LONDON Four months after Britain went into lockdown, most office workers have yet to return to the City of London. The once heaving thoroughfares of this global financial hub, also known as the Square Mile, have remained largely empty since March.

But just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, a yelling scrum of photographers, reporters and protesters spilled across the sidewalks and into the road outside Londons central criminal court, the Old Bailey, to watch a 79-year-old woman dressed in a yellow trouser suit and baseball cap suspend herself inside a bird cage 10 feet in the air, squawking at the top of her lungs.

I am the canary in the coal mine, shrieked Dame Vivienne Westwood, the flamboyant British fashion designer, couturier to everyone from supermodels to world leaders, punk icon, eco-warrior and political activist. She held a megaphone aloft and said to the cheering crowd: If I die down the coal mine from poisonous gas, then thats the signal.

Ms. Westwood had been lured out of 16 weeks in isolation by the plight of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting extradition from Britain to the United States.

Mr. Assange, 49, is wanted by U.S. authorities to stand trial on 18 charges, including conspiring to hack government computers and espionage. Last year, the United States began extradition proceedings after he was dragged from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he had been holed up for almost seven years.

I am Julian Assange, Ms. Westwood continued, legs swinging in the breeze, as a garbage truck pulled over and started to reverse loudly down a small side street. Several bemused members of the court staff peered through the Old Baileys large archways to get a look at the unfolding commotion, while a white van driver tooted his horn in appreciation.

And I am a canary. I am half poisoned already from government corruption and gaming of the system and legal system by governments, Ms. Westwood said. The designer who used salty language throughout her speech said she was still whistling away while the worlds 7 billion people did not know what was going on.

Ms. Westwood, who made her name by defining the rebellious aesthetic of London in the 1970s, has dressed the Sex Pistols, supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, and celebrities like Harry Styles and Helena Bonham Carter, translating the rigor and shock value of punk music into more commercially palatable tartan offerings and iconoclastic ball gowns with safety pins, tulle and slogans.

She is no stranger to headline-grabbing stunts, from dressing up as Margaret Thatcher for a Tatler cover in 1989, accepting an Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace with no panties on and driving a tank to then-Prime Minister David Camerons Oxfordshire home in an anti-fracking protest in 2015.

Mr. Assange first made headlines in 2010 when he began publishing secret American military and diplomatic documents that were provided by the former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was convicted at a court-martial in 2013 of leaking the documents.

For the last year Mr. Assange has been held at Belmarsh Prison in London, and, if he is successfully extradited, he could face as many as 175 years in prison if found guilty on all charges.

After several minutes on the megaphone and then being carefully winched to safety, Ms. Westwood pretended to be a bird by screeching at her cage for photographers as protesters held up Free Assange banners nearby. Later, she explained that her activist son, Joe Corr, a captain of a campaign in defense of Mr. Assange, was the mastermind behind the protest.

Mr. Corr, who founded the underwear label Agent Provocateur, turned down a Member of the Order of the British Empire honor in 2007 in a protest against Britains participation in the Iraq war.

Theres no time to spare now whatsoever, Ms. Westwood said as she pulled on a face mask. If Julian gets sent to America, it is the worst thing that could happen in the world for justice and freedom of speech. This could happen to every journalist.

Ms. Westwood also said that, despite being a designer in business for more than 50 years, she hadnt spent that much time fashioning her canary outfit.

It was the only thing I could find that was yellow, though I did try hard to make my eyes look like that of a bird can you see, she said, widening them to show off the wild multicolored plumes of crayon swirls that swept up her temples. Are you looking closely enough?

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Vivienne Westwood Dresses Like a Canary for Julian Assange - The New York Times

A UK charity, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR), that works to protect and promote Palestinian human rights and the international rule of law, has recently published its Child Right Bulletin for 1 May-30 June 2020. Some examples from the bulletin reveal a little of Israels contemptuous violations against Palestinian minors, even young children.

