Deception and Betrayal: Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime
President Bashar al-Assad, who wielded fear and force over Syria for more than two decades, fled the country under the cover of night — and a fake political address.
Ben Hubbard,Farnaz Fassihi, Christina Goldbaum and Hwaida Saad
Ben Hubbard, Christina Goldbaum and Hwaida Saad reported from Damascus, Syria.
As rebels advanced toward the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 7, the staff in the hilltop Presidential Palace prepared for a speech they hoped would lead to a peaceful end to the 13-year civil war.
Aides to President Bashar al-Assad were brainstorming messaging ideas. A film crew had set up cameras and lights nearby. Syria’s state-run television station was ready to broadcast the finished product: an address by Mr. al-Assad announcing a plan to share power with members of the political opposition, according to three people who were involved in the preparation.
Working from the palace, Mr. al-Assad, who had wielded fear and force to maintain his authoritarian rule over Syria for more than two decades, had betrayed no sense of alarm to his staff, according to a palace insider whose office was near the president’s.
German police probe market attack security and warnings
German authorities are facing questions about security and what they knew about the suspect accused of using an access lane for emergency vehicles to drive into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring more than 200.
On a visit on Saturday, politicians were heckled by members of the public, some seemingly outraged by what was criticised as a security lapse.
German authorities have defended the market's layout and security.
Serbian schools to close early for winter break amid anti-corruption protests
Vučić government seeks to stop unrest over Novi Sad canopy collapse spreading to secondary education sector
Sun 22 Dec 2024 13.56 GMT
Schools across Serbia will close for the winter holidays a week earlier than planned this year as the government of the nationalist president, Aleksandar Vučić, seeks to stop anti-corruption protests that have gripped universities from spreading to the secondary education sector.
The education minister, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, announced on Friday that primary and secondary schools across the country would close from Tuesday, rather than Monday 30 December, citing concerns over the safety and quality of children’s education amid the “stop, Serbia” protests.
The majority of Serbia’s population are members of the Orthodox church, which follows the Julian calendar, and Christmas is officially celebrated on 7 January rather than on 24 or 25 December.
Death toll rises in Nigerian charity event stampedes
In both incidents, the victims were primarily women and children, who had queued for food handouts for hours.
The number of people who died in stampedes at two charity events in Nigeria has increased from 13 to 32, police said on Sunday.
At least 22 people were killed when they rushed to collect donations, including rice and vegetable oil and money, at an event in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town on Saturday.
Another ten people, including four children, were crushed to death at a church-organized event in the capital, Abuja, where free food was being distributed.
Syria’s new rulers name defence, foreign ministers as interim cabinet takes shape
The key defence and foreign affairs portfolios in Syria's transitional government go to prominent figures in the insurgency that overthrew Bashar al-Assad nearly two weeks ago, tasked with restructing the country's army and establishing "international relations that bring peace and stability".
Syria's new rulers appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defence minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month.
He led numerous military operations during Syria's revolution, the source said.
‘No concern for Palestinian suffering’: Ex-official slams US’s Gaza policy
Former State Department official Mike Casey says the US government is pursuing Israel’s interests over its own.
Mike Casey says he has never seen anything like it.
In fact, the former States Department official — who served as a deputy political counsellor at the United States Office of Palestinian Affairs — described his experience as a diplomat in Jerusalem as a humiliation.
“It’s frankly embarrassing … to see just the way we give in to the demands of the Israeli government and continue to support what the Israeli government is doing even though we know it’s wrong,” Casey told Al Jazeera.
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