BBC Wrote:A US judge has ordered Iran to pay $1.45bn (1.23bn euros; £1.12bn) to the family of an ex-FBI agent who vanished during a visit to the country in 2007.
A ruling awarded Robert Levinson's wife and children $1.35bn in punitive damages and $107m in compensatory damages for kidnapping.
There was no immediate response from the Iran government, which has always denied knowing his status or location.
US authorities and Mr Levinson's family believe he died in Iranian custody.

As if Iran ever cared to make any payments.

Flooding hits six million people in East Africa
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54433904

BBC Wrote:Nearly six million people have been affected this year with 1.5 million of them forced from their homes.
Parts of the region are recording the heaviest rains in a century.
In 2019, a big temperature differential between the east and west sides of the Indian Ocean was blamed for heavy rainfall.

Sophie Pétronin: Hopes rise for release of French hostage in Mali
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54433395

BBC Wrote:Sophie Pétronin, 75, was abducted in Mali in December 2016 and after almost four years in detention is known as the last French hostage in the world.
Now, there are reports of her imminent release, alongside a veteran Malian politician, as part of a prisoner swap for more than 100 jihadists.

They're releasing jihadists!?
Let me tell you they'll regret they ever agreed to set them free.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54431726

BBC Wrote:Anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been arrested in Spain and faces extradition to the US where he has been charged with tax evasion.
Prosecutors say he failed to file tax returns for four years, despite earning millions from consulting work, speaking engagements, crypto-currencies and selling the rights to his life story.
None of the income is connected with the software firm which bears his name.
DOJ stated Mr McAfee allegedly evaded tax liability by having his income paid into bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchange accounts in the names of nominees. As a result, it is alleged, he failed to file any tax returns from 2014 to 2018.

So hacking iPhones for the FBI is not on their lists at all.

Killer of Chinese millionaire Gang Yuan jailed
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54430116

BBC Wrote:A man who killed a Chinese millionaire and chopped up his body has been sentenced to jail in Canada, in a case that has gripped China.
Li Zhao had been found guilty of manslaughter after he shot dead his relative Gang Yuan in 2015 during a violent quarrel between the two men.
On Monday a court sentenced Zhao to 10 years and six months in jail.

The robot shop worker controlled by a faraway human
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54232563

BBC Wrote:In a quiet aisle of a small supermarket in Tokyo, a robot dutifully goes about its work. Reaching down, it grabs yet another bottle of a flavoured drink that humans like, lifts it and places it on the shelf of a refrigerated unit. Then the next one. People come and go.
It looks like a well-integrated autonomous mechanical worker, but that is something of an illusion. This robot doesn't have a mind of its own. Several miles away, a human worker is controlling its every movement remotely and watching via a virtual reality (VR) headset that provides a robot's eye view.

So instead of simply connecting to the company's network through some VPN connection to open a simple window, you now have to telework by controlling a robot?
Honestly I would prefer to show up at my workplace instead. Sometimes being lazy is not a good idea after all.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-kay-i...c0d3632b56

AP News Wrote:Gov. John Bel Edwards called on southwest Louisiana residents still reeling from the late August destruction of Hurricane Laura to ready for Hurricane Delta, which has strengthened back into a Category 3 storm and is expected to hit the state Friday.
Benjamin Schott, with the National Weather Service, says wind gusts could exceed 110 mph (177 kph) in the Lake Charles area wrecked by Laura and well into Lafayette in south central Louisiana, causing significant wind damage.
Late Thursday afternoon, Delta had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) and was located 345 miles (555 km) south of Cameron, Louisiana. It was moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

https://apnews.com/article/crabs-germany...30e92684bf

AP News Wrote:Police in southern Germany say a woman got a shock while airing out her home when a 25-centimeter (10-inch) Chinese mitten crab scurried in from the terrace through the open door.
Officers were able to put the crab into a container and then take it to a local veterinary clinic.
The invasive species, native to Asia, is now found in many rivers in Germany, and the woman’s residence was not far from the Rhine, though the Chinese mitten crab has never been reported in the area before. They’re not considered dangerous.

First foreign seeds in the US and now Chinese crabs in Germany... What's the CCP up to now?

https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-chi...597ecaa9ed

AP News Wrote:A 700-year-old Chinese painted scroll from the Yuan Dynasty fetched 306.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($41.8 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong.
The 6.6-feet scroll, titled “Five Drunken Princes Returning on Horseback” is by Ren Renfa, a renowned Chinese artist and government official.
The painting depicts the princes riding horses, together with four attendants. One of the princes is Li Longji, who later became the longest-reigning Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Still, I do think the bidder paid more money than it's actually worth. Plus why would you ever want to take five drunkards home?

