A senior official who is known as the group’s governor of Hauran was killed while security forces are conducting a second operation against ISIL (ISIS) fighters close to Damascus, according to Syrian authorities.
Mohammed Shahadeh, also known as Abu Omar Shaddad, was named one of ISIL’s senior commanders in Syria and a direct threat to local security in a statement released on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Interior.
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Officials claimed that the operation was conducted in accordance with verified intelligence and extensive surveillance and that it was carried out by specialized units operating in the countryside of Damascus that targeted raided the town of al-Buweida near Qatana, southwest of the capital.
The General Intelligence Directorate was also involved in the operation, according to the ministry, and it cooperated with international coalition forces.
“Crupling blow”
According to the state-run SANA news agency, the announcement came a day after another senior ISIL figure was detained by Syrian internal security forces in a separate operation close to Damascus.
SANA reported that Taha al-Zoubi was detained in a “tightly executed security operation” in the countryside of Damascus. During the arrest, according to the police, officers “seize a suicide belt and a military weapon.”
The raid targeted an ISIL hideout in Maadamiya, southwest of the capital, according to Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, the head of internal security in Damascus countryside.
ISIL has largely focused its remaining operations on Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, which it views as illegitimate.
Raqqa became the armed group’s capital when it gained the most power in vast regions of Syria and Iraq.
The upcoming Christmas special, which will see the cast of Peep Show take on festive baking challenges, has been open to Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith.
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Prue Leith has made an awkward admission about the upcoming Christmas special(Image: Dave Benett, Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Prue Leith has made a rather awkward confession about the forthcoming Christmas special of The Great British Bake Off, pleading: “don’t tell them”. The festive instalment of the hit baking programme, scheduled to broadcast on Christmas Day, will feature stars from the cult Channel 4 comedy Peep Show – David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman – tackling a series of baking tasks.
Presented by The Mighty Boosh comedian Noel Fielding alongside This Morning’s Alison Hammond, The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off will see the celebrity contestants scrutinised by Bake Off legends Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.
During a recent chat, Prue discussed the forthcoming Peep Show special, but made a somewhat awkward revelation – admitting she’d never actually watched the programme. She then made a humorous request and confessed that she doesn’t “watch any telly”.
The 85-year-old told Woman’s Own magazine that she had never even heard of Peep Show when she spoke openly about her new holiday bakers. Don’t tell them, please! But I enjoyed it after watching it.
She continued, “To be honest, I’m typically bluffing my head off with the celebrities because I don’t watch any television.” The only people I’m likely to know are actors of a certain age.
In other news, Prue recently left gardening icon and Ground Force legend Alan Titchmarsh gobsmacked when she made an unexpected remark about vegetables during an appearance on his ITV programme Love Your Weekend last month (November 23).
Robert Bathurst, a fellow guest on Downton Abbey and Cold Feet, and Prue questioned him about his veg-growing exploits and how he handled the summer glut.
What do you do with all the summer produce that you grow? She posed the question. There are “all these b***y tomatoes and “all these spinach piles.”
Prue described her own experience, “I spent years growing and processing, and what you do is you freeze spinach, it fills the freezer, and then you have far too much of it, making room in the freezer next year for more spinach and putting that lot on the compost heap”.”
Instead of what she described as a “mountain” on Monday and “nothing” the following day, she continued, claiming that the supermarket has “perfectly good packets” for the vegetables she requires.
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As Alan retorted, “If only we could edit that out,” the group laughed as she made her comments.
He joked in a joke about how the supermarket has it in the middle of the night.
Mariela Gomez would not have imagined Christmas this year.
Or the one that thousands of other American Venezuelan immigrants would have assumed. However, Donald Trump quickly ended their US dream by making a second appearance in January.
For the first time in eight years, Gomez found herself spending the holiday in northern Venezuela. She had a smile for her in-laws, prepared food, and gave her son a scooter. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to ignore the main problems facing returning immigrants: poverty and unemployment.
Instead of the traditional Christmas dinner of stuffed corn dough hallacas, Gomez said, “We had a modest dinner, not quite what we’d hoped for, but we did have food on the table.” Since we are unemployed, making hallacas here is a bit expensive, and we couldn’t afford to make them.
In response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, Gomez, her two sons, and her partner made a second home in Maracay on October 27 after crossing the US-Mexico border to Texas, where they were quickly swept up by US Border Patrol. They were taken to Mexico, where they began the dangerous journey back to Venezuela.
The family was unable to travel by boat across the Caribbean to Colombia after crossing Central America by bus. Instead of traveling the less expensive way along the Pacific’s choppy waters, they spent several hours sitting on top of sloshing gas tanks in a cargo boat before moving quickly to a fast boat until they reached a Colombian jungle region. They arrived at Venezuela’s border after about two weeks of detention before receiving their funds.
More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their country since the country’s economy has been damaged by a drop in oil prices, corruption, and mismanagement. Before deciding to move to the US in search of a new life, she spent years living in Colombia and Peru.
