Monthly Archives: October 2020

2020-10-30: News Headlines

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-10-30). Arabic press review: Egyptian photojournalist disappears after interrogation. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egyptian photojournalist disappears after interrogation | Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign minister is criticised over normalisation with Israel, and a French MP demands action be taken against UAE as a 'tax haven' | Fri, 10/30/2020 – 14: 37 | Egyptian photojournalist Mohamed al-Rai has reportedly gone missing since Wednesday (Twitter) | Egypt: Detained photojournalist missing…

Nadda Osman (2020-10-30). Saudi G20 banknote angers India by depicting independent Kashmir. middleeasteye.net Saudi G20 banknote angers India by depicting independent Kashmir | New note, which celebrates G20 summit, has been criticised by New Delhi and reignited conversations about administration of territory | Fri, 10/30/2020 – 16: 25 | Banknote has caused controversy online (Screengrab/Social media) | A new 20 riyal note issued by Saudi Arabia to commemorate the kingdom's presidency of the G20 has sparked cont…

Joe Glenton (2020-10-30). Public sceptical about housing minister Robert Jenrick's homelessness claims. thecanary.co Millionaire minister Robert Jenrick says the Tories are on a "moral mission" to end homelessness, and have worked wonders during the pandemic. The public is sceptical. | The Cambridge-educated housing minister, who, In a video released on Twitter, he praised the "national effort to support rough sleepers" during the pandemic, and that the government wanted "to end rough sleeping by the end of…

Jonathan Cook (2020-10-30). Social Media's Erasure of Palestinians is a Grim Warning for our Future. dissidentvoice.org There is a growing unease that the decisions taken by social media corporations can have a harmful impact on our lives. These platforms, despite enjoying an effective monopoly over the virtual public square, have long avoided serious scrutiny or accountability. In a new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, former Silicon Valley executives warn of a …

Jon Cohen (2020-10-30). The 'Very, Very Bad Look' of Remdesivir, the First FDA-approved COVID-19 Drug. globalresearch.ca October was a good month for Gilead Sciences, the giant manufacturer of antivirals headquartered in Foster City, California. On 8 October, the company inked an agreement to supply the European Union with its drug remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19—a …

MEE staff (2020-10-29). Twitter suspends Palestinian accounts shortly after Israeli ministry report on 'phony' profiles. middleeasteye.net Twitter suspends Palestinian accounts shortly after Israeli ministry report on 'phony' profiles | Social media giant says accounts were 'amplifying the dissemination of information' that violated its terms of service | Thu, 10/29/2020 – 12: 24 | Sada Social has been recording and monitoring the suspension of Palestinian content and accounts on Twitter and Facebook since September 2017 (AFP) | Twitter has suspe…

Staff (2020-10-29). Facebook Choked Traffic to Mother Jones & Other Sites While Amplifying Right-Wing Misinformation. democracynow.org Big Tech CEOs were grilled Wednesday about how they moderate election disinformation and extremist content, and were accused by Republicans of censoring conservatives. Overlooked were reports that Facebook designed changes to its news feed algorithm in 2017 to reduce the visibility of left-leaning news sites like Mother Jones. Mother Jones editors wrote in 2019 that the site had seen a sharp decline in its Facebook audience, which translated to a loss of around $600,000 over 18 months. "The fact that we are trying to do everything we can to get the truth out and Facebook is deliberately sabotaging our readership…

Gordon Duff (2020-10-29). Intel Drop with The Greenwald issue. thealtworld.com A few things to add… | The Greenwald issue, he has taken to twitter to establish himself as 'wronged' but those of us who carry the water for the journalistic world, those who point at Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Kosher Nostra (Trump's gang) as 9/11 perpetrators…who publish the hard evidence of nuclear attacks…don't appreciate those like Greenwald very much. | You can't say "Israeli did it" without crediting Giuliani. You can't say "Rudy" without saying "Donald." | Trump's silence on 9/11 has been deafening. | Is the great reset coming? You will know when Trump flees to Ukraine. | As for Greenwald, we woul…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-29). Senator's Report Finds Google and Facebook Have 'Hijacked' Local News and Undermined Journalism. commondreams.org "These trillion-dollar companies scrape local news content and data for their own sites and leverage their market dominance to force local news to accept little to no compensation for their intellectual property." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook_google.png

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2020-10-29). Jeremy Corbyn's shocking suspension is met with an outpouring of solidarity on social media. thecanary.co Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended, "in light of his comments" in response to an In his

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-10-28). Arabic press review: Hundreds of Kuwaiti companies face bankruptcy amid coronavirus. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Hundreds of Kuwaiti companies face bankruptcy amid coronavirus | Meanwhile, Moroccan politician says Macron waging war on Islam, Egypt jails activist over tweet and IMF warns of 'challenging' times for poorer nations | Wed, 10/28/2020 – 17: 09 | Kuwaiti man stops at a currency exchange shop in Kuwait City (AFP) | Kuwaiti companies threatened with bankruptcy: | Hundre…

Concord Author (2020-10-28). Concord D2 Residents Can Vote Out Caviar Carlyn. indybay.org In the lead up to the election during the economic and Covid crisises, Carlyn Obringer is promoting caviar on Twitter and Facebook. Caviar Carlyn is out of touch when it comes to the struggles that so many Concord residents are facing.

