RT's Laura Smith held an exclusive interview with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. They discussed his new book, Cypherpunks - the Freedom and Future of the Internet, and Internet security as a whole.
Bringing you interesting and occasionally quirky news from the alternative media
Friday, 30 November 2012
Bradley Manning pre-trial hearing, on torture and mistreatment
While the deal has not yet been accepted, a military judge has approved the verbiage of Private First Class Bradley Manning's appeal, where he would plead guilty to some charges of sharing sensitive information to the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.
Appearing nervous, Manning answered questions on his arrest in Baghdad 2010, and also the ensuing treatment he received while in detention.When describing his incarceration at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, he characterized his cell there as a "cage," dark and with no air conditioning. He said that he felt like a caged animal. "I was a mess, I totally started to fall apart."
"I began to really deteriorate. I was anxious all the time about not knowing anything, days blend into night, night into days. Everything became more insular," Manning said.
In the courtroom, lawyers for the defense drew up a life-sized outline of Manning's cell in Quantico, and Manning walked around this outline, describing the different aspects of his cell. He apparently wore a "bulky suicide smock" while locked up in the cell.
Manning claimed that while incarcerated, two or three times a day his guards would give him a "shakedown", which involved him being taken out of the cell, then the guards would begin tearing apart everything he had in the cell.
The defense argues that the charges against Manning should be dropped completely. Alleging harsh and torturous conditions while locked up in solitary confinement, they stated that he was punished enough while he was in Quantico.
Torture during his incarceration included forced sleep deprivation and forced nudity. Manning's glasses were confiscated, he had to request toilet paper and was forced to remove his underwear at night.
Manning described how he was transferred to the Joint Detention Facility at Fort Leavenworth in April 2011. He said it felt strange to be able to move around without leg and arm restraints."It felt awkward," Manning said. He was further surprised to be not only given underwear, but he had a T-shirt, shorts, sheets, blankets, a pillow and toiletry items, which was, at least, an upgrade from the previous facility.
From the pre-trial hearing, it is not sure whether prosecutors will continue to pursue other counts, the most serious of which is "aiding the enemy." If convicted on that charge, Manning could be looking at life imprisonment.Court is now in recess until Friday morning when Manning will undergo cross examination from the prosecution. The full trial is set to continue in February 2013.
On the subject of Manning, Democracy Now! interviewed WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange on Wednesday. When asked what is happening about Manning, Assange replied:
"What is happening this week is not the trial of Bradley Manning; what is happening this week is the trial of the US military. This is Bradley Manning’s abuse case. Bradley Manning was arrested in Baghdad, shipped over and held for two months in extremely adverse conditions in Kuwait, shipped over to Quantico, Virginia, which is near the center of the U.S. intelligence complex, and held there for nine months, longer than any other prisoner in Quantico’s modern history. And there, he was subject to conditions that the U.N. special rapporteur, Juan Méndez, special rapporteur for torture, formally found amounted to torture."
"There’s a question about who authorized that treatment. Why was that treatment placed on him for so long, when so many people—independent psychiatrists, military psychiatrists - complained about what was going on in extremely strong terms? His lawyer and support team say that he was being treated in that manner, in part, in order to coerce some kind of statement or false confession from him that would implicate WikiLeaks as an organization and me personally. And so, this is a matter that I am - personally have been embroiled in, that this young man’s treatment, regardless of whether he was our source or not, is directly as a result of an attempt to attack this organization by the United States military, to coerce this young man into providing evidence that could be used to more effectively attack us, and also serve as some kind of terrible disincentive for other potential whistleblowers from stepping forward."
Manning was imprisoned for providing information to WikiLeaks as a whistleblower, including the now famous video "Collateral Murder" which shows the US military gunning down civilians and journalists in Baghdad.Then a 22-year-old intelligence analyst, on July 6, 2010, Private Bradley Manning was charged with disclosing the video. The Apache crew and those behind the cover up depicted in the video have yet to be charged.
