Seth Godin News

Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. On Sunday, as rebels entered the capital, a Syrian war monitor said he had left the country, in what could spell the end not just of his 24-year rule but the downfall of his clan's five-decade reign. After facing down nationwide protests demanding his ouster and an armed rebellion that he all but crushed, Assad had — until a lightning rebel offensive — taken back control of much of Syria in the civil war that began in 2011.

Godmother Italian nun is arrested by police for having mafia ties. According to Italian police, 24 people have been arrested in northern Italy in connection with a mafia investigation, including a nun, as quoted in a report by the BBC. The nun, known as Sister Anna Donelli in the Italian press, was taken into custody on suspicion of serving as a liaison between the 'Ndrangheta mafia and its imprisoned gang members. During raids in various towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions, as well as Calabria in the south, police also detained two politicians and confiscated assets valued at over €1.8 million (£1.5 million).

Tripura Police detained 10 Bangladeshi nationals, belonging to the Hindu community. These people entered India by fleeing their village due to unrest and tensions in the neighbouring country. A police officer said that the 10 Bangladeshi nationals including two women, three teenagers and an elderly person were detained from the Ambassa railway station in Tripura before boarding a Silchar (Assam)-bound train.

The BJP alleged on Thursday that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to «damage» India's image. The BJP had cited Gandhi's use of reports by OCCRP to attack the Adani Group and to accuse it of having closeness with the government.

On Saturday four ministers were inducted in the council of ministers and with these the strength of council of ministers has gone to 18. T Assam Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office to the four new ministers – Prasanta Phukan, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul, and Rupesh Goala.

The paper, which runs into 67 pages, titled 'Open Banking and Digital Payments: Implications for Credit Access' was authored by Shashwat Alok, Pulak Ghosh, Nirupama Kulkarni and Manju Puri. Among key highlights of the paper are that UPI has enabled underserved groups, including subprime and new-to-credit borrowers, to access formal credit for the first time.

«Hezbollah sent 2,000 fighters to the Qusayr area… to defend its positions there and has not yet participated in any battles» with Syrian rebels, the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The rebel coalition in Syria has already seized two of Syria's main cities, Aleppo in the north and Hama in the centre.

Alternative for Germany party on Saturday presented its candidate for chancellor in the country's upcoming election. In practice, Alice Weidel has no chance of taking the chancellery as other parties refuse to work with the populist party. But Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which was founded in 2013, has been getting strong approval rates and is currently the second strongest party in the country after the center-right Christian Democrats. It is polling between 18% and 19% in nationwide surveys.

Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman's name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. Investigators were looking at whether the shooter may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. The FBI announced Friday night it was offering a USD 50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari. In an official statement, he urged the Bangladeshi government to uphold human rights, guarantee legal protections, and end the wave of violence targeting Hindus and other minority groups. «The ongoing violence against Hindus and others across Bangladesh is unacceptable and must end immediately. I strongly urge the government of Bangladesh to take decisive steps to reduce tensions peacefully now,» he said.

Bob Fernandez thought he'd go dancing and see the world when he joined the US Navy as a 17-year-old high school student in August 1941. Four months later he found himself shaking from explosions and passing ammunition to artillery crews so his ship's guns could return fire on Japanese planes bombing Pearl Harbor, a Navy base in Hawaii. «When those things go off like that, we didn't know what's what,» said Fernandez, who is now 100. «We didn't even know we were in a war.» Two survivors of the bombing — each 100 or older — are planning to return to Pearl Harbor on Saturday to observe the 83rd anniversary of the attack that thrust the US into World War II. They will join active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for a remembrance ceremony hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service.

billionaire entrepreneurs over the next decade, mirroring like China's growth in billionaires until 2020, says a report by UBS. The report noted that the key factors such as rapid urbanization, digitalization, expanding manufacturing capabilities, and preparations for the energy transition are driving this momentum. It said «It may well be that India's billionaire entrepreneurs multiply over the next 10 years just as China's did in the years until 2020».

friendly policing' and said the concept does not mean being friendly towards murderers, economic offenders and land grabbers. «Redefine friendly policing. Criminals should be scared of the police. Land grabbers, drug offenders, those who illegally occupy water bodies, and criminal-minded persons should be fearful of police. Frighten such people and be friendly with victims (seeking justice). Respect for police goes up then,» he said. In an apparent reference to the arrest of BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy for allegedly obstructing, threatening and abusing a police official here, he said police should act tough with those who behave disrespectfully towards them.

Trump gathered his top advisers in the tearoom at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, to plan the transition to his second-term government. Trump had brought two of his most valued houseguests to the meeting: billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk and billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Trump looked around the conference table and issued a joking-not-joking challenge. «I brought the two richest people in the world today,» Trump told his advisers, according to a person who was in the room. «What did you bring?»

Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in the State Capitol building in Nebraska as December 6 was proclaimed as a day of remembrance for Gandhi in the US state, honouring the principles of non-violence, tolerance and justice championed by the iconic Indian leader. Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi on Friday at the Governor's Office in the iconic Nebraska State Capitol premises in Lincoln. This marks the first installation of Gandhi's bust in any State Capitol premises in the nine states that come under the consular jurisdiction of the Indian Consulate in Seattle.

Syrian rebels said they seized control of the southern city of Daraa on Saturday, the birthplace of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the fourth city his forces have lost in a week. Rebel sources said the military agreed to make an orderly withdrawal from Daraa under a deal giving army officials safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 100 km (60 miles) north. Social media videos showed rebels on motorcycles and others mingling with residents on the streets. People fired shots into the air at the city's main square in celebration, according to the videos.

Narendra Modi on Friday said that the role of the northeastern states in shaping India’s future will be significant. Addressing the Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav in Delhi on Friday, the Prime Minister said that the next few decades would see cities like Guwahati, Agartala, Imphal, and Itanagar rise as symbols of development and strength. «I firmly believe that the future belongs to Eastern India, especially the Northeast,» Modi said, adding that the 21st century was being increasingly regarded as «the century of the East.»

The application form for SBI Clerk 2024 will be available from December 7 to December 27, 2024. The selection process will include a preliminary exam, a mains exam, and a language proficiency test. The prelims exam is scheduled for January 2025, while the mains exam will take place in February 2025. Graduates aged between 20 and 28 years are eligible to apply.

objectionable remarks made against Bhagat Singh in Pakistan and lodged a strong protest with Islamabad on the issue, the government said in Lok Sabha on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said New Delhi has also been raising with Islamabad issues «concerning attacks on cultural heritage, growing intolerance and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistan.» «The government of India has noted the recent reports regarding objectionable remarks made against Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Pakistan and has lodged a strong protest with the government of Pakistan on the incident through diplomatic channels,» he said. Singh was responding to a question.

BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar will take oath as the pro-tem Speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Friday, a day before the special three-day session of the Lower House of the state legislature begins. Talking to PTI this morning, Kolambkar, a nine-time MLA, confirmed that he will take oath as the pro-tem speaker at 1 pm at the Raj Bhavan. Governor C P Radhakrishnan will administer the oath to him, he said. Kolambkar currently represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai.

Kuki-Zo tribals, including ten killed in the exchange of fire with the CRPF in Manipur's Jiribam district on November 11, were performed in Churachandpur on Thursday. Tribal organisations in a letter to the Union Home minister sought judicial inquiry into the deaths of the 10 Kuki-Zo volunteers. While it was a shutdown in tribal areas, thousands of men and women joined the mass burial.