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Day 935: Julian Assange still in prison

failed evolution   World's number one political prisoner, Julian Assange, still in high security prison for exposing horrendous war crimes carried out by the US imperialists and their allies.   The ruthless Western imperialist regime wants to punish the No1 real journalist in the world and make him an example for any Whistleblower or real journalist who will attempt to expose its big crimes in the future.   The only thing that stands between the ruthless imperialists and their plans to exterminate Julian Assange are the thousands of people protesting against his extradition to the US. Among them, famous names from the global political, economic, academic, intellectual and arts sectors.   More and more people should join the fight until full drop of charges against Julian Assange and his release.   So, until then, we should make sure that the clear message will reach the power centers of the worst liberal establishment ever: if you commit another big crime by assassinating Julian

Star Trek vs The Matrix - What's our future?

Bad Faith  Briahna Joy Gray fulfills a longtime ambition: Chatting with former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis about Star Trek. The two Trekkies discuss utopias, the future of capitalism, Noam Chomsky's viral vaccine mandate take, and what's left for the left.

Water as weapon of war: Activists say Israel is drying out the West Bank to drive out Palestinians

What was billed as a cooperative venture between Palestine and Israel is merely the occupation of water in disguise   by Jessica Buxbaum    Part 5 - “The only solution for lack of water is water”   Dr. Al Tamimi outlined the three main reasons for water scarcity in the oPT — all originating from Israel’s occupation. First, Israel has not increased the West Bank’s water quota to meet the demands of its rapidly growing population, which is now nearly double what it was in 1995. Al Tamimi explained Israel only increased the commercial consumption (about 10-12 percent of the demand) to around 160 million gallons. Al Tamimi added that the Oslo II Accord doesn’t allow for Palestinians to do groundwater drilling — eliminating this as a possible water resource. And finally, owing to Israeli military control of Area C of the West Bank, Palestinians are often blocked from developing wells and springs in the region. Al Tamimi explained these three main factors have intensified the water crisis, s

The US is turning oil-rich Nigeria into a proxy for its Africa wars

Under the cover of counterterrorism, AFRICOM is beefing up Nigeria’s military to ensure the free flow of oil to the West, and using the country as a proxy against China’s influence on the continent.   by TJ Coles  Part 8 - Expanding AFRICOM’s role   In what the US State Department calls a “ whole of government ” approach, military operations continued as police training expanded. In early-2018, 12 US Army soldiers, led by Captain Stephen Gouthro, trained 200 Nigerians at the Nigerian Army’s School of Infantry. Facilitated by the US Army Africa, eight Security Assistance and Training Management Organization soldiers and four 1st Brigade Combat Team soldiers shared “ ground-combat tactics ” with the Nigerian Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion. In July this year, US Army Special Forces trained 25 officers of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service as part of JCET: a five-week Joint Combined Exchange Training program.  The Acting US Consulate Political and Economic Chief, Merrica Heaton, says t

How US media misrepresent the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s laboratories and safety protocols

Even if we were to accept all the accusations against the WIV regarding their alleged subpar safety standards, none of it has any relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic unless it can be shown the WIV possessed SARS-CoV-2 in its lab before the outbreak, and there is no evidence of that.   by Joshua Cho    Part 7 - Judgments of scientists directly familiar with the WIV   Arguably, the opinions of scientists and biosecurity experts directly familiar with the WIV’s safety protocols should count more than others. And they paint a very different picture from the one painted by the critics, and argue that reports insinuating that the laboratory was operating under subpar safety conditions are misrepresentations. French biosecurity expert Gabriel Gras — who oversaw safety standards at the WIV from 2012 to 2017, since the WIV’s BSL-4 laboratory is a joint collaboration between China and France — dismissed the lab-leak theory and vouched for the WIV’s professionalism and safety standards. He also st

Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot-out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks

Zach Dorfman, Sean D. Naylor and Michael Isikoff   Part 5 - The Justice Department secretly charged Assange increasing the chances of legal extradition to the United States   As U.S. officials debated the legality of kidnapping Assange, they came to believe that they were racing against the clock. Intelligence reports warned that Russia had its own plans to sneak the WikiLeaks leader out of the embassy and fly him to Moscow, according to Evanina, the top U.S. counterintelligence official from 2014 through early 2021. The United States “ had exquisite collection of his plans and intentions, ” said Evanina. “ We were very confident that we were able to mitigate any of those [escape] attempts. ” Officials became particularly concerned when suspected Russian operatives in diplomatic vehicles near the Ecuadorian Embassy were observed practicing a “starburst” maneuver, a common tactic for spy services, whereby multiple operatives suddenly scatter to escape surveillance, according to former o

Angela Merkel was bad for Europe and the world

Angela Merkel’s tenure will be remembered as Germany’s, and Europe’s, cruelest paradox. On the one hand, she dominated the continent’s politics like no other peacetime leader — and is leaving the German chancellery considerably more powerful than she had found it. But the way she built up this power condemned Germany to secular decline and the European Union to stagnation.   by Yanis Varoufakis  Part 5 - A Concluding Lament   She casually engineered a humanitarian crisis in my country to camouflage the bailout of quasi-criminal German bankers, while turning proud European nations against one another. She intentionally sabotaged every opportunity to bring Europeans together. She skillfully connived to undermine any genuine green transition in Germany or across Europe. She worked tirelessly to emasculate democracy and to prevent the democratization of a hopelessly antidemocratic Europe. And yet watching the pack of faceless, banal politicians jostling to replace her, I very much fear tha

Free Julian Assange - Kristinn Hrafnsson after day one Royal Courts of Justice

The US government is trying to starve Venezuelans

The Grayzone   Ben Norton explains how Washington is trying to starve civilians in Venezuela by imposing sanctions and trying to destroy the government's CLAP food program. He also discusses the illegal US extradition/kidnapping of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who was trying to buy food and medicine.

Free Julian Assange: Snowden, Varoufakis, Corbyn & Tariq Ali speak out ahead of extradition hearing

Democracy Now!   As jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces an extradition hearing Wednesday in London, supporters gathered Friday for the Belmarsh Tribunal, named for the Belmarsh maximum security prison where Assange is being held. The mock trial highlighted major WikiLeaks revelations of U.S. war crimes and demanded Assange’s freedom.    Assange faces up to 175 years in prison in the U.S. under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes. Though a British judge blocked his extradition in January, the U.S. appealed the decision.    Speakers from the tribunal include writer Tariq Ali, Afghan political activist Selay Ghaffar, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and former Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.    “ Julian, far from being indicted, should actually be a hero, ” said Ali. “ He should never have been kept in prison for bail. He should not be in prison now awaiting a trial for extradition. He

Day 930: Julian Assange still in prison

failed evolution   World's number one political prisoner, Julian Assange, still in high security prison for exposing horrendous war crimes carried out by the US imperialists and their allies.   The ruthless Western imperialist regime wants to punish the No1 real journalist in the world and make him an example for any Whistleblower or real journalist who will attempt to expose its big crimes in the future.   The only thing that stands between the ruthless imperialists and their plans to exterminate Julian Assange are the thousands of people protesting against his extradition to the US. Among them, famous names from the global political, economic, academic, intellectual and arts sectors.   More and more people should join the fight until full drop of charges against Julian Assange and his release.   So, until then, we should make sure that the clear message will reach the power centers of the worst liberal establishment ever: if you commit another big crime by assassinating Julian

Το Μητσοτακικό καθεστώς ετοιμάζεται να χαρίσει 23 δισ. στα αρπακτικά ταμεία βουλιάζοντας βαθύτερα τη χώρα στη χρεοκοπία!

