2020-02-15: News Headlines

The Canary (2020-02-15). Johnson under pressure from key allies over Huawei access to UK 5G network. thecanary.co Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure from key British allies over his controversial decision to give Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network.A delegation of senior US officials — including Donald Trump's acting chief of staff — are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with the Prime Minister, according to the Daily Telegraph.Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that MPs on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to the UK next month following a diplomatic row with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.Mick Mulvaney,…

RT (2020-02-15). China beats US in key patents to secure technological dominance — report. rt.com Chinese companies have outpaced their US rivals in the tech patents race, filing more applications in 9 of 10 categories, including artificial intelligence and blockchain, a recent Nikkei study shows. | China became the leader in 2017, accounting for 49 percent of total applications. Apart from AI and blockchain, it enjoyed advantages in patent applications for drones, cyber security, virtual reality, autonomous driving, lithium-ion batteries, and regenerative medicine. | | © Nikkei study | The only sphere in which China is still trying to catch up to the US is the strategically important quantum comput…

RT (2020-02-15). 'TROJAN HORSES' for Beijing intelligence: Pompeo takes aim at Huawei & other Chinese tech companies. rt.com Tech firms that receive support from Beijing serve as instruments of Chinese intelligence, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged, in the latest verbal volley aimed at Huawei and other Chinese companies. | "Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies are Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The US secretary of state took on the Chinese tech giant while speaking about what he believes are the biggest threats to modern security. | Mirroring Pompeo's sentiments, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the conference that Wa…

orion the elder (2020-02-15). Gracias Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange for Exposing Bush's War Crimes. indybay.org Fruitvale and MacArthur oakland 94602…

WSWS (2020-02-15). Alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower Joshua Schulte on trial in New York. wsws.org The court hearings, over the Vault 7 leaks exposing mass CIA spying and hacking operations, have been subjected to a near total media blackout.

WSWS (2020-02-15). Trump administration's national counterintelligence strategy focuses on "hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organizations" wsws.org A major assault on First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of the press is being prepared.

yenisafak (2020-02-15). 'The West is winning', US' Pompeo tells China, Russia. yenisafak.com Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday defended the United States' global role and launched a scathing attack on China and Russia, vowing that the West's ideals and values would prevail."I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly exaggerated. The West is winning, and we're winning together," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

Whitney Webb (2020-02-14). NYC Taxpayers Spending Millions on Cyber Center with Controversial Ties to Israeli Intelligence. mintpressnews.com New York City taxpayers are on the hook for a multi-million dollar cyber center in the heart of Manhattan with deep ties to Israel's high-tech intelligence apparatus.

RT (2020-02-14). Ending 'endless war'? US & Taliban reach 'violence reduction agreement' that could lead to Afghanistan pullout. rt.com Washington and Taliban militants have reportedly agreed on a seven-day "violence reduction" in Afghanistan. If upheld, it could open doors for another deal that would see US troops withdraw after 19 years of conflict. | The news came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon chief Mark Esper met Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the situation in the war-torn country. Both earlier hinted at some developments in negotiations with the Taliban, which Pompeo described as a "pretty important breakthrough." | US President Donald Trump said on Thursday…

RT (2020-02-14). Barr assigns outside prosecutor to review Russiagate's Michael Flynn's case — report. rt.com General Michael Flynn seems to be getting a lifeline from the attorney general following his claim that prosecutors in the Mueller investigation "concocted the alleged false statements" he was accused of making. | Attorney General William Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to examine the criminal case against US President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, according to a report from the New York Times. | St. Louis prosecutor Jeff Jenson is heading the team reexamining the Justice Department's case against Flynn. The second look at Flynn's case is part of a larger probe by Barr to go over pol…

Media Lens (2020-02-14). UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, churches, even the press — can always maintain the public opinion which they need.' (Leo …

Media Lens (2020-02-14). 'Burned at the Stake' — The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes the Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: | 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, …

WSWS (2020-02-14). SEP builds support for Free Assange and Manning rallies in Australia. wsws.org Members and supporters of the SEP and its youth movement, the IYSSE, have been campaigning in working-class suburbs, at workplaces and university campuses.

Aaron Mate (2020-02-14). New Leaks Shatter OPCW's Attacks on Douma Whistleblowers. globalresearch.ca Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry attacking two whistleblowers as rogue actors. Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal serious distortions in the OPCW inquiry as …

Telesur (2020-02-14). US Rejects UN List of Firms with Ties to Israeli Settlements. globalresearch.ca United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights …

Neema Singh Guliani (2020-02-12). Deadline Looming, Strongest Surveillance Reform Bill Yet Emerges. aclu.org Congress has just five weeks to decide the fate of key foreign | intelligence surveillance powers — forcing a showdown between surveillance | reformers and defenders. And now, a group of Republicans and Democrats have | unveiled the strongest comprehensive reform proposal that we have seen | yet. | The Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act of 2020, introduced by a

Aaron Maté (2020-02-11). Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers. thegrayzone.com Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-08). Media darling Pete Buttigieg was in unit that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. thegrayzone.com While Buttigieg's campaign denies allegations he was a CIA asset, military records reveal Mayor Pete was in a unit that…

Ashley Gorski (2020-02-05). The Government is Using its Foreign Intelligence Spying Powers for Routine Domestic Investigations. aclu.org More than forty years ago, Congress | gave the executive branch a set of exceptional surveillance powers to pursue | foreign spies on U.S. soil. Now, the government is increasingly relying on those | powers to advance ordinary domestic criminal investigations. | In United States v. | Osseily, a fraud prosecution in California, the government appears to have used | this surveillance — which is conducted under the Foreign Intelligence | Surveillance Act (FISA) — to a longtime perm…

CounterSpin (2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org Media…