On April 5, 2010, WikiLeaks released the classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad - including two Reuters news staff.Reuters has reportedly been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack.
The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-sight, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/338018#ixzz2DhmcKZmf
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Julian Assange interviewed on CNN's 'OutFront with Erin Burnett' and Health Problems
Julian Assange was interviewed by Erin Burnett on CNN on Thursday.
His new book, "Cypherpunks - the Freedom and Future of the Internet" was discussed, along with the case of Bradley Manning and an argument ensued about Internet privacy... Read more and watch interview.Assange 'suffering chronic lung condition - Ecuador ambassador
Ecuador's ambassador to London, Ana Alban, says that while WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange is not yet seriously ill, his condition could worsen, holed up in such a small space during a long London winter... Read more.Wednesday, 28 November 2012
In the Real Media: A shooting, two alligators, an exotic dancer and a...
In the Real Media: A shooting, two alligators, an exotic dancer and a...: While it sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie, there was a report of a shooting at a quiet, suburban house in Washington State on Mond...
World Bank allocating $6.4 million to Gaza water project
On Tuesday, the World Bank reported that it has approved a grant of US$6.4 million to improve water and sewage services in the Gaza Strip. The Islamic Development Bank will also donate US$11.14 million to the project.
Mariam Sherman, World Bank Country Director for the West Bank and Gaza, said, “We are concerned about the lack of clean water supply and the deterioration in the quality of water resources in the Gaza Strip.”
"The new project is very important to Gaza citizens. Not only will it increase the sustainability of water and sewage networks, but it will also allow the utility to better serve the needs of their customers," Sherman added.
The World Bank will be working in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank, which is making a donation of US$11.14 million to the project.
The latest project by the World Bank will fund the connection of major wells to the supply grid, the construction of water tanks and the repair of costly leaks. The project will also assist the local utility to enhance billing and customer services.
“As part of the Bank strategy for the West Bank and Gaza to support local institutions, the project will provide technical and operational assistance so that water and sewage services may be more efficiently managed,” said Iyad Rammal, Senior World Bank Infrastructure Specialist.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Apocalypse survival kits on sale now in Mexico and Russia
As what may be the ideal stocking filler for Christmas 2012 (presuming we get that far, of course), some entrepreneurs have come up with tongue-in-cheek survival kits for the end of the world.
While many still think that according to the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012 will mark the end of the world as we know it, predictions of impending doom are apparently not found in any of the classic Maya accounts.
Those in the know say that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history and culture entirely.
Despite this, a couple of entrepreneurs have decided to cash in on the whole end-of-the-world idea by selling "tongue-in-cheek" survival kits for the apocalypse.
First in line was Mexico, where a company launched a survival kit in April 2012. The contents include matches, a knife, water for ten days, traditional Mexican cinnamon-laced chocolate, a note book and pencil, along with a little ‘Mayan liquor’ to take the edge off.
Now a company in Siberia is getting in line to do something similar, although they say their version is better.
According to the Moscow Times, a company representative said, "We browsed the Internet and found that kits for this day [Doomsday] were only sold in Mexico. At this point we decided to make a 'comic' version for Russians, which turned out to be an inspired idea."
While this kit wouldn't actually keep you alive for very long, it boasts medication, including heart medicine, soap, some candles and matches, a can of fish, a pack of buckwheat, a bottle of vodka, a notepad and pencil – and a rope. The use of the rope, can of course, can be left open-ended! You even get a blank ID card, which you can fill in by hand, just in case your official ID is “demagnetized” during the apocalypse.
The kit includes something for everyone, including an instruction card with rules of various games you can play to pass the end-of-the-world boredom.
The producer of this kit is, rather surprisingly, Marina Mendelson, a bridal party company in Tomsk, Western Siberia, and the cost of the kit is a reasonable 890 rubles – roughly $28. A spokesperson for the company says that around 1,000 kits have already been sold, and it is becoming popular as a corporate New Year present.
