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Airstrikes kill
34 in Syria: Pro-rebel
monitor;
At least 34 people were
killed on Sunday by
intensified airstrikes
on rebel-held areas in
Syria's northern
province of Idlib, a
monitor group reported.
Militant
Shelling Kills Civilians
in Syria’s Nubl, Zahra;
Dozens of Syrian
civilians were killed
and injured in rocket
attacks carried out by
Takfiri militants for a
third successive day in
the towns of Nubl and
Zahra near Aleppo as the
Syrian army is making
huge gains on the ground
in northwestern Aleppo
province.
2 Russian
paramedics killed, 1
gravely injured in
militant attack on
hospital in Aleppo – MoD;
One Russian medic was
killed immediately at
the Russian military
mobile hospital set up
in western Aleppo, and
another died later in a
hospital after
succumbing to her
injuries, the Russian
Defense Ministry said.
Syria "rebels"
rule out withdrawal from
Aleppo:
SYRIAN rebels overnight
ruled out a pullout from
east Aleppo despite
sweeping government
advances, after Moscow
announced it would hold
talks with Washington on
their withdrawal from
the city.
Rebels defiant
as Syrian army nears
Aleppo's Old City;
Western and regional
states backing the
rebellion against
President Bashar al-Assad
appear unwilling or
unable to do anything to
prevent a major defeat
for those fighting to
topple the Syrian leader
UN to vote on
Aleppo ceasefire;
It urges all parties to
the conflict in Syria to
“immediately cease any
attacks in the city of
Aleppo to allow urgent
humanitarian needs to be
addressed” for a period
of seven days that could
be extended, the sources
added.
More militants
surrender to Syrian Army
in rural Damascus;
Some 450 rebel fighters
and outlaws from the
city of Al-Kiswah and
neighboring towns in
southern Damascus have
just turned themselves
in to the Syrian Army,
thus ending years-long
fight against government
forces.
U.S. Congress is
trying to send
anti-aircraft missiles
to Syria’s jihadist-infested
rebellion;
For the first time in
the Pentagon’s
legislative blueprint,
the United States
government will be
permitted to sell Man
Portable Air Defense
Systems (MANPADS) to
Syrian opposition units
that have been vetted by
the intelligence
community.
Fearing
abandonment by Trump,
CIA-backed rebels in
Syria mull alternatives;
Among the options, are a
closer alliance with
better-armed al-Qaeda
and other extremist
groups, receipt of more
sophisticated weaponry
from Sunni states in the
Persian Gulf region
opposed to a U.S.
pullback
EU’s Syria Plan
B sees Assad staying,
Brussels paying for it –
Times:
The EU is reportedly
planning to offer
Damascus financial aid
in exchange for allowing
rebel forces stay in
power in some regions of
Syria. Brussels is no
longer insisting on the
retirement of Syrian
President Bashar Assad,
according to the Times.
Airstrike kills,
wounds 22 ISIS militants
near Kirkuk;
“The airs strike
resulted in the killing
of eight ISIS members
and wounding of 14
others,” the media
outlet added.
ISIS executes 11
persons near Kirkuk,
including whole family;
Today, ISIS executed
four youths from al-Baghaliya
village, in Hawija
district, for
collaborating with
security forces, the
source told Alsumaria
News.
West Mosul
shelled as Iraq steps up
fight against Islamic
State:
Western-backed Iraqi
forces have begun
shelling parts of west
Mosul, residents said,
in preparation for a new
front against Islamic
State seven weeks into a
difficult campaign to
drive the militants from
the city.
Iraq denies
Daesh leader Baghdadi
was killed;
A senior Iraqi security
source inside the
country’s Nineveh
province dismissed
reports that the leader
of Daesh, Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi, was dead,
according to Russian
news agency Sputnik.
Defense
Secretary says US,
partners need to stay in
Iraq:
The American military,
along with its
international partners,
will need to remain in
Iraq even after the
expected defeat of the
Islamic State group,
outgoing Defense
Secretary Ash Carter
said Saturday.