https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbrea...a7baf06a8f

AP News Wrote:Congress is not in legislative session, and so any serious consideration of the measure, let alone votes in the House or Senate, is unlikely. But the bill serves as a political tool to stoke questions about Trump’s health during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill would create a commission as outlined under the 25th Amendment, which was passed by Congress and ratified in 1967 as way to ensure a continuity of power in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

So it'll be useless anyway. That's right! Pelosi loves to come up with useless or crazy stuff by thinking she can make Biden earn some extra votes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54462311 

BBC Wrote:German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder - close to the Kremlin - has come under fire in Germany for refusing to accept that Russia was behind the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Mr Navalny, recovering after a knife-edge struggle for life in a Berlin hospital, himself lashed out at Mr Schröder in a Bild newspaper interview.
Mr Schröder chairs the boards of Russian state oil firm Rosneft and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline firm.
Russia denies targeting Mr Navalny.
Norbert Röttgen, a close aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Christian Democrat Party (CDU), accused Mr Schröder of helping to obscure Russian responsibility for the poisoning.

Herr Schröder not only works for Russian companies, he's a close friend of Putin!

Gerhard Schröder Wrote:Of course I'm also concerned about an attack with poison. What is happening now is really speculation, because there are no substantiated facts, at least regarding who is responsible for this attack on Mr Navalny.

So he now thinks pretty much anybody in Russia has open access to that toxin the KGB developed?

BBC Wrote:Mr Navalny also criticised Valery Gergiev, the Russian chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, saying the music maestro must choose between loyalty to Mr Putin and staying in the EU, but he could not have both.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told parliament that if Russia failed to provide clear information about the poisoning of Mr Navalny, "targeted and proportionate sanctions against those responsible are unavoidable".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54456608

BBC Wrote:Russia's interior ministry did not give details of the charge against Ms Tikhanovskaya.
But Russia's Tass news agency reported that she was on the wanted list in Belarus and the Belarusian warrant against her would also be carried out in Russia according to agreements between the two countries.
However she was not on an international wanted list, a source told Tass.
Ms Tikhanovskaya was forced to go into exile in Lithuania after receiving threats following the disputed vote.

So becoming a presidential candidate and asking for fair elections is a crime in Belarus and Russia!?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54458366

BBC Wrote:Fourteen villages have been evacuated and a motorway closed after a huge blaze at an ammunitions depot south-east of the Russian capital, Moscow.
At least six people have been injured, with five requiring hospital treatment.
The depot in the Ryazan region is reportedly used to store missiles and other artillery munitions.
The site caught fire on Wednesday after flames spread from burning grasslands, officials said. A state of emergency has been declared in the region.
The emergency services reported a string of explosions from the depot site - coming every five to ten seconds - shortly after the fire broke out at about 13:40 local time (10:40 GMT).

Now they can't even keep missiles and ammo safe in Russia.  
Poor citizens... They government and its military didn't prevent this fire from ever getting so dangerous.

BBC Wrote:Two ex-British alleged Islamic State (IS) group suspects have been charged with terrorism offences over the deaths of four American hostages.
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, originally from west London, are accused of belonging to an IS cell dubbed "The Beatles" involved in kidnappings in Iraq and Syria.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54444793

BBC Wrote:The US government has announced it will tighten the requirements for the popular H-1B visa.
These visas are widely used by tech firms and visa recipients are mostly Indian and Chinese.
The temporary visas are intended to allow US companies to use foreign workers to fill skills gaps.
But the Trump administration says the visa has been abused, often at the expense of American workers.

Well, there's always a possibility they'd hire foreign workers only to cut expenses. By the way, 10% of the temporary workers are Chinese but most of them are Indian.

BBC Wrote:The new rules will also require firms to make "real" offers to US residents before seeking to bring in foreigners. The plan will be implemented after a 60-day comment period.
The DHS has also vowed to “increase compliance through worksite inspections.”

Of course, tech firms complained as soon as they learned about these changes.

https://www.state.gov/samark-jose-lopez-bello/

US Government Wrote:The indictments allege that, beginning in or about February 2017, Lopez Bello, worked with others to violate and evade OFAC sanctions imposed pursuant to the Kingpin Act and related regulations. In connection with efforts to violate and evade OFAC's sanctions, Lopez Bello coordinated with U.S. citizens/persons using U.S. based companies to charter private flights, for El Aissami and others, to travel in and between, among other places, Venezuela, Russia, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic.

He's actively partaking in Maduro's drug dealing schemes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54504123
Turkish government let three ships set sail and explore the area that is rich in natural resources like oil but there is a difference. Now they claim it will study tremors there! Right...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54503709

BBC Wrote:André Oliveira Macedo, also known as André do Rap, was released from a high security prison on Saturday - but this decision was revoked just hours later.
He has been missing since.
Macedo is a senior member of the São Paulo-based First Command of the Capital (PCC) gang, which holds power in jails across Brazil and Paraguay and smuggles tonnes of cocaine into Europe.
His release was the result of a controversial order by Judge Marco Aurélio Mello, one of 11 justices on Brazil's Supreme Court.

