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Trump administration offered Assange pardon, Australian lawyer claims

London: Jennifer Robinson, the Australian lawyer representing Julian Assange, has told his extradition hearing the Trump administration offered the Australian a pardon over the WikiLeaks publications if he outed the source of the 2016 Democratic National Convention email hack.

The emails, which US agencies say were obtained by Russian hackers, were published by WikiLeaks to the benefit of Donald Trump's campaign.

Robinson gave the sensational testimony at Assange's extradition hearing in London.

She said the offer was made by Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson, who visited Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017.

Assange had sought political asylum there to prevent his extradition to Sweden where he faced allegations of sexual assault.

It is not the first time Assange's legal team has made the claim, which has been denied by both the White House and Rohrabacher.

Rohrabacher, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his visit was a "fact-finding mission".

"At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the President because I had not spoken with the President about this issue at all," Rohrabacher said in a statement in February, when the claims were first made.

"However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him."

But Robinson, who attended the meeting, said a direct offer was made and the pair explicitly stated that they were acting on behalf of the President.

"They said that President Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet Mr Assange to discuss a proposal," she said.

She said Rohrabacher described the offer as a "win-win solution" in which Assange would be given a "pardon, assurance or a commitment" preventing an indictment in return for giving up the source, allowing the 49-year-old to "get on with his life".

"He said the ongoing speculation was damaging to US-Russia relations, that it was reviving old Cold War politics and that it would be in the best interests of the US if the matter could be resolved."

She said they were told that the source of DNC emails "would be of interest, value and assistance to President Trump". At the time, Robert Mueller was investigating Russian interference in the US election and any connections between Trump associates and Russian officials.

Significantly, James Lewis, the QC representing the US government, did not cross-examine Robinson who read from a pre-prepared statement.

"The position of the government is that we don't contest, challenge those things were said, we obviously don't accept the truth of the contents of what was said by others," Lewis said.

Assange's legal team claims his prosecution is political and that his human rights would be violated if he was extradited.

Earlier, the court was told that Assange was "just an Aussie guy" who had devoted himself to making the world a better place by providing classified information in the public interest.

The United States Department of Justice wants Britain to extradite Assange so he can face 18 charges, mostly relating to computer hacking and conspiring with former army analyst Chelsea Manning to hack Pentagon systems.

The DoJ is also prosecuting Assange over the publication of informants, including in Afghanistan and Iraq whose names were published on WikiLeaks, potentially putting them in great harm.

Nicky Hager, an investigative journalist from New Zealand, said that when he travelled to the United Kingdom to work with Assange on the cables in 2010, Assange had wanted to redact the names of informants from documents before they were published on the WikiLeaks website.

The court has previously heard that Assange insisted on stringent redactions and that software was created to scrub all non-English words from the files in the hope that all foreign names would be removed.

The investigative journalist, who relied heavily on the WikiLeaks cables and worked with Assange and WikiLeaks in 2010, blamed "very bad fortune" and "bad luck" for the documents eventually being published online in full.

"I think it was subsequently through very bad fortune and perhaps partly the fact that these kinds of leaks and people of all sorts aren't used to being engaged in them, that the information got out and it shouldn't have," he said.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/trump-administration-offered-assange-pardon-australian-lawyer-claims-20200918-p55x59.html

How Victoria’s Covid lockdown protests are galvanising Australia's right

Liberal MP Craig Kelly and other figures stoking overtly political outrage at the restrictions are finding a thriving audience

Michael McGowan - 19 Sep 2020

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When police in Victoria arrested a 28-year-old pregnant woman named Zoe Buhler at her home near Ballarat over a post on social media two weeks ago, John Roskam’s phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

“I must have had something like 100 texts and emails that night saying ‘have you seen this?’” Roskam told Guardian Australia this week.

“I think, like everyone, I initially just thought, ‘Gee, that looks bad. I wonder what she’s done?’”

Then, about 11pm, Roskam, the executive director of rightwing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs, received a phone call from the Liberal party backbench MP Craig Kelly.

“He said, ‘John, have you seen this? We have to do something about it.’”

Buhler was one of a handful of Victorians arrested and charged with incitement in the lead-up to the so-called “freedom day” protests held across Australia on 5 September, a demonstration organised in defiance of lockdown restrictions, mandates on mask-wearing in Victoria, 5G, vaccinations and “child trafficking and pedophilia”.

