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Inuwa Yahaya Wins ‘Security Role Model Gov Of Year’ Awardisn’t the only person upset with the data reporting from streaming giant . Just as users’ frustration caused by their results, the has swooped in to spark a generational ruckus. Yesterday (December 21) on , Spotify revealed its most-streamed holiday songs of all time. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the list included among others. But Spotify’s most-streamed holiday songs by decade is where users are torn. Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” is the winner for the 1950s. For the 1960s Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was declared the top tune. Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” grabbed the top spot for the 1970s. WHAM!’s “Last Christmas” reigned for the 80s and Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” held it down for the 90s. The 2000s is where things seem to get rocky for users. Britney Spears’ “My Only Wish (This Year)” was the crowned jewel of Y2K. For the 2010s and 2020s, reigned supreme. In the Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” was the victor for the 2010s and “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” with Kelly Clarkson is the current winner for the 2020s. “The fact that ‘Fairytale Of New York’ isn’t on here is appalling,” penned one user advocating for The Pogues’ 80s track. “‘Fruitcake’ and Laufey took this year for me,” chimed another pushing for a Sabrina Carpenter and Laufey 2020s placement. Others were torn between Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga’s cover of “Santa Claus is Coming To Town.” While some were fuming that Gene Autry’s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was seemingly disqualified due to it being officially released in 1949 despite charting in 1950. Apparently, everything can’t be filled with holiday cheer.Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa now unlikely to play against Browns

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The Manchester Evening News’ Christmas campaign supporting a foodbank in their festive appeal is set to top out at over £28,000, thanks to the incredible generosity of our readers and supporters. We joined forces with Blackley foodbank Humans MCR for the third year in the row this year, to support their Nobody Hungry At Christmas campaign, which delivers festive hampers to people in need across the region. Across 49 delivery routes, and over 250 addresses, the appeal will reach 1,030 people across Greater Manchester. It’s Humans’ second biggest campaign since its inception in 2019 – and the incredible support of our readers has helped make it possible. READ MORE: "I spent five hours wrapping Christmas presents for charity - it hurt my back, but warmed my heart" CEO Lewey Hellewell founded the charity in 2019. He had used a foodbank the year prior, and was determined to create a more human and dignified process for users, so Humans gives clients choice over what they eat, and delivers their parcels in unmarked vans. They do this all year round, but their efforts peak at Christmas, with hampers stuffed with Christmas dinner ingredients, festive treats, crackers and toys. The mammoth project has taken weeks of work and planning from founder Lewey and his hard-working team. After a busy weekend wrapping hundreds of presents – and sorting through almost three tonnes of veg – today (December 23) was the day it all came together. Busy present wrapping on Saturday December 21. (Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News) There was an atmosphere of determined but organised chaos as some 20 volunteers worked to put together the boxes of carrots, potatoes and sprouts alongside chocolate logs, selection boxes, defrosting chickens and pigs and blankets. These were then topped with bags of presents, sealed and shoved to the door of the foodbank where yet more volunteers ferried them to the boots of waiting cars. When some delivery drivers failed to turn up for their slot, others happily took on double shifts. From volunteer packers to delivery drivers, everyone worked hard, worked together, and pulled their weight. On hand to help shift the heavy boxes was local businessman Michael Josephson and his husband Lindon. Alongside several large donations from Julie Perry Events and Andrew Geddes of Glaukos, Michael has again pledged to match all donations raised in our appeal. “Lewey’s personal story is really close to my heart,” said Michael. “His story really resonated with me. What he’s done, the way he’s turned his life around and is now giving back and helping others, putting food on families’ tables, it’s amazing.” “I’ve supported Humans’ appeal for three years in a row and I’ll continue to do so. I’m all about giving back to children with my fundraising and this is a wonderful way to do that.” (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News) “Michael is such a force for good in Manchester,” replied founder Lewey. “It’s great to know that he’s in our corner.” As well as helping to fund their Christmas campaign, the remaining funds will be used to help keep Humans safely afloat into the new year, following what has been a challenging 12 months for the charity. We’re incredibly grateful for Michael’s support – and to everyone who has donated to our campaign. It was a hugely successful, moving day at the foodbank, but it didn’t stop there. Accompanied by her mum, our reporter Greta Simpson took on a route of her own, to see the amazing impact the campaign has on the ground. Greta writes... My mum kindly agreed to help me do a delivery shift for Humans, possessing as she does a much bigger car. My 2x2 seater would have only managed about two parcels. We loaded up the car with five deliveries’ worth of boxes and bags and made our way south, from Blackley to M14. Delivery addresses are grouped together geographically, so all five of our drop-offs are within ten minutes of each other. It all goes by so fast: including the 30 minute drive from Blackley to Moss Side , we’re done in less than two hours. Our first delivery gets off to a rocky start, as the address we have for the first client is wrong, and we knock on the wrong door. Writing this, I still feel bad about the woman we very clearly woke up from her sleep by mistake. Luckily, Lewey is on hand with the client’s number, and