After a hopeful improvement, the New York Times coverage of the Gaza protests is unfortunately back to its normal one-sided reporting - and intense pressure from Hasbara Central is surely a major reason. Take a look at this tweet yesterday, as the paper's main reporter, David Halbfinger, jumps to respond to a pro-Israel critic:Sure enough, Halbfinger promptly added the following sentence to his article: "At another point, an explosive was hung from a kite, but fell on the Palestinian side."

In the latest stunning assault on the freedom to think, California state senator Richard Pan - known as the "Mercury Joker" super villain for pushing mandatory vaccines into law via SB 277 - now wants to criminalize all bloggers and independent journalists who dare question the official narratives on vaccines, medicine, politics and government.

The quest for absolute authoritarian control never seems to end with these left-wing zealots. And California looks more and more like North Korea with each new law. (Is Richard Pan the long-lost cousin of Kim Jong-Un?)

Ever seeking to limit public debate, crush independent journalism and control all speech, Richard Pan has a new thought control bill entitled, "SB1424 Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan." While the title seems to target social media websites, the language of the bill clearly applies the law to all blogs, news websites, video sites and podcasts. From the proposed law itself:

As used in this section, "social media" means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site profiles or locations.

Syrians, freed from al-Tawba (Repentance) jail run by the Jaish al-Islam militants in the city of Douma, told Sputnik about inhumane conditions, torture, violence and living in fear of being killed at any moment.

Immense hatred in militant jail

The detainees were living in inhumane conditions in al-Tawba, feeling the constant fear of torture and violence. Moreover, they had to do backbreaking work digging trenches and tunnels.

"It is only at al-Tawba prison where I have seen such immense hatred. This is unbelievable that one person has decided that the other is a non-believer because he does not know something about Islam. We were accused of being heretics because we are military personnel and we have been protecting our motherland," Ali Barhum told Sputnik.

Barhum was kidnapped by the militants in the city of Adra Iabor in Eastern Ghouta five years ago and taken to the town of Douma.

"The men had to dig underground tunnels; women had to cook, do the cleaning, and repair clothes. One had to meet his quota in order to receive food. Food was a very important and painful issue. Even chubby people turned into living skeletons as hunger was constant. We were mainly given bread and porridge. We were given hot food at rare occasions. They fed us mostly once a day, or once in two days sometimes," Barhum said.

There were three shower stalls in the prison, but they had no doors, so anyone passing by could see a person taking a shower, Barhum continued.

All the former detainees confirm that the soldiers and officers of the Syrian military had undergone severe torture in the militants' jails.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu yesterday responded to a video by former 'Amona settler Avihai Boaron, who praised Netanyahu for building 'Amona land thieves a new settlement, by thanking him and promising to visit.

Part and parcel of the job of the most settler-friendly PM ever, you would think. Particularly one who is unusually sensitive to the idea of losing face with the "base."

But Boaron isn't your garden-variety settler leader. He has made genocidal statements. In 2011 Boaron attacked so-called moderate rabbis, who had opposed a "rabbis' letter." That letter was a call, signed by 300 rabbis, demanding Jews refrain from selling or renting houses or apartments to non-Jews. Boaron published his attack in the 117th volume of the Sabbath newszine Ma'ayanei Ha'yeshua, in January 2011- unsigned, but he did not deny writing it later - and claimed the moderate rabbis

"are clerks, who don't want to rock the boat, who say 'this isn't the halacha [law], precisely,' [...] rabbis, in short, whose bread and water is political correctness [...] One wonders whether they will leave the concentrating of 'Amalekites in death camps to others, or will they rule that the wiping out of 'Amalek is no longer relevant. Time will tell."

The ever excellent Campaign Against the Arms Trade is back in the English High Court again today in its continuing attempts to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It is against UK law to sell arms to a country which is likely to use them in breach of international humanitarian law, and that Saudi Arabia consistently and regularly uses British weapons to bomb schools, hospitals and civilians is indisputable.

Unfortunately the courts are an instrument of power and control for the 1%, not an impartial resort for justice, so I fear CAAT will not succeed despite the fact their case is undeniably correct.

