I won't surrender to extradition ‘for doing journalism’ – Assange

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, jailed by the UK authorities for 50 weeks over skipping bail, is adamant to fight the US extradition request, as Washington wants him for merely “doing journalism.”

Assange faced a London court via a video link on Thursday for the first hearing over the US extradition request. When asked if he desires to consent to it, he rejected it and expressed determination to fight the extradition.

I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many, many awards and protected many people.

The US wants Assange on charges of conspiring to commit computer intrusion, related to his work with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who leaked scores of classified documents related to the Iraq War. The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years behind bars, but Assange's legal team fears more charges will follow.

Supporters of the WikiLeaks co-founder speculate that he might even face charges under the Espionage Act of 1917, a harsh legislation protecting “national interests,” that envisions lengthy prison terms and ultimately the death penalty to those found guilty.

The hearings on the extradition request have been adjourned, with a technical one scheduled for May 30 and the first substantive one expected on June 12.

https://www.rt.com/news/458200-assange-us-extradition-journalism/

Sinister secret backdoor found in networking gear perfect for government espionage: The Chinese are – oh no, wait, it's Cisco again

Better ban this gear from non-US core networks, right?

Right on cue, Cisco on Wednesday patched a security vulnerability in some of its network switches that can be exploited by miscreants to commandeer the IT equipment and spy on people.

This comes immediately after panic this week over a hidden Telnet-based diagnostic interface was found in Huawei gateways. Although that vulnerability was real, irritating, and eventually removed at Vodafone's insistence, it was dubbed by some a hidden backdoor perfect for Chinese spies to exploit to snoop on Western targets.

Which, of course, comes as America continues to pressure the UK and other nations to outlaw the use of Huawei gear from 5G networks over fears Beijing would use backdoors baked into the hardware to snatch Uncle Sam's intelligence.

Well, if a non-internet-facing undocumented diagnostic Telnet daemon is reason enough to kick Huawei kit out of Western networks, surely this doozy from Cisco is enough to hoof American equipment out of British, European and other non-US infrastructure? Fair's fair, no?

US tech giant Cisco has issued a free fix for software running on its Nexus 9000 series machines that can be exploited to log in as root and hijack the device for further mischief and eavesdropping. A miscreant just needs to be able to reach the vulnerable box via IPv6. It's due to a default SSH key pair hardcoded into the software, as Cisco explained:

A vulnerability in the SSH key management for the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Mode Switch Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to connect to the affected system with the privileges of the root user.

The vulnerability is due to the presence of a default SSH key pair that is present in all devices. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by opening an SSH connection via IPv6 to a targeted device using the extracted key materials. An exploit could allow the attacker to access the system with the privileges of the root user.

The blunder, labeled CVE-2019-1804, was discovered and reported by Oliver Matula of ERNW Enno Rey Netzwerke in cooperation with ERNW Research.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/05/02/cisco_vulnerabilities/

Measles vaccines kill more children than the measles… and it’s not even close

With all of the hysteria and fear-mongering about measles that’s sweeping mainstream media headlines these days, one might assume that children everywhere are dropping dead from this chickenpox-like infection. But according to official data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not a single person has died while being infected with measles in more than 15 years.

On the other hand, it’s an undeniable fact that at least 100 people have died as a consequence of receiving the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella, which we’ve all been told by government health authorities, is supposed to protect against measles.

As is now obvious to everyone who’s actually paying attention, the MMR vaccine is actually far more dangerous than measles itself, which back in the 1950s and 1960s was joked about in television shows like “The Brady Bunch” for being a harmless rite of passage from childhood into adulthood.

Back in 2014, CDC Director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told the Associated Press that there hasn’t been a measles-associated death since 2003. This claim was more recently confirmed by the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, which again reiterated in an email that there have been no measles-associated deaths in the U.S. since 2003.

It’s important to also keep in mind that even those very few deaths reported in 2003 and prior may not have actually been caused by measles, as the CDC merely tracks deaths that coincide with measles infections – much like the CDC, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), do with data targeting raw milk.

“The weekly CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) since that date have not revealed any measles deaths either,” explains Brian Shilhavy, an editor for Health Impact News, about supporting CDC data showing that measles is basically harmless, and no more serious than the common cold.

For more news about how the mainstream media, corrupt politicians, and industry-bought health authorities are lying to the public about measles, be sure to check out Propaganda.news.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-05-01-measles-vaccines-kill-more-children-than-the-measles.html

12,000 Jewish Israel settlers raid historic West Bank cemetery

May 2, 2019 at 11:20 am

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Some 12,000 Israeli Jewish settlers yesterday raided several historic Muslim tombs belonging to scholars and prophets in the village of Kafl Haris, east of the West Bank city of Salfit, Quds Press reported.

Local sources told the news site that a large number of Israeli occupation forces also raided the city to secure the invasion of the settlers.

The settlers performed Talmudic rituals near the Islamic tombs.

Israeli settlers regularly raid Islamic sites to perform Talmudic rituals that provoke Palestinians.

Occupation forces ban Palestinians from accessing the sites during the raids and often impose curfews in nearby areas.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190502-12000-jewish-israel-settlers-raid-historic-west-bank-cemetery/

Israeli settlers destroy more olive trees in occupied West Bank

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190502-israeli-settlers-destroy-more-olive-trees-in-occupied-west-bank/

NGO: ‘Demonstrable rise’ in Israel demolitions across East Jerusalem

An Israeli human rights NGO has identified a “demonstrable rise” in demolitions of Palestinian properties in occupied East Jerusalem during 2019.

According to Ir Amim, since the start of 2019 “there have been 93 demolitions across East Jerusalem, 41 of which were residential units”, revealing “a demonstrable rise in demolitions when compared to the same period in 2018”. Fifty-five demolitions were carried out in April alone, Ir Amim added.

The group was responding to fresh demolitions by Israeli occupation authorities in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Wadi Yasul, “destroying two residential units and three animal stalls”.

“One housing unit belonged to a family of six with four children, while the second unit was home to a family of five with three children. One homeowner was arrested during the incident and several injured,” Ir Amim reported.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190502-ngo-demonstrable-rise-in-israel-demolitions-across-east-jerusalem/

In Israel, 53 mosques and churches vandalized since 2009, only 9 indictments filed

The number of mosques and churches attacked in Israel is high, but police effort at investigating these crimes are absurdly low. The head of monitoring group asserts, ‘Without a doubt, they aren’t looking hard enough’

Over 50 Christian and Muslim sites have been vandalized in Israel and the West Bank since 2009, but only nine indictments have been filed and only seven convictions handed down, according to Public Security Ministry data. Moreover, only eight of the 53 cases are still under investigation, with the other 45 all closed.

The ministry data only goes through July 2017, but the vandalism hasn’t ended.

The latest attack occurred last Wednesday, at St. Stephen’s Church in the Beit Jamal Monastery, near Beit Shemesh. Many items were broken, including some of the stained glass windows and a status of the Virgin Mary. Police are investigating, but so far no suspects have been arrested and the motive is said to be unknown.

This was the third such attack on the monastery in the last five years. In 2013, a firebomb was thrown at a door and hateful slogans were scrawled on the walls. And about 18 months ago, gravestones were vandalized in the cemetery. No suspects were arrested in those cases, either.

The wave of vandalism peaked in 2013, the data show. That year, 11 investigations were opened and five people were convicted. Also that year, the police opened a special hate crimes unit in their Judea and Samaria District. But judging by the data, the unit’s deterrent effect has been minimal.

https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-53-mosques-churches-vandalized-since-2009-9-indictments/

Having Admitted to “Lying” and “Cheating” while CIA Director, Pompeo Drops Another Whopper after Failed Venezuelan Coup

The lack of scrutiny given by the mainstream media to Bolton and Pompeo’s claims is yet another troubling sign of the transformation of many mainstream media outlets into faithful government stenographers.

WASHINGTON — Just a week after the former CIA director and now secretary of state admitted that the agency prior to and under his direction “lied,” “cheated” and “stole,” Mike Pompeo has delivered another claim that, despite his recent admission of dishonesty, has been regurgitated with little scrutiny by a variety of media outlets.

In what Venezuelan government officials claimed was an attempt to provide cover for the failure of Tuesday’s U.S.-backed coup attempt to gain any traction, Pompeo claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been ready to flee to Havana, Cuba amid the early morning chaos of Tuesday’s failed military uprising, but had been convinced to stay by the Russian government. Pompeo made the claim during a Tuesday interview with CNN, stating:

He [Maduro] had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it, and the Russians indicated he should stay.”

