community partners across England.
"Treating over 100,000 people in just 10 years is a remarkable achievement, and brings England closer than ever to becoming one of the first countries in the world to eliminate this disease as a public health threat."
People at risk of undiagnosed hepatitis C, including people who have had a tattoo abroad, people who have moved to England from certain eastern European countries or those who use or have previously used injectable drugs, have been urged to order a confidential home-testing kit.
Mohammad Hassan was charged in relation to reports made to the force on Saturday, which ended in a police pursuit on the M62 in West Yorkshire.
A woman was safeguarded at the scene and continues to be supported by specialist officers, the force said.
Hassan has been remanded in custody and has been suspended by the force.
The 23-year-old will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
He has been accused of oral rape, kidnap, strangulation, sexual assault, theft of a mobile phone, and dangerous driving.
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Assistant Chief Constable Mark Dexter said: "Detectives and staff have been working on this investigation throughout the last 48 hours to ensure charges are brought in this case.
"The victim is our priority, and we are ensuring she continues to receive specialist support. Criminal proceedings must now take their course without interference.
"I understand, and share, the feeling among the public and our thousands of hard-working, decent staff who will have seen this news.
"Proceedings are underway and necessary action will be decisively taken within the regulations."
RAC analysis found an average of 721 people were injured or killed in drink-drive crashes in August between 2014 and 2024.
By contrast, December had an average of 663 casualties, and July had an average of 704.
"Drink-driving is often seen as more of a Christmas issue, but our analysis shows collisions involving drivers who have consumed illegal levels of alcohol are actually far more common during the summer," said RAC head of policy, Simon Williams.
"Warmer weather and longer evenings, as well as holidays, festivals and barbecues, all create more opportunities and temptation for people to drink and then get behind the wheel."
Mr Williams called for stronger measures to tackle the "genuine problem" of repeat drink-driving and said enforcement was "extremely important".
Among the measures he suggested was the introduction of court-ordered alcolocks - devices that prevent a vehicle from being driven without a breath test for alcohol.
Drivers would "strongly support" their use in the UK, according to Mr Williams.
The Department for Transport is analysing feedback on a consultation on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, which include the use of alcolocks.
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Alongside drink-driving, drug-driving is also of growing concern.
Repeat offending of drug-driving is almost five times more common than drink-driving, an investigation earlier this year found.
A total of 12,391 British drivers were caught driving with drugs in their system above the legal limit at least three times in the 11 years to 20 July 2025, official figures obtained by the RAC showed.
That is compared with 2,553 who received that many drink-drive convictions over the same period.