(2020-02-03). Fast and furious: Irate driver takes Delhi traffic cop for 2km joyride on hood of his car (VIDEO). rt.com 
One irate Delhi driver apparently reached breaking point when asked to produce papers for an alleged traffic violation. Viral video shows the manic motorist taking the cop for a ride on the hood of his car. | The driver reportedly sustained minor injuries in the bizarre incident of road rage which took place in the Nangloi area of outer Delhi. Video shows the traffic cop insisting on seeing some papers before the fast and furious leadfoot decides to take him on a 2km (1.2-mile) joyride. | Online, many praised the courage of the police officer, while others made references to popular films or merely dropped…
(2020-02-03). Teacher's photos document virus-hit Chinese city. thecanary.co 
A teacher who was starting a new life with his wife in the Chinese industrial centre of Wuhan when a viral outbreak spread across the city has documented the coronavirus fallout in a series of photos.Poland native Arek Rataj had recently taken a position teaching visual communication at Jianghan University, but almost immediately the metropolis of 11 million people, which had been teeming with Lunar New Year holiday revelry, turned quiet.A girl wears a face mask as she plays on a swing near the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan (Arek Rataj/AP)Arek and his wife Jenina bought face masks for protection and ke…
(2020-02-03). China's first 'instant' coronavirus hospital accepting patients, second facility days from opening. rt.com 
Huoshenshan Hospital, a makeshift 1,000-bed facility in China's Wuhan that was built in just 10 days, received its first coronavirus patients on Monday. A 1,500-bed facility in Leishenshan is due to open later this week. | The construction of the two hospitals in Wuhan, the city in central China worst affected by the ongoing viral epidemic, was ordered to keep the disease contained and prevent the risk of spreading the virus. It is consistent with Beijing's way of dealing with the 2013 SARS outbreak, when a temporary hospital was erected north of the capital in just one week. | Huoshenshan was built near Zhiyi…
(2020-02-03). Watch WHO chief cough & crack a 'VIRAL' joke… as watchdog tackles coronavirus (VIDEO). rt.com 
World Health Organization (WHO) head has managed to produce a truly horrible joke, worth of the darkest corners of the internet, as he coughed amid a WHO meeting on coronavirus — and assured his colleagues he was not infected. | The executive board of the WHO convened on Monday, discussing the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus — and how to battle misinformation hysteria around it. So far, over 17,200 cases of the virus, including 361 deaths, have been registered in China, as well as over 150 cases world-wide. | Speaking at the meeting, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus coughed and in…
(2020-02-03). The Politics of Online Friendship. counterpunch.org 
It happens to everyone. You're scrolling through your Facebook feed and encounter a name you either dislike or admire. You head over to their page to check out the latest news or analysis, or to laugh at their latest bad take, but something's off. The page seems incomplete. And then you realize why. You immediately
(2020-02-03). Priti Patel branded 'moron' online after referring to 'counter-terrorist offenders', blaming old Labour govt for early release law. rt.com 
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has been roasted on Twitter after bizarrely labeling terrorists such as the Streatham attacker as a 'counter-terrorist offenders' and blaming the old Labour government for his early release from jail. | In the aftermath of the stabbing attack carried out by 20-year-old Sudesh Amman in Streatham, South London on Sunday, Patel gave her response in an interview with Sky News. In somewhat odd remarks, she insisted that government measures announced just two weeks ago were aimed at dealing with "counter-terrorist offenders." | She also took aim at the last Labour government — whic…
(2020-02-03). YouTube bans misleading election videos, 'birther'-esque theories, and deepfakes… just in time for Iowa primary. rt.com 
YouTube has banned "manipulated or doctored" videos relating to the US election, as well as deepfakes and "birther"-type conspiracy theories which question candidates' eligibility for office, with the primaries already under way. | Google's video-sharing platform has stepped up to protect the damsel in distress that is the American electoral process,
(2020-02-03). Iran to Launch new Satellite Despite US Missile Accusations. telesurenglish.net "We are not afraid of failure and we will not lose hope. With your prayers and trust in God, the Zafar satellite by the end of this week … will be heading toward an orbit of 530 km from Earth," Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted.
(2020-02-03). UFO Hunters Puzzled by Video of Hovering 'Tentacle' Over New Jersey. sputniknews.com Last year treated conspiracy theorists of all kinds to numerous sightings of unidentified flying objects in various parts of the world. Although many of them turned out to have a mundane explanation, alien hunters do not seem to have parted with their hopes of finding the truth somewhere out there.
