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Syria’s New Leadership Calls for Nationwide Victory Celebrations

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Syria’s new militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani called for nationwide celebrations Friday to mark “the victory of the revolution,” as his group solidifies control following the sudden collapse of the Assad family’s 50-year rule.

“I would like to congratulate the great Syrian people on the victory of the blessed revolution and I call on them to go to the streets to express their joy,” said Golani, now using his birth name Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of planned Friday prayers at Damascus’s historic Umayyad Mosque.

The dramatic change has prompted Syrians to search prisons, hospitals, and morgues for relatives who disappeared during Assad’s regime. “I turned the world upside down looking,” said Abu Mohammed, searching for three missing relatives at Damascus’s Mazzeh air base. “But I didn’t find anything at all. We just want a hint of where they were, one percent.”

The interim government, led by Golani’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), announced a three-month transition period with the constitution and parliament suspended. Spokesman Obaida Arnaout promised a judicial committee to review the constitution and pledged “rule of law,” while emphasizing protections for all Syrians’ rights.

G7 leaders, set to meet virtually Friday, expressed readiness to support transition to an “inclusive and non-sectarian” government while emphasizing accountability for the Assad regime’s actions. The new leadership has already offered cooperation with Washington in locating missing Americans, including journalist Austin Tice, while confirming US citizen Travis Timmerman has been found alive.

The regime change has sparked celebrations across Syria, including in the Druze-majority city of Sweida. “Our joy is indescribable,” said Haitham Hudeifa, 54. “Every province is celebrating this great victory.”

3 Men Allege Diddy Raped and Sexually Assaulted In New Lawsuits

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Three more men have accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape and sexual assault in a batch of new lawsuits alleging the rapper drugged and assaulted them.

The complaints, filed separately in New York Supreme Court on Thursday, involve incidents that allegedly occurred between 2019-22.

Two of the plaintiffs allege they went to parties with Mr Combs, where he “personally offered” them alcoholic drinks which made them unconscious, before they say he raped them.

The rapper’s lawyers dismissed the lawsuits calling them “full of lies”. He remains in custody at a Brooklyn jail.

“We will prove them false and seek sanctions against every unethical lawyer who filed fictional claims against him,” the rapper’s legal team told the BBC in a statement.

The three lawsuits add to over 30 civil cases filed against Mr Combs, many of which involve similar accusations of sexual assaults dating back to the 1990s.

The rapper has been denied bail three times and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Thomas Giuffra, the attorney who filed the three lawsuits on behalf of his clients, told the BBC in an interview that more than 60 people have reached out to his office with claims against Mr Combs.

He said his office had investigated each of the claims and decided to move forward with these three cases.

He said the men decided to file the lawsuits anonymously because they’re afraid of Mr Combs and his reach and influence.

In one of the new lawsuits, an anonymous plaintiff listed as John Doe accuses Mr Combs of assault following an encounter at the Marquee nightclub in New York in 2019.

According to his complaint, he joined Mr Combs and 10 other individuals for a private afterparty when the hip-hop mogul “personally offered” him a cocktail, after which he felt disoriented. The man alleges that Mr Combs noticed his disoriented state and said: “He is ready to party.”

The man claims he blacked out and during brief moments of consciousness, he said he noticed a man and a woman recording as he was being raped by the musician.

The following morning, the man claims he was given about $2,500 (£2,000) by the man and woman recording the assault, who said the money came from Mr Combs.

Another anonymous plaintiff alleges that he attended a party at Mr Combs’ East Hampton home in the summer of 2020. After consuming alcohol provided by Mr Combs, the man claims he began to lose consciousness.

While “fading in and out of consciousness”, he alleges that Mr Combs and others from Bad Boys Entertainment “took turns raping him”.

The third anonymous man claims he met Mr Combs in 2006 and began working for him.

He alleges that in February 2020, he met Mr Combs at a hotel to discuss unpaid wages and during that meeting, he claims the rapper prepared him a drink that he believes was drugged.

He says he lost consciousness and woke up to find Mr Combs assaulting him.

Mr Combs allegedly told him he would look like an idiot if he went to the police and that no-one would ever believe him, the lawsuit states.

Mr Combs is also separately facing federal criminal charges in a sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

Authorities allege the star orchestrated a long-running scheme involving sexual abuse and exploitation, including arranging drug-fuelled events featuring male sex workers.

Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the accusations.

His legal team has repeatedly asserted his innocence.

The trial is scheduled for May.

Culled: bbc.com

Mexican Judge Assassinated Day After Presidential Security Summit

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A prominent judge was gunned down in Acapulco, Mexico, Wednesday, just one day after President Claudia Sheinbaum convened security officials in the resort city to address escalating violence in the region.

