2020-02-01: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-01). Where's Greta when you need her? NASA witnesses dramatic polar ice COLLAPSE on Mars. rt.com Climactic footage of Arctic ice plummeting into the sea has routinely shocked viewers in recent years. However, the phenomenon appears not to be confined to Earth, as NASA has captured evidence of Mars' polar ice cap collapsing. | The US space agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been spinning around the Red Planet since 2006. Its vantage point hundreds of kilometers above the surface allows it to witness dramatic natural processes unfolding below. | Remarkable, freshly released images show a radical landscape change at the planet's north pole, following a polar ice cap collapse. | pic.twitter.com/n3RWAw50…

RT (2020-02-01). At least 2 dead, 2 injured in funeral shooting at Florida church. rt.com Two people have been killed and one injured, after gunfire broke out at a funeral in Riviera Beach, Florida. Police say one of the dead is a teenage boy. | The incident took place on Saturday afternoon at the Original Tabernacle of Prayer, a predominantly black church in the city. Police say that a 15-year-old boy and an adult man died at the scene, while another adult female and juvenile victim were brought to nearby hospitals for treatment. | pic.twitter.com/6o4u135WzS— Riviera Beach PD (@RivieraBeachPD) Feb…

RT (2020-02-01). Stephen King quits Facebook over 'flood of false information,' but is Twitter more 'truth-loving' for him? rt.com Stephen King has announced that he is shutting down his Facebook account, purportedly because the platform is awash with disinformation. The social media giant has come under fire for its unwillingness to police political ads. | The famed horror writer said that his departure was motivated by the "flood of false information that's allowed in its political advertising," as well as a lack of confidence in the company's ability to protect its users' privacy. The good news is that you can still follow him on Twitter, he wrote in a Twitter post. | I'm quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false infor…

RT (2020-02-01). ZeroHedge banned from Twitter after BuzzFeed accuses it of coronavirus conspiracy and 'doxxing' a Chinese scientist. rt.com The popular news blog ZeroHedge has been suspended from Twitter. While no reason was given, their last tweet referred to speculation the coronavirus could be a bioweapon and BuzzFeed had just accused them of doxxing. | The site's last tweet before the suspension referenced a paper by Indian scientists pointing to uncanny similarities between the 2019-nCoV virus and HIV, which internet researcher Christopher Torres Lugo described as "conspiracy theories claiming that 2019-nCoV is a bioweapon." | Twitter does not comment on reasons for suspending or banning any particular account, leaving ZeroHedge's 673,000 or…

RT (2020-02-01). Germany evacuates 100 from coronavirus-gripped Wuhan. rt.com Over 100 German citizens and family members have been flown from Wuhan to Frankfurt on Saturday. | None of the passengers have manifestations of the disease, which prompted the lockdown of the Chinese city in an attempt to stop the spread of the infection. However, they will be kept in quarantine for a checkup, since the virus may be spread by people without the pneumonia-like symptoms. | Health Minister Jens Spahn bemoaned the dissemination of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus on social media, saying they only "spread uncertainty" about the disease.

Staff (2020-02-01). Iraqi Blocs Choose New PM-Designate After Weeks of Jockeying. truthdig.com BAGHDAD — Former communications minister Mohammed Allawi was named prime minister-designate by rival Iraqi factions Saturday after weeks of political deadlock. | The choice comes as the country weathers troubled times, including ongoing anti-government protests and the constant threat of being ensnared by festering U.S.-Iran tensions. | Related Articles: …

The Canary (2020-02-01). Australian wildfires burning out of control in new areas. thecanary.co Wildfires burned out of control near Australia's national capital, Canberra, and across surrounding New South Wales state on Saturday, with endangered residents warned to prepare to evacuate. | The capital region declared a state of emergency on Friday because of a fire that by Saturday covered 88,500 acres (35,800 hectares) of forest and farmland south of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory emergency services agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan said. | t.co/gkiuxXl1T0 #OrroralFire

sputniknews (2020-02-01). 'Their Interests Are Aligned': Soros Claims Facebook's Zuckerberg is Helping Trump Win 2020 Election. sputniknews.com Hungarian-American billionaire activist George Soros has repeatedly launched offensives against Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg for not being held accountable for the platform's content and maximising profits at the expense of users.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). Ex-UK Prime Minister Theresa May Ridiculed on Twitter Over Her 'We've Delivered' Brexit Post. sputniknews.com On Friday, the UK finally departed from the EU after 47 years of being part of the bloc and its predecessor organisations, as well as following nearly four years of internal struggles to deliver the divorce.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). Right-Leaning ZeroHedge Axed From Twitter After Story Referencing Coronavirus 'Bioweapon' Conspiracy. sputniknews.com The popular blog's readership has been left in the dark of late as to whether its suspension is indeed linked to a recent story speculating on the possible origins of the coronavirus flare-ups all across Central China and neighbouring countries.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). 'Tinder Isn't Ready': Jordan Peterson Takes Part in Dolly Parton Challenge as Netizens Go Wild. sputniknews.com American singer Dolly Parton unleashed a viral trend this season, challenging netizens to post four photos reflecting their images on various social media apps.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). Video of Indian Minister's Effort to Stay Awake During Longest Budget Speech Goes Viral. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman broke the record of the longest-ever budget speech with her 2-hour and 38-minute address on Saturday. There's no denying that by the time the speech had ended, not only was Sitharaman tired, but the parliamentarians were bored as well.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). Futuristic AI-Powered Features Turning Sex Robots Into More Lifelike Droids. sputniknews.com The 2020s have already been proclaimed as the decade of robotic sex dolls, as the adult toy industry is deploying top-notch technologies to make sexbots almost indistinguishable from humans. Soon, some love-droids are expected to be able to hold conversations, react to sexual touches, and recognise their owners in a crowded room.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). Incredibly Bright Fireball Illuminates Sky Like a Sun in Russia – Video. sputniknews.com According to reports, the object was seen in Russia's Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, and Kurgan regions. It is not clear whether the meteor hit the ground, as rocks as bright as this one usually explode in the atmosphere.

