Monthly Archives: November 2020

2020-11-30: News Headlines

Bay Action to Free Julian Assange (2020-11-30). Thursday 12/10: Barbara Lee Support US HR 1175/1162:Drop Charges Against Assange & Snowden. indybay.org Barbara Lee's Congressional Office | Oakland Federal Building | 1301 Clay St. Oakland.

_____ (2020-11-30). Letter To Rob Davis Governor of HMP Belmarsh. popularresistance.org I am shocked to read that all 56 virus-infected prisoners at Belmarsh have been moved to the same wing as Mr. Assange, who so far by miracle is not infected. This seems utter madness to me and suggests you may want him also to become infected. Everyone knows Mr. Assange has damaged lungs (see UN report by Nils Melzer) and will almost certainly die if he catches this virus, yet instead of taking measures to protect him it appears you are deliberately placing him at greater risk of catching the virus. If he dies I believe your lack of appropriate actions will make you legally responsible for his death.

Pip Hinman (2020-11-30). Julian Assange's father calls on government not to break its own rules. greenleft.org.au John Shipton, the father of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has called on the federal government to follow its own rules, reports Jim McIlroy.

Kim Petersen (2020-11-30). The Slow-motion Assassination of Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org Another Iranian nuclear scientist has been assassinated. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed by an elaborately planned and executed ambush. The complexity of the attack and the resources required to carry it out strongly indicate a state actor. Fingers of blame quickly pointed at a likely assassin: Israel. The United States was probably in some form of …

Pip Hinman (2020-11-30). John Shipton calls on government not to break its own rules. greenleft.org.au John Shipton, the father of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has called on the federal government to follow its own rules, reports Jim McIlroy.

Aaron Maté (2020-11-30). Questions for BBC on new White Helmets podcast series attacking OPCW whistleblowers. thegrayzone.com A new BBC podcast, "Mayday," uses smears, gaping omissions, leaps of logic, and factual errors in a desperate attempt to repair the image of late White Helmets founder James Le Mesurier, and discredit the OPCW inspectors who challenged a cover-up of their Syria chemical weapons probe. Mayday's producer has failed to answer the following questions. The new BBC podcast Mayday covers the life and death of James Le Mesurier, the former UK military officer who founded the group The White Helmets, …

Jack Rasmus (2020-11-30). A New Technology That Will Exponentially Expand Government Spying on Citizens. zcomm.org Your smartphone in effect becomes a government listening device that detects and accesses all nearby wireless or bluetooth devices, or anything that has a MAC address for that matter…

Jeffrey D. Sachs (2020-11-29). Supreme Court's Scientifically Illiterate Decision Will Cost Lives. commondreams.org Pope Francis: The common good takes precedence over simplistic appeals to "personal freedom" in protests against justified public health measures. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/brooklyn-wedding-955px.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-29). Intelligence Min. find clues on perpetrators of terror attack. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (MNA) — Iranian Intelligence Ministry found clues on perpetrators behind assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist 'Mohsen Fakhrizadeh'.

teleSUR, ce (2020-11-28). Brazilian Justice Extends Investigation Against Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net The Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil extended the investigations against President Jair Bolsonaro this Friday for 60 days. | RELATED: | Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided to extend the investigations against Bolsonaro for his alleged political interference in the Federal Police and also gave the Attorney General, Augusto Aras, five days to rule on the requirement for the President to give a statement. | Bo…

_____ (2020-11-28). California Court Strikes Down Limits On Fighting Dirty Power Plants. popularresistance.org A state appeals court affirmed Friday that communities concerned about air quality and climate pollution have the right to challenge natural gas-fired and thermal power plants in the lower courts, not just in the Supreme Court, which has historically refused to take up these challenges. | The decision marks a win after about seven years of litigation by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice and Communities for a Better Environment, who argued that jurisdictional laws effectively and unconstitutionally blocked Californians from challenging power plant permits issued by the California Energy Commission.