though she’s out working at her care job, she’s close by, and gives us the right address, 6 minutes away. Lewey has given us strict instructions that, if clients aren’t in the house when we get there (they have been notified of the delivery date by text, up to seven times) we shouldn’t hang around and wait, but instead give the parcel to someone we know that might need it. Our car is stocked with deliveries (Image: Manchester Evening News) But luckily, by the time we pull up on the terraced street, the client is back, stepping out of her car in a brightly coloured tabard. Two black and white cats watch with interest from the window as we hand over the parcels and she gives effusive thanks. The rest of the deliveries are straightforward. It’s a real mix of people: young mothers, grandparents, single people in their sixties and big families. Our second delivery is to another terraced house, where a tap of the brass knocker sets off a yapping dog inside. “At least it doesn’t sound like a big one,” says my mum. The friendly woman who comes to the door is a young mum who can’t be more than 25. She heard about Humans through the early help worker at her son’s school. We carry our parcels into a toasty living room, where that dog is still barking – in a more friendly way – next to a bubbling fish tank. An hour later, we’re outside an address in Burnage. From the number of presents and bags, shouts of “MUM!” that set off as soon as we knock, and the ensuing thundering footsteps on the stairs, we guess (correctly) that this must be a sizable family. A smiling, friendly couple, with mum in her dressing gown, come to the door, excitable children hot on their heels. All their eyes light up when we mention Humans and the festive hamper. “Wow, this is amazing,” says Mum, as she takes the bag of presents. “Thank you so much! Crackers too – we needed some of them.” She also heard about Humans through her children’s early help worker. She’s used their foodbank service throughout the year, and received a Christmas parcel last year too. “Humans are brilliant,” she said. “This really makes our Christmas – means we can all sit around the table and eat together. “And it’s the little things – crackers and presents – they make Christmas, don’t they? All the things I remember we had when I was young, that helped make it special.” This family is our last delivery of the day. We get back in the car, truly humbled and moved by the recipients’ warmth and gratitude, and by the small part we got to play in what has been a huge and profoundly generous project. A cat watching on at one of the deliveries we made. Generous in more than just the money donated, though of course that makes it all possible: generous in the countless hours spent by organisers, planning logistics; in the love and care that volunteers put into wrapping a present for a stranger they’ll never meet; in the simple consideration of foodbank users as human beings deserving of choice, inclusion and dignity. But it’s the penultimate delivery that sticks with me the most. A man in his seventies, in a small maisonette, all the curtains drawn as we arrive around midday. He comes to the door with cigarette in hand, apparently living alone apart from a German shepherd, who emerges from the shadows of the flat and quite happily consents to be petted by the stranger stepping inside. The man is slightly gruff – as you might be with a stranger in your house – but not unfriendly as I explain the meat is to be defrosted in the fridge. He heard about Humans through a social worker and said, with some despondency, that he had tried to access their emergency food scheme before but had no luck. I explained there was a leaflet inside the bag with all the details and numbers he needs. This man’s is the smallest delivery of the lot, just a box and a bag. Based on this, it looks like he will spend Christmas with just his dog, who is very interested in the bag containing the meat: “He’s fussy, but I’ll have to share it with him,” the man jokes. Does it make a difference though, the Christmas hamper? I ask. “Oh yes,” he says straightaway, seeming surprised to have been asked. “It makes a difference. A big difference.”

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (N) senior leader Javed Latif has said that if PTI founder Imran Khan is to be released then put the current government in jail. While Speaking to the ARY News programme “KHABAR Muhammad Malick Kay Saath”, Javed Latif said that talks between the government and PTI will either be completely successful or end in failure. He also acknowledged international pressure regarding PTI but questioned the motives behind it. Javed Latif said there is no such thing as a free lunch and international powers must have some interest in securing Imran Khan’s release, adding that time will tell what Imran Khan will give in return to the international establishment. He further added that if Imran Khan is to be released then put the current government in jail. Read More: Establishment indirectly engages in negotiations with PTI, says Raoof Hasan PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan claimed that the establishment is indirectly engaging in negotiations with PTI. The negotiations between the federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) commenced today. While Speaking to the ARY News programme “KHABAR Muhammad Malick Kay Saath”, Raoof Hasan shared some details about the talks. He said that PTI has presented two key demands – the release of all the political prisoners including founder PTI Imran Khan and the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 and November 26 incidents. Hasan clarified that these talks are not with the government, but rather with the establishment, which he believes holds the actual power. Raoof Hasan stressed that the establishment is behind the scenes in talks with PTI.The fall of President Bashar Assad will not only affect the 24 million Syrians who lived – and – under his brutal rule. Over the border in Lebanon, the impact will be felt, too. The collapse of Assad’s government provides another blow to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, which was already an Israel conflict that weakened its capabilities and decimated its leadership. But many others in Lebanon , not least the 1.5 million to escape Assad and a 13-year civil war. As an , I believe the ripple effects from Syria