Society's Child
"Every journalist in the United States should feel a cold, icy hand running down their spine at the charges that had been leveled against this publisher. Because they could be next," writer Suelette Dreyfus says about Assange whose project published leaked documents exposing possible US War crimes in Iraq and letters exposing shenanigans against Bernie Sanders in 2016 by bosses within the Democratic Party.
"If Julian Assange being a publisher is put in prison for being a publisher, for no other reason than being a publisher, then we have no rules," says a Swedish journalist Johannes Wahlstrom, who worked with WikiLeaks on the documentary 'Mediastan'.
It all started like a happy love story in 2009, but eventually turned into a nightmare.
Anna from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, arrived in Norway to work as a nurse at a senior home. It was there that she met Jostein Finseraasen, a male nurse whom the wards simply adored and courted her like a true gentleman. The couple got married three month later, with Anna already being pregnant.
But the domestic bliss turned out to be short-lived. "When we began living together I started noticing aggressive outbursts from him toward animals at the farm," the woman recalled.
Overlooked by a few policemen, dozens of protesters began amassing near the courthouse earlier on Monday, just as the judges began the closely-watched extradition hearing for Assange.
There was no shortage of conventional placards calling for Assange's release, but some activists showed unorthodox creativity. One protester, dressed as a biblical character, stole the show by carrying a yellowish cross, with the words "The truth will win" imprinted on it.
More than 30 people were injured on Monday after a man drove into a crowd at a Carnival parade in the German town of Volkmarsen, police said.
Police spokesman Henning Hinn said "there were several dozen injured, among them some seriously, and sadly also children." Some of the injuries were life-threatening, he added. The number of those seriously injured was put at seven by Frankfurt police.
Hinn continued: "We are working on the assumption that it was a deliberate act."
But Tomeka Hart's Twitter feed shows that she indeed posted multiple times about the Russia probe and at least once about Stone, who was sentenced on Thursday to 40 months in prison in a case that stemmed from the special counsel's investigation.
Stone's lawyers filed a motion on Feb. 14 alleging that Hart's social media activity shows that she was biased against President Donald Trump and Stone. Trump also criticized Hart during a press conference after Stone was sentenced.
Trump called Hart an "anti-Trump activist," and suggested that she "tainted" Stone's jury.
Hart, who ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2012, commented negatively about Trump on Twitter and circulated news stories about the Russia probe. In one Aug. 2, 2019 post, she called all of Trump's supporters racist.
Stone, 67, has been one of Trump's most longstanding supporters, and is sometimes credited with convincing the real estate mogul to run for president.
Comment: You wouldn't know it watching US media, but Trump is really popular in India!
President Trump on Monday was offered a warm welcome during his first trip to India and announced that the U.S. and India would sign a defense deal for New Delhi to purchase more than $3 billion in American helicopters and other military equipment.
Addressing a large crowd at a cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "true friend," touted the bond between the United States and India and expressed a desire to strengthen that bond further.
Comment: Here's Trump's arrival at the president of India's official residence:
"Namaste, and hello to India. This is such a great honor," Trump said at the outset of his remarks. "The first lady and I have just traveled 8,000 miles around the world to deliver a message to every citizen across this nation: America loves India, America respects India, and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people."
The event was fitting for the American president, who relishes the large crowds that frequent his domestic campaign rallies.
Comment: Ok, but he's also a man who ATTRACTS them. He got a similar reception in China two years ago, another world-first for an American president.
Thousands of people gathered on the streets to watch Trump's motorcade transit to the cricket stadium for the "Namaste Trump" event on Monday. Many billboards with photos of Trump and Modi lined the route to the stadium.
Comment: And here's Trump's speech:
Monday's violence marks the latest unrest over India's new ratified Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Supporters and opponents of the legislation were seen pelting each other with stones in the Maujpur area in the northeastern part of the capital. Another clip shows an impromptu barricade, engulfed in flames, blocking a roadway, as demonstrators hurl projectiles at each other.
The Delhi police head constable is reported to have been killed in the violence, with several others injured. The clashes come just hours before US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in the Indian capital. He is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city tomorrow.
Comment: A good day for #MeToo then...
Jurors found disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual assault Monday, but cleared him of more serious charges of predatory sexual assault. They also cleared him of rape in the first degree.
The jury of seven men and five women returned the verdict in a Manhattan courtroom after more than four days of deliberation. The high-profile trial got underway with opening statements on January 22.
Weinstein's bail was revoked and he was taken into custody. He could face up to 29 years in prison when he's sentenced on March 11. He had been free on bail since his arrest nearly two years ago.
Comment: On to the other Stein then?
Oh no, wait, he's dead.
"Julian is the Trojan horse. If he knocks a crack in that wall, we can get government to do all the other things they need to be doing, which they are doing the opposite of [right now]," British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood told RT. Thousands took to the streets near the British Parliament to protest the imprisonment of the WikiLeaks founder ahead of a hearing next week to determine whether the imprisoned journalist will be extradited to the US.
Westwood called out British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the 2019 imprisonment of Assange and his not standing up for the journalist, who the US alleges violated the Espionage Act of 1917 through his WikiLeaks publications.
Comment: Meanwhile the OSCE rep on press freedom argues that Assange's extradition to the US would have a "chilling effect" on press freedom:
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir expressed concern over Assange's upcoming extradition hearing at London's Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. He called on UK authorities to refuse to hand over Assange to Washington, citing the "disproportionate prison sentence, up to a total of 175 years, that he could potentially face if extradited and convicted."See also:
Desir argued that WikiLeaks has provided "important investigative reports and news reporting" and Assange's extradition would have a "chilling effect" on freedom of expression and media freedom. Assange has been charged under the Espionage Act over the publication of leaked documents that revealed possible war crimes by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Wikileaks founder Assange's health improving following release from solitary confinement - spokesman
- Corbyn praises Assange for exposing US war crimes, calls for extradition to be halted
The Department said the fumes from burning those materials produce three times as much pollution as road transport.
Mr Eustice said the Government is not banning the use of wood or coal-burning stoves, but stated the plan encourages a move towards the use of "cleaner" sources of energy, such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels.
The initiative forms part of the wider Clean Air Strategy target which aims to reduce emissions of PM2.5 by 46 percent by 2030.
Comment: Meanwhile just last year over 16,000 people died because they were unable to heat their homes and over 4.5 million citizens are living in fuel poverty: EnvironMENTALism: Origins, Symptoms And Treatment of a Global Pandemic















Comment: See also: Stone sentencing ends Russia collusion, part I