(2020-10-18). Iran's Zarif, Afghanistan's Abdullah hold meeting in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced in a tweet that Foreign Minister Zarif has begun talks with Head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah.
(2020-10-17). 'We are in a truly Orwellian culture': Amazon yanks Covid-19 skeptic's book for ominously vague 'content violations'. rt.com 
Amazon has joined its Big Tech fellows in ramping up censorship of any criticism of the "official" Covid-19 narrative, deploying obfuscatory excuses to justify removing journalist James Perloff's latest book, he told RT. | After selling a respectable 3,500 copies over the last two months, Perloff's book on the coronavirus pandemic and its weaponization by world governments, 'Covid-19 and the Agendas to Come: Red-Pilled,' was suddenly "banned" by Amazon.com, the writer revealed on Twitter on Thursday. | BAD NEWS. After selling over 3,500 copies for Amazon since publication on August 20, Amazon has banned my boo…
(2020-10-17). VIDEO: Gaza fires rocket to Zionist town. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The Palestinian Information Center (PIC), on Twitter, released footage illustrating the moment when a rocket was fired from Gaza to the adjacent Zionists town.
(2020-10-17). Bangkok shuts down transport systems as pro-democracy protests continue. thecanary.co 
Authorities in Bangkok have shut down mass transit systems and set up roadblocks as Thailand's capital braced for a fourth straight day of determined anti-government protests. The pro-democracy protesters have been doing their best to elude the authorities, using social media to assemble followers before police have time to block them.The government has announced plans to take legal action against Twitter and Facebook accounts announcing the protests. But fresh calls to action were still posted on 17 October.Pro-democracy protesters flash three-fingers salute against shutting down mass transport system at Ashok B…
(2020-10-17). 'Garbage company': Mother Jones chief lashes out at Facebook for throttling traffic to left-leaning news site. rt.com 
Facebook's tinkering with its news feed has cost Mother Jones up to $600,000 a year in lost revenue, its editor-in-chief has alleged, calling the social network a "garbage company" and a "toxic cesspool" damaging the US. | Clara Jeffery said she was "enraged" after reading a Wall Street Journal 1/ I am enraged. Excellent reporting from WSJ's <...
(2020-10-17). Beheaded French teacher was DOXXED online, while mosque shared parent's complaint over 'naked man' caricature of Prophet Mohammed. rt.com 
French teacher Samuel Paty, who was brutally murdered near Paris on Friday, had his private details exposed on social media last week, after a parent complained he'd shown "naked man" cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class. | The original complaint was reportedly lodged by the father of a 13-year-old girl who studied at the school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, where Paty taught history and geography. He said in a Facebook video that the teacher had, at some time earlier this month, shown the class a caricature of a "naked man," stating it was the "Muslim prophet." | Before displaying the offensive imagery &#…
(2020-10-17). Twitter and Facebook censor New York Post report on Hunter Biden. wsws.org The social media platforms Twitter and Facebook blocked and suppressed the sharing of links to a news article from the New York Post on Wednesday in a blatant act of online censorship.
(2020-10-17). Alberto Fernandez Rejects Argentinean Lawmaker's Arrest in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez Friday denounced the arrest of Lawmaker Federico Fagioli by police agents upon his arrival in Bolivia to observe and guarantee the transparency of next Sunday's presidential elections. | RELATED: | Through a message on Twitter, the head of state held the coup-born regime's leader Jeanine Añez responsible for the integrity of his country's delegation of lawmakers who arrived in Bolivia to observe the Octobe…
(2020-10-17). Argentinean Lawmaker Released After Being Arrested in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net Lawmaker Federico Fagioli, who is part of the Argentine delegation to observe the presidential elections in Bolivia, was released this Saturday hours after being detained upon his arrival at the airport in El Alto. | RELATED: | Fagioli, is safe at the Argentine embassy in La Paz after being mistreated by Bolivian police. | Political actors denounced on social media the arrest of Fagioli and the mistreatment…
(2020-10-17). Washington Post Suffers from Which Way Is Up Problem: Repealing Section 230 is DEREGULATING Facebook. cepr.net A common problem in policy circles is that government protections that redistribute income upward are defined as part of the market, and getting rid of them or weakening them is described as government intervention. This issue comes up most frequently with government-granted patent monopolies with prescription drugs. Any measure to lower prices by weakening patent …
(2020-10-17). Joe Biden Rants About 'Smear Campaign' and Insults CBS Reporter Who Asks About NY Post Story. sputniknews.com Twitter and Facebook have both moved to suppress New York Post reports that the former vice president lied about never talking to his son Hunter about his business dealings in Ukraine, where Biden had the prosecutor general fired.