Show mercy to some drug dealer and he will definitely flee away. Only an idiot would not know that from the very beginning.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-54499348

BBC Wrote:At least 40 people armed with metal bars and fireworks have attacked a police station to the south of Paris, according to officials.
The assailants, who caused damage to cars and broke windows, also tried unsuccessfully to storm the building, police said.

Did you ever think that riots were only taking place in USA? :sweatgrin: You better think it twice!
Paris is also in the same situation, even Costa Rica in Latin America has issues with protesters and gangs.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54458638

BBC Wrote:Chinese authorities confirmed that Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen and high-profile host for China's English-language broadcaster CGTN, had been detained on suspicion of endangering national security.
Shortly after, the last two correspondents working for Australian media in China were rushed home on the advice of diplomats.
On the eve of ABC reporter Bill Birtles' hastily planned departure from Beijing, seven Chinese police officers arrived on his doorstep in the middle of the night. A similar visit was paid to the Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith in Shanghai.
Each took refuge in Australian diplomatic missions but were prevented from leaving China until they were questioned over vague "national security" matters.
Most recently, two Australian academics were banned from entering China - a move one argued had been in retaliation to Canberra revoking the visas of two Chinese scholars.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54548661
Melania Trump confirmed her son had contracted the Wuhan virus!
Nowadays he's been testing negative to


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54547474

BBC Wrote:Two US hostages held by Houthi rebels in Yemen have been released, seemingly as part of a large prisoner exchange.
Sandra Loli, a humanitarian worker held for about three years, and businessman Mikael Gidada, held for about one, were freed on Wednesday, US officials said.
The remains of a third US captive, Bilal Fateen, were repatriated as well.
It comes after the Houthis reported receiving more than 200 Yemenis from Oman, where many had been stranded after receiving medical treatment.
Mr Abdulsalam added that they included casualties who had travelled to the Gulf state during UN-brokered peace talks between the warring parties in Stockholm in 2018. "The United Nations did not bring [them] back" in line with the agreement reached, he said.

They also claim that Sandra Loli is in ill-health.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54544443

BBC Wrote:A white woman who called police on a black man bird watching in New York's Central Park made a second call accusing him of attempted assault, prosecutors say.
Amy Cooper appeared in court on Wednesday charged with falsely reporting an incident.
A viral video showed Ms Cooper threatening Christian Cooper, no relation, with the police when he asked her to put her dog on a lead.
This happened on 25 May, Memorial Day.
This was also the day that unarmed black man George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, triggering weeks of national and global anti-racism protests.

Who would tell she would share the same surname as her alleged attacker? It wasn't his lucky day for sure. OK she might spend a year in jail for pressing false charges against him.


https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54522984

BBC Wrote:American sport, culture and, many would say, values pump through the veins of Germany.

I won't deny Germany has adopted several customs that actually belonged to Americans but claiming that they are totally concerned with US Elections might be a little bit exaggerated. Don't you think, Melana?

Average German Citizen Ute Wrote:For my generation - born after the second world war - Americans were a great example of freedom and democracy. That's ended with Trump.

BBC Wrote:For her part, the German chancellor has never warmed to President Trump's style or his politics. She was openly dismayed by his dismissive attitude towards Nato, his withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate change, and his rejection of the Iran nuclear agreement.

German foreign affairs Committee Chairman Norbert Roentgen Wrote:The four years of the Trump presidency have meant that everything, very fundamentally, has been called into question. The very existence of Nato, the predictability of US foreign policy. It has been a disruption which we haven't seen since World War Two.
We are concerned. I'm totally convinced that the prospect of another four years would not only mean that we're going to see more of the same, but I'm quite certain we would see an acceleration of everything we've experienced. Because then President Trump would not be under the pressure to be re-elected. He would be unshackled.

Well, it seems to be crystal clear German politicians HATE Donald Trump.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54544737

BBC Wrote:A copy of William Shakespeare's First Folio has been sold for a record $9.98m (£7.6m) at auction in New York.
The 1623 book, published seven years after the Bard's death, was the first collected edition of his plays.
About 235 copies of the book exist, but only a handful of complete versions are known to be in private hands.
The edition sold on Wednesday was the first complete copy to go under the hammer since 2001, when one fetched $6.1m (£4.9m) - the previous record.
It was sold by Mills College in Oakland, California - a private college that has owned it since the 1960s. The identity of the buyer was not immediately known.

I wonder if it was worth all the money they've spent on it when they could have purchased a newer book...


