US diplomats met with the Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which led the Syrian rebel offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, said Washington was scrapping a a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Meanwhile, the US military announced the killing of Islamic State (IS) leader “Abu Yusif” and another member in a Dec. 19 airstrike in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, part of intensified anti-IS operations following Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Turkish President Erdogan vowed to combat terrorist groups, including IS and Kurdish forces. Syrians celebrated the end of Assad’s regime, removing his father’s name from the Umayyad Mosque. US diplomats met with Syrian rebel leaders, discussing sanctions and potential removal of HTS from the terrorist list. n18oc_crux

The sentences range from three to sixteen years, in a case which started with an online hate campaign. 

​The sentences range from three to sixteen years, in a case which started with an online hate campaign.  

A dispute over incense in a Kalyan building escalated into a Marathi vs. non-Marathi conflict, leading to the arrest of MTDC officer Akhilesh Shukla and two others for assaulting their Marathi neighbors. The incident sparked outrage in the Maharashtra assembly, with CM Fadnavis assuring strict action. Shukla denies making anti-Marathi remarks, claiming it was a personal dispute.