A 17-year-old Palestinian was fatally shot in the head with a 0.22-calibre bullet by Israeli forces in Hebron and a 14-year-old boy killed by unexploded Israeli Army ordnance he found and then handled, near his home in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers severely beat a 15-year-old boy, breaking his arm and causing abdominal bleeding, while eight Palestinian children were beaten and injured by Israeli Occupation settlers in Jerusalem and the West Bank. At night, on 3 July in Jenin, Israeli forces, firing stungrenadesand tear gas canisters, raided Zububa village, seizing and terrorising for a time 17-year-old: Mujahid Niyaz Jaradat. On 7 July, a five-year-old child was run over and hospitalised by an Israeli Army vehicle in Hebron and on 20 July, again in Hebron, an eight-year-old child was run over and hospitalised by an Occupation settler vehicle. On 17 July, in the evening, a gang,fromtheKiryat ArbaIsraeli Occupation settlement, assaulteda family in Wadi Husei that included women and children, and prevented them from reaching their homes. This month, up until 20 July, eight Palestinian minors have been abducted by Israeli forces.

Health violations

On 8 July, handcuffed and with his feet bound to a bed, Palestinian political prisoner and cancer patient, Saadi Khalil Mahmoud Al-Gharably (aged 75), died, due to medical negligence. The death occurred at the Israeli Kaplan Medical Centre. A report by the Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association reveals that the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) deliberately and routinely neglects its duty to provide prisoners with necessary healthcare and hygiene, including the avoidance of overcrowding.

On 21 July, a Palestinian coronavirus testing station, set up at the northern entrance to the West Bank city of Jenin, was destroyed by the Israeli Army. Before destroying the facility, Israeli soldiers had raided both the city and the UN refugee camp, opening fire on residents and wounding one person in the leg. Construction of the testing station had been going on since March, accompanied by signs explaining the purpose. Just two days away from opening, the soldiers destroyed it. International pressure and advocacy are desperately needed if there is to be any hope of stopping Israel from committing acts such as this destruction of a facility designed to save lives.

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Homes destroyed

Between 1 and 20 July (inclusive) the Israeli Army destroyed ten Palestinian homes and issued demolition orders against several others. With regard to three of the demolitions, the householders themselves were forced to carry out the destruction, or otherwise be forced to pay an extortionate sum to the Israeli Occupation demolition squads, who would be sent in to do it instead. In addition to the houses destroyed, 38 Palestinian homes were invaded by Israeli troops, often during the night. One of the most traumatic violations any family can suffer is home invasion. It is especially terrifying for the children and an experience that parents must face with the utmost dread and feelings of helplessness.

Gaza ceasefire violations

This month, up until 20 July, a single missile alone was fired towards the Green Line by Gaza Resistance fighters, with Israel carrying out 28 ceasefire violations, including three hijackings of Palestinian fishing boats, three air strikes and two Israeli Army incursions.

Shootings

Israeli forces, on 2 July, positioned betweenal-Nabi Elias and Izbital-Tabib villages, opened fire towards a special-needs patient, Awis Kamal Maraba,and took him prisoner. On 10 July, Occupationtroops,manning awatchtower at the entrance to Kifl Haris, shot twovillagers, killingone of them, Ibrahim Mustafa Ibrahim Abu Yaqoub(34),while wounding and hospitalising another, Muhammad Abdel Salam Asaad.According to the Governor of Salfit, the two men were simply walking through the village, when Israeli troops opened fire for no reason. On 18 July, two people were wounded by Israeli soldiers invading a home in the Balata UN refugee camp and, the following day, another person was wounded in the Jenin UN refugee camp.

In addition to all of the above, Palestinians have to suffer the plunder and destruction of their access to water, affecting both supply and storage. The Israeli Army bulldozes crops, and the settlers set fire to Palestinian olive trees. Both invade and seize control of Palestinian farmland, whenever they please.

