The Guardian - December 09, 2024

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December 09, 2024

Rebels seize Damascus as Assad flees to Moscow

Celebrations across Syria after decades of brutal rule come to end | Militias take capital just 11 days since start of offensive against regime

5 mins

Prisoners freed Joy and grief as families reunite with 'disappeared'

As Syrian rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured city after city on the road to Damascus, forcing Bashar al-Assad to flee the country, they also opened the doors of the regime's notorious prisons, into which upwards of 100,000 people disappeared during nearly 14 years of civil war.

2 mins

'They Vanished' Regime's forces melted away as rebels drew near

When the rebels finally reached Bashar al-Assad's sprawling palace in Damascus, the gates were open. There was no traffic on the floodlit highways leading into the vast estate, and apparently no defenders were waiting among the carefully tended trees. In the empty guardhouses, coats were still hung on the backs of doors.

3 mins

Arab states will start dialogue with all forces in Syria to prevent reignition of war, says Qatar

Qatar has said Arab states will seek to avert the threat of a reignited Syrian civil war by starting an open dialogue with all the forces on the ground as the Turkish foreign minister said the formation of a new inclusive government in Damascus would allow millions of refugees to return home.

3 mins

Russia and Iran are suddenly impotent as Turkey takes role of most influential external power

As Celebratory gunfire was heard across much of Syria, the diplomatic big guns of Iran and Russia, in Doha to attend a major dialogue forum, fell silent, rendered powerless and irrelevant by events in Damascus.

3 mins

Family business How Assad went from doctor to brutal dictator

In the face of it at least, the Bashar al-Assad of 2002 was a starkly different figure from the brutal autocrat he would become, ruling over a fragile state founded on torture, imprisonment and industrial murder.

6 mins

Downing St PM hails end of 'barbaric' Syrian regime

Keir Starmer welcomed the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's \"barbaric regime\" in Syria yesterday.

1 min

Distant dream: exiles plan return as fall of Assad paves the way home

Nasma and Haleem Kawas met during the first protests against Bashar al-Assad's rule in their hometown of Aleppo. In the early days of the 2011 Arab Spring, the pair locked eyes at a demonstration calling for the president's overthrow. Now, after 13 years of broken dreams and exile, the couple are planning their return.

3 mins

Hezbollah's war with Israel left Tehran's allies fatally exposed

It was no coincidence that the Syrian group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) began its push for the city of Aleppo on the same day that Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire to end the fighting in Lebanon.

2 mins

Two people killed as Storm Darragh brings chaos to many parts of the country

A cleanup operation is underway as communities survey the damage brought by Storm Darragh, which killed two people over the weekend.

3 mins

GMB union is riddled with misogyny, ex-activist says

GMB must release former female staff members from confidentiality clauses that prevent them speaking publicly about their treatment, a former regional president of the trade union has said.

2 mins

Fayed faked dementia to avoid trial, says youngest son

Mohamed Al Fayed pretended he had dementia to evade prosecution for sexual crimes, his son has said.

2 mins

I was partly deaf for three months after Covid jab, says violinist Kennedy

The violinist Nigel Kennedy has said that he experienced partial deafness for about three months after having the third Covid vaccine in 2021.

2 mins

Compass The Labour majority 'has a timebomb under it'

Keir Starmer's focus on winning over voters from the centre-right has delivered Labour a large but fundamentally shallow election victory and a weak mandate to deliver real change, a Labour-linked thinktank has warned.

1 min

Reeves: closer ties with EU will replace division and chaos

Rachel Reeves plans to end Britain's fractious post-Brexit relationship with the EU, which she describes as defined by \"division and chaos\", by promising closer ties in the first speech since 2020 by a UK chancellor to eurozone finance ministers.

2 mins

Housing People take priority over saving newts, says Rayner

Newts should not be more protected than people who need homes, Angela Rayner said yesterday before an overhaul of national planning guidelines.

2 mins

'The system is a joke' Day in the life of crown court where delays and shortages are the norm

A man bursts out of a courtroom, shouting expletives. The judge has just ruled that his brother-in-law will not be going to prison after sexually assaulting his two young daughters.