Iran seeks more
cooperation with Saudi
Arabia;
" Iran's Foreign
Ministry spokesman says
the Islamic Republic and
its regional rival Saudi
Arabia can and should
cooperate to resolve
regional crises.
Saudi jets
attack Pakistani boat
off Yemen, kill six
sailors;
The Saudi jets targeted
a boat carrying 12
Pakistani sailors off
Mukha coast in the
Yemeni province of
Ta’izz on Sunday,
Yemen’s Saba news agency
said.
Saudi aggression
air strikes kill woman,
wound 2 daughters in
Baqi;
A woman was killed and
two daughters were
wounded when a Saudi
aggression air strikes
launched five Strikes on
al-Mhjar area in Baqim
district of Saada
province overnight, a
security official told
Saba on Monday.
Boris Johnson
says 'we do not think
the threshold has been
crossed' by Saudi
Arabia's bombing of
Yemen:
Boris Johnson has
insisted a “threshold
has not been crossed” by
Saudi Arabia in its
bombardment of Yemen.
Israel
government nears deal
that could 'legalise'
settler homes;
International community
considers all Jewish
settlements on occupied
land to be illegal,
whether authorised by
Israel or not. Homes
located in
Israel-approved
settlements were built
on Palestinian land
Central African
Republic: Civilians
Killed During Clashes:
Serious fighting in the
Central African Republic
in late November 2016
between two Seleka
groups left at least 14
civilians dead and 76
wounded, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Libyan forces
claim control of ISIL
stronghold of Sirte;
Hundreds of loyalist
troops and unknown
number of ISIL fighters
killed as pro-government
forces seize coastal
city.
With fall of
Sirte, IS down but not
out in Libya;
The fall of Sirte to
pro-government forces is
a significant setback
for the Islamic State
group in Libya, but will
not spell the end of the
jihadists in the
strife-torn country,
experts say.
Relations
between US and UN
strained over
Afghanistan war reports;
US military is
increasingly trying to
control public
information about
conflict, nearly leading
to ban on UN staff from
Kabul base.
Trump’s Taiwan
phone call was long
planned, say people who
were involved:
Donald Trump’s
protocol-breaking
telephone call with
Taiwan’s leader was an
intentionally
provocative move that
establishes the incoming
president as a break
with the past.
Taiwan’s Tsai
Ing-Wen ‘initiated’
phone call with Donald
Trump;
It was Taiwan’s
President Tsai Ing-wen
who initiated the
unprecedented phone
conversation with United
States president-elect
Donald Trump, following
weeks of intense
lobbying from Taipei,
the island’s
presidential spokesman
told the South China
Morning Post.
Ukraine: Five
police killed in
friendly-fire shoot-out;
The overnight shoot-out
between two sets of
police began when each
side believed the other
to be criminals. It
happened near Kiev and
has been described as a
"heartbreaking tragedy".
‘I rigged
parliament votes for
President Poroshenko’ –
fugitive Ukrainian MP;
The money used to buy
votes had been embezzled
from the state coffers
and even includes funds
provided to Ukraine by
the International Money
Fund, Aleksandr
Onishchenko said in a
Skype interview to
Russian TV.
Propaganda alert;
The US military now sees
Russia as its biggest
threat;
: Russia's increasing
military activities
around the world have
unsettled top US
military officials, who
say they are reshaping
their budget plans to
better address what they
now consider to be the
most pressing threat to
US security.
Austria
far-right candidate
Norbert Hofer defeated
in presidential poll;
Mr Van der Bellen, 72,
won with about 53% of
the votes - a
projection, as postal
ballots are still being
counted.
Italy
referendum: 'Period of
uncertainty' predicted
after Matteo Renzi's
defeat – live;
Prime minister confirms
he will resign following
heavy referendum defeat,
and Austria elects
left-leaning president
over Norbert Hofer
Italian banks
tumble as investors eye
contagion risk;
Shares in Italy's
beleaguered banks
tumbled by up to 6% as
investors took fright at
the decisive 'no' vote
in the country's
constitutional
referendum.
