Syria blocks poison probe

SYRIAN and Russian authorities, citing “security issues”, prevented independent investigators from going to the scene of a suspected chemical attack, blocking international efforts to establish what happened and who was to blame.

The US and France say they have evidence that poison gas was used in the April 7 attack in the opposition-held town of Douma, killing dozens of people, and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s military was behind it.

Syria and its ally Russia deny any chemical attack took place.