Valparaiso hires longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle to take over its football programSyria's Islamist rebel leader on Monday began discussions on transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance dramatically unseated president Bashar al-Assad following decades of brutal rule. Assad fled Syria as the Islamist-led rebels swept into the capital, bringing a spectacular end on Sunday to five decades of brutal rule by his clan. He oversaw a crackdown on a democracy movement that erupted in 2011, sparking a war that killed 500,000 people and forced half the country to flee their homes, millions of them finding refuge abroad. Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali "to coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of services" to Syria's people, said a statement posted on the rebels' Telegram channels. At the core of the system of rule that Assad inherited from his father Hafez was a brutal complex of prisons and detention centres used to eliminate dissent by those suspected of stepping out of the ruling Baath party's line. Thousands of Syrians gathered on Monday outside a jail synonymous with the worst atrocities of Assad's rule to search for relatives, many of whom have spent years in the Saydnaya facility outside Damascus, AFP correspondents said. Rescuers from the Syrian White Helmets group had earlier said they were looking for potential secret doors or basements in Saydnaya. "I ran like crazy" to get to the prison, said Aida Taha, 65, searching for her brother who was arrested in 2012. "But I found out that some of the prisoners were still in the basements. There are three or four floors underground." Crowds of freed prisoners wandered the streets of Damascus distinguishable by the marks of their ordeal: maimed by torture, weakened by illness and emaciated by hunger. While Syria had been at war for over 13 years, the government's collapse came in a matter of days in a lightning offensive led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In central Damascus on Monday, despite all the uncertainty over the future, the joy was palpable. "It's indescribable. We never thought this nightmare would end. We are reborn," Rim Ramadan, 49, a civil servant at the finance ministry, told AFP. "We were afraid for 55 years of speaking, even at home. We used to say the walls had ears," Ramadan said, as people honked car horns and rebels fired their guns into the air. Syria's parliament, formerly pro-Assad like the prime minister, said it supports "the will of the people to build a new Syria towards a better future governed by law and justice". The Baath party said it will support "a transitional phase in Syria aimed at defending the unity of the country." Syrian state television's logo on the Telegram messaging app now displays the rebel flag. During the offensive launched on November 27, rebels met little resistance as they wrested city after city from Assad's control, opening the gates of prisons along the way and freeing thousands, many of them held on political charges. Some, like Fadwa Mahmoud, whose husband and son are missing, posted calls for help on social media. "Where are you, Maher and Abdel Aziz? it's time for me to hear your news. Oh God, please come back," wrote Mahmoud, herself a former detainee. Rooted in Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda, HTS is proscribed by Western governments as a terrorist group but has sought to soften its image in recent years. Germany and France said in a statement they were ready to cooperate with Syria's new leadership "on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in Saudi Arabia on Monday, said HTS must reject "terrorism and violence" before Britain can engage with the group designated "terrorist" by Britain. Washington's top diplomat, Antony Blinken, said the United States -- with hundreds of troops in Syria as part of a coalition against Islamic State group jihadists -- is determined to prevent IS re-establishing safe havens there. "We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, mass migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism," Blinken said. The United Nations said that whoever ends up in power in Syria must hold the Assad regime to account. But how Assad might face justice remains unclear, especially after the Kremlin refused on Monday to confirm reports by Russian news agencies that he had fled to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said that if Russia granted asylum to Assad and his family, this would be a decision taken by President Vladimir Putin. The Syrian embassy in Moscow raised the opposition's flag, and the Kremlin said it would discuss the status of its bases in Syria with the new authorities. Russia played an instrumental role in keeping Assad in power, directly intervening in the war starting in 2015 and providing air cover to the army during the rebellion. Israel, which borders Syria, sent troops into a buffer zone on the east of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights after Assad's fall, in what Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described as a "limited and temporary step" for "security reasons". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported more than 100 Israeli air strikes to "destroy the former regime's military capabilities." These were against weapons depots, boats from the Assad government's navy, and a research centre that Western countries suspected of having links to chemical weapons production, the Observatory said. Lebanon's Hezbollah condemned the strikes late Monday, despite having been allied to Assad, and lambasted Israel for "occupying more land in the Golan Heights". In northern Syria, a Turkish drone strike on a Kurdish-held area killed 11 civilians, six of them children, according to the Britain-based Observatory. bur-ser/jsa/it/giv
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild 38-31 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short. After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown. Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards. Altmeyer put Illinois in front with a 30-yard TD run with 3:07 to go. He passed to Josh McCray on the 2-point conversion, making it 30-24. Rutgers responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Athan Kaliakmanis had a 15-yard run on fourth down. He passed to running back Kyle Manangai for a 13-yard TD with 1:08 remaining. Illinois then drove 75 yards in eight plays for the unexpected win. Kaliakmanis was 18 for 36 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 13 carries for 84 yards and two TDs. Monangai had a career-high 28 carries for 122 yards. Kaliakmanis found Ian Strong for a 2-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, and he scored on a 1-yard run to lift Rutgers to a 24-15 lead early in the fourth quarter. Illinois responded with Aidan Laughery’s 8-yard TD run, setting up the roller-coaster finish. The start of the second half was delayed because of a scrum between the teams. There were no punches thrown and the officials called penalties on both schools. Monangai become the third player in Rutgers history to rush for 3,000 yards when he picked up 4 on a third-and-1 carry early in the second quarter. The defending conference rushing champion joins Ray Rice and Terrell Willis in hitting the mark. Illinois: The great finish keeps the Illini in line for its first nine-win season since 2007 and a prestigious bowl game this season. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights were seconds away from their first in-conference three-game win streak since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Illinois: At Northwestern next Saturday. Rutgers: At Michigan State next Saturday. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollOn Friday, the Secretary-General of NATO, Mark Rutte held discussions with United States (US) President-elect, Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida. Saturday Telegraph reports that the discussion between the two world leaders focused on critical global security issues impacting the NATO alliance. According to NATO spokeswoman, Farah Dakhlallah, Rutte, the former Dutch Prime Minister sought the meeting shortly after Trump’s election victory on November 5. However, this move has stirred concerns in Europe over potential shifts in US military aid to Ukraine. It would be recalled that Trump’s first presidential term was marked by demands for increased European defence spending and questioning NATO’s structure and fairness. During the meeting, Rutte mentioned the growing collaboration between adversaries such as North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia. Speaking earlier at a European leaders’ summit in Budapest, Rutte warned of Russia supplying technology to North Korea, which poses a direct threat to both the US and Europe. Rutte emphasized the need for collective action to counter these threats and safeguard NATO’s transatlantic security interests. Trump’s re-election and potential policies regarding Ukraine’s defence have heightened European anxieties, with NATO allies stressing the strategic importance of keeping Kyiv in its fight against Moscow. Rutte emphasized that maintaining global stability requires NATO to adapt to evolving challenges and uphold solidarity among member states. This meeting signals a pivotal moment for NATO’s future direction under Trump’s renewed leadership.
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Focus on Baguio for 80th year marking end of WWIITrudeau says dealing with Trump will be 'a little more challenging' than last time OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said dealing with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on trade will be "a little more challenging" than the last time he was in the White House. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press Dec 9, 2024 2:27 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a fireside chat with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce in Halifax on Monday December 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Riley Smith Listen to this article 00:01:06 OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said dealing with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on trade will be "a little more challenging" than the last time he was in the White House. Speaking at an event put on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau said that's because Trump's team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016. Even still, Trudeau said the answer is not to panic and said Canada can rally together to address the tough scenario the nation will face following Trump's inauguration in January. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, if the two nations do not beef up their borders to his satisfaction. On the weekend, Trump appeared in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," where the president-elect said he can't guarantee the tariffs won't raise prices for U.S. consumers but that eventually tariffs will "make us rich." "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," he said. Trudeau warned that steep tariffs could be "devastating for the Canadian economy" and cause "just horrific losses in all of our communities," and that Trump's approach is to introduce "a bit of chaos" to destabilize his negotiating partners. But he also said that Canada exports a range of goods to the U.S., from steel and aluminum to crude oil and agricultural commodities, all of which would get more expensive and mean real hardship for Americans at the same time. "For years, Americans have been paying more for their homes than they should because of unjust tariffs on softwood lumber. Maybe this level of tariffs will actually have them realize that this is something they are doing to themselves," Trudeau said. "Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive." Experts, including Canada's former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul, have warned the country needs to be ready to respond if Trump goes through with his tariff threats. The prime minister said his government is still mulling over "the right ways" to respond, referencing Canada's calculated approach when Trump hit Canada with steel and aluminum tariffs. "It was the fact that we put tariffs on bourbon and Harley-Davidsons and playing cards and Heinz ketchup and cherries and a number of other things that were very carefully targeted because they were politically impactful to the president's party and colleagues," he said. That's how Canada was able to "punch back in a way that was actually felt by Americans," he added. Trudeau also said the country needs to rally together and work past its political differences. He offered up some rare words of praise for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — a frequent political thorn in his side and "no big fan of mine" — as one of Canada's strongest voices during that tumultuous time period when NAFTA was under threat. "His voice with governors down south, his making the case for Canadian workers and Canadian trade in a way that complemented the arguments that we were making, did a better job of showing what Canadian unity was and (what) Canada's negotiating position could be to a United States that has a political system that is incredibly fractured and fractious," Trudeau said. On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said "every single Conservative would tell every single American" that tariffs on Canada would be a bad idea — and also took time to bill Trudeau as a weak leader. One member of his caucus, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, said he had dinner with incoming vice-president JD Vance and British Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch over the weekend in Arlington, Va. He said it's crucial right now to be building "strong relationships with our allies." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press, Kelly Geraldine Malone and Rosa Saba in Toronto Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? 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