US, ICC and Julian Assange

Israels military Occupation of the West Bank and its criminal violations elsewhere, beyond its borders, bring it close to the epicentre of a global assault on freedom and respect for international humanitarian law being perpetrated by the corporate-controlled great powers. Israels major ally and financier, the United States of America, is threatening sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, should they investigate possible war crimes by US soldiers. The US also targets people and organisations that seek to expose and oppose the threats to international security that the US and its friends represent. Right now, the founder of WikiLeaks, journalist Julian Assange, has had to face trial in London over the US demand that he be extradited to the US, where he would face 175 years in gaol. The US is outraged because Assange has revealed its criminal behaviour and intent. It is ten years since WikiLeaks published a video of American oldiers, in a helicopter, shooting into a crowd of people in Baghdad. In all that time, there has been no move to bring the perpetrators to account.

The UK, another US confederate, has imprisoned Assange, not for breaking any law but simply in order to hold him at the pleasure of the United States, pending his desired extradition. A human rights lawyer and UN Special Rapporteur on Torture since 2016, Nils Melzer, tells us Julian Assange does not have a fair trial in the UK. Speaking as a UK law professor, Melzer says he is shocked to see that Julian Assange was not given and is currently still not being given adequate access to his lawyers, that he has not been given access to his American lawyers at all although he is threatened with extradition to the United States, and that he has not had access to legal documents for many months. Being held in virtual isolation in a prison, Assanges health, and even his life, are facing a growing danger.

Melzer reminds us that this case should serve as a warning. It is setting a precedent with regard to investigative journalism, secrecy and impunity for torture and war crimes around the world. Firstly, if the United States convicts Julian Assange for espionage, it means that it becomes a crime to expose secret evidence for serious crimes committed by US officials. That is an extremely dangerous precedent because we will then effectively live under censorship.Melzer, who servedwith the International Committee of the Red Crossfor 12 years in various zones of conflict, also reminds us that the Iraq war was illegal, a war of aggression that led to more than a million people being killed, and millions being displaced and tortured. So this is not a small case that were talking about and the implications it has are emblematic and of global proportions.

WikiLeaks, the US and Israel

WikiLeaks released diplomatic cables related to Israel from 2007 to 2015, sourced primarily from communications between Washington and the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. These cables and email messages are now part of the Public Library of US Diplomacy. They reveal a relationship in which US acquiescence gave Israels interests and intentions precedence, even in contravention of international humanitarian law. WikiLeaks makes plain the extraordinary extent of Israels influence over American officials and legislators and their collusion as Israel continually resorts to violence against Palestinians. The study, which is extensive and extremely detailed, reveals the intensity of US and Israeli involvement in aggression, oppression and human rights violations.

Paddle Now uniting for a safer and more humanistic world

Hugh Steadman, the spirit behind the New Zealand Paddle Now newsletter, strives to bring us together in support of organisations that are concerned for the future of humanity and of our planet. Paddle Now reminds us that rapid climate change and high-technology warfare are global problems that will not be averted without the further development of international law and its enforcement by multinational institutions designed for the task. Significant success in these areas is dependent on improved global governance and the strengthening of multinational institutions, such as the United Nations and courts, responsible for the development and implementation of international law. Individuals and organisations concerned with combating climate change or the erosion of international law, as well as those working in defence of justice and human rights, are fighting a common cause.

The latest Paddle Now newsletter warns that at a time of heightened international tension and nuclear danger, NZ is about to be faced with a choice which, if wrong, could well destroy our society. Hugh Steadman has written to both Ron Mark and Andrew Little regarding this countrys involvement with RIMPAC,the biennial, naval exercise organised by the US Navys Pacific Command. Neither politician has replied nor even acknowledged the article sent to them weeks ago. Steadman warns us that:

NZs foreign policy is so secretive and so closed to democratic influence that, according to Geoffrey Palmer, only three members of the Lange cabinet, including the PM, were aware of the decision to install the Waihopai intelligence gathering station. It would appear that none of them had a clear idea of what it would involve, nor the extent that it would bind NZ to follow decisions made in Washington.

In May 1946, less than a year after the nuclear bombing of Japan, Albert Einstein sent an urgent appeal to prominent Americans, warning that the unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. Later, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto posed the question: Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?

