Munich

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly said he is accepting the Russia and the United States' plan for cessation of hostilities, German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports, citing Syrian state agency SANA.

At least 140 people have died after bomb blasts in Syria's capital Damascus and the city of Homs, world media outlets report.

In the capital Damascus, at least 83 people, including several school children, lost their lives on Sunday after several explosions near a Shia shrine, according to State TV.

The fall of the town of Azez in northern Aleppo province where the Turkish military is pushing ahead with its cross-border artillery shelling campaign against U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia positions in Syria would mean emergence of a new refugee influx and security problem for Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an told his U.S. counterpart, President Barack Obama.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Feb. 20 he was conditionally ready for a ceasefire, under the condition that a number of countries, including Turkey, which he accused of "sending terrorists and weapons" into Syria, halt their support to insurgents. Damascus refers to all insurgents fighting against the Syrian army and its allies as terrorists. 

Russia's envoy to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin warned long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad over his vow to retake all of Syria, saying he faced dire consequences if he did not comply with Moscow over the peace process.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has shrugged off German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposal to consider a no-fly zone over Syria, saying it could only be done with Damascus' consent.

Gatilov said any no-fly zone would need to be approved by the Syrian government and endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, the Associated Press reported.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has strongly denounced Russia's bombing campaign in Syria, declaring it "vile, cruel and barbaric," while also chastising Ankara's allies, particularly Washington, for shying away from condemning Russia's acts with a clear language.

Turkey has accused Russia of war crimes after missile attacks killed dozens of civilians in five medical facilities and two schools in northern Syria amid escalating tension in the region. 

European Union officials have called on Turkey to halt its military action in Syria after Turkish forces shelled positions held by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) over the weekend.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has called on Turkey to cease artillery strikes targeting Syrian Kurdish forces in northern Syria, while voicing support for the country's fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).