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54531457

BBC Wrote:A South African teacher has been summoned to a disciplinary hearing, accused of fraud, for identifying as "African" in a job application.
Glen Snyman is "coloured" - as people of mixed race have been known since the country was under white-minority rule.
He is the founder of campaign group People Against Race Classification.
He opposes the use of race categories: "black", "coloured", "Indian" and "white" on official documentation, including job-application forms.

So if I say I'm Latin American while staying in South Africa, I'd be charged for not telling them I'm Costa Rican or not black nor white?
Wasn't rejecting his job application more than enough here?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54544437

BBC Wrote:An activist has been fined €1,000 (£901) for removing an African artefact from a Paris museum in protest at France's colonial-era looting of art.
Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza grabbed a 19th Century Chadian wooden funerary post from the Quai Branly museum in June in a protest that was live-streamed.
He said he had "come to claim back the stolen property of Africa".
Fining him for aggravated robbery, the judge said he wanted to "discourage" similar stunts.
"You have other ways of drawing the attention of politicians and the public" to the issue of colonial cultural theft, he said.

Sometimes people think they can break the law for any stupid reason they can come up with. I suspect this activist is either communist or Muslim (extremist?). You see, they often resort to this kind of absurd behavior and robbery. Couldn't he just ask people to sign a petition of sorts?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54112992

BBC Wrote:The alert about the latest shark attack came last Friday: a surfer was missing; his board dragged from the waves bearing bite marks.
Western Australian authorities have since called off the search for Andrew Sharpe, 52, confirming he was mauled by a shark.
Friends who witnessed the attack said he had been knocked off his board and pulled underwater. Police divers later found scraps of his wetsuit.
His death in Wylie Bay, a popular surf spot, marks the seventh fatal shark attack in Australian waters this year, causing alarm among beach-going communities.
Not since 1929 - when there were nine fatalities - have there been so many.

The BBC considers this year isn't that impressive if talking about shark attacks. Of course, losing loved ones is always hurtful.
Just don't take it personal, guys. Sharks do need to eat as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-54533860

BBC Wrote:The RAF dropped the Tallboy or "earthquake" bomb in a raid in 1945 which sank the German cruiser Lützow.
The Polish Navy said there had been a 50:50 chance the bomb would explode and all the divers were unharmed.

Perhaps that bomb desperately wanted to get its 15 seconds of fame after all these years.



https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-envi...t-54545170

BBC Wrote:The spacecraft, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a Nasa astronaut, made the trip in just three hours and three minutes – half the usual journey time.

Would this flight be the last one for an American aboard a Russian rocket?

CNN's Wolf Blitzer attacked by Pelosi over Covid Relief
After the CNN anchor questioned her and quoted a fellow Democrat in making a deal after Republicans offered a significant $1.8 Trillion dollar value, more than twice the Obama Stimulus...

Nancy Pelosi Wrote:What I say to you is I don't know why you're always an apologist -- and many of your colleagues [are] apologists for the Republican position. Ro Khanna, that's nice, that isn't what we're going to do and nobody's waiting til February.

Pelosi ended the interview claiming Blitzer was working for the Trump administration! CNN????

There was issues with politicians doing insider trading at the beginning of the Covid epidemic, but now...
Biden’s son-in-law advises campaign on pandemic while investing in Covid-19 startups
So yeah, Biden's son-in-law is not only giving Joe advice, but banking on Covid. Talk about a conflict of interests!

NY Post blocked by both Facebook and Twitter about Hunter Biden eMails
Both tech companies have pulled New York Post content claiming that their Biden eMail story involves hacking of data.

US Senator Josh Hawley to Facebook Wrote:The seemingly selective nature of this public intervention suggests partiality on the part of Facebook. And your efforts to suppress the distribution of content revealing potentially unethical activity by a candidate for president raises a number of additional questions, to which I expect responses immediately.

The senator wrote a separate letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey when Twitter does this only selectively.

But what is this about and why are they fuming?

Senate committee investigating alleged Hunter Biden drive and smoking-gun emails

Quote:A Senate committee is investigating a bombshell cache of documents about Hunter Biden’s foreign dealings that was acquired by a Delaware computer repairman and exposed Wednesday by The Post.

This contains info that shows that Joe Biden had actually met with an adviser to Ukraine's Burisma company, something that Biden has actively denied time and time again.

(*)Chairman Ron Johnson Wrote:What we know for a fact is that Hunter Biden took millions of dollars from foreign nationals including, the wife of the former Mayor of Moscow, people tied to the Chinese Communist Party and other unsavory characters. Joe Biden needs to finally come clean and tell the truth to the American people about all of these issues, and he needs to do it now.

(*)Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

Hunter Biden Introduced Ukrainian Businessman to Daddy

the eMail Wrote:Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure.

