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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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Propaganda alert! Guardian cries 'Russians are coming' amid new scramble for influence in Africa

UN soldiers Africa
© Facebook / MINUSCA
As Western powers that once colonized Africa find themselves drawn back to the continent over its vast mineral riches, what can they do to divert attention? Why, blame Russia, of course!

Enter the Guardian, flogging - but not actually showing - alleged documents purporting to show the Kremlin plotting and scheming in Africa, involving none other than "Putin's chef" and alleged mastermind of "internet trolls" accused of meddling in US politics, Evgeny Prigozhin.

The supposedly nefarious scheme consists of "building relations with existing rulers, striking military deals, and grooming a new generation of leaders" in at least 13 out of 54 African countries in an effort to exert influence, according to the Guardian's Jason Burke and Luke Harding.


Comment: As always, the media shills for the imperial Western power structure accuse Russia of doing exactly what the US, NATO and allied powers are egregiously guilty of.

See also:


Question

Would Tulsi Gabbard be the best choice for US president?

Tulsi Gabbard
© Honolulu Civil Beat
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
The presidential candidacy of Tulsi Gabbard, a Representative from Hawaii, has begun to arouse a lot of interest. In the current climate of sleaze, the Democratic Party is seeking what might be called the "Great Blue Hope". Gabbard be that, but she may be the neatest thing so far.

Personally I don't think she is the only choice. Whoever the Green Party nominates for President will be the best chance for peace. But Tulsi is the best Democrat, so she'd be the second best chance for peace; she is the one most likely to actually win the nomination for the Democratic Party.

One of the reasons she garners attention is that she is one to tell it like it is, at least in terms of supporting Russia for finishing the job on terrorists in Syria. This took some political fortitude, especially at a time when Russia bashing is so in vogue.

Comment: Tulsi is the only sane choice for the Dems, but that lot succumbed to insanity a long time ago. The strident voices of the SJW wing such as Ocasio-Cortez are drowning out more reasonable views, and the Pelosi-Schiff old guard are becoming toothless. Neither faction will tolerate her.


Bad Guys

George Soros and Koch Bros band together to enforce big tech censorship into 2020

koch_soros
The Koch and Soros networks are teaming up to "fight against hate and extremism online."

The globalist Koch Brothers have announced recently that they will not be supporting Donald Trump's re-election campaign with their oligarch money in 2020, and they intend to support Democrats during that same election cycle.

Now, they are colluding with George Soros and other leftist thought-control organizations to enforce corporate censorship on monolithic social media platforms.

Arrow Up

Russian journalist Golunov released after drug allegations dropped following high profile investigation

Golunov
© Sputnik / Grigoriy Sysoev
Ivan Golunov walks out of the Investigative Committee in Moscow.
Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov has been released from house arrest as the criminal case against him was dropped due to a lack of evidence. His arrest sparked widespread protests and allegations of police misconduct.

The journalist appeared at the Investigative Committee building in Moscow late on Tuesday to have his ankle monitor removed. A large crowd of supporters and reporters - as well as his dog - awaited him outside.

Golunov revealed that he has no plans to investigate his own case, stating that there would be "a conflict of interests" in doing so.

"I'll continue to pursue the work I've been doing. I'll make investigations, since I have to justify the trust of those who supported me. That [support] has been, indeed, fantastic," the journalist told reporters.

Comment: RT reports that Golunov was likely targeted because of his investigations into corruption involving the police force:
The interior minister said he will be asking President Vladimir Putin to sack the senior Moscow police official responsible for counter-drug investigations as well as other officials responsible for the scandal.

The police officers suspected of framing the journalist have been suspended pending an internal investigation, Kolokoltsev said. "The materials of a probe conducted by the police internal investigation unit have been sent to the Investigative Committee [an office under the Prosecutor General] to evaluate the validity of the actions of the officers who detained him," he said.

Golunov was detained on Thursday, with police officers claiming they found drugs in his possession and accusing him of dealing drugs. The journalist denied the allegations and said the evidence was planted by the police in retaliation for his investigative journalism about local authorities.The case triggered widespread outrage in Russia, with leading media outlets and public figures demanding a swift probe into suspected police corruption.

Golunov also said police mistreated him while in custody, refusing his right for an attorney and even assaulting him violently. Allegations of brutality further fueled the public outrage over the case.

The developments were hailed by Russian human rights activists and media professionals, who were supporting Golunov.

"The only thing I have to say is I am very happy," said Mikhail Fedotov, the chair of the presidential human rights council. "This is an outcome I was expecting and I hope it's not the end of this story."

Galina Timchenko, the editor-in-chief of the news website Meduza, for which Golunov works, said she was "happy, crying" after learning the news.

