December 8, 2024

*) Syria's Damascus falls to opposition forces The Assad regime has largely lost control of Syria's Damascus, as opposition forces entered the centre of the capital city and anti-regime demonstrators occupied key strategic locations. Anti-regime forces entered the centre of Damascus without any serious fight from the regime of Bashar al Assad, whose whereabouts are still unknown. Protesters rose against the regime in many neighbourhoods, while regime forces pulled out from critical sites such as the Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry and the international airport. The regime has largely lost control of Damascus. *) Israel continues to bomb Gaza Meanwhile Israel continues with its relentless bombing of Gaza. Israel struck the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, killing three Palestinians and wounding others. Tel Aviv also bombarded a residential compound near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of the enclave. Local sources said Israel targeted Saftawi neighbourhood in the north of Gaza City, killing four women. *) Israel’s attacks on Palestinians are a post-modern Holocaust:Emine Erdogan Türkiye’s First Lady Emine Erdogan has stressed that Israel’s atrocities in Palestine constitute a "post-modern Holocaust," and are part of a calculated campaign to erase an entire people and their culture from history. Erdogan said in an address at the Doha Forum 2024 in Qatar thart we are witnessing in Palestine is not a war. It is an attempt to impose a world order in which only the strongest and cruellest survive, while other lives are easily expendable. She urged the international community to confront the ongoing violence. *) South Korea's ex-defence minister arrested over martial law plot South Korean prosecutors have arrested ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun over his alleged role in President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law. The prosecution's special investigative team has questioned Kim, who voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Kim faces a travel ban as prosecutors investigate. *) Several people dead in Ecuador road accident The rescue officials have said an accident in south Ecuador involving a passenger bus left at least 16 people dead and eight others injured, The crash took place in Ecuador's Loja province bordering Peru. The bus collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction and overturned dramatically, according to local media.