2021-04-02: News Headlines

Carlos Arellán (2021-04-02). Four FundaREDES 'Candid Activists' Detained in Apure State. orinocotribune.com On March 31, Venezuelan NGO FundaREDES denounced the arrest of two of its members in Apure state, and of two journalists from the Colombian channel NTN24 by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). | The opposition activist Javier Tarazona is promoting a smear campaign on social media, referring to the "forced disappearance" of four Venezuelans for allegedly "documenting the violation of human rights in the area" by Venezuelan military deployed to defend Venezuelan sovereignty. | These claims are contradicted by the fact that, while claiming a missing persons case, organizations like the National Union of Press Worke…

_____ (2021-04-02). New Developments In Alex Saab Case. popularresistance.org The plot around the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Cape Verde peaks, intensifies and continues to be a trending topic on Twitter, while the United States government relentlessly applies pressure to bring the diplomat to its territory. | Meanwhile, social media networks again reflect opinions about the case—#EEUUCompraCaboVerde was a trending topic in Venezuela this Wednesday, March 31. This, with respect to the most recent movements of Washington through a policy that, in general, is based on blackmail and financial suffocation. | The complaints about new agreements signed between the US…

Anonymous007 (2021-04-02). Kiev Scrambles To Justify The Incoming Storm. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The Kiev government is going to great lengths to attempt and justify its incoming attempts at escalating the situation in Eastern Ukraine and towards Crimea. | On April 1st, but not as a joke, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is trying to put pressure on Kiev by amassing its military forces along the Russian-Ukrainian border.In a Facebook post, Zelensky noted he would highlight two points in the issue of war and peace. "First of all, it's about Donbas. Indeed, escala…

orinocotribune (2021-04-01). #EEUUCompraCaboVerde: New Developments in Alex Saab Case. orinocotribune.com The plot around the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Cape Verde peaks, intensifies and continues to be a trending topic on Twitter, while the United States government relentlessly applies pressure to bring the diplomat to its territory. | Meanwhile, social media networks again reflect opinions about the case—#EEUUCompraCaboVerde was a trending topic in Venezuela this Wednesday, March 31. This, with respect to the most recent movements of Washington through a policy that, in general, is based on blackmail and financial suffocation. | The complaints about new agreements signed between the US…

Jose Manuel Blanco Diaz (2021-04-01). What is the Connection Between El Coqui, Cota 905 and Apure Clashes? orinocotribune.com This Tuesday, March 30, the argument for a possible connection between the actions of criminal gangs such as the one headed by El Coqui in the Caracas sector of Cota 905, and those of criminal organizations promoted from Colombia and the United States, gained strength again in recent hours. | In the morning and part of the afternoon of this Tuesday, March 30, there were complaints on social media networks about suspicious movements of armed individuals in the surroundings of the area known as El Pinar in El Paraíso parish, Caracas. | By different means, users reported detonations in other areas of Cota 905, a nei…

teleSUR (2021-04-01). Twitter Shuts Down Popular Live Streaming App Periscope. telesurenglish.net The application that popularized live broadcasts from cell phones has ceased to exist, just six years after its purchase and launch by Twitter to overshadow Meerkat, the first app to explore this field and which ended up being eclipsed by Periscope to the point that it had to reorient its business and abandon live broadcasting.

_____ (2021-04-01). Haitians March On Canadian Embassy. popularresistance.org People everywhere around the world love and respect Canadians, or so we're told. So how do you explain what's going on in Haiti? | On Sunday protesters in Port-au-Prince marched on the Canadian Embassy. "Madame Boukman — Justice 4 Haiti" posted a video to Twitter showing police in front of Canada's diplomatic representation in Haiti. Madame Boukman quoted two men waving a Russian flag saying, "Long live Russia. Canada go home." (In an indirect criticism of US/Canadian backing for dictator Jovenel MoàØse, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister recently said they were concerned about "political instability"

RT (2021-04-01). Facebook disinformation 'biggest challenge' to tackling Covid-19 — Papua New Guinea minister. rt.com Papua New Guinea's health minister, Jelta Wong, criticized Facebook on Thursday, claiming the spread of disinformation on the site poses the "biggest challenge" to tackling rising cases of Covid-19 in the country. | Speaking at an online event on Thursday, Wong declared that "Facebook is our biggest conspiracy theorist platform", and called for the company to "take responsibility for this and stop it." | Specifically, the health minister cited how "dangerous" posts, such as 'anti-vax' conspiracy theories, were hurting the nation's vaccine rollout and discouraging individuals from getting tested for the virus,…