Victoria police have continued to arrest people associated with the movement in the weeks since, but it was Buhler who sparked a wave of outrage. Footage of the arrest taken by her husband showed her wearing pyjamas as she was placed in handcuffs in front of her children. Within hours of being posted online, the video had attracted more than 1m views.

The arrest was criticised by the president of the Victorian Bar, Wendy Harris QC, who said it appeared to be “disproportionate to the threat she presented”, and even the Victorian police assistant commissioner, Luke Cornelius, who, while defending the arrest, conceded that officers had “absolutely stuffed” the “optics”.

Amid increasing pushback against Daniel Andrews’ government in Victoria, Buhler’s treatment by police has galvanised sections of the right in Australia. Two days after her arrest, conservative columnist Janet Albrechtsen wrote a sympathetic piece about Buhler under the headline “One mum’s desperate voice silenced by fascist behaviour”. On Thursday, Liberty Works, the organisation behind the Australian version of the Conservative Political Action Conference, launched a fundraiser for her legal defence. By Friday afternoon it had raised about $37,500 of its $290,000 goal.

Andrew Cooper, the Liberty Works president, told Guardian Australia he’d been drafted by the Institute of Public Affairs to help with Buhler’s legal case, saying he thought her arrest was “pretty abhorrent”.

“It seems crazy that a Facebook post is something that would lead to an arrest,” he said. “If it was exhorting people to conduct a bombing, then maybe we could have an argument that it’s a criminal matter, but we’re talking about protesting, which I think is fundamental to a democracy.”

But no one has been louder in their criticism than Kelly. Following Buhler’s arrest, the outspoken backbencher shared the footage with his ever-growing Facebook following, describing it as “what you’d expect to see in Nazi Germany”.

“Every politician that voted for laws that allows a pregnant mother to be handcuffed for a Facebook post (that criticises government policy) stands condemned for eternity,” he wrote at the time.

Kelly and Roskam moved quickly to draft Melbourne lawyers Stuart Wood QC and Stephen Andrianaki to act for Buhler pro bono in her case against the Victoria police, and Kelly boasted – again on Facebook – that it was “conservatives standing up to protect Zoe’s rights” while “Labor Luvies” remained silent.

“Zoe’s arrest was completely shocking,” Kelly told Guardian Australia.

“What we are seeing in Victoria is a severe breakdown of the social licence police in Australia enjoy. As politicians, we might want to create laws, but we have to think through how police are going to have to enforce those laws and what the consequence of that might be.”

(continued)

>>10706258

2/4

Encrypted message calls for ‘crowbars and baseball bats’

Those concerned with over-policing in Australia might be forgiven for feeling a sense of ideological whiplash watching conservatives prosecuting the issue.

As recently as June, Albrechtsen, for example, tutted at Black Lives Matter protestors for “ignoring laws that millions of Australians have dutifully followed in an effort to contain a pandemic”. Kelly, too, blasted BLM demonstrators for “threatening yet another street protest in our main streets of Sydney, even though we have the Covid restrictions in place”.

Roskam explains the apparent change in position by saying conservatives feel as though a “double standard” has been applied to anti-lockdown protests after a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Victoria went ahead prior to the stage-four lockdown.

He also argues that, in the same way that figures on the left in New South Wales have expressed concern about the state’s police commissioner, Mick Fuller, and his close relationship with the state’s Liberal government, Victorian conservatives feel senior police are too closely tied with Daniel Andrews’ state Labor government.

But he is also clear-eyed about the rhetorical shift. A former academic and political staffer who writes for the Australian newspaper, Roskam is the type of conservative who uses phrases like “political elites” while citing frequent “discussions with MPs” and invoking the allegory of Plato’s cave during conversations.

He concedes that much of the outrage is overtly political. As the Victorian government stays the course on its harsh Covid-19 restrictions, targeting concern about the role of police in enforcing the lockdown is a way to “pushback against the whole package”.

“It is a vehicle to talk about the program as a whole,” Roskam says. “That’s where the left are struggling with this. They can’t criticise one part of the package without starting to unpick it as a whole.”

But by joining the anti-lockdown chorus, members of the right in Australia are walking a thin line.

The event Buhler created specifically called for a “peaceful protest” which would help give “a voice for those in stage-four lockdowns”. Footage from the arrest showed her telling officers she did not realise creating the event was potentially in breach of the state’s laws.

But others associated with the protests that have broken out in Victoria are less benign.

