Viewership for this week’s episode of Smackdown Live was down to 2.530 million viewers. This was slightly down compared to last week’s 2.584 million viewers. This is still higher than last year’s 8/16/16 edition of Smackdown which drew 2.471 million viewers.
Smackdown has been going down in viewership about 2% week-over-week. This is a much larger decrease than Raw showed this week, but the pattern over the last several weeks and months is that the viewership for the two shows seems related. This means that when there is a change in the viewership of Raw, there is a similar increase/decrease in viewership for Smackdown Live.
Smackdown Live finished as the fifth most watched show on cable television in the Tuesday night ratings. But SmackDown Live finished as the number one for the night in the all important 18-49 age group demographic. It finished the night with 0.77 rating in that demo, down from last week’s 0.80.
Below is Smackdown Live’s viewership numbers from the beginning of this year until last week’s episode:
Aug. 8 – 2.58 Million
Aug. 1 – 2.57 Million
July 25 – 2.54 Million
July 18 – 2.55 Million
July 11 – 2.47 Million
July 4 – 2.32 Million
June 27 – 2.60 Million
June 20 – 2.6 Million
June 13 – 2.072 Million
June 6 – 2.349 Million
May 30 – 2.35 Million
May 23 – 2.33 Million
May 16 – 2.175 Million
May 9 – 2.348 Million
May 2 – 2.3 Million
April 25 – 2.49 Million
April 18 – 2.54 Million
April 11 – 3.11 Million
April 4 – 2.89 Million
March 29 – 2.7 Million
March 21 – 2.65 Million
March 14 – 2.63 Million
March 7 – 2.74 Million
February 28 – 2.57 Million
Feb. 21 – 2.79 Million
Feb. 14 – 2.63 Million
Feb. 7 – 2.63 Million
Jan. 31 – 2.82 Million
Jan. 24 – 2.56 Million
Jan. 17 – 2.65 Million
Jan. 10 -2.53 Million
Jan. 3 – 2.59 Million
WWE is making the rounds this week in New York to publicize SummerSlam and NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III this weekend, and one of the funnier appearances came at the New York Stock Exchange where Braun Strowman and Sasha Banks paid a visit.
Strowman got to bang the gavel, and he liked the feeling so much he kept banging.
Here’s the video:
#BraunSmash pic.twitter.com/dK7efiRXoF
— Braun Strowman (@BraunStrowman) August 18, 2017
“This is a perfect companion to Duggan’s Timeline WWE 1988 appearance.”
Before January 1988 battle royals were a traditional over the top bout where all 20 or 30 participants were in the ring to begin. But WWF (now WWE) creative mind Pat Patterson put his unique spin on things. So unique now the winner of the Royal Rumble headlines WrestleMania with the champion. But do you know who won the 1st Royal Rumble on USA Network? You will by watching KAYFABE COMMENTARIES SUPERCARD ROYAL RUMBLE 1988 W/ “HACKSAW” JIM DUGGAN.
As the production did with Honky Tonk Man who discussed his Summerslam loss to Ultimate Warrior, Sean Oliver takes us through Jim Duggan’s entire WWWF/WWF journey:
• Duggan’s arrival in WWWF 1979-1981 as a TV enhancement performer taking on the Wild Samoans, Angelo “King Kong” Mosca and Hulk Hogan.
• Duggan’s return to WWF Feburary 14, 1987 vs. Sika on a Baltimore live event. (He came in from Bill Watt’s Mid-South promotion) & his appearance on WrestleMania 3.
• Duggan gets busted in New Jersey on May 26, 1987 with the Iron Sheik and subsequently sent home by WWF.
• Duggan returns to WWF in July as part of a Paul Bosch retirement show. He begins to work with “the King” Harley Race.
• The political wranglings of the Rumble airing free on USA Network the same time Jim Crockett/NWA held the Bunkhouse Stampede PPV on Long Island.
• The logistics of the Royal Rumble itself and who told him he was going to win.
Mr. Duggan is honest about the Sheik incident and how he was a victim of circumstances. The fact he was even brought back to WWF stunned him. He shares memories of playing cards with legends like Sgt. Slaughter & Andre the Giant, the merchandise boom in 1980’s WWF, his dealing with Vince McMahon & other office personnel plus why he never won any championship during his WWF tenure. Sean also gets opinions on other Royal Rumble event participants. This is a perfect companion to Duggan’s Timeline WWE 1988 appearance.
Next on the www.KayfabeCommentaries.com release list are Gabe Sapolsky’s Next Evolution w/ Chris “Kassius Ohno” Hero (August 29th) and Breaking Kayfabe with Teddy Hart (September 12). For information on Alan Wojcik’s wrestling coverage, check out www.Facebook.com/KayfabeWrestlingRadio & www.Twitter.com/MyNameIsWojcik plus www.Twitter.com/OutInterference which airs Sundays 9am on www.Twitter.com/MoneyTalk1010 ;
Dark match
– Jazzy Gabert defeated Leah Knox.
* Gabert received a great reaction and put in a dominant performance. A head-and-arm submission won it decisively.
August 30 Episode
– Drew McIntyre did an in-ring promo about being champion and accepting any challenger if they step up to him face to face like a man. Roderick Strong came out and said that after he defeats Bobby Roode tonight, he will come after the NXT Championship. McIntyre said he respects Strong for challenging him to his face.
– Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay) defeated Ruby Riot.
* Kay hit a big boot on the outside to allow Royce to take the advantage and win with a fisherwoman’s suplex.
– Heavy Machinery defeated two enhancement wrestlers.
* They had a fast match, with Heavy Machinery winning with their double-team assisted splash.
– Roderick Strong defeated Bobby Roode.
* They started fast and brawled around ringside after Strong hit some great backbreaker variants. Roode took advantage and slowed the pace down in the ring before Strong got going. Strong hit multiple backbreakers, flying knees, and blew a kiss to Roode before putting him down with a final backbreaker over his knees.
* McIntyre pointed at Strong from the ramp before Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish beat McIntyre down.
September 6 Episode
– Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) defeated Cezar Bononi.
* Vega was on commentary for this one. Almas won with his Key Lock DDT.
– Aleister Black cut a promo in the ring saying that his next goal is Drew McIntyre. He was then interrupted by Velveteen Dream, who got a little too much in Black’s space before being hit with Black Mass. This was as intense as we’ve seen from Velveteen Dream with this character and the first time Black has spoken.
– Johnny Gargano defeated Riddick Moss (w/ Tino Sabbatelli).
* Gargano won with a spear through the ropes in a good match.
– Lars Sullivan defeated three enhancement wrestlers.
* Sullivan demolished them fast before No Way Jose came out to confront Sullivan about being attacked by him in Brooklyn. Sullivan ended up destroying Jose too.
– Sonya Deville defeated Zeda.
* A hard knee and a submission hold gave Deville the win.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Hideo Itami in a No DQ Match.
* They brawled up and down the ramp and used a chair. Itami worked over the elbow of Ohno and tried for the GTS, but Ohno hit a low blow and a huge rolling elbow to win in a callback to their previous match.
September 13 Episode
– Ruby Riot & Nikki Cross defeated Peyton Royce & Billie Kay.
* Riot was taking this match alone until Cross showed up, tagged herself in to destroy the Iconic Duo, and tagged herself out. Riot followed with a top rope senton for the victory.
– The Street Profits defeated The Ealy Brothers.
* The crowd loved The Profits here. Montez Ford won with a Frog Splash and The Profits celebrated in the crowd after.
– WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne defeated Wolfgang to retain his title.
* Dunne got the loudest ovation of the night. The match started slow and got hot for the finishing sequence.
* Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish then ran in and surrounded Dunne. Dunne was slowly bowing out to leave, but he couldn’t help himself and took a shot at Cole. Wolfgang tried to join in but was left alone as Dunne rolled out. After a beat-down, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven ran down to check on Wolfgang.
September 20 Episode
– Johnny Gargano defeated Tino Sabbatelli (w/ Riddick Moss).
* The Gargano Escape got the submission in this one.
– Bianca Belair defeated Lacey Evans.
* Belair won with a hair whip and a Flapjack Powerbomb.
– Lars Sullivan defeated No Way Jose.
* A flying head-butt and a big slam gave Sullivan the win.
– Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish (w/ Adam Cole) defeated Tyler Bate & Trent Seven.
* This was a great match. The finish saw Cole superkick Bate on the outside, allowing a Total Elimination on Seven to end it.
* McIntyre then ran them off before SAnitY appeared behind Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish in a great moment.
– The show ended with an in-ring segment where Asuka vacated the NXT Women’s Championship. William Regal said he has also begun negotiations to send her up to Raw or Smackdown. Triple H then came out as the locker room emptied to give Asuka a bouquet of flowers and take the title. It was a beautiful end to this chapter.
Source: f4wonline.com
Sami Zayn has taken on a lot of responsibility in helping people in need due to the crisis over in Syria. He has been very active in getting people the attention that they need. Zayn launched his Sami for Syria donation campaign a few weeks back, and the project has already seen a major milestone be accomplished. Sami wrote on Twitter that he has officially been able to get a mobile clinic opened in Syria. Since tons of Syrians are unable to afford medical care, Zayn and the Syrian American Medical Society have worked together to open the clinic. The new mobile clinic has a doctor, nurse, midwife, and psychological care team as well.
Tears of joy on the proudest day of my life.
Our mobile clinic in Syria is up & running!
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEhttps://t.co/gvJde51MvN pic.twitter.com/e4SYtiKosZ
— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) August 31, 2017
Multiple new wrestlers have entered the Impact Zone since it was taken over by Anthem and Jeff Jarrett. One of the newer teams to show up in the Impact Zone since the company was rebranded as GFW is Reno Scum. The team consists of Adam Thornstowe and Luster the Legend, and they had been challenging for the Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Championships. The team has been off of television since April of this year due to Thornstowe suffering a bicep tear. PWInsider now reports that the injury is looking better, and the team should be returning to Global Force Wrestling when they have their television tapings in November.
WWE is continuing their global expansion more and more with each passing day. We may not know the status of their UK show, but the company has been announcing partnerships with multiple countries all year. It was announced by WWE that they will be creating a new show which will air for the citizens in Mexico. WWE Saturday Night is the name of the show being aired tomorrow on Fox Sports 2 in Mexico at 9pm CDT. The show is being brought as a result of a new partnership with WWE and Fox Sports Mexico, and the new show features highlights from some of WWE’s weekly programming. The following comments were included in WWE’s announcement:
“We are very excited to launch this new project with WWE that we have been working on for many months,” said Ernesto López, Senior Vice President, FOX Sports Mexico production and programming. “We are confident that WWE Saturday Night will strengthen our relationship with a great brand like WWE while also delivering unique and spectacular content to our viewers.” “We are excited to partner with FOX Sports Mexico to deliver new, localized content throughout the region and expand our reach,” said Joaquin Del Rivero, WWE Vice President & General Manager, Latin America. “WWE Saturday Night offers a premier destination for FOX Sports Latin America’s viewers to enjoy WWE’s blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment.”
The Boss had a clear message to members of the WWE Universe seeking to meet her, get photos and autographs: arenas and organized events are fine, but chasing Superstars down at hotels and airports is “creepy” and amounts to “stalking.”
