U.S. Embassy caught scrubbing Tweets urging Venezuelans not to vote
Alan MacLeod | mronline.org | 2020-12-16
It is not clear why the embassy decided to go back and delete its posting history, especially as undermining Venezuela's elections continues to be the official line of the U.S. government.
mronline.org/2020/12/16/u-s-embassy-caught-scrubbing-tweets-urging-venezuelans-not-to-vote/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=u-s-embassy-caught-scrubbing-tweets-urging-venezuelans-not-to-vote

Facebook pleads concern for small businesses in attack ads against Apple privacy move which limits user data tracking
rt.com | 2020-12-16
Facebook has slammed Apple, via adverts placed in mainstream US newspapers, over an operating system update that makes it harder for social media companies to harvest data from users in order to hit them with personalized ads. | In full-page adverts carried by the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Facebook claims that new privacy updates for Apple's iOS 14 operating system, which came out on Monday, will be bad for small firms. | The social media giant vows that it is "standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere," as it attacks changes to the Apple operating system…
rt.com/news/509875-facebook-apple-advert-data-privacy/

Dissident former Saudi jockey alleges poison threat and attempt to 'lure' her home
Rayhan Uddin | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-16
Dissident former Saudi jockey alleges poison threat and attempt to 'lure' her home | Alya Al-Howeiti, once a celebrated sports star in the kingdom, reveals backlash and death threats since speaking out against Riyadh's policies | Rayhan Uddin | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 14: 22 | Alya al-Howeiti was a celebrated Saudi jockey, before becoming a London-based human rights activist (Screengrab/Twitter) | A Saudi dissident and fo…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-jockey-poison-threat-lured-back-home

Turkey: YouTube to appoint local representative after government pressure
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-16
Turkey: YouTube to appoint local representative after government pressure | Critics have warned that the new internet law, which requires such a role, will increase censorship and help silence dissent | MEE and agencies | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 13: 38 | 'We remain committed to our Turkish users, creators and business partners, and will continue to preserve the platform's vibrance and openness,' YouTube said in a…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-youtube-local-representative-social-media-law

Ecuador: Popular Progressive Alliance Wins Election Certification
Harvey Goldberg | indybay.org | 2020-12-16
"#ThePresidentialTicketOfHope will be on the ballot on #7thFebruary. Thanks to everyone who was vigilant and mobilized! Thanks for international solidarity! The Ecuadorian people have enforced their right to choose in democracy," tweeted Andrés Arauz, candidate for President for UNES in response to his ticket being given firm certification by the election authorities. | Photo credit: Wikipedia…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/15/18838947.php

The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-15
John Pilger describes the invisible weapon of past and current wars, and the threat of nuclear war, under cover of the Covid pandemic. This is propaganda, aided by censorship by omission. | Watch Pilger's 2010 film The War You Don't See…
globalresearch.ca/most-lethal-virus-not-covid-war/5732310

US labels Bahraini group Saraya al-Mukhtar terrorist, accuses Tehran of backing its plots against American soldiers
rt.com | 2020-12-15
The US government has designated a Bahraini group as a terrorist organization, accusing it of being backed by Iran, plotting attacks against Americans soldiers in the kingdom, and offering cash for the assassination of officials. | "Saraya al-Mukhtar is an Iran-backed terrorist organization based in Bahrain, reportedly receiving financial and logistic support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed in a statement on Tuesday. | He added in a tweet that the move, which freezes any US assets of the group, sends a strong message to Iran that the US would not allow…
rt.com/news/509773-us-bahrain-group-terrorists-iran/

Facebook's latest troll-hunt in Africa leads them to point to FRANCE — first NATO country to get the honor
rt.com | 2020-12-15
On the latest hunt for 'trolls' in Africa and the Middle East, in addition to the usual 'Russians' Facebook for the first time banned a network of French accounts fighting for influence in former colonies. | On Tuesday, Facebook announced the ban on 84 Facebook accounts, 6 pages, 9 groups and 14 Instagram accounts, citing policy against "coordinated inauthentic behavior." Their activity originated in France and targeted mainly the Central African Republic and Mali, but also Niger,…
rt.com/news/509785-facebook-french-trolls-russia-africa/

End of an Era: Periscope Will Shut Down in March 2021
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-15
Live streaming video app Periscope was created in 2015 and acquired by Twitter shortly before its launch in March of the same year. Only four months after the launch, the app had over 10 million accounts registered.
sputniknews.com/viral/202012151081472980-end-of-an-era-periscope-will-shut-down-in-march-2021/

Iraqi activist shot dead in Baghdad
Alex MacDonald | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-15
Iraqi activist shot dead in Baghdad | Local media reports that Salah al-Iraqi was shot five times in suburb of Baghdad al-Jadeed | Alex MacDonald | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 17: 02 | A social media picture of Salah al-Iraqi (Facebook) | A well-known Iraqi activist was shot dead in Baghdad on Tuesday evening, the latest in a long line of assassinations in the country. | According to local media, Salah al-Iraqi was shot f…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-activist-shot-dead-baghdad

Lebanon sentences activist for allegedly collaborating with Israel
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-15
Lebanon sentences activist for allegedly collaborating with Israel | Family and activists have denounced Kinda al-Khatib's case as political because of her stance against parties in power | MEE and agencies | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 10: 23 | Prior to her arrest, Khatib had criticised Hezbollah on social media (Twitter) | Lebanon's military prosecution has sentenced prominent activist Kinda al-Khatib to three years…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/lebanon-israel-activist-jailed-collaborating

Greta Thunberg: 5 Years After Paris Agreement, World Is "Speeding in the Wrong Direction" on Climate
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-14
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement, issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal. "The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction," Thunberg said in a video message posted on social media.
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/14/greta_thunberg_paris_agreement_5th_anniversary

John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14