WSWS (2020-11-28). New ultra-right Supreme Court majority invokes religion to block COVID-19 safety measures. wsws.org The Supreme Court struck down New York's measures to control the spread of COVID-19 by limiting indoor events, including religious services, heralding the power of the new five-justice, ultra-reactionary bloc.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-28). Not Adding Up: Australia, Iran and the Release of Kylie Moore-Gilbert. dissidentvoice.org Australia's ambassadorial offices and political leaders have a consistent record of ignoring their citizens in tight situations. David Hicks, Mamdouh Habib and Julian Assange are but a few names that come to mind in this inglorious record of indifference. In such cases, Australian public figures and officials have tacitly approved the use of abduction, torture …

Peter Biesterfeld (2020-11-28). Where is Canadian Media on the Assange File? dissidentvoice.org After 10 years of restricted freedom, political exile and incarceration, Julian Assange finally came face-to-face with his accusers at the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London. For three weeks in September, a team of English lawyers argued on behalf of their client, the U.S. Department of Justice, that the beleaguered WikiLeaks founder and publisher should …

Ashley Curtin (2020-11-27). Supreme Court blocks New York's restrictions on religion amid COVID-19. nationofchange.org The Supreme Court's majority ruled that "even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten."

teleSUR (2020-11-27). Bolsonaro Declines To Testify on His Meddling With Police. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro informed the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that he will not testify over the investigation into his alleged interference in the Federal Police's work. | RELATED: | His decision was notified on Thursday by the Attorney General's Office (AGU) which is the body in charge of the defense of the Executive branch in judicial proceedings. | STF Minister Celso de Mello ordered that Bolsonaro appear t…

True Publica (2020-11-27). The New Norm: Government Lawbreaking. globalresearch.ca Government lawbreaking in Boris Johnson's adminstration has now reached an unprecedented scale for a British government — and we should all be In September last year, the supreme court ruled that Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen that …

True Publica (2020-11-27). The New Norm: UK Government Lawbreaking. globalresearch.ca Government lawbreaking in Boris Johnson's adminstration has now reached an unprecedented scale for a British government — and we should all be In September last year, the supreme court ruled that Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen that …

_____ (2020-11-27). Venezuela Convicts Six CITGO Former Executives Of Corruption. popularresistance.org Six former executives of the CITGO Petroleum Corporation were sentenced to between eight and 13 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption. | Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) announced that Citgo former President Jose Pereira will be in jail for 13 years and seven months for the crimes of "intentional embezzlement and conspiracy." | Pereira also will have to pay a fine of US$2 million, equivalent to 40 percent of the value of the embezzled goods. | Former executives Tomeu Vadell, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Zambrano, and Alirio Zambrano will serve eight years and ten months in priso…

_____ (2020-11-27). Scheer Intelligence: The California Genocide No One Talks About. popularresistance.org UCLA history professor Benjamin Madley's book An American Genocide: The United States and the California Catastrophe 1846-1873 details the killing of tens of thousands of Native Americans as the state was being settled in the 19th century. In their conversation, Madley tells Robert Scheer why he believes these massacres did, in fact, constitute genocide in its 20th century United Nations definition. He talks about white settlers' dehumanization and paranoia about "the other," and the exceptions to that way of thinking.

John Pilger (2020-11-27). Britain's Class War on Children. counterpunch.org When I first reported on child poverty in Britain, I was struck by the faces of children I spoke to, especially the eyes. They were different: watchful, fearful. In Hackney, in 1975, I filmed Irene Brunsden's family. Irene told me she gave her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes. "She doesn't tell me she's hungry, she

RT (2020-11-27). 'Criminal act': Ex-CIA chief urges Iran to wait on 'return of responsible US leaders' before reacting to nuclear scientist killing. rt.com Former CIA Director John Brennan has commented on the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist by urging Tehran to wait for "return of responsible American leadership" before taking retaliation against suspected perpetrators. | Amid speculation about the involvement of both Israel and the US in the alleged assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Brennan dubbed the death "a criminal act [and] highly reckless." | "It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict," he said of the Friday attack, which reportedly included unknown assailants attacking Fakhrizadeh and his securi…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-27). SEC services obliged to identify those behind assassination. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) — Condemning the assassination of Iranian scientists, Iran's Judiciary Chief said that the intelligence and security services and the relevant judicial authorities are obliged to identify those behind the assassination.

sputniknews (2020-11-27). Iran Says There Are 'Serious Indications of Israeli Responsibility' in Nuclear Scientist's Murder. sputniknews.com Iranian officials earlier said that its prominent Iranian nuclear physicist was targeted by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, calling on the international community to condemn the attack.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-27). Israel behind attack on Iranian scientist: NY Times reports. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) — New York Times quoted intelligence officials as saying that Israel regime was behind the assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

sputniknews (2020-11-27). UN Calls for Avoiding Escalation in Middle East Region Following Assassination of Iranian Scientist. sputniknews.com The Iranian government suspects that the assassination was performed by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, though Tel-Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-26). Major COVID-19 outbreak in Belmarsh prison, Assange's family raise alarm. peoplesdispatch.org According to Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, at least 56 inmates were found to be infected in the block where he is held. Assange, along with nearly 200 other inmates of his house block, had been under lockdown since November 18…

