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Syrian Army poised to retake strategic Jordanian crossing in southern Syria

Leith Aboufadel
Al-Masdar News
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 17:36 UTC
Nassib Syria daraa
© Louai Beshara/Agence France-PresseThe Nassib border post between Syria and Jordan
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is approaching the strategic Nassib Crossing in southern Daraa, a source told Al-Masdar News this morning.

Led by their elite Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army is quickly approaching the Nassib Crossing from both its eastern and northern axes, following another big push.

According to a field report from Daraa, the Syrian Arab Army has reached the eastern axis of Umm Mayadhin, leaving only 3.5 kilometers until they reach the Nassib Crossing.
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Bell

Iran official: Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians during nuclear deal

Chris Irvine
Fox News
Mon, 02 Jul 2018 20:23 UTC
Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zolnour
Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zolnour claims that the Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians while negotiating the Iran nuclear deal.
The Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including family members of government officials, while negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, a senior cleric and member of parliament has claimed.

Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zolnour, who is chairman of Iran's parliamentary nuclear committee and a member of its national security and foreign affairs committee, made the allegations during an interview with the country's Etemad newspaper, cited by the country's Fars News agency.

He claimed it was done as a favor to senior Iranian officials linked to President Hassan Rouhani, and he alleged the move sparked a competition among Iranian officials over whose children would benefit from the scheme.
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Info

Syrian military source says drones shot down near Russian base in Syria were Western-made


Sputnik
Mon, 02 Jul 2018 19:18 UTC
The drones used to attack Russian military facilities in Syria
© Photo : Russian Defense MinistryThe drones used to attack Russian military facilities in Syria
A group of unidentified drones that approached the military facilities near the Hmeymim airbase in Syria on June 30 has been destroyed by Russian air defenses.

A source in the Syrian army told Sputnik that more than five unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which were earlier eliminated near the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Syria, were "most likely on a reconnaissance mission."

The source also said that "on closer examination it became clear that the UAVs' parts were made in Western countries."

Comment: See also: Russian military downs unidentified drones near Khmeimim Airbase in Syria - UPDATE: Militants launch third drone attack

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Handcuffs

Australian Archbishop becomes highest ranking Catholic official to be sentenced for covering-up child sex abuse by pedophile priest


RT
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 17:02 UTC
Archbiship Philip Wilson pedophile coverup
© AAP/Darren Pateman/ReutersArchbishop Philip Wilson arrives at Newcastle Local Court, in Newcastle, Australia
The highest ranking Catholic official to ever be convicted of concealing sexual crimes against children has been sentenced to 12 months in Australia for covering up abuse by a pedophile priest.

Adelaide's Archbishop Philip Wilson was sentenced to a year in detention, after he was found guilty in May of failing to report the sexual abuse of two altar boys by a pedophile priest, Jim Fletcher, in the 1970s. Fletcher, who was found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse, died of a stroke in prison in 2016 while he was serving a near eight-year sentence.

On Tuesday Robert Stone, the Newcastle magistrate, denounced "the decades of abuse and its concealment" and said Wilson, who is 67 years old, must serve at least six months before he is eligible for parole.

Comment: A drop in the bucket? Many more high-profile clerics within the Vatican hierarchy will need to face justice before people begin to believe that the Catholic Church is genuinely interested in routing the corruption and depravity within.

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Bad Guys

Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen says family & country come before POTUS - 'Not a punching bag for defense strategy'


RT
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:48 UTC
Michael Cohen
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters / FileU.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen
The disgraced former lawyer to US President Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, has indicated he will trade the remains of his loyalty to Trump for his family and country's interests, pledging full cooperation with the Russia probe.

Cohen, who had been the longtime personal lawyer and confidante of President Trump, has distanced himself from the quagmires of his former boss, telling ABC in an interview that first and foremost he cares about his family and country.

While this statement may seem nothing out of the ordinary if uttered by another former Trump associate after a falling-out with the president, Cohen stands out, since it was him who in an interview with Vanity Fair last September said that he was "the guy who would take a bullet for the president.""I'd never walk away," he stressed at the time.

Comment: Is Mr. Cohen under the same sort of pressure that caused General Flynn to plead guilty to 'lying' to the FBI?

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Network

Foreign Ministry: Russia will launch 'alternative internet' only in worst-case scenario


RT
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:29 UTC
russian internet data center
© Alexandr Kryazhev / SputnikRostelecom's data center in Novosibirsk
A senior Russian diplomat has told reporters that the country has everything to launch its own independent internet, but added that this would be done only if things go completely sour due to the efforts of "Western partners".

"There are technical, financial, intellectual and all the rest necessary resources for this, but I don't think that anyone really wants this," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for New Challenges and Threats, Ilya Rogachev, said in comments with TASS.

