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Bradley Manning: US soldier cleared of aiding the enemy in WikiLeaks case

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A military judge has cleared US soldier Bradley Manning of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge he faced for passing documents to WikiLeaks. Despite being acquitted of the most serious charge he faced, the 25-year-old was found guilty of 19 of the other 20 criminal counts, in the biggest breach of classified information in the nation's history.

The US government has been pushing for the maximum penalty for the intelligence analyst's leaking of information that included battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan.

It viewed the action as a serious breach of national security, while anti-secrecy activists praised it as shining a light on the country's operations abroad.

Manning, who early this year pleaded guilty to lesser charges that carried a 20-year sentence, will still be looking at a long prison term when the trial's sentencing phase gets under way on Wednesday. Report by Sophie Foster.

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Bradley Manning: US soldier cleared of aiding the enemy in WikiLeaks case

Bradley Mannings Defense is the Defense of Freedom and Dignity

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If you saw incredible things, awful things, things that belonged in the public domain and not on some server stored in a dark room in Washington, D.C., what would you do? Bradley Manning

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was convicted on Tuesday of violating the Espionage Act for leaking classified data to the public, including State Department cables, detainee assessments, combat logs, and wartime videos. Thanks to this, the public has been informed of several disturbing events and corrupt practices carried out by the U.S. government. This is how we know, for instance, that the State Department is aggressively marketing Monsantos GMO products overseas.

The most famous of Mannings revelations is the 2007 video from a U.S. helicopter gunship in Iraq showing the slaughter of several men casually walking and standing around on a street, including two journalists with cameras. Some of the men were armed with AK-47s which is a common practice in Iraq; they were most likely protecting the journalists. The gunship opened fire on the men repeatedly, and then when a van came to pick up the bodies, the gunship opened fire on the van. Two children were sitting in the front seat.

If you havent seen this disturbing video called Collateral Murder, it is worth seeing to get a glimpse of what surely was a common practice during the Iraq invasion and occupation.

In his closing arguments, Mannings defense attorney David Coombs correctly described Manning as a whistleblower. While the prosecution attempts to characterize Manning as a selfish, glory-seeking terrorist sympathizer, Coombs provides eloquent reasoning why Mannings actions are those of a person who values life, dignity, and freedom.

No matter what you believe about the reasons for the war or whether Manning should be jailed or not, what he did amounts to a great public service. We have a person who was so troubled by what he witnessed in Iraq that he was willing to pay the price for leaking classified material to Wikileaks.

Mannings humanitarian instincts were strong enough to overcome the robotic discipline and disengagement from feeling that the U.S. military demands of its soldiers. As Coombs states in the closing arguments, Manning believed that atrocities were being carried out in Iraq and wanted to inform the public in the hope that it would inspire debate and change.

According to Iraq Body Count, approximately 120,000 civilians were killed in 10 years, although this number is probably higher. Some of these were killed by Iraqis, but many were killed by American soldiers too. Bradley Mannings release of the helicopter gunship video was only a glimpse. How many other atrocities were carried out and considered legal by U.S. military standards?

Bradley Manning will most likely serve a long time in jail, perhaps even life. We need to recognize that his actions were in the service of freedom and dignity, the freedom to know what our government is doing and the dignity to stop our government from carrying out indiscriminate murder around the world.

By Justin Gardener, REALfarmacy.com

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Defense attorney: Bradley Manning a whistleblower

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Bradley Mannings Defense is the Defense of Freedom and Dignity

Does Bradley Manning Have Rights? – Business Insider

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A few days ago, I hosted a segment of my show about the torture of Bradley Manning. On it, I argued with regular contributors Karen Finney, Jimmy Williams, and Susan Del Percio about whether Manning, as a member of the military, has the right to due process and the right not to be tortured. I believe he has rights, the others disagreed.

Captain David Price, a viewer and a retired JAG corps member, wrote in to clarify. Since that segment, the commander at Quantico, where Manning is housed, has been replaced, and the Department of Defense conducted an embarrassing press conference (which you can viewhere).

-Dylan

I turned on the Dylan Ratigan Show this afternoon somewhat in the middle of the discussions concerning PFC Bradley Manning focused on the length and conditions of his confinement at the Consolidated Brig, Marine Corps Development Command, Quantico, Virginia. While I do not have sufficient personal knowledge of either the allegations or the facts concerning his treatment to be able to respond to those concerns, for the purposes of this note I will accept as accurate what has been reported concerning unauthorized actions on the part of the command operating the brig. My response is not focused towards the specific facts of his case; but, rather, are in response to comments made on the show that there is "no due process in the military" or similar comments that when a person joins the military they surrender all legal rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution.