Pompeo then made a similar claim during a subsequent appearance on Fox News, stating that Maduro “was ready to go. He made a decision that we had been urging him to make for quite some time. And then he was diverted from that action by the Russians.”

https://www.mintpressnews.com/pompeos-claim-that-maduro-was-set-to-flee-fits-with-lying-past-at-cia/258086/

Bolton Claims 25,000 Cuban Troops Are in Venezuela

This would be roughly 30% of Cuba's entire military

National Security Adviser John Bolton continued to push accusations that Cuba is behind the failed US-backed coup in Venezuela, now claiming that 25,000 Cuban troops are in the country, and Venezuela would fall by midnight if they left.

Cuba has denied having troops in Venezuela, or engaging in any military operations there. Bolton provided no evidence that the 25,000 troops are there, and there are some serious reasons to doubt it.

During the Tuesday coup, after all, chief of staff Mick Mulvaney insisted that Russia and Cuba were “not supposed to get involved,” a preposterous supposition to make if Cuba had a substantial chunk of its military in Venezuela.

And that would be a huge military commitment for Cuba. The most recent official estimate is that Cuba’s entire military only has 90,000 active personnel, which would mean that if Bolton’s allegations were true, they are committing around 30% of their entire military to an overseas engagement.

https://news.antiwar.com/2019/05/01/bolton-claims-25000-cuban-troops-are-in-venezuela/

Bolton Pushes Military Option for Venezuela as Trump, Pentagon Hesitate – Report

The crisis in Venezuela escalated this week after opposition leader Juan Guaido announced the start of the "final phase" of the operation to overthrow the Maduro government and called on the country's military to join the opposition.

US officials have conflicting opinions on how to handle the Venezuelan crisis, with at least one heated exchange taking place last week between members of National Security Advisor John Bolton's staff and the Pentagon on the supposed lack of military options.

Speaking to the Washington Post, unnamed officials recalled a clash between Bolton's staff and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul J. Selva, with members of the Bolton camp repeatedly interrupting Selva during a briefing in which the general, speaking for the military, advised against escalating the situation in the Latin American country.

Officials told the WP that Selva, ordinarily known for his soft-spoken manner, angrily slammed his hand down on the table in the briefing room amid constant interruptions, with Bolton deputy Charles Kupperman adjourning the briefing earlier than planned. Selva reportedly felt that the Bolton staff's confrontational style was 'out of line', with a senior administration official saying the Bolton staffers were dissatisfied over Selva's failure to present sufficient military options.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201905021074640803-bolton-trump-venezuela-lobbying/

Front page times of Israel.

It looks like they are showing their teeth.

Showing they feel threatened abut have nukes???

GOP Lawmaker Gave Pro-War Speech on Yemen — by Reading Saudi Lobbyist’s Talking Points Verbatim

Rep. Ed Royce, a senior Republican who, at the time, chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee, gave a speech on the House floor in November 2017 imploring his fellow lawmakers to maintain support for the Saudi Arabian-led war in Yemen. Royce warned that foreign adversaries — namely, Iran — could gain a foothold in Yemen through the Houthi rebels.

“Part of the problem here is the leaders of the Houthi militia were indoctrinated in Qom, in Iran, as part of an Iranian attempt to construct a Hezbollah-like proxy in Yemen,” warned Royce, suggesting that the rebels in Yemen were merely Iranian cutouts, something experts dispute.

https://theintercept.com/2019/05/02/yemen-war-powers-resolution-saudi-lobbyists/

Ex-CIA agent admits spying for China

An ex-CIA agent has pleaded guilty to spying for China, the US justice department says, in a case believed to be linked to the dismantling of a US espionage network.

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 54, left the CIA in 2007 to live in Hong Kong, where he was recruited by Chinese agents.

Prosecutors say the naturalised US citizen was then paid to divulge information on US covert assets.

This led China to bring down a network of informants between 2010 and 2012.

About 20 informants were killed or jailed during that period - one of the most disastrous failures of US intelligence in recent years.

The US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Demers, said Lee's case was the third involving US agents and China in less than a year.