Rapid deportations
Many people like Gomez have lost hope as a result of Trump’s second term.
More than 14, 000 people from Venezuela, primarily from Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica, had already left the country as of September, according to data from Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. Venezuelans were repeatedly deported to their home countries this year after President Nicolas Maduro abandoned his longstanding policy of refusing deportees from the US.
On flights operated by a US government contractor or Venezuela’s state-owned airline, immigrants regularly arrived at the airport outside the capital, Caracas. This year, over 13, 000 migrants took to the chartered flights.
Gomez saw her now-female daughter when she fled Venezuela’s complex crisis after returning there. Knowing that this might be their last chance to drink together for a while, Gomez’s daughter will move to Brazil next month, they conversed and drank beer over the holiday.
Gomez wants to work as well as make hallacas for New Year’s Eve. However, her thoughts on the upcoming year are primarily focused on good health.
The 2025 Strictly Come Dancing winner has been identified as the former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here Gogglebox star! Scarlett Moffatt, the winner,
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Scarlett Moffatt has opened up about her Strictly Christmas special win(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy Levy)
Tonight marked a poignant part in the Strictly Come Dancing journey, with hosts Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman bowing out gracefully after being seen on the show for the last time in the pre-recorded Christmas Special.
Scarlett Moffatt won the glitterball trophy for the first time, describing victory as “the greatest” festive gift, making it even more significant for another reason.
Scarlett, 35, said: “This is amazing! This is amazing! I believe I should have given a speech a thought! The best gift that could have been given at Christmas, in my opinion. We’ve all just had the best time,” he continued.
The former Googlebox star and Queen of the I’m A Celebrity jungle, triumphed alongside her professional dance partner Vito Coppola. Speaking to the Mirror ahead of the special being aired, Scarlett said: “I couldn’t believe my luck when I was paired with Vito.
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I wanted him a lot! Vito would be my favorite, I kept telling myself. I’m so appreciative of the show’s opportunity to play a small part in such a significant institution. The pair performed their Cha Cha to DJ Play A Christmas Song by Cher, earning a perfect 40 from the judges, with her intuition.
We just laugh so hard together, Scarlett continued, “It seems like we’ve known him for ten years.” The best part is that it is called “Strictly.” The actor, who has son Jude, 2, and fiance Scott Dobinson, also performs regularly. She began dancing as a child, and she later developed into a proficient ballroom and Latin dancer, even studying with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.
Scarlett was crowned British Ballroom Champion at age 16 and continued competing in the finals until she was 21. This is not a new experience for her. She remarked, “Strictly reignited the fire inside of me, reminding me of my love of dancing. I’ll undoubtedly keep doing it even after I’ve fallen in love with it. I’m so happy about it.
Before the episode, Scarlett also spoke of her delight at being able to go on Strictly. She posted a video montage on Instagram, featuring footage from her childhood dancing competitions, edited with sequences of her training for Strictly with Coppola.
Scarlett said, “I know I’ll probably never be able to dance on the main Strictly series because I was a young girl, so it means a lot to me to be a part of the Christmas special.” One of those wishes you make quietly but never really expect to fulfill is dancing on the Strictly Christmas Special on Christmas Day, which evokes a true bucket-list moment.
The show saw six stars take to the dancefloor which also included comedian Babatunde Aléshé and Nancy Xu, singer Brian McFadden and Michelle Tsiakkas, Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley (Fury) and Neil Jones, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and Kai Widdrington, and EastEnders actor Nicholas Bailey and Luba Mushtuk.
Scarlett’s relationship with fame and celebrity hasn’t been as smooth as her dance relationship. With her quick wit on Gogglebox, her star made a quick ascent as she won over fans. In 2016 she experienced a dramatic change in her appearance, prompting a brief stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
She changed from a size 18 to an 8 after claiming it was a part of a diet and exercise regimen and releasing a fitness DVD. She then admitted she lost weight while attending a punishing Swiss bootcamp with a strict calorie intake. Later, she later revealed that she had “purposefully gained weight” to deter fans from losing weight quickly.
During rehearsals and Strictly training, she admits to having the same issues that do occur. She said, “Sometimes I look in the mirror and realize that’s not how I imagined I should look.” All that matters is that I’m enjoying myself, even though I’m having the best time.
The Christmas special also marked Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s final hosting duties on the BBC show after they stepped down in a shock announcement earlier this year. Tess even managed a little dance herself, performing an Argentine Tango with Aljaž Škorjanec.
Nicholas and Luba scored 39 points out of a possible 40 while Brian and Michelle, the singer, did so with their Viennese Waltz. Additionally, Kylie Cantrall’s Street Commercial to Red Christmas, a Jodie and Neil’s, scored 37.
With the addition of the studio audience votes and the judges’ scores, TV star Scarlett was declared the winner and her and Vito won Strictly’s Christmas Star Award. Scarlett managed to keep her win a secret from her family, who discovered it yesterday.