You'll see in this article that Hunter sent the lappy for repair and forfeited it by non-payment, then its seizure by the FBI and followed contacting of Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello. So yeah, Hunter Biden abandoned his lappy at a repair store and it had the eMails right there. There was no hacking, Twitter!

Hunter eMails show leveraging connections with his dad to boost Burisma Pay
I'll let you read this for yourself. But this kind of issue does show why the Senate is looking into it... issues with political ethics.

Newsweek Wrote:An academic who claimed—without evidence—that the Chinese government was behind the manufacturing and intentional release of SARS-CoV-2 now says her mother has been arrested in retaliation for her speaking out to U.S. media.
Li-Meng Yan, a former Hong Kong University post-doctoral student, fueled internet conspiracies last month after asserting the virus that causes COVID-19 was "not from nature" while pushing a pre-print report filled with baseless assertions about the origins of the virus.

Well, even if Newsweek calls her claims baseless for political reasons, we need to agree on how low the Chinese government has fallen by arresting her mother. Is the scientist's mother responsible for her daughter's declarations?

Li-Meng Yan Wrote:This is not the first time my mom and my other family members [have been] arrested by the [CCP]. I cut off most connection with my family directly. This is the fourth time my mom, 63 years old, teacher, got arrested by Chinese Communist Party.

Four times already? That's just too obvious and too abusive for sure!

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54559605

BBC Wrote:Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris will halt campaign travel until Monday after two members of her staff tested positive for coronavirus.
The California senator's communications director, Liz Allen, and a flight crew member received the results on Wednesday, a Biden official said.
Neither aide had close contact with the candidates in the 48 hours prior to their positive tests, she added.
Ms Harris had been scheduled to fly to North Carolina on Thursday.

And they complained about Trump and his advisors and staffers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54562501

BBC Wrote:Two pieces of old space junk may come within 25m of each other, according to a Silicon Valley start-up which uses radars to track objects in orbit.
LeoLabs has been monitoring the paths of a defunct Russian satellite and a discarded Chinese rocket segment.
It sees them converging over Antarctica at 00:56 GMT (01:56 BST) on Friday.
Other experts who've looked at the available data think Kosmos-2004 and the ChangZheng rocket stage will pass with a far greater separation.
With a combined mass at over 2.5 tonnes and relative velocity of 14.66km/s (32,800mph), any collision would be catastrophic and produce a shower of debris.

Why is it a problem? Well, they will remain for years and could also hit operational satellites like those in use for GPS!

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54552101

Twitter\s CEO Jack Dorsey Wrote:Our communication around our actions on the @nypost article was not great. And blocking URL [website link] sharing via tweet or DM [direct message] with zero context as to why we're blocking: unacceptable.

Still, he doesn't explain why they only applied it to an article they disliked but never to one talking crap about Trump.

BBC Wrote:The Senate Judiciary Committee now plans to vote on Tuesday whether to force Mr Dorsey to appear before it three days later to answer questions about the affair.
Several Republican members have already said they will vote in favour.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz Wrote:Never before have we seen the censorship of a major outlet's reporting.
Big Tech crossed a line and must be held accountable.

US President Donald Trump Wrote:So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of 'Smoking Gun' emails.

Mrs. McEnany shared some information on that New York Post article but Twitter FORCED her to delete the tweet so she could regain access to her account.

BBC Wrote:Mr Trump has previously indicated that he would like social media websites to be treated as publishers, if they exercise control over what users are allowed to post.

Well, if a traditional newspaper is considered a publisher, if an editorial that worked on a book is called a publisher, then any social media that also reviews its posts or tweets should be held responsible for them as well. Otherwise, they should keep all of their posts intact!

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54547987
The finding took place in the Badlands in Alberta, Canada. His family even sent photos of the bones to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Curiously, the experts thought those fossils were located in a place that was not known for such discoveries. Now they've found up to 50 bones belonging to a 3 or 4 year old Hadrosaur.

What are you waiting for, Silly?

https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/14/foreign...-rejection

Tico Times Wrote:A commission of the Nicaraguan parliament deemed it favorable to approve in the coming days the bill for the Regulation of Foreign Agents, a much-criticized text with which the government of Daniel Ortega seeks to control the funds of civil organizations, an official deputy reported Tuesday.
The United States and the European Parliament last week condemned the bill promoted by the Nicaraguan government on the grounds that it restricts public freedoms. Both also threatened new sanctions.
The text indicates that the persons and companies that work “under the order, supervision and control of a foreign body” will be obligated to register with the Ministry of the Interior.
The same must be done by those who “act as counselors, public relations, advertising agents, information service employers” and political consultants, among others.

And it's highly likely they were inspired by China. Of course, they had to accuse foreign forces of all the troubles the government itself has caused in their country.  

https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/13/u-s-sta...costa-rica

Tico Times Wrote:The United States on Tuesday lifted a warning that advised its citizens to avoid all travel to Costa Rica.
Costa Rica, which had been under the strictest advisory (Level 4: Do Not Travel), has improved to a Level 3 (Reconsider Travel).

