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Syrian Rebels Launch Major Offensive, Retake Parts of Aleppo

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Syrian rebel forces have seized control of several neighborhoods in Aleppo, marking their first significant presence in Syria’s second-largest city since 2016, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The monitoring group reported Friday evening that rebels now control more than half of Aleppo, representing the largest opposition offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s government in years. Video footage verified by BBC from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) shows rebel fighters entering the city’s western suburbs, approximately seven kilometers from the central medieval citadel.

Government forces claim to have regained positions in several towns across Aleppo and Idlib provinces following Wednesday’s offensive by HTS and allied factions. The Syrian government has deployed reinforcements to Aleppo, while all flights from the city’s airport have been suspended, according to a military source speaking to Reuters.

SOHR reported 255 casualties in the fighting, the deadliest between rebels and pro-government forces in years. Syrian and Russian aircraft conducted 23 air strikes on the Aleppo region Friday, according to the monitoring group.

The offensive comes as Assad’s government faces multiple challenges, including Israeli strikes on Iran-linked targets within Syria and the weakening of key ally Hezbollah in Lebanon due to Israeli military operations. Fighting had largely subsided in the region since a 2020 Turkish-Russian brokered ceasefire, but HTS and allied groups launched the current offensive citing “aggression” by government forces and allied militias.

The Syrian civil war, which began after government forces cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, has killed more than half a million people. While the government, backed by Russia and other allies, had reclaimed most lost territory, Idlib province remains under HTS control with Turkish-backed rebel presence.

Indians, Nigerians Lead Rising Student Asylum Requests in Canada

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Indian and Nigerian students filed the highest number of asylum applications in Canada during the first nine months of 2024, as the country moves to restrict its growing immigrant population, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data.

Of 14,000 asylum requests filed between January and September, Indian students submitted 2,290 applications (14%), while Nigerian students filed 1,990, followed by Ghana with 1,385 and Guinea with 1,095. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Iran, Bangladesh, Cameroon, and the Ivory Coast rounded out the top ten source countries.

Study permit approvals for both Indian and Nigerian students have dropped approximately 50% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Still, Canada has issued 151,340 study permits to Indians and 21,040 to Nigerians this year.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller recently emphasized that study visas do not guarantee permanent residency. “When people came in here and decided to be students, it wasn’t a guarantee to become a permanent resident,” Miller said, announcing that work permits for international students would not be extended.

The minister cited the need to manage population growth without straining Canada’s economy as the reason for tightening immigration policies.

Former Child Care Bags Life Sentence in One of Australia’s Worst Abuse Cases

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A former childcare worker described as “one of Australia’s worst paedophiles” received a life sentence Friday for sexually abusing nearly 70 girls aged between one and seven years old over almost two decades.

Ashley Paul Griffith, 47, confessed to 307 offences committed at childcare centers across Queensland and overseas between 2003 and 2022, including 28 counts of rape and nearly 200 charges related to indecent treatment of children. Brisbane District Court Judge Paul Smith ordered a non-parole period of 27 years, citing Griffith’s “paedophilic disorder” and high risk of reoffending.

“There was a significant breach of trust,” Smith said, describing the crimes as “depraved” and “horrendous.” Investigators identified Griffith through distinctive bedsheets visible in thousands of abuse videos he had uploaded to the dark web, linking the material to childcare centers across Queensland.

The victims included 65 girls from 11 Brisbane locations and four children from a facility in Pisa, Italy. Griffith faces separate accusations of abusing at least two dozen additional children in New South Wales and Italy.

Victims and families delivered emotional impact statements before sentencing. One former kindergartener recalled Griffith as her favorite teacher before learning the truth: “To find out what he was really doing was devastating… I don’t seem to be able to process it even now, because there’s a disconnect between what I remember and the reality.”

“I will never know what my life could have been like,” another victim told the court. “I can never know what it would have been to grow up unafraid of people.”

Parents expressed guilt over trusting Griffith, with one telling him: “(My daughter) loved you like an uncle and you used her like a toy.” Outside court, families called for an investigation into how Griffith operated undetected for so long. “Parents are walking their children into these centres today with a false sense of security,” one father told reporters.

Griffith was initially arrested in August 2022 by federal police and later charged with more than 1,600 child sex offences, though most charges were eventually dropped.