"The primary thing that could lead to such outcome is the policy of our Western partners, in particular the imposing of double standards. If they continue to impose double standards then we can start talking about creating a parallel internet in Russia, as a sort of a worst-case scenario," the diplomat added.

Comment: Russia is prudently securing itself in other ways too:

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Light Sabers

The Left's hidden war on school choice

Terry Schilling
Townhall
Sun, 01 Jul 2018 16:05 UTC
guy on couch
Last December, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senate Republicans scored what appeared to be a major victory for school choice by including the Student Opportunity Amendment in Congress's tax cut package. The amendment expanded tax-advantaged 529 college savings plans to include K-12 education, giving families the ability to save up to $10,000 per child per year for private schools or religious schools. And although Democrats at the time shamefully discriminated against homeschoolers and children with disabilities by successfully working to remove those groups from the amendment, Cruz has now introduced standalone legislation that would restore both groups' access to the 529 educational savings plans.

Sen. Cruz has proven himself to be perhaps Congress' strongest school choice advocate. He deserves serious credit for his efforts. But unfortunately, his 529 educational savings plan initiative is not enough on its own, and without seriously curtailing government control over education, could even unintentionally play into the Left's hands.

The Left has been waging war on two separate fronts in the battle over school choice. While they continue to work relentlessly to defeat new legislation which would give parents further educational choice, they also have been equally hard at work behind the scenes fighting school choice by bending existing government education programs to serve their ends.

Comment: It might be already too late for that. The leftist agenda has infiltrated the education system to the point where their ideology can be found in all facets of policy and instruction. See also:

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USA

Shootings, robbery & high medical costs: Beijing warns Chinese tourists of dangers during US travel


Sputnik
Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
Chinese tourists USA
Chinese tourists planning to visit the US have been warned by the Chinese embassy in America of "frequent shootings" and the high cost of medical care.

"Social security in the states is not satisfactory. Shootings, robbery, theft happen frequently," the statement by China's embassy in the US wrote, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

"Be aware of suspicious people around you and avoid going out alone at night," the statement added, also observing that Chinese tourists can call local '911' emergency lines and ask for Chinese-language services if necessary.

According to the US Department of Commerce, over 3 million Chinese people visited the US in 2017. By 2022, the total number of Chinese tourists is expected to increase to 4.5 million annually.

The embassy notice additionally warned tourists to steer clear of confrontations with law enforcement officials at border control points.

Comment: America has a tourism problem - more international travelers are deciding to skip the US in favor of other destinations while Russia is now one of the top ten countries visited by foreigners.

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Family

World-class act: Japanese team cleans out lockers & bows to fans after devastating World Cup defeat


RT
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:06 UTC
japan loss world cup
© Marko Djurica / ReutersBelgium vs Japan - Rostov Arena
Japan's football team proved to be one of the classiest at the World Cup after the players bowed to the fans and meticulously cleaned out the locker room following their heartbreaking defeat to Belgium.

The Japanese squad were eliminated from the World Cup tournament in a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Belgium on Monday.

Japan jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but it wasn't enough, as they conceded three consecutive goals - with the decisive third goal occurring in the final seconds of the match.

Comment: Columbia and Senegal also set examples of good fan behavior:

The Senegalese fans gave a show of civility and collected the trash in the bleachers 40 minutes after match against Poland. A tremendous example that deserves to be shared!
And after the Japan-Columbia match:

Colombia supporters wanted great. No person was told Congraturation. We took our blue bag and picked up the trash together. Can we do it with the opposite result? The depths of football are deep.


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People

Leftist nonsense: Some schools in England ban girls from wearing skirts to accommodate transgender students


RT
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 11:17 UTC
Britain school skirt ban
© Lothar Steiner / Global Look Press
Some 40 secondary schools in England have banned girls from wearing skirts, one month after a school in Oxfordshire recommended it's male students wear them to deal with soaring temperatures.

According to the Sunday Times, schools are opting for gender-neutral uniforms to encompass transgender students, with others consulting on a ban.

Priory School, a secondary in Lewes, East Sussex enforced a ban on skirts and ordered girls to wear trousers instead in an effort to accommodate transgender pupils, after students had asked why girls and boys had to wear different clothes.

Headteacher Tony Smith said in September, "We have a small but increasing number of transgender students and therefore having the same uniform is important for them."

But feminists have complained that a complete ban on skirts in favour of gender-neutral uniform is not the answer to the growing number of transgender pupils, arguing that children should be offered a choice.

Comment: With growing efforts to kowtow to this small minority of people, such measures risk creating a serious backlash against these policies and perhaps against those they are constantly trying to protect / accommodate. None of this is likely to end well.

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