(2020-02-05). UN rapporteur Nils Melzer exposes British government attempts to obstruct his defence of Assange. wsws.org That the British government is simultaneously stonewalling Melzer's inquiries, and apparently conducting a behind-the-scenes campaign against him, underscores the flagrant illegality of the entire US-led vendetta against Assange.
(2020-02-05). American pianist Peter Serkin is dead at 72. wsws.org The son of Rudolf Serkin, he was a musician of intelligence, passion and integrity, a solo recitalist and chamber musician, who also performed with orchestras worldwide.
(2020-02-05). Lavrov tours Latin America as Pentagon brands Russia, China as "malign actors" wsws.org Lavrov's three-nation visit to Latin America comes on the heels of a tour of former Soviet republics by US Secretary of State Pompeo dedicated to denouncing Russia and China.
(2020-02-05). India kickstarts Lord Rama shrine construction instead of mosque on disputed land, after landmark court ruling. rt.com 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has set up a trust tasked with building a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, after the Supreme Court sided with Hindus against Muslims who wanted to erect a mosque on the same land. | The 15-member body "will take decisions independently on the construction of a Rama temple and related issues," Modi said in a speech in parliament on Wednesday. He hailed the move as "a historic step," paving the way for building the shrine in the ancient holy city of Ayodhya in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, where, according to the Hindu tradition, the deity Lord Rama was born. | To…
(2020-02-05). India, Israel to Jointly Build Drones for Maritime, Land Based Military Operations. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India's military is seeking to extend its use of drones for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance .
(2020-02-05). Prime Minister Narendra Modi Plans to Develop 25 Artificial Intelligence-Based Defence 'Products'. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the "Make in India" initiative has witnessed tremendous growth in the technology sector. Riding on its success, the government plans to ally it with the "Digital India" programme and use it to benefit the Indian military.
(2020-02-04). 'Moment of truth has come,' says Belarus' Lukashenko as he prepares for Putin showdown this week. rt.com 
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is no stranger to playing east against west, and recently the wily fox has upped the ante in his hunt for trade and economic concessions from Moscow. | After all, you don't keep power for 26 years by playing the shrinking violet. Now he's talking about a "moment of truth" ahead of a summit with Vladimir Putin. | Last weekend, he met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Minsk and has been openly flirting with the West — which, presumably for geopolitical reasons, no longer seems to call him "Europe's last dictator." | One problem with this, Minsk is economically re…
(2020-02-04). 'Traitor': Rand Paul blows up liberal minds by 'identifying' whistleblower on Senate floor with clever stunt. rt.com 
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul made waves with both Republicans and Democrats when he named the whistleblower who originally accused US President Donald Trump of quid pro quo with Ukraine. | Speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Paul made it clear he was still upset over Chief Justice Roberts refusing to ask a question from him last week regarding the whistleblower whose report kicked off the current impeachment trial. | "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Roberts told Paul after reading the question to himself. | Paul took his time speaking on Tuesday as his opportunity to final…
(2020-02-04). The Prosecution of Julian Assange: The War on Journalism, What Is at Stake? indybay.org Sonoma State University- Darwin 102 | 1801 East Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928…
(2020-02-04). In Interview with Randy Credico, Investigative Journalist Stefania Maurizi Talks Assange, Source Protection and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com In a wide-ranging interview with Randy Credico, Stefania Maurizi recounts the important lessons she learned while working extensively with WikiLeaks for over a decade after receiving an unexpected phone call in the summer of 2009.