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-26). Pompeo Spells Out the New Normal: All Criticism of Israel is "antisemitic" dissidentvoice.org It is tempting to dismiss last week's statements by Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and suggesting the global movement to boycott Israel is driven by hatred of Jews, as the last gasp of a dying administration. But that would be foolhardy. Pompeo's decision to label all but the most tepid …

2020-11-29: News Headlines

Bay Action to Free Julian Assange (2020-11-29). Thursday 12/10: Barbara Lee Support US HR 1175/1162:Drop Charges Against Assange & Snowden. indybay.org Barbara Lee's Congressional Office | Oakland Federal Building | 1301 Clay St. Oakland.

Jeffrey D. Sachs (2020-11-29). Supreme Court's Scientifically Illiterate Decision Will Cost Lives. commondreams.org Pope Francis: The common good takes precedence over simplistic appeals to "personal freedom" in protests against justified public health measures. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/brooklyn-wedding-955px.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-29). Intelligence Min. find clues on perpetrators of terror attack. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (MNA) — Iranian Intelligence Ministry found clues on perpetrators behind assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist 'Mohsen Fakhrizadeh'.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-28). Not Adding Up: Australia, Iran and the Release of Kylie Moore-Gilbert. dissidentvoice.org Australia's ambassadorial offices and political leaders have a consistent record of ignoring their citizens in tight situations. David Hicks, Mamdouh Habib and Julian Assange are but a few names that come to mind in this inglorious record of indifference. In such cases, Australian public figures and officials have tacitly approved the use of abduction, torture …

Peter Biesterfeld (2020-11-28). Where is Canadian Media on the Assange File? dissidentvoice.org After 10 years of restricted freedom, political exile and incarceration, Julian Assange finally came face-to-face with his accusers at the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London. For three weeks in September, a team of English lawyers argued on behalf of their client, the U.S. Department of Justice, that the beleaguered WikiLeaks founder and publisher should …

WSWS (2020-11-28). New ultra-right Supreme Court majority invokes religion to block COVID-19 safety measures. wsws.org The Supreme Court struck down New York's measures to control the spread of COVID-19 by limiting indoor events, including religious services, heralding the power of the new five-justice, ultra-reactionary bloc.

_____ (2020-11-28). California Court Strikes Down Limits On Fighting Dirty Power Plants. popularresistance.org A state appeals court affirmed Friday that communities concerned about air quality and climate pollution have the right to challenge natural gas-fired and thermal power plants in the lower courts, not just in the Supreme Court, which has historically refused to take up these challenges. | The decision marks a win after about seven years of litigation by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice and Communities for a Better Environment, who argued that jurisdictional laws effectively and unconstitutionally blocked Californians from challenging power plant permits issued by the California Energy Commission.

teleSUR, ce (2020-11-28). Brazilian Justice Extends Investigation Against Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net The Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil extended the investigations against President Jair Bolsonaro this Friday for 60 days. | RELATED: | Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided to extend the investigations against Bolsonaro for his alleged political interference in the Federal Police and also gave the Attorney General, Augusto Aras, five days to rule on the requirement for the President to give a statement. | Bo…

_____ (2020-11-27). Scheer Intelligence: The California Genocide No One Talks About. popularresistance.org UCLA history professor Benjamin Madley's book An American Genocide: The United States and the California Catastrophe 1846-1873 details the killing of tens of thousands of Native Americans as the state was being settled in the 19th century. In their conversation, Madley tells Robert Scheer why he believes these massacres did, in fact, constitute genocide in its 20th century United Nations definition. He talks about white settlers' dehumanization and paranoia about "the other," and the exceptions to that way of thinking.

_____ (2020-11-27). Venezuela Convicts Six CITGO Former Executives Of Corruption. popularresistance.org Six former executives of the CITGO Petroleum Corporation were sentenced to between eight and 13 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption. | Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) announced that Citgo former President Jose Pereira will be in jail for 13 years and seven months for the crimes of "intentional embezzlement and conspiracy." | Pereira also will have to pay a fine of US$2 million, equivalent to 40 percent of the value of the embezzled goods. | Former executives Tomeu Vadell, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Zambrano, and Alirio Zambrano will serve eight years and ten months in priso…

True Publica (2020-11-27). The New Norm: Government Lawbreaking. globalresearch.ca Government lawbreaking in Boris Johnson's adminstration has now reached an unprecedented scale for a British government — and we should all be In September last year, the supreme court ruled that Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen that …

