We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
SYRIA’S ARMY HAS halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russia’s foreign minister said, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city.
Immediately after the announcement, AFP correspondents in Aleppo said air strikes ceased and artillery fire was far less intense, but later reported that the army was continuing to shell two rebels districts, Kalasseh and al-Maadi.
The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights monitoring group also reported sporadic clashes with new raids and artillery fire late last night and said at least 18 civilians had been killed during the day in rebel zones by regime raids and artillery.
The situation on the ground seemed somewhat at odds with comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier in the day after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the German city of Hamburg.
“I can tell you that today combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation under way to evacuate civilians,” Lavrov said.
There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Lavrov’s announcement was “an indication that something positive could happen”.
The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said after Lavrov spoke that talks to end the nearly six-year war should resume soon.
“Now is the time to actually look seriously at the possible renewal of political discussions,” he said after a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.
The General Assembly was to vote today on a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid, although the British ambassador described the measure as “too little, too late”.
A senior State Department official said Lavrov and Kerry “agreed to continuing having discussions about establishing a framework for a ceasefire”.
There was no immediate reaction from Damascus.
‘There has to be a pause’
Moscow is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and launched an air war in support of his forces last year, while Washington and other Western nations have supported rebel forces.
Russia this week suggested a deal was in the works for rebels to be allowed to withdraw from Aleppo to other opposition-held territory.
On the strength of his army’s latest gains in territory of east Aleppo held by the rebels, Assad said in a newspaper interview yesterday that victory for his troops would be a turning point in Syria’s five-year war.
Three weeks into a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, government troops have captured about 85 percent of territory rebels controlled in the city’s east.
AFP correspondents in the city said rebel areas faced intense bombardment on yesterday before Lavrov’s announcement.
Cornered in a shrinking enclave in Aleppo’s southeast, the rebels have asked for a five-day ceasefire. Western countries have backed the call.
The UN renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo, warning that as many as 500 sick and injured children desperately needed to be evacuated.
“There has to be a pause,” said Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria.
At the moment, those who… try to escape are caught in crossfire, they are caught in shelling, (and) risk being hit by snipers.
In his interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, Assad predicted victory for his forces in Aleppo, though he admitted that would not end the country’s conflict entirely.
“It’s true that Aleppo will be a win for us,” Assad said.
“Let’s be realistic – it won’t mean the end of the war in Syria,” he said.
“But it will be a huge step towards this end.”
‘I feel reborn’
Rebels seized control of large parts of Aleppo in 2012, dividing Syria’s former commercial hub into an opposition-held east and government-controlled west.
For years Aleppo was a key battleground and important rebel stronghold, but Assad’s forces have recently made a concerted push to retake the city.
In the last week, government forces steadily gained ground until on Wednesday – after a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City – the rebels called for the ceasefire to allow thousands of civilians to evacuate.
Assad’s government has said a truce is only possible after a full rebel withdrawal, and opposition fighters have rejected any talk of abandoning Aleppo.
Yesterday the army, backed by fighters from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, continued to advance, said the Britain-based Observatory.
All rebel areas had been under heavy bombardment, it said, with opposition forces returning fire with rockets into government-controlled west Aleppo.
Around 400 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo during the offensive, while rebel fire into the west has killed another 100 people, the Observatory has said.
The assault has prompted a mass exodus from east Aleppo where at least 80,000 people have fled their homes, according to the monitor.
Yesterday, hundreds of families, most of them from the Salhine district, arrived in the city’s southeastern suburb of Aziza.
“I feel reborn,” said Yasser, a 40-year-old father of four as he tugged at a cart carrying his ailing mother and stacked with luggage.
It is unclear how many civilians remain in rebel territory, but there were an estimated 250,000 in east Aleppo prior to the latest offensive.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ah yes of course, thats the problem, the location of the courthouse!… If the had more to be afraid of while going to the courthouse there wouldn’t be much brawling.
So has the Journal gotten to the point were we can not identify the ethnic (sic) group involved in this public disorder? I guess turning a blind eye will solve the problem
Well it wasn’t a group of 16 year old water protesters that caused that disgraceful yet too frequent scene. And the itinerant group responsible will not give a hoot. The same happened last weekend at 2am in Galway A&E it never made the news such is the frequency of these animals anti social activities. But let’s do the Irish PC thing and hide from it……
Its me culture Boss!
