World / Offbeat Jul 17, 2019
'Let's see them aliens': 1.3 million people vow to storm Area 51
For more than a century, scientists have scoured the known universe for signs of extraterrestrial life, an endeavor that has thus far proved fruitless — unless you believe the U.S. government is hiding aliens at a remote base in Nevada. The number of people persuaded ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Jul 17, 2019
Pakistani journalists held nationwide protests Tuesday to denounce rampant censorship by the country's powerful security services, massive layoffs due to budget cuts and months-long delays in payments of their wages. The rallies, dubbed Day of Protests, were spearheaded by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, ...
World / Politics Jul 17, 2019
Defiant in the face of widespread censure, President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday that his tweets suggesting four Democratic congresswomen of color return to their countries "were NOT Racist," and he appealed to fellow Republicans to "not show weakness" and to resist a House resolution ...
Asia Pacific / Politics Jul 16, 2019
Move over Trump: China's tweeting diplomats open fresh front in propaganda fight
by Huizhong Wu
Tweets from Chinese diplomats abroad, including seasoned Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai, have opened a fresh front in Beijing's increasingly assertive approach to diplomacy and propaganda and may be a sign of things to come. Cui sent his first tweets just last week ...
World / Politics Jul 16, 2019
'Many people agree with me': Trump triples down on racist tweets amid GOP silence
Defiant in the face of widespread criticism, U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his belligerent call for four Democratic congresswomen of color to get out of the country "right now," cementing his position as the most willing U.S. leader in generations to stoke the discord ...
Business Jul 16, 2019
Google not biased against conservatives, top executive to tell U.S. Senate panel
Google's top government affairs official said on Monday that the search engine does not discriminate against conservative viewpoints and that he will reiterate that to a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday. Karan Bhatia, vice president of global government affairs and public policy at Alphabet Inc.'s ...
World / Crime & Legal Jul 16, 2019
62 Border Patrol employees probed over secret Facebook group that mocked lawmakers and migrants
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday that 62 current and eight former Border Patrol employees are under internal investigation following revelations of a secret Facebook group that mocked lawmakers and migrants. Most are under investigation for posts that surfaced in a secret group ...
Business / Tech Jul 13, 2019
Echo chambers: Fake news fact-checks hobbled by low reach, study shows
Brussels The European Union has called on Facebook and other platforms to invest more in fact-checking, but a new study shows those efforts may rarely reach the communities worst affected by fake news. The analysis, by the big data firm Alto Data Analytics over a three-month ...
Business / Tech Jul 13, 2019
U.S. regulators approve $5 billion penalty for Facebook to settle latest privacy issues: source
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook Inc. this week over its investigation into the social media company's handling of user data, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday. Investors cheered news of the deal and pushed ...
National / Politics Jul 12, 2019
Tokyo-based fact-checking NPO keeping busy ahead of Upper House election
A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization is focusing on the analysis of information related to the July 21 Upper House election in order to prevent voters from being swayed by false claims circulating online. In collaboration with media organizations, FactCheck Initiative Japan verifies remarks made by party ...
National / Politics Jul 12, 2019
Japanese political parties woo young voters with manga, social media and cosplay
Both the ruling and opposition parties are tapping social media, manga and even cosplay in an effort to drum up support from young voters ahead of the July 21 House of Councilors election. The renewed focus on younger voters follows the lowering of the voting ...