BEIRUT: Rebels advanced on Syria’s fourth-largest city Hama Tuesday, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four years of relative calm. The sudden flare-up in the more than decade-old civil war in Syria just as a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon drew appeals for de-escalation from across the international community. Group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies met much tougher resistance in the countryside north of Hama than they did in the Aleppo region on Friday and Saturday, a Britain-based war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the heaviest fighting with government forces so far as the offensive entered its seventh day. “Clashes have erupted in the northern Hama countryside, where rebel factions managed to seize several cities and towns in the last few hours,” the Observatory said. “Syrian and Russian air forces carried out dozens of strikes on the area.” Syrian state media reported that the two air forces had bombed the rebels in their Idlib stronghold as well as their vanguard in Hama province. Russia is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad. Its 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war turned the tide in his government’s favour but since 2022 the Ukraine war has tied down much of its military resources. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the Assad government early in the civil war. For many of the city’s residents, the scars of a 1982 massacre by the army, aimed at crushing the banned Muslim Brotherhood, have yet to heal. But its capture by the rebels would “pose a threat to the regime’s popular base”, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. The countryside west of the city is home to many Alawites, followers of the same offshoot of Shiite Islam as the president and his security chiefs. An AFP journalist in the northern Hama countryside saw dozens of Syrian army tanks and military vehicles abandoned by the side of the road leading to Hama. “We want to advance on Hama after combing” towns that have been captured, a rebel fighter who identified himself as Abu al-Huda al-Sourani told AFP. The United Nations says nearly 50,000 people have been displaced by the fighting since it began last Wednesday. Hundreds of people have been killed, most of them combatants, according to the Observatory. The mounting exodus of civilians just as winter takes hold has triggered international alarm. UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “alarmed” by the violence and called for an immediate halt to the fighting. The European Union called on “all sides to de-escalate”. Speaking to reporters Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “We want to see all countries use their influence — use their leverage — to push for de-escalation, protection of civilians and ultimately, a political process forward.” Assad is no longer the pariah in the Arab world that he was at the height of the civil war. Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states have all expressed concern over his government’s losses. At a summit in Cairo last year, Arab leaders agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership of the Arab League, marking the start of a slow rehabilitation. HTS is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch and has faced accusations of human rights abuses including torture. One anxious resident of Syria’s second city Aleppo, who declined to be identified, spoke of panic as the rebels overran it on Friday and Saturday. “There were terrible traffic jams — it took people 13 to 15 hours to reach Homs,” he said. Normally, it would take just a couple of hours to reach Syria’s third city, which lies between Hama and Damascus, he added.Report: Daniel Jones, Giants 'At Peace' with How Exit Was Handled amid Release
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Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelationsMONTREAL — The Quebec government is launching an investigation of two English-language junior colleges in Montreal over complaints that the conflict in the Middle East has created an unsafe climate on campus. The move follows a pro-Palestinian student strike at several post-secondary institutions in Montreal last month, during which Dawson College cancelled classes and closed its campus in an effort to protect students' welfare. Speaking to reporters in Quebec City on Tuesday, Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry said the government has received reports of students feeling intimidated at Dawson and Vanier colleges. In one case, she said, a math teacher "chose to invite his students to watch a documentary on Palestine rather than teach mathematics." In a statement earlier in the day on social media, Déry said she's asked her department to investigate the governance at the colleges to see whether the school administrations have used all available tools to guarantee student safety. "The climate on some campuses seems to have deteriorated in recent months," she said. "We know that the conflict in the Middle East generates its share of emotions, but institutions have an obligation to take all necessary measures to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all students." In a statement Tuesday, the Dawson Teachers' Union said the examples cited by Déry regarding teachers at the college are inaccurate. "Dawson teachers are doing their work effectively