"We all know that this happened thanks to the effort of hundreds and thousands of people. I am grateful to them all," she said.
For more details surrounding the case, see: "We are Golunov": Unanswered questions and inconsistencies in arrest of Russian journalist exposing corruption

And for insight into how the West deals with its whistlerblowers, see: Assange Espionage Act indictment a war on press freedom and threat to First Amendment


Network

Social Media Policing: WhatsApp vows to sue users for 'abuse' - even if evidence of the offence is found on another app, website or social network

whatsapp
© Getty
People who fail to obey the messaging app’s rules could find themselves hauled into court
WhatsApp has promised to take legal action against people or companies who break its rules - even if the 'abuse' took place on another platform.

The messaging app has strict guidelines governing its own users' behaviour and anyone who breaks the terms of service can already be hit by a ban. But now the Facebook-owned company wants to take things a bit further by hauling users into court.

And you don't need to break the rules on WhatsApp itself to find yourself in trouble, because its enforcers will strike even they find 'off platform-evidence of abuse'.

Comment: Is it the time to ditch Whatsapp? See also:


Bad Guys

Leftist Policing on Social Media: Pro-life group kicked off Pinterest for 'misinformation' after flagged as porn site

choose Life pinterest
© Reuters / Lawrence Bryant(L),Eric Thayer(R)
Pro-life outfit Live Action has had quite the week on social media. After appealing Pinterest's decision to flag the group's website as porn, the platform hit back and banned the group altogether, citing "medical misinformation."

Live Action's director of external affairs, Alison Centofante, took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the suspension.

"Your account was permanently suspended because its contents went against our policies on misinformation," Pinterest informed the organization. "We don't allow harmful misinformation on Pinterest," including "medical misinformation and conspiracies that turn individuals ... into targets for harassment or violence."

Comment: See also:


Chess

Trump's G20 tariff threat to China sinks US diplomacy to 'new low'

Trump G20 China
© Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump's threat of more tariffs if Chinese President Xi Jinping doesn't show up to the G20 summit is a "new low" for US diplomacy, crossing the line and threatening to unravel global trade, analysts tell RT.

China will agree to a trade deal with the US "because they have to," Trump said on Monday, adding that new tariffs on Chinese goods will go into effect immediately if Xi does not attend the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan later this month. Washington and Beijing have been negotiating a new trade deal for months, without results.

"This is a new low in American diplomacy," Sourabh Gupta, senior policy specialist at the Institute for China America Studies, told RT. "That an American president would advance and impose tariffs on a counterpart country if that country's president did not consent to a sit-down bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral summit is absurd, to the point of being almost comical."

Arrow Up

Bolton: US has expanded 'offensive cyber operations' against state actors; 'they will pay a price'

bolton
© Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
US National Security Advisor John Bolton
The United States is ramping up cyber operations targeting Russia and other so-called adversaries, in what US National Security Advisor John Bolton says is a response to election meddling.

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's CFO Network conference on Tuesday, Bolton said Washington had taken steps to create "structures of deterrence" in cyberspace in order to stop interference in US elections, but what he described sounded a lot like launching a cyber war.

Under a new presidential directive, the administration has "fundamentally changed the way the United States government makes decisions about offensive cyber operations," Bolton said, adding that the new approach has improved "capabilities across the board to engage in more offensive cyber activities."

Comment: See also:


Stop

China invites India to join in warding off US 'bullying' trade practices

ModiTrumpXi
© pandaily.com
Prime Minister Modi • President Trump • President Xi
Chinese authorities have invited the Indian government to join efforts to effectively offset the potential impact of "protectionist" and "unilateral" trade practices implemented by the US across the world over recent months.

According to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui, "trade frictions between China and the US and the specter of trade frictions between the US and India" may become a crucial subject for talks between the two states, bullied by Washington.

"Trade protectionism and unilateralism are very much on the rise. How to respond to the bullying practices of the United States ... its practices of trade protectionism is an important question," Zhang said.

The comment comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is to kick off in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek later this week. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet with his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the event.

The top official stressed that the heads of state would reach deeper understanding on the issue of "upholding justice and opposing trade protectionism" in global trade. Moreover, Zhang expressed hopes that the neighboring nations would agree on bilateral trade.

Comment: See also:


Attention

CNN's Acosta warns 'conservative media': 'There's no guarantee you get to stay in power'

Jim Acosta WH intern
© Screenshot
CNN's Jim Acosta tussles with WH intern during press conference
CNN White House correspondent and professional Donald Trump antagonist Jim Acosta warned his "friends" in the conservative media that they could face the same treatment the liberal press now gets if the other side takes power.

"To our friends in conservative media, I say this: It is no guarantee that you get to stay in power forever," Acosta said during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.

Acosta suggested that while conservative news groups have been favored by the current administration, they might not be so lucky the next time a Democrat takes the White House, given the dangerous precedent.

His comments came alongside the release of his new book The Enemy of the People which covers Trump's troubled relationship with the press.


Comment: See also: