Syrian Government Moves In On Aleppo While Venezuela Looks For Scapegoats

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 IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 Assad’s Forces Now Control Most Of Aleppo

In what is already being called a “doomsday” in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces stormed the last remaining rebel-held areas of the city. Social media became flooded last night by civilians trapped in east Aleppo begging for help. In what is arguably the most morbid night of 2016, many activists posted videos of themselves describing execution squads and begging for international communities to come to their aid, while others tweeted their final goodbyes. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon even sounded alarmed when he reported “atrocities against a large number of civilians” – atrocities which UN adviser Jan Egeland already linked to pro-government militias, warning Syrian and Russian forces that they would be held accountable for civilian casualties. More succinctly, the White Helmets said, “all streets and destroyed buildings are full with dead bodies. It’s hell.”

The government’s victory in Aleppo marks a turning point in the civil war. The Assad regime has now cemented its rule over Syria’s most important cities, forcing the rebellion and its allies to come to terms with what appears to be imminent defeat. Assad loyalists were able to take the remaining sliver of rebel-held Aleppo after a campaign of non-stop artillery shelling and several airstrikes throughout Monday night. While thousands of people were able to flee towards government-controlled areas where they could surrender and hope for the best, thousands more are stuck in the besieged city.

SURREAL READ: CNN on the Aleppo families that said their goodbyes on Twitter

 NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

 Temer Actively Trying To Become Brazil’s Least Favorite President

Just when we thought he couldn’t get any less popular, Brazilian President Michel Temer is now facing allegations that he solicited $2.9 million in illegal campaign donations in 2014. Though Temer denies the claim, a judge in Brazil’s highest electoral court says this new evidence could be used in the ongoing investigation into whether bribe money was used in the 2014 campaign to re-elect Dilma Rousseff with Temer as Vice President. Corruption allegations have been thrown at Temer since he became President, replacing the last infamous head of state to go down in scandals. Before the rumors of illegal campaign donations even surfaced, a poll published on Sunday showed that 63% of Brazilians want Temer to resign.

#Trumpdate: Turns Out Republicans Aren’t Big Fans Of Russia

Senior Republicans broke with their President-Elect on Monday and called for investigations into Russia’s role in “hacking” the US election. Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan both issued statements calling for independent investigations. McConnell used the opportunity to remind everyone, including Donald Trump, that “Russia is not our friend.” Both men, however, don’t think it appropriate to create an independent committee to investigate the matter like they did for Benghazi, arguably a much less dangerous threat to American democracy. The Clinton camp, trying to remain somewhat relevant in the post-election madness, asked that the Electoral College be briefed about Russia’s role before they formally appoint Trump President-Elect. Trump, naturally unhappy at the repeated attempts at undermining his legitimacy, took to his favorite medium to express his frustration, Twitter. Meanwhile, he also delayed his press conference that would explain how he would extricate himself from his business interests and said he would announce his pick for Secretary of State on Tuesday.

Blame Game: Maduro Looks For A Scapegoat For Venezuela’s Economic Problems

In the latest measure to combat “mafia” activity, Venezuela will close its border with Colombia for 72 hours. President Nicolas Maduro is blaming that pesky mafia for destroying the nation’s economy. It’s a convenient scapegoat, especially since petrol and other government subsidized items are sold at a huge profit over the border in Colombia, creating an opportunity for border operations. But this is just Part Two of Maduro’s grand campaign to pin the country’s economic problems on a vague group of other people. On Sunday, he announced that Venezuela’s highest denomination bank note would be taken out of circulation, to fight the elusive mafia but also to complicate everyone else’s lives. There are more than six billion unites of the newly banned 100-bolivar notes in circulation, making it about half of all currency in the nation. Venezuelans now only have 10 days to exchange the notes for currency that will actually work, and they can only hold this transaction at the Central Bank.

 KEEPING OUR EYE ON

Cuba: State-run telecommunications company Etecsa signed a deal with Google. Now, Cubans will have faster access to Google services like Gmail and Youtube, as well as general access to content from the American company. You know what they say: the countries that tweet together, work together.

Indonesia: Protesters are calling for the jailing of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama after he was accused of insulting the Qur’an. Basuki, who is Christian and of Chinese ancestry, stood before a blasphemy court in Jakarta and claims he did not intend to insult Islam when he made comments about his opponents’ use of the Qur’an in political campaigning.

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 Now Hiring: An Emoji Translator

A company in London posted advertisements for a cutting-edge new job that is sure to jumpstart your career. Today Translation is looking for a specialist who can translate text into emoji for clients, a role that agency boss Jurga Zilinskiene believes is a “potential growth area.” The gig will involve explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings in the mobile text-speak and compiling a monthly trend reports on what’s new in the world of mini-pictures. The ad doesn’t specify whether applicants should submit their resumes in English or emoji.