(2020-09-25). Redefining Anti-Semitism on Facebook. counterpunch.org 
The objective is to force Facebook to alter its hate speech definition so that its own "detection algorithm" will characterize any criticism of Israel as hate speech and automatically remove the pertinent content from the platform. Given that Facebook has 2.7 billion users and is the world's largest and arguably most influential media platform, it comes as
(2020-09-25). YouTube, Zoom and Facebook censor Leila Khaled for Israel. zcomm.org "They are bothered by the ways in which we are focusing on questions of Black liberation, Palestinian liberation and prison abolition, and the connections between these movements"
(2020-09-25). Graphic Video: Seattle Cop Put on Administrative Leave After Riding Over Man's Head With Bike. sputniknews.com A video of a Seattle police officer walking his bike across the head of a man lying on the ground has rocked social media, with users decrying the cop's action and the Seattle Police Department later saying that the incident is under investigation.
(2020-09-25). Four injured in Paris knife attack, assailants on the run. yenisafak.com Four people were injured Friday in a knife attack near the former headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.Two of the victims are in a state of "absolute urgency", according to statements by the police on Twitter.Two assailants are presently on the run.A search is underway by the local Paris police headquarters in the area of boulevard Richard Lenoir. Law enforcement has warned the public to avoid the area.
(2020-09-25). Kashmiris develop plasma donor website to save lives. yenisafak.com Vidur Tickoo and Jaswinder Singh, who hail from the region's main city Srinagar, told Anadolu Agency they were touched by the way many people are seeking help from plasma donors through social media."It was really painful to see such 'haphazardness' where people were posting messages on social media and not getting much help in return while exposing their privacy as well," Tickoo said.In late July, he and Singh decided to develop a website in order to centralize all plasma donors and recipients in one place. It was designed to work on low-speed internet connections as well."We wanted to make it accessible to all,…
(2020-09-24). Zoom criticised for cancelling webinar with Palestinian activist Leila Khaled. middleeasteye.net 
Zoom criticised for cancelling webinar with Palestinian activist Leila Khaled | The event was also later blocked by YouTube and Facebook for featuring the activist and former hijacker | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 15: 02 | The online event was cancelled by Zoom, and later blocked by Facebook and YouTube (Screengrab/ AFP) | Zoom, a video conferencing platform, is facing a barrage of criticism online after cancellin…
(2020-09-24). Russian Embassy in US tells Washington to focus on fighting Covid-19, rather than bashing Russia's pioneering Sputnik V vaccine. rt.com 
The Russian Embassy in Washington issued a sharp rebuke of the US government on Thursday, telling them to "save American lives (and) fight Covid19 , not Russian Vaccines (being prepared to fight the killer pandemic)." | The comments were made in response to a US Department of State press briefing which had seemed to cast doubt over the effectiveness of coronavirus formulas developed in Russia. | The official Twitter account for the Russian Embassy in the USA warned the government not to "try to downplay President Putin's constructive proposal to hold an online top-level conference shortly for countries interes…
(2020-09-24). 'You'll have to drag me off, man': British police kick passenger off train after forcing him to wear face mask (VIDEO). rt.com 
A London Overground passenger was removed from the train after arguing with transport police officers over a face mask. While the passenger agreed to put it on, he decided to badmouth the officers, who made him walk. | Footage of the altercation, believed to have been filmed on Wednesday, emerged on social media and promptly went viral. It shows a young man arguing with a British Transport Police (BTP) officer, who repeatedly asks him to put on a face mask. | "You'll have to drag me off, man," the passenger can be heard saying as he refused to put the mask on. | The rebellious passenger was backed up by a g…
(2020-09-24). 'Bleak' and 'depressing': Supposedly feel-good story about 89-year-old pizza delivery man getting $12k tip backfires. rt.com 
A supposedly 'feel-good' story about an 89-year-old pizza delivery man receiving a huge tip to help pay his monthly bills backfired, with social media users more angered that the octogenarian had to work into old age to survive. | Derlin Newey from Utah's Weber County works 30 hours a week delivering pizzas for Papa John's because he can't afford his monthly bills on social security alone. The man's story gained attention after Carlos Valdez, a TikToker who got to know him through his deliveries, raised $12 thousand from his followers, gave the money to Newey as a tip, and filmed the whole thing. | "How do I e…