globinfo freexchange   Ούτε τώρα απαντήθηκε η ερώτηση του Γιάνη Βαρουφάκη προς τον υπουργό οικονομικών του Μητσοτακοκαθεστώτος, Χρήστο Σταϊκούρα. Η ερώτηση αφορούσε, για άλλη μια φορά, τον σκανδαλώδη και κατάπτυστο νόμο "Ηρακλής" του καθεστώτος Μητσοτάκη. Ο Βαρουφάκης ρώτησε αν η κυβέρνηση προτίθεται να εγγράψει στο δημόσιο χρέος τα δισεκατομμύρια με τα οποία θα αποζημιωθούν από το Ελληνικό δημόσιο τα αρπακτικά ταμεία για τα κόκκινα δάνεια.    Όπως αποκάλυψε ο Βαρουφάκης:                       Σήμερα, έχουμε πληροφορίες - το γνωρίζουμε πολύ καλά αυτό - ότι η Eurostat εξέτασε την επισφάλεια των δανείων του πακέτου του "Ηρακλή" και απαιτεί να γραφτούν τα 12 συν 11, 23 δισεκατομμύρια στο δημόσιο χρέος. Δεν ξέρω αν θα γίνει. Ξέρω ότι υπάρχει μεγάλη πίεση και ξέρω ότι έχετε χάσει τον ύπνο σας κύριε Σταϊκούρα γι'αυτό. [...] Αν προσθέσετε σ'αυτό, τον δανεισμό που έχετε προγραμματίσει, των 15 δισεκατομμυρίων για του χρόνου, μιλάμε για συνολική αύξηση του δημόσιου χ

Water as weapon of war: Activists say Israel is drying out the West Bank to drive out Palestinians

What was billed as a cooperative venture between Palestine and Israel is merely the occupation of water in disguise   by Jessica Buxbaum    Part 4 - The history of water apartheid   When Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 war, it took control of the areas’ water resources. The state established pumping quotas and banned construction of new wells in the occupied territories. Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, was put in charge of the Occupied Palestinian Territories’ (oPT) water in 1982. By 1986, pumping quotas were reduced by 10 percent for Palestinian wells — fostering greater water insecurity. The 1995 Oslo II Accord was portrayed as a turning point for water independence in Palestine. The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee were created but Israel retained control of the flow and volume of water given to the oPT. Despite the name, the PWC doesn’t oversee water resources. Instead its role is to distribute the limit

The US is turning oil-rich Nigeria into a proxy for its Africa wars

Under the cover of counterterrorism, AFRICOM is beefing up Nigeria’s military to ensure the free flow of oil to the West, and using the country as a proxy against China’s influence on the continent.   by TJ Coles  Part 7 - Building a Sparta state   In June 2014, it was reported that a 650-person unit, the Nigerian Army’s 143rd Battalion, was set up on the ground and trained by US Special Forces from the California Army National Guard’s Special Operations Detachment-US Northern Command and Company A, 5th Battalion 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). By then the Nigerian Army was active in 30 out of the country’s 36 states. Chief of the US Army Africa’s Security Cooperation Division, Colonel John D. Ruffing, said: “ It is not peacekeeping … It is every bit of what we call ‘decisive action,’ meaning those soldiers will go in harm’s way to conduct counterinsurgency operation[s]. ” One US soldier said: “ This is a classic Special Forces mission—training an indigenous force in a remote are

How US media misrepresent the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s laboratories and safety protocols

Even if we were to accept all the accusations against the WIV regarding their alleged subpar safety standards, none of it has any relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic unless it can be shown the WIV possessed SARS-CoV-2 in its lab before the outbreak, and there is no evidence of that.   by Joshua Cho    Part 6 - Intercept’s reporting is actually evidence against a lab leak   Two recent reports on a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the EcoHealth Alliance — detailing research by the WIV, following FOIA litigation by The Intercept — were misleadingly presented as “ new evidence ” that U.S.-funded experiments in China “ posed biosafety risks ” and constituted “ high-risk research. ” However, it is unclear whether Intercept journalists Sharon Lerner and Mara Hvistendahl understood the significance of the documents they obtained. Soon after the publication of the first report, Dr. Goldstein argued that The Intercept actually provided evidence against a lab leak because t

Corporate media stirred global terror hysteria to push postwar hostility toward new Afghan govt