WSWS (2020-10-28). The New York Times attacks the First Amendment and embraces censorship of "disinformation" wsws.org An essay published in the October 18 edition of the New York Times Magazine argues that online "disinformation" has rendered First Amendment rights to free speech "inadequate," requiring government and social media censorship of "unfettered speech."

WSWS (2020-10-28). Faceboook moderators forced to return to offices as COVID-19 continues to spread. wsws.org As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, Facebook and its contractors are forcing content moderators to return to offices and risk their lives.

_____ (2020-10-28). The PS5, Social Media and Mass Censorship — What Can Be Done? strategic-culture.org Like an aging oil field the freedom that the Internet offered to the common man across the planet is drying up. "Deplatforming" has become a mainstream expression for describing the growing number of individuals and organizations who have lost their ability to use big social media because of their beliefs.

RT (2020-10-27). Schools & clubs closing in Bulgaria amid record Covid-19 surge as health minister warns of 'severe winter months'. rt.com Bulgaria will close its clubs and order high school and university students to study remotely for two weeks as of October 29 in a bid to curb rising coronavirus infection rates, the country's health minister said on Tuesday. | "We have to defuse Covid-19 spread…and if we continue to neglect the [preventative] measures, at some point it may be too late," Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said in a Facebook "We are facing severe winter months — we are entering the flu season and the risk that th…

Amr Emam (2020-10-27). Macron's anti-Islam remarks give rise to France boycott campaign in Egypt. middleeasteye.net Macron's anti-Islam remarks give rise to France boycott campaign in Egypt | Calls for boycotting French goods find support and opposition in Egypt, one of France's main strategic allies in the region | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 11: 44 | Workers at an Egyptian supermarket chain remove French products from shelves, 24 October 2020 (Facebook) | A major supermarket chain in Egypt has taken French goods off its shelves in res…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Yemen: Houthi minister of youth 'assassinated' in Sanaa. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Houthi minister of youth 'assassinated' in Sanaa | The Houthis denounce the attack as 'a criminal act' by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 10: 38 | Yemeni politician Hassan Mohamed Zaid, 66, was killed in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday (Twitter) | Yemen's Houthi movement announced on Tuesday that Hassan Zaid, its minister of youth and sports affairs, was g…

Ralph Nader (2020-10-27). Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted. commondreams.org With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/early.jpg

WSWS (2020-10-27). Facebook deploying teams with advanced censorship tools in advance of the US election. wsws.org Citing concerns over election-related "chaos" and "violence," Facebook is preparing—in collaboration with the US intelligence state—advanced software tools for implementing a censorship regime during November 3 and its aftermath.

2020-10-30: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Why I'm Voting Green in 2020
Virginia Rodino | globalresearch.ca | 2020-10-30
Author's note: Kevin and I worked on this article together right before his untimely passing on September 6. I met Kevin during Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign. Throughout the years since, I appreciated seeing his anti-imperialist and eco-socialist arguments strengthen …
globalresearch.ca/why-voting-green-2020/5728040

Arabic press review: Egyptian photojournalist disappears after interrogation
Mohammad Ayesh | middleeasteye.net | 2020-10-30
Arabic press review: Egyptian photojournalist disappears after interrogation | Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign minister is criticised over normalisation with Israel, and a French MP demands action be taken against UAE as a 'tax haven' | Mohammad Ayesh | Fri, 10/30/2020 – 14: 37 | Egyptian photojournalist Mohamed al-Rai has reportedly gone missing since Wednesday (Twitter) | Egypt: Detained photojournalist missing…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-egyptian-photojournalist-disappears-after-interrogation

Saudi G20 banknote angers India by depicting independent Kashmir
Nadda Osman | middleeasteye.net | 2020-10-30
Saudi G20 banknote angers India by depicting independent Kashmir | New note, which celebrates G20 summit, has been criticised by New Delhi and reignited conversations about administration of territory | Nadda Osman | Fri, 10/30/2020 – 16: 25 | Banknote has caused controversy online (Screengrab/Social media) | A new 20 riyal note issued by Saudi Arabia to commemorate the kingdom's presidency of the G20 has sparked cont…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-g20-currency-jammu-and-kashmir-india