It is true that military service is unique. The reality, however, is that military personnel do retain the essential rights and privileges of any citizen or lawful resident of the United States, although those rights are exercised within the context of the special demands inherent in military service, where the rights of an individual will often be of secondary concern to the needs of good order and discipline in the protection of our national defense.

Throughout history are instances where individuals have abused their authority. No law or regulation will ever prevent misconduct from occurring. What laws can do, however, is provide a mechanism for holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions, whether it be PFC Manning as concerns the allegations against him; or Brig Commander James Averhart and the accusations being made against him. What is essential is responsible leadership, at all levels in the military chain of command, up to the President, as Commander-in-Chief, if necessary; and through oversight responsibilities of the Congress to ensure that military personnel suspected of offenses are not being abused and that their rights are being protected.

I applaud Jane Hamsher, David House, and David Coombs (Manning's attorney) for their advocacy and helping bring attention and light to this issue. A proper investigation should be conducted to inquire into these allegations. IF the allegations concerning mistreatment at the Brig are proved to be correct -- then it is incumbent upon those in command to hold accountable those who have abused their positions of authority. That will be the best demonstration of the existence and protection of the rights of a service member. The abuse of authority by a Commander over a subordinate, however, does not necessarily mean that a military member has no rights or that there is "no due process" within the military.

David P. Price

CAPT, JAGC, USN (Retired)JAG Defense

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Does Bradley Manning Have Rights? - Business Insider

Did WikiLeaker Bradley Manning Leak Documents Because Of Don …

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NBC Nightly News last night did a segment last night on Pfc. Bradley Manning the soldier accused of leaking thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks.

Reporter Mike Taibbi visited Manning's hometown of Crescent, Oklahoma where a number of people speculated that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy had contributed to Manning's decision to leak the documents. Manning is openly gay.

TAIBBI: Back in Mannings hometown, theyre wondering if his troubled home life and his service in an Army that would not allow him to be openly gay had an impact on his decision to leak sensitive documents.

If true it would certainly put a whole new spin on the DADT debate (now officially resolved despite John McCain's best efforts) wherein the nation is putting itself at risk for not allowing soldiers to serve openly.

Meanwhile, Adrian Lama, the former computer hacker from California who turned Manning in thinks he might have done it for the attention.

TAIBBI: Lama says Manning sought him out because of his reputation as an accomplished computer hacker. And in a dozen online conversations, Manning complained he was "never noticed," "regularly ignored," "abused," and said he became the WikiLeaks source because serving in Iraq he was "actively involved" in something he was completely against. But Lama says he contacted Army counterintelligence when he became convinced Manning was in it for attention and that his huge unvetted document dump would put lives at risk.

LAMA: I regret I had no other choice going forward. I wish that Bradley Manning had talked to me when he was planning it.

Also? Manning's hometown is not overly sympathetic to the dire conditions he is allegedly being kept under. Video below. Transcript via.

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Whistleblower Edward Snowden calls on Canada to help the …

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U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowdenis urging the Canadian government to acceptall seven of the peoplewho sheltered him in Hong Kong while he was fleeing prosecution as refugees.

In a rare interview, he tells The National's Adrienne Arsenaultthat every day the individualsremain in Hong Kong, "they are in immediate danger."

Two members of the group, Vanessa Rodel and her daughter seven-year-old Keana, arrivedin Canada last week. The whole story reads a bit like a movie script. And why not?

The reason Canadians know their story at all is because filmmaker Oliver Stone madea movie about Snowden, and along the way at some point during the scripting process it's believed information got out that revealed how Rodel and Keana's lives along with the rest of the group's were intertwined with Snowden's.

Back in 2013, Snowdenleaked classified documents from the U.S. National Security Agency, where he had been working as a contractor. The documents revealed a massive government surveillance operation, and the United States declared him a traitor. Snowdenfled to avoid prosecution, at one point winding up in Hong Kong.

That's where he met Rodel.

She and twoother families refugees themselves having fled the Philippines and Sri Lanka sheltered Snowdenin their tiny homes in Hong Kong whilehe was on the run.

Now, from his apartment in Russia, where Edward Snowden lives in exile, he is pleading with Canada to let in the other families the three adults and two children who were left behind.

"These people helped me in 2013," Snowdentold Arsenaultby video chat. "And yet here we are 2019."

Snowden found himself living with thefamilies in Hong Kong six years ago because of a Canadian lawyer, Robert Tibbo. He was Snowden's lawyer and he was also working for the families, trying to keep them from being deported and trying to get them safely out of Hong Kong.