Curiously, the only Central American country still in the Level 4 Travel Advisory is Panama.  


https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/12/dozens-...ns-violent

Tico Times Wrote:wenty-eight people were arrested in Costa Rica on Monday afternoon when a march to Casa Presidencial [the Costa Rican counterpart of the White House] turned violent, the Public Security Ministry (MSP) said.
Eleven police officers were injured — two seriously — as protesters attempted to break through a police cordon in Zapote, San José, Security Minister Michael Soto said. Seven police vehicles were damaged in the clashes.

The protests were caused by people's hatred against the IMF. The Costa Rican government had planned to ask for a $1.7 millions loan this month but Rescate Nacional (National Rescue) movement called the population to take over streets. What's interesting here is that on Monday, Police had infiltrated several agents among the movement. It took them a day and several videos where you could watch them promoting violence AGAINST THEIR OWN COLLEAGUES during the protests.


https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/14/supreme...oad-blocks

Tico Times Wrote:The court unanimously accepted a writ of habeas corpus against the Ministry of the Presidency and the National Police for not removing those who impeded circulation on at least 40 sections of roads throughout the country.
According to the ruling of the constitutional chamber, the demonstrations called by the self-proclaimed Movimiento Rescate Nacional (National Rescue Movement) sought to hinder the country’s road infrastructure and access to seaports.

Two days later the Costa Rican Supreme Court condemned the CR government for being lazy.  


https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/14/health-...-poisoning
Last year there were several poisonings caused by liquor polluted with methanol, which can kill most of its victims in a couple of hours or even less. Not even the ongoing pandemic stopped drug dealers from supplying the bars or mini markets with those altered bottles of alcohol.

Months ago The Guardian also noticed there were several people dying in Mexico for the same reason.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/m...s-methanol

https://ticotimes.net/2020/10/13/pre-col...-1-highway

Tico Times Wrote:An archaeological evaluation prior to the expansion of the main highway in Costa Rica revealed the presence of four pre-Columbian tombs, clay pots and a gold earring, the consortium in charge of the work reported Monday.
The archaeologist Magdalena Leon, in charge of the evaluation, commented that the site where the works are carried out is “multicomponent” — that is, that it had occupations for several periods, which explains why pre- and post-Columbian elements of different phases have been found.

The gold earring is supposed to represent a bird.

(10-15-2020, 11:33 PM)kyonides Wrote:

Chinese Virologist Who Claimed COVID Was Made in Lab Says Her Mom Has Been Arrested in China

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-virolog...ry-1536962

Newsweek Wrote:An academic who claimed—without evidence—... (continues)

Well, even if Newsweek calls her claims baseless for political reasons, we need to agree on how low the Chinese government has fallen by arresting her mother. Is the scientist's mother responsible for her daughter's declarations?

I just wish to follow this up with a separate article published by WION (World Is One News) which was labeled as a Least-Biased news source according to (>Media Bias Fact Check<)

Chinese Virologist Reveals China's Fake Science and the Covid-19 Cover Up

Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D Wrote:On February 3, 2020, “batwoman” Dr. Zheng-Li Shi of the Wuhan Institute of Virology published an article suggesting that COVID-19 originated in bats and a bat coronavirus named RaTG13 was shown ....
....despite the fact that RaTG13 exists only on paper because no live virus or intact genome of RaTG13 have ever been isolated or recovered.

Dr. Yan and her colleagues now make multiple arguments indicating that RaTG13 is a fabricated virus.

So the whole Chinese BAT virus was based on evidence that has never been  "isolated or recovered", and Newsweek says Dr Yan was publishing material without evidence?

Dr Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D is also Colonel Lawrence Sellin, a retired Army Reservist, who previously worked at the  U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.  So he is well versed in virology, unlike Newsweek.

https://www.cyberscoop.com/twitter-revis...y-blow-up/

CyberScoop Wrote:Twitter said it would modify its policy on hacked materials amid a controversy about a disputed news article about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, clarifying it would only remove that kind of content if “directly shared by hackers or those acting in concert with them.”
Additionally, Twitter pledged not to block related links from being shared and instead label tweets, said Vijaya Gadde, the company’s global lead for legal, policy, and trust and safety.

It seems they finally realized it was idiotic to block the tweets only to benefit those being questioned, including Twitter.  
Sadly, that's pretty much a smokescreen for they won't let people publish materials related to the Burisma scandal.

Twitter\s Spokesman Brandon Borrman Wrote:No change as the materials in the article still violate our rules on sharing personal private information.