The anti-lockdown protests in Victoria have been actively driven by a loose coalition of conspiracy groups that in some cases have links with the far-right in Australia. At protests held on 5 September, some demonstrators held anti-semitic signs while others were associated with the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon.

In August, one of the leaders of the 99% group, which organised an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne in May at which attendees chanted “arrest Bill Gates”, appeared on the Unshackled, an Australian far-right podcast. Guardian Australia has previously revealed that one of Kelly’s Liberal party colleagues, the Victorian MP Anne Webster, installed security cameras at her home because she feared being physically attacked after a conspiracy theorist falsely accused her of being “a member of a secretive pedophile network” in a series of vicious social media posts.

On encrypted messaging apps associated with the movement, some members now explicitly advocate using violence against journalists and the police. In one group this week, a member wrote that protestors “will need to start arming themselves with crowbars and baseball bats”. Another posted a video of themselves using a bow and arrow, while someone else posted photos of bullets, writing “these go thru Kevlar and armor plate vests”.

“Several of my mates are refusing to participate in these protests because they don’t want their firearm licence taken off them,” one member wrote. “That said, they believe the use of them may be necessary if this shit escalates.”

The same person wrote that protestors “should start going after the journalists”.

“They are the vehicle that have allowed this to occur. They have become an enemy of the people,” they wrote. “They all have names and addresses.”

(continued)

>>10706267

3/4

Craig Kelly denies spreading ‘dangerous disinformation’

As the pandemic stretches on, no one has walked the line between criticising the Victorian government and openly nodding to this audience like Craig Kelly. He has long been known for speaking to the beliefs of his party’s right flank, and has made a career out of mocking climate change “exaggeration”, denying its link to last summer’s bushfires and accusing the Bureau of Meteorology of falsifying weather data.

But the Liberal party backbencher has expanded his repertoire during the Covid-19 pandemic to include advocacy for the use of the drug hydroxychloroquine in treating Covid-19, a campaign against what he calls “health bureaucrats”, and a barrage of criticism against the Victorian government. In videos for an online streaming site called the Cave, Kelly has called for the removal of Daniel Andrews from office, saying Victoria was “being run by a megalomanic [who is] getting his totalitarian kicks out of keeping 5m people in captivity”.

Founded by Australian filmmaker Simon Hunter, the executive director of the Sydney Film School, the Cave also promotes videos from the likes of Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens and Gavin McInnes, the founder of the far-right Proud Boys group.

Kelly’s tireless online campaigning has undoubtedly found him a new and thriving audience. His Facebook following has grown by almost 37% since June, and of Australia’s federal MPs only the prime minister, Scott Morrison, has enjoyed more “interactions” on posts shared to the social media site. Kelly’s posts are also regularly among the most shared social media posts on the site from Australia.

His posts are regularly shared by groups associated with both the far right and individuals connected to the ever-mutating conspiracy movement. Earlier this month, the US conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer David “Avocado” Wolfe encouraged his 16,000 Telegram subscribers (he has more than 12m followers on Facebook) to sign a petition supporting Kelly over his advocacy for hydroxychloroquine.

Similarly, in August, the former celebrity chef Pete Evans shared a speech by Kelly promoting the drug to his 1.5m Facebook followers. Evans regularly posts favourably about a range of discredited ideas including risks of 5G exposure, while platforming anti-vaxxers and pushing content aligned to Qanon.

Hydroxychloroquine, which has also been pushed by Donald Trump, has been shown to be ineffective and potentially harmful when used to treat the virus. The Therapeutic Goods Administration, the federal health body responsible for evaluating and approving medicines for use in Australia, recommends the drug not be used to treat Covid-19 outside of clinical trials and has restricted its use outside of the conditions for which it is approved.

The acting chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, has said simply that “it doesn’t work”.

Kelly’s advocacy for the drug has prompted significant criticism. Last month the shadow health minister, Chris Bowen, accused Kelly of spreading “dangerous disinformation” for continuing to push the use of the drug, and the usually staid deputy chief health officer Nick Coatsworth has rebuked his advocacy for it. “I think Australians are very clear which Kelly should be listened to in Covid-19, and that is Paul Kelly,” he previously said.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Kelly denied engaging in misinformation, saying he was not intimately familiar with online conspiracy theory groups including QAnon. In online videos, he’s also railed against criticism he has received for promoting hydroxychloroquine, accusing the media of “implying I was engaging in peddling conspiracy theories, defunct facts [and] dangerous facts. All I’ve been doing is reporting what the medical experts are saying around the world”.