"I would say this one guy... is perhaps the reason [the families] haven't been sent back yet," Snowden said.

He believes it took the leak during the moviemaking to get the world to pay attention to the families'plight. He says Rodel and her daughter would not be in Canada were it not "for the profile they got from this film" and "the insanity of the response of the Hong Kong government to having their mistreatment of these refugee families ... suddenly thrust into the global spotlight."

Snowdendescribes what the refugee families facedaily living in Hong Kong.

Rodel and Keana, another refugee couple and their two children, and a third man were all living as refugees in Hong Kong in 2013. They were poor, prohibited from working by the Hong Kong government, living in cramped spaces.

"The bathroom sink was the kitchen sink," said Snowden. Over a period of about three weeks, he crowded into each of the families' three homeswith them. It wasn't long before he moved on to Russia but itwas long enough to have a negative impact on Rodel and the others.

Their lives were already difficult, Snowdensaid. And once the Hong Kong government got wind through the movie leak that the families had sheltered Snowden, their situation got worse. Snowden says the governmentbasically retaliated, removing their refugee stipends and access to food and housing.

Arsenault asks Snowden what itwas like to realize that the very people who had helped him were being made to pay for it.

That's when Snowden says the effort to get the families refugee status in another country began. He believes Canada is best positioned to help them.

"These children are stateless and they will never live a free life unless they are welcomed into and protected by a state. And the only one who is in a position to do so right now, who has the legal framework to do so right now is Canada."

The paperwork requesting asylum from Canada wasfiled in early 2017 and Snowden says their situation is dire. He says the families will be deported to Sri Lanka where they where they claim to face torture and death threats. He is enormously grateful that Rodel and Keana are here, but says there is clearly something preventing the other five from being immediately brought to Canada, too.

"If this process is independent, If it's truly independent, they already would have been admitted. I believe and everyone else believes the only reason this process for admission has taken so long is simply because the Canadian government is bending over backwards not to create an appearance that might irritate the United States government."

That's because the United States still considers Snowden a traitor and he still faces charges in the U.S. related to his exposure of what was considered state secrets.

Snowden saysthat shouldn't matter.

"The only thing they did is they helped someone who was facing retaliation for telling the truth. And if that's something that Canada can't stand behind, that's something we need to know publicly rather than them sort of doing it privately."

He added, "Admitting these families is something Canada can be proud of. And seeing these families have a happy ending, I think in the fullness of history is something that the United States will be very much glad happened."

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Whistleblower Edward Snowden calls on Canada to help the ...

Edward Snowden Is a Fucking Idiot – gizmodo.com

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Today, Edward Snowden is wrong about almost everything. Yes, hes a patriot, and yes, I believe that what he did in 2013 to reveal dangerous elements of our surveillance state was important and commendable. But Snowden is completely oblivious to the challenges that we face as we move into the year 2017a perilous fucking time for our country, to say the least.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the Real Future Fair in Oakland, which featured some amazing speakers like Mae Jemison, the first American woman of color in space. It was a fascinating conference, but there was one speaker that made me incredibly frustrated: Edward Snowden, who joined us in Oakland via teleconference robot from Russia. And Ive come to the conclusion that hes promoting an idiotic worldview thats completely devoid of answers for how to effectively combat the threat that Donald Trump and his neo-fascist goons pose to our democracy.

What got me so riled up about Snowdens talk? He firmly believes that technology is more important than policy as a way to protect our liberties. Snowden contends that he held this belief when Obama was in office and he still believes this today, as Donald Trump is just two months away from entering the White House. But it doesnt make him right, no matter whos in office.

If you want to build a better future, youre going to have to do it yourself. Politics will take us only so far. And if history is any guide, they are the least effective means of seeing change we want to see, Snowden said on stage in Oakland from Russia, completely oblivious to how history might actually be used as a guide.

Snowden spoke about how important it is for individuals to act in the name of liberty. He continually downplayed the role of policy in enacting change and trotted out some libertarian garbage about laws being far less important than the encryption of electronic devices for the protection of freedoms around the world.

Law is simply letters on a page, Snowden said. Its a phrase thats still ringing in my ears, as a shockingly obtuse rejection of civilized society and how real change happens in the world.

How do we advance the cause of liberty around the world? Encrypt your devices, according to Snowden. Okay, now what? Well, Snowdens tapped out of ideas if you get beyond use Signal. The closest he got to advocating for anything involving policy change was when he told people they could donate to the Freedom of the Press Foundation which, it should probably be noted, he currently works for.