sputniknews (2020-02-01). China's Babyface Bodybuilder Reveals How She Is Going to Combat Coronavirus. sputniknews.com Chinese blogger Yuan Herong has amassed over 345,000 followers on Instagram sharing photos of her pumped up body and impressive muscles. However, as the bodybuilder claims, this is only a hobby in addition to her medical career. As her country has been hit by a new deadly virus, Yuan revealed that she is working to beat the outbreak.

RT (2020-01-31). Don't make me repeat myself again! Soros threatens Zuckerberg must be removed from Facebook 'one way or another'. rt.com Billionaire speculator George Soros has called for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his COO to be deposed, accusing them of seeking to "maximize profits" without regard for consequences, in perhaps the most ironic attack ever. | Zuckerberg and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg "follow only one guiding principle: maximize profits irrespective of the consequences," Soros snarled on Friday in a New York Times op-ed. While his detractors might have used those exact words to describe the financier's own "guiding principle," Soros meant it as a scathing condemnation. | One way or another, they should…

Eds. (2020-01-31). Palestinians around the world reject Trump's 'fraud of the century'. mronline.org Palestinians have responded to US President Donald Trump's peace plan with a resounding "no," expressing their frustrations with what they have dubbed as the "fraud of the century." From social media to the streets, Palestinians in the occupied territory and in the diaspora have rejected Trump's vision for the region, criticizing the plan for granting […] |

Staff (2020-01-31). Delta, American Suspend Flights Between U.S. and China. truthdig.com NEW YORK — Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said Friday they will suspend all flights between the U.S. and China, making them the first U.S.-based airlines to do so and joining several international carriers that have stopped flying to China as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread. | American said it will halt the flights starting Friday and running through March 27. Delta plans to wait until Feb. 6 to suspend China operations to help travelers in China leave the country. Delta said it will stop the flights through April 30. | United Airlines, the only other U.S. carrier with direct flights to…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-01-31). Coronavirus Epidemic: WHO Declares a Global Public Health Crisis, Can We Trust the WHO? globalresearch.ca In the course of the last two weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) had already pointed to a possible Global Public Health crisis in relation to China's novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) categorized as a viral pneumonia. The virus outbreak is centred …

Tamara Pearson (2020-01-31). Mexicans Building a Feminist Internet Face Challenges. counterpunch.org When Patricia Azcagorta ran as a candidate for mayor of Caborca, Sonora, in Mexico in 2018, a video was circulated on social media of a woman dancing in her underwear, together with photos of Azcagorta, and messages accusing her of being a stripper. Using intimate images — real or fake — over the Internet to

Staff (2020-01-31). Video of ER Doctor Confronting Mike Pence Over Trump Medicaid Cuts Goes Viral. truthout.org An emergency physician Thursday night confronted Vice President Mike Pence at a restaurant in Iowa over the Trump administration's "I work in one of the poorest counties in Michigan and my patients depend o…

Anya Parampil (2020-01-30). US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…

RT (2020-01-29). WATCH: Man escapes high-rise LA apartment inferno by climbing onto window ledge. rt.com A major blaze broke out on Wednesday morning in a high-rise building in west LA, with at least one person desperately scaling the building to escape the growing flames. Firefighters below rushed in with ladders to help him down. | The fire broke out on the sixth floor of a 25-story apartment building at the Barrington Plaza complex, before spreading quickly to other floors above and below. | Eyewitness footage shared to social media showed one particularly dramatic rescue, when one man scaled the side of the building as thick smoke poured out of the window he had escaped through. Firefighters quickly raised a…

Staff (2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…

Staff (2020-01-28). Murder of Mexican Artist Isabel Cabanillas Highlights Endemic Issue of Femicide in Ciudad Juárez. democracynow.org Isabel Cabanillas, a 26-year-old beloved feminist activist and artist, was recently assassinated in Ciudad Juárez, resurfacing the border city's painful legacy of femicides and violence against women. Cabanillas was reported missing on social media by her friends on Saturday, January 18, after she never returned home. On that same day, she was found shot to death on a sidewalk next to her bicycle in downtown Juárez. We speak with Nana Rebell, a feminist activist in Ciudad Juárez and a member of the Juárez feminist collective Hijas de su Maquilera Madre, about Cabanillas's life and the endemic issue of femicide in…

Staff (2020-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lawyers Says He Did No Wrong as Calls Mount for Bolton and Other Witnesses to Testify | , Trump to Unveil Middle East "Peace Plan" as Netanyahu Indicted over Corruption, SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Public Charge" Rule Targeting Low-Income Immigrants to Take Effect, State Dept. Bars NPR Reporter from Upcoming Pompeo Trip, Washington Post Suspends Reporter for Tweet About Kobe Bryant Rape Allegation, Mixed Accounts After U.S. Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan, Torrential Rains and Landslides Kill At Least 46 People in Brazil, Nigerian Journalist Maxwell Nashan Killed, 2nd Accuser Testifies in Weinstein Trial a…

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-02). The War on Truth: How Israel's Social Media Trolls Conquered Facebook. zcomm.org Israel may have found a way to circumvent the influence of Facebook on the discussions pertaining to Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation…