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Rebels celebrate near the Damascene Sword Monument after taking over Damascus (Image: EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD) HAYAT TAHRIR AL-SHAM SWEEPS DAMASCUS Russian state media has reported that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Moscow having fled as rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into the capital Damascus this weekend. The BBC says Russian media reports, citing sources in the Kremlin, have claimed Assad and his family have been granted asylum by Russia. Russia’s foreign ministry said earlier on Sunday Assad had resigned as president and left Syria, The New York Times reports, adding that his departure “after rebels opposed to his rule swept through the country in a lightning offensive was an earthshaking moment in the history of Syria ... it marked a dramatic breakthrough for rebel factions in Syria that have been trying to unseat him for more than a decade, much of which was marked by a devastating civil war”. The secretary general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres , is quoted congratulating the Syrian people, saying: “After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future.” The paper adds, however, that there is uncertainty over who will lead Syria next with fears of a power vacuum. The BBC reports rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani addressed crowds at Umayyad Mosque on Sunday and accused Assad’s regime of imprisoning “thousands of its own citizens unjustly and without any crime”. “Today, we are rewarded with this victory. This victory is for all Syrians,” he is quoted as saying. The Associated Press recalls how Assad’s fall has brought to a dramatic close his struggle to hold onto control “as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers”. The newswire flags the war, during which Assad received support from allies such as Iran and Russia, has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. The BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab reported earlier on Sunday that the presidential palace in Damascus had been almost completely emptied by people storming the building. Her eyewitness account is worth flagging: “Members of rebel group the HTS have arrived to control the situation — they have said this is not acceptable. “I’ve lived in Syria for 10 years and have never been into this street. I can see people rushing into this place in revenge and also with lots of happiness that they’ve managed to break in. “The scenes are very chaotic inside. There has been looting in other government buildings but this is a different situation. People are going in, posing for pictures while taking what they can. They are taking revenge for years of oppression and poverty because of Assad and his father.” She also said it was the first time she had crossed into the country “without fear of detention, without fear of arrest”. Her video report is here . MELBOURNE SYNAGOGUE FIRE In domestic news, federal and state counter-terrorism units are set to meet later today to discuss the investigation into the arson attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne on Friday. The AAP reports Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Victorian and federal police would also discuss whether or not it could be classified as a terrorism incident. Speaking to reporters in Perth on Sunday, Albanese said: “If you want my personal view, quite clearly, terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community. And the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community, and therefore, from my personal perspective, certainly fulfil that definition of terrorism.” The newswire said police confirmed they are also investigating reports of a bullet found on a footpath near the synagogue on Saturday. The ABC flags Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said yesterday the chief commissioner told her there had been “progress” in the investigation. Police are yet to make any arrests. The broadcaster also said more than 1,000 members of the Jewish community gathered at a vigil near the Adass Israel synagogue on Sunday. Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein is quoted by AAP as saying: “We’ll come back bigger and better. The building will be a beautiful jewel in the crown once again. There’ll be a huge rebuilding campaign, which we’re running at the moment.” The newswire also flags cabinet Minister Murray Watt accusing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of politicising the incident. The workplace relations minister rejected the Coalition leader’s claims the prime minister had not done enough to address antisemitism and that the government had made Australia less safe for Jewish people, AAP said. Guardian Australia flags Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the attack on Friday to Australia’s support for a UN resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Dutton has been making headlines for numerous reasons over the weekend with the Nine papers and many others flagging the CSIRO has declared nuclear power is around 50% more expensive than renewables. With Dutton apparently set to finally reveal his nuclear costings this week, The Sydney Morning Herald says “the report found the lowest cost projections for nuclear power would only match the highest projections for renewable energy, a major challenge to Dutton’s claim that nuclear is needed to cut electricity bills.” That conclusion came “even after the science organisation changed its modelling to accommodate criticism from the Peter Dutton -led Coalition that it had unfairly favoured wind and solar energy sources”, the paper said. Elsewhere, the ABC flags Dutton has said the Coalition will not set a target for net migration before the next election. The opposition leader refused to recommit to the target he previously set of 160,000 a year, telling Sky News on Sunday: “We’ll have a look at the economic settings when we come to government.” The Saturday Paper reports the New Zealand-founded advertising agency Topham Guerin, best known for its involvement with Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson’s election victories in 2019, has been hired to work on Dutton’s campaign. Finally, the latest Newspoll for The Australian continues the trend it has shown over the last few weeks and months, namely that voters aren’t that impressed with Albanese and Dutton’s popularity is growing. The paper declares: “Voters consider Anthony Albanese the weakest prime minister in decades, with Peter Dutton widening his lead as the stronger and more decisive