Imagine if advocates of human rights held this same worldview fifty years ago. What would the American civil rights movement have looked like in the 1950s and 60s if you didnt believe changes in policy mattered? If you truly think that laws are irrelevant and that securing your communications from government surveillance is the only force for liberty, then your biggest problem with the FBIs persecution of Martin Luther King Jr. was that they tapped his phone lines. Kings use of his phone was a means to an end, just as the FBIs surveillance of King was a means to an end. The end, as far as civil right leaders were concerned, was enacting policy. Shielding your communications from government surveillance is merely a tactic to allow you to operate and organize without government interference. Encryption doesnt fight against injustice all by its lonesome.

What about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement that brought about real change to a system built on systemic racism? The Civil Rights Act didnt end racism, and it, along with its legal cousin the Voting Rights Act of 1965, are currently being butchered beyond recognition after a devastating Supreme Court decision. But the answer to progressive losses in the courts isnt encrypt your phone. The answer is to bring about policy changes through local and national laws to ensure that human rights are protected. Encrypt your data all you likeits an important, if admittedly flawed, way to help organize and protest. (Privacy tools like Tor are leaking like a sieve and there are a hundred different ways for the state to access your communications even if you have the most advanced opsec in the world.) But dont tell me that policy doesnt matter.

If you earnestly put forward this idea that fighting for policy is somehow irrelevant and that laws are simply letters on a page you have very little to offer modern society. Youre surrendering to living in a fundamentally broken world and are ignoring the methods by which history actually evolves to meet the needs of a civilized society. Every time someone like Snowden says encrypt your phone our response must be, okay, now what do we do? And Snowden doesnt have an answer.

Technology works differently than law. Technology knows no jurisdiction, Snowden said via video conference in Russia, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a change in policy would be necessary for his return to the United States, not stronger encryption of his communications.

This isnt the first time that Ive thought Snowden was leading Americans astray. In the excellent documentary Citizenfour, about Snowdens leaks and the immediate fallout, I thought he said some pretty idiotic things as well.

I remember what the internet was like before it was being watched, Snowden said in the documentary. As a man in his early 30s, hes either lying or ignorant of history. Either one wouldnt surprise me at this point, to be honest.

The internet has always been monitored by the state. It was created by the fucking US military and has been monitored from day one. Surveillance of the internet wasnt invented after September 11, 2001, no matter how many people would like to believe that to be the case. To claim that there was this magical time when the internet was a frontier is a tragic misreading of history. Much like myths of the Wild West, there was no unpopulated frontier online. There were plenty of people there first. And in the case of the internet, those people were part of the military and intelligence gathering community. They all, quite literally, built the internet.

In Oakland, Snowden also addressed his tweet from October 21st in which he said that, There may never be a safer election in which to vote for a third option. Snowden told us that he more or less stands by his tweet and that anything else freezes us into a dynamic of you must always choose between two bad options which is a fundamentally un-American idea.

This might be the glass half full or glass half empty for our times. People like Snowden subscribe to the belief that the lesser of two evils is still evil. I subscribe to the belief that the lesser of two evils is still less evil. When youre talking about someone as dangerous to democracy as Donald Trump and the fucking knobs hes surrounding himself with who are more loyal than they are intelligent, these competing worldviews matter.

Not that its profoundly significant, but I should probably acknowledge again that I believe Edward Snowdens leaks of classified national security information to journalists was a good thing. Whenever the government is conducting operations that infringe on our rights, it is always the right and proper thing for people to speak out against it. But Snowdens whistleblower activities are largely irrelevant to the opinions that hes spouting today. And I believe that almost everything I heard him say on stage in Oakland was truly idiotic.

If youre looking for NSA docs about the surveillance state, Snowden is your man. If youre looking for guidance on how to make the world a more just place, we have to look elsewhere and listen to people who believe in the only thing that can possibly influence the world for the better: Radical changes in policies that touch the lives of everyone around the globe.

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Chelsea Manning Moved Out of Solitary Confinement After …

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22:38 04.04.2019(updated 22:58 04.04.2019) Get short URL

Whistleblower and former US Army analyst Chelsea Manning has been moved out of de facto solitary confinement and joined the general population at the Virginia jail where she has been detained since March 6. She refused to testify before a grand jury for its investigation into document leaking website WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

The support crew that operates Manning's Twitter account while she remains injail tweeted Thursday that"After 28 days inso-called 'administrative segregation,'(solitary confinement)' Chelsea has finally been moved intogeneral population atTruesdale Detention Center," the Alexandria, Virginia, jail where she's been held sinceMarch 6.