(continued)

>>10706277

4/4

Kelly is insistent and ferocious in his advocacy for the drug. In two interviews with Guardian Australia, he quoted from dozens of medical papers which he says show the evidence for the drug is “overwhelming”.

“Is it any wonder, when you’ve got medical doctors around the world speaking out and saying this drug works, and yet the chief medical officer of the country is saying it doesn’t work, is it any wonder people on the fringes of conspiracy theories are saying hang on a minute, what’s going on?” he said.

Kelly says his support for the drug is based on a belief that the government is interfering with the relationship between patients and doctors. In videos for the Cave he’s argued that much of the opposition to it from mainstream health organisations is a result of Trump’s advocacy for it, saying it has “resulted in hydroxychloroquine becoming, I think, the first drug in history to become politically incorrect”.

Asked by Guardian Australia why he believed health officials would block access to the drug if it did work, Kelly said he didn’t know, suggesting they were either “overwhelmed” by the task of combatting the virus or that they were “subconsciously” biased against it both because it had been promoted by Trump and because it was “off-patent”.

“It is a mystery to me,” he said. “A lot of this started in the US, and that’s a factor because as soon as Trump said it would work, a lot of people were determined to show it wouldn’t. He’s the worst advocate for the drug.”

“There’s also the factor that hydroxychloroquine is off-patent … there’s no money in it for anyone. I don’t know whether that’s affecting anyone but it has got to be one of the considerations that are weighed up. Maybe it’s a subconscious close of the eye.”

In the main, Australia conservatives continue to support him. Last month the Coalition blocked Labor’s attempts to rebuke Kelly over the drug, and, indeed, Roskam says he sees Kelly as a model for future conservative politicians.

“I give a lot of speeches to young conservatives and young Liberals and I say you can be a cabinet minister for 10 years and achieve nothing or you can be Craig Kelly,” he said.

Andrew Cooper said he hadn’t followed the debate around hydroxychloroquine, but that broadly he supported Kelly.

“In general I think democracies needs your Craig Kellys, I really do, because what we’ve learned through this period is there’s a consolidation of everyone’s mindset into one, and you do need those outliers to stir it up,” he said.

“Surely we’re big enough to work out whether we agree or disagree with Craig Kelly.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/19/how-victorias-covid-lockdown-protests-are-galvanising-australias-right

Just like Australia, disinformation is thriving during the US fire crisis

In both countries, fake news about arson proliferated while the role of climate change was obscured

Jason Wilson - 19 Sep 2020

1/2

Disinformation successfully obscured the real causes of Australia’s catastrophic bushfire season. Now the same thing is happening around me, as I report on a disastrous wildfire season in the American west.

In both countries, the response to a pandemic is also being complicated by disinformation, as conspiracy theorists refuse isolation, refuse masks, and ready themselves to refuse vaccines.

A lot of the fundamental problems are the same, but there are differences in detail.

In the western United States in recent days, backroads vigilantism has seen civilians set up armed road blocks, and journalists held at the point of loaded assault rifles.

Australia does not have the complication of American gun culture, which is itself one marker of the clash of ideologies and identities in a deeply divided nation, and also raises the stakes on every other social conflict.

Many Australians like to congratulate themselves on their highly restrictive gun laws, figuring that it is the mark of a more civilised society.

That may be, but it’s easy to forget that one of the major stumbling blocks to stricter gun laws in the United States is a bill of rights.

We can argue whether the right to bear arms is a sensible thing to constitutionally enshrine, but Australia has no such constitutionally defined individual rights, beyond those that the high court has seen fit to torture from the document.

The absence of such rights also contains the real world effects of conspiracy theories – the people recently arrested for incitement in Victoria over the promotion of Covid conspiracy theories and anti-lockdown protests would likely enjoy first amendment protections in the US. Whether or not people ought to have the liberty to promote ideas which are, frankly, insane, and a threat to public order, is beyond the scope of this article.

In other ways, Australia is worse off. It is easy to make the mistake of thinking that Fox News, or other skewed or tabloid media, is representative of US media as a whole.

But America’s media is vast. Conservative media is mostly enjoyed by those who have already committed the necessary cognitive self-mutilation to mistake its output for information, and, speaking very generally, although other corporate and local media may be excessively narrow, and TV networks such as Sinclair do skew right, the country does not suffer under the hegemony that News Corporation has achieved in its country of origin.

