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US Government Expands Assange Indictment To Criminalize Assistance Provided To Edward Snowden
Sarah Harrison, who was a section editor for WikiLeaks, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a former spokesperson, and Jacob Appelbaum, a digital activist who represented WikiLeaks at conferences, are targeted as “co-conspirators” in the indictment [PDF], though neither have been charged with offenses.
No charges were added, however, it significantly expands the conspiracy to commit computer intrusion charge and accuses Assange of conspiring with “hackers” affiliated with “Anonymous,” “LulzSec,” “AntiSec,” and “Gnosis.”
The computer crime charge is not limited to March 2010 anymore. It covers conduct that allegedly occurred between 2009 and 2015.
Prosecutors rely heavily on statements and chat logs from Sigurdur “Siggi” Thordarson and Hector Xavier Monsegur (“Sabu”), who were both FBI informants, in order to expand the scope of the prosecution.
In March, Judge Anthony Trenga dismissed the grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, that was investigating WikiLeaks. U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who refused to testify before the grand jury, was released from jail after spending about a year in confinement for “civil contempt.” She was still ordered to pay $256,000 in fines.
https://shadowproof.com/2020/06/25/assange-indictment-wikileaks-staff-criminalized-help-snowden/
Calm Before the Storm? Kim Jong-un Will Teach Everyone a Lesson
Pyongyang's temporary rejection of military action, which the country has threatened Seoul with for more than a week, came as a surprise to many. North Korea doesn't appear to be one of those nations that does not fulfill its promises.
Despite a new batch of leaflets distributed by North Korean defectors, whose actions have served as the reason for the current escalation, Kim Jong-un decided to postpone the General Staff's plan to concentrate troops along the border.
The motives of the North Korean leadership are as yet unclear and experts' opinions also differ. Some say that Kim Jong-un was ultimately imbued with Seoul's sincere efforts to ban leaflet distribution, which clearly violates inter-Korean agreements. Others say that North Korea simply doesn't dare to engage in an open confrontation, seeing Seoul's readiness to retaliate.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/202006251079718870-calm-before-the-storm-kim-jong-un-will-teach-everyone-a-lesson/
US Targets 8 Firms Including Steel, Metal Companies in New Iran-Related Sanctions, Treasury Says
Earlier in June, the US Treasury added over 100 Iranian vessels and transport companies to its sanction list. According to Fox Business sources, Republicans in Congress have proposed the largest-ever package of sanctions targeting Iran.
The United States has targeted Iran with another round of sanctions on eight firms, including steel and other metal companies, according to a release posted on the US Department of the Treasury's website.
"Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against four steel, aluminum, and iron companies operating within Iran’s metals sector, including one subsidiary of Mobarakeh Steel Company - Iran’s largest steel manufacturer", the release said.
https://sputniknews.com/us/202006251079719501-us-targets-8-firms-including-steel-metal-companies-in-new-sanctions/
California Town Banishes Christian Church from Downtown Area
The city of Salinas, California, is forcing an evangelical Christian church to sell its downtown property, saying it does not fit in with the new look of the town.
New Harvest Christian Fellowship bought the building in early 2018 after its congregation outgrew a space the church had been renting for more than 25 years. A new city ordinance, however, prohibits houses of worship from occupying the first floor of downtown buildings, the Christian Post reports.
The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the church, arguing that the City’s zoning code and denial of New Harvest’s proposed use of its property “treat New Harvest on less than equal terms with nonreligious assemblies and substantially burden religious exercise, in violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).”
A northern California U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the city of Salinas, declaring on May 29 that churches generate limited interest, do not draw tourists, and therefore detract from the city’s stated goals.
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2020/06/25/california-town-banishes-christian-church-from-downtown-area/
Son of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev died of gunshot wound to the head – US police
Sergey Khrushchev’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, US police said. The 84-year-old son of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev passed away at his Rhode Island home last week.
“There were no immediate signs of outside foul play,” Major Todd Patalano of the Cranston Police Department said. He didn’t elaborate as to whether the death was being treated as an accident or a suicide, simply stating that the investigation was closed.
The gunshot wound was revealed by Joseph Wendelken, spokesman for the Rhode Island state medical examiner’s office, the AP news agency reported.
However, the younger Khrushchev’s widow, Valentina Golenko, who was the one to discover the body and call the police last Thursday, has refuted that this was the cause of death.
“Don’t repeat this gossip to me,” she told RIA-Novosti. “He died of old age, as the autopsy report says. He was sick for the last two years.”
Sergey Khrushchev was one of the five children of Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader between 1953 and 1964, who led the country through the Caribbean Crisis, which took the USSR and US to the brink of a nuclear war.
https://www.rt.com/news/492949-khrushchev-son-death-us/
Fake govt COVID-19 contact tracking app spreads Android ransomware
Attackers are impersonating the Canadian government’s COVID-19 contact tracing app which is yet to be released for public.
Governments around the world have been taking measures to combat the Coronavirus. One tactic involved is the use of contact tracing apps to help track down individuals who may have been in contact with a victim of the virus, therefore being at risk themselves.
One such country happens to be Canada who recently announced the release of an app named “COVID Alert” which will be available to Canadians countrywide in just over a month’s time.
https://www.hackread.com/fake-govt-covid-19-contact-tracking-app-android-ransomware/