Ashley Curtin (2020-11-27). Supreme Court blocks New York's restrictions on religion amid COVID-19. nationofchange.org The Supreme Court's majority ruled that "even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten."

teleSUR (2020-11-27). Bolsonaro Declines To Testify on His Meddling With Police. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro informed the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that he will not testify over the investigation into his alleged interference in the Federal Police's work. | RELATED: | His decision was notified on Thursday by the Attorney General's Office (AGU) which is the body in charge of the defense of the Executive branch in judicial proceedings. | STF Minister Celso de Mello ordered that Bolsonaro appear t…

True Publica (2020-11-27). The New Norm: UK Government Lawbreaking. globalresearch.ca Government lawbreaking in Boris Johnson's adminstration has now reached an unprecedented scale for a British government — and we should all be In September last year, the supreme court ruled that Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen that …

RT (2020-11-27). 'Criminal act': Ex-CIA chief urges Iran to wait on 'return of responsible US leaders' before reacting to nuclear scientist killing. rt.com Former CIA Director John Brennan has commented on the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist by urging Tehran to wait for "return of responsible American leadership" before taking retaliation against suspected perpetrators. | Amid speculation about the involvement of both Israel and the US in the alleged assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Brennan dubbed the death "a criminal act [and] highly reckless." | "It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict," he said of the Friday attack, which reportedly included unknown assailants attacking Fakhrizadeh and his securi…

sputniknews (2020-11-27). UN Calls for Avoiding Escalation in Middle East Region Following Assassination of Iranian Scientist. sputniknews.com The Iranian government suspects that the assassination was performed by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, though Tel-Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-27). Israel behind attack on Iranian scientist: NY Times reports. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) — New York Times quoted intelligence officials as saying that Israel regime was behind the assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-27). SEC services obliged to identify those behind assassination. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) — Condemning the assassination of Iranian scientists, Iran's Judiciary Chief said that the intelligence and security services and the relevant judicial authorities are obliged to identify those behind the assassination.

sputniknews (2020-11-27). Iran Says There Are 'Serious Indications of Israeli Responsibility' in Nuclear Scientist's Murder. sputniknews.com Iranian officials earlier said that its prominent Iranian nuclear physicist was targeted by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, calling on the international community to condemn the attack.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-26). Major COVID-19 outbreak in Belmarsh prison, Assange's family raise alarm. peoplesdispatch.org According to Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, at least 56 inmates were found to be infected in the block where he is held. Assange, along with nearly 200 other inmates of his house block, had been under lockdown since November 18…

_____ (2020-11-26). Kissinger's Influence Over the U.S.-Backed Military Coup to Overthrow Socialism in Chile. strategic-culture.org New details are emerging of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) involvement in Chile against Salvador Allende. "We have to do everything we can to hurt [Allende] and bring him down," U.S. Secretary of Defence Melvin Laird From the day of Allende's inauguration as president, U.S. President Richard Nixon and his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, schemed with the CIA to overthrown Allende, who…

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-26). Pompeo Spells Out the New Normal: All Criticism of Israel is "antisemitic" dissidentvoice.org It is tempting to dismiss last week's statements by Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and suggesting the global movement to boycott Israel is driven by hatred of Jews, as the last gasp of a dying administration. But that would be foolhardy. Pompeo's decision to label all but the most tepid …

Editor (2020-11-26). [rewind] The California Genocide No One Talks About. scheerpost.com [Editors note: This edition of the Scheer Intelligence podcast was first broadcast in September, 2016. We are reposting here for Thanksgiving.] UCLA history professor Benjamin Madley's book An American Genocide: The United States and the California Catastrophe 1846-1873 details the killing of tens of thousands of Native Americans as the state was being settled in the 19th century. |

Tom Coburg (2020-11-26). Veteran anti-war activist warns that 'spycops' inquiry is unlikely to change anything. thecanary.co The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Bill Ironically, its passage also coincides with the

WSWS (2020-11-25). Assange's life in danger as major COVID-19 outbreak hits Belmarsh Prison. wsws.org Assange's partner Stella Moris has reported a mass outbreak in the house block where the WikiLeaks founder is imprisoned, with 56 prisoners and staff testing positive to the coronavirus.

Steve Watson (2020-11-25). UK Supreme Court Judge Slams 'Totalitarian' COVID 'Control Freaks' in Government. globalresearch.ca A British Supreme Court judge has slammed the UK government as 'control freaks' for attempting to control people's lives under the guise of COVID, and labeled it "morally and constitutionally indefensible" to define what freedoms the public should and shouldn't …