French PM Valls
running for president:
French Prime Minister
Manuel Valls on Monday
threw his hat in the
ring to succeed Francois
Hollande in next year's
presidential election.
"I am a candidate for
the presidency of the
Republic," he said.
Greece must
reform or leave eurozone,
says German minister:
Wolfgang Schäuble rules
out debt relief for
Greece before meeting of
eurozone’s finance
ministers
Muslim cleric is
in US court fighting
against deportation;
Imam Mohammad Qatanani
is the leader of the
Islamic Center of
Passaic County. A judge
ruled against
immigration authorities'
attempt to have him
deported eight years
ago. Federal officials
say he didn't disclose
being convicted in
Israel for being a
member of Hamas
What's the
future of US for-profit
immigrant detention?;
The president-elect has
been widely criticised
for his anti-immigrant
positions and has vowed
to bulk up border,
immigration and police
authorities - possibly
preventing for-profit
detention centres from
closing.
Standing Rock:
Army denies Dakota
pipeline permit;
Victory for Native
Americans and climate
activists who had been
protesting against the
$3.8bn project.
US Congress
overwhelmingly backs
$619 billion Pentagon
budget;
By an overwhelming
375-34 vote, the US
House of Representatives
last Friday passed a
$619 billion Pentagon
budget that ensures the
growth of war and
militarism under an
incoming Trump
administration
VA may have infected 600
veterans with HIV and
Hepatitis:
Nearly 600 veterans
could have been infected
with HIV, Hepatitis B or
Hepatitis C at a
Veterans Affairs
facility in Tomah, Wis.
because a dentist didn’t
properly clean his
instruments.
Proposed 'Anti-Semitism
Awareness Act' is an
Unconstitutional Mess:
Bob Casey (D-PA) and
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
have introduced the
Anti-Semitism Awareness
Act which is meant to
"to ensure the U.S.
Department of Education
(DOE) has the necessary
statutory tools at their
disposal to investigate
anti-Jewish incidents"
on college campuses.
New York Governor
blacklists BDS
businesses:
"This state will not
stand for the politics
of discrimination... and
we will continue to
demonstrate our
unwavering support for
the people of Israel in
the fight for freedom,
liberty and democracy."
Dow jumps to
record high;
The Dow Jones industrial
average gained around
100 points to hit a new
record high, with
Goldman Sachs
contributing the most
gains. The S&P 500
advanced 0.69 percent,
with energy rising more
than 1 percent to lead
advancers.
Trump hasn't
taken office yet, but
he's probably already
had an impact on your
finances;
The bulls are running
now, but economists say
the honeymoon could end
as soon as the
president-elect outlines
specifics.
Trump visits
Carrier factory in
Indiana to begin ‘thank
you tour' – video
: The US president-elect
visited air-conditioner
maker factory on
Thursday to celebrate
election win and for
keeping 1,000 jobs there
from moving to Mexico.
Trump's Carrier
speech 'absolutely
chilling,' economic
analyst says;
President-elect Donald
Trump's speech about his
deal to keep Carrier
jobs in the United
States was "absolutely
the worst speech,"
economic policy analyst
Jimmy Pethokoukis told
CNBC on Thursday.
Trump Is Going
After Another Company
for Sending Jobs
Overseas:
In a tweet sent late
Friday, Trump went after
Rexnord over its plans
to move a plant from
Indianapolis to Mexico.
“Rexnord of Indiana is
moving to Mexico and
rather viciously firing
all of its 300 workers,”
the tweet read. “This is
happening all over our
country. No more!”
Trump to
Nominate Ben Carson as
Housing, Urban
Development Secretary:
In the statement, Trump
said he was "thrilled"
to nominate Carson, who
dropped out of the
campaign race in March
after a string of
disappointing primary
finishes on Super
Tuesday.
Federal Judge
Orders Michigan Recount
To Start Today At Noon
As Stein Vows New
Lawsuit In PA;
After both Trump and
Stein, among others,
filed lawsuits last
Friday in Michigan, it
seems that U.S. District
Judge Mark Goldsmith has
cleared the path for a
recount this morning