(2020-10-16). Imagine If MSM Consistently Applied the Evidentiary Standards It's Applying to Hunter Biden's Emails. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | published by The New York Post which purports to show "smoking gun" emails from the laptop of Hunter Biden, son of Democratic nominee Joe Biden. | Both Twitter and Facebook have censored the story on their platforms, the first time we've seen the powerful social media giants deplatform a mainstream news media article, both citing concerns about the origins of the emails and an uncertainty about the veracity of the claims. | "Facebook was limiting distribution of the story while its outside fact-checkers reviewed the story's claims, spokesman Andy Stone said," (2020-10-16). On the British State-Funded BBC's Pending Smear. thealtworld.com 
The British state-funded BBC, which has a history of perverted war propaganda against the people of Syria, a history of whitewashing the crimes of terrorists in Syria, a history of flat out lying about events in Syria, has decided to launch another smear against myself, Vanessa Beeley, researchers of the Working Group on Syria, a former ambassador to Syria, and others. | This is not just another character assassination, though, this is a serious threat against journalists and those speaking truth against establishment narratives. Thanks to those who have tweeted or spoken about this revolting attack. | On Twitter…
(2020-10-16). Possible Recurrence Of OAS Electoral Fraud In Bolivia. popularresistance.org Washington, DC — Bolivia's general elections on Sunday, October 18, could again be threatened by the involvement of the Organization of American States (OAS), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot warns. On September 30, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro met with the de facto interior minister of Bolivia, Arturo Murillo, at the OAS's Washington, DC headquarters. Following the meeting, Almagro Tweeted that Murillo had "conveyed his concern about the possibility of a new fraud" in Bolivia's October 18 elections.
(2020-10-16). Arabic press review: What is Arab media saying about the Clinton emails? middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: What is Arab media saying about the Clinton emails? | The Clinton emails scandal has resurfaced thanks to Trump's presidential campaign – and Arab news and social media are abuzz | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 13: 54 | Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes questions after delivering a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on 19 November 2015 in New York City (AFP) | The…
(2020-10-16). Twitter rolls out 'DISPUTED' warnings for users trying to post 'misleading' content after backlash over Biden emails censorship. rt.com 
Twitter is cracking down on the spread of "misleading" content ahead of the US election, as users attempting to retweet anything similar to the NYPost's Hunter Biden leaks will now get a warning the material is "disputed." | Attempting to retweet offending content will trigger a prompt warning the user that the material they're trying to post is "disputed," Twitter revealed on Friday, posting an image of the new warning screen. | The user will be able to click a button to "find out more" about why Twitter doesn't want the material shared, and then presumably post it anyway. | Our work to limit the spread of mi…
(2020-10-16). Too little too late? Twitter announces 'hacked materials' policy update after Biden expose censorship fiasco. rt.com 
Twitter has issued a mea culpa after using its "hacked materials" policy to bury a controversial story alleging shady backroom dealings by the Biden family, with the platform vowing to alter its rules and how it enforces them. | "Over the last 24 hours, we've received significant feedback (from critical to supportive) about how we enforced our Hacked Materials Policy yesterday," Twitter policy head Vijaya Gadde said in a tweet on Thursday night, adding that the company would change how it applies the rule and lift its blockade on the Biden story, published on Wednesday by the New York Post. | We believe that l…
