GazaStrip
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The Big Picture: Gaza conflict as seen from space
Earth's view from the International Space Station always makes for interesting imagery, and the latest to come from up there is no exception. Recently shared by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, a telling picture shows what Gaza and Israel looked like as the ISS traveled over the troubled region. Gerst wrote in a blog post that, although he could see "explosions occur several times" while this was being snapped, the photo doesn't actually depict any blasts. Originally, previous reports suggested it did, but as PetaPixel pointed out, something like that would be extremely difficult "to capture effectively from space." Either way, Gerst described it as his "saddest photo yet."
Google pulls Gaza-themed Android app from Play Store following outcry
Google regularly screens Android apps in the Play Store, but it's usually focused on blocking malware and scams rather than the substance of the apps themselves. Today, though, it took the rare step of policing content by removing Bomb Gaza, a game that made light of the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. A spokesman would only tell Reuters that it pulls apps which "violate [the company's] policies," but the forced exit came not long after outrage from Play Store users who felt that the game trivialized very real casualties. Most likely, Google took the title down due to terms of service that forbid hate speech and abusive material; users can flag apps they find offensive, so it wouldn't have taken much to prompt action. While the move isn't completely surprising as a result, it's a reminder that Google will clamp down when software is virtually tailor-made for antagonizing entire cultures.