With its stranglehold on daily newspapers and online news, News Corp in Australia has created the most rightwing media culture in the English speaking world, and they aren’t really accountable to anyone.

Their columnists, and even their news writers, played a big, unconscionable role in pushing horse-hockey about arson and hazard reduction burning. In the western United States, it’s simply inconceivable that local mainstream media outlets would deliberately mislead their audience in this way. (Fox News has, but those who take the network seriously are already lost.)

News gave the conspiracy theories momentum, while other outlets such as Seven also entertained the idea that vandals, greenies, or anything but climate change might have set the country on fire.

If there is a posterity to judge them, it will damn them all.

(continued)

>>10706380

2/2

The last, and biggest point of difference is that Australia’s bushfires struck at the beginning of 2020. As we draw to the end of September, the conspiracy culture that fuels wildfire denialism has had nine more months to incubate in the bowels of its principal host, Facebook.

Facebook is also the place where we see the two disinformation crises overlap.

That website is now nothing short of a threat to civilisation. But the nature of that threat is not easy to see for those who simply use it to keep up with family and friends, post pictures of their dog, or monitor old flames.

In 2016, the Facebook newsfeed was flooded with fake news. Scandals followed when it emerged how easily the newsfeed had been manipulated by propagandists like Cambridge Analytica (much of that was first revealed by reporting in the Guardian).

In response, Facebook first tweaked its algorithm to de-emphasise content from publishers except where it sparked interest from users’ friends. Then, last year, it tweaked its app to emphasise groups.

Ask anyone who professionally monitors the far right, as I do, or conspiracy culture, as I do, and they’ll tell you that the action is all happening in private groups – either those associated with movements like QAnon, with anti-lockdown or anti-mask or anti-vaccine protests, with far right street protests, and lately, with localities affected by natural disasters.

To a large extent, now, all of these form one big gumbo of conspiracy culture, anyhow. Facebook will tell you that they have cracked down on QAnon, the Boogaloo movement, and wildfire disinformation. To the extent that they have tried, they have failed. Conspiracy culture continues not only to survive, but thrive on the platform.

In the last week, the idea that antifa activists were starting fires was bedded down as settled fact and common sense in rightwing groups, and those associated with many affected rural communities. The idea was impervious to attempts by federal and local law enforcement authorities to debunk it.

That’s the most proximate reason that armed men were sticking up journalists, and setting up roadblocks in rural Oregon.

There will be future bushfire seasons like 2020’s in Australia, and the American west. The Covid crisis has a long way to run, and it may worsen, and give way to future pandemics which are even more unforgiving.

The disinformation will also likely be worse, as will its consequences, because those whose safety is threatened by disinformation cannot, and those who could will not deplatform the conspiracy theorists producing lies at an industrial scale.

In Australia, and the US, the prospects of facing up to the underlying cause of longer, more severe, more catastrophic fire seasons – climate change – will be remote unless regulators act against the websites where truth goes to die.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/19/just-like-australia-disinformation-is-thriving-during-the-us-fire-crisis

Prince Andrew under immense pressure after Jeffrey Epstein's chef speaks to FBI

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein's former chef Adam Perry Lang catered for Prince Andrew and also flew alongside him on the billionaire financier's private jet on two occasions

Prince Andrew is under intense pressure to speak to US investigators after his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein’s chef began “fully cooperating” with the FBI.

Adam Perry Lang, who opened the Barbecoa restaurant with Jamie Oliver in London in 2010, is being quizzed about the time he worked for depraved billionaire Epstein, from 1999 to 2003.

Lawyers for Epstein’s victims welcomed Perry Lang’s cooperation. Attorney Arick Fudali said: “We certainly hope that this may inspire other witnesses to come forward and help shed some light on Epstein’s dark scheme.”

American Perry Lang, 52, not only catered for the Duke of York, 60, but flew alongside him on board Epstein’s private jet.

According to court documents, he joined Andrew on two flights in February 1999 and one in May the next year.

Sources told the Mirror Perry Lang “has been or will be” quizzed about his time with Andrew as US prosecutors have “grown increasingly annoyed” at being stonewalled by the royal.

A source said: “The gloves are firmly off. Perry Lang holds information on what took place.

“They will get as much detail as possible that will help shape any interview they may one day have with the Duke.”