leader, despite a two-party contest that has the ­Coalition and Labor back to a neck-and-neck race to the election.” The Australian says Dutton currently has the highest score for an opposition leader since Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull more than 10 years ago. The Sydney Morning Herald also has a survey which reports 56% of voters have rejected Albanese’s new slogan “We have your back”. The paper says 59% of voters believe they are worse off than when Labor came to power and only 13% feel better off. “Voters have slashed their core support for federal Labor to a new low of 27% amid a deepening dispute over the cost of living, backing the Coalition to deliver more help to households over the next three years,” the paper declares. ON A LIGHTER NOTE... Someone spent US$28 million (A$44 million) on a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz on Saturday. The BBC reports the slippers sold for significantly more than their expected sale price of US$3 million (A$4.7 million) and Heritage Auctions reckons they are now the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction. The broadcaster says while Garland wore several pairs of the shoes during filming, only four pairs are known to have survived. This particular pair was stolen in 2005 while being loaned to the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota. Professional thief Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to stealing them in 2023, at which point he was in his 70s and was sentenced to time served. Say What? Good man, this one. Donald Trump The US President-elect had four words to sum up the British heir to the throne, Prince William . The pair caught up during the ceremonial reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris at the weekend. CRIKEY RECAP Who was Australia’s biggest shitstirrer in 2024? Help Crikey figure it out CAM WILSON Who is the biggest shitstirrer of the year? (Image: Private Media) There’s the Power List, the Top 100 Innovators, the Rich List, 30 under 30. The list(s) go on. Each one is more sycophantic than the last. For people unfamiliar with what it’s like to run a news outlet in 2024, we’ll let you in on a secret: these lists mostly exist to convince the elites who have shrinking reasons to deal with the mainstream media to please, please, please give us access through obsequious flattery. In return, the Fourth Estate is reduced to doing PR for the people it is supposed to hold to account. It publishes fawning hagiographies that bear even less resemblance to reality than the glossy, edited images from the photoshoots that accompany them. Us? Crikey does not respect money or status. There is only one thing — a value, an essence, a vibe — that we value here at Crikey HQ. The highest, most noble honour that we can bestow on anyone is considering them a shitstirrer. Shitstirrer has a handful of slightly different definitions. Crikey ’s version is someone who is a nuisance to powerful people. But it has a few other elements, too. Vote now for Crikey’s prestigious Arsehat of the Year CHARLIE LEWIS What a year! We’re as tired as you dear reader, but using our last gasp of energy to list some of the people who might be responsible for that beaten-down feeling 2024 has left us with. Direct your disappointment! Vote now in Crikey’s prestigious Arsehat of the Year award and remember you can add your own nomination if none of these options float your boat. Who was your Person of the Year? It is time to vote! CHARLIE LEWIS As 2024 drifts to a close and we reflect on its many disappointments and outrages, it’s equally important to remember figures who offered, sometimes imperfectly, a genuine alternative to the general sense of degradation in public life. READ ALL ABOUT IT Ukrainian war dead reaches 43,000, Zelenskyy says in rare update (BBC) Trump calls for immediate Ukraine ceasefire (Reuters) Rough sleeping surges as homelessness crisis worsens (Australian Associated Press) NYPD releases two new photos of suspect in Brian Thompson killing (The Guardian ) Barry Keoghan deactivates Instagram account due to ‘lies’ and ‘disgusting commentary’ about his family: ‘Too many lines being crossed’ (Variety) For Taylor Swift, it’s the end of the ‘Eras’ ( The New York Times ) ($) THE COMMENTARIAT The ABC has lost its curiosity. Joe Rogan can help Kim Williams recover it — Parnell Palme McGuinness ( The Sydney Morning Herald ): The worst sin of the ABC is, therefore, not that it is biased. It is that it has become so dull it is no longer worth tuning into. Chairman Kim Williams is focused on the need for objectivity, but emphasising journalistic dispassion is only part of the solution. With the exception of a small number of programs, most relegated to minor time slots and barely promoted, the ABC has become incurious. Topics covered by the ABC’s flagship shows have been narrowing and perspectives on the remaining topics are predictable. Politicians deliver their talking points. A narrow range of experts delivers a narrow range of perspectives (somehow the ethnic and gender diversity emphasised by the ABC never seems to equate to a wider range of ideas). Advocates call for more government funding. The presenters sigh sympathetically. I sigh in frustration. The formula is tiresome. Australians, including this long-time loyal listener and viewer, switch off. Bland and fake: Why the electorate has given up listening to politicians — Annika Smethurst ( The Age ): This is not a dig at Allan. It’s part of a broader problem, where politicians have become trained not to say anything controversial, qualifying every point and sticking to the safety of engineered answers to the point the electorate has given up listening. This trend has coincided with a demonisation of political imagination. Where candidates and ministers are selected for being a “safe pair of hands” rather than inspiring or interesting. For Labor, this has resulted in a generation of politicians who have never spent any substantive time in blue-collar jobs but rather worked in offices for the right law firms, trade unions or ministers. The Liberals are no longer dominated by small-business owners and working professionals but by former political staffers who dutifully serve time working for MPs in between stints at a suitable think tank or lobby group. None of this should disqualify a candidate from being elected — it can be a great training ground — but nor should it be the only measure.Best Cryptos to Buy Now: Qubetics Presale Hits $8.1M Milestone Alongside Cardano and SEI in December 2024jilihot 2024 。