The media’s latest ahistorical freak-out over Afghanistan is further evidence of its de facto merger with the U.S. national security state   by Gareth Porter   Part 3 - Rewriting history to maintain U.S. hostility   The corporate media’s framing of the unholy alliance between the Taliban and Haqqani represents a politically-motivated rewriting of history that overlooks the record of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and the country’s experience after the 9/11 attacks. The Haqqani network arose during the US proxy war against Soviet forces. At the time, the group was dependent on Pakistan’s military intelligence service and the CIA for cash and weapons — not on bin Laden. As the late journalist George Crile recalled in Charlie Wilson’s War, the Haqqani network’s founder Jalaludin Haqqani was the CIA’s the “ favorite commander ” and “ received bags of money each month ” from the CIA station in Islamabad.    When the Taliban was in power, its leader Mullah Omar not only repeatedly warned b

Angela Merkel was bad for Europe and the world

Angela Merkel’s tenure will be remembered as Germany’s, and Europe’s, cruelest paradox. On the one hand, she dominated the continent’s politics like no other peacetime leader — and is leaving the German chancellery considerably more powerful than she had found it. But the way she built up this power condemned Germany to secular decline and the European Union to stagnation.   by Yanis Varoufakis  Part 4 - Episode 3: To the Bitter End The pandemic offered Angela Merkel a final chance to bring Germany and Europe together. Great new public debt was inevitable, even in Germany, as governments sought to replace incomes lost during the lockdown. If there was ever a moment for a break with the past, this was it. The moment was crying out for German surpluses to be invested across a Europe that, simultaneously, democratizes its decision-making processes. But Angela Merkel’s final act was to ensure that this moment would be missed, too. In March 2020, in a fit of harmonized panicking following o

How US trapped Ecuador in massive debt while blaming China

Moderate Rebels   Washington claimed it would "save" Ecuador from Chinese loans while trapping the country in much bigger debt.  

Colin Powell, war criminal loved by the establishment

The Jimmy Dore Show      

Day 923: Julian Assange still in prison

failed evolution   World's number one political prisoner, Julian Assange, still in high security prison for exposing horrendous war crimes carried out by the US imperialists and their allies.   The ruthless Western imperialist regime wants to punish the No1 real journalist in the world and make him an example for any Whistleblower or real journalist who will attempt to expose its big crimes in the future.   The only thing that stands between the ruthless imperialists and their plans to exterminate Julian Assange are the thousands of people protesting against his extradition to the US. Among them, famous names from the global political, economic, academic, intellectual and arts sectors.   More and more people should join the fight until full drop of charges against Julian Assange and his release.   So, until then, we should make sure that the clear message will reach the power centers of the worst liberal establishment ever: if you dare to harm Julian Assange, get ready for a non-

Ukrainian neo-nazis brag they have received training from the Canadian Forces and other NATO nations

Far-right extremists in Ukraine’s military have bragged they received training from the Canadian Forces and other NATO nations, a new study from an American university has uncovered.   The study from an institute at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., tracked social media accounts of the far-right group Centuria, documenting its Ukrainian military members giving Nazi salutes, promoting white nationalism and praising members of Nazi SS units.  The far-right group has been active since 2018 at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy or NAA, according to the report from George Washington’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. The NAA is Ukraine’s premier military education institution and a major hub for western military assistance to the country, including from Canada. Centuria members acknowledged on social media they have received training from the Canadian military and have participated in military exercises with Canada. In May, Centuria organ

Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot-out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks

Zach Dorfman, Sean D. Naylor and Michael Isikoff   Part 4 - U.S. officials had also considered killing Assange   By the summer of 2017, the CIA’s proposals were setting off alarm bells at the National Security Council. “ WikiLeaks was a complete obsession of Pompeo’s, ” said a former Trump administration national security official. “ After Vault 7, Pompeo and [Deputy CIA Director Gina] Haspel wanted vengeance on Assange. ” At meetings between senior Trump administration officials after WikiLeaks started publishing the Vault 7 materials, Pompeo began discussing kidnapping Assange, according to four former officials. While the notion of kidnapping Assange preceded Pompeo’s arrival at Langley, the new director championed the proposals, according to former officials. Pompeo and others at the agency proposed abducting Assange from the embassy and surreptitiously bringing him back to the United States via a third country — a process known as rendition. The idea was to “ break into the embass