When Government and Big Tech Collude Against the First Amendment: an Interview With Nadine Strossen
Sam Husseini | counterpunch.org | 2021-07-30
It's become media orthodoxy that big tech firms are not bound by the First Amendment. This conventional wisdom posits that Facebook, Google and Twitter, with their near enormous powers, can squash and skew speech as the wish without effective legal recourse. However, Nadine Strossen, who was president of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008 and is…
counterpunch.org/2021/07/30/when-government-and-big-tech-collude-against-the-first-amendment-an-interview-with-nadine-strossen/

US Sanctions: Weapons of Economic Warfare
Editor2 | orinocotribune.com | 2021-07-30
By Donald Monaco — Jul 27, 2021 | On July 22, 2021, the Biden regime inflicted punitive economic sanctions on Cuban government officials extending Trump era sanctions that targeted the tourism and energy industries and stopped remittances being sent to the beleaguered island. | Shortages of food, medicine and electricity caused by the U.S. embargo have provoked street protests encouraged on social media in what is ironically called the "Bay of Tweets." The U.S. State Department, National Endowment for Democracy, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Agency for Global Media have provided grants t…
orinocotribune.com/us-sanctions-weapons-of-economic-warfare/

Roaming Charges: All That Twitters is Sold
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2021-07-30
No one can pinpoint precisely when the US war on Iraq began, but certainly dates back at least to 1962 when the CIA began plotting the overthrow of Abd al-Karim Qasim (who was executed in early 1963). And, of course, no one can predict when, if ever, the war on Iraq will come to an end. But it's became the duty of each American president since JFK to declare the Iraq war over, then expand it…
counterpunch.org/2021/07/30/roaming-charges-20/

Kamal Iranidoost (2021-07-29). Mexico president blasts 'inhumane' US sanctions against Cuba. en.mehrnews.com Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has scoffed at the notion that Mexico should honor a US-imposed embargo on Cuba, as his country sends aid to the island in defiance of Washington's suffocating economic bans.

Staff (2021-07-29). Priest gagged for saying Canada residential-school victims lied about abuse for 'extra money' & joke about SHOOTING church vandals. rt.com A Catholic priest has been barred from speaking publicly by a Canadian archdiocese, after accusing residential-school survivors of lying about sexual abuse to get more money, and of speaking about wanting to shoot church vandals. | The inflammatory statements, made over a number of weeks by Father Rhéal Forest at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg, were even shared on the church's Facebook page, but have since been taken down. | During a mass on July 10, Forest said the survivors lied about being sexually abused in a ploy to receive more money in the settlement process with the federal governme…

Duque Expels German Journalist Covering Protests in Colombia–Target of Paramilitary Violence
Daniela Jimenez | orinocotribune.com | 2021-07-29
Rebecca Linda Marlene Sprà∂sser, a German doing journalist work who reported from the frontlines in Cali, Colombia, during the national strike and demonstrations, will return to her native country in the next few hours after an expulsion order issued by Colombian migration officials. The decision of Ivan Duque's government has been harshly criticized on social media networks. Through her social media account on Instagram and Facebook, the journalist had reported on the details of widespread demonstrations by the anti-government movement, now entering their fourth month despite brutal police repression and do…
orinocotribune.com/duque-expels-german-journalist-covering-protests-in-colombia-target-of-paramilitary-violence/

Yemen and the Prophet Muhammad: Abdulrahman al-Eryani interviews Juan Cole
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-07-29
Abdulrahman al-Eryani interviewed me on his InBoundTalk show on YouTube (link below) about my book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires Available at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor And Hachette And Barnes and Noble And Amazon InboundTalk: Abdulrahman Al-Eryani interviews Juan Cole on his book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash …
juancole.com/2021/07/muhammad-abdulrahman-interviews.html

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Columnist calls for depoliticizing COVID-19 origin-tracing. ecns.cn A Tanzanian columnist has called for depoliticizing COVID-19, saying politics should not in any way influence scientific inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Politicizing COVID-19 fight is perilous, says S. African official. ecns.cn As the rest of the world tries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with science, some in the United States have chosen to politicize COVID-19, Anwar Adams, a councillor in the City of Cape Town has said.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Geo-political rivalry blocks global coronavirus cooperation, says Bangladeshi official. ecns.cn A senior Bangladeshi official has said that labelling COVID-19 as a Chinese virus is "very unfortunate" and that geo-political rivalry is "engulfing" global efforts to fight the pandemic.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Science should prevail in origin-tracing of COVID-19, say Nepali experts. ecns.cn Efforts to probe the origin of COVID-19 could be hamstrung by the politicization of the issue, with a conspiracy theory about lab leaks taking precedence over a scientific conclusion.