Public sceptical about housing minister Robert Jenrick's homelessness claims
Joe Glenton | thecanary.co | 2020-10-30
Millionaire minister Robert Jenrick says the Tories are on a "moral mission" to end homelessness, and have worked wonders during the pandemic. The public is sceptical. | The Cambridge-educated housing minister, who, according to Tatler, owns at least three properties worth over £1 million, launched a new propaganda offensive on 29 October. | In a video released on Twitter, he praised the "national effort to support rough sleepers" during the pandemic, and that the government wanted "to end rough sleeping by the end of…
thecanary.co/uk/2020/10/30/public-sceptical-about-housing-minister-robert-jenricks-homelessness-claims/

The Dangers of Expanding What Can Be Patented In the Age of COVID-19
Sandra Park | aclu.org | 2020-10-30
As the COVID-19 crisis takes its devastating toll, the need for scientific collaboration is self-evident. After the first outbreaks, scientists in China sequenced the viral genome and released that data, permitting laboratories globally to develop their own tests to diagnose patients for COVID. , , Yet, members of Congress, led by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), have pointed to the pandemic as a reason to radically change patent law. The changes would allow corporations to have exclusive rights over…
aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/the-dangers-of-expanding-what-can-be-patented-in-the-age-of-covid-19

Social Media's Erasure of Palestinians is a Grim Warning for our Future
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-10-30
There is a growing unease that the decisions taken by social media corporations can have a harmful impact on our lives. These platforms, despite enjoying an effective monopoly over the virtual public square, have long avoided serious scrutiny or accountability. In a new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, former Silicon Valley executives warn of a …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/10/social-medias-erasure-of-palestinians-is-a-grim-warning-for-our-future/

The 'Very, Very Bad Look' of Remdesivir, the First FDA-approved COVID-19 Drug
Jon Cohen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-10-30
October was a good month for Gilead Sciences, the giant manufacturer of antivirals headquartered in Foster City, California. On 8 October, the company inked an agreement to supply the European Union with its drug remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19–a …
globalresearch.ca/very-bad-look-remdesivir-first-fda-approved-covid-19-drug/5728066

Twitter suspends Palestinian accounts shortly after Israeli ministry report on 'phony' profiles
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-10-29
Twitter suspends Palestinian accounts shortly after Israeli ministry report on 'phony' profiles | Social media giant says accounts were 'amplifying the dissemination of information' that violated its terms of service | MEE staff | Thu, 10/29/2020 – 12: 24 | Sada Social has been recording and monitoring the suspension of Palestinian content and accounts on Twitter and Facebook since September 2017 (AFP) | Twitter has suspe…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/twitter-palestine-israel-accounts-suspended-ministry-report

Intel Drop with The Greenwald issue
Gordon Duff | thealtworld.com | 2020-10-29
A few things to add… | The Greenwald issue, he has taken to twitter to establish himself as 'wronged' but those of us who carry the water for the journalistic world, those who point at Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Kosher Nostra (Trump's gang) as 9/11 perpetrators…who publish the hard evidence of nuclear attacks…don't appreciate those like Greenwald very much. | You can't say "Israeli did it" without crediting Giuliani. You can't say "Rudy" without saying "Donald." | Trump's silence on 9/11 has been deafening. | Is the great reset coming? You will know when Trump flees to Ukraine. | As for Greenwald, we woul…
thealtworld.com/gordon_duff/intel-drop-with-the-greenwald-issue

Facebook Choked Traffic to Mother Jones & Other Sites While Amplifying Right-Wing Misinformation
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-10-29
Big Tech CEOs were grilled Wednesday about how they moderate election disinformation and extremist content, and were accused by Republicans of censoring conservatives. Overlooked were reports that Facebook designed changes to its news feed algorithm in 2017 to reduce the visibility of left-leaning news sites like Mother Jones. Mother Jones editors wrote in 2019 that the site had seen a sharp decline in its Facebook audience, which translated to a loss of around $600,000 over 18 months. "The fact that we are trying to do everything we can to get the truth out and Facebook is deliberately sabotaging our readership…
www.democracynow.org/2020/10/29/ari_berman_mother_jones_facebook_censorship

US Democrat faces backlash over praising ex-Israel PM who killed his grandparents
Sheren Khalel | middleeasteye.net | 2020-10-29
US Democrat faces backlash over praising ex-Israel PM who killed his grandparents | Ammar Campa-Najjar, whose grandparents were killed in an operation led by Ehud Barak, has sparked outrage among Palestinian-Americans with his pro-Israel statements | Sheren Khalel | Thu, 10/29/2020 – 21: 02 | The photo Ammar Campa-Najjar posted of him shaking hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2019 (Twitter)…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/ammar-campa-najjar-palestinian-american-candidate-backlash-ehud-barak