Israel Warns Lebanese Civilians Not to Return to 60 Villages Amid Ceasefire with Hezbollah

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The Israeli military has issued a warning to Lebanese citizens against returning to 60 villages in southern Lebanon, three days into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a map outlining a designated zone stretching several miles deep into southern Lebanon, where it said returning residents would be at significant risk.

The warning comes after more than a year of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The ongoing conflict displaced more than one million Lebanese, mostly from the south, and tens of thousands of Israelis. Although the ceasefire went into effect Wednesday morning, both Israel and Lebanon have accused each other of breaching the truce.

On Thursday, the IDF said it had conducted artillery strikes and air raids against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The military claimed to have targeted a Hezbollah weapons facility after spotting suspicious activity and vehicles in the area, accusing the group of violating the ceasefire. Lebanon, in turn, accused Israel of multiple violations and said it was closely monitoring the situation.

A multinational monitoring mission, including representatives from the U.S., France, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was established to oversee compliance with the ceasefire agreement.

In his first interview since the truce was declared, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would resume “intensive military operations” if Hezbollah committed a “massive violation” of the ceasefire. Netanyahu emphasized that the ceasefire could be short-lived, depending on the group’s actions.

The ceasefire, brokered by the U.S. and France, includes provisions for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon while the Lebanese army deploys to the region. Armed groups, including Hezbollah, are not permitted to operate in the area. The plan calls for these steps to be completed within 60 days.

The zone Israel has marked as unsafe for return stretches from Mansouri on the coast to Shebaa in the east. The Lebanese army also cautioned residents not to return to areas previously occupied by Israeli forces until their withdrawal is complete.

The current conflict began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on northern Israel, shortly after the Hamas assault on Israel from Gaza. Hezbollah stated that it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the wake of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Since the outbreak of hostilities, the Lebanese health ministry reported that Israeli strikes have killed at least 3,961 people and injured 16,520 others. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s attacks have killed 31 soldiers and 45 civilians inside Israel. Another 45 Israeli soldiers have died in combat in southern Lebanon.

As both sides remain on edge, the future of the ceasefire appears uncertain, with ongoing violations further straining the fragile peace.

8 Dead as Boat Carrying 200 Capsizes on Nigerian River

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An official of the National Emergency Management Agency stands as people gather around a truck carrying bodies of the victims of a boat accident in Kebbi, Nigeria May 27, 2021 NEMA/Handout via REUTERS

A boat carrying approximately 200 market women and farm laborers capsized Thursday along the Dambo-Ebuchi section of the Niger River in Kogi State, Nigeria, with at least eight bodies recovered so far, officials confirmed Friday.

The vessel, owned by Musa Dangana, was transporting passengers to the weekly market in Katcha, Niger State, when the accident occurred, according to the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Search and rescue operations continue for remaining passengers.

“It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Thursday involving quite a number of women heading to the market in Niger State. We are still investigating to determine the number of people involved and the cause of the accident,” said Suleman Makama, head of NIWA’s Media Department.

The incident comes days after NIWA Managing Director Bola Oyebanji identified human errors, drug abuse, and safety regulation violations as primary causes of boat accidents over the past three years during a parliamentary oversight meeting in Lokoja.

“Ninety-nine per cent of mishaps on the waterways result from human errors,” Oyebanji told the House of Representatives Committee on NIWA. “Some of these operators rely on drugs, which impair their judgment and lead to fatal errors.” He criticized the common practice of wooden boats carrying far beyond their capacity, often transporting 150 to 200 passengers without providing life jackets.

NIWA officials said a comprehensive statement about the accident would be released pending management clearance.

Notorious Liberian Warlord-Turned-Senator Prince Johnson Dies

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Prince Yormie Johnson, the former Liberian warlord notorious for overseeing the torture and execution of President Samuel Doe in 1990, died Thursday at age 72, officials confirmed.

Johnson, who became an influential senator and evangelical preacher after the civil wars, died at Hope for Women health center, according to Wilfred Bangura, a senior official in Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction party.

“Senator Johnson was the longest-serving senator,” said Siaffa Jallah, deputy director of press at the Senate. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Johnson gained international infamy from video footage showing him sipping beer while his fighters tortured President Doe to death, an event that helped plunge Liberia into two civil wars from 1989 to 2003. The conflicts killed approximately 250,000 people and devastated the country’s economy.

The former warlord from Nimba region later transformed himself into an evangelical preacher with considerable popular support, while actively opposing the establishment of a tribunal to try civil war crimes.