Staff (2021-07-29). Russia rejects Dutch court ruling to hand $5 BILLION of taxpayers' cash to ex-oligarchs over collapse of Yukos oil & gas empire. rt.com Officials in Moscow have vowed to vigorously appeal a judicial ruling in an international arbitration court that would bind Russia to hand over billions of dollars to the former shareholders of the collapsed Yukos energy giant. | The office of the country's Prosecutor General said on Thursday that it does not acknowledge the validity of the decision, by the International Arbitration Court in The Hague. Authorities said that Russia would "appeal the decision without fail," questioning both the basis of the judges' jurisdiction and the claims themselves. | Earlier that day, representatives of the shareholders wh…

Staff (2021-07-29). 'Biggest destroyer of peace': China lashes out after US Navy warship sails through Taiwan Strait for SEVENTH time under Biden. rt.com A US Navy guided missile destroyer has crossed the Taiwan Strait in the South China Sea, making it the seventh such trip by an American warship this year, and prompting China to accuse the US of trying provoke its military. | The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed northwards through the strait on Wednesday, the US Navy said in a statement. The maneuver was confirmed by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday, with officials saying the military used joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tools to monitor movements at sea and in the air around Taiwan, accordin…

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). UN envoy: 'Political manipulation' won't defeat pandemic. ecns.cn A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday rejected "false information" from the United States on the coronavirus' origin, saying that "political manipulation is unpopular, cannot defeat the pandemic and is doomed to failure".

ecns.cn (2021-07-29). Any form of U.S. military contact with China's Taiwan opposed. ecns.cn A State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson on Thursday voiced firm opposition to any form of military contact between the United States and China's Taiwan region.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Tiktok vows to strengthen data security. ecns.cn As part of efforts to strengthen its global data security, the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has opened its first regional Fusion Centre in Dublin, Ireland, to detect and respond to critical incidents in real-time.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). China-U.S. relationship at 'new critical juncture': new Chinese ambassador. ecns.cn China's new Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Wednesday said the China-U.S. relationship "has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials."

Staff (2021-07-29). 'We're proud Jews': Ben & Jerry's co-founders say there's nothing 'anti-Semitic' about ice cream embargo of Israeli settlements. rt.com Ben & Jerry's co-founders have pushed back against claims of anti-Semitism following the company's decision to stop offering its ice cream products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, noting that they themselves are Jews. | Writing in the New York Times, Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield said they were "proud Jews" who view Israel's occupation of the West Bank as a barrier to peace. | "It's possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we've opposed policies of the US government. As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territ…

Pablo Navarrete (2021-07-29). Taking action for Palestine. thecanary.co
| Video transcript | What kind of democracy do we live in when 1 million people go out to oppose a war, and they still go and kill innocent civilians? Enough…

Staff (2021-07-29). Cuba no está sola a pesar de la política genocida de los vecinos del norte, afirman cubanos residentes en el exterior. cubadebate.cu Los cubanos, pueblo noble, culto y valiente, llamamos a la Paz, siendo consecuentes con nuestros orígenes. Sólo corresponderá a sus ciudadanos dilucidar y resolver los problemas de la Nación, en un clima de armonía y libertad, de dignidad y justicia, de trabajo y creación, inclusivo y participativo, al que todos podemos contribuir con respeto y compromiso con el futuro.

Staff (2021-07-29). Israel to offer Covid booster shot for over-60s, PM Bennett says amid vaccine efficacy worries. rt.com Israel is set to roll out a scheme to give a third Covid jab to people aged over 60, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has announced, in a bid to increase protection amid fears vaccine efficacy diminishes over time. | The Health Ministry

sputniknews (2021-07-29). US Jobless Hits 400,000 Mark Second Week in Row Amid COVID-19 Challenges – Labor Dept. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) – US jobless claims stood at 400,000 and above for a second week in a row, according to Labor Department data on Thursday that suggested a continued challenge for the labor market recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). UNICEF, Sinovac agree to supply more COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries. ecns.cn The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has recently signed an agreement with the Chinese firm Sinovac to supply developing countries with more COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX mechanism.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). COVAX begins offering Sinovac jabs from Aug. ecns.cn The COVAX vaccine equity scheme is on course to begin deliveries in the developing world of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac from August.

ecns.cn (2021-07-28). Inhaled vaccine shows signs of promise. ecns.cn A two-dose inhaled COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese researchers appears to be safe and capable of eliciting strong immune responses comparable to those of its one-dose injected counterpart.

teleSUR, lfl, SH (2021-07-29). Más de la mitad de los mexicanos confían en el presidente AMLO. telesurtv.net El secretario de la Función Pública de México informó que desde 2019, la confianza en el presidente se ha incrementado de un 25 a 51 por ciento.

teleSUR, him, JL (2021-07-29). Declaran emergencia ante intentos de desestabilización en Bolivia. telesurtv.net Huarachi declaró la emergencia ante el nulo reconocimiento de la oposición boliviana del dictamen pericial sobre el proceso electoral de 2019.

sputniknews (2021-07-29). Capitol Police to Arrest House Staffers, Visitors Not Wearing Masks After CDC Policy Reversal. sputniknews.com The new guidelines from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come as the number of new coronavirus cases per day grows in the US, with the highly contagious Delta variant making up the majority of new infections.

sputniknews (2021-07-29). Pentagon's Use of Private Security Contractors Requires Better Oversight – GAO. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) – The US Department of Defense using private security contractors requires better oversight to ensure they operate within international law, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Thursday.

sputniknews (2021-07-29). Worst Riots Since 90s: How Zuma's Arrest Divided South Africa. sputniknews.com Last week, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa claimed that the instigators of the violence which recently hit the country had been identified and that the government was "going after them".

sputniknews (2021-07-29). Biden Forgets to Name Third Reason Why He Ran for Presidency, Claims He 'Drove' 18-Wheeler Once. sputniknews.com The Democratic president is well known for his frequent gaffes, especially during off-the-cuff speeches, prompting his political rivals to raise questions about his mental capability to hold the nation's highest post.

In Plain Sight: Uncovering Border Patrol's Relationship with Far-Right Militias at the Southern Border
Freddy Cruz | splcenter.org | 2021-07-29