Edmundo Roman Pinzon, former chief justice of Guerrero state’s highest court, was shot dead in his car, according to local media reports showing images from the crime scene. The assassination prompted immediate responses from state authorities, with Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado vowing on social media, “We will not allow this crime to go unpunished.”

The killing marks another blow to the once-popular tourist destination, which has seen international visitors dwindle amid years of cartel violence. The surrounding state of Guerrero has witnessed a surge in gang-related violence, including October’s brutal murder of Chilpancingo’s mayor just days after taking office.

The assassination occurred immediately following President Sheinbaum’s security summit with governors and officials in Acapulco. Sheinbaum, who assumed the presidency in October, has promised to extend nationally the success she achieved in reducing Mexico City’s murder rate during her mayorship.

However, her first two months in office have been challenged by outbreaks of cartel violence across several regions, including Sinaloa state, where homicides have increased despite the deployment of hundreds of soldiers.

Israeli Strike Hits Gaza Post Office Shelter, Killing 66

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An Israeli airstrike hit a post office serving as a shelter in central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp Thursday, killing at least 30 Palestinians and wounding 50 others, as the death toll across the enclave reached 66 in a single day of bombardment.

The strike devastated the postal facility where displaced families had sought refuge and damaged nearby houses in Nuseirat, one of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps dating to the 1948 war. The area, originally established for Palestinian refugees, has become part of a dense urban zone crowded with people displaced by the current conflict.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli forces conducted two strikes in southern Gaza, killing 13 Palestinians who Gaza medics and Hamas identified as aid convoy protectors. The Israeli military claimed they were Hamas militants attempting to hijack humanitarian shipments, part of ongoing tensions over aid delivery security. Hamas reports losing 700 police tasked with securing aid trucks since the war began.

Israel also ordered new evacuations in central Gaza City, warning residents it would respond to rocket launches from those areas. “This is a pre-warning before an attack,” the military announced via social media and mobile alerts, triggering fresh displacement as families fled at nightfall.

Additional strikes hit Gaza City’s al-Jalaa Street and western Nuseirat, killing 22 people, while in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, Israeli forces allegedly shot dead orthopedic doctor Saeed Judeh en route to Al-Awda Hospital, bringing medical worker casualties to 1,057 since October.

The violence continues despite Wednesday’s UN General Assembly vote demanding an immediate ceasefire and hostage release. The conflict has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents since Hamas’s October 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages.

Trump Criticizes Ukraine’s Use of US Missiles in Russian Territory

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President-elect Donald Trump issued a forceful rebuke of Ukraine’s deployment of American-supplied missiles into Russian territory, labeling the strategy “crazy” and warning against further escalation of the conflict.

“I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia,” Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Thursday. “Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.”

The criticism targets President Joe Biden’s recent decision allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles for deep strikes into Russia, a policy change prompted by Russia’s deployment of 15,000 North Korean troops to the battlefront. Previous restrictions had limited Ukraine’s use of American weapons to defending its own territory.

While condemning the current approach, Trump remained enigmatic about his own strategy for ending the nearly three-year conflict. “I want to reach an agreement,” he said, claiming to have a “very good plan” but insisting its revelation now would render it “almost worthless.” The stance follows his weekend meeting in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which sources say included discussions of security guarantees in any peace settlement.

Trump described recent casualty figures as “staggering” on both sides, arguing resolution would benefit all parties. He declined to confirm any communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin since his election, calling such disclosure “inappropriate.”

The comments come as the United States delivers a new $988 million aid package to Ukraine, while Russian forces advance at their fastest pace since the war’s early phase.

Man Running from Police Goes Down Chimney and Got Stuck

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A Massachusetts man’s attempt to channel Santa Claus went awry Tuesday when he got hopelessly stuck in a chimney while fleeing police during a drug raid.

Robert Langlais, 33, “invoked the essence of the seasonal icon and attempted to hide inside of a chimney” at 127 Canal Street as Community Action & Suppression Team (CAST) detectives executed a search warrant, according to Fall River Police Department. The escape attempt quickly turned into a rescue operation requiring assistance from the very officers he was attempting to evade.

“He went down like Santa Claus,” neighbor Jim Medeiros told WJAR. “I thought, ‘Oh boy, he’s going to get stuck in there for sure.'”

Police bodycam footage captured the incident, with officers initially shouting, “He’s on the roof! Hey! Get down here… show your hands or I’m gonna come up there and grab you.” Officers later located Langlais in the chimney after a tip from a bystander.

Fall River Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services helped extract Langlais, who was taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluation before being charged with possession of Class A and B drugs, along with outstanding warrants. A second suspect successfully “eluded capture by bounding from the roof and onto a parked vehicle,” while police arrested Tanisha Ibay, 32, “with less theatrics” on drug possession charges.

Half of American Teens Report “Constant” Internet Use Despite Health Concerns

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Nearly half of American teenagers report being online “constantly” despite growing mental health concerns, according to a comprehensive Pew Research Center study released Thursday.