There is a video, Afghanistan War Exposed: An Imperial Conspiracy, that everyone should see because it is about a war to which New Zealand contributed. Abby Martins introduction tells us the video covers the whole truth about the Afghanistan War, from the CIA construct of the 80s through to todays senseless stalemate. Two decades, three administrations, tens of thousands of lives. Its time to dissociate our country from such involvement.

Serve need, not greed

Only the greedy and powerful profit from war and greed blinds the perpetrators to consequences. There is no absolute democracy. The degree of justice and human rights we may enjoy depends upon the extent of our vigilance. With the threat of nuclear annihilation approaching zero hour, the openly insane preachings of some world leaders make a mockery of reason, especially when coupled with the downplaying of, the now-acknowledged, accelerating climate change.

Never before has humanity been so technologically-enabled to communicate and unite in demanding respect for each other and for the environment. Whatever we feel most able to contribute, as individuals let us now do it, together.

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Global survival depends on reason and mutual respect - thedailyblog.co.nz

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Caged like a 'canary', Vivienne Westwood protests for Assange in London

Vivienne Westwood, dressed in yellow, was locked into a giant birdcage outside England's Old Bailey court on Tuesday, a stunt to show her support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who is fighting extradition from Britain to the United States. "I am Julian Assange," fashion designer Westwood said. "I am the canary in the cage. If I die down the coal mine from poisonous gas, that's the signal."

Kanye West posts series of rambling late night tweets

Rapper Kanye West posted a series of tweets late on Monday claiming his wife was trying to have him locked up on medical grounds, comparing himself to Nelson Mandela and suggesting the movie "Get Out" was based on his own life. The late night flurry of activity on West's official Twitter account - the bulk of which was deleted a few hours later - came a day after he launched his U.S. presidential campaign with a rambling rally in Charleston, South Carolina.

Cancel culture takes the fun out of life, says comedian John Cleese

John Cleese does not have much time for political correctness or cancel culture, and as for the state of the world? It's completely hopeless, the former "Monty Python" star says. Instead, Cleese, 80, is promising "a short selection of Peruvian burial ditties," when he presents a comedic live-stream plus Q&A session from London next month.

Depp threw bottles 'like grenades' in fight where he severed finger, UK court told

U.S. actress Amber Heard on Wednesday denied severing the tip of ex-husband Johnny Depp's finger during a violent argument, saying that the Hollywood star had been throwing bottles at her "like grenades". Heard is giving evidence at London's High Court for a third day on behalf of the publishers of Britain's Sun newspaper, which Depp is suing for libel after it labelled him a "wife beater" in a 2018 article.

UK music magazine Q to close after 34 years, hurt by coronavirus pandemic

British music magazine Q is folding after 34 years in business as the coronavirus epidemic accelerated a downturn in the media sector, forcing the publication to cease operations. The monthly magazine's editor, Ted Kessler, announced its closure in a tweet https://bit.ly/2WEKJsw on Monday, saying that the coronavirus pandemic hurt the magazine's business.

Kanye West says he is trying to divorce Kim Kardashian in deleted tweet

Rapper Kanye West said on Twitter early on Wednesday he has been trying to divorce his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, in a message that was deleted minutes later. "I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf for prison reform," West wrote in the message, without elaborating further.

Hollywood stars team up with ex-players to bring NWSL to Los Angeles

Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman and more than a dozen former U.S. women's national team players have formed an ownership group to set up a professional women's soccer team in Los Angeles from 2022. The new team, which has yet to be named, was announced by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on Tuesday.

Disney's ABC News sacks senior executive over allegedly racist comments

ABC News, a Walt Disney Co unit, has sacked senior executive Barbara Fedida after an independent investigation alleged she had made racially insensitive comments and used inappropriate language, according to a company email. Fedida also managed in a rough manner and would not return to ABC, Disney executive Peter Rice told staff in an email which ABC shared with Reuters.