Ahead of the show’s transmission She said: “I’m going to make them wait.I already feel like a winner anyway, the fact that I’m dancing with Vito and I get to, perform. I don’t want to give anything away.” Following her time in the jungle, in 2017 Scarlett joined TV presenting veterans Ant McPartlin and Declan Donelly as a co-host on Saturday Night Takeaway for two years. She’s since taken a step back from fame, but after Strictly, she’s tempted to make another triumphant return to reality shows.
She’s been rumoured as a name in the I’m A Celebrity All Stars line up alongside Harry Redknapp, Mo Farah and Gemma Collins rumoured to air next May. Teasing us, she added: “I absolutely love the show. Hypothetically, if I was to go back, I would just soak up every second again because I had such an amazing time the first time round. And I was a kid, I’d just turned 25. I was starting out in this industry, and I really feel like if I got the opportunity to do it again, I know myself more now.
“I enjoyed it when I was last on,” he said. “I didn’t want it to end. I would just enjoy it for what it is, unlike right now. Scarlett’s holiday resolution is to enjoy herself.
She continued, “I have a toddler and try to stay in touch with friends and family while juggling panto, Strictly, and other work commitments.” You should not stress, I believe, and simply remember how wonderful and wonderful it is to see so many people over the holidays.
Scarlett and Three UK are collaborating to honor and honor the unsung heroes of Christmas.
Christine McGuinness has taken her 12-year-old daughter to the hospital. Who shares her children with her ex-husband Paddy McGuinness has had a difficult holiday season.
Leo and Penelope, twins Leo and Penelope, and Felicity, both of whom are autistic, are the three children Christine is the mother of. She previously discussed how difficult life can be sometimes for her with her children’s autism.
Fans should not worry because she is currently recovering and they made it home in time for Christmas after she revealed how she had to travel to the hospital on Christmas Eve with her sick child.
Leo, Penelope, and Felicity, Christine’s twins, are the other two (Getty Images).
Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. was what she wrote on Instagram. A&E is thankfully okay with my Penelope, thanks to God. Don’t worry, please. Thank you to everyone who worked hard over Christmas, helped us, and made sure we arrived home on time for Santa.
Later, she updated readers on how busy her festive season was. She stated, “These last 24 hours have been incredibly busy! With a flooded bathroom, last-minute shopping, trips to A&, E, wrapping up after midnight, and recognizing that everyone’s Christmas is unique, everyone’s is different! Despite the fact that Christmas is approaching this year, I hope you experience some minor joys.
Celebrating the births of new families, welcoming new love, and celebrating those who are grieving alone. Wishing you all a wonderful, magical, and tranquil Christmas.
Christine and her children
Christine described how her kids handled one aspect of the festive occasion in a recent interview as “very proud.” She remarked, “I’m very proud of them. They were unable to participate in the assembly for three years prior to that Nativity. They would enter the room, wait a short while, and then depart. They would be upset and fidgeting.
“And this one time, they got up on stage and performed and sang all the words, and I just thought, “Wow,” you know? “And they did it!” They are carrying it out. They can do it, so I must.
Christine insists that her family is her main concern despite the fact that she has split from Paddy.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” I said. Due to the recent medical clearance I received this year, it has been challenging. I’ve been taking ADHD medication for the past year because I just couldn’t deal with things, she said.
“It was quite a lot despite the divorce and the attention I received in my personal life and dating.” I’m constantly considering my children and how this [fame] will impact them. I had to consider whether I’m in the right industry or if I can continue.
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As forensic investigations and the preparations for the repatriation of the bodies are being conducted, Libyan and Turkiye officials have increased coordination over the investigation into a plane crash near Ankara, which resulted in the deaths of Libya’s army chief and seven other people.
Major General Mahmoud Ashour, the head of Libya’s Criminal Investigation Department, led a delegation to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday as part of the joint inquiry.
Following discussions with the case’s Turkish prosecutor, the visit was made.
Shortly after departing from Ankara Esenboga Airport on Tuesday, a private jet carrying Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, reported an electrical problem.
The aircraft, which was heading for Tripoli, requested an emergency landing 16 minutes after takeoff, according to Burhanettin Duran, Turkiye’s head of communications.
The Dassault Falcon 50 was redirected back to the airport in Ankara by air traffic controllers, but as the aircraft sank, radar contact disappeared.
In the Haymana district of Ankara, the wreckage was discovered close to the village of Kesikkavak. Three members of the crew were among the eight killed.
After Turkiye’s Ministry of Interior launched emergency operations, search and rescue teams arrived at the scene as multiple authorities joined the crash investigation.
Funeral services were sped up
Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina reported from Misrata, Libya, claiming that although the timeline is uncertain, Al-Haddad’s body was still being recovered.
The minister of communications informed us that the funeral prayer will be observed tomorrow. That is beginning to change as government officials call in saying it could be delayed until Saturday, according to Traina on Thursday.
The recovery process, according to Traina, took longer because there were more remains scattered throughout the area and DNA testing was required.
There is a lot of pressure on,” he said. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not that will occur.