Even so FCC doesn't seem to agree with their procedures.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wrote:Social media companies have a First Amendment right to free speech but they do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity denied to other media outlets, such as newspapers and broadcasters.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54573356

BBC Wrote:A teacher has been beheaded in a north-western suburb of Paris, with the attacker shot dead by police.
The victim is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.
The attack occurred at about 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) near a school. Anti-terror prosecutors are investigating.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene, calling the killing an "Islamist terrorist attack".
Mr Macron said he was murdered because he "taught freedom of expression". The victim has not been named.

Once again, Muslim extremists wanna impose their sharia against national and international laws.
The killer carried a knife.
Just three weeks ago another terrorist had attacked two people as well.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54577971
The Canadian Prime Minister grew tired of China's coercive diplomacy. Here's the reason why he finally voiced his concerns.

BBC Wrote:His remarks on Friday come a day after the Chinese ambassador warned that granting asylum to Hong Kong protesters could put Canadians in danger.
The envoy's comments were seen by many as a not-so veiled threat.

What are they talking about here?

Beijing\s Envoy Cong Peiwu Wrote:If the Canadian side really cares about stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, and really cares about the good health and safety of those 300,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong and the large number of Canadian companies operating in Hong Kong … you should support those efforts to fight violent crimes

China is known for attacking the Uighurs, arresting and sterilizing them or even forcing them to work for companies under the CCP's control.

Even so Trudeau doesn't wanna realize China is an enemy while still claiming he'll defend Canadian interests and speaking in favor of human rights.

Helping the Chinese economy that turned Uighurs into slaves and hacks foreign networks to steal data and money doesn't look like the perfect way to defend human rights at all.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54566978

BBC Wrote:Japan is to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
Environmental and fishing groups oppose the idea but many scientists say the risk it would pose is low.
The government says no final decision has been made.
The release of more than a million tonnes of water, which has been filtered to reduce radioactivity, would start in 2022 at the earliest, according to Japanese media outlets including national dailies the Nikkei and the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The water would be diluted inside the plant before release so it is 40 times less concentrated, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, with the whole process taking 30 years.

If I were a Japanese citizen, I'd surely stay away from the coast.

You see, they couldn't remove the tritium isotope from the waters like they did with others so they'll simply dilute it. At the same time scientists claim tritium isn't a real threat to human and animal health.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54566167
He was placed in a freezer previous to his funeral. That proved to be the actual trigger of his decease later on. Why? That's because he was still alive after all.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54552057

BBC Wrote:A former Mexican defence minister has been charged with drug trafficking and laundering money while holding public office, US prosecutors say.
Gen Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was arrested at Los Angeles airport on Thursday.
His charges include conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana to the US.
Prosecutors accuse Mr Cienfuegos, a retired general known as "The Godfather", of helping the H-2 Cartel - "an extremely violent Mexican drug-trafficking organisation" - smuggle drugs into the US.

Even incumbent Mexican President López Obrador coincided the previous governments were practically "narco-governments" meaning cartel driven governments.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54547304
Is the Ottoman Empire reviving? That's what this analysis tries to find out.
In the last few years Turkey has become communist, authoritarian and militaristic. It's member of NATO but is unable to play well with others, especially Greece and Cyprus. Turks are experiencing an economic crisis. Still, they don't just import weapons, they now produce and export them as well. They spent billions of dollars in a Russian defense system, undermining the European Union's trust for Turkey is currently able to run Western and Russian systems concurrently, posing a huge security risk to EU and even the US interests.
Turkey is involved in several wars like those taking place in Lybia, Syria and also the Armenia Azerbaijan war. And don't forget their claims in the Mediterranean Sea in an attempt to get access to large oil and gas reserves.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/gm...ant-hummer

Fox News Wrote:General Motors announced Friday it is turning its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center into Factory ZERO, which will be the company's new home for electric vehicle production.
The $2.2 billion investment to retool and upgrade the facility comes just days before it is set to unveil the HUMMER EV, a fully electric truck.
The investment, which is the largest in GM's history, will create 2,200 manufacturing jobs once fully operational.

This sounds like good news indeed.


https://www.foxnews.com/us/ballots-stole...ngton-town

Fox News Wrote:Police in a city just east of Seattle said Friday that numerous mail ballots have been stolen from people's mailboxes and placed or discarded elsewhere. 
The post office alerted the Sammamish Police Department "that unopened or incomplete ballots have been inappropriately placed in out-going mail bins," the city of Sammamish said Friday. 
Police have also investigated bags of mail that had ballots in them on roadsides and in ditches.
Police are trying to redirect the ballots back to their intended recipients.

And there's people that still think their votes will be safe and arrive in time.

Let's start with a quick recapitulation of previous events.  