Love/Hate and the introduction of TVs to their culture could be part of the problem
Or the solution Eco… its time they looked at the light their lifestyle is shone upon.
Are you sure it’s not whisky Eco?
Ha my comment was deleted for saying the majority of travellers don’t contribute to this society and should get long jail stretches for these brawls. The media that fail to highlight these gurriers are travellers are pandering to paved point. Grow a pair.
Did you notice how Pavee Point failed the comment in relation the Fermanagh wedding shooting? Their silence was deafening actually. Can’t stand that hypocrisy, can’t abide that organisation.
Afaik pavee did speak on the last word. Though I’ve not listened as Matt would just give a soft interview anyway.
My issue with them is that they never strongly and forth-rightly criticise those elements in their community. Their responses always seem to be cloaked in ambiguity, with a provision that it’s somehow the fault of the media / settled community / government / funding (change as you wish)
Ahh..good ole pikies having a chat after there daily court appearance…
I live in Portlaoise, why do they want to re-invent the wheel? I have the courthouse very convenient located right at the main street in from of my favourite Pub/Restaurant so I can go have a drink after cashing in after a long day defending “Mr. Allegedly thief” and “Mrs Air Miles Traveller”
Jail the gurriers
Gurriers? Very PC there Journal. Call them what they are. Members of the travelling community and they behave like knackurs.
2nd and 3rd generation s**bags. …
and interbreeding.
Will ya stop, it’s their culture
Wonder if these are the same people who attended a wedding in Fermanagh that ended in a shooting?
Have not heard any comments or calls to move thet church to the out skirts of town.
What a load of s**t, most courthouses are in the centre of towns, what next move all pubs and fast food outlets outside our towns in case of any trouble outside these places?
It’s the caliber of ‘clients’ not the location that’s the issue. It’s intimidating passing when the court is on. It’s a small Main Street and when the court is sitting, there is a mix of prison guards, gardai, solicitors and undesirables on the street. I’m not sure changing the location would help much, the issue would simply be moved not dealt with.
The report lacks much of the key detail – why was there a brawl? Who was involved? It’s disappointing that the journal, for whatever reason, has chosen to dodge this aspect, as it still strongly relates to the report even with their chosen angle. The background to the story can be found here: http://leinsterexpress.ie/news/local-news/ugly-row-sparked-in-court-1-6570978
Cliff notes: it was a brawl based on a previous brawl involving travellers (quelle surprise) who decided to literally crack heads with iron bars in the middle of the town.
Just to add; this type of activity, according to pavee point rep on PT last night, is all an invention of the media it would seem. Shocking performance.
Walk past the courthouse when it’s in session is an eye opener , prison vans parked up outside with inmates Locked in them , travellers loitering outside it along with other dirt from the town .. It’s very intimidating .. I feel sorry for anyone who has a business along Main Street , law abiding citizens going about their business shouldn’t have to look at this .
I live in Portlaoise and yes, it’s very scary when there’s a court case on.
I know Portlaoise well and teh courthouse is one of the few nice buildings on that street. So I hope they just move the courts to another venue and use the building foe something else.
Maybe they could have the court sessions out on the bog!
What is he hoping to achieve by his ludicrous proposal that moving the courthouse will stop brawling outside it, other than getting his name in the papers? Well, folks, we voted not to abolish the Seanad so this is what you get.
But it will keep it off Main Street where people shop , if we build outside the town & keep the fools with their white socks pull over the tracksuit bottom out there
I expect we’ll hear tearful stories over the coming days about gardai calling to the homes of those involved at 7am to question them.
And furious outrage on the Journal at Ireland turning into a police state of fascists.
Arresting protestors =/= arresting courthouse brawlers
Anyone involved, and not dispersing when asked to by Gardai, in an unruly gathering that intimidates another citizen should expect to be questioned about it by gardai.
Being 16 is no excuse whatsoever.
It’s always the same faces outside it .. The same group of people reoffending .. So much for prison rehabilitation .. When are we going to realise that the Irish prison service is taking the wrong approach on rehabilitation , they are a failing department !!
3 strikes rule is needed.