Perry Lang volunteered himself to the FBI after Virginia Giuffre, 37, who claims Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, wrote to him, saying: “Please don’t be an enabler. Be a hero to me.”

The Duke and his legal team vehemently deny her allegations.

Perry Lang’s lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, confirmed the chef was helping the FBI, who arrested Epstein’s ex Ghislaine Maxwell, 58, on suspicion of child sex offences in July. She denies the charges and faces trial in New York next July.

Mr Lustberg said: “Mr Lang has begun a course of fully cooperating with the federal authorities investigating this case. He, like them and like the victims, wants only that justice be done.”

The chef himself added: “We have absolutely always been available to the attorneys for the lawyers representing victims.”

Perry Lang said previously of Epstein: “I was unaware of the depraved behaviour and have great admiration for the brave women who have come forward.”

Several victims of Epstein have described Perry Lang as a decent man. Giuffre said: “He used to talk to me like I was a person.”

Epstein, 66, committed suicide last year while in jail awaiting trial for underage sex trafficking.

A spokeswoman for Prince Andrew declined to comment.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-andrew-under-immense-pressure-22707068

Coronavirus Australia: Victorian Chief Health Officer slams COVID-19 conspiracies

Victoria’s top doctor has slammed virus conspiracists, taking aim at those who believe “coronavirus doesn’t exist and doesn’t kill people”.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton has smacked down common and “absurd” coronavirus conspiracy theories that are circulating in the community.

Fronting the media on Saturday morning, Dr Sutton said the most aggravating conspiracy was that “coronavirus doesn’t exist and doesn’t kill people”.

“That is just off the scale in terms of absurdity,” he said.

“The idea that this illness that we know kills one in three people over the age of 80, you know, to say that it is mild or just the flu or doesn’t exist at all is really offensive to everyone who has lost a loved one.”

But despite the widespread misinformation, Dr Sutton said he believes the overall health message is sinking in.

Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also took aim at “selfish” anti-lockdown protesters in today’s media conference, telling participants to “go home” and insisting the coronavirus fight was “a human life exercise” and not about civil rights and civil liberties.

He said those taking part in rallies were putting lives at risk along with jeopardising to roadmap our of lockdown.

“I would have thought that the … primary concern at the moment amongst the Victorian community is to get these numbers down and keep them down,” he said.

“Go home and follow the rules. That is a very simple message. There is no need to protest about anything … it is not safe.

“It just doesn’t make any sense. You are potentially putting the strategy at risk. No-one should be doing anything to contribute to the spread of this virus.

“Victoria Police are not mucking about and they will deal with these people because it is a selfish act, it is an irresponsible and unlawful act.”

Mr Andrews also stood by the controversial decision not to fine members of five families behind Melbourne’s Casey cluster, which is believed to have occurred after family members broke virus rules to visit each other.

While he acknowledged the decision might not be supported by everyone, the information provided by those involved in the cluster was far more valuable than fines would be and that if fines were threatened, it may stop people from being “full and frank” in interviews.

The comments come as case numbers continue to fall in Victoria, with just 21 new coronavirus cases confirmed overnight in the state.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-victorian-chief-health-officer-slams-covid19-conspiracies/news-story/a771756c188d152ca36e5d73ca9a3981

Expired years ago

Israeli alchemy

A cheap trick

Detached from my knowledge

Fell for the meek and mild

Of the rich and famous

US election headed for chaos and courts — what price President Pelosi?

JOE HOCKEY - SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

1/2

What are the odds of Nancy Pelosi being sworn in as president on the steps of the Capitol on January 20? Not as remote as you may think.

Last week voting for the next president started in seven US states – two weeks before the first presidential debate that will be watched by almost 100 million Americans.

It is the beginning of the most complicated national election in the world, one almost certain to have no final result on election day, November 3.

The already confusing voting system across the US is slower and more open to manipulation than ever. On top of the political bias involved in its logistics, foreign interference is inevitable particularly in the days after November 3 when social media will be inundated with accusations, innuendo and outright deceit designed to undermine the integrity of the result.

It will be hard to avoid controversy no matter who wins. You can bet your house that the losers in this race will not take defeat graciously.

Already, both major parties are allocating more money to lawyers for the pre and post-election legal battles than they are spending on the campaign in a number of states.

It is certainly conceivable that the famous legal battle over hanging chads that decided the 2000 Bush-Gore election in Florida will be superseded by new types of litigation in perhaps 12 states if the result is close.