2021-02-08: News Headlines

Ali Harb (2021-02-08). Loujain al-Hathloul to be freed on Thursday, sister says. middleeasteye.net Loujain al-Hathloul to be freed on Thursday, sister says | Saudi women's rights activist has been in jail, where her family says she endured torture, for more than 1,000 days | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 22: 20 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul had been sentenced to almost six years in jail (AFP/File photo) | After more than 1,000 days in detention where she endured torture and hunger strikes, Saudi women's rights acti…

MEE staff (2021-02-08). Khaled al-Asaad: Possible remains of Syrian archaeologist found at Palmyra. middleeasteye.net Khaled al-Asaad: Possible remains of Syrian archaeologist found at Palmyra | Asaad was beheaded by militants at the ancient site after refusing to reveal the location of priceless artefacts | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 12: 27 | Khaled al-Assad had been in charge of the site at ancient Palmyra for decades (social media) | Remains thought to belong to Khaled al-Asaad, the distinguished archaeologist who was killed by Isl…

yenisafak (2021-02-08). UK's adversaries trying to 'tear society apart'. yenisafak.com The UK's adversaries are attempting to divide the British society through social media, a British military general said.One of the UK's most senior generals has warned that the country's adversaries are attempting to use social media to divide the British society."What you're seeing are our adversaries, our rivals, exploiting the tools that are meant to make for a more utopian society — so things like social media — against us, fueling conspiracy theories and really sowing division and tearing the fabric of society apart," Gen. Sir Patrick Sanders on the Sky News Into The Grey Zone podcast on Sunday e…

Paul Craig Roberts (2021-02-08). Proof That the US November Election Was Stolen Exists in Abundance. thealtworld.com The official narrative that there was no election theft is likely the largest lie ever perpetrated on the world. The lie is so vast and so fragile that everyone who disagrees with the official narrative is suppressed, deplatformed, kicked off social media, ostracized, and fired from their job in order to protect the lie from examination and exposure. In Michigan the state attorney general is attempting to debar attorneys who represented cases of electoral theft. Massive effort was made—including an orchestrated "storming of the Capitol"—to insure that the evidence would not be presented and that the m…

Santa Cruz Vigilante Watch (2021-02-08). Downtown Business Owner Threatens Violence Against Homeless People in San Lorenzo Park. indybay.org Troy Swanner, the owner of Live Oak Clothing on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz, has made comments on social media threatening vigilante violence against the homeless people who have been camping and sheltering in place nearby in San Lorenzo Park. "Me and the community are going to have to physically go do something about it," Swanner said. "Like what we used to do to the homeless to make them clean up their s***." Swanner then elaborated, saying "we locals […] used to beat the s*** out of the homeless that would spread their garbage around and leave needles. And it seemed to work a lot better than what's…

RT (2021-02-07). Ritchie rich: Report on wealthy celebs using government Covid-19 bailouts sparks debate over fate of taxpayers' funds. rt.com Millionaire celebrities like filmmaker Guy Ritchie have taken advantage of the UK taxpayer-funded job retention programme, the Sun has reported, sparking a heated debate on Twitter on whether they should be allowed to do so. | Ritchie, a renowned filmmaker, whose reported net worth amounts to more than £100 million ($137.3 million), has used the state-run Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to pay 19 workers of his Fatboy Pub Company, the Sun on Sunday reported, citing government documents it obtained. | The filmmaker's firm which was on the government furlough programme list by December manages his Lore of…

Staff (2021-02-07). Sanders Slams Democrats Who Want to Further Limit Eligibility for Relief Checks. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders took to Twitter Saturday night to call out Democrats in Congress who are considering a proposal to exclude As the new chair of the…

RT (2021-02-07). 'Man has to eat': Report mocked online for revealing Sen. Josh Hawley billed Simpsons-themed food at Universal Studios to campaign. rt.com An article that revealed Republican Senator Josh Hawley had billed nearly $200 worth of Universal Studios fast food to his senate campaign, before reimbursing the cost, attracted mockery and scorn on social media this week. | A Saturday The bill included $80.04 at Margaritaville, $3…

_____ (2021-02-07). Ideological Imperialism Is Leading to a Bad End. strategic-culture.org By Patrick BUCHANAN | When it was learned in 2016 that Russia may have hacked the emails of John Podesta and the DNC, and passed the fruits on to WikiLeaks to aid candidate Donald Trump, mighty was the outrage of the American establishment. | If Russia's security services filched those emails, and a troll farm in Saint Petersburg sent tweets and texts to stir up rancor in our politics, it was said, this was an attack on American democracy and its most sacred of rituals — the elections by which we chose our leaders. | Some called it an "act of war." Others compared it to Pearl Harbor. | Almost all agreed it…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Around 150 missing as glacier breaks in northern India. yenisafak.com Some 150 people went missing after part of a Himalayan glacier broke in northern India, leading to a massive flood, officials said on Sunday.A portion of Nanda Devi glacier, India's second-highest mountain, broke off in Tapovan area of the Uttarakhand state, damaging the Rishiganga hydro power project."Representatives of the power project have told me that they are not being able to contact around 150 of their workmen at the project site," Ridhim Aggarwal, an official of the state disaster response force, told local media.Photos and videos posted and shared on social media platforms showed a massive flood in the…

