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DAMASCUS: Syrians around the country on Sunday toppled and trampled on statues of President Bashar Al-Assad’s late father Hafez, who founded the brutal system of government that his son inherited. In the capital Damascus, people cheered as they stood on a toppled statue of former president Hafez Al-Assad, in a highly symbolic moment for a country ruled with an iron fist for five decades by his clan. The scenes came as Islamist-led rebels declared Bashar Al-Assad had fled the country following a lightning offensive that wrested city after city from his control, culminating with their arrival in Damascus. After five decades in power, most Syrians are too young to remember a time when the country was not ruled by the Assads. Even prior to the rebels’ declaration of the fall of Damascus, statues of Hafez Al-Assad had been toppled in other cities around the country. The images recalled footage from Iraq in 2003, when a US armored vehicle toppled a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein with the help of a crowd of jubilant Iraqis on the day Baghdad fell to a US-led military coalition. In Jaramana, in the suburbs of Damascus, protesters brought down a statue of the late Syrian leader, cheering, applauding and chanting as it came down, according to images posted on social media and verified by AFP. In Aleppo in northern Syria, images showed people toppling a statue of Bashar Al-Assad’s brother Bassel as well as one of their father. In Daraa in southern Syria, the cradle of the 2011 uprising, online images verified by AFP showed a rebel fighter driving a motorbike down a road and dragging a toppled statue of Hafez Al-Assad behind him. The large metal statue appeared to be light enough to pull because it was hollow. In the port city of Tartus, resident Oday Al-Khatib told AFP that protesters destroyed a statue of the former president. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor confirmed that Tartus residents had “destroyed a statue of Hafez Al-Assad in the city”, and another in Latakia, also on the Syrian coast, a stronghold of the Assad clan’s Alawite minority. Bashar Al-Assad ruled Syria from 2000, when he inherited power from his father. Since 2011, he oversaw the crackdown on the democracy movement that began with peaceful protests. The Assad government’s repression of the protests morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions. Hafez Al-Assad took power in a 1970 coup, and set up a paranoid and brutal regime under which anyone suspected of dissent could be jailed or killed. Long after his death, his statues and image remained a powerful symbol of the Assad clan’s grip over Syria. His photograph was pasted on walls, institutions, offices and schools around the country, often side by side with his son’s. In the city of Hama, the site of a 1982 massacre by the army, rebels cheered earlier this week as they brought down a statue of Assad as they seized the city. Young men celebrated the rebels’ takeover of Hama, yelling “freedom for eternity”. Fighters there also paraded down one of the city’s wide streets in vehicles that appeared to be stained completely brown from desert dust, past a building bearing a mural of Bashar Al-Assad. – AFP
A former Ross Lyon protege has been locked in to lead the likes of Michael Walters and Alex Pearce in Perth next year, with Xavier Clarke announced as coach of the Indigenous All Stars for February’s exhibition clash against Fremantle. Clarke will lead the representative side for the February 15 clash at Optus Stadium, with former Sydney favourite Michael O’Loughlin named the squad’s chairman of selectors. Having played under Lyon for the latter part of his 105-game career at St Kilda between 2002 and 2008, Clarke - now an assistant at North Melbourne - will help direct fellow Lyon disciples Walters and Pearce in the one-off game against their AFL club. Dockers recruit Shai Bolton is also likely to feature for the All Stars, pitting him against his new Freo teammates before he’s even played a game in purple. The game will see O’Loughlin return to Perth, almost two decades after the city was the setting for one of his most iconic career moments. The Swans great and Australian Football Hall of Fame member booted the winning goal late in the 2006 qualifying final against West Coast, with his celebration in close proximity to members of the Eagles cheer squad at the western end of Subiaco Oval producing one of modern footy’s most memorable images. “To have a former player of the calibre of Micky lead the selection of this side is fantastic,” AFL social policy and inclusion manager Tanya Hosch said. “His football record speaks for itself but he has also been an immense leader amongst the Indigenous community and continues to give back to through his work on numerous foundations and through his business. “He epitomises the on and off field excellence and community spirit that characterises the Indigenous All Stars side and we are thrilled to have him on board leading the selection next year.”