(2020-02-03). 'Not a God': Disney Heiress Under Fire After Blasting Late Kobe Bryant Over Rape Allegations. sputniknews.com A helicopter crash on 26 January that killed American NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna provoked genuine mourning around the globe. However, some public figures also rushed to recall some of the basketball player's previous wrongdoings.
(2020-02-03). Fans Atwitter Over First iKon Comeback With Six Members as MV Teaser Released. sputniknews.com The K-pop boy band's third mini album will be its first without the leader of the group, B.I, who left in June 2019.
(2020-02-03). Excuse Me! Lion Family Gives Way to Motorcyclist After Coming Face to Face in India. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): A biker in the Indian state of Gujarat was caught off guard by a lioness and her cubs as he made a blind turn and ran into the lion family, who were taking a casual stroll.
(2020-02-03). River on Fire: India's Disaster Mitigation Agency Rules Out 'Blast' on Oil Pipeline in Assam. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Several posts on social media in India have depicted a huge fire and black smoke billowing from a river bank in the northwestern state of Assam. Initial reports indicated the fire was triggered by a blast on an underwater oil pipeline from a state-run oil extraction facility.
(2020-02-03). BoJo triggers social media after telling 'juvenile anti-Americans' to 'grow up' over post-Brexit trade deal with US. rt.com 
British PM Boris Johnson has provoked social media ire after branding critics of an impending trade deal with Donald Trump's United States as "juvenile anti-Americans," insisting that they should "grow up and get a grip." | In a speech in Greenwich, London on Monday to outline the kind of trading arrangements Britain will be seeking with the EU and the rest of the world, Johnson said that he "shared the optimism of President Trump" on a UK-US post-Brexit trade deal. He specifically hit out at critics of Trump's America, who have voiced concerns about the lowering of regulations and standards in any potential d…
(2020-02-02). An important travel petition needs all our support. thecanary.co 
There's an important petition doing the rounds on social media. It's about our rail network and an issue that affects every person who uses it. So, here's why you should get involved.An important petition: As the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) tweeted, the petition calls for "fully staffed and accessible stations": | Violent crime and assaults on rail passengers and staff continue to rise. In 2018/19 there was a 16% rise in violent crime on our railways. | Please sign this petition, and call on the Govt, TOC's and
(2020-02-02). Twitter bombarded with conspiracy theories after release of final Iowa poll AXED ahead of Democratic caucuses. rt.com 
The decision to cancel publication of the final Iowa poll before the Democratic caucuses has led to incendiary accusations that organizers had no legitimate reason to pull the survey and simply wanted to suppress its results. | A methodological error has been cited as the reason why the highly-anticipated final poll, originally scheduled to be released on the eve of Iowa's Democratic caucuses, would not be made public. | The CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom survey, conducted by respected polling agency Selzer & Co, is viewed as one of the most accurate — and important — polls during the presidentia…
(2020-02-02). 'Justice for Johnny Depp': Fans defend movie star on Twitter after ex-wife Amber Heard seemingly admits to abuse on tape. rt.com 
Fans of movie star Johnny Depp have demanded their idol's name be cleared, after his ex-wife Amber Heard apparently admitted to hitting and throwing objects at him in a leaked audio tape. Heard has accused Depp of domestic abuse. | In an audio confession leaked to the
(2020-02-02). Trapped and Voiceless: The Palestinians Depicted in Trump's Plan. commondreams.org Peace is not something the victims of occupation, displacement and oppression can initiate. (Photo: Screen shot /Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pale_1_1.jpeg …
(2020-02-02). Stephen King Leaves Facebook Over False Information And Privacy. telesurenglish.net United States author Stephen King has deleted his Facebook account Friday after expressing concerns about the widespread of false information and privacy violations occurring on that social network. | RELATED: | Through his Twitter account, the renowned author expressed that he is "not comfortable with the flood of false information allowed in its political advertising, nor do I trust its ability to protect the privacy of its users."
(2020-02-02). Maduro Commemorates 21st Anniversary of Chavez's Inauguration. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro commemorated on Sunday the 21st anniversary of the first inauguration of the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chávez, as president of the South American nation. | RELATED: | "On February 2 (1999), Comandante Chávez swore by the mandate of the people to transform Venezuela into a free and sovereign homeland," Maduro tweeted on Sunday. | During the swearing in as head of state, Chavez said he would…
(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…
(2020-02-01). As the UK fractures, one Twitter thread should be essential reading. thecanary.co It's the day after Brexit, and the UK seems as divided as ever. But a thread on Twitter not only highlights a growing problem in society, it could also serve as the antidote to our fractured country. | Loneliness: | Alex Tiffin is a disabled writer. He runs the 1/ "Over 9 million people in the UK — almost a fifth of the population — say they are always or…
(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…
(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 […] |
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…