Frank Andrews (2021-04-01). Facebook reassurances on 'Zionist' hate speech interpretation met with skepticism. middleeasteye.net Facebook reassurances on 'Zionist' hate speech interpretation met with skepticism | Jewish and Palestinian activists, awaiting a final decision, remain largely unconvinced a slated new policy won't stifle free speech | Thu, 04/01/2021 – 15: 58 | Protesters in Boston deliver a petition to Facebook arguing against the platform's possible new policy change in early 2021. (Provided). | A Facebook annou…

Frank Andrews (2021-04-01). Facebook reassurances on 'Zionist' hate speech policy met with skepticism. middleeasteye.net Facebook reassurances on 'Zionist' hate speech policy met with skepticism | Jewish and Palestinian activists, awaiting a final decision, remain largely unconvinced a slated new policy won't stifle free speech | Thu, 04/01/2021 – 15: 58 | Protesters in Boston deliver a petition to Facebook arguing against the platform's possible new policy change in early 2021. (Provided). | A Facebook announcement…

Ian Cobain (2021-04-01). New UK counter-extremism head worked for think tank which hosted Islamophobes. middleeasteye.net New UK counter-extremism head worked for think tank which hosted Islamophobes | Robin Simcox, formerly a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, has described Islamophobia as a 'slippery concept' | Thu, 04/01/2021 – 15: 53 | Robin Simcox is the interim head of the Commission for Countering Extremism (YouTube) | A former research fellow at a conservative American think tank that has hosted Islamophobic c…

Anonymous669 (2021-04-01). 'Generation of Conquerors': Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham Denies Links To Gruesome Video Glorifying Its Child Soldiers. southfront.org Screen grab from HTS' video. | Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has denied links to a gruesome video exposing child recruitment in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | The video, which surfaced on several social media platforms on March 31, shows HTS militant training minors on combat operations. The harsh training, which was shot in a dramatic style, included the use of live fire. | The video, dubbed a "Generation of Conquerors," was not shared by HTS' official news agency, Iba'a. However, it w…

RT (2021-04-01). 'The nation's prayers have been answered': Piers Morgan announces return to Good Morning Britain in cheeky April Fool's joke. rt.com Former Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan penned a tongue-in-cheek update revealing that he had been given his old job back, with many social media users falling victim to what appears to be an April Fool's jest. | In a facetious tweet posted on Thursday, the television presenter pointed to recent comments made by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who contradicted Meghan Markle's claim, made during an explosive Oprah interview, that she'd married Prince Harry in secret several days before their official ceremony at Windsor Castle in 2018. | Morgan left his post at ITV earlier this month after heavi…

teleSUR (2021-04-01). EU Agrees to Mediate with Biden on Cuba Terrorism Designation. telesurenglish.net According to the Cuban lawmaker Machado on Twitter, "Cuba does not sponsor or encourage terrorism. We nurture peace, solidarity, and collaboration among peoples." | RELATED: | The statement was made after the favorable response given on Wednesday by Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, to mediate with the U.S. gover…

RT (2021-04-01). Russian diplomats reveal 'acute shortage' of essentials in North Korea caused by Covid-19 restrictions, embassies almost empty. rt.com Diplomats serving in North Korea are enduring a shortage of goods and a lack of medicine, as restrictions to battle the Covid-19 pandemic have caused the already-secretive country to isolate itself even more than before. | Writing on Facebook, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang revealed that 38 foreign nationals have recently left their diplomatic missions in the country, with representatives from the likes of the UK, Brazil, and Germany also flying home. | "The exodus of foreigners will continue," an embassy statement read. "There are now hardly any foreigners left — fewer than 290 in all. One can understa…

RT (2021-04-01). Got to bee kidding me: Shopper's car hijacked by 15,000-strong swarm during 10-min shopping trip (PHOTOS). rt.com Firefighters can sometimes be called upon to rescue cats stranded in trees but one off-duty ladderman went above and beyond the call when he removed a massive swarm of bees which had hijacked a man's car. | The incident took place at the Albertsons supermarket on Sunday, March 28 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. One hapless shopper had ducked inside to pick up some groceries and, 10 minutes later, he found quite a few more new occupants of the car he had borrowed from a friend than he anticipated, as photos from the scene show. | www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2956398727965999&id=1674411762831375&

Ken Klippenstein (2021-04-01). Amazon's Twitter Army Was Handpicked for "Great Sense of Humor" zcomm.org Amazon ambassadors were trained to defend Jeff Bezos and clap back at Bernie Sanders under a program codenamed "Veritas"

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