However, local officials are being spoilsports, and have announced plans to ban sales of the kit, due to the vodka and medication content, which require special permits to be sold, according to Sostav.ru.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337795
Protests against toxic gold mining in the Caribbean
“I’m too old for this. I’m not going to be driven off of my land again,” says Juliana Guzman, a farmer from La Cerca. The walls of her house are riddled with cracks from the explosions that shake the ground every day.
The village of La Cerca, where Guzman lives, is located in the central highlands of the Dominican Republic, in what was once an unspoiled paradise.
The village is surrounded by dense rainforest, which is home to endemic species, including the highly endangered solenodon.However, two Canadian companies, Barrick and Goldcorps will be starting to mine for gold in December 2012 in this area. The Pueblo Viejo mine will require up to 24 tons of cyanide to be used daily.
Domingo Abreu of the National Environmental Assembly (ANA) says, “Using cyanide is suicide in installments.”
However, he states that gold mining in this area is actually superfluous, with only 11% of the gold used industrially, which could actually be obtained through recycling. The balance of the gold mined is used as an unproductive capital investment and for jewelry.
Guzman's neighbors from the agricultural cooperative have experienced moldy cocoa pods from their harvest, which has been tainted by the highly toxic cyanide used in a trial operation at the Pueblo Viejo gold mine, borne by the rivers into the soil of the region.
The mining project in the Dominican Republic drew sharp criticism from the very outset, as negotiations with the government were not transparent. Also the terms of the contract heavily favor the mining company.
As an example, in the first years, Barrick will pay virtually no taxes and will earn 25% more from the mining operation than the Dominican government, who are the de facto owner of the gold. The cash-strapped government and the poor population will not profit from the toxic gold mining at all.
At the beginning of the project, local residents in the mining area complained of illegal deforestation and also contamination of the adjacent waters. Farmers who were relocated to make room for the mine did receive the promised replacement houses, but are still awaiting the promised farmland, on which to make their living.
What is worse, it is not only environmentalists and farmers who are up in arms about the mine. Trade unions are also angry, as the mining companies promised long-term jobs, but they laid off the majority of the workers after the mine preparations were complete.
This problem escalated in late September, with the broad coalition of thousands of Dominicans and organizations demonstrating against the mining operation. The result of the demonstration was that police fired on the protesters, without any warning, injuring 30 of them - many seriously.
This is not the first time there has been a problem with mining in the Dominican Republic. An abandoned mine in the central mountain range also used cyanide in its operations, and in the process, polluted the rivers, ground water and soils of the region, right in the middle of the island's largest fresh water reservoir.
Other countries are aware of the damage caused by cyanide in mining. The European Parliament voted in May 2010 to ban cyanide throughout the European Union. Although so far, the European Commission has not agreed to the proposal, Germany, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Hungary have already banned the use of cyanide in mining.
Cyanide is particularly dangerous for the aquatic environment and will affect rivers originating in that region. This region also contains the largest freshwater reservoir in the country, which supplies the entire island nation of Dominican Republic.
As part of it's mining contract, Barrick has ensured that it cannot be held liable for environmental damage. This is unacceptable to the Dominican population, and a coalition of 100 organizations is protesting and calling for the mining contracts to be annulled.
A petition is being run by Rainforest Rescue calling for the annulment of the contracts with the mining companies. Please sign the petition.
As an example, in the first years, Barrick will pay virtually no taxes and will earn 25% more from the mining operation than the Dominican government, who are the de facto owner of the gold. The cash-strapped government and the poor population will not profit from the toxic gold mining at all.
At the beginning of the project, local residents in the mining area complained of illegal deforestation and also contamination of the adjacent waters. Farmers who were relocated to make room for the mine did receive the promised replacement houses, but are still awaiting the promised farmland, on which to make their living.
What is worse, it is not only environmentalists and farmers who are up in arms about the mine. Trade unions are also angry, as the mining companies promised long-term jobs, but they laid off the majority of the workers after the mine preparations were complete.
This problem escalated in late September, with the broad coalition of thousands of Dominicans and organizations demonstrating against the mining operation. The result of the demonstration was that police fired on the protesters, without any warning, injuring 30 of them - many seriously.