The development comes onthe heels ofa Tuesday motion filed byManning tobe released, arguing Judge Claude M. Hilton hadn't followed proper procedure byrefusing toweigh inon her arguments againstdetention and that her continued jailing had become punitive.

Manning's Twitter acknowledged her continuing legal battle and asked supporters todonate toher legal fund.

The whistleblower spent nearly a year insolitary confinement from2010 to2011 while awaiting trial forstealing classified documents fromthe US Army and publishing them onWikiLeaks. Those documents, collectively termed "Collateral Murder," exposed US war crimes inIraq and Afghanistan. She was sentenced to35 years inprison, butUS President Barack Obama commuted her sentence toseven years ofconfinment ashe left office in2017; Manning was released that May.

UN Special Rapporteur onTorture Juan Mendez has described solitary confinement formore than15 days astantamount to "torture."

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‘Thank Frickin God’: Chelsea Manning Released From Solitary …

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This is a breaking story...

Chelsea Manning is out of solitary confinement, but she remains in prison after refusing to testify to a grand jury due to her concerns that the exercise is a "perjury trap."

In a statement posted on her official Twitter account Thursday afternoon, Manning's team announced that "After 28 days in so-called 'administrative segregation' (solitary confinement), Chelsea has finally been moved into general population at Truesdale Detention Center."

** UPDATE: After 28 days in so-called "administrative segregation" (solitary confinement), Chelsea has finally been moved into general population at Truesdale Detention Center

That's good news, though the fight isn't over for Manning.

"While this is a big win, there's still a road ahead to get her out of jail," the account said.

** Chelsea is extremely grateful for everyone's support. While this is a big win, there's still a road ahead to get her out of jail. Please donate to Chelsea's legal fund so her lawyers can continue to work on her appeal and bring her home: https://t.co/TCer2mkAka

Manning has been at the prison since March 8. AsCommon Dreamsreported at the time, the whistleblower said in a statement the day before her imprisonment that her testimony was irrelevant to the case and that the only reason for her involvement in the grand jury was likely to trap her in making inconsistent statements.

"I have nothing to contribute to this case, and I resent being forced to endanger myself by participating in this predatory practice," Manning said in her statement March 7.

Manning's release from solitary comes just two days after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called the practice torture.

Related: Chelsea Manning has been trapped in solitary confinement for refusing to answer questions before a Grand Jury.

Solitary confinement is torture.

Chelsea is being tortured for whistleblowing, she should be released on bail, and we should ban extended solitary in the US. https://t.co/95ef4xYt3k

Supporters of Manning celebrated the news Thursday but continued their calls for Manning's full release from prison.

"She's still in prison though when she should be free, so please keep fighting for her," said Evan Greer,deputy director for Fight for the Future.

BREAKING! Chelsea Manning has been released from solitary confinement! Thank frickin god. She's still in prison though when she should be free, so please keep fighting for her and donating to her legal fund. And retweet to spread the word https://t.co/zxkpezWFhI

"Good news, but the fight isnt over yet!" said Bob Bland, co-chair of the Women's March.

Check back for possible updates...

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'Thank Frickin God': Chelsea Manning Released From Solitary ...

Julian Assange: WikiLeaks says founder to be expelled from …

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is to be expelled from Ecuadors London embassy within hours to days, according to a WikiLeaks tweet.

The Australian will be immediately arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police under an agreement secretly struck between officials from the South American country and the UK, the post claimed late on Thursday night.

Mr Assangehas been living at the embassy for seven years since seeking refuge there to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced sexual assault allegations.

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Although those accusations have since been dropped, the 47-year-old has remained living in the Knightsbridge building for fears of being extradited to the US, where he faces charges over the release of sensitive government files.

The new WikiLeaks tweet said: A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within hours to days using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext--and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest.