(2020-09-24). Advocates Demand Facebook #StopCensoringPalestine After Platform Blocks Livestream Featuring Palestinian Rights Defenders. commondreams.org "When it comes to speech advocating for Palestinians. Facebook swiftly censors and removes content, often with no explanation." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook-censorship_petition.jpg …
(2020-09-24). Thousands Call on Facebook to Stop Censoring Palestine. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-09-24). Saturday 9/26: Climate Strike: #BayAreaShoeStrike Climate Emergency Protest Online & In-person North Bay. indybay.org In-person: Novato City Hall, 901 Sherman Ave, Novato, CA 94945 | Online via social media & YouTube…
(2020-09-24). Courts head apologises after Black barrister mistaken for defendant three times in a day. thecanary.co The acting head of the UK's court service has apologised after a Black barrister was mistaken for a defendant three times in one day. | Alexandra Wilson, a criminal and family barrister and author of In Black And White, tweeted that she was "absolutely exhausted" after staff at the court repeatedly failed to recognise she worked in the legal profession. | Her tweets quickly went viral, drawing accusations of racism within the UK's court system. | Kevin Sadler, the acting chief executive of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service apologised to Wilson and said it was "totally unacceptable behaviour" and he would…
(2020-09-24). Hong Kong activist 'arrested over 2019 protest'. yenisafak.com Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested for attending an "unlawful assembly" last year, a statement on his Twitter account said on Thursday."Joshua [Wong] is arrested when reporting to Central Police Station at about 1pm today [0500GMT]," it said. "The arrest is related to participating in an unauthorized assembly on 5 Oct. last year. He is told to have violated the draconian anti-mask law as well."The 23-year-old was at the forefront of anti-government protests last year demanding the withdrawal of a controversial bill that would have allowed extradition of alleged criminals to m…
(2020-09-24). Fatah: Intra-Palestinian talks in Turkey 'fruitful'. yenisafak.com A top member of Palestinian Fatah on Thursday said that ongoing talks in Turkey with its longtime rival Hamas are "positive, fruitful, and productive." | "The dialogue is an important step towards reconciliation and partnership, and unifying the Palestinian stance in the light of the consensus on rejecting all the liquidation projects against the Palestinian cause." Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, wrote on Twitter. | Separately, Munir al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's information office, told Anadolu Agency that a senior Fatah delegation will head to the Qatari capital Doha and then to Cairo…
(2020-09-24). Ukraine says Lukashenko not 'legitimate' Belarus leader. yenisafak.com Ukraine does not consider Alexander Lukashenko the legitimate president of Belarus, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulebahours announced Thursday, a day after the veteran leader was sworn in for a sixth term."Today's "inauguration" of Lukashenko does not mean his recognition as a legitimate head of Belarusian state," he wrote on Twitter. "Ukraine has never interfered in internal affairs of Belarus and will always support the Belarusian people."Protests broke out after Lukashenko, who has served as president since 1994, was declared the winner of Aug. 9 polls. Opposition candidates, however, accused the administration of…
(2020-09-24). Facebook's Discrimination Against the LGBT Community. aclu.org My wife and I have made music together for the past 8 years, in an independent band named Unsung Lilly. We are passionate about creating epic, empowering pop music., , As a same-sex couple, we have been heartened recently by the improved representation of LGBTQ people on television, and we are grateful that most people we meet are accepting of our relationship. It's enough to make you think that maybe society has fully accepted that 'love is love.', Unfortunately, our recent experience with Facebook suggests otherwise. When Facebook's platform refused to allow us to fully express ourselves as both artists and…
(2020-09-23). Facebook Suspends Accounts Associated with Event Targeting Coastal GasLink Pipeline. zcomm.org Hundreds of individual accounts linked to Indigenous, environmental, and social justice organizations were suspended from Facebook because they were co-hosts of an online Facebook event targeting the Coastal GasLink pipeline majority funder.
