Syrian Opposition Forms Council

It’s better to hang together. All of Syria’s many opposition groups except for one announced Wednesday that they have rallied around the Syrian National Council, a critical step toward uniting resistance to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In a statement, the groups said that the council would be the “formal interlocutor and formal representative of the Syrian people.” The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 people have died since a popular uprising began in Syria a year ago.