Newsletter

The Catch-All: ICYMI November 18-24

The news I've been consuming this week

Lot of important news happened this week. Surveillance of trillions of US phone records, lots of COVID updates (wear a fucking KN95/N95 mask) and, of course, the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. I especially recomend the excellent reporting by The Breach on news bias against Palestine and the pre-dawn raids arresting people who hung posters at Indigo.

This is what happens when news media blatantly conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism.

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News Round-up

Ontario

A Toronto realtor says the rental market is 'unhinged' after someone lists the other half of a bed, Alex Arsenych, CP24 (Nov. 17)

Mosque attack victims shaken after hate-motivated assaults lead to Toronto man's arrest, CBC News (Nov. 18)

City of Hamilton employee fired after squatting in vacant city-owned unit: report, Codi Wilson, CP24 (Nov. 20)

Patient gets biopsy in U.S. after she says she was denied in Ontario due to ransomware attack, Kennifer La Grassa, CBC News (Nov. 21)

Ontario reaches tentative deal with elementary school teachers, Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello, Global News (Nov. 21)

‘I’m pretty much speechless’: Outrage after Toronto turns down federal shelter offer, Matthew Bingley, Global News (Nov. 22)

A walk-in visit could kick you off a family doctor wait-list, Robyn Miller, CBC News (Nov. 22)

Ontario is one of the angriest places in Canada, new rage poll finds, Andy Takagi, Toronto Star (Nov. 24)

Superior Court rules against City of Kingston on encampment case, Tori Stafford, Kingstonist (Nov. 24)

Doug Ford says he will waive cabinet privilege in RCMP Greenbelt investigation, Colin D’Mello and Isaac Callan, Global News (Nov. 24)

In stunning pre-dawn raids, Toronto police ‘terrorize’ Palestine activists, Martin Lukacs, The Breach (Nov. 24)

Canada

CIJA Has Taken Nearly 25% Of MPs On Paid Trips To ‘Israel’, Davide Mastracci, The Maple (Nov. 20)

Transgender Day of Remembrance important amid rising incidents of violence: group, Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press (Nov. 20)

Staff at A&W in Kamloops, B.C., unionize in what organizers say is a first in Canada, CBC News (Nov. 20)

Spavor blames fellow prisoner Kovrig for Chinese detention, alleges he was used for intelligence gathering, Robert Fife and Steven Chase, The Globe and Mail (Nov. 20)

Canada's aid for Ukraine set to surpass $800 million this year, Murray Brewster, CBC News (Nov. 21)

What does 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' mean?, Brishti Basu, CBC News (Nov. 21)

CTV forbids use of ‘Palestine,’ suppresses critical stories about Israel, Emma Paling, The Breach (Nov. 22)

Half of military sex offence cases never transferred to civilian police, despite government order, Ashley Burke, CBC News (Nov. 22)

KISS Fan, Not Terrorist, Crashes Vehicle on Rainbow Bridge, Scoop Harrison, Consequence (Nov. 22)

Poilievre points at media to explain Rainbow Bridge 'terrorist attack' comments, Darren Major, CBC News (Nov. 23)

Majority of Canadians want ‘neutral’ or no role in Israel-Hamas conflict: Ipsos, Saba Aziz, Global News (Nov. 24)

Canada oil and gas firms to drill 8% more wells next year as emissions target slips, Leyland Cecco, The Guardian (Nov. 24)

World

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on basic peace treaty principles, TASS reports, Reuters (Nov. 18)

Albania’s opposition disrupts a budget vote with flares and piled-up chairs in Parliament, Llazar Semini, The Associated Press (Nov. 20)

Richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%, report says, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian (Nov. 20)

German security officials say they foiled an alleged far-right attack by an 18-year-old, The Associated Press (Nov. 20)

The leader of a Dutch far-right party gets assaulted with a beer bottle 2 days before election, Mike Corder, The Associated Press (Nov. 20)

Watchdog head ‘does not know’ if UK parliament is safe workspace for women, Aletha Adu, The Guardian (Nov. 20)

Meeting the 1.5°C Climate Goal Will Save Millions of People, and It’s Still Feasible, Amy Martin, Scientific American (Nov. 20)

Zimbabwean ranger brings unloved painted dogs back from brink, Richard Assheton, The Guardian (Nov. 21)

Iraq slams US strikes that killed eight pro-Iran fighters, Al Jazeera (Nov. 22)

The Pentagon is moving toward letting AI weapons autonomously decide to kill humans, Tom Porter, Business Insider (Nov. 22)

A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the US, Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press (Nov. 22)

How the Far-Right Won the Dutch Election—and What Comes Next for the Netherlands, Cagan Koc, Bloomberg via TIME (Nov. 22)

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding a restoration of Nepal’s monarchy clash with police, Binaj Gurubacharya, The Associated Press (Nov. 23)

Indonesia anti-corruption chief Firli Bahuri suspected of extortion, Ruth Comerford BBC News (Nov. 23)

Violent protests in Dublin after woman and children injured in knife attack, Rory Carroll, The Guardian (Nov. 23)

Ex-Obama adviser Stuart Seldowitz arrested after Islamophobic rant, Al Jazeera (Nov. 23)

Ex-officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in George Floyd’s killing, was stabbed in prison, AP source says, Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press (Nov. 24)

Tech

Secretive White House Surveillance Program Gives Cops Access to Trillions of US Phone Records, Dell Cameron, Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED (Nov. 20)

Spotify to phase out service in Uruguay following new copyright bill requiring ‘fair and equitable remuneration’, Laura Snapes, The Guardian (Nov. 21)

Spotify’s new royalty scheme picks the winners, Ariel Shapiro, The Verge (Nov. 21)

Big tech companies refuse to take down illegal site stealing from journalists, Ethan Cox, Ricochet (Nov. 21)

US Lawmakers Ask SEC to Launch Fraud Investigation Into Elon Musk, Dhruv Mehrotra, Dell Cameron, WIRED (Nov. 22)

Facebook Watches Teens Online As They Prep for College, Colin Lecher and Ross Teixeira, The Markup (Nov. 22)

For teen girls victimized by ‘deepfake’ nude photos, there are few, if any, pathways to recourse in most states, Melissa Chan and Kat Tenbarge, NBC News (Nov. 23)

X May Lose Up to $75 Million in Revenue as More Advertisers Pull Out, Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, The New York Times (Nov. 24)

Israel-Palestine

Watch: Israeli children sing, “We will annihilate everyone” in Gaza, Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada (Nov. 19)

Israeli strike on Lebanon kills two journalists, civilian, William Christou, The New Arab (Nov. 21)

A Grim Milestone: Journalist Death Toll Tops 53 as Israel Kills More Reporters in Gaza and Lebanon, Democracy Now! (Nov. 21)

‘Israel’s army tanks are here. We are facing imminent death in Gaza City’, Mohammed R Mhawish, Al Jazeera (Nov. 21)

US has sent Israel data on aid group locations to try to prevent strikes, Erin Banco and Nahal Toosi, Politico (Nov. 21)

The Harvard Law Review Refused to Run This Piece About Genocide in Gaza, Rabeah Eghbariah, The Nation (Nov. 21)

Over 100 Palestinians reported killed in Gaza as attack continues despite ceasefire deal, Dan Sabbagh and Ruth Michaelson, The Guardian (Nov. 22)

Israeli army arrests al-Shifa Hospital director, other doctors in Gaza, Al Jazeera (Nov. 23)

As Israel pounds Gaza, BBC journalists accuse broadcaster of bias, Anealla Safdar, Al Jazeera (Nov. 23)

US guns may already be arming West Bank settlers, former official warns, Dania Akkad, Middle East Eye (Nov. 23)

Israel destroys Al-Shifa hospital facilities as it withdraws, Middle East Eye (Nov. 24)

‘The war is not over’: Israel blocks Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza, Al Jazeera (Nov. 24)

‘We are overwhelmed’: southern Gaza’s exhausted doctors forced to leave children to die, Jason Burke, The Guardian (Nov. 24)

Israeli police raid homes of Palestinian prisoners set to be released in Jerusalem, Middle East Eye (Nov. 24)

COVID

The pandemic helped some children develop their vocabulary, Michael Le Page, New Scientist (Nov. 17)

(USA) More free COVID-19 tests from the government are available for home delivery through the mail, Amanda Seitz, The Associated Press (Nov. 20)

Why We’re Still Breathing Dirty Indoor Air, Aporva Mandavilli, The New York Times (Nov. 20)

Study shows lasting effects of COVID-19 on nursing home residents, Michigan Medicine- University of Michigan (Nov. 21)

Getting Vaccinated May Be Your Best Protection from Long COVID, Jamie Ducharme, TIME (Nov. 22)- “The study looked only at original COVID-19 vaccines, not newer boosters like the one released this fall. It also did not assess Long COVID after reinfections, which in some cases do lead to long-lasting health problems. As such, the findings may not translate perfectly to the present day, when many people have received updated shots and had COVID-19 multiple times.”

MRI study spotlights impact of long COVID on the brain, Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP University of Minnesota (Nov. 22)

Half of COVID survivors still had symptoms at 3 years, more reinfections amid Omicron, Mary Van Beusekom, CIDRAP University of Minnesota (Nov. 22)

Ontario COVID wastewater signal hits one-year peak: ‘Your chance of being exposed is very high’, Kenyon Wallace, Toronto Star (Nov. 24)