Daily Archives: December 25, 2020

2020-12-25: News Headlines

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-24). 'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism. commondreams.org "This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moore_1.jpg

RT (2020-12-24). 'Path of hope has opened': Argentina's president thanks Sputnik V developers & Putin for making Covid vaccine deliveries possible. rt.com Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez has expressed his gratitude to Russia after a plane from Moscow delivered the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus to Buenos Aires earlier on Thursday. | "Argentina now has a vaccine against Covid-19," Fernandez wrote on Twitter, thanking the developers of Sputnik V and Russian leader Vladimir Putin "for the attitude they have shown toward our country." | "A path of hope has opened" after the arrival of the Russian vaccine to the country, he said. However, the president pointed out that the pandemic hasn't yet ended and the public must continue to…

MEE staff (2020-12-24). Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report. middleeasteye.net Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report | Sharp drop of user-reach linked to pages' coverage of recent Arab-Israeli normalisation agreements | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 14: 09 | The social media giant Facebook employs algorithm management that users will not notice (AFP) | Palestinians and Arab pages on Facebook, focusing on Israeli violations against Palestinians and on the Arab…

Asieh Namdar (2020-12-24). The Heat: Social media's influence. america.cgtn.com Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.

Staff (2020-12-23). "Worse Than Being in Iraq": Veteran & ER Doctor Says Pandemic Is Pushing Hospitals to Breaking Point. democracynow.org As the U.S. averages more than 200,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, we speak with Dr. Cleavon Gilman, an emergency physician who has been treating patients since the beginning of the U.S. outbreak, first in New York City and now in Yuma, Arizona. Dr. Gilman is also an Iraq War veteran who served as a Marine combat medic, and has kept a public diary of his experiences treating COVID-19 patients. He was fired after tweeting that Arizona's ICU beds were full, and then got his job back after public outcry. "This pandemic is worse than being in Iraq," says Dr. Gilman. "This virus is a Trojan horse, and it just hides in…

Zach Farber (2020-12-23). Interview with Amaurie Johnson: 'There's a lot of things that I want changed'. liberationnews.org In cell phone videos that went viral, Amaurie Johnson was assaulted by now former officer Matt Dages on May 27 in La Mesa, Ca.

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-23). 'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee. middleeasteye.net 'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee | The committee has been widely criticised online, forcing Kuwait's precarious position on gender equality back into the spotlight | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 21 | Members of Kuwait's Parliamentary Women's Committee (Screengrab/ twitter) | The newly appointed, all-male parliamentary Women's Committee of Kuwait has been met with ridicul…

WSWS (2020-12-23). UK: Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital staff respond to frontline nurse's exposure of dangerous working conditions. wsws.org Posted on the NHS FightBack Facebook group page, the letter was read by hundreds of people and widely shared. It was also shared to various NHS based campaign groups across Facebook.

news.un (2020-12-23). Hate speech on Facebook poses 'acute challenges to human dignity' — UN expert. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert called on Wednesday for Facebook's Oversight Board to give greater consideration to the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities before making decisions over controversial content, particularly involving hate speech.

sputniknews (2020-12-23). Trump Threatens Iran, Tweets Rocket Photos Claiming to Prove Complicity in Baghdad Embassy Attack. sputniknews.com The Trump administration has long claimed attacks against US forces in Iraq and across the Middle East are orchestrated by Iran, but it has consistently failed to present damning evidence of the claim.

Josh Bacopulos (2020-12-22). Arizona State University workers go union, found United Campus Workers chapter. peoplesworld.org PHOENIX—In a historic move for organized labor in Arizona, workers at Arizona State University have joined with staff at the University of Arizona to unionize with United Campus Workers. On Dec. 17, the newly-formed ASU-UCW chapter took to Twitter and Facebook to officially go public with the "wall-to-wall" union, meaning it's intended to represent every …

Arianna Demas (2020-12-22). The FBI is Secretly Breaking Into Encrypted Devices. We're Suing. aclu.org The FBI is secretly breaking the encryption that secures our cell phones and laptops from identity thieves, hackers, and abusive governments, and it refuses to even acknowledge that it has information about these efforts — even though some details have been filed publicly in federal court. We're suing to get some answers., , Between our emails, text messages, location information, social media activity, and more, our cell phones hold almost our entire lives. In recent years, governments have stepped up efforts to gain access to the information on our cell phones and personal computers. The federal govern…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-22). US return to JCPOA right way for defusing tensions: China. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (MNA) — In a tweet on Tues. China's foreign ministry spox named the US as the main culprit for the current tensions and urged Americans to return to the JCPOA.

2020-12-25: 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.)

'Path of hope has opened': Argentina's president thanks Sputnik V developers & Putin for making Covid vaccine deliveries possible
rt.com | 2020-12-24
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez has expressed his gratitude to Russia after a plane from Moscow delivered the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus to Buenos Aires earlier on Thursday. | "Argentina now has a vaccine against Covid-19," Fernandez wrote on Twitter, thanking the developers of Sputnik V and Russian leader Vladimir Putin "for the attitude they have shown toward our country." | "A path of hope has opened" after the arrival of the Russian vaccine to the country, he said. However, the president pointed out that the pandemic hasn't yet ended and the public must continue to…
rt.com/russia/510701-sputnikvaccine-argentina-fernandez/

'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-24
"This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moore_1.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/24/trying-kill-me-black-doctor-who-died-covid-19-posted-harrowing-video-alleging?cd-origin=rss

Digital Watchdog Says Facebook Behind 'Intentional Decrease' in Traffic to Pro-Palestinian Pages
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-24
Sada Social Center says visits to some pages have plummeted by as much as 80%. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pal.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/24/digital-watchdog-says-facebook-behind-intentional-decrease-traffic-pro-palestinian?cd-origin=rss

Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-24
Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report | Sharp drop of user-reach linked to pages' coverage of recent Arab-Israeli normalisation agreements | MEE staff | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 14: 09 | The social media giant Facebook employs algorithm management that users will not notice (AFP) | Palestinians and Arab pages on Facebook, focusing on Israeli violations against Palestinians and on the Arab…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-facebook-drop-audience-data-algorithms

Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-24
Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group | In amicus brief filed in US Court of Appeals, rights groups say NSO prioritises profit over human rights | MEE staff | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 16: 21 | Israeli NSO Group is well known for selling hacking software to government clients (AFP/File photo) | A coalition of human rights groups has joined Facebook's legal fight against Israeli spyware vendor NSO, alleg…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/rights-groups-join-facebook-lawsuit-against-israeli-nso-group

'The deal is done!' Boris Johnson tweets triumphant photo after Brexit agreement struck
rt.com | 2020-12-24
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clearly in a celebratory mood on Christmas Eve, after the UK and EU agreed on a post-Brexit trade deal. A photo shared on Twitter captured his reaction to the historic moment. | The UK and the European Union (EU) agreed on Thursday to a post-Brexit trade deal, ending 11 months of negotiations that began on January 31 when Britain officially left the bloc and entered a transition period. | Shortly after agreeing to the deal with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, Johnson flashed photographers a twin thumbs-up from behind his desk. "The deal is done,…
rt.com/uk/510674-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-done/

Life-saving cargo: Plane with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine arrives in Argentina (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-12-24
After spending more than 20 hours in the air, a plane with the first batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus landed in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, on Thursday. | Argentina's health minister, Gines Gonzalez Garcia, and other top officials were at the Ezeiza International Airport to meet the long-awaited cargo arriving from Moscow. | "It's a very special day filled with a lot of emotions," Gonzalez Garcia wrote on Twitter, adding that vaccinations will begin "as soon as possible." Argentinian medics will be the first to get the shots, followed by senior citizens and members of law e…
rt.com/russia/510670-argentina-russia-sputnik-vaccine/

The Heat: Social media's influence
Asieh Namdar | america.cgtn.com | 2020-12-24
Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.
america.cgtn.com/2020/12/24/the-heat-social-medias-influence

Covid-19 testing starts for thousands of hauliers trapped in UK after France shut border over mutant virus strain
rt.com | 2020-12-23
Thousands of lorry drivers stranded in southern England, waiting to enter France, have started being tested for Covid-19 in an operation involving British soldiers, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday. | The French government is among at least 50 countries to keep its borders to the UK shut this week after British scientists discovered that a mutated form of coronavirus had been spreading across the country. | "Testing has begun as we look to get traffic moving again between the UK and France," Shapps said in a statement on Twitter. | "However, French border police [are] only acting on agreem…
rt.com/uk/510559-covid-uk-france-border/

Interview with Amaurie Johnson: 'There's a lot of things that I want changed'
Zach Farber | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-23
In cell phone videos that went viral, Amaurie Johnson was assaulted by now former officer Matt Dages on May 27 in La Mesa, Ca.
liberationnews.org/interview-with-amaurie-johnson-theres-a-lot-of-things-that-i-want-changed/

UK: Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital staff respond to frontline nurse's exposure of dangerous working conditions
wsws.org | 2020-12-23
Posted on the NHS FightBack Facebook group page, the letter was read by hundreds of people and widely shared. It was also shared to various NHS based campaign groups across Facebook.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/23/pool-d23.html

Trump Threatens Iran, Tweets Rocket Photos Claiming to Prove Complicity in Baghdad Embassy Attack
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-23
The Trump administration has long claimed attacks against US forces in Iraq and across the Middle East are orchestrated by Iran, but it has consistently failed to present damning evidence of the claim.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202012231081554440-trump-threatens-iran-tweets-rocket-photos-claiming-to-prove-complicity-in-baghdad-embassy-attack/

'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee
Nur Ayoubi | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-23