7 mins

Alleged offenders are spending up to five years in prison awaiting trial

Court backlogs are forcing alleged offenders to spend up to five years in jail awaiting trial and driving innocent people to plead guilty, two prison watchdogs have revealed.

4 mins

Theatre review Spiky and spectacular show has fabulous performances

Noel Streatfeild's classic 1936 novel about three adopted sisters who go to stage school is underpinned by spiky subject matter, in the tradition of good children's stories. Pauline (Grace Saif) is salvaged from a shipwreck, Petrova (Yanexi Enriquez) orphaned in Russia, and Posy (Daisy Sequerra) given up by her dancer mother who has \"no time for babies\". They are taken in by professor and palaeontologist, Great Uncle Matthew (Justin Salinger), GUM for short, who hands them over to two female charges at 999 Cromwell Road and departs for adventures abroad.

1 min

Review Grimm tale stuffed with sweet treats

Hansel and Gretel Globe theatre, London

1 min

Blackpool How poverty and austerity led to lowest male life expectancy in the UK

It is a league table that no one wants to top. For the first time in 20 years, Blackpool, a once-glamorous seaside resort, has overtaken Glasgow to have the lowest average male life expectancy in the UK.

2 mins

Review to end scandal of debt due to flaws in carer benefit, says minister

The government has promised a \"new settlement\" for unpaid carers, vowing to end the scandal of carer benefit overpayments that has left hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in huge debt and in some cases facing prosecution.

1 min

'A domino effect' Family looking for answers over Sheffield killing

When the family of Roger Leadbeater, a 74-year-old man stabbed to death while walking his dog yards from his home in Sheffield, went to lay flowers at the scene two days later, they were met with a horrifying sight.

2 mins

Notre Dame holds first mass since devastating fire in 2019

Parisians and the world rediscovered the breathtaking beauty of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral on Saturday evening, five years after it was devastated by fire.

2 mins

Zelenskyy wants to make peace deal with Russia, Trump claims

Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, a day after meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Paris, claiming Kyiv \"would like to make a deal\" to end its war with Russia.

2 mins

Filling the vacuum President-in-waiting is wasting no time in seizing the agenda

The grand reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday was attended by about 50 heads of state and government. Joe Biden was not there to admire the magnificent splendour of the 850-year-old place of worship, but Donald Trump was.

4 mins

'A gram is $6' Crystal meth use booms in Mexico as prices fall

11 night, Daniela stares at screens in the warehouse where she works as a security guard. The challenge is to stay awake. So, before every shift, she smokes crystal meth for the euphoric focus it gives her.

2 mins

Former president in historic comeback as Voters punish Ghana's ruling party

Ghana's former president John Dramani Mahama won a historic comeback election victory yesterday after voters appeared to punish the ruling New Patriotic party (NPP) over its management of an economic crisis.

1 min

Tanzania Hopes for reform fade amid wave of repression

When Samia Suluhu Hassan took office as Tanzania's president in 2021, many in the east African country hailed what they hoped was a new dawn after the authoritarian and repressive rule of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

3 mins

Whale of a time How Moby-Dick marathons became American tradition

Every autumn on Venice beach, locals set up a chair by the water. A harpoon goes on one side, a whalebone on the other. Then, in honor of grey whale migration season, they spend two days reading Moby-Dick aloud.

4 mins

Facebook UK cut 700 staff and reduced tax bill, accounts show

Facebook cut more than 700 employees in the UK last year at a cost of £79m after its parent company, Meta, embarked on its first-ever round of redundancies as part of a global cost-cutting drive to offset a disastrous collapse in revenues.

2 mins

Double blow as job vacancies and business mood slump

The number of job vacancies in November fell at the fastest rate since the start of the pandemic, as UK business confidence slumped to its lowest level in almost two years, according to two new reports.

1 min

Christmas party dips under threat as food workers' strike continues

It could be crunch time for party nibbles amid fears of further shortages of cheese and chive dips, soups and pasta sauces after hundreds of workers at a food production site voted for three months of further strike action.

