Category: News

On Sunday, Russia announced that Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, has decided to resign and leave the country. This comes after a long civil war that lasted nearly 14 years, during which Assad’s government was challenged by rebel forces.

According to Russia’s foreign ministry, Assad had discussions with several parties involved in the conflict before making this decision. Although Russia claimed he instructed his team on how to peacefully hand over power, they said they were not part of these talks.

Reports say that Assad flew out of Damascus, the capital, just as rebel fighters were entering the city. No one knows where he went, and his family’s whereabouts—including his wife Asma and their two children—are also unclear.

The news of Assad’s resignation sparked celebrations across Syria. Many people celebrated by pulling down statues of his father, Hafez al-Assad, and his late brother, Bassel. In some places, crowds ransacked Assad’s palaces, stealing chairs and other furniture.

Bashar al-Assad has been in power since 2000 after taking over from his father, who ruled from 1970. Since 2011, he has been known for harshly stopping protests that called for more democracy in the country.

For over 50 years, Syria’s Baath Party, led by the Assad family, ruled the country with fear and violence. This changed dramatically when rebels attacked and captured Damascus. In 2011, President Bashar al-Assad reacted to peaceful protests by using force, just like his father Hafez had done before him.

The Baath Party, which means “resurrection” in Arabic, was created in 1947 by two educated Syrians, Michel Aflaq and Salah Bitar. It aimed to unite Arab nations. The party grew popular after merging with the Arab Socialist Party. In 1963, a military coup put the Baath Party in power, and a few years later, Hafez al-Assad took control, pushing out the party’s founders.

Hafez al-Assad cemented his power in 1970, becoming the head of state and ruling until his death in 2000. A new constitution made the Baath Party the leader of the country. For 30 years, political opposition was not allowed, and protests were banned. In 1982, the government violently suppressed a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing thousands of people in a hidden massacre.

In this system, Hafez and his son Bashar were both ‘elected’ with more than 90% of the vote, even though there was no real competition. When Hafez died, Bashar was too young to be president, so they changed the rules to allow him to take over—a move many saw as making a hereditary monarchy.

The Assads belong to the Alawite minority, a branch of Shiite Islam in a mostly Sunni country. As the 2011 Arab Spring spread to Syria, it became a serious challenge for the Assads. Bashar promised change but responded with violence against protestors. Although the government held a referendum for a new constitution in 2012, the violence escalated into a civil war, causing the deaths of over half a million people and displacing millions.

Recently, Islamist rebels took control of Damascus after a fast attack, signaling an end to the Assad family’s long and oppressive rule and a hope for a new beginning for Syria.

Pope Francis had a noticeable bruise on his chin over the weekend. He got the bruise after accidentally bumping his chin on a bedside table. Despite this, the Pope continued with a big event at St. Peter’s Basilica where he welcomed 21 new cardinals into the church.

The 88-year-old Pope looked a bit tired but managed to carry on with the ceremony. He has had some health issues lately and uses a wheelchair because of knee and back pain. In 2017, he also had a black eye when he hit his head on his popemobile during a trip to Colombia.

The story of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria came to an end after a long and hard-fought struggle that lasted almost 14 years. This conflict caused the deaths of many people and forced countless others to leave their homes. Here’s a simple timeline of what happened:

2011: Protests began as people wanted change in Assad’s government. Instead of listening, security forces arrested and shot many protesters. Some of these protesters took up arms, and some soldiers switched sides, making the fight turn into an armed rebellion with support from various countries.

2012: A group linked to al-Qaeda, called the Nusra Front, started its first big attack in Damascus. This group became stronger and started pushing out other groups that wanted freedom. While world leaders talked about how to help, they disagreed on the best way to do it which made it hard to find peace. Assad used airplanes to attack rebels, making the war even more brutal.

2013: Hezbollah, a group from Lebanon, started helping Assad gain back ground against the rebels. There was a deadly gas attack that killed many civilians but didn’t bring any military help from the U.S.

2014: The Islamic State, a terrorist group, took over Raqqa in Syria and began spreading further into Iraq. Some rebel fighters in Homs gave up, marking a significant loss. The U.S. then began attacking the Islamic State from the air, supporting Kurdish fighters.

2015: Rebels started gaining more strength and took control of Idlib, but there were more Islamist fighters in the mix. Russia joined the fight, providing support to Assad, which turned the tide against the rebels for some time.

