From Aaron Maté:
RIP to Professor Stephen Cohen. I‘m too sad for words right now. Sending condolences to @KatrinaNation and all of his loved ones. He was an incredible person.
And from Russia Today
Daily Video Report on Assange Hearing: Day 9
Consortium News’ Joe Lauria presents a live 10-20 minute report every days the court is in session during the extradition hearing. Watch his recap of the ninth day’s events. The testimony of John Sloboda and Carey Shenkman.
Assange Extradition: Prosecution’s Dirty Tricks Elicits Anger From Judge
A less dramatic day, but marked by a brazen and persistent display of this US Government’s insistence that it has the right to prosecute any journalist and publication, anywhere in the world, for publication of US classified information. This explicitly underlay the entire line of questioning in the afternoon session.
The morning opened with Professor John Sloboda of Iraq Body Count. He is a Professor of Psychology and musicologist who founded Iraq Body Count together with Damit Hardagan, and was speaking to a joint statement by both of them.
Professor Sloboda stated that Iraq Body Count attempted to build a database of civilian deaths in Iraq based on compilation of credible published material. Their work had been recognized by the UN, EU and the Chilcot Inquiry. He stated that protection of the civilian population was the duty of parties at war or in occupation, and targeting of civilians was a war crime.
Continue reading “Assange Extradition: Prosecution’s Dirty Tricks Elicits Anger From Judge”
Daily Video Report on Assange Hearing: Day 8
Consortium News’ Joe Lauria presents a live 10-20 minute report every night during the extradition hearing. Watch his recap of the eighth day’s events. The testimony of John Sloboda and Carey Shenkman.
The New Cold War and the Marginalization of Europe
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union Address was remarkable in a number of ways. It marked an informal but very tangible constitutional change in European Institutions whereby the Commission becomes in practice if not in law a parliamentary cabinet. She hued as closely to the policies promoted by a majority of the MEP’s as Elizabeth II does in her Queen’s speech to the Houses of Parliament when she reads a text handed to her by the Prime Minister.
The reasons for this development are perfectly obvious. When her candidacy for president was put to a vote in the European Parliament, she barely squeaked by. This, after having spent several weeks in a charm campaign when she consulted with and listened to all the leading parties of the incoming parliament. The reason for her difficulties was what was construed as a violation of the growing parliamentary habits of the EU Institutions whereby the new President is chosen from among the candidates put up by the parties and the award is given to the party with the largest number of incoming MEPs, which was the PPE, the right of center People’s Party.
Continue reading “The New Cold War and the Marginalization of Europe”