The wife of deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is severely ill with leukaemia and has been given a 50-50 chance of survival, media reports say. Asma al-Assad is being isolated to avoid infections and cannot be in the same room as other people, the Telegraph newspaper also reported. The al-Assad family fled to Moscow as a lightning rebel offensive swept Syria’s capital Damascus in early December. British-born Asma al-Assad is now reportedly being cared for by her father Fawaz Akhras, a respected London cardiologist, who is said to be “heartbroken”.