Thousands of Syrians on Friday gathered at Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, to celebrate the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad.Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of insurgency that toppled Assad in a lightning 10-day march across the country to Damascus, appeared in a video message in which he congratulated “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.”“I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after we will work to build this...
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: UEFA Announces Groups
UEFA has announced the groups for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. England will play in Group K, and new boss Thomas Tuchel’s first assignment will be to qualify England for the World Cup. They will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be in Group C or F, depending on their outcome against Denmark in the Nations League Quarter-Final clash. World Cup finalist France will be in Group F or L, depending on their outcome against Croatia. The top team from 12 of the groups will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The group runners-up will...
French President Names Centrist Ally François Bayrou as France’s New Prime Minister
French President Emmanuel Macron named centrist ally François Bayrou as France’s new prime minister on Friday as he sought to steer the country out of political chaos following a no-confidence vote that toppled former Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government earlier this month.Bayrou, 73, the founder of the Democratic Movement party, will now face the task of trying to bring together a government that can push legislation through the same heavily divided parliament that came together in a rare moment of unity to see Barnier’s ouster on Dec. 5.At the top of his priorities, will be addressing France’s ailing economy and to draft a cost-cutting...
CAF Releases Final Nominations for CAF Awards; Nwabali Left Out After Remarkable AFCON Performance with Nigeria
CAF released the final nominations for the CAF Awards, set to take place on Monday, December 16, 2024. The announcement came with twists including notable snubs. The exclusion of Stanley Nwabali from the Best Goalkeeper of the Year list did not go well with many African football fans. The 28-year-old was instrumental in helping Nigeria reach the CAN 2023, with three penalty saves and four clean sheets. Angola’s head coach, Pedro Gonçalves, was also snubbed after leading Angola to the CAN Quarter Finals for the first time in 14 years. The Player of the Year list is retained with Ademola...
Russia Targets Ukrainian Infrastructure with A Massive Attack by Cruise Missiles and Drones
Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost three years ago. Associated Press reportedUkrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year, Zelenskyy said.Russia is “terrorizing millions of people” with such assaults, he said on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin.“A strong reaction from the world is...
U.S. Senior Airman Faces Five Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting a Minor in Japan
Senior Airman Brennon Washington stationed in Japan has been sentenced to five years in prison on Friday after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor.Washington was stationed at Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa when he approached the girl, who was under 16, at a local park on Dec. 24, 2023, and took her to his off-base residence.The 25-year-old was indicted in March for allegedly abducting and having sexual intercourse with her without her consent but the case was not publicly revealed until June, angering the local government.Prosecutors had asked the Naha District Court for a sentence of seven...
Manchester United Secure a 2-1 Win over Viktoria Plzen, Earn Their First Away Victory
Manchester United dominated possession in the first half, but their efforts were limited to just one shot on target, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes’ long-range effort. Apart from that, they struggled to create meaningful opportunities. The Red Devils started the second half poorly, falling behind due to a mistake by Andre Onana. Onana intended to pass to Matthijs de Ligt but instead played a horrendous ball that was intercepted by Pavel Šulc. Šulc then set up Matej Vydra, who finished with ease. Manchester United were presented with a huge chance in the 59th minute after Sulc’s poor pass was met by...
Putin’s Deputy Foreign Minister Confirms Syria’s Assad Is In Russia
Russia is providing sanctuary to Bashar al-Assad, having transported the former Syrian leader there “in the most secure way possible” after the swift collapse of his regime, Russia’s deputy foreign minister told NBC News in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “He is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation,” Sergei Ryabkov said, becoming the first Russian official to confirm Assad’s presence in the country. “I have no idea what is going on with him right now,” Ryabkov said, adding that it “would be very wrong for me to elaborate on what happened and how it was resolved.” Russian...