Part of the British Government's defence is the close military support it gives to Saudi Arabia, which it claims minimises civilian deaths (it plainly does no such thing). Thousands of children have died in the Yemeni war, most killed by the Saudis and their allies. These war crimes have been documented by the United Nations despite concerted UK and US diplomacy at the UN aimed at downplaying the Saudi crimes. Cluster bombs, white phosphorous and other illegal weapons have frequently been used.

Russia's Federation Council is looking to adopt counter-sanctions against the US, under which the country may ban exports of titanium components to aircraft giant Boeing, according to Russian Senator Sergey Ryabukhin.

"Among the rare earth metals that Russia supplies to the United States is titanium, which is necessary for the technological cycle of production of Boeing," Ryabukhin told RIA Novosti.

Russia could also ban the supply of RD-180 engines used by NASA and the Pentagon, the senator added. "These rocket engines are used not only by NASA, but also by the Pentagon on their satellites. It means the US uses these rocket engines to launch their military satellites," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Russian deputies announced an upcoming response to the American sanctions imposed last week. According to State Duma Vice Speaker Ivan Melnikov, the Russian response would include ending cooperation with the US in the nuclear industry, aircraft building and airspace.

The flight safety center in the UK has apologized for the search of a Russian Aeroflot plane by UK officials in March, the Russian transport minister said. After elaborating on the case, which triggered outrage in Moscow, the center "even apologized," Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told journalists on Friday.

"[The center] did supply [the information]. And even apologized. It was the flight safety center operating under the aegis of the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] on the British soil," he said.

However, in a statement to RT, the organization said that "state agencies do not operate 'under' the ICAO." The Montreal-based ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that "works with the Convention's 192 Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices."

In late March, British officials searched Russian Aeroflot Airbus A321 at Heathrow Airport upon its arrival from Moscow. Officers claimed they needed to inspect the aircraft and demanded that the crew disembark, isolating the captain in the cabin.

Moscow and Aeroflot labeled the actions "illegal" and contrary to "international practice."

The prosecution of those responsible for the MH17 disaster is the first subject Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs will discuss with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Moscow on Friday. The Dutch Minister will also ask Russia to contribute to stopping the conflict in Syria, first of all by making a cease fire possible so that humanitarian aid can get to the people in the war-torn country, NOS reports.

"In the UN Security Council we agreed with all members that all countries will cooperate in the prosecution [of the MH17 perpetrators]. I want to again emphasize to my Russian colleague that it is of great importance that Russia also cooperates", Blok said, according to the broadcaster. He stressed that this does not mean Russia is currently not cooperating. "But the investigation is progressing and it is therefore even more important that this cooperation is there and will continue."

This visit to Moscow was initially scheduled for February, when former Minister Halbe Zijlstra of Foreign Affairs was set to meet Lavrov. But it was postponed because Zijlstra had to resign after lying about being at a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. His successor Blok is now going to Moscow.

This year the Netherlands is a temporary member of the UN Security Council. So Blok will also discuss the conflict in Syria with his Russian counterpart. "Russia plays a very important role in this, often a very negative one." Blok plans to emphasize that Russia's cooperation is crucial for achieving a ceasefire and getting humanitarian aid organizations access to Syria, and ultimately a sustainable solution.

In the wake of US-led airstrikes against Syria following an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, many of US President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters have vehemently criticized the action.

Conservative writers, bloggers and newscasters that have long stood by Trump are abandoning the president in the wake of his latest intervention in Syria for breaking one of his main campaign promises: to refrain from meddling in the Middle East. Many have even retweeted several of Trump's own criticisms of past administrations' actions in the Middle East as a reminder of just how galling these latest strikes are to many in his support base.

Bashar Jaafari, permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations © Eduardo Munoz / Reuters Syrian envoy to UN said that the strikes against his country by US and its allies is "another message to the terrorists" that encourages them to use chemical weapons in their future attacks.

The "three aggressors" showed the terrorist groups that they can "continue to commit their crimes not only in Syria but in other countries" as well, Bashar al-Jaafari said, referring to Washington, London and Paris.