Forgive or forget Johnny Depp? Jury is out on his post-trial career

From a severed finger to defecation pranks and graffiti written in blood, the Johnny Depp libel case in London has exposed the kind of dirty laundry that Hollywood usually loves to hide. Yet whoever wins or loses, Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard may find it easier than expected to resume their acting careers after the lurid headlines generated by the three-week trial.

Heard says she punched Depp to stop him pushing sister downstairs

Amber Heard told London's High Court on Tuesday she punched her ex-husband Johnny Depp because she feared he would push her sister downstairs, as the American actress alleged he had done to his former girlfriend, model Kate Moss. Heard, 34, is giving evidence on behalf of the Sun newspaper whose publisher, News Group Newspapers, is being sued by her former husband Depp for libel over a 2018 article which labelled him a "wife beater".

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Entertainment News Roundup: Caged like a 'canary', Vivienne Westwood protests for Assange in London; Kanye West posts series of rambling late night...

Image caption The 79-year-old was suspended in a large bird cage outside the Old Bailey, where Julian Assange will appear next month

Dame Vivienne Westwood has led a protest to stop the extradition of Julian Assange, while suspended in a large bird cage.

Dressed in a canary yellow suit, the fashion designer chanted "free Julian Assange" from a 10ft (3m) cage outside the Old Bailey in London on Tuesday.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to appear for a full extradition hearing on 7 September.

Dame Vivienne said she wanted to get Julian Assange "out of the cage".

If extradited to the US, Mr Assange will face 17 charges under the Espionage Act and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion after thousands of classified documents were published in 2010 and 2011.

The 49-year-old is currently being held in high-security Belmarsh Prison in south-east London.

The protest of about 20 demonstrators was organised by Dame Vivienne's son, Joe Corre, who co-founded Agent Provocateur.

Dame Vivienne, 79, said she had dressed in yellow because canaries were used by miners to detect poisonous gas.

She said: "If the canary died they all got out. Julian Assange is in a cage and he needs to get out. Don't extradite to America."

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Julian Assange: Dame Vivienne Westwood leads protest - BBC News

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Was Julian Assange a scumbag or an incredible hero the ...

The pro-transparency group, DDoSecrets, has published sensitive documents and communications relating to the case between Julian Assange and the U.S. Government on a site called AssangeLeaks.

The documentswere published on AssangeLeaks, at 3am AEST on July 15 and contain 26 PDFs as well as a video file and a folder of previous leaked documents. Prior to publishing the group had acountdown timer running on the site.

The subject of the release contains a number of chat logs between Julian Assange, the Australian founder of WikiLeaks. The documents included on the site include chat logs and letters dating back to 2010 between Assange, sources and hackers. They relate to Chelsea Manning and upcoming leaks the organisation had planned at the time.

The site said it was not taking a side by releasing the information, rather that the release of documents was in the interest of transparency.

With the [U.S.] Justice Departments superseding indictment against Assange, public access to the evidence becomes critical. The documents in this file illuminate that case and illustrate how WikiLeaks operates behind closed doors, the site reads.

AssangeLeaks is not for or against Julian Assange or WikiLeaks, and is only interested in the evidence.

The documents publication hasnt been without criticism. An Italian investigative reporter and pro-Assange advocate, Stefania Maurizi stated that private communications between journalists should not be the target of document releases unless there is criminal wrongdoing.

Assange is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Londons HM Prison Belmarsh for failing to surrender to the court. He was previously granted asylum by Londons Ecuadorean embassy and had lived there since 2012 until his arrest in April 2019.

In May 2019, 17 new charges were filed by the U.S. government against Assange, accusing him and WikiLeaks of violating the U.S.s Espionage Act.

To obtain information to release on the WikiLeaks website, Assange encouraged sources to circumvent legal safeguards on information; provide that protected information to WikiLeaks for public dissemination; and continue the pattern of illegally procuring and providing protected information to WikiLeaksfor distribution to the public, thecharges read.