and in line with ministerial and departmental requirements; any suggestion otherwise is false and inappropriate," the union said. Neil Oberman, a Montreal lawyer and federal Conservative candidate, said he submitted a complaint to the Higher Education Department in June calling for an investigation at Dawson College on behalf of a student. "Since the month of October 2023, our client and many other students have been faced with numerous incidents of overtly antisemitic content, hate speech, harassment, and abuse on the Dawson campus," the complaint reads. The document lists several examples, including an event during which a group of faculty calling themselves "Teachers for Palestine" allegedly circulated handouts promoting an arms embargo on Israel. "This behaviour is completely inappropriate coming from professors," the complaint says. The complaint also claims the student was denied a position on the Dawson debate club because the student is a "Zionist." As well, Dawson's student newspaper, The Plant, has published antisemitic content and denies students "who do not share their views the opportunity to have their content published in the Plant," the document says. Mirren Bodanis, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, denied publishing antisemitic content. "Every single time someone comes up to us ... if they disagree with something, we always tell them, 'Either send us an email or send in your own contribution,'" said Bodanis, who uses they/them pronouns. Bodanis said there are a lot of "pro-Palestinian Jewish students" at Dawson who have been "victims of aggression from Zionist students." "Tensions are a little high, but it's an intense time," they said. Oberman also pointed to a social media post published by the Muslim Student Association at Dawson ahead of a November pro-Palestinian student strike that saw protests at several Quebec colleges and universities. The post was addressed to students considering voting against the strike. "Know that your vote cannot alter the destiny that awaits the Zionist entity," it read. "Efforts to obstruct justice will be in vain. The liberation of all the Islamic homeland is inevitable." The message was intended to "instil fear and aggression against other students," Oberman said. Dawson, he added, is a "hotbed of radical persons," and the province's investigation should hold the administration to account. "If there are administrators incapable, unwilling or unable to perform their duties, then perhaps they're in the wrong business," he said. Abu Al-Azm, president of the Muslim Student Association, said the Instagram post was in response to a post from the college's Jewish Student Association, which encouraged students to vote against the strike. "Voting for this strike means showing solidarity for a terrorist organization!" it said. "That's the only reason why (our post) appeared a bit more provocative," Al-Azm said in an interview. "However, we just wanted people to vote 'Yes.'" Both posts have since been modified or taken down. Al-Azm said the majority of students at Dawson support the Palestinian cause, but that some female Muslim students have been "targeted by Zionist students for wearing the hijab." Still, he said tensions have cooled at the college since the week of the strike, and the government investigation is a disproportionate reaction. Dawson College cancelled classes and closed its campus for one day during the student strike, a decision the administration said was taken to protect students' safety. Jewish organizations criticized the decision, saying the college was capitulating to extremist voices. On Tuesday, the college administration said in a statement it is confident it has "acted appropriately throughout these challenging times." Vanier College, meanwhile, said it was "surprised by the announcement, having not received any complaints internally that would warrant such an approach." In a statement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Federation CJA said they were pleased to hear of the investigation, and they hope it will "shed light on the past 14 months' disturbing pattern of hate." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024. Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
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Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelationsNew I’m a Celebrity ‘feud’ as Barry McGuigan snaps at campmate amid ‘tension’ off-screen
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Brandon Nunez threw just two passes, each for a score, and New Mexico State beat Middle Tennessee 36-21 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak. Nunez tossed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Seth McGowan to give the Aggies a 20-7 lead midway through the third quarter. After Middle Tennessee pulled to 26-21 early in the fourth, Nunez tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Cooper Sheehan that made it 33-21 with 7:43 left. Parker Awad completed 12 of 16 passes for 221 yards for New Mexico State (3-8, 2-5 Conference USA). McGowan finished with 83 yards rushing. Mike Washington also had a touchdown run and Dylan Early a 30-yard pick-6 for the Aggies. Nicholas Vattiato was 30-of-45 passing for 277 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Middle Tennessee (3-8, 2-5), which has lost three of its last four. __ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football