Sasha Banks recently guested on the Sam Roberts Wrestling podcast and offered her opinion on being bothered during her everyday life by fans looking to turn a profit off her autographs and merchandise: You want me to talk about how much I hate being bothered at the airport or hotels? To me that is stalking. I don’t tweet out what hotel I am at, I don’t tweet out what airline I am flying out, I do tweet you what arena I will be performing at, so I do expect fans at the arena and I am so happy to sign at the arenas. That is fine, because I am telling you where I am going to be at. If I see you in public, that is fine. When I’m at an airport at 4 in the morning and I see somebody with a carry on and they open it with 100 items of everyone and they are bothering everybody to get an autograph and then I see it on Ebay, that is not okay to me. ‘Oh we called the airport and we asked if you were flying in anytime soon and give us a phone call’. I go: ‘give me this, leave me alone’. That is not okay, that is private information and to me that is stalking, that is creepy.
Banks also retweeted out a fun video with members of Titus Worldwide as they drove through Des Moines on their way to WWE Live this weekend. Here’s the video:
Rolling through Des Moines,Iowa with my #TitusWorldWide Woes @SashaBanksWWE @ApolloCrews @KalistoWWE before @WWE Live tonight #WWEDesMoines pic.twitter.com/kK4baWR6Yy
— Titus O’Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) September 3, 2017
The Basij militiaman, a paramilitary storm trooper of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was reportedly swinging an electric shock baton when the crowd of angry protesters closed in around him.
"They got a Basij, hold him!” one man shouted as the demonstrators pulled away the militiaman’s baton and knocked him to the ground in the largely Kurdish city of Kermanshah.
But rather than beat the man to death, the crowd struck a different kind of blow against Iran’s authoritarian regime: they stripped him of his trousers and sent him stumbling and humiliated into the cold night.
“The protesters wanted to show that they are peaceful but that they are not weak and they are not afraid,” said Raman Ghavami, an Iranian analyst who has been tracking the protest.
In Kermanshah and in cities and towns across Iran, emboldened and defiant protesters continued the largest demonstrations since 2009 even as security forces stepped up the violence to try to suppress them.
Protesters strip a Basij militiaman of his trousers
#Update102- An hour ago protesters were attacked by Basij(IRGC) Forces in #Kermanshah but people resisted, took one hostage, took his trousers off and let him go. This is going to be a tactic against IRGC Forces all over the country when protesters get attacked.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/VmbtDcm5l0
— Raman Ghavami (@Raman_Ghavami) December 31, 2017
At least 10 people were killed across the country on Sunday night, according to state television, but opposition activists said the real death toll was likely higher.
Six people were reportedly killed after security forces opened fire in the western town Tuyserkan and another two were shot dead in the southwestern town of Izeh.
Iran’s government claimed that armed demonstrators had tried to seize control of police stations and military bases. There was no independent confirmation of the claim but videos on social media purported to show a group of men ransacking a Revolutionary Guard office and pulling down a picture of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
#BREAKING: Protesters in Iran storming headquarters of Revolutionary Guards in Ahvaz (@Othmanbay) pic.twitter.com/IjD9xIjmcN
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) January 1, 2018
The protests began on Thursday as a narrow demonstration over rising food prices but quickly spiraled into into the gravest challenge to the Iran’s theocratic government since 2009, when millions of people took to the streets to protest against disputed election results.
The unrest appears decentralised and leaderless, with different groups taking to the streets over different issues but all united in their anger with the government.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, warned protesters against violence
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, who was re-elected on a reformist platform earlier this year, has tried to strike a balance between acknowledging some of the protesters’ grievances while also warning that the government would crack down.
The protests “may seem to be a threat, but it can be turned into an opportunity to see what the problem is,” Mr Rouhani said Monday. “One of the demands of the people is for us to give them more freedom.”
The sudden demonstrations have scrambled Iran’s politics. While Mr Rouhani’s hardliner opponents initially appeared encouraged by the discontent with his economic policies, they were caught off guard as the unrest took aim at the core pillars of the Islamic Republic, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018
Donald Trump, the US president, said “Iran is failing at every level” and it was “time for change”. “The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food and for freedom,” he tweeted.