3 Teenagers Among 17 Illegal Miners Arrested at South African Mine

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South African police arrested 17 illegal miners, including three teenagers, who emerged Thursday from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, North West province, where some had been trapped underground since May.

The teenagers, aged between 16 and 19, were among those who surfaced during Operation Vala Umgodi, a December 2024 police initiative that cut off food, water, and medical supplies to force illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas,” back to the surface.

The young miners, appearing hungry and dehydrated, showed signs of their ordeal with bust lips, grazed skin, blisters on their hands, and torn clothes. They reported taking days to reach the shaft exit and claimed armed BaSotho guards made escape attempts nearly impossible. All 17 miners, including a 14-year-old arrested at a different shaft, face charges of illegal mining, trespassing, and immigration law violations as authorities intensify efforts to crack down on illegal mining across the

Death Toll Rises to 17 as Uganda Landslide Buries Villages

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The death toll from a devastating landslide in eastern Uganda climbed to 17 Friday, with more than 100 people still missing after heavy rains triggered a massive earth movement that buried dozens of homes, a government spokesperson said.

The disaster struck Wednesday in Bulambuli district, about 300 kilometers east of Kampala, where at least 45 households were completely buried, according to the Uganda Red Cross Society. Local television footage showed vast areas of deep mud where homes and schools once stood, as survivors searched for missing family members.

“She was buried with the baby,” said Elgon County lawmaker Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, describing how his niece and her newborn were among the victims.

Charles Odongtho, spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister, expressed shock at the death toll, noting the government had warned residents about possible landslides at the onset of seasonal rains. The government has directed citizens in landslide-prone areas to relocate as the Red Cross and police conduct search-and-rescue operations.

The disaster follows unusually heavy rainfall across Uganda since October, causing widespread flooding. On Tuesday, the River Nile burst its banks, flooding a highway connecting Kampala to the northwest.

The mountainous region where the landslide occurred has a history of similar disasters, including a 2010 avalanche that killed at least 80 people. Deforestation and vegetation clearing for agriculture on mountain slopes have increased landslide risks in the area.

4 Dead as Rebels Attack Aleppo Student Housing

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Four civilians, including two students, died Friday when insurgent shells struck university dormitories in Aleppo, state news agency SANA reported, as violence escalates in Syria’s northwest.

The attack follows Wednesday’s major offensive by rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who launched incursions into a dozen towns and villages in Aleppo province, controlled by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The offensive marks the largest breach of a March 2020 ceasefire between Russia, backing Assad, and Turkey, supporting the rebels.

Russian and Syrian warplanes responded Thursday with airstrikes on rebel-held areas near the Turkish border, attempting to counter insurgent advances that had captured territory for the first time in years, according to Syrian army and rebel sources.

The 2020 ceasefire had halted years of fighting that displaced millions of Syrians opposing Assad’s rule.

Israeli Tanks Retreat From Gaza Camp After Killing 30

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Israeli tanks pulled back from parts of central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp Friday as Palestinian medics reported at least 30 people killed in overnight strikes, including 19 in the camp itself.

While some Israeli forces withdrew, tanks remained active in the camp’s western sector, preventing Palestinian Civil Emergency Service teams from reaching residents trapped in their homes. The Israeli military, which said Thursday its forces were continuing to “strike terror targets” in Gaza, did not immediately comment on the latest operations.

In a separate incident Friday, medics reported an Israeli drone strike killed Ahmed Al-Kahlout, head of the Intensive Care Unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya. Hospital officials told Reuters Al-Kahlout was struck by a missile while walking through the hospital gate, days after the facility’s director and 12 other medical staff were wounded in similar attacks.

Kamal Adwan Hospital is among three northern Gaza medical facilities barely functioning due to critical shortages. Health officials said Israeli forces had either detained or expelled most of its medical staff.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini reported Thursday that Israel’s seven-week northern Gaza offensive has displaced approximately 130,000 people. Israeli forces operating in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun since October 5 say they aim to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping, while residents report systematic depopulation of these areas.

Israeli authorities released about 30 Palestinians previously detained during the offensive, with freed detainees arriving at a southern Gaza hospital for medical examinations. Released Palestinians have alleged torture and mistreatment in Israeli detention, claims Israel denies.

The Gaza health ministry reports nearly 44,300 Palestinians killed and most of the territory’s population displaced at least once during Israel’s campaign, launched after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in their October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

reuters

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