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Timberwolves push back start time vs. Spurs because of issue with game courtReports from the Decatur Police Department said the trouble broke out around 10 p.m. Saturday while the brothers, aged 18 and 11, were at their grandparents’ home on South Fontaine Drive. The 18-year-old is accused of locking his sibling in the choke hold and strangling him to the point where the younger boy felt dizzy and light-headed but didn’t lose consciousness. “Grandma then entered the room and broke it up,” said Sgt. Brandon Rolfs. “And the 11-year-old called us.” The older sibling was arrested and booked into the Macon County Jail at 12:02 a.m. Sunday on a preliminary charge of aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation. He is due to be arraigned Monday in Macon County Circuit Court. Rolfs said people see choke holds being used on television in mixed martial arts, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and professional wrestling bouts without understanding the dangers they represent. “There are boys and men who will resort to these things because they think it is an effective way to restrain somebody else and they think this is better than punching somebody,” he explained. “But both are wrong; you don’t punch somebody and you don’t put somebody in a choke hold. It is very dangerous to even temporarily restrict oxygen flow or blood flow to the brain. "And it significantly increases the risks of multiple different health complications depending on how long the hold is applied.” Rolfs said even applying momentary pressure to the neck could cause major harm to somebody with an underlying or unknown medical condition. “For police officers, for example, lethal force would have to be justified for an officer to engage in any type of behavior like this,” Rolfs said. “Nobody should engage in this behavior lightly.” In an ironic twist, police reports say the older brother, who had just turned 18 two days prior, had bought his younger sibling the Xbox games system that sparked the violence as a Christmas gift. Rolfs said the 11-year-old had been playing the system and yelling and slamming things while immersed in the game. He had been repeatedly warned by his brother to quiet down and go to bed and finally the 18-year-old had pulled the plug. “This made the younger brother irate and they got into each other’s personal space with pushing and insults going on,” Rolfs said. “Then the older brother got behind the younger one and wrapped his arm around his neck and upper chest to create a choke hold position, making it difficult for the younger brother to breathe.” All preliminary charges are subject to review by the office of the state's attorney.PLAINS, Ga. — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. His death comes more than a year after the former president entered hospice care. He was 100 years old. Here are some significant events in Jimmy Carter's life: — Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. — June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. — July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. — 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. — Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. — 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. — 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. — 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. — November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. — Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” — January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. — July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. — November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. — January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. —September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. — September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. — June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. — November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. — April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. — April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. — Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. — 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. — September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. — October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. — 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. — May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. — June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. — September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. — December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. — March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. — September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. — December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. — April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. — May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. — Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” — July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. — Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. — April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. — August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. — August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. — Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. — December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” — May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. — August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. — August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. — March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. — May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. — July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. — Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. — March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. — September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. — October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. — Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. — November 2020:The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. — Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. — Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. — July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. — Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. — Oct. 1, 2024 — Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. — Oct. 16, 2024 — Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. — Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.

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