The survey of 1,391 U.S. teens aged 13-17, conducted from September to October 2024, found YouTube maintaining its dominance with 90% of teens using the platform, though slightly down from 95% in 2022. About 74% reported daily YouTube visits, with 15% claiming “almost constant” use.

Other popular platforms showed modest declines: TikTok usage dropped to 63% from 67%, while Snapchat decreased to 55% from 59%. X (formerly Twitter) experienced the steepest decline, falling to 17% from 23% following Elon Musk’s acquisition. Meta’s WhatsApp bucked the trend, increasing to 23% from 17% in 2022.

The study revealed significant demographic patterns, with gender and racial differences in platform preferences. Girls showed higher rates of constant TikTok use, while boys favored YouTube. Black and Hispanic teens reported substantially higher rates of constant TikTok usage (25%) compared to white teens (8%).

The findings emerge as nations worldwide grapple with social media’s impact on youth. Australia recently enacted legislation banning children under 16 from social networks, though questions remain about enforcement feasibility and potential isolation of vulnerable youth.

Trump Crypto Venture Partners with Platform Linked to Militant Groups-Reuters

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President-elect Donald Trump’s recently launched cryptocurrency venture has partnered with a digital platform that authorities say has been used by Iran-backed militant groups, raising ethical concerns among government specialists.

World Liberty Financial Inc., established by billionaire Steve Witkoff’s family shortly before November’s election with Trump as a financial beneficiary, has accepted a $30 million investment from Tron, a crypto platform that Israeli authorities say has been increasingly used for militant group transfers. Tron’s Chinese-born founder Justin Sun will join as an advisor to the Trump-Witkoff venture, according to announcements on social media platform X.

The partnership has alarmed six U.S. government ethics specialists consulted by Reuters, particularly given Tron’s emergence as a preferred channel for crypto transfers linked to designated terror organizations. The British Virgin Islands-registered platform has surpassed Bitcoin in such transactions, according to seven financial crime and cryptocurrency investigations experts interviewed in 2023.

Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing has frozen 186 Tron wallets since July 2021, citing connections to “designated terrorist organization[s]” or “severe terror crime[s].” These include 84 wallets linked to Hamas or its allies, 39 to Hezbollah, and 63 to unspecified terrorist groups or money changers. The most recent seizure was announced March 28.

Hamas, whose October 2023 attack killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing Gaza war, has been specifically identified in Israeli crypto seizures involving Tron since 2021.

Selena Gomez Announces Engagement in Social Media Post

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One of Instagram’s most-followed personalities, Selena Gomez, shared engagement news with her 423 million followers Thursday, posting video footage of emotional announcement calls to loved ones.

“Yes to this,” Gomez is heard saying in the video, met with excited screams from those on the other end of the calls. The engagement follows her collaboration with record producer Benny Blanco on songs including “I Can’t Get Enough” (2019) and “Single Soon” (2023).

Blanco previously expressed his feelings during a May appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show. “She’s just like the best, most genuine person,” he said. “Everything is completely real. Everyday when I wake up, I, like, walk by the mirror as I’m, like, walking to her and I ask myself, ‘How did I get here.'”

Selena Gomez, a Texas-born entertainer, who began her career as a child actress on Barney and Disney Channel, recently joined Bloomberg’s billionaire list with a $1.3 billion fortune, largely from her Rare Beauty makeup company. She received two Golden Globe nominations Monday – for supporting actress in “Emilia Pérez” and best actress in a TV series for “Only Murders in the Building.”

EU Targets Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ in Latest Sanctions Package

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The European Union approved new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, targeting a “shadow fleet” of aging tankers Moscow uses to evade Western oil price caps, alongside Chinese companies suspected of supporting Russian drone production.

The 15th sanctions package since Russia’s February 2022 invasion focuses on approximately 50 vessels within Moscow’s fleet of an estimated 600 tankers, which operate with poor maintenance and dubious insurance to circumvent the G7’s $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude oil.

“The EU and its G7 partners are committed to keeping pressure on the Kremlin,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The measures aim to curtail Russia’s primary revenue source for its war in Ukraine, with oil exports generating €475 billion between February 2022 and June 2024, representing 68% of fossil fuel export earnings, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Brussels officials express growing concern about environmental risks posed by the aging tankers, many over 20 years old, operating with minimal safety standards and “flags of convenience” from countries like Panama, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands. The vessels reportedly engage in deceptive practices, including falsifying data and conducting ship-to-ship transfers to obscure oil origins.

The package, approved during Hungary’s controversial Council presidency, faced minimal resistance except from Lithuania, which objected to derogations allowing European companies to exit the Russian market. China and India remain Russia’s primary oil customers, often refining Russian crude for re-export to EU markets under different labels.

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