(2020-10-16). 'Most brazen media suppression in US history': Republicans go after Twitter over censorship of NYPost's Biden bombshell. rt.com 
Suppressing several stories critical of Democrat candidate Joe Biden amounted to election interference and an illegal political contribution, the Republican National Committee said in a complaint to the election watchdog FEC. | The party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, accusing Twitter of illegally interfering with the 2020 US presidential election through its muscular censorship of a handful of articles that appeared to expose Biden's son Hunter's dodgy business dealings with Ukrainian and Chinese entities. | Twitter's unprecedented blackout, which blocked all sharing of link…
(2020-10-16). 'No need to quarantine': Biden says he was wearing mask, '50+ feet away' from crew member who had Covid-19 on board campaign plane. rt.com 
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden said he will not quarantine after being on board the same airplane as a crew member who tested positive for the coronavirus, saying he was far away and wearing a N-95 mask. | "My COVID test from last night came back negative," Biden tweeted on Thursday evening, just before the platform unexpectedly crashed. | "Not only was the individual 50+ feet [15 meters] away and wearing a mask, but I was wearing an N-95 mask," he added. "My doctors have advised that there is no need for me to quarantine." | Not only was the individual 50+ feet away and wearing a mask, but I was w…
(2020-10-16). Mexico's ex-defense minister faces five drug trafficking charges in US. rt.com 
Former Mexican Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, who has been arrested in Los Angeles, is now facing five charges in the US related to drug trafficking, Mexico's foreign minister has said. | The arrested general is expected to be transferred to New York shortly, a senior diplomat, Marcelo Ebrard, said on Twitter, citing the country's consulate in Los Angeles. | Cienfuegos, who was in office from 2012 to 2018, was arrested late on Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport on a Drug Enforcement Administration warrant. | The high-profile arrest was praised by President Andrés Manuel Lop&eacu…
(2020-10-16). Blairite Labour advisor's appointment allegedly lasts less than 24 hours after Iraq apologist tweets found. thecanary.co 
On 14 October, it was reported that Labour leader Keir Starmer had appointed hardcore Blairite Nita Clarke to fix Labour's internal culture. However, the appointment allegedly lasted just hours after apologist tweets about the Iraq War were discovered from 2020 | The appointment of Clarke, "a former aide to Tony Blair" and vocal opponent of Jeremy Corbyn, was announced on 14 October 2020. | Journalist Gabriel Pogrund reported that her role was set to be improving internal party culture and that Clarke had vocally opposed Labour during the Corbyn period. | Labour has appointed a former aide to Tony Blair, Nita Cla…
(2020-10-16). San Diego educators force delay in school reopenings as COVID-19 spreads in the region. wsws.org The delay to school reopenings stems directly from the actions of rank-and-file educators and parents, who have organized car caravan protests and have been increasingly outspoken on social media.
(2020-10-16). COVID-19: 'Little or no' benefit from trials of anti-virals, says WHO. news.un.org Latest results from a UN-coordinated international trial on four COVID-19 therapeutic drugs, indicate that they have "little or no" positive impact on preventing deaths in patients infected with the new coronavirus.
(2020-10-16). Comparative efficacy, tolerability and safety of dolutegravir and efavirenz 400mg among antiretroviral therapies for first-line HIV treatment: A systematic literature review and network meta-analysis. thelancet.com The evidence supports choosing dolutegravir in combination with lamivudine/emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as the preferred first-line regimen and low-dose efavirenz-based regimens as an alternative. Dolutegravir can be considered to be effective, safe and tolerable.