He predicated his and WikiLeakss success in part upon encouraging sources with access to such information to violate legal obligations and provide that information for WikiLeaks to disclose.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department fileda superseding indictment a new set of charges that supersedes the previous ones broadening the charges against Assange.

It alleges Assange had worked with hacking groups, like Anonymous and LulzSec, to target classified government information. It alleges it was has this information after revealing a member of LulzSec, referenced as Sabu, was an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Assanges extradition hearing in Londonis expected to occur in Septemberafter a delay pushed its original May date back.

Correction (July 17, 2020): An earlier version of this article referred to DDoSecrets as a group of hacktivists. This is incorrect and the article has been updated to reflect this. Gizmodo regrets this error.

Gizmodo Australiais gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

Featured image: Getty

Excerpt from:

Hactivist Group Leaks New Files on the Case Between the U.S. Government and Julian Assange - Gizmodo UK

For a professed billionaire, President Donald Trump can benotoriously careful about spending his own money. Four years ago he led many people to believe he would self-fund his campaign, but did not come close. By then he'dlong been knownfor stiffingcontractors. And the new book by his niece Mary Trump attests to the president's personal stinginess.

Trump's fondnessfor getting others to bankroll things that hewantsmight also apply to what political professionalscall oppositionresearch. After all, finding the goods to plausibly attack an opponent's character can be expensive.

The so-called Christopher Steele memos, financed by the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton campaign,reportedly cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. During that election, Trump seemed to get major "oppo research" for free whenWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a Clinton nemesis, published private Democratic emails hacked by Russian operatives.

If the Trump campaign paid for this help, presumably this would have been discovered and addressed in the Mueller investigation. It was not.

For more than a year, Trump & Co. targetedJoe Biden for dirt-digging. In the latest effort to paint Biden as corrupt through his son's past private dealings, Trump's Republican allies in the Senate last week were brandishing subpoenas, possibly for the elder Biden's former advisers. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), wasstill working to secure witness depositions voluntarily, but the negotiations sputtered, Politico reported.

One focus for Johnson remainsHunter Biden's formerrole with the Ukrainian gas firm Burisma. After a lot of drama, TV appearances, denunciations and waving of papers, Rudy Giuliani, the president's reportedly unpaid attorney, never presented a sensible case for wrongdoing.

But along the way, the ex-mayor's activitiessplashed up on him.In September, one month before Giuliani's ex-associateLev Parnas was indicted on campaign finance charges, Parnas'wife received $1 million from a lawyer for a Ukrainian oligarch, Dmytro Firtash, who's been ducking U.S. extradition on bribe-related charges.

That's according to federalprosecutors. But whatever the Firtash transaction meant, atleast Trump didn't have to pay. Nor did Trumphave to compensate forthe disruption of federal operations involved in his own failed gambit to get the Ukrainian president to announce an investigation into Biden and the Democrats. Had this unheard-of bit of extracurricular diplomacysucceeded, Trump could have effectively outsourced his opposition research. Instead he was impeached.

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Taxpayers can be relied on to financeTrump'sresearch interestson another front beyond the Senate probe. Attorney General William Barr announced nearly a month ago on Fox News that Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation of the Russia probe's origins would yield "developments" before summer is over.

Regardless of whether Dunham's projecthelps the campaign, at least the president won't have to foot the bill.

See the rest here:

Janison: Trump can put costs of dirt-digging on taxpayers - Newsday

A website described as a successor to WikiLeaks published documents on Tuesday it called secret evidence in the U.S. governments case against the others founder, Julian Assange.

The Distributed Denial of Secrets released a collection of more than two dozen documents involving WikiLeaks and its inner workings, including transcripts of online chats and emails.

Among the documents are material referenced in the superseding indictment the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed last month expanding on its Assange case.

With the Justice Departments superseding indictment against Assange, public access to the evidence becomes critical, reads a message posted on the site where they appear.

The documents, released under the name AssangeLeaks are not meant to blow anyones mind, Distributed Denial of Secrets publisher Emma Best said on Twitter.