"Every one of these cases is a tragic betrayal of country and colleagues," he said.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/72434/excia-agent-admits-spying-for.html

American War Crimes in Afghanistan Exposed by WikiLeaks and a New UN Report

WikiLeaks journalist Julian Assange languishes in a British maximum security prison for exposing American war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. All those politicians and so called journalists who applauded Assange’s arrest are deafening silent when it comes to American war crimes in countries such as Afghanistan. This conspiracy of silence includes the International Criminal Court which, to its eternal shame, has recently decided not to investigate war crimes in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a new report from the UN lays bare the continuing war crimes committed by the United States and its allies over the last year. In the first quarter of 2019 the Afghan army and US forces killed more civilians than the Taliban and Isis. During this period the US carried out 39 bombing operations that caused 145 civilian deaths and wounded 83 with women and children making up 50% of the casualties from aerial operations. The UN report briefly mentions a massacre of civilians on 23 March in Kunduz City where American bombing killed 13 civilians including 10 women and two children.

The huge escalation in American bombing of civilians is apparently part of the US strategy to force the Taliban to negotiate peace in the country. Massive bombing of civilians failed to win victory in the Vietnam War and committing such war crimes in Afghanistan will also not help facilitate an American victory.

American war crimes against civilians in Afghanistan are nothing new. They have a long history as revealed by WikiLeaks.

It is important that we remind the world of American war crimes in Afghanistan at a time when the Trump regime and its allies seek to repress the truth about their bloody regime change wars, while truth tellers like Assange languish in jail.

In July 2010 Wikileaks released the Afghan War Diary which was an extraordinary collection of 91,000 reports that revealed the killing of hundreds of civilians by the US led coalition. This came at a time when President Obama had sent 30,000 extra soldiers to prop up the failing American war effort.

Night raids by US soldiers and their allies have been major source of anger within Afghanistan due to the high number of civilians killed by such actions. In 2010 alone, 472 civilians were killed or wounded by soldiers from the US led coalition (ISAF). As Julian Assange pointed out in 2010 the Afghan War Diary contains many examples of “war crimes’’ that need investigation. Nine years later and there has been no justice for the victims who are inconvenient facts about how the United States conducts its so called war on terror.

Throughout the naughties the city of Jalalabad, in Nangarhar province, was a government stronghold yet ISAF night raids dramatically increased in the region.

https://southfront.org/american-war-crimes-in-afghanistan-exposed-by-wikileaks-and-a-new-un-report/

Lavrov denounces US’ statement about Russia’s role in situation in Venezuela as wrong

TASHKENT, May 2. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denounced the statement of Russia’s role in the situation in Venezuela made by the US representatives as untrue.

"The enumeration all that official representatives for the American administration say about Venezuela leads to endless questions, and as a rule, diplomatically speaking, the answer to all these questions would be ‘wrong,’" the top diplomat said, answering a TASS question.

Russia will mobilize the efforts of the states that respect the UN Charter for countering the US’ plans on Venezuela, Lavrov told reporters.

"Our position [on the US’ plans on Venezuela] will be very simple. We will mobilize a group of states that, like us, respect the UN Charter to counter such schemes," he said.

"This group is being formed in the UN, and I hope that it will receive serious support in the organization," the minister noted. "Because the issue is about a very simple thing which can hardly be distorted: the protection of the basic norms and principles of international law, the way they are enshrined in the UN Charter."

Disrespect for the peoples

Lavrov reiterated about the telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held on Wednesday. "[Pompeo] called for abandoning support for Maduro and called on us and on Cuba not to interfere with Venezuela’s domestic affairs. All this story sounds rather surrealistic," the minister pointed out. "I answered him, proceeding from our principled position, that we never interfere with other’s affairs and call on others to do the same."

"I warned the US against returning to the Monroe Doctrine, as Washington had proclaimed to do, as it is possible to go too far this way. I believe that such vociferous statements to return to the 200-year doctrine mainly reflect disrespect not just for the Venezuelan people, but for the Latin American peoples in general," the minister said.

The contacts will continue

Lavrov noted that Moscow and Washington agreed to continue contacts on Venezuela, though their positions are incompatible. "As I understand it, Pompeo called me to say publicly afterwards that he called me and asked me not to interfere. He did it, and I think that we should close the door on it now. Still, we agreed to continue contacts, in particular on Venezuela," the minister said.

"However, I don’t see the way the positions can be combined - our positions, on the one hand, which are based on the UN Charter and principles and norms of international law and the positions of the US, on the other hand, which appoints from Washington ‘acting presidents’ in another country, demands that legitimate authorities capitulate and threatens to use force simultaneously with oppressive sanctions in order to change the regime," he went on. "The positions are incompatible, but we are ready to talk," Lavrov stressed.

The situation in Venezuela

Anti-governmental demonstrations were held in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities on Tuesday, after a military group had sided with opposition leader Juan Guaido.

