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By Maya Gebeily and Timour Azhari DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syria rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed on Sunday, overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad and ending more than five decades of his family's iron-fisted rule after a lightning advance that reversed the course of a 13-year civil war. In one of the most consequential turning points in the Middle East for generations, the fall of Assad's government wiped out a bastion from which Iran and Russia exercised influence across the Arab world. His sudden overthrow at the hands of a Turkish-backed revolt with roots in jihadist Sunni Islam limits Iran's ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base. It also paves the way for millions of refugees scattered for more than a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to finally return home. For Syrians, it brought a sudden unexpected end to a war that had been in deep freeze for years, with hundreds of thousands already dead, cities pounded to dust, an economy hollowed out by global sanctions and no resolution in site. "How many people were displaced across the world? How many people lived in tents? How many drowned in the seas?" the top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani told a huge crowd at the medieval Ummayad Mosque in central Damascus. "A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory," he said. It would take hard work to build a new Syria which he said would be "a beacon for the Islamic nation". Assad's government - known for generations as heading one of the harshest police states in the entire Middle East with hundreds of thousands of political prisoners in its gulag - melted away overnight. Bewildered and elated inmates poured out of jails after rebels blasted away the locks on their cells. Reunited families wept and wailed in joy. Newly freed prisoners were filmed at dawn running through the Damascus streets holding up the fingers of both hands to show how many years they had been in prison. "We toppled the regime!" a voice shouted and a prisoner yelled and skipped with delight. The rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting "Freedom". People were seen walking inside the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving carrying furniture from inside. A motorcycle was parked on the intricately-laid parquet floor of a gilded hall. 'THE FUTURE IS OURS' Golani whose group was once Syria's branch of al Qaeda but has since softened its image to reassure members of minority sects and foreign countries, said there was no room for turning back. "The future is ours," he said in a statement read on state TV. The Syrian rebel coalition said it was working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers. "The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people," it added in a statement. Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, prime minister under Assad, called for free elections and said he had been in contact with Golani to discuss the transitional period. The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region already in turmoil following the spread of conflict after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war. Jubilant supporters of the revolt stormed Syrian embassies in a number of cities around the world, lowering red, white and black Assad-era flags and replacing them with the green, white and black flag flown throughout the war by his opponents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Assad's fall was a direct result of blows Israel had dealt to Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, once the lynchpin of Assad's security forces but pounded by Israel over the last two months. French President Emmanuel Macron said "the barbaric state has fallen" and paid tribute to the Syrian people. DAUNTING TASK AHEAD When the celebrations fade, Syria's new leaders will face the daunting task of trying to deliver stability to a diverse country with competing factions that will need billions of dollars in aid and investments to rebuild. During Syria's long civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad's rule, his forces and their Russian allies bombed cities to rubble. Hundreds of thousands of people died. The refugee crises across the Middle East was one of the biggest of modern times and caused a political reckoning in Europe when a million people arrived in 2015. In recent years Turkey had backed the rebels in a small redoubt in the north and along its border. The United States, which still has 900 soldiers on the ground, backed a Kurdish-led alliance that fought Islamic State jihadists from 2014-2017. President Joe Biden's administration was monitoring developments but has not adjusted the positioning of the U.S. troops, officials told Reuters. The biggest strategic losers were Russia and Iran, which had intervened in the war's early years to rescue Assad when his regime appeared in danger, helping him recapture most territory and all major cities. The front lines were frozen four years ago under a deal Russia and Iran reached with Turkey. But Moscow's distration by war in Ukraine and the blows to Iran's allies following the war in Gaza - particularly the decimation of Hezbollah by Israel over the past two months - left Assad with scant support at the end. Even after Assad had fled, Israel continued to strike targets associated with his government and its Iranian-backed allies, including one in Damascus where Israel had previously accused Iran of developing missiles. Netanyahu said the toppling of Assad could make it easier for Israel to reach a ceasefire deal to free hostages in Gaza. On Sunday rebels stormed Iran's embassy, Iran's English-language Press TV reported. Iran's foreign ministry said Syria's fate was the sole responsibility of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or destructive intervention. Hezbollah withdrew all its remaining forces from Syria on Saturday, two Lebanese security sources said. Assad's personal whereabouts were not made public. Two senior army officers said he had flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday. Russia said he had left Syria but did not say where he had gone, or whether Moscow itself had offered him shelter. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Damascus, Tom Perry and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Jaidaa Taha and Adam Makary in Cairo, Clauda Tanios, Nadine Awadallah and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, Alex Cornwell in Manama, Dominique Vidalon in Paris and Phil Stewart in WashingtonWriting by Angus McDowall, Matt Spetalnick, Michael Perry, Michael Georgy, Peter GraffEditing by Philippa Fletcher, Frances Kerry and Andrew Cawthorne)GREEN LAKE, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning this summer and left his wife and three children has been located in Eastern Europe and is communicating with law enforcement, but he has not committed to returning home, authorities said. Ryan Borgwardt began communicating with authorities Nov. 11, after they tracked him down, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said Thursday. The sheriff showed a video that Borgwardt sent police that day from an undisclosed location. The sheriff said no charges have been filed and that he doesn't think they will be necessary while authorities “keep pulling at his heartstrings” to come home. Here are some things to know about Borgwardt and his disappearance: Borgwardt, who is in his mid-40s, lived with his wife and children in Watertown, a city of about 23,000 people northwest of Milwaukee that is known for its German heritage, parochial schools and two dams on the Rock River. The sheriff has said his department was told Aug. 12 that Borgwardt had not been heard from since the previous day, when he traveled about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home to Green Lake to go kayaking. Borgwardt’s wife said he texted her at 10:49 p.m. to say he was heading to shore. Deputies found Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer near Green Lake. His kayak was discovered on the lake, overturned and with a life jacket attached to it, in an area where the water is about 200 feet (60 meters) deep. An angler later found Borgwardt’s fishing rod. The search for his body continued for more than 50 days, with divers scouring the lake on several occasions. Clues — including that he reported his passport lost or stolen and obtained a new one a few months before he disappeared — led investigators to speculate that he made it appear that he had drowned to go meet a woman he had been communicating with in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan. Podoll declined to comment when asked what he knew about the woman, but he said law enforcement contacted Borgwardt “through a female that spoke Russian.” His identity was confirmed through asking him questions that the sheriff said only Borgwardt would know and by a video he made and sent them Nov. 11. He has spoken with someone from the sheriff's department almost daily since. However Podoll said Thursday that Borgwardt's exact location in Eastern Europe was not known. Podoll said Chief Deputy Matt Vande Kolk has been the one communicating with Borgwardt and their conversations have all taken place via email. Vande Kolk told The Associated Press in an email Friday that authorities are trying to determine Borgwardt's exact location. But that might not be easy even with modern surveillance technology. Scott Shackelford, executive director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at Indiana University, said authorities should be able to locate Borgwardt through his device's internet protocol address, a unique number assigned to every device connected to the internet. But he said it's very easy to mask an IP address and make it appear as if the device is in one country when it's really in another. Software exists that can route your IP address across the globe, Shackelford said. Police may not have the expertise, the manpower or any interest in digging through multiple layers of cyber deception, he said. Wearing an orange T-shirt, Borgwardt, unsmiling, looks directly at the camera, apparently filmed on a cellphone. Borgwardt says he is in his apartment and briefly pans the camera, but mostly shows a door and bare walls. “I’m safe and secure, no problem,” he says. Borgwardt has told authorities he overturned his kayak on the lake, dumped his phone in it and paddled an inflatable boat to shore. He told authorities he chose Green Lake because it is Wisconsin's deepest at 237 feet (over 72 meters). He then rode an electric bike stashed by a boat launch about 70 miles (110 kilometers) through the night to Madison, the sheriff said. From there, by Borgwardt's account, he traveled by bus to Detroit and then Canada, where he boarded a plane. Police are still verifying Borgwardt’s description of what happened, Podoll said. Borgwardt faked his death and fled because of “personal matters,” thinking it was the right thing to do, the sheriff said. Investigators found that he took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January for his family. “He was just going to try and make things better in his mind, and this was the way it was going to be,” Podoll said. Borgwardt has not yet decided to return home, and if he does it will be of his own free will, according to Podoll. Deputies are stressing to him the importance of returning home and cleaning up the mess he made. The sheriff suggested that Borgwardt could be charged with obstructing the investigation into his disappearance, but so far no counts have been filed. The search for Borgwardt, which lasted more than a month, is said to have cost at least $35,000. Borgwardt told authorities that he did not expect the search to last more than two weeks, Podoll said, and his biggest concern is how the community will react to him if he returns. This story was updated to correct the spelling of Scott Shackelford’s last name, which had been misspelled “Shackleford.”Harris: Fine Gael ‘will gain seats’ amid further fragmentation of Irish politics
China and Mexico lashed out Tuesday after Donald Trump threatened to begin his presidency with an immediate trade war against the top three US economic partners. Trump made his threat in social media posts, announcing huge import tariffs against neighbors Canada and Mexico and also rival China if they don’t stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling into the United States. China responded that “no one will win a trade war,” while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that “for every tariff, there will be a response in kind.” A Canadian government source said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump and had a “productive” discussion, without giving further detail. Such tariffs would disrupt the global economy, deepen already fierce tensions with China and upend relations with the United States’ two huge neighbors. Nervous stock markets saw “volatile trading conditions” as they digested the news, said Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at City Index. On his Truth platform, Trump said late Monday that he would enact the tariffs the moment he takes office on January 20 if his — vaguely worded — demands were not met. The posts signal Trump’s intention to return to the governing style of his first presidency, when he regularly shocked Washington and US partners with abrupt, major policy shifts on social media. They also confirmed that Trump is serious about his major campaign promise, while running against Democrat Kamala Harris, to use US economic muscle as leverage on issues having little to do with trade — namely his claim that the United States is under siege by foreign crime and dangerous migrants. “I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 percent tariff on ALL products coming into the United States,” Trump posted. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” he said. “We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” In another post, Trump said he would be slapping China with a 10 percent tariff, “above any additional Tariffs,” because the world’s second biggest economy was failing to execute fentanyl smugglers. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China’s embassy in the United States, told AFP that “China believes that China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature.” Mexico’s Sheinbaum fired back at Trump, saying his tariffs diplomacy was “not acceptable” and based on erroneous claims. “It is not with threats or tariffs that the migration phenomenon will be stopped, nor the consumption of drugs in the United States,” she said. Sheinbaum pointed out that the Mexican narcotics industry largely exists to serve demand in the United States. “Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country,” she said. “Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours.” – Bluster or serious? – William Reinsch, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Trump’s Truth Social threats may be bluster — a strategy of “threaten, and then negotiate.” However, Trump’s first term in the White House was marked by an aggressive and protectionist trade agenda that also targeted China, Mexico and Canada, as well as Europe. While in the White House, Trump launched an all-out trade war with China, imposing significant tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods. China responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products, particularly affecting US farmers. Economists say tariffs can hurt US growth and push inflation, since they are primarily paid by importers bringing the goods into the United States, who often pass those costs on to consumers. Trump has said he will put his commerce secretary designate Howard Lutnick, a China hawk, in charge of trade policy. Lutnick has expressed support for a tariff level of 60 percent on Chinese goods alongside a 10 percent tariff on all other imports. AFPHarris: Fine Gael ‘will gain seats’ amid further fragmentation of Irish politicsSyria rebels begin entering Damascus amid calls for political solution
Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the Senate WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation. The Florida Republican made the announcement Thursday. Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party. Trump said in a social media post that Gaetz “did not want to be a distraction for the Administration.” Gaetz said “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work" of the transition team. He added, “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.” Warrants put Israeli PM and others in a small group of leaders accused of crimes against humanity Arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas leader put them in a small group of leaders to be accused of crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court in the Hague issued the warrants Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and Mohammed Deif, a Hamas leader Israel claims it killed. The court says Hamas committed murder, rape and torture in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The court also says Israel used starvation as a method of warfare and committed murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Several of Trump's Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct WASHINGTON (AP) — Former congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name as President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general in the face of sexual misconduct allegations. He's not the only member of Trump’s chosen staff and Cabinet accused of some form of misconduct. Others include: Elon Musk, his choice to help lead a new outside panel seeking to boost government efficiency, Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s choice for defense secretary Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon, his choice to lead the Department of Education. They all deny the claims. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials say the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year. Putin touts Russia's new missile and delivers a menacing warning to NATO The new ballistic missile fired by Russia struck a military-industrial facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, but its real mission was delivering a deadly new message to NATO. Hours after Thursday’s strike touched off a debate over whether the Ukrainian plant was hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile, President Vladimir Putin cleared up the mystery in a rare and surprise appearance on Russian television. He described it as a new, intermediate-range ballistic missile that raced to its target at 10 times the speed of sound and couldn't be stopped by modern anti-missile systems. One Western expert said it was the first time that such a missile was used in the war — and perhaps in any conflict. Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people on charges of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings are to be delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied to Chicago police. The state’s highest court ruled Thursday on Smollett’s argument that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the local state’s attorney initially dropped charges. The 5-0 decision did not address Smollett's claims of innocence. The Black, gay actor claimed two men assaulted him, spouted slurs and tossed a noose around his neck. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago. Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men to carry out the attack. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who led US crackdown on cryptocurrencies, to step down Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his post on January 20. Since taking the lead at the SEC, the commission has been aggressive in its oversight of cryptocurrencies and other regulatory issues. President-elect Donald Trump had promised during his campaign that he would remove Gensler, who has led the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight. But Gensler on Thursday announced that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated. Bitcoin has jumped 40% since Trump’s victory. US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water NEW YORK (AP) — Fights are cropping up nationwide over fluoride in drinking water. Communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere have debated the idea in recent months. And several have decided to stop adding it to drinking water. In August, a federal agency for the first time reported that there is a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. And in September, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate it in drinking water. The decision to add fluoride to drinking water rests with state and local officials, but advisers to Donald Trump have suggested he would push to remove it.Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $140,000 Stock Position in Landstar System, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSTR)
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