Its meant to give context for one of the most important cases of the century. If that doesnt interest you or fit your narrative, then Im sorry. The truth doesnt have to be/isnt supposed to be sexy. It only has to be true, they said.

Assange, a 49-year-old Australian, was charged last year with crimes related to having published classified U.S. documents through his WikiLeaks website nearly a decade earlier.

In announcing the superseding indictment filed last month, the Justice Department said it was not bringing any new counts against Assange but was broadening the scope of a conspiracy to commit computer hacking charge he already faced.

Among the documents leaked by Distributed Denial of Secrets are copies of online conversations involving people associated with the Anonymous hacktivist movement. The Justice Department alleged in the latest indictment that Assange and his associates recruited Anonymous to commit computer intrusions that would benefit WikiLeaks.

The material also includes several transcripts of chats involving an individual alleged to be Assange, as well as internal WikiLeaks emails and documents.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Alexandria, Virginia, where Assange faces the charges, declined to comment.

Distributed Denial of Secrets, or DDoS, was launched in 2018 by a former WikiLeaks insider. More recently, the site faced scrutiny last month for releasing a trove of leaked law enforcement documents belonging to various U.S. police agencies. The Associated Press subsequently reported last week that German authorities recently seized a computer server belonging to DDOS at the behest of the FBI.

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'Assange Leaks' put WikiLeaks publisher on opposite side ...

Lefties loved it; the rest of us were disgusted, but took it as the price we pay for living in a free society. He recently depicted Michael Gove as a goat; Boris Johnson is depicted with a backside for his face (and, in the same cartoon featuring Ms Patel, with a ring through his nose and horns on his head). In Mr Bells view, being Jewish, or Hindu, may not exempt someone from being worthy of attack in the most offensive way. It is what he has done to scores of white politicians over four decades. He is an equal opportunity cartoonist.

His critics argue that there is a world of difference between depicting Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, meeting Theresa May while a Palestinian roasts in the fireplace behind them (a cartoon of 2018 that Mr Bells editor refused to publish) and repeatedly deriding John Major, as he famously did in the 1990s, by depicting him wearing his underpants over his trousers. I find Mr Bells repeated attacks on Netanyahu deeply unpleasant, but in a free society one should not deny him the chance to make his points. It is also far from certain that most of his newspapers readers would disagree with him, the cause of Palestinians have been dear to their hearts for many years, and Mr Netanyahu one of their favourite hate-figures.

Mr Bell is accused of is not drawing a distinction between the activities of the state of Israel (against which a perfectly rational case can be made, even if one does not agree with it and I generally dont) and broadcasting a blanket dislike of Jews (for which arational case cannot be made). There is a sensitivity to anti-semitic tropes, which he himself has satirised, making the point that he dislikes Israeli policy because of what it is, not because of who actually executes it.

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Twitter has corrupted liberal media cartoonist Steve Bell's cancellation is a knife to free speech - Telegraph.co.uk

JUST WHEN YOURE THINKING Labours activists have become smart, caring and (almost) wise; they prove themselves to be anything but. A pseudonymous contributor to The Standard, Te Reo Putake, has seized the opportunity created by Nikki Kayes resignation to demand that the Greens pull Chloe Swarbrick from the Auckland Central race.

The choice for the Greens is tricky opines TRP. They really do need to max out their party vote, but they also do need to get their heads around MMP and recognise that they are a list party only.

We will deal with the absurd contradiction at the heart of this statement presently. Meantime, lets allow him/her/them/it to finish their thought: The Greens should do the right thing by voters in Auckland Central and give the nod to the Labour candidate.

Whew! Where to begin! First-off, lets dispose of TRPs nonsensical assertion that the Greens are a list party only.

A list party only might make sense in a country where a pure, list-based, system of proportional representation has been in place for a long time. But, New Zealand is not one of those countries. For most of its history, New Zealand operated a single-member, constituency-based, first-past-the post (FPP) electoral system. Even after a quarter-of-a-century of mixed member proportional representation (MMP) this countrys political culture still ranks Electorate MPs well above List MPs. Any political party that declined to field electorate candidates would simply not be recognised as a serious political player.