This is not the first time there has been a problem with mining in the Dominican Republic. An abandoned mine in the central mountain range also used cyanide in its operations, and in the process, polluted the rivers, ground water and soils of the region, right in the middle of the island's largest fresh water reservoir.
Other countries are aware of the damage caused by cyanide in mining. The European Parliament voted in May 2010 to ban cyanide throughout the European Union. Although so far, the European Commission has not agreed to the proposal, Germany, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Hungary have already banned the use of cyanide in mining.
Cyanide is particularly dangerous for the aquatic environment and will affect rivers originating in that region. This region also contains the largest freshwater reservoir in the country, which supplies the entire island nation of Dominican Republic.
As part of it's mining contract, Barrick has ensured that it cannot be held liable for environmental damage. This is unacceptable to the Dominican population, and a coalition of 100 organizations is protesting and calling for the mining contracts to be annulled.
A petition is being run by Rainforest Rescue calling for the annulment of the contracts with the mining companies. Please sign the petition.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337788#ixzz2DPtxB38h
Monday, 26 November 2012
Confidential confetti drops in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
In a case of possible recycling gone horribly wrong, shredded confidential police documents were used as confetti in the recent Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As crowds were watching the floats and balloons go by in one of America's biggest annual spectacles, some people were rather surprised at the confetti that landed on their clothing. Many documents, imprinted with the letterhead of the Nassau Police Department, were seen amongst the paper. Some contained addresses, license numbers and even social security numbers.
According to the New York Post, some of the material remained scattered near Central Park West and West 65th Street on Saturday - even as the department vowed a thorough investigation.
Ethan Finkelstein, 18-year-old Tufts University freshman of Manhattan was one of the first to notice the unexpected paper shower and told reporters, "I'm just completely in shock."
“A friend of a friend was standing in front of me, and she had a big piece of confetti on her coat. She saw it had something on it, and we read it said SSN, like Social Security number,” he said.
“We started picking all the confetti up, and it had all kinds of stuff - birth dates, addresses, account information.“
"I don’t know where it came from. All of a sudden it was everywhere!”
"At first I thought it might be documents from Macy’s employees until I saw that there were detectives’ names and information about crimes in there. This is really shocking!” he added.
Nassau County Police have apparently admitted that the documents do belong to them, but say they have no idea how they found their way to the crowd.Inspector
Kenneth Lack said, "The Nassau County Police Department is very concerned about this situation. We will be conducting an investigation into this matter as well as reviewing our procedures for the disposing of sensitive documents."
Read more and watch video: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337692#ixzz2DJubtP6t
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Old Berlin cabaret discovered under tonnes of rubble
Right in the heart of east Berlin, an old cabaret theater, dating back to 1905, has been discovered under 30 tonnes of rubble. A real estate company will be putting the building to good use.
The building became a popular entertainment venue in the 1920's, but by 1930, it was closed down, possibly due to the Nazi crackdown on Germany's thriving theater scene.
The building was used as a dumping ground for garbage during World War II, which gradually destroyed the theater's beautiful interior architecture. After the war was over, the historic building, which was situated in Gartenstrasse 6, continued to deteriorate and was never repaired. The building's delicate frescoes, curving staircases and once mirrored walls, fell into complete ruin.
Spiegel Online interviewed Dirk Moritz, founder and CEO of the Moritz group. He was visiting a public swimming pool with his daughter in central Mitte, when he spotted the rundown three-story building.
He said that the windows were boarded and that it was "deserted and dilapidated".
"Something just didn't seem right with the building," he says.
Purely out of curiosity, Moritz asked the caretaker for the keys to have a look inside the building. Inside he found around 30 tonnes of garbage, including everything from old sofas to shoes to construction rubble. Three years later in 2011, the Moritz Group secured the property.
"Something just didn't seem right with the building," he says.
