Tag: thellv

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.