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If TRP doesnt know this, then he/she/they/it have no business posting political commentaries on an allegedly serious political website like The Standard. I strongly suspect, however, that TRP knows very well that a list-only party in New Zealand is an electoral nonsense. But, if that is the case, then TRPs Standard post can only be seen as yet one more unsettling example of Labours political arrogance.

Tactics? Strategy? TRP doesnt have a clue!

Lets offer this political naf a small tutorial on the strategic possibilities of the Auckland Central contest.

Obviously, it will take place amidst the much more important nationwide contest between the parties of the Left and Right. This battle is likely to be a much more closely fought, now that Judith Collins is leading the Right, than would have been the case had either Simon Bridges or Todd Muller been the National Party leader facing-off against Jacinda Ardern. A wise Labour Party (one less concerned with getting its trade union lawyer mates into Parliament) would, therefore, already be considering the ramifications of such a close fight. A crucial part of that process, would be weighing the advantages and disadvantages of taking out the insurance policy of ceding Auckland Central to the Greens.

It needs careful thought because a close contest would confront progressive voters with a dilemma. They would be torn between giving their vote to Labour clearly in need of every vote it could get and party-voting Green, just to keep it in the parliamentary arena. But, with the Greens hovering perilously close to the 5 percent MMP threshold, theres the real possibility that a vote for the Greens could end up being wasted. That possibility is doubly damaging: not only because it encourages progressives to vote Labour rather than Green, but also because it is likely to cause deep greens (the sort of folk who used to vote for Nandor Tanczos) to question the point of voting at all.

Either way, the Green vote would be suppressed, making the prophecy of its failure to clear the 5 percent MMP threshold self-fulfilling.

It just amazes me that Labour Party activists like TRP cant see this. Because, if theyre unable to recognise the threat posed to the overall progressive vote by not helping the Greens, then they will also be unable to see the clear strategic advantage of ceding Auckland Central to Chloe.

Lets just walk through the argument.

Jacinda tips the wink to her Auckland Central supporters, suggesting obliquely that they might like to give Chloe a helping-hand. Instantly swept away is the fear that the Greens might fall just below the MMP threshold. (Imagine if they ended up with 4.9 percent of the Party Vote!) Now a Green presence in Parliament is assured and Labour has a reliable coalition partner. Whats more, the deep greens now have a very good reason for party-voting Green not just in Auckland Central, but all over the country. Far from being suppressed, the Green Party vote is maximised along with the influence of progressive New Zealanders generally.

In the face of a now reinvigorated Left, it is the turn of the supporters of the Right to become demoralised. What if National and Act, together, are still a few percentage points short of a winning total? Would it not then be time to consider reviving Winston Peters fortunes? With the looming prospect of Labour and the Greens careening-off into the next triennium in a souped-up Prius without a handbrake, Nationals numbers might take a tumble.

And what would that mean TRP? Thats right, it would dramatically increase the likelihood of Helen White No. 50 on Labours List joining Chloe in the House of Representatives!

Were the Greens to heed your advice, and pull Chloe out of the race, Labour may, or may not, retake Auckland Central. There would, however, be an increased chance that no Greens would be joining Helen White on the Opposition benches. By acting strategically, however, Labour dramatically increases its chances of a second term; supplies itself with a reliable and progressive coalition partner; wins enough support to bring Helen White in on the List; and makes sure the Greens most popular MP is in the House of Representatives with her.

If you ever wondered why it is better to give than to receive, TRP, now you know. Its because when you give, the value of the benefits you receive in return is almost always greater than the worth of the original gift.

I sincerely hope Claire Czabo and her comrades down at Labour Party HQ in Wellington have a word with the people at The Standard. Just a little pep talk about loose lips not only sinking ships, but also deep-sixing the trust and confidence of potentially vital coalition partners.

More:

Auckland Central: The Importance of Acting Strategically. - thedailyblog.co.nz