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Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, makes a sign to the camera during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court. A right-wing extremist who filmed himself rampaging through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch killing 49 worshippers appeared in court on a murder charge. Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in the dock wearing handcuffs and a white prison shirt, sitting impassively as the judge read a single murder charge against him. A raft of further charges are expected

AFP/Getty

An injured person is loaded into an ambulance following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in New Zealand. At least 49 people have been killed and dozens more are seriously injured after shootings took place at two mosques in Christchurch. Police have arrested an Australian citizen a 28-year-old man and another three people, following the second shooting

Reuters

Relatives of crash victims mourn and grieve at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, south-east of Addis Ababa. The French air accident investigation authority said that it will handle the analysis of the black boxes retrieved from the crash site and they have already arrived in France but gave no time frame on how long the analysis could take

AP

Men carry a child who was rescued at the site of a collapsed building containing a school in Lagos, Nigeria

Reuters

A crab stuck in plastic in Verde Island Passage, Philippines. According to data from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Filipinos dispose 163 million pieces of single-use plastic sachets daily. An underwater exploration conducted by Greenpeace in Batangas, found single-use plastic sachets between, beneath, and on the corals and seabed of Verde Island Passage, the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world

EPA

Representatives of bereaved families from the affected prefecture offer flowers at an altar for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster during the 8th national memorial service in Tokyo on. On March 11, 2011 a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed thousands of lives.

AFP/Getty

South Sudanese Catholic faithful believers attend a church service in Udier town

AFP/Getty

Activists of Ukrainian nationalist parties scuffle with police officers during a rally to demand an investigation into the corruption of Ukraine's armed forces officials, in Kiev

Reuters

Algerian protesters demonstrate against their ailing president's bid for a fifth term in power, in Algiers

AFP/Getty

French gendarmes arrive for evacuation as prison guards block the entrance to the penitentiary center of Alencon, in Conde-sur-Sarthe, northwestern France, two days after a prison inmate seriously wounded two guards in a knife attack before being detained in a police raid. - The prison of Alencon / Conde-sur-Sarthe, where two guards were seriously stabbed on March 5 by a radicalized detainee, was blocked again on March 7 by about a hundred prison guards.

AFP/Getty

Hindu devotees participate in a traditional activity known locally as "Perang Api" or fire war one day ahead of Nyepi in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. Devotees in Indonesia will celebrate Nyepi day or the "Day of Silence" on March 7, the first day of the Saka Lunar calendar

AFP/Getty

Time exposure photo shows a series of lightning strikes over Santa Barbara seen from Stearns Wharf in the city's harbor. The storm soaked California and could trigger mudslides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents are under evacuation orders, authorities warned

Santa Barbara County Fire Department/AP

Members of Unidos da Tijuca samba school perform during the first night of Rio's Carnival at the Sambadrome

AFP/Getty

The SpaceX team in Hawthorne watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station's Harmony module. SpaceX's new crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, acing its second milestone in just over a day

Nasa/AP

US Senator Bernie Sanders (centre) waves to supporters at a rally to kick off his 2020 US presidential campaign, in the Brooklyn borough of New York

AFP/Getty

Destroyed and deserted buildings are seen at the scene of ongoing fighting between Somali soldiers and al-Shabab fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia. Somali security forces have been exchanging gunfire with gunmen holed up in a building since previous night when a suicide car bomb exploded nearby

EPA

Activists of Al-Badr Mujahideen burn an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian national flag during an anti-India protest in Peshawar on. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians to "stand as a wall" with anger boiling over Pakistan's capture of a pilot as a crisis escalates between the nuclear-armed rivals. In his first remarks since India and Pakistan both claimed to have shot down each other's fighter planes near the disputed border of Kashmir, the prime minister urged his countrymen to unite "as the enemy seeks to destabilise India

AFP/Getty

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un following a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi

AFP/Getty

An Indian paramilitary solider fires tear gas shell towards Kashmiri protesters in Srinagar. They were protesting against raids on key separatist leaders by Indian intelligence officers

AP

US President Donald Trump speaks at the 2019 White House Business Session with Our Nation's Governors in the State Dining Room. Trump spoke about the Chinese trade deal, the proposed border wall, and his upcoming summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un

EPA

Rami Malek (left) winner of Best Actor in a Leading Role award for 'Bohemian Rhapsody, Olivia Colman (second left) winner of Best Actress for 'The Favourite,' Mahershala Ali (right) winner of Best Supporting Actor for 'Green Book,' and Regina King (second right) winner of Best Supporting Actress for 'If Beale Street Could Talk,' pose during the 91st Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood

EPA

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido gather to take part in a rally in Caracas, Venezuela braced for a showdown between the military and regime opponents at the Colombian border on Saturday, when self-declared acting president Juan Guaido has vowed humanitarian aid would enter his country despite a blockade

AFP/Getty

A worker walks amongst piles of rubbish at a garbage dump in Blang Bintang, near Banda Aceh

AFP/Getty

Firefighters at the scene of a fire in Dhaka. At least 69 people have died in a huge blaze that tore through apartment buildings also used as chemical warehouses in an old part of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, fire officials said