(2020-10-16). Why You Won't Find Us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. strategic-culture.org Dear readers of the Strategic Culture Foundation website, | In September 2020, the Strategic Culture Foundation was banned from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube following unsubstantiated claims that it was connected with Russian intelligence services and interfered in the US presidential elections on their orders. It means that you can't find us on these platforms and, moreover, if you try to post any links leading to SCF on your personal page, you will most likely not be allowed to do that. This case provides a glimpse into the dystopian future of suppressing dissident voices by governments previously known as dem…
(2020-10-16). FCC Announcement to Regulate Speech on Social Media Facilitates Election Disinformation and Undermines Democracy. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-16). Koch-Funded Legal Group Pushes to Allow Mass Evictions During Pandemic. commondreams.org A major force behind this change is a legal nonprofit that is heavily funded by the foundation of billionaire industrialist and Republican megadonor Charles Koch. (Photo: @lizaveta9 on Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-10-16_at_11.15.24_am.png …
(2020-10-16). FCC Chairman Moves to Regulate Internet Sites and Social Media That Refuse to Amplify Trump Propaganda and Lies. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-15). Outcry over death of Egyptian woman harassed and run over by group of men. middleeasteye.net 
Outcry over death of Egyptian woman harassed and run over by group of men | Mariam Mohamed was walking in Cairo's Maadi district when she was killed as she tried to get away from harassers | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 13: 07 | Mariam Mohamed was walking home when she was harassed and killed by a group of men (Screengrab/Twitter) | The killing of a woman in the Maadi neighbourhood of Cairo has sparked condemnation…
(2020-10-15). Jordan: Kidnapped boy found with amputated hands, sparking outrage. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan: Kidnapped boy found with amputated hands, sparking outrage | The graphic video of the attack has prompted calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 15: 31 | Images of the 16-year-old boy have circulated online, with hundreds of people calling for justice (screengrab/Twitter) | The kidnapping and severe injuries inflicted on a 16-year-old boy in Jordan have sparked shoc…
(2020-10-15). Gulf states using coronavirus pandemic to crackdown on dissent: Amnesty. middleeasteye.net 
Gulf states using coronavirus pandemic to crackdown on dissent: Amnesty | Rights group accuses Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman of suppressing expression on social media | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 22: 08 | Amnesty says social media restrictions imposed by Gulf states not necessary to protect public health (AFP/File photo) | Gulf states are using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to crack down on free s…
(2020-10-15). 'International solidarity': German technicians refuse to work on Belarusian President Lukashenko's plane at Hamburg airport. rt.com 
Technical workers, attached to Lufthansa, at Germany's Hamburg Airport have declined to service the state plane of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, accusing him of "giving the order to shoot at demonstrators in Belarus." | In a Facebook post on the page of the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft workers union, a statement explained that technicians for Lufthansa Technik would not service the presidential Boeing 737 as an act of "international solidarity" and "standing side-by-side with Belarusian workers." In addition, the union demanded Lukashenko's resignation, and called for democratic elections…
(2020-10-15). Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey blames 'poor communication' in Biden story takedown, downplaying Big Tech 'censorship' scandal. rt.com 
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has blamed "bad communication" and a "lack of context" in response to public outcry over his platform's censorship of a New York Post story on alleged backroom dealings of the Biden family. | "Our communication around our actions on the [New York Post] article was not great. And blocking URL sharing via tweet or DM with zero context as to why we're blocking: unacceptable," Dorsey tweeted on Wednesday, hours after Twitter began blacklisting the
(2020-10-15). Twitter CENSORS THE GOVERNMENT, briefly blocking link to GOP page on CONGRESS website with copy of NYPost's Hunter Biden story. rt.com After downplaying the censorship of links to a New York Post exposé on the Biden family's alleged murky business dealings, Twitter is still blocking links to the "unsafe" story, even ones posted by US lawmakers. | When the New York Post published a tranche of emails on Wednesday claiming to reveal Hunter and Joe Biden's alleged backroom dealings in Ukraine, the story spread like wildfire. That is, until Twitter and Facebook began preventing users from sharing links to the incriminating article. As Republicans and conservatives decried the apparent "censorship," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stepped in to clear the a…
(2020-10-15). YouTube bans 'conspiracy theories used to justify real-world violence,' including QAnon content, amid Big Tech crackdown. rt.com 
With every major Silicon Valley tech company expanding its censorship efforts ahead of the presidential election, YouTube is the latest to filter out 'harmful' information, including 'QAnon' and 'Pizzagate' content. | YouTube
(2020-10-15). EU Commission chief von der Leyen leaves Brussels summit for 2nd Covid quarantine in a month. rt.com 
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left the EU summit in Brussels suddenly on Thursday, after it transpired a member of her office had tested positive for the virus. | The Commission chief left the summit less than an hour after it began, saying she was going into quarantine, in line with coronavirus health rules. | "I have just been informed that a member of my front office has tested positive to Covid-19 this morning. I, myself, have tested negative," she tweeted. "However, as a precaution, I am immediately leaving the European Council to go into self-isolation." | This is the se…
(2020-10-15). Wild deer attacks selfie-seeking woman in London park after she got too close in bid for perfect picture. rt.com 
Pursuing a perfect photo led one young woman to be attacked by a deer in London's Richmond Park as she foolishly tried to get close enough to the wild animal to snap a selfie during rutting season. | The moment the woman paid for her senselessness was caught on camera as the deer gave her a firm kick in the back with its forelegs. Royal Parks Police took to Twitter to rebuke the woman for her ill-advised photoshoot, warning that deer are not like the Disney character Bambi and can cause harm. | "This picture, taken on October 11 in Richmond Park, demonstrates why you need to stay 50m away. They are wild animal…
(2020-10-15). Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort). thelancet.com In a real-clinical setting, inhibition of the calcineurin inflammatory pathway, NF-κΒ, could reduce the hyperinflammatory phase in COVID-19. Our findings might entail relevant implications for the therapy of this disease and could boost the design of new clinical trials among subjects affected by severe COVID-19.
