SYRIA UPDATE

More displaced Syrians head back to Syria coming from Lebanon

SANA reporters said that Syrian buses and trucks entered from al-Dabbousyia, al-Zamrani and Jdeidet Yabous border crossings, coming from Lebanese territory, carrying hundreds of Syrian citizens, who, earlier, were forced to leave their homes in the countryside of Homs, Damascus and Hama due to the terrorist organizations’ inhuman perpetrations.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=152842

Moscow, UN discuss return of displaced Syrians to homeland

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that both sides affirmed readiness to enhance cooperation on Syria including the development of the idea of holding an international conference on the return of the displaced Syrians to their homeland.

The statement noted that the UNHCR delegation, which participated in the international meeting on Syria held in Astana on Nov. 28-29, called for preserving dialogue with the guarantor states of Astana process.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=152837

28,000 Syrians Return From Jordan Since the Reopening of Border Crossing

https://syrianobserver.com/EN/news/47314/28000-syrians-return-from-jordan-since-the-reopening-of-border-crossing.html

Syrian, Russian Forces Evacuate Hundreds Of Civilians From Terrorist-Held Areas In Euphrates Valley, Idlib De-Escalation Zone

The humanitarian operation was reportedly carried out through the al-Salihiyah crossing on the Euphrates River.

On the same day, the SAA and Russian forces evacuated hundreds of women and children from the of Idlib through a crossing near the town of Abu al-Duhur. The northern governorate is controlled by the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

“The authorities welcomed the displaced civilians and provided them with food supplies and medical care then transferred them to their villages and town,” the SANA’s reporter said.

https://southfront.org/syrian-russian-forces-evacuate-hundreds-of-civilians-from-terrorist-held-areas-in-euphrates-valley-idlib-de-escalation-zone/

DC Comics Got New Superhero From Douma. His Sister Was “Gassed” By “Russians’ Puppet” Assad

https://southfront.org/dc-comics-got-new-superhero-from-douma-his-sister-was-gassed-by-russians-puppet-assad/

Military Situation In Syria On December 6, 2018 (Map Update)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-syria-on-december-6-2018-map-update/

Army Uncovers Loads Of U.S. And Israeli Supplied Weapons And Medical Equipment In Southern Syria

https://southfront.org/army-uncovers-loads-of-u-s-and-israeli-supplied-weapons-and-medical-equipment-in-southern-syria/

UN migration pact would erode Canada’s sovereignty, says Scheer

With Canada set to sign on to a global United Nations agreement on migration next week, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says adopting the pact would be tantamount to erasing Canada’s borders.

The U.N. is billing its Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all aspects of international migration. To be signed by multiple countries next week in Morocco, the agreement would set “a common understanding, shared responsibilities, and unity of purpose regarding migration.”

Scheer said his party strongly opposes the agreement and has called on the Trudeau government not to sign it.

“[The compact] gives influence over Canada’s immigration system to foreign entities, it attempts to influence how our free and independent media report on immigration issues, and it could open the door to foreign bureaucrats telling Canada how to manage our borders,” he told reporters on Parliament Hill on Dec. 4.

“Canadians and Canadians alone should make decisions on who comes into our country and under what circumstances.”

During question period that day in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed Scheer’s concerns, saying his government is committed to a healthy immigration system.

“We are going to continue to stand up for immigration, knowing that defending diversity is a source of strength and welcoming people through a rigorous immigration system from around the world is what has made Canada strong and, indeed, something the world needs more of, not less of, like [the Conservatives] want to bring in,” he said.

Although the pact is not formally binding under international law, it has proven to be controversial.

The United States and Australia have refused to sign on, and at least six EU member nations are reportedly walking away, including Austria and Hungary.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/un-migration-pact-would-erode-canadas-sovereignty-says-scheer_2731380.html

Christmas called ‘winter celebration’ in Swedish media and the Swedes are sick of it

Twitter has rebuked one of Sweden’s leading regional dailies, being accused of ‘political correctness gone too far’.

So Christmas is now called ‘winter celebration’ in Malmö? There you have it… Waiting to open my ‘winter presents’ lying under the ‘winter tree’

The offending published report was by Sydsvenskan, and described how Malmö is preparing for Christmas celebrations amidst the need for more security than in the past. They moved the celebration from Gustaf Adolf Square to larger Stortorget Square.