A video is going viral on social media which shows a woman, seemingly dead in a coffin, coming back from the dead. The video was shared over a million times on social media, with users expressing shock at the way the woman supposedly suddenly becomes alive in the coffin. However, behind-the-scene footage of the video shared later on social media shows that the woman did not actually come back from the dead. After the original video went viral on social media, a video was released seemingly showing how the entire event transpired. It showed that the scene was staged and in the BTS video, the woman can be seen lying in the coffin and getting ready for the video. Here's the original viral video: Here's the BTS video shared later: The video has been described as creepy because of the way in which the woman suddenly opens her eyes, shocking the viewer invested in the narrative. Some people initially suspected that it was a case of a dead body's eyes opening suddenly due to a loss of muscle caused after death. Usually, embalmers, stitches or glue is used to sew or paste the eyes so that they don't open up and create an uncanny situation for mourners. However, that was not the case, as the later video revealed that the video was staged and created in such a way that the viral element, coming from the shock value, is emphasized. After knowing the truth, social media hit out at the video for its allegedly misleading character. "Sounds like a classic case of internet drama spinning tales...," one user wrote. "Always question the source and look for context." "They probably think we stupid 😭 that bitch not dead," wrote another. "Viral doesn’t equal truth. Too many are fooled by the spectacle. Let’s focus on what’s real, not what’s trending," said another. "Looks like the internet loves a good mystery, But the truth behind the scenes is always more intriguing," said one.''' Rare cases of people coming back to life after being declared dead, known as the "Lazarus phenomenon," include: Janina Kolkiewicz, 91, who awoke 11 hours after being declared dead, craving tea and pancakes; a 66-year-old revived 10 minutes post-resuscitation during surgery; and a 78-year-old Mississippi man who woke up in a morgue body bag the next day. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US Buzz, World and around the world.India News | NDA Debacle in Jharkhand: No CM Face, Focus Only on Infiltration Cost BJP DearMalawi at a crossroads: Analyzing the government’s grip on multiple crises
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Author Q&A: The 7-year-old making your money decisionsGophers senior linebacker Cody Lindenberg has declined to use his final season of eligibility in 2025 and instead declared for the NFL draft on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT Lindenberg was healthy and highly productive in 2024, leading Minnesota with 94 total tackles as well as one sack and one interception in all 12 games. The Anoka native overcame injuries in both 2023 and ’21 to be an all-Big Ten selection this fall. “Every single day for the past five seasons has been a dream come true playing for and in front of you all in the maroon and gold!” Lindenberg wrote on social media. “Representing this university, this program and this state means more to me than anyone will ever know.” With Lindenberg leaving, the need to add a linebacker via the NCAA transfer portal grows more important. They have yet to add a linebacker among the 11 new additions for next season. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Elway says any remorse over bypassing Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft is quickly dissipating with rookie Bo Nix's rapid rise, suggesting the Denver Broncos have finally found their next franchise quarterback. Elway said Nix, the sixth passer selected in April's draft, is an ideal fit in Denver with coach Sean Payton navigating his transition to the pros and Vance Joseph's defense serving as a pressure release valve for the former Oregon QB. “We’ve seen the progression of Bo in continuing to get better and better each week and Sean giving him more each week and trusting him more and more to where last week we saw his best game of the year,” Elway said in a nod to Nix's first game with 300 yards and four touchdown throws in a rout of Atlanta. For that performance, Nix earned his second straight NFL Rookie of the Week honor along with the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. “I think the sky’s the limit," Elway said, “and that’s just going to continue to get better and better.” In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Elway also touted former coach Mike Shanahan's Hall of Fame credentials, spoke about the future of University of Colorado star and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter and discussed his ongoing bout with a chronic hand condition. Elway spent the last half of his decade as the Broncos’ GM in a futile search for a worthy successor to Peyton Manning, a pursuit that continued as he transitioned into a two-year consultant role that ended after the 2022 season. “You have all these young quarterbacks and you look at the ones that make it and the ones that don’t and it’s so important to have the right system and a coach that really knows how to tutelage quarterbacks, and Sean’s really good at that,” Elway said. “I think the combination of Bo’s maturity, having started 61 games in college, his athletic ability and his knowledge of the game has been such a tremendous help for him,'" Elway added. “But also Vance