2016: Turkey looked to stop Kurdish fighters from advancing, so they invaded a part of Syria. The Syrian army managed to defeat rebels in Aleppo, which was a big win for Assad. The Nusra Front began to change its name to appear more moderate.

2017: Israel attacked Hezbollah in Syria to weaken them. U.S.-backed Kurdish forces defeated the Islamic State in Raqqa, taking back important land.

2018: The Syrian army regained control of eastern Ghouta and other areas previously held by rebels.

2019: Islamic State lost its last territory in Syria. The U.S. decided to keep some troops in place to help its Kurdish allies.

2020: Russia helped the Syrian government, leading to a ceasefire agreement with Turkey. By now, Assad had regained control of most of Syria, with rebels holding onto the northwest.

2023: Following the attack on Israel by Hamas, fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, weakening Hezbollah’s hold in Syria and seriously hurting Assad’s power.

2024: Rebels attacked Aleppo once again. With Assad’s allies distracted, his army fell apart quickly. Just eight days after Aleppo fell, rebels took over most major cities and entered Damascus, forcing Assad to flee.

On Sunday, many Syrians across the country celebrated as they toppled and stomped on statues of Hafez al-Assad, the deceased father of current President Bashar al-Assad. Hafez ruled Syria for nearly thirty years until 2000, when his son Bashar took control. This event marked a powerful moment for a nation that has lived under the harsh rules of the Assad family for over fifty years.

In their capital city, Damascus, people were excited to stand on a broken statue of Hafez, expressing their hope for a brighter future. The celebrations followed reports from rebels, who said Bashar al-Assad had fled the country amid fighting that led to the capture of city after city by the opposition forces.

Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000 after his father’s death and has been in power since then. Since 2011, he has responded to peaceful protests with violence, turning the country into a battlefield and creating one of the deadliest conflicts in recent history, which has killed hundreds of thousands and forced millions to leave their homes.

Hafez al-Assad began his rule in 1970 after a coup. He built a powerful and cruel government where anyone who opposed him could be arrested or killed. Even after he died, many statues and pictures of him were everywhere in Syria, reminding citizens of his long rule.

Recently, the removal of Hafez’s statues has spread beyond Damascus. In cities like Jaramana and Aleppo, protesters celebrated as they brought down his statue, cheering and applauding. In Daraa, where protests began in 2011, a rebel fighter was even seen dragging one of Hafez’s statues behind his motorbike!

In Hama, where a terrible massacre happened in 1982, rebels cheered as they took down another statue. Young people celebrated, shouting “freedom forever.” They also drove cars through the streets, passing buildings with murals of Bashar al-Assad.

Manama: Anwar Gargash, a top official from the UAE, answered questions about Syria and President Bashar al-Assad. In the past, the UAE has tried to improve Assad’s image in the Arab world. When asked about Assad’s possible visit to the UAE, Gargash responded by saying that, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter where Assad goes. He compared this situation to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who went into exile in 1918, stating that it’s not a crucial part of history. Even when journalists pushed him to confirm if Assad was in the UAE, Gargash did not directly answer. There has been talk that Assad might escape to the UAE, where his family owns properties in Dubai. On Saturday, data showed private jets flying between Syria and the UAE. Gargash shared these thoughts on Sunday during the Manama Dialogue at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain.

A 20-year-old Indian student named Harshandeep Singh was shot and killed in an apartment in Edmonton, Canada, on Friday. Police have arrested two suspects, Evan Rain and Judith Saulteaux, both aged 30, and charged them with first-degree murder.

Harshandeep, who worked as a security guard, was found by police in the building’s stairwell after they were called about a gunshot around 12:30 a.m. on December 6. Officers think he was shot from behind while being pushed down the stairs by three people, according to some CCTV footage. After the shooting, the suspects ran away. Emergency services tried to help Harshandeep and took him to the hospital, but he was sadly declared dead.

Police have recovered a weapon and believe Harshandeep was targeted. An autopsy is scheduled for December 9 to figure out more about his death. This incident comes soon after another Indian student named Gurasis Singh was stabbed to death in Ontario. Gurasis was 22 and studying business at Lambton College. A man named Crossley Hunter, aged 36, has been charged with his murder.

The authorities are still looking into both cases but believe Gurasis’s murder was not racially motivated. Lambton College shared their sadness over Gurasis’s passing and said they are helping his family with funeral plans.