(2020-09-23). Saudi dissidents launch new party calling for democracy in kingdom. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi dissidents launch new party calling for democracy in kingdom | New group calls for independent judiciary, elected parliament and equality under law | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 23: 01 | NAAS aims to 'establish a path to democracy as a governing system' in Saudi Arabia (Twitter) | Exiled Saudi activists have formed a political party calling for democracy and respect for human rights in the kingdom, a move that bri…
(2020-09-23). Workers World Party demands "Stop Censoring Palestinian Resistance!" workers.org 
Sept. 23 — Today, three media platforms, Facebook, Zoom and YouTube, collaborated to censor a Palestinian program featuring Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled and U.S. political prisoners. Workers World Party condemns this censorship and expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and freedom. The WWP Facebook . . . |
(2020-09-23). 'They'll come knocking at your door': NRA says a Biden victory would deprive Americans of 'your AR-15,' sends Twitter into frenzy. rt.com 
Many on Twitter are up in arms over gun control once again, thanks to an NRA post warning Americans that their semi-automatic rifles would be taken away should Joe Biden win the upcoming US presidential vote. | The National Rifle Association has apparently sought to remind Americans about the Democratic Party presidential candidate's stated plans to crack down on gun ownership. However, it appears instead to have reignited the interminable controversy over the future of gun control instead. | "If Joe Biden wins — Mike Bloomberg wins — and Beto O'Rourke will be knocking on your door for your AR-15," t…
(2020-09-23). Florida to offer vanity license plates that 'stand with Israel'. middleeasteye.net 
Florida to offer vanity license plates that 'stand with Israel' | Few US officials at state level have such close ties to Israel as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has taken series of controversial steps in support of country | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 15: 52 | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during delegation trip to Israel in 2019 (Twitter) | Florida will become t…
(2020-09-23). Trump tweets another t*rd. nationofchange.org Can you see where we're headed? Down a slippery slope to where true liberty dies.
(2020-09-23). Facebook plans political censorship in anticipation of "chaos" and "violence" in the 2020 US elections. wsws.org Facebook is working with "world-class military scenario planners" to prepare for civil unrest in the US and "restrict the circulation of content" during the November elections.
(2020-09-23). Twitter Derides Fox News For Labeling Pence Plane Incident 'Bird Attack'. sputniknews.com Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that Air Force Two with US Vice President Mike Pence on board had to return to the Manchester airport in New Hampshire, due to a possible "bird strike". Fox News, however, initially reported the story in a different way.
(2020-09-23). Facebook Prepared to 'Restrict' Content Circulation if US Election Descends Into Online Chaos. sputniknews.com Facebook will take an array of measures to "restrict the circulation of content" if the November 3 US presidential election devolves into chaos and unrest, according to a Tuesday report by the Financial Times.
(2020-09-22). Facebook Suspends Hundreds of Accounts Over Online Event Targeting Coastal GasLink Pipeline. indybay.org Hundreds of individual accounts linked to Indigenous, environmental, and social justice organizations were suspended from Facebook because they were co-hosts of an online Facebook event targeting the Coastal GasLink pipeline majority funder.
(2020-09-22). Illinois: Striking health workers say: 'We want R-E-S-P-E-C-T and a contract!'. workers.org 
Solidarity was on display when striking nurses and service workers rallied together outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Sept. 18 to demand Gov. J.B. Pritzker support them in contract talks with the University of Illinois-Chicago and UI Hospital, Health and Sciences System. Labor union and community supporters turned out . . . |
(2020-09-22). Somebody should do something? Senator Dianne Feinstein roasted for tweeting hot air on SCOTUS crisis. rt.com 
Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein's tweet lamenting the "double standard" of the ongoing Supreme Court conundrum has gone viral, but not in a flattering way — many said it's supposed to be the politician's job to deal with it. | Feinstein tweeted on Tuesday that it would be "dangerous" if Republicans got to appoint a justice to the court during an election year, despite having refused to do so in 2016 under Barack Obama. The longtime California Senator added that such a precedent "can't be allowed to stand." | When Merrick Garland was nominated in 2016 to fill Justice Scalia's seat, we were 237 days aw…
(2020-09-22). Large blast hits suspected Hezbollah site in south Lebanon. middleeasteye.net 
Large blast hits suspected Hezbollah site in south Lebanon | A number of people were injured in the blast in Ain Qana, local residents told Lebanese media | Tue, 09/22/2020 – 13: 49 | Screengrab shows smoke rising from village in south Lebanon (Twitter) | A large explosion rocked a village in south Lebanon on Tuesday, with local media reporting that it had occured in a house belonging to Hezbollah. | A securit…
(2020-09-22). Zarif tweets a verse on World Peace Day. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 22 (MNA) — On the occasion of World Peace Day, Iranian FM posted a of a poem by Rumi on twitter.