(2020-10-15). Will Twitter and Facebook Shut Down Our Ukraine Reporting? sputniknews.com On today's episode Lee Stranahan covers: C-SPAN editor Steve Scully lied about getting his Twitter account hacked, President Trump & Joe Biden are having town halls, Senate is subpoenaing Jack Dorsey for censoring New York Post article on Ukraine & Hunter Biden, and a Kamala Harris staffer has tested positive for Covid-19.
(2020-10-15). 'Big Impact on Discourse': Twitter Polices Black Americans' Politics in Botnet Takedown – Journo. sputniknews.com Twitter recently took down several dozen accounts it says were impersonating Black supporters of US President Donald Trump and hinted they might have been foreign-controlled. Two journalists told Sputnik the story's prominence owes mostly to Democratic insecurity about Black voters looking outside their party for political solutions.
(2020-10-15). White House Advisers Privately Gave Sober COVID Warnings as Trump Misled Public. truthout.org More evidence has emerged showing that the Trump administration provided a profoundly different outlook to the public about the possible effects of the coronavirus pandemic than it did behind closed doors in the weeks leading up to. | On February 24, Trump wrote on his Twitter account that Americans shouldn't be worried. | "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,"
(2020-10-15). Progressives Warn Against Accepting—Let Alone Applauding—Twitter Ban of "Garbage" NY Post Story. commondreams.org "Look carefully at what Twitter is saying to justify censoring the Biden story. If applied consistently, it'd mean that some of history's most consequential journalism—the Pentagon Papers, WikiLeaks' war logs, Snowden docs, Panama Papers, our Brazil Archive—would be banned." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/twitter_banning_ny_post.jpg …
(2020-10-14). WATCH: Sunrise Movement Makes 'Most Explicit Pitch to Fossil Fuel Workers' Yet With Ad for US House Candidate Mike Siegel. commondreams.org Following its viral video promoting Sen. Ed Markey's Democratic primary campaign, the Sunrise Movement released an ad in support of another vocal Green New Deal champion—Mike Siegel, who is running to oust Republican Rep. Michael McCaul in Texas' 10th congressional district. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/siegel_yt_thumbnail.png …
(2020-10-14). Twitter BLOCKS sharing links to NYPost's Hunter Biden emails story, invoking 'HACKED MATERIALS' policy for first time ever. rt.com 
Twitter has one-upped Facebook's censorship regarding a story based on alleged emails from Democratic candidate Joe Biden's son Hunter about his Ukraine dealings, blocking all users from sharing it via tweet or direct message. | Twitter users were blocked on Wednesday from sharing the
(2020-10-14). Skills For Revolutionary Survival: Communications. popularresistance.org Face the facts. We are tied to our devices in ways that are incredibly useful for organizing, but that also expose us to isolation should the state and companies take away these technologies. Cell phones and the internet rely on corporate infrastructure and is subject to both government surveillance and service denial. What do we do when social media bans anti-capitalists and anti-colonialists? What do we do when our cell phones fully become monitoring devices we willingly keep by our side, all to the benefit of state intelligence services?
(2020-10-14). Outrage Ensues After Facebook, Twitter Block Sharing of New York Post's Hunter Biden Story. sputniknews.com After the New York Post dropped a bombshell story about Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden's son Hunter's Ukrainian business dealings on Wednesday, social media giants Facebook and Twitter rushed to limit its spread, prompting accusations of censorship and in-kind aid to Joe Biden.