To those who have fought thru the swamp and shills/clowns here since 2017
Syrian Army Strikes Militant Positions In Southeastern Idlib
On December 24, the Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces shelled several militant positions in the villages of Skaik, al-Taman’a and al-Khawin in southeastern Idlib, according to the Syrian state-run media.
Reports claim that the shelling came in response to previous violations of the ceasefire regime by local militant groups and caused multiple casualties among militants.
In northern Hama, militants reportedly carried out an attack on army positions from the direction of the villages of Lahayia, Bazam and al-Dahra. This attack was repelled.
According to pro-militant sources, the clashes resulted in deaths of at least several army service members
https://southfront.org/syrian-army-strikes-militant-positions-in-southeastern-idlib/
NYT Reporters Advocate Tracking Gun Purchases Made With Credit Cards
The New York Times published an article on Monday suggesting that credit card companies surveil cardholders who purchase firearms.
The NYT piece, authored by Andrew Ross Sorkin, noted that a number of mass shooters purchased their weapons and ammo using credit cards. Banks are required to alert federal authorities to purchases exceeding $10,000, but there are rules preventing them from seeing precisely what goods users are purchasing.
Nonetheless, NYT’s Sorkin suggests that banks track purchases at sporting goods stores and gun shops and prevent cardholders from purchasing multiple firearms “in a short period of time” and report unusual spending patterns.
Nick Confessore, another NYT reporter, insinuated that banks and credit card companies have some responsibility for mass shootings because they “financed” them.
“Banks already have to report suspicious transactions; it would be easy to also report aberrant gun purchases by a possible mass shooter,” Joe Nocera, a Bloomberg Opinion writer.
Sorkin expressed little concern about the privacy of consumers, instead leaving that to the credit card companies and banks he spoke to for the article.
“We do not believe Visa should be in the position of setting restrictions on the sale of lawful goods or services,” Amanda Pires, a Visa spokeswoman, told NYT. “Our role in commerce is to efficiently process, protect and settle all legal payments. Asking Visa or other payment networks to arbitrate what legal goods can be purchased sets a dangerous precedent.”
MasterCard similarly touted the “privacy of [cardholders’] purchasing decisions.”
The article does not confront the possibility that tracking credit card purchases could backfire by encouraging would-be mass shooters to use cash — thereby making their purchases even more discrete.
There are also no suggestions as to what constitutes an “abnormal” gun purchase, such as how many guns, how much ammo, what cost, or what frequency.
Sorkin brushed off some of the criticisms of his article on Twitter, insisting that tracking purchases is about “saving kids” and not infringing on the ability of law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms.
https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/24/new-york-times-track-gun-credit-card/
Plus their style is subversion they pretend to be your friend but then fuck you in the ass while your asleep!
Sweden’s largest TV broadcaster invites veiled woman for celebrating Christmas
Sweden’s TV4 Nyhetsmorgon, the country’s largest broadcaster, exhibits “multiculturalism” on Christmas, not Jesus.
Inviting Camilla Hamid to bake “Christmas Classics” gives pause for thought as the Muslim, veil-wearing, cook admits to not personally recognising the Christian holiday.
Programme owner Anders Pihlblad explained during the segment, “Of course you do not celebrate Christmas, because you are a Muslim”.
Hamid replying that though she didn’t celebrate Christmas, she enjoys cooking, after which Anders asserts that different cultures “borrow” from each other.
Also during the segment, the host asks Hamid what elements of Christmas, if any, in which she partakes to which she replied that the “snacks” and “lighting” were “cozy” at this time of year.
https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/12/swedens-largest-tv-broadcaster-invites-veiled-woman-for-celebrating-christmas/
Syrian women to the EU: “Kick our men out and send them home – we need them here”
The war in Syria has led to a shortage of men in the country. Now the Syrian women want their men back, and ask the EU to “kick them out” so that they return and help rebuild the country.
The conflict in Syria is coming to an end. Donald Trump has stated that IS is defeated and promised to withdraw all US troops from the area.
Even Israel argues that the war is over, and Russia Today pumps out images of Christmas celebrations in Damascus.
The long, bloody war has left deep traces in Syria’s demographics. An on-site reporter notes that “about 70 per cent of the people he meets are young women”.