Opposition activists criticised European governments and especially Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, for not speaking out against Iran’s crackdown on dissent.
“We haven’t heard anything from Mogherini. She is a close, personal friend of [Iranian foreign minister] Zarif and never misses a chance to meet him,” said Ali Reza, an Iranian dissident in exile. “People are really dissatisfied about this.”
Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, said he was “watching events in Iran with concern”.
While the unrest has spread across Iran, including the capital Tehran, many of the most serious clashes have been in the west of the country, where minority groups like Kurds, Arabs and Azaris have gave given voice to their feelings of marginalisation by Iran’s largely Persian government.
Unverified videos on social media purported to show Iranian military vehicles deploying to the west of the country in response to the demonstrations.
Donald Trump’s closest advisers believe he is “incapable of functioning in his job” as president, a controversial new book about his White House has claimed.
The US president is said to repeat stories word-for-word within 10 minutes and struggle to recognise old friends, according to an account by journalist Michael Wolff.
Mr Trump’s lawyers went into all-out attack on Thursday by writing a “cease and desist” letter demanding the publishers pull the book before its release next week.
They also announced legal action against Steve Bannon, the former Trump campaign chief and adviser, for defamation after he was quoted widely in extracts.
Mr Bannon attempted to soothe Mr Trump’s fury over his involvement in the book, calling him a “great man” who he was supporting “day in and day out”.
Mr Wolff reported that Mr Trump was known to repeat the same three stories “word-for-word and expression-for-expression” in 10 minutes, down from 30 minutes in the past.
He also claimed that Mr Trump “failed to recognise a succession of old friends” while at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the new year break.
Mr Wolff wrote in The Holywood Reporter that having spent time with Trump aides and family members “my indelible impression … is that they all – 100 percent – came to believe he was incapable of functioning in his job”.
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said questions about Mr Trump’s suitability for office were “disgraceful and laughable” during a White House briefing.
She said: “If he was unfit he probably wouldn’t be sitting there having defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen.”
Ms Sanders has previously called the book "trashy tabloid fiction".
Questions were also raised about Mr Wolff’s reporting, with some commentators raising eyebrows at sections of the book where whole chunks of conversations are quoted verbatim.
Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist, on the Time Magazine front cover. The coverage was said to have infuriated Donald Trump, his boss at the time
Mr Trump’s attorney Charles Harder sent a letter to Mr Wolff and publisher Henry Holt and Co demanding no further confidential information is disclosed. The book is due to be published on January 9.
"Your publication of the false/baseless statements about Mr. Trump gives rise to, among other claims, defamation by libel, defamation by libel per se, false light invasion of privacy, tortious interference with contractual relations, and inducement of breach of contract," the letter to Mr Wolff read.
Mr Bannon was also sent a letter informing him of coming legal action, citing “disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements” he is said to have made to Mr Wolff.
It also emerged that the White House has banned staff from using personal mobile phones in the West Wing in an apparent attempt to cut down on leaks.
Sarah Sanders, the White House Press Secretary, said: "Starting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing.
"Staff will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people."
Donald Trump, left, and Steve Bannon before their falling outCredit:
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
In the book, Mr Bannon is quoted as calling a meeting Mr Trump’s son Donald Jr had with the Russians “treacherous” and “unpatriotic” and saying his daughter Ivanka was as “dumb as a brick”.
Other claims in the book – which has been strongly rebutted by the White House – include that Mr Trump thought he would lose the election and dyes his hair.
Mr Bannon pledged his support to Mr Trump in his first public comments since the row erupted as he spoke on Breitbart News Tonight, broadcast on Sirius XM radio.
“The president of the United States is a great man. You know I support him day in and day out,” Mr Bannon said.
Mr Trump later said to reporters on Mr Bannon: "He called me a great man last night. So he obviously changed his tune pretty quick. I don’t talk to him … that’s just a misnomer."
