2020-02-13: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-13). Pompeo rejects UNHRC list of companies operating in occupied Palestine, accuses UN of 'unrelenting anti-Israel bias'. rt.com The US government will not provide information to the UN for its list of companies operating in occupied Palestinian territories, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has said, accusing the international body of anti-Israel bias. | The long-delayed document, which names 112 companies operating in the West Bank and Golan Heights, was released by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday. Business activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory raises human rights concerns, the UNHRC said. The publication was sure to provoke the ire of Israel and its main ally. | "The United States has long opposed the creat…

WSWS (2020-02-13). Petition for Assange's freedom tabled again in Australian parliament. wsws.org Despite the powerful public support and strongly expressed sentiments of the petition, its tabling received virtually no coverage in the corporate media.

BACFJA (2020-02-13). International Day Of Action To Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning. indybay.org UK Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…

WSWS (2020-02-13). After 10 months' silence, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warns against extradition of Julian Assange. wsws.org For the past year, Corbyn has led the suppression of any discussion over Assange's imprisonment in Britain and the country's participation in the US-led attempt to destroy him.

WSWS (2020-02-13). US spied on governments for decades through secret ownership of Swiss encryption firm. wsws.org The revelations that the CIA and NSA have been spying on the diplomatic cables of governments around the world for the past five decades demonstrates that the American imperialism has long operated as a law unto itself in world affairs.

Staff (2020-02-13). Devin Nunes Is Leading Republicans in a Post-Impeachment "Strike" truthout.org Less than a week after President Trump All nine Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee were absent for a Wednesday morning hearing on the development of artificial intelligence for the purposes of national sec…

sputniknews (2020-02-13). Huawei Slams WSJ Report Claiming Proof of Backdoor Spying as WaPo Reveals CIA Tech Spied for Decades. sputniknews.com The Chinese telecoms giant hit back at US officials publishing an alleged 'bombshell' report accusing them of using secret technology to spy on its customers. The news comes as tensions grow between the US and European allies as member-states have announced they will not block Huawei on 5G cooperation.

The Canary (2020-02-12). No plans for public inquiry after spy claims in Harry Dunn case — Foreign Office. thecanary.co The Foreign Office (FCO) has said it has "no plans" to launch a public inquiry despite reports that Harry Dunn's alleged killer had worked as a spy for the CIA.The PA news agency understands that the FCO responded to questions from the teenager's family on Wednesday — saying the case had been handled "properly and lawfully throughout".Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, had demanded answers from foreign secretary Dominic Raab as to whether he was notified of Anne Sacoolas's history with the CIA and if she was still serving at the time of their son's death.(L to R) Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Ch…

John McEvoy (2020-02-12). Australian MP to visit Julian Assange after tabling historic petition in parliament. thecanary.co Australian MP Andrew Wilkie has Visiting Assange in Belmarsh: | On 12 February, Wilkie shared a video announcing his plans to visit Assange at his own expense: | This weekend I will travel to the United…

Andrew Korybko (2020-02-12). The Russia-India Oil Deal Is an 'Unpleasant Surprise' for Iran, Not the US. globalresearch.ca Shishir Upadhyaya, a former Indian naval intelligence officer and one of RT's newest columnists, is incorrect in recently writing that the latest Russian-Indian oil deal is an "unpleasant surprise for Washington" since it's actually an "unpleasant surprise" for Tehran …

teleSUR- age (2020-02-12). CIA Used Swiss Company to Spy on Allies, Adversaries for Years. telesurenglish.net For decades, governments around the world trusted the Swiss encryption company Crypto AG to encode the communications of their spies, soldiers, and diplomats, unaware that it was secretly owned by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a highly classified partnership with West German intelligence. | RELATED: | The classified communications of the Swiss company's clients, which included Iran, military juntas i…

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

RT (2020-02-11). Four Roger Stone prosecutors quit case as DOJ backs down from 'horrible & unfair' sentencing advice blasted by Trump. rt.com The US Justice Department has reconsidered its recommendation that former Trump advisor Roger Stone serve nine years in prison for lying to Congress, instead deferring to the court, while four of its prosecutors have resigned. | Punishing the self-described "dirty trickster" with seven to nine years in prison "could be considered excessive and unwarranted," prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday. "Ultimately, the government defers to the Court as to what specific sentence is appropriate." | Wow, Mueller prosecutor Zelinsky withdraws from the Stone case AND includes this footnote(!): | "The Court is advised…

RT (2020-02-11). US promises 'enormous pressure' on Tehran over… failed satellite launch? Pompeo says missile development behind Iran space program. rt.com Iran's latest attempt to launch a scientific satellite has apparently unnerved Washington, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashing out at Tehran and vowing that the US would not let it continue the launches. | Washington used the occasion to once again slam Iran and the 2015 deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, from which the US itself unilaterally withdrew back in 2018. | Also on rt.com | | Since then, America has been hell-bent on s…

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…