Purely out of curiosity, Moritz asked the caretaker for the keys to have a look inside the building. Inside he found around 30 tonnes of garbage, including everything from old sofas to shoes to construction rubble. Three years later in 2011, the Moritz Group secured the property.
The plan is for the century-old cabaret theater to be completely renovated by the Moritz Group, for an estimated $2.2 million.
The company has reportedly also acquired the remains of the building and plan to turn it into a trendy exhibition or mixed-use art gallery.
Due to the location, which is a mainly residential area, it is unfortunately difficult to make it into a cabaret venue.
However Moritz does plan on bringing back at least some of the original atmosphere and continues to dig into the building's past. "We would be ecstatic if someone turned up with an old menu from the restaurant or a program from the theater," he says.
The company has reportedly also acquired the remains of the building and plan to turn it into a trendy exhibition or mixed-use art gallery.
Due to the location, which is a mainly residential area, it is unfortunately difficult to make it into a cabaret venue.
However Moritz does plan on bringing back at least some of the original atmosphere and continues to dig into the building's past. "We would be ecstatic if someone turned up with an old menu from the restaurant or a program from the theater," he says.
Moritz was careful to say that unlike most real estate developers in Berlin, who are often despised for their big building projects, the Moritz Group only pursues the more complicated and ambitious properties and tries to put them to better use, which in this case is well within reach.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337649#ixzz2DFCLuzim
Mexico's decision on GM maize postponed until next year
A decision as to a widespread planting of genetically modified (GM) corn or transgenic maize in Mexico will not be made under the outgoing government of President Felipe Calderón. It will now await until sometime next spring.
Digital Journal recently reported that Monsanto Co. and DuPont are planning to take over Mexico's corn-growing heartland with GM corn, or maize, with the proposed planting of 2,500,000 hectares (more than 6 million acres), including the controversial strain of corn that has been linked to cancer in rats in a recently published peer-reviewed study.
Concern has been voiced that the planting of GMO's would be devastating for the heart of the center of origin and diversity for maize, where scientists have identified thousands of peasant varieties of maize.
According to a top Mexican government official speaking on Thursday, the highly controversial approval for planting of GM corn fields on a commercial scale will be delayed until next year.
A deputy agriculture secretary, Mariano Ruiz, said that the regulatory approval process will not be finalized under the current government and will, instead, fall to Calderón's successor, President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, who is set to take office on December 1.
According to Ruiz, permits are not likely to be approved for four to five months, but he did state that the new government, under Peña Nieto, is like-minded in its support for the introduction of large-scale GMO corn cultivation in Mexico.He told reporters, "I think we are in agreement generally over the importance of having this instrument, and that farmers have the tool of genetically modified organisms."
However he did add, "But like they say, the devil is in the details."
While scientists have acknowledged that Mexico is the birthplace of corn, and opponents argue that these genetically modified varieties would contaminate native strains and irrevocably damage the grain's biodiversity, Ruiz said that the government still had to designate so-called "centers of origin" where GM corn cultivation will be banned, as well as set other safety regulations.
Mexico currently plants around 7.2 million hectares (17.8 million acres) of corn each year, consisting mainly of white corn for human consumption. According to agriculture ministry data, domestic corn production this year will total almost 22 million tonnes.
However, the country relies on imports of yellow corn for animal feed, which includes around 9 million tonnes in 2012. Promoters of GM corn say it would produce yields between 10 and 15% larger than conventional strains. They say this could both boost production, and also curb Mexico's dependence on imports.
There are currently five applications for commercial-scale GM corn fields, totally around 2.5 million hectares, including Monsanto, with two applications of 700,000 each in Mexico's western Sinaloa state, the country's largest corn producer.
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, which is part of DuPont has three applications outstanding, each of which would cover around 350,000 hectares, in northeastern Tamaulipas state. One other application is outstanding by Dow Agrosciences de Mexico, part of Dow Chemical, for 40,000 hectares also in Tamaulipas state.
Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group’s Latin America Director, was quoted as saying: “It would be a monumental injustice for the creators of maize – who have so benefited humankind – to be obliged to pay royalties to a transnational corporation that exploited their knowledge in the first place.”