The legal action marks a new low point in the relationship between Mr Bannon, the man most credited with getting Mr Trump into the White House, and the president.
Mr Bannon joined the US administration alongside Mr Trump but left in August 2016 to campaign through his right-wing website Breitbart News after clashing with other aides.
The legal action comes the day after Mr Trump publicly disowned Mr Bannon after revelations from the book became public.
Mr Trump said Mr Bannon had “lost his mind” and “has nothing to do with me or my presidency”.
Other allegations have begun to emerge on Thursday from the book, which is not released until next week.
Donald Trump, the US presidentCredit:
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The book also claims that a string of senior Trump figures made disparaging remarks about the president’s intellect, often in the crudest terms.
Aides Steve Mnuchin and Reince Priebus allegedly believed he was an “idiot”, national security adviser HR McMaster thought he was a “dope” and economic aide Gary Cohn considered him “dumb as s***”, according to the book.
The White House hit back against the book in the strongest terms on Wednesday, issuing a blanket rebuttal and warning people not to believe the claims.
Wow, Just looked at the comments section on Breitbart. Wow. When Bannon has lost Breitbart, he’s left with . . . umm, nothing.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 3, 2018
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said: “This book is filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House.
“Participating in a book that can only be described as trashy tabloid fiction exposes their sad desperate attempts at relevancy.”
There are also political consequences to the fallout between Mr Trump and Mr Bannon, who has been running a campaign to defeat mainstream Republicans since leaving office.
Firebrand Republican candidates who had been endorsed by Mr Bannon in their quest to defeat more mainstream candidates for Congress seats distanced themselves from him.
Michael Grimm, who is considering running for a New York seat, tweeted:
My statement on President Trump’s comments and the remarks attributed to Steve Bannon in Michael Wolff’s upcoming book: pic.twitter.com/LqtnRhD1I3
— Michael Grimm (@RealMGrimm) January 3, 2018
Kelli Ward, who is seeking to defeat mainstream Republicans for the Arizona senate seat, said:
Statement from the Ward campaign on Steve Bannon: pic.twitter.com/pi4ggkEQdq
The Syrian government has increased pressure on the rebels’ last-remaining strongholds with deadly air strikes and bombings, as it looks to reclaim every inch of the country.
Syrian and allied Russian aircraft pounded targets in the northwestern region of Idlib on Sunday and Monday, pressing an offensive targeting the only province outside of regime control.
Air strikes left at least 21 dead, including eight children and 11 members of the same family west of the town of Sinjar, according to monitors. Meanwhile, an explosion near an Islamist rebel group base on Sunday night killed 34 people, including 19 civilians.
The Syrian army lost Idlib, which borders Turkey, to insurgents when the provincial capital fell in 2015.
Idlib has seen fierce clashes in recent weeks, as the army pushed to seize a pivotal road between Damascus and the city of Aleppo.
People look at the damage in the aftermath of an explosion at a base for Asian jihadists in a rebel-held area of the northwestern Syrian city of IdlibCredit:
AFP
The province is part of a so-called de-escalation zone agreement struck last year by President Bashar al-Assad’s sponsors, Russia and Iran, and opposition ally Turkey. However, the regime has failed to abide by the deal and has targeted all but one of the four areas covered.
At the same time, the regime has stepped up its bombing campaign on the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta.
Shelling and bombardment of the enclave, where the humanitarian conditions have sharply deteriorated, has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians in recent weeks.
The latest casualties came on Monday when air strikes killed a child and two other civilians in Madira, a village in Eastern Ghouta, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
People inspect the damaged buildings after explosions were carried out with bomb-laden vehicles in Idlib, Syria Credit:
Getty
At the height of the fighting, in 2015, the Syrian government controlled less than a sixth of the country. Since offensives in the cities of Aleppo, Homs and Deir Ezzor in the east, they have regained control more than half of Syrian territory.
Assad has repeatedly vowed to retake “every inch” of the country, including Raqqa and other areas taken from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) by US-backed forces.