are to be expected. The two countries’ modern histories are intertwined, and throughout its 54-year rule, the Assad family has intervened in Lebanon many times – mostly to the detriment of its people, its economy and its stability. Hezbollah and Assad: A reciprocal relationship Since its formation in the early 1980s, Hezbollah has benefited from strong support from the Syrian regime. There between the two, for sure – notably in the midst of the Lebanese civil war. But overall, Hezbollah has been able to rely on Syria , training and easy land . And this arrangement was reciprocal. When Assad’s rule was challenged in 2011 and the country descended into civil war, Hezbollah fighters to bolster government troops. But having grown to become the most powerful paramilitary entity in Lebanon, Hezbollah has seen its fortunes suffer of late. The recent war with Israel severely weakened the group and forced it into that includes a pathway toward disarmament. Furthermore, Lebanese support for Hezbollah has shifted dramatically, with open calls for the group to cease its paramilitary activities. The group’s war with Israel cost the lives of about , and about – about one-fifth of the population – were internally displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, for Lebanon is estimated in the billions of dollars. The Iran, Assad and Hezbollah triangle It is no coincidence that the recent rebel advance that led to Assad’s ouster began . Hezbollah forces were depleted, and many of their fighters were pulled out of Syria to . Syrian rebels chose this moment to strike, knowing that Iran was also stretched too thin with the Israel-Hezbollah war to come to Assad’s aid. The domino effect has resulted in the unraveling of Iran’s “ .” Certainly, Tehran has lost its firm grip over Syria and Lebanon. The fact that the fall of Assad coincides with the potential end of both Syria’s civil war and the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance is fitting; it was the start of the civil war that helped anchor that three-way relationship in the first place. In 2011, the – a series of pro-democracy and human rights protests that started in Tunisia – reached Syria. Anti-Assad protests broke out in Daraa and soon spread to major cities such as Homs, Hama and the capital, Damascus. The Syrian government , ordering soldiers to fire at the protesters, while detaining and torturing thousands of men and boys. International . But the Syrian government remained in power with the support of Iran and Hezbollah. In fact, in addition to Hezbollah’s fighters, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps was also advising Assad and fighting alongside his military against the Syrian people. For Tehran and its proxy Hezbollah, this helped further the “Iranization” of the region – that is, the spread of the ideology of the Iranian revolution and the into Shia states. Syria is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Under the Assad family, it was ruled by an – a group that practices a branch of Shia Islam. Hezbollah, as a Shia terrorist group, swore allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader in its . The Palestinian cause was another unifying factor between the three. The post-1979 revolutionary Iran credo of “death to Israel” is a sentiment shared by the Assad regime and Hezbollah fighters. However, Assad may have been less vocal about it – especially as he attempted to negotiate with Israel over the . Assad’s Syria, Iran and Hezbollah were not just unified by radicalism and their desire to govern the region. They also shared economic interests and have benefited from trafficking illegal drugs, , an amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in Syria under the patronage of Assad and Iran. The drug provided an alternative and substantial source of revenue at a time when international sanctions were biting. With the help of Hezbollah and its control of Lebanon’s airport and seaports, the drug has become widely available in the Gulf states. Its highly addictive nature posed a real threat in the Arab world, and Assad used it to pressure Saudi Arabia into advocating for in 2023. In return, the Syrian regime agreed to redirect its drug trafficking elsewhere. Assad’s legacy With Hezbollah’s defeat in Lebanon and the fall of the Syrian regime, the “Iranization” of the region is, at the very least, stalled. Nevertheless, 54 years of Assad family rule in Syria has left a long trail of destruction in neighboring Lebanon. In over the border to put an end to the Lebanese civil war. Its presence was supposed to be temporary, but it was extended for over four decades. By the time the Lebanese civil war ended in 1991, Syria was exercising total control over Lebanon’s . Serious human rights violations were reported, including disappearances, illegal detentions, torture and the . In February 2005, Lebanese – who publicly opposed the Syrian hegemony in Lebanon – was assassinated in an attack in which have been heavily implicated. The killing sparked the , when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens took to the streets demanding the immediate departure of the Syrian forces. Although Syrian forces left Lebanon, the Syrian regime continued to interfere in the country’s politics through Hezbollah, which evolved into a political-military organization and entered the government in 2008. From that point onward, Hezbollah would block any decision that did not serve Syria’s and Iran’s interests. For instance, Hezbollah and its allies vetoed any presidential candidate who was not supportive of the Syrian regime – a policy that plunged Lebanon into a prolonged . An uncertain future While Hezbollah may continue to operate within Lebanon and under Iran’s umbrella, Assad’s fall means it is deprived of its supply route. Without Syria, Hezbollah has no quick access to Iran’s fighters and weapons – and the newly signed ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel reaffirms Lebanon’s commitment to a calling for Hezbollah’s disarmament. And while it is unclear what the new Syria will look like, for this moment at least, Lebanon’s and Syria’s populations – both of whom have suffered under decades of brutal rule and Hezbollah’s abuse – are able to rejoice at the departure of the man responsible for inflicting so much of the pain. To remove this article -

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