3 days ago
A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war.
It is the first conviction against ***** ad, who fled from Damascus to Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family's five-decade grip on power.
Assad's cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria's Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. He had been put on trial and appeared wearing a striped prison uniform inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.
Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against ***** ad's rule.
In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.
#assad #security #damascus
It is the first conviction against ***** ad, who fled from Damascus to Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family's five-decade grip on power.
Assad's cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria's Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. He had been put on trial and appeared wearing a striped prison uniform inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.
Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against ***** ad's rule.
In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.
#assad #security #damascus
4 days ago
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria's Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar ****** ad during the country's civil war between 2011 and 2024. ****** ad was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist insurgents led by current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has since fled into exile in Russia.
Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
Under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become "joint training" centers, the Foreign Ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a "reorganizing of the Russian presence" along Syria's coast, the ministry said.
#russian #foreign
Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar ****** ad during the country's civil war between 2011 and 2024. ****** ad was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist insurgents led by current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has since fled into exile in Russia.
Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
Under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become "joint training" centers, the Foreign Ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a "reorganizing of the Russian presence" along Syria's coast, the ministry said.
#russian #foreign
11 days ago
Claude Jennings Jr., Lawrence Brooks and Vernon Brown, the co-hosts of the Golf DMV podcast, have a unique relationship with the very sport they cover.
"We don't get really golf nerdy about things," Jennings Jr. said. "It's literally just the fun we have, the love we have for the game, the hate we have for the game at times. 'I'm tired of playing golf. I don't want to do this anymore.' But then we get up, [and] there's just the pure fun that we have."
Once per week, Jennings Jr., an audio engineer from Silver Spring; Brooks, a retired business owner from Damascus; and Brown, a former Air Force veteran and current defense contractor from Upper Marlboro, discuss in-person or online results from the men's and women's professional tours, interview general managers and teaching pros from area golf courses, and provide reviews of courses' upkeep, food and beverage menus and customer service.
On a recent episode, the trio interviewed Dave Mattes, general manager of the Links at Challedon in Mount Airy. A discussion on the links-style course evolved into an on-air taste test of the clubhouse's crabcakes, chicken wings and fries — much to Mattes' delight.
"We focused a lot on the menu, which is great because that was kind of what we wanted to promote," he said. "We of course want people to come to the golf course and play the golf course, but we think that the thing that makes us relatively unique is a really good restaurant and a nice event facility in a place where people can come. And so there were multiple reasons for us to want to do this other than people getting to know our golf course."
#course #want #brown
"We don't get really golf nerdy about things," Jennings Jr. said. "It's literally just the fun we have, the love we have for the game, the hate we have for the game at times. 'I'm tired of playing golf. I don't want to do this anymore.' But then we get up, [and] there's just the pure fun that we have."
Once per week, Jennings Jr., an audio engineer from Silver Spring; Brooks, a retired business owner from Damascus; and Brown, a former Air Force veteran and current defense contractor from Upper Marlboro, discuss in-person or online results from the men's and women's professional tours, interview general managers and teaching pros from area golf courses, and provide reviews of courses' upkeep, food and beverage menus and customer service.
On a recent episode, the trio interviewed Dave Mattes, general manager of the Links at Challedon in Mount Airy. A discussion on the links-style course evolved into an on-air taste test of the clubhouse's crabcakes, chicken wings and fries — much to Mattes' delight.
"We focused a lot on the menu, which is great because that was kind of what we wanted to promote," he said. "We of course want people to come to the golf course and play the golf course, but we think that the thing that makes us relatively unique is a really good restaurant and a nice event facility in a place where people can come. And so there were multiple reasons for us to want to do this other than people getting to know our golf course."
#course #want #brown
1 month ago
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's newly elected parliament on Sunday held its first session since the ouster of former President Bashar ******* ad, hoping to restart the legislative process in the country after years of conflict and autocratic rule.
The launch of the parliament indicates Syria is moving ahead with drafting new laws as it recovers from decades of brutal rule under the ******* ad family and a deadly civil war that killed about half a million people.
Two-thirds of the 210-member People's ******* embly were elected through electoral colleges, while one-third were appointed directly by the country's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The new parliament will serve a 30-month term while preparing for future elections.
"After liberating our homeland and regaining our freedom, we are all moving toward consolidating the state," al-Sharaa said in an address to parliamentarians.
After taking an oath, the legislators elected Abdul Hamid al-Awak as speaker. Al-Awak, who is from northeastern Hassakeh province, served as a judge in the Justice Ministry for a decade, according to Syria's state-run SANA news agency. Reports said he was among many Syrian officials who defected from the ******* ad government in the early days of the uprising and left to Turkey.
The launch of the parliament indicates Syria is moving ahead with drafting new laws as it recovers from decades of brutal rule under the ******* ad family and a deadly civil war that killed about half a million people.
Two-thirds of the 210-member People's ******* embly were elected through electoral colleges, while one-third were appointed directly by the country's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The new parliament will serve a 30-month term while preparing for future elections.
"After liberating our homeland and regaining our freedom, we are all moving toward consolidating the state," al-Sharaa said in an address to parliamentarians.
After taking an oath, the legislators elected Abdul Hamid al-Awak as speaker. Al-Awak, who is from northeastern Hassakeh province, served as a judge in the Justice Ministry for a decade, according to Syria's state-run SANA news agency. Reports said he was among many Syrian officials who defected from the ******* ad government in the early days of the uprising and left to Turkey.
2 months ago
We have reached 90 days until the opening game of the New Orleans Saints season. On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Saints will travel to face the Detroit Lions to open their year. Defensive lineman Bryan Bresee wears No. 90 for the Saints. He is entering his third year with New Orleans.
A first-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bresee is expected to be a big part of the New Orleans defense. He's also our Saints Player of the Day. As our countdown to kickoff series continues, we take a look at Bresee's career to this point.
Name (age): Bryan Bresee (24)
Hometown: Damascus, MD.
Position: Defensive tackle
A first-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bresee is expected to be a big part of the New Orleans defense. He's also our Saints Player of the Day. As our countdown to kickoff series continues, we take a look at Bresee's career to this point.
Name (age): Bryan Bresee (24)
Hometown: Damascus, MD.
Position: Defensive tackle