The newspaper chose to call it “winter celebration” instead of Christmas and it has not gone over with members of the Swedish public.

“So Christmas is now called ‘winter celebration’ in Malmö? There you have it”, user Nätsäkerhetsexpert tweeted. “Waiting to open my ‘winter presents’ lying under ‘winter tree'”, one user said sarcastically.

“Is this the first time a newspaper non-ironically uses the world ‘Winter Celebration’ for Christmas in a news piece?”, user Alexander TixE queried.

“Who wants to celebrate Scanian winter anyway? Dark, +3 degrees, wet snow and wind blowing at 13 metres per second”, one of the replies said.

Others pointed out the inequality of their political correctness: ”Will you replace Ramadan with ‘Starvation Celebration’ in order not to trigger Christians, or are only Muslims being violated?”

“How to avoid attacks from Muslims: 1) Call Christmas ‘winter celebration’ in order not to upset Muslims 2) If they still want to kill us: Add concrete blocks and other ‘Islam décor’ to the square. How the hell did we get here?” Micke69 asked.

“‘Winter celebration’ behind concrete blocks… Never thought this 10 years ago”

https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/12/christmas-called-winter-celebration-in-swedish-media-and-the-swedes-are-sick-of-it/

>>4183039

kek

Whitewash - The 'Last Bastion Of Freedom' Is An Al-Qaeda Infested Town

This week the New Yorker published a long piece on Saraqib, a town in Idleb governorate in Syria.

Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom

Amid the brutal civil war, a town fought off the regime and the fundamentalists—and dared to hold an election. Can its experiment in democracy survive?

The piece tells us that, despite the fact that al-Qaeda rules Idleb since at least 2015, it is really a cradle of genuine democracy:

In the summer of 2017, for the first time anywhere in Syria since 1954, the residents of the town of Saraqib decided to seize control of their future—and hold a genuinely free election.

On the morning that polls were to open, an activist named Osama al-Hossein woke up at five o’clock, feeling anxious. He soon headed to Idlib Gate, a former department store that had been turned into a meeting hall. A small crowd was milling about: local journalists, election monitors, and suited dignitaries who, in international circles, represented the Syrian opposition. The election was meant to choose the leader of the Local Council, a civilian body that governed the town. Poll workers checked their phones for reports of air traffic: Syrian and Russian jets were known to attack public gatherings, and activists had posted sentries around the province.

We are told that this one town, Saraqib, is really standing out:

One Syrian town after another fell out of government control, and from this anarchy new horrors arose. The flags of ISIS and Al Qaeda were raised across the country. Child refugees drowned at sea; Western hostages were murdered on camera.

…

Somehow, Saraqib had avoided this fate. It offered an alternative history for the entire Syrian conflict—and, Hossein believed, its citizens embodied the true soul of the revolution. That evening, he imagined other tiny democracies flowering across Syria, and the rest of the world coming to understand, at last, that his country had more to offer than bloodshed and tragedy.

In reality "an alternative history" is not what happened to Saraqib, but what is presented in the New Yorker piece. It is a whitewash of a brutal international attack on Syria. A hagiography of one Osama al-Hossein, a Muslim Brotherhood 'activist', who got funding from the United States. It includes every false propaganda cliche about 'barrel bombs' and 'moderate rebels', who never were moderate, that the 'western' agencies inserted into the news stream. It is also full of stupid and nonfactual assertions. How, for example, did the New Yorker fact checkers let these 'Humvees' pass by:

The government retaliated with even greater force; on August 11, 2011, its tanks and Humvees stormed Saraqib again.

When and where did Syria buy those?

In 2017 Osama al-Hossein, over some struggle with al-Qaeda, eventually fled to Turkey. But this August the author, presumably more at ease with al-Qaeda than the Syrian 'activist', traveled to Saraqib and found it at peace:

Unlike in some other Idlib towns, there were no religious police, no Al Qaeda flags. Although Saraqib is amid one of the world’s deadliest civil wars, I didn’t see a single gunman or checkpoint. I bumped into Abu Traad, the leader of the Free Syrian Army faction, and even he was unarmed, wearing slacks and a T-shirt. The activists, I learned, had insisted that weapons not be carried inside the city limits, immunizing Saraqib from factional disputes and protecting the revolutionaries’ rule. Occasionally, I spotted Nusra members hunched in a vehicle; though it was blazing hot, they hid behind balaclavas. Many residents, meanwhile, freely denounced the fundamentalists: one told me, “These people are a curse on God Himself.” It seemed that in Saraqib, at least, people were not afraid of Nusra; Nusra was afraid of them.