_____ (2021-02-07). YouTube Financially Deplatforms Swath Of Indie Media. popularresistance.org The Google-owned video sharing platform YouTube has demonetized numerous independent media accounts, a jarring escalation in the steadily intensifying campaign against alternative news outlets online. | Progressive commentators Graham Elwood, The Progressive Soapbox, The Convo Couch, Franc Analysis, Hannah Reloaded and Cyberdemon531 have all received notifications from YouTube that their videos are no longer permitted to earn money through the platform's various monetization features, as has Ford Fischer, a respected freelancer who films U.S. political demonstrations. No explanation has been offered for this deci…

sputniknews (2021-02-07). Borrell Says Asked Lavrov to Reverse EU Diplomats Expulsion, But 'to No Avail'. sputniknews.com BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that he knew about Moscow's decision to expel three EU diplomats through social media adding that he personally asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to reverse this decision, but "to no avail."

RT (2021-02-06). Facebook urges Myanmar to unblock access to social media, as internet blackout reported after military coup. rt.com Facebook has called on Myanmar to allow its citizens to freely log onto social media. A "near-total" internet shutdown has been reported in the country, after the military seized power there earlier this week. | "We are extremely concerned by orders to shut down the internet in Myanmar," the social media company's public policy director for Southeast Asia, Rafael Frankel, said. "We strongly urge the authorities to order the unblocking of all social media services." | Facebook confirmed on Thursday that telecom providers in Myanmar were told to temporarily block Facebook. On Saturday, a monitoring group NetBloc…

RT (2021-02-06). 'Martian landscape': Sahara sand covers Alpine snow as early desert wind from Africa turns Europe orange (PHOTOS). rt.com Photographs from France showed orange skies above layers of snow as the sandy wind from the Sahara, known as sirocco, made its way across Europe weeks earlier than expected. | While pictures of the surreal scenes flooded social media on Saturday, the French are actually quite used to the annual phenomenon: the sandy wind is "not extremely rare," but it is "exceptional" that it is so early in the year,

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-06). The Empire Must Die: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Q: What is a liberal? | A: A liberal is a violent white supremacist extremist who supports and participates in the mass slaughter of brown-skinned human beings overseas while tweeting that white supremacist extremists are bad. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is capitalism? | A: Capitalism is a wonderful economic and political system which has given us powerful technology, a wide assortment of breakfast cereals, and near term human extinction. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is China? | A: China is a large Asiatic nation which westerners use as an emotional punching bag for their capitalism-induced rage, p…

RT (2021-02-06). 'Now fire Hannity, Ingraham, Carlson': Liberals call for BIGGER PURGE at Fox News as canceled Lou Dobbs shares tweets of support. rt.com Donald Trump and other fans are expressing support for Lou Dobbs after the sudden cancellation of his "number one news program" on Fox News, but liberals are so giddy they want other conservatives like Sean Hannity pulled. | The axing of 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' follows a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from SmartMatic, a company behind voting software used in the presidential election, against Fox News and multiple hosts who aired election fraud conspiracy theories, including Dobbs. | A spokesperson for the network, however, did not name the lawsuit or controversies surrounding Dobbs' election coverage — he a…

RT (2021-02-06). 'People don't go to the pub for lemonade': Angry Brits protest over alleged Covid plan to ban ALCOHOL from pubs. rt.com Reports suggesting that the UK government is contemplating a ban on alcohol when pubs reopen after lockdown in April have provoked fury and disbelief from Brits on Twitter. | On Friday, the Daily Telegraph

The Canary (2021-02-06). Myanmar junta shuts Twitter and Instagram to curb protests. thecanary.co Military authorities in charge of Myanmar broadened a ban on social media following this week's coup. They've shut down Twitter and Instagram, as residents in the nation's biggest city again banged pots and plastic bottles to show their opposition to the army takeover. | It came as street protests continued to expand on Saturday 6 February. People gathered again to show their opposition to the army takeover. | Protests: | Around 1,000 protesters marched on Saturday morning through the streets of Yangon, the country's biggest city. Prominent among them were factory workers and students. | By noon, more tha…

sputniknews (2021-02-06). Armie Hammer Dropped by Agency Amid Cannibal DM Scandal – Report. sputniknews.com The actor's career has been taking a dramatic plunge over the past month following a sex scandal that involved allegations of abuse and cannibalism, which Hammer and his family have strongly denied.

sputniknews (2021-02-06). Trump's 'Social Media Comeback' Appears to Be Fake, Senior Aide Says. sputniknews.com The former US president has been absent from social media since January 8, after major tech giants – Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – banned the former US president over accusations that he incited the Capitol riots.

Qassam Muaddi (2021-02-05). Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah | Residents of Palestinian town of Ras Karkar say killing of Khaled Nofal was unjustifiable | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 15: 46 | Khaled Nofal (R), an accountant from the West Bank, was shot by an Israeli settler on Friday (Twitter)
| An Israeli settler shot dead a Palestinian man near the town of Ras Karkar in the central occupied West Bank on Fri…

RT (2021-02-05). Will AI save us from Covid-19? New tool can churn out vaccine models in minutes, not months. rt.com Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have unveiled an incredibly powerful, AI-powered method for producing new potential Covid-19 vaccine candidates in a matter of minutes or even seconds. | The new process, developed at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, could mark a major turning point in the information war against the coronavirus and its many, increasingly virulent mutations which are taxing an already challenging worldwide vaccine rollout. | The USC team leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up vaccine analysis which can be quickly and easily adapted to analyze viral mu…

RT (2021-02-05). UK announces new vaccine plan for mutant Covid strains with a further 50 million doses, as France misses out on 'French' jab. rt.com The UK government has announced a new partnership with German vaccine manufacturer CureVac to "rapidly develop" jabs to protect against new Covid-19 variants, taking the country's total vaccine order to 457 million doses. | In a statement, the government said that the vaccines it is already administering — those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca/Oxford University — are effective against variants currently dominant in the UK, but the new agreement focuses on responding "rapidly" to inoculate against newer viral strains not yet in circulation. | "The new agreement will utilise UK expertise o…

Ralph Nader (2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up

RT (2021-02-05). #AOCLied hashtag flooded with spam & puppies after PR team urges followers to help memory-hole her 'Smollett moment'. rt.com After New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admitted she wasn't even inside the Capitol building during last month's raid she'd framed as a near-death experience, the Democrat convinced her fans to help bury the embarrassment. | Essentially summoning an army of human 'bots' to save face, AOC's team on Wednesday emailed her followers with a request to help "set the record straight" concerning 'negative' — i.e. realistic — posts about the congresswoman and her whereabouts on January 6. | This email is allegedly from "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress" | It instructs people to: | -Find social media…

RT (2021-02-05). 'What if Trump had said it?' Joe Biden resurrects 'exaggerated' claim that he was shot at during trips to Iraq. rt.com President Joe Biden has dusted off an old story about how he came under fire while visiting Iraq, more than a decade after he admitted the claim was somewhat exaggerated. 'Where's the MSM outrage?' social media users have asked. | While addressing US State Department staff on Thursday, Biden hailed the diplomats for showing "great personal courage," which the new US president has purportedly seen first-hand. | "I've been with some of you when we've been shot at," he told the audience. | It's unclear what Biden meant by the passing remark, and the White House has not elaborated on the statement. | Read more…

Mark Gruenberg (2021-02-05). Biden boosts PRO Act on its formal introduction. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON —With a tweeted boost from Democratic President Joe Biden, House and Senate Democratic leaders formally introduced the PRO Act, the most-pro-worker labor law legislation in more than 85 years, on Feb. 4. The measure would overturn decades of anti-worker court and National Labor Relations Board rulings, and make organizing, winning elections, and bargaining first …

sputniknews (2021-02-05). Feds Arrest Suspected Rioters Who Chartered Private Jet to Protest Election Results. sputniknews.com Jenna Ryan, another Texas-based real estate broker, was arrested last month after authorities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came across a social media video in which she identified herself.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-05). Former FMLN councilor assassinated in El Salvador. peoplesdispatch.org On February 4, legislators and members of El Salvador's left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) party denounced the assassination of their fellow comrade and former councilman, José Nelson Berríos Méndez. They extended their condolences to Berríos' family and demanded thorough investigation and justice for him. They also condemned the far-right president Nayib Bukele for promoting hatred and violence against their party. | t.co/oUmv9Wew3a | — Oscar Ortiz (@oscarortizsv) February 3, 2021

Online News Editor (2021-02-04). Myanmar military cuts Facebook access as public opposition to coup grows. laprensalatina.com (Update 1: Adds Egeland comments.) Yangon, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Facebook access in Myanmar was restricted Thursday after the military junta ordered telecommunications providers to block the social network, and as public opposition to the coup grew. The move to block Facebook came after the military seized power from the elected government on Monday. "All mobile …