More prisons with better outcomes are what’s actually needed.
Scarr I work in a prison , I witness first hand what goes on .. Prison governors are too soft , cable TV , 3 meals a day..punishment wings are being done away with so no incentive not to keep outta trouble , all prisoners get full remission even those who don’t participate in education etc, Irish prison service give the public the image this doesn’t happen but it does .
This issue has been ongoing for years and has nothing to do with any one group or any one incident. The anti-social behavior, intimidation, loitering in large groups across the footpaths, hassling passers-by – many of them elderly or women with young children- is a daily occurrence due to the frequency of court sittings (since other smaller courts in the county were closed down over the years).
There is no parking whatsoever for the Garda or prison vehicles and the growing brazenness of the protagonists is really undermining and damaging the local businesses and impeding people from going about their business.
This is unfair and unacceptable.
The courthouse is right beside our shops, cafes, arts centre and now the Council propose to relocate the library to Main Street.
It would be like having a courthouse on Grafton Street and it is damaging the reputation of the town and the ability to attract families to the town centre and revive the Main Street and the heart of the Town.
For people who are never up in court this is shocking and frightening carry-on and no laughing matter or something to sneer about.
Moving the courthouse won’t solve all the problems involved, I agree, but it will solve many of them. Some of the other issues are more deep rooted, complex and harder to resolve.
My view is that the Courthouse should be relocated and co-located on the site of the new Garda station which is also long overdue and this would present a number of benefits and advantages in terms of anti-social behavior, safety of shoppers and security.
I am glad that the Department of Justice and the Courts Services agreed this week that the courthouse is in an unsuitable location and needs to be moved and they are seeking to source a suitable site.
The sooner the better.
I’m sure when the Gardai have finished their dawn arrests and their thorough investigation into the horrific crime of your dear Tanaiste been trapped in her car for two hours while she joked, made phone calls and read a newspaper. The Gardai may spare some of their precious resources and send a car around to have a look.
How does next January suit?
“Some of the other issues are more deep rooted, complex and harder to resolve.” If people with a string of serious convictions were defined as professional criminals and locked up for a few decades it would solve that “complex” problem overnight.
@john whelan .. Fair play for highlighting this .. As usual Brian Stanley goes quiet when it comes to these types of debates . The courthouse should be shut down now & temporary arrangements made to hold it somewhere else . I feel nothing will be done & we will all be having the same debate in 5 years time
Bit rich from a labour supporter when labour have wasted so many resources and done so much damage to credibility of gardai arresting children and opposition politicians!
Travellers, Ireland’s version of black crime.
Gurriers?? eh no…its a bunch of cream crackers who think they can do what they like and pass it of as a cultural thing! Where is the silent majority of these people who c seemingly condemn this behaviour and why are they not doing anything about it. Innocent bystanders are constantly getting caught in the middle of these animals “feuds” and we are told “shur” its their culture and we have to be tolerant!!!!
Yeah we should do what the Nazis did. Idiot
Ahh Mr Godwin, you are never far away and you are very welcome. Your Law continues to prove itself time and time again.
Eeeerh……….would it not be cheaper to move the gurriers?
Of course….just moving the gurriers or policing them properly would not involve developers, consultants, architects etc.
Knackers the Garda don’t want to know. But if your a tax payer look out!!!
I do not believe that anyone who lives in Portlaoise will be sorry to see the Courthouse move to a more suitable location. There is no doubt it has stunted the regeneration of the main street. Also , the Garda station is the old British Baracks and was built in a time in the 1800′s when Portlaoise had barely a few thousand people and plenty of horses and carriages !
The population is closer to 16,000 now and both the Courthouse and the Garda baracks need relocating and upgrading to buildings more suitable to the age we live in .
The population of Portlaoise is now north of 20,000 according to the last census.
Simple, jail them, no parole or remission and have a referendum on the revolving door justice system that seems to be only supported by criminals and smoked salmon socialists on RTE.
Ya better walk while ya still have the legs ta carry ya!
Don’t need court house, just a nice big gas chamber! Our society don’t need pikeys! Will anyone miss them? I think not!!!
So the fact I run a retail store just off the main street in Portlaoise I should move too? I have gardai in store almost every week with shoplifting and they are back the next day.
have your say