1 min

Media Breakup drama continues at ITV despite long run of profitable hit shows

Carolyn McCall enters her eighth year as boss of ITV; she might be forgiven for wondering if she should have taken the chance to run Marks & Spencer instead.

3 mins

Political funding Musk's rumoured millions for Farage may spur real reform

Elon Musk has denied he is gearing up to chuck $100m at Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, as it pushes to take on the Tories.

3 mins

UK 'needs to play catch-up' in global race to upgrade power grids

The UK is lagging behind in the race to rewire the world's power grids by investing four times more on renewable energy projects than on the electricity cables needed to connect them to the grid and consumers, according to a report.

2 mins

Culture of fear Time to look beyond toxic win-at-all-costs approaches

Danny Care's stories about the England rugby environment under Eddie Jones reveal important insights into the ways that sport is experienced, organised and led.

4 mins

Dean's hat-trick helps level ODI series against South Africa

Charlie Dean revealed she was unaware she had claimed a hat-trick as England beat South Africa by six wickets in Durban to level the one-day international series at 1-1.

1 min

'He's class' Bethell proved No 3 was right call, says Stokes

After securing a win inside three days in a gale, the series victory against New Zealand also claimed with a Test match to spare, Ben Stokes was himself blown away.

2 mins

Bowlers finish off Black Caps after Root's relentless century

England could scarcely have been made to feel more welcome in New Zealand, be it a warm-up game tailored to their specifications in Queenstown, those eight dropped catches in Christchurch, or the cheery ground announcer regaling spectators with Harry Brook's eye-popping statistics throughout the two Tests.

4 mins

Norris holds nerve to end McLaren's long wait for team title

The wait has been long and torturous for McLaren, but by the close of a victory for Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was worth it as the team celebrated their first Formula One constructors' championship for 26 years—opening perhaps a new era for them, just as another came to an end for Lewis Hamilton.

3 mins

Emotional Hamilton signs off Mercedes career on a high

Lewis Hamilton described his time with Mercedes as the greatest honour of his life after the seven-time champion bowed out with his final race for the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2 mins

Prendergast steals show for dominant Leinster

Much is expected of Leinster's new All Black recruit Jordie Barrett but it was the Irish province's young home-reared fly-half Sam Prendergast who stole the show in the West Country last night.

3 mins

West Ham fight back in style after taking early double blow

There was a moment for mutual respect after the final whistle between the West Ham head coach, Rehanne Skinner, and her Crystal Palace counterpart, Laura Kaminski, with the former expressing confidence in Palace's chances of Women's Super League survival, after her side came from two goals down to win 5-2.

3 mins

Ouattara lands cruel blow to shatter Ipswich

Yet more cruelty on Ipswich, for whom Premier League reality once again bit brutally. Belief can only be bruised by repeated reverses and bitter blows such as Bournemouth's late equaliser through Enes Unal and then Dango Ouattara's winner, the latter coming five minutes beyond the 90.

3 mins

Arteta rues slip as Fulham puncture title momentum

The good news is that it was better for Arsenal than last season. The bad news is that their run of successive wins was ended at four and they spurned an opportunity to apply pressure to the leaders Liverpool.

3 mins

Late Vardy heroics steal point against Brighton

Where there's Jamie Vardy, there's hope. Ruud van Nistelrooy has jokingly asked reporters to stop pointing out Leicester's living legend stole the Dutchman's record for scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League games in late 2015, but late in 2024 he is delighted the veteran striker has scored in successive games to kickstart a new era at the King Power Stadium.

3 mins

Spluttering Spurs undone by Palmer's masterclass

It was Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham in microcosm. A couple of steps forward; more in the opposite direction.

3 mins

Welcome to the new world order with Cucurella centre stage

With 61 minutes gone at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Cole Palmer buried his first penalty kick of the game to make the score 2-2, Marc Cucurella could be seen banging himself violently in the head with both hands close to the left touchline, curls flying cinematically, like a loveable dog in an advert for floor detergent.

3 mins

Undermined Ashworth makes shock United exit

Dan Ashworth has left his position as Manchester United's sporting director after only five months at the club.

1 min

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