AFP/Getty

Children ride in the back of a truck that is part of a convoy evacuating hundreds out of the last territory held by Islamic State militants, in Baghouz, eastern Syria. The evacuation signals the end of a week long standoff and opens the way to US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces recapture of the territory

AP

Bangladeshi Muslim devotees leave by train after taking part in the Akheri Munajat, or final prayers, at the Biswa Ijtema in Tongi. Several million Muslim devotees from around the world join the four-day long event that ends with a special prayer on the final day

AFP/Getty

Flames and smoke billows from a residential building where militants are suspected to have taken refuge during a gun battle in Pulwama, south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Tensions continued to rise in the aftermath of a suicide attack in disputed Kashmir, with seven people killed Monday in a gunbattle that broke out as Indian soldiers scoured the area for militants.

AP

People walk down the Champs-Elysees avenue on February protest, called by the yellow vest (gilets jaunes) movement, against French President's policies and top-down style of governing, high cost of living, government tax reforms and for more "social and economic justice."

AFP/Getty

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Julian Assange: WikiLeaks says founder to be expelled from ...

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A timeline of all the key dates so far

Mr Assange came under intense scrutiny after the whistle-blowing website began releasing hundreds of thousands classified US diplomatic cables.

- 2010August: An arrest warrant is issued for Mr Assange for two separate allegations - one of rape and one of molestation - after he visits Sweden for a speaking trip. He is questioned by police in Stockholm and denies the allegations.November: Stockholm District Court approves a request to detain the WikiLeaks founder for questioning on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. An international arrest warrant is issued by Swedish police through Interpol.

December: Mr Assange presents himself to London police and appears at an extradition hearing where he is remanded in custody. At a later hearing, he is granted conditional bail but is kept behind bars after Swedish authorities challenge the decision.Mr Assange is granted conditional bail at the High Court in London after his supporters pay 240,000 in cash and sureties.

- 2011February: District Judge Howard Riddle rules that Mr Assange should be extradited to Sweden and denies this would breach his human rights. Mr Assange vows to fight the decision.November: Mr Assange loses a High Court appeal against the decision to extradite him.

- 2012May: The UK Supreme Court upholds the High Court decision in the case, ruling that extradition is lawful and can go ahead. The Supreme Court later rejects a move by Mr Assange to reopen his appeal against his extradition, saying it is "without merit".

June 19: Mr Assange enters the Ecuadorian embassy in London, requesting political asylum. A day later, Scotland Yard confirms he will be subject to arrest for breaching his bail conditions.

August 16: Mr Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador.

August 19: Mr Assange makes his first public appearance in two months on the Ecuadorian embassy's balcony and calls for the US government to "renounce its witch-hunt" against WikiLeaks.

November: Ecuador's ambassador to the UK, Ana Alban, says Mr Assange is suffering a chronic lung condition after spending months inside a one-room office at the embassy. The Ecuadorian government later plays down the health fears and says Mr Assange "does not have an urgent medical condition".

December: Mr Assange marks the six-month anniversary inside the embassy by making a rare public appearance on balcony to say the "door is open" for talks to break the deadlock over his campaign to avoid extradition to Sweden.

- 2013June: Mr Assange tells a group of journalists he will not leave the embassy even if sex charges against him are dropped, because he fears moves are already under way to extradite him to the United States.

- 2014July: Mr Assange loses a legal bid to have an arrest warrant issued in Sweden against him cancelled. A judge in Stockholm decided to uphold the warrant against him for alleged sexual offences against two women.

August: Mr Assange tells a press conference he will be leaving the embassy soon following speculation that he is seeking hospital treatment for heart and lung problems. He later brushes off reports that he is about to give up his fight against extradition to Sweden.

November: Mr Assange loses a legal move in a Swedish appeal court aimed at revoking his arrest warrant.

December: Mr Assange appears on the embassy's balcony to greet Noam Chomsky, the US philosopher and activist. Hollywood actor John Cusack also visits the WikiLeaks founder later in the month.

- 2015March: Swedish prosecutors ask to question Mr Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

June: Mr Assange claims the Swedish prosecutor has cancelled an appointment to interview him at the embassy.

August 13: Swedish prosecutors drop investigations into some of the sex allegations against Mr Assange due to time restrictions. The investigation into suspected rape remains active.

August 16: Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said Ecuador's decision to harbour Mr Assange in its embassy had prevented the proper course of justice. He said the UK continued to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden, where he remained suspected of a sexual offence.

October 12: Metropolitan Police end their 24-hour guard outside the Ecuadorian Embassy. It breaks a three-year police operation which is estimated to have cost more than 12 million.