(10-16-2020, 11:35 PM)kyonides Wrote:

Twitter revises Hacked Materials Policy after scandal

https://www.cyberscoop.com/twitter-revis...y-blow-up/

CyberScoop Wrote:Twitter said it would modify its policy on hacked materials amid a controversy about a disputed news article about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, clarifying it would only remove that kind of content if “directly shared by hackers or those acting in concert with them.”
Additionally, Twitter pledged not to block related links from being shared and instead label tweets, said Vijaya Gadde, the company’s global lead for legal, policy, and trust and safety.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/social-med...nter-biden
Republicans and some media have noticed how Facebook's and Twitter's officials end up working for Joe Biden's campaign team. So why shouldn't we question what's behind the social media's block or removal of posts and tweets? Especially those make Biden look as bad as he really is...

Plus they had already ask them to police Trump's posts since last September!

https://nypost.com/2020/09/29/biden-camp...rom-trump/

New York Post Wrote:Joe Biden’s campaign sent a letter to Facebook pressing the company to remove posts from President Trump and accused the social media platform of spreading “disinformation,” according to a report on Tuesday.

They simply claim that whatever Trump posts there is pure misinformation without backing up such claims with any evidence. How convenient indeed.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/twitter...asks-tweet
Dr. Atlas posted he did not support the widespread use of face masks. He also mentioned places where it was mandatory to wear them at all times did not prevent people from contracting at all. Instead he advised people to wear it if you were close to other people and take it off once you're isolated or in open spaces, etc.

Twitter just treated it as misleading and removed it just because. If those were an average joe's statements I'd understand why they care so much about spreading misinformation but it wasn't me or you but Dr. Scott W. Atlas telling us when it's fair to wear them responsibly.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/coronav...ream-media

Fox News Wrote:Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, explained that the claim that 90% of the population is susceptible to the virus is untrue because many people have T-cell immunity as well as antibodies.
"It explains a lot about perhaps why children have very, very low risk from this, and explains perhaps why people in Asia didn’t have as much of a problem because they had prior coronavirus exposure," Atlas told Ingraham.

CDC Update on Survival Rates

• Age 0 to 19 - 99.997% chance of surviving the virus
  
• Age 20 to 49 - 99.98% chance
  
• Age 50 to 69 - 99.5% chance
  
• Age 70 and older - 94.6% chance
  

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/steelwo...rump-tower

Fox News Wrote:The United Steelworkers union trolled President Trump over the weekend when it used a “bat light” to project a giant campaign logo for former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., onto the side of Trump Tower in downtown Chicago.
In photos taken on Saturday evening, a giant blue Biden/Harris logo is seen projected onto the side of the skyscraper just above Trump’s own name on his building.

Seriously, Democrats show now respect for anybody that disagree with them. How can you call it democratic if their customs include denigrating or laughing at people? Even Biden has done the same while talking about black people that don't vote for him.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54605976

BBC Wrote:Taiwan alleges two Chinese embassy officials gate-crashed an event to celebrate their national day earlier this month - claims Beijing disputes.
Both sides say their officials were injured in the fight, and have asked Fiji police to investigate.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province but Taiwan's leaders argue it is a sovereign state.

Now it seems that being a Chinese or Taiwanese diplomat might even include some fists doing the talking there.
But let's learn why did this happen.

BBC Wrote:Taiwan's foreign ministry claimed two Chinese officials began taking pictures and trying to collect information about the guests. The Taiwanese diplomat who asked them to leave was assaulted and needed hospital treatment for a head injury, the ministry said.

Well, who wouldn't tell outsiders that they can't take photos at will?
Why should China ever care whether or not any diplomat was attending the event?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54608836
In case you hate your town's common name, you might call it Val-des-Sources as well.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-54534747

BBC Wrote:In the wake of the study, scientists have again suggested eating more jellyfish as a sustainable option.

Check out the videoclip to know why.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54587544

BBC Wrote:Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat is in a critical condition with Covid-19 and has been placed on a ventilator, the Israeli hospital treating him says.
On Sunday, the 65-year-old was rushed to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem from his home in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
His condition was described as "serious but stable", and he was given oxygen.
On Monday morning, the hospital said Mr Erekat's condition had deteriorated and was "now defined as critical".
"Due to respiratory distress, he was put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma," a statement added.

Well an induced coma usually is a bad indicator for a patient...


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54599593

BBC Wrote:The German government is investing €500m (£452m; $488m) in improving ventilation systems in public buildings to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
The grants will go to improve the air circulation in public offices, museums, theatres, universities and schools. Private firms are not yet eligible.
The main aim is to upgrade existing air conditioning systems, rather than install new ones, which costs more.

The following is a relatively dubious claim the German experts made but nobody else has confirmed as of yet.

BBC Wrote:But German experts say apparatus that relies on UV-light, ionisation or ozone can be ineffective against coronavirus, and in some cases worsen the air quality.

So far scientists have admitted that UV-light can kill viruses including and is a valid method of air purification.