“The regime is doing now what it did in Aleppo,” Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, a teacher from Aleppo who was displaced to Idlib, told the Telegraph. “The bombing is unbelievable in the south. We are seeing the worst days for the revolution now.”
Pictures shared by Syrian activists showed a family who had fled fighting in their village in the south of Idlib hiding in a hole in the ground in an attempt to escape circling warplanes.
Families cowers in a hole in Idlib province to avoid warplanes in the skies
Fighting has driven tens of thousands of residents of the Aleppo and Idlib countryside to areas further north and to the closed Turkish border.
According to aid agencies, more than 80,000 have arrived in camps in the last two weeks. While Turkish security forces caught a record number of nearly 10,000 attempting to cross the frontier in the last 10 days of December.
Displaced Syrians from Idlib province buy sweet milk pudding, known as sahlab, at a makeshift camp near the rebel-held town of Azaz in northern SyriaCredit:
AFP
"If the strikes on civilian centres continue, there is the possibility of an additional 400,000 civilians trying to make their way to the Turkish border,” said Selim Tosun, from the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation. “This area is already saturated with people and is currently housing roughly one million people.”
The city is largely under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which consists of mostly fighters from a former al-Qaeda affiliate. Schools, hospitals and government institutes in the province are run by a patchwork of different rebel groups, including HTS.
Idlib has become something of a holding pen for rebels from all over the country. Opposition fighters and activists from Aleppo and other formerly rebel-held areas were sent to the province under so-called reconciliation deals when their strongholds fell.
The fight for Idlib could prove to be the toughest and mostly costly fight yet in the Syrian war. WIth over two million people now living in the province, the population is much larger than east Aleppo at the start of the Syrian regime’s offensive there.
It will likely see a grinding fight, with high numbers of civilian casualties, due to how densely populated the urban centre is.
Thousands of people were trapped in Zermatt on Monday after heavy snowfall cut the Swiss ski resort off from the outside world for the second time in two weeks.
Stranded tourists have been warned not to leave their hotels or holiday apartments because of the risk of avalanches, and police have asked people to avoid all unnecessary travel.
The highest avalanche alert, Level 5, has been issued across the Swiss and Austrian Alps, and villages in Austria and Italy are also cut off by snow.
In the Swiss resort of Davos, where world leaders are due to meet at the World Economic Forum this week, some residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes over avalanche fears.
Avalanche warning from earlier in the monthCredit:
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
In neighbouring Germany, a 30-year-old skier died after he was caught in an avalanche in the Bavarian Alps.
In Zermatt, trapped tourists queued for over four hours to get a place on a helicopter out, with hundreds paying 70 Swiss francs (£50) for a seat on a short trip to the nearest passable road.
But the flights were heavily oversubscribed, with authorities warning that only 300 places were available.
The flights are to be suspended Tuesday morning because the helicopters are needed for safety work, before resuming later in the day.
“No longer allowed to leave the hotel,” Pascal Ryf, a Swiss tourist who filmed an avalanche from his balcony, tweeted.
Das Hotel darf nicht mehr verlassen werden: #Schneebrett neben dem Hotel in #Zermatt @SRF @bazonline @bzBaselland pic.twitter.com/dEGWtTe4P2
— Pascal Ryf (@pascal_ryf) January 22, 2018
“The fire brigade have told us not to leave our apartment,” Roger Spautz, a tourist from Luxembourg told Luxemburger Wort newspaper.
Romi Biner, the mayor of Zermatt, called on tourists to stay calm and be patient, saying the village had plentiful stocks of food and drink and the electricity supply was secure.
The local tourist board said there was no danger to anyone in the village, but that people were advised to remain indoors.
In some parts of southern Switzerland as much as 9 feet of snow has fallen in the past week alone.
Meteorologists said a rise in temperatures in recent days has exacerbated the risk of avalanches, with warmer air and rain at lower altitudes loosening the snow.