- 2016February 5: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says Mr Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and calls on authorities to end his "deprivation of liberty".

The report is branded "frankly ridiculous" by then foreign secretary Philip Hammond - a response which Mr Assange described as "insulting".

February 9: Swedish prosecutors say they are working on a renewed request to interview Mr Assange at the embassy.

February 22: Lawyers for Mr Assange submit papers to a Swedish court, asking for his arrest warrant to be overturned.

March 24: The Government formally asks a UN Working Group to review its finding that Mr Assange was subject to arbitrary detention, saying the opinion was "deeply flawed".

March 25: A Swedish court refuses to drop an arrest warrant against Mr Assange.June 20: Ecuador reveals it has received a formal request from the Swedish authorities to interview Mr Assange.

August 9: Mr Assange files an appeal at Sweden's Court of Appeal of Svea, arguing the country must comply with the UN working group's findings that his deprivation of liberty was unlawful.

August 11: Ecuador announces that Mr Assange will be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in the embassy in London.

September 16: Sweden's Court of Appeal rejects a bid by Mr Assange to have his sex assault warrant dropped, saying no new information has emerged.

November 14: Mr Assange is questioned over the sex allegation at the Ecuadorian Embassy in the presence of Sweden's assistant prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and police inspector Cecilia Redell. The interview spans two days.

November 30: The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rejects a request by the UK Government to review the case of Mr Assange.

- 2017January 17: Barack Obama's decision to free whistleblower Chelsea Manning prompts speculation Mr Assange will end his self-imposed exile. WikiLeaks tweeted prior to the decision: "If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (Department of Justice) case."

January 19: Mr Assange tells a press conference that he stands by his offer to go to the US, provided his rights are respected.

March 9: Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is spotted leaving the embassy where Mr Assange is being held.

April 21: America's attorney general Jeff Sessions says Mr Assange's arrest is a "priority" for the United States.

May 19: An investigation into a sex allegation against Mr Assange is suddenly dropped by Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution.

June 16: Mr Assange calls off a pre-planned speech from the embassy balcony to mark the fifth anniversary of his arrival there, following news of an "imminent meeting" with British authorities.

- 2018January 11: The UK Foreign Office turns down a request from the Ecuadorian government to grant Mr Assange diplomatic status.

Ecuador confirms it has granted citizenship to Mr Assange in December after he made a request in September.

January 26: Lawyers for Mr Assange tell a court the UK arrest warrant against him has "lost its purpose and its function".

February 6: Westminster Magistrates' Court says that the UK arrest warrant is still valid. Mr Assange vows to continue his legal fight. He later claims a package containing a "threat" and white substance was sent to him at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

February 7: Visits to Mr Assange from Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel are reported.

February 13: Westminster Magistrates' Court upholds the warrant for the arrest of Mr Assange for skipping bail, in a judgment by Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot. She urges him to show the "courage" to appear in court.

March 28: The Ecuadorian Embassy suspends Mr Assange's internet access.The Ecuador Government says: "The measure was adopted due to Assange not complying with a written promise which he made with the government in late 2017, by which he was obliged not to send messages which entailed interference in relation to other states."

Supporters, including actress Pamela Anderson, musician Brian Eno, fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood and former Greek minister Yanis Varoufaki, urge Ecuador to reverse the ban.

June 7: Mr Assange receives a visit from officials from the Australian High Commission.

June 19: Vigils in several countries mark six years since Mr Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy.

July 30: Dame Vivienne Westwood designs a new T-shirt in support of the WikiLeaks founder, with a slogan which reads: "I fought the law".

August 9: The United States Senate committee asks to interview Mr Assange as part of their investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

September 27: Mr Assange steps down as editor of WikiLeaks.

October 19: Mr Assange reveals he is to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador, accusing it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms".

November 16: The US Department of Justice inadvertently names Mr Assange in a court document which suggests the WikiLeaks founder may have been charged in secret.

December 20: Mr Assange's father calls for the end to his son's "torment", following a visit to the embassy.

- 2019January 10: A legal defence fund is launched for Mr Assange amid fears that the WikiLeaks founder is under "increasingly serious threat".The Courage Foundation, which offers legal support for whistleblowers and journalists, said Mr Assange had become "isolated" inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, with "severe restrictions" on his communications and visitors.

January 23: Lawyers for Mr Assange say they are taking action aimed at making President Donald Trump's administration reveal charges "secretly filed" against the WikiLeaks founder.

April 5: WikiLeaks tweets that a high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told them Mr Assange will be expelled from the embassy within "hours or days".

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