Syrians celebrate ‘new era’ as Bashar al-Assad reportedly flees to Moscow:
Syrians across the world have been celebrating the shock ousting of longtime president Bashar al-Assad after he reportedly fled to Moscow just hours after the fall of his regime in Damascus.
In a stunning 12-day advance, opposition forces achieved what 13 years of war failed to do: ending more than half a century of the Assad family’s brutal rule. As they took control of cities including Homs, Aleppo and the capital, Damascus, regime forces largely fled or laid down arms. Russian state media reported that Assad was in Moscow and would be granted asylum.
There were gatherings held across the world and huge numbers of Syrians took to social media to talk about their joy, hope and anxieties after the fall of a dictatorship that crushed freedom of speech while ruling through fear.
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News in Ireland
- Ballsbridge house for auction six years after it was fraudulently sold for €525,000 : A boarded-up house on one of the most exclusive roads in Ballsbridge that was sold in a “fraudulent transaction” six years ago is due to be auctioned this week with a guide price of €1 million.
- Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael open to Labour coalition with opinions split on Independents: Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain interested in a three-party coalition involving the Labour Party, senior figures from both parties have separately said.
- The average Irish Christmas will cost €1,177, a rise of 14%: The sums people look set to spend this Christmas have rebounded sharply when compared with last year, although the total is still marginally less than it was in 2022, according to figures published this morning.
- Leo Varadkar says many in politics do not understand numbers or percentages: People would be amazed at the number of those involved in policymaking who do not understand things like percentages, former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.
- Barry Keoghan slams ‘inhumane’ abuse and harassment of his family: ‘I can only take so much’: Irish actor Barry Keoghan has deactivated his Instagram in response to the harassment of himself and his family after his reported break-up with the pop star Sabrina Carpenter, accusing fans of “crossing a line” and knocking on his grandmother’s door.here
- Weather forecast: A mostly dry day with low winter sunshine. Cloudier across east Leinster with a few showers. Highest afternoon temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees, according to Met Éireann.
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The Big Read
- ‘Have I any rights at all?’ Virgin leaves one customer without broadband and chases another for two cent: It turns out Virgin Media queries are a lot like the soon-to-be-disappeared 46A – nothing for ages and then two come along at once. First up we have Gabrielle, who moved house last month – a stressful enough experience, as anyone who has ever done it will readily testify. The experience was, however, made infinitely more stressful by Virgin Media, the operator she relies on for broadband.
Opinion
- Una Mullally: Five strategies to get more people voting in elections
- Ronan Glynn: We can’t build our way out of the capacity issues in the health service
Business
- Rising wages and easing inflation to boost workers: Rising wages and easing inflation will spell good news for Irish workers over the next two years, but analysts caution that risks to continued growth are increasing at the same time.
Sports
- Ken Early: Ange Postecoglou seems more concerned with his own brand than with Tottenham’s results: “Maybe when I’m long gone you’ll all pine for my entertainment, mate,” Ange Postecoglou told journalists at the end of November. There’s no accounting for the rose-tinting powers of fading memory, but those with accurate recall of the details of the Australian’s time at Tottenham will remember a talented coach who condemned himself to failure by his obstinate refusal to learn.
World
- EU’s Schengen free travel area not so free as Germany imposes more border checks: Two black-clad German police officers watch as a large white van approaches the Dutch-German border and slows. One officer waves the van into an adjacent car park for a quick check of its cargo while the other stands back, his hands cradling a black, gleaming Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun.
- Sarah Moss: How can we thrive when we don’t take time to breathe?: We should stop moving so fast. Resist where you can. Hold space to grow and digest
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