“Look around, you see only women. At the University, in the street, in cafes, only women. Most young men left Syria,” says the female students Safaa and Sheima.
Another woman, Lina, says that Assad should give those who fled from the military service amnesty, but she also has a proposal to the countries that have taken in many men from Syria:
“The solution is to kick them out and send them back to Syria so they can start rebuilding the country,” she says.
At the same time, the shortage of men means that Syrian women are making great progress in working life, by entering professions previously dominated by men.
“In the past, it was not accepted for women to work in certain areas, but now society is forced to accept it and that is good,” says Safaa.
https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/12/syrian-women-to-the-eu-kick-our-men-out-and-send-them-home-we-need-them-here/#.XCDtB5b2YhA.twitter
PANIC
Iran To "Build A Force Of 100,000 Ground Troops" In Syria, Claims Israeli Defense Chief
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to intensify military action in Syria after the White House's order for all US troops to pullout out of the country — expected to be complete within months — and now Israel's outgoing defense chief, Gadi Eisenkot, has revealed more details of what's driving Israel's thinking.
Gen. Eisenkot, who is set to complete his four-year tenure next month, warned Iran will "build a force of 100,000 ground troops" as soon as the war is complete, noting this will happen "the day after" cessation of fighting. Israeli defense officials have long hyped the "Iran threat" across its border and have over the past years repeatedly warned its "red line" to act militarily would be "Iran entrenchment" in Syria.
The defense chief further claimed an Iranian "permanent military presence" in Syria has been endorsed by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.
"The Iranian vision for Syria for the day after [the war]… was to build a force of 100,000 ground troops. There are already 20,000 fighters from Hezbollah, Shiite militias from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and thousands of advisers from Iran", Eisenkot said, according to the Times of Israel. He claimed further Iran is seeking to set up "combined ground, aerial, naval and intelligence capability" in order to build up a "line of military positions along the Golan [border]".
He described IDF efforts to roll back Iranian influence in the Syrian war "the large base of the iceberg, which was hidden from the Israeli public’s eye". He continued in what's an important admission considering the mainstream media longtime claim that Israel has largely been on the sidelines in Syria: "We devoted significant resources, intelligence, aerial resources, and other mostly covert operations that average Israelis, even those living in the Golan, were unaware of over the years."
While painting a picture that the IDF was "independent" and alone in its fight to destroy "arms factories in Syria" that he said "combine Syrian infrastructure, Iranian money, and Hezbollah capabilities," he vowed in line with Netanyahu's recent comments that the army would continue to fight "the multi-dimensional threat of Iran.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-24/israeli-military-chief-warns-iran-build-force-100000-ground-troops-syria
Iran will not stand by for Europe to fulfill JCPOA commitments: FM Zarif
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran will not stand by for Europeans to fulfill their commitments under a multilateral nuclear agreement signed between Iran and six major world powers in 2015, following the United States' move to pull out from the deal.
"The Europeans are acting slowly in the fulfillment of their commitments under the nuclear agreement (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the JCPOA)," Zarif said in an interview with Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Monday, adding, "We will not wait around for them unless they adopt practical steps."
The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the Islamic Republic has many option to deal with the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and would consider them based on its national interests.
US President Donald Trump withdrew his country in May from the landmark Iran nuclear deal and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
Under the deal, reached between Iran and six major powers – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – Tehran agreed to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.
The US administration hoped to get the other parties to the deal with Iran to likewise scrap the deal, but instead, they stressed that not only would they stick to the agreement, but they would also work to sustain it in the face of increased US pressure.
Iran and the 28-nation European Union have been discussing various ways to continue doing business with Iran and bypass US sanctions.
On September 24, Iran and its five partners released a joint statement announcing the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to facilitate continued trade with Iran, bypass the US financial system, and avoid any impact of America's secondary sanctions.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in December 10 that the bloc will establish a mechanism to facilitate non-dollar transactions with Iran in the near future in an attempt to circumvent sanctions imposed by the United States against Tehran.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/24/583866/Zarif-alMayadeen-EU-JCPOA-Iran
No i prefer to stay full Anon
You need to lurk moar if that's what you think, you're a mile off