On May 1, Lavrov said in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that Washington’s intervention into the domestic affairs of Venezuela, where the opposition attempted a coup d’etat, is inacceptable.

On April 30, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro was allegedly ready to go to Cuba, but Russia talked him out of it. The Venezuelan president himself called it fake news. US National Security Advisor John Bolton also stated that Venezuela’s defense minister, president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and head of Venezuela’s presidential security service allegedly stated their readiness to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

http://tass.com/politics/1056810

African Union gives Sudan army 60 days to hand over power

The African Union (AU) yesterday gave the Sudanese Transitional Military Council another 60 days to hand over power to a civilian transitional authority or face the country’s membership being suspended.

On 15 April, the AU gave the council 15 days to cede power, however, the TMC ignored the deadline.

The AU Peace and Security Council has reiterated in a statement “its conviction that a military-led transition in the Sudan will be totally unacceptable and contrary to the will and legitimate aspirations, to democratic institutions and processes, as well as respect for human rights and freedoms of the Sudanese people.”

The AU special envoy to Sudan, Mohamed El-Hassan Ould Labbat, arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday, where he met with TMC spokesman, Shams El Din Kabbashi.

The meeting dealt with steps taken since the visit of the AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki, to Sudan as well as dialogue with the Sudanese opposition.

Ould Labbat said that his mission is to “help Sudan find solutions made by the Sudanese themselves”.

A day earlier, the Sudanese opposition accused the TMC of not being serious about handing over power to civilians after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/72431/african-union-gives-sudan-army-60-days-to-hand-over.html

Russian And Syrian Warplanes Carried Out More Than 100 Airstrikes On Terrorist Positions In Last 24 Hours (Videos)

Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out more than 100 airstrikes on terrorist positions in northwestern Syria over the past 24 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on May 2.

According to the pro-opposition monitoring group, the airstrikes covered more than 30 villages and towns, mainly in the southern Idlib countryside and the northern Hama countryside.

Earlier, terrorists stationed in the demilitarized zone around Idlib launched 35 rockets at the Russian Hmeimim airbase on the Syrian coast killing a civilian and injuring many others. Civilian areas in northern Hama and in the city of Aleppo were also shelled.

The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) resumed their aerial operations over Idlib last week in response to a series of attacks on the Hmeimim airbase.

Syrian pro-government sources are claiming that these airstrikes are a part of the ongoing perpetrations for a large-scale military operation around Idlib. However, local observers believe that the Russia is still committed to the demilitarized zone agreement with Turkey.

https://southfront.org/russian-and-syrian-warplanes-carried-out-more-than-hundred-airstrikes-in-last-24-hours-videos/

Video links:

https://youtu.be/T-bgLcSszIM

https://youtu.be/dTjUCGl5uso

https://youtu.be/WjqoQSeGy9c

https://youtu.be/kMeyRb-OVf4

https://youtu.be/VwLhwY6flUA

>>6394783

slaves no more

Fuck the cabal

Syrian Army & Iraqi PMU Launch Joint Combing Operation Along Border

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) launched a joint combing operation to secure the Syrian-Iraqi border on May 2, according to the al-Mayadeen TV.

The Lebanese TV reporter said that the SAA will secure the areas of al-Maizilah, Saad al-Wa’r, the T-2 station and the surrounding of the US-occupied area of al-Tanaf as a part of the joint operation.

On the Iraqi side, the PMU announced that four of its brigades will be deployed to secure the border strip as the SAA continues its operations inside Syrian territory.

“We are ready to stop any danger or emergency, if the terrorist took the roads towards Iraq as a result of the Syrian military operation,” the PMU said in a press release.

Last month, RT revealed that Iraq had prepared a new plan to secure its border with Syria in coordination with the Damascus government. The plan was seen as a part of the ongoing preparations to reopen the strategic Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq.

The two countries are planning to reopen the Qa’im border crossing before the end of this year. A step that would allow Iran to ship supplies to its allies by land, which could provoke the US.

https://southfront.org/syrian-army-iraqi-pmu-launch-joint-combing-operation-along-border/

>>6394866

Notable

Poynter Institute Works With SPLC to Compile List of 'Unreliable' Websites for Advertisers to 'Blacklist'

"Blacklist" includes sites like Breitbart, American Thinker, Antiwar.com, CNS News and The Daily Caller.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=60155