Senator's Report Finds Google and Facebook Have 'Hijacked' Local News and Undermined Journalism
Kenny Stancil, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-10-29
"These trillion-dollar companies scrape local news content and data for their own sites and leverage their market dominance to force local news to accept little to no compensation for their intellectual property." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook_google.png
commondreams.org/news/2020/10/29/senators-report-finds-google-and-facebook-have-hijacked-local-news-and-undermined?cd-origin=rss

Jeremy Corbyn's shocking suspension is met with an outpouring of solidarity on social media
Sophia Purdy-Moore | thecanary.co | 2020-10-29
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended, "in light of his comments" in response to an investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)'s investigation, published on 29 October, found Labour responsible for "unlawful acts of discrimination and harassment" in its handling of allegations of antisemitism. | In his statement following the release of the report, Corbyn said he regrets it took "longer to deliver that change than it sho…
thecanary.co/uk/2020/10/29/jeremy-corbyns-shocking-suspension-is-met-with-an-outpouring-of-solidarity-on-social-media/

Concord D2 Residents Can Vote Out Caviar Carlyn
Concord Author | indybay.org | 2020-10-28
In the lead up to the election during the economic and Covid crisises, Carlyn Obringer is promoting caviar on Twitter and Facebook. Caviar Carlyn is out of touch when it comes to the struggles that so many Concord residents are facing.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/10/27/18837911.php

Faceboook moderators forced to return to offices as COVID-19 continues to spread
wsws.org | 2020-10-28
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, Facebook and its contractors are forcing content moderators to return to offices and risk their lives.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/29/face-o28.html

The PS5, Social Media and Mass Censorship — What Can Be Done?
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-10-28
Like an aging oil field the freedom that the Internet offered to the common man across the planet is drying up. "Deplatforming" has become a mainstream expression for describing the growing number of individuals and organizations who have lost their ability to use big social media because of their beliefs. Facebook is now acting like a Ministry of Truth putting up warnings/blocking for posts which its administration feels are fake or harmful. Which would sound reasonable if there wa…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/10/28/the-ps5-social-media-and-mass-censorship-what-can-be-done/

The New York Times attacks the First Amendment and embraces censorship of "disinformation"
wsws.org | 2020-10-28
An essay published in the October 18 edition of the New York Times Magazine argues that online "disinformation" has rendered First Amendment rights to free speech "inadequate," requiring government and social media censorship of "unfettered speech."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/28/time-o28.html

Freedom Dreamers: The Faces of Student Debt
Mary Green Swig, Steven Swig | commondreams.org | 2020-10-28
A shared dream is a powerful force for change. It's time to share the dream of freedom from student debt. (Photo: YouTube/screenshot) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/debt_1.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2020/10/28/freedom-dreamers-faces-student-debt?cd-origin=rss

Arabic press review: Hundreds of Kuwaiti companies face bankruptcy amid coronavirus
Mohammad Ayesh | middleeasteye.net | 2020-10-28
Arabic press review: Hundreds of Kuwaiti companies face bankruptcy amid coronavirus | Meanwhile, Moroccan politician says Macron waging war on Islam, Egypt jails activist over tweet and IMF warns of 'challenging' times for poorer nations | Mohammad Ayesh | Wed, 10/28/2020 – 17: 09 | Kuwaiti man stops at a currency exchange shop in Kuwait City (AFP) | Kuwaiti companies threatened with bankruptcy: | Hundre…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-kuwaiti-companies-face-bankruptcy-coronavirus

Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2020-10-27
With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/early.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2020/10/27/dont-rush-declare-victory-implementing-two-week-grace-period-after-november-3rd-so?cd-origin=rss

You voted. Great! Now the real political work begins
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-10-27
Can we burn down the system at the ballot box? We explore different methods beyond voting to make systemic change with our guests, Ricci Sergienko of the People's City Council of Los Angeles, and Green Party VP nominee Angela Walker. | Burn It Down is our new show — and on a new YouTube channel. Don't forget to subscribe!
therealnews.com/you-voted-great-now-the-real-work

Protests Rise in Philly After Police Murder Black Man Amid Mental Health Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-10-27
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–West Philly saw a quickly escalating situation develop on 4 p.m. Monday afternoon and dragging into the evening and overnight. In a graphic and disturbing video circulating on social media, two white Philadelphia Police (PPD) officers are seen repeatedly shooting a Black man in front of his mother from several feet away as he walked while holding a knife. Neither of the two officers in the video seemed to attempt to use their taser, and they appeared to hav…
truthout.org/articles/protests-rise-in-philly-after-police-murder-black-man-amid-mental-health-crisis/