Another concern is that farmers will no longer be able to save their own seed from each harvest and will always have to buy more seeds for each planting, along with the necessary herbicides, causing more expense. Should harvests not go well, farmers will then struggle to survive.
A petition is being run by Avaaz addressed to the President of Mexico, to "Stop GMO Corn from Contaminating Mexico's Heartland."
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337603#ixzz2DEQMQ7X7
Report: Israeli airstrikes on Gaza to cost over $300 million
The eight day strike by Israel on Gaza not only killed 168 Palestinians, most them civilians, but has also resulted in $300 million in economic damage, the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce reports.
According to the report, the occupied territory's agrarian segment suffered $120 million in damage. Economic activities were halted for eight days, causing a further $40 million to be lost. The balance of the $300 million comes from infrastructure and buildings that were destroyed and impaired by the Israeli airstrikes.
The report states that to deal with the disastrous economic consequences of the raid, there must be a lifting of Israeli restrictions on Gaza, in accordance with the truce which ended the attacks on Wednesday.
Israel began the attack on Gaza last week to stop rocket attacks on its territory from Hamas, the political party governing Gaza. Hamas' bombardment had intensified, killing six Israelis, 5 of them civilians. In return, the Israeli attacks killed 168 Palestinians, mostly civilians, with many people injured. Many buildings were razed to the ground in the attack, including government ministry buildings.
A call-up of 75,000 reserve troops in Israel was authorized as the air assault on Gaza intensified, with speculation of a ground invasion into the territory. However, these plans were halted when an international diplomatic effort brokered by Egypt resulted in a ceasefire deal on Wednesday.
This agreement stipulates that Gaza's crossings should be opened to facilitate the movement of people and goods, while “all Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.”
Digital Journal is reporting on Sunday that some restrictions have been eased, with Palestinian farmers being able to visit their farmland near the border fence with Israel, and fishermen are now allowed to sail out further from the coast, with hopefully larger catches of fish.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337635#ixzz2DEPDq5VT
Saturday, 24 November 2012
1 Palestinian dead and at least 25 injured at Gaza-Israel border
One adult Palestinian was killed and at least eight teenagers have been injured when Israeli soldiers opened fire at the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. (Updated).
This incident happened east of the city of Kan Yunis in southern Gaza.
Read more and watch videos: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337515#ixzz2D8FWMLdh
Streaker climbs statue in central London and poses for 3 hours
Braving a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, the man climbed the statue of Prince George in Whitehall, London, took off his clothes and proceeded to pose naked, waving at onlookers.
The incident, which happened at midday, brought London's traffic to a standstill for around three hours, as police feared the man might pose a security risk.Described as an inconspicuous man in his thirties or forties, he clambered up the bronze statue of Prince George, the Victorian-era commander-in-chief of the British Army, which is outside Whitehall, and houses the UK government and Ministry of Defence.
Striking various provocative poses, he even climbed on top of the feathered bicorne worn by the general, and attracted crowds of onlookers, taking photos with their mobile phones.
The incident attracted a response team of four police cars, two fire trucks, and four mounted policemen, who blocked off the area within 100 meters of the statue. This forced government employees to enter their buildings through alternative routes.
Eventually, after three hours, professional negotiators managed to urge the man to climb down. He was then detained under the Mental Health Act.
More images of the streaker can be viewed on RT. Watch video of the incident at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337569#ixzz2D8DAaXV8
Striking various provocative poses, he even climbed on top of the feathered bicorne worn by the general, and attracted crowds of onlookers, taking photos with their mobile phones.
The incident attracted a response team of four police cars, two fire trucks, and four mounted policemen, who blocked off the area within 100 meters of the statue. This forced government employees to enter their buildings through alternative routes.
Eventually, after three hours, professional negotiators managed to urge the man to climb down. He was then detained under the Mental Health Act.
More images of the streaker can be viewed on RT. Watch video of the incident at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337569#ixzz2D8DAaXV8
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