Joseph’s done a heck of a job on the defensive side to where all that pressure’s not being put on Bo and the offense to score all the time.” Payton and his staff have methodically expanded Nix’s repertoire and incorporated his speed into their blueprints. Elway lauded them for “what they’re doing offensively and how they’re breaking Bo into the NFL because it’s a huge jump and I think patience is something that goes a long way in the NFL when it comes down to quarterbacks.” Elway said he hopes to sit down with Nix at some point when things slow down for the rookie. Nix, whose six wins are one more than Elway had as a rookie, said he looks forward to meeting the man who won two Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame playing career and another from the front office. “He’s a legend not only here for this organization, but for the entire NFL," Nix said, adding, "most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway, just pick his brain. It’s just awesome that I’m even in that situation.” Orange Crush linebacker Randy Gradishar joined Elway in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, something Elway called “way, way overdue.” Elway suggested it's also long past time for the Hall to honor Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver with Elway at QB and whose footprint you see every weekend in the NFL because of his expansive coaching tree. Elway called University of Colorado stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders “both great athletes." He said he really hopes Sanders gets drafted by a team that will bring him along like the Broncos have done with Nix and he sees Hunter being able to play both ways in the pros but not full time. Elway said he thinks Hunter will be primarily a corner in the NFL but with significant contributions on offense: “He's great at both. He's got great instincts, and that's what you need at corner." It's been five years since Elway announced he was dealing with Dupuytren’s contracture, a chronic condition that typically appears after age 40 and causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. Elway's ring fingers on both hands were originally affected and he said now the middle finger on his right hand is starting to pull forward. So, he’ll get another injection of a drug called Xiaflex, which is the only FDA-approved non-surgical treatment, one that he's endorsing in an awareness campaign for the chronic condition that affects 17 million Americans. The condition can make it difficult to do everyday tasks such as shaking hands or picking up a coffee mug. Elway said what bothered him most was “I couldn't pick up a football and I could not imagine not being able to put my hand around a football." AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflThe Broncos still control their playoff destiny after a deflating loss. However, their path to clinching a spot goes through two more elite quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. A victory over the Bengals on Saturday or the Chiefs in Week 18 sends the Broncos to their first NFL postseason since 2015. How likely is that outcome? Denver’s playoff odds, per NFL.com , dropped from 91% before the Chargers defeat to 76% entering Week 17. The Broncos (9-6) also received zero help Sunday from their AFC playoff-hopeful counterparts. —The Dolphins (7-8) beat the 49ers, 29-17 —The Bengals (7-8) topped the Browns, 24-6 —The Colts (7-8) escaped the Titans, 38-30 All three teams and Denver remain in contention for the No. 7 playoff seed. The Chargers (9-6) own a tiebreaker over Denver after they swept the Broncos this season. Los Angeles also closes the regular season against AFC bottom dwellers New England and Las Vegas. “Each week we play there’s always pressure. I guarantee you none of our players said there’s going to be more pressure,” coach Sean Payton said on his Monday teleconference call with local media. “There’s going to be a sense of urgency always. There’s a lot of different scenarios. I think the focal point always is on the game you’re playing. That’s the one thing that you can control. I look forward to having a good week. ... There will be a number of things you learn from this game — and then you move on.” Woody Paige: Many stockings hung with care; will Broncos get a lump of coal? Now, the surest Broncos path to clinching is a Week 17 road victory over the Bengals. But Cincinnati is currently a 3-point betting favorite ( per FanDuel ). The Bengals enter with three straight victories. Quarterback Joe Burrow set an NFL record last week with seven consecutive games throwing for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns. That breaks a 2007 mark set by ex-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during their historic 16-0 undefeated regular season. Meanwhile, the Broncos have allowed 30-plus points twice over their last three outings. Their offense has still not produced a 100-yard rusher in a game. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has masked some of those issues with multiple touchdown passes in four of his last five starts. Their opportunistic defense has also registered 12 turnovers over that span. But the margin for error keeps shrinking with playoff football on the horizon. “The good thing is my role is going to be pretty simple because everybody in that locker room wants to already play next week,” Nix told reporters on Thursday at SoFi Stadium after the Chargers loss. “I think at this point, we're all competitively frustrated and I think we're excited for this opportunity.”