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/12/whitewash-the-bastion-of-freedom-is-an-al-qaeda-infested-town.html#more

Number of Victims in Car Bomb Blast in Iran Rises to 42 – Reports

The number of those injured in the Thursday morning car bomb blast in southeastern Iran has risen to 42 people, while two others were killed, Isna reported.

An attacker exploded the bomb outside police headquarters in the port city of Chabahar, located in Sistan and Baluchestan province on the border with Pakistan.

The blast injured ten officers and 32 civilians, according to a senior health official quoted by the Iranian news agency Isna. He said many of those wounded had soon been discharged.

According to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, crimes perpetrated by what he called "foreign-backed terrorists" would not go unpunished.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812061070459024-iran-car-bomb-victims/

US Senators Submit Draft to Hold SA Crown Prince Responsible in Khashoggi Case

Six US Senators have introduced a bipartisan resolution seeking to hold Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Senator Christopher Coons said in a press release on Thursday.

"[The] Senate Resolution… holds … Mohammed bin Salman accountable for contributing to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the blockade of Qatar, the jailing of political dissidents within Saudi Arabia, the use of force to intimidate rivals, and the abhorrent and unjustified killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the release said.

The resolution was introduced by Senators Coons, Lindsey Graham, Dianne Feinstein, Marco Rubio, Ed Markey and Todd Young, the release said.

"The United States Senate should speak in a clear, bipartisan voice to say that we will not tolerate the kinds of egregious human rights violations we’ve seen from Saudi leadership and, in particular, from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," Coons said in the release.

The resolution also urges the US government and the international community to hold all parties, including Mohammed bin Salman, claimed to be involved in Khashoggi’s murder, accountable and calls on the Saudi government to negotiate directly with the Houthi movement to end the war in Yemen.

It also calls on the kingdom to immediately release Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, women's rights activists and others who have been detained for political reasons.

Khashoggi went missing during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Saudi Arabia initially insisted that the journalist left the consulate unharmed, but later admitted that he was killed and dismembered on the premises. The kingdom has insisted that the killing was a rogue operation in which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was not involved.

A similar position has been voiced by US President Donald Trump. Commenting on the killing, he stated that Washington had no substantial proof of the Saudi Crown Prince's involvement in the case.

But the CIA has reportedly assumed that the crown prince was likely directly involved in the killing.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201812061070458921-khashoggi-killing-draft-resolution/

Avenatti to Lose Cash, Artwork, Ferrari in Divorce Settlement with Wife

Michael Avenatti, adult film star Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, is finding himself in a messy divorce. Just this week Avenatti announced he will no longer consider a 2020 presidential run. However, he made very clear in Tuesday’s statement that he “…will not rest until Trump is removed from office…”

On Wednesday Avenatti reached a divorce settlement with his wife Lisa Storie-Avenatti.

According to a TMZ report, court filings state that Avenatti is to pay Lisa $37,897 per month in child support as well as $124,398 per month in spousal support. He will also have to cough up assets for liquidation, some of which include, luxury watches, valuable artwork, and a 2017 Ferarri 488 GT Spider.

Stormy Daniels also found herself wrapped up in a dispute with Avenatti. She told the Daily Beast, “For months I’ve asked Michael Avenatti to give me accounting information about the fund my supporters so generously donated to for my safety and legal defense. He has repeatedly ignored those requests. Days ago I demanded again, repeatedly, that he tell me how the money was being spent and how much was left. Instead of answering me, without my permission or even my knowledge Michael launched another crowdfunding campaign to raise money on my behalf. I learned about it on Twitter.” Daniels says the two have sorted things out.

Just last month, The New York Times reported Avenatti allegedly dragged his girlfriend out of bed and across the floor. Avenatti, who denied any allegations of domestic violence, was arrested and released on bail shortly after. The self-proclaimed “Fighter for Good” isn’t having his best month.

https://saraacarter.com/report-avenatti-to-lose-cash-artwork-ferrari-in-divorce-settlement-with-wife/

>>4183263

Divorce: find a bitch you fucking hate and buy her a house