(2020-02-04). Mike Pompeo Implies That a Reporter Who Pressed Him Can't Locate Ukraine on the Map. thenation.com Mike Pompeo Implies That a Reporter Who Pressed Him Can't Locate Ukraine on the Map…
(2020-02-04). Trump and the Whistle-Blower He Hates. thenation.com Trump and the Whistle-Blower He Hates…
(2020-02-04). The War On Whistleblowers, Darrell Whitman & US Inspector General's Obstruction of Justice. indybay.org Former Federal OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program investigator and lawyer Darrell Whitman talks about the fight to protect Federal whistleblowers and private industry whistleblowers and the role of US Inspector Generals who have been allowed to operate without oversight. | He also discusses how this has affected the health and safety of workers and the public. He connects the Boeing 737 Max crashes and the failure to enforce regulations by the FAA and their own. inspector general. | He also talks about the criminal fraud at SF Hunters Point and Treasure Island and how these contaminated radioactive dumpsites a…
(2020-02-04). Iran Approves Death Sentence for 'CIA Spy'. telesurenglish.net Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili said Tuesday that the country's Supreme Court has approved the death sentence of an Iranian who was spying for the United States, semi-official Fars news agency reported. | RELATED: | "Amir Rahimpour, who was the CIA spy and received huge money to give part of the information of Iran's nuclear program to the intelligence service of America, had already been sentenced to…
(2020-02-04). Assange's Treatment Threatens the 'Future of Our Democracies', Says UN Torture Expert. sputniknews.com Professor Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, says that the governments of the US, Sweden and the UK have shown "bad faith" in failing to address evidence that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been subjected to torture.
(2020-02-03). Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly calls for Assange's release, condemns threatened extradition. wsws.org Members of the assembly undoubtedly recognised that their report on media freedom would have no credibility if it remained silent on Europe's most famous imprisoned journalist and publisher.
(2020-02-03). VIDEO: Watch the Impeachment Trial Live. Trump Acquittal "All But Certain" globalresearch.ca A majority of Republican Senators are firmly behind Donald Trump. Trump's acquittal is imminent. | . | "Led by intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff the managers pleaded with Republicans to find Trump guilty of the charges in the two articles of impeachment: …
(2020-01-31). How government and media are prepping America for a failed 2020 election. mronline.org 
Russia, China and Iran are already being blamed for using tech to undermine the 2020 election. Yet, the very technologies they are allegedly using were created by a web of companies with deep ties to Israeli intelligence. |
(2020-01-31). Trump to expand travel ban, targeting immigrants from 6 more countries. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump will issue an updated version of his controversial travel ban, acting Homeland Security head Chad Wolf said Friday. The existing ban will remain in place, having been okayed by the Supreme Court in 2018. | Speaking to reporters by phone, Wolf said that the updated ban will suspend immigrant visas for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria. Non-immigrant visas from these countries will not be affected. | 'Diversity Visas' — handed out by lottery to boost immigration from countries with low rates of immigration to the US — for nationals of Sudan and Tanzania wil…
(2020-01-30). "Coded Bias": New Film Looks at Fight Against Racial Bias in Facial Recognition & AI Technology. democracynow.org 
A new documentary looks at the dangers of artificial intelligence and its increasing omnipresence in daily life, as new research shows that it often reflects racist biases. Earlier this month, Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the latest major city to ban facial recognition technology, joining a growing number of cities, including San Francisco, to ban the artificial intelligence, citing flawed technology and racial and gender bias. A recent study also found that facial recognition identified African-American and Asian faces incorrectly 10 to 100 times more than white faces. The film "Coded Bias" begins with Joy B…
(2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
(2020-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lawyers Says He Did No Wrong as Calls Mount for Bolton and Other Witnesses to Testify | , Trump to Unveil Middle East "Peace Plan" as Netanyahu Indicted over Corruption, SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Public Charge" Rule Targeting Low-Income Immigrants to Take Effect, State Dept. Bars NPR Reporter from Upcoming Pompeo Trip, Washington Post Suspends Reporter for Tweet About Kobe Bryant Rape Allegation, Mixed Accounts After U.S. Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan, Torrential Rains and Landslides Kill At Least 46 People in Brazil, Nigerian Journalist Maxwell Nashan Killed, 2nd Accuser Testifies in Weinstein Trial a…
(2020-01-27). Under Pressure in Impeachment Trial, Trump Steps Up Attacks on Reproductive Rights. democracynow.org 
Donald Trump on Friday became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend the so-called March for Life, the annual anti-abortion rally held in Washington, D.C., that draws thousands of participants. President Trump — who once described himself as "pro-choice in every respect" — accused Democrats of infanticide and falsely stated that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam supports an abortion bill that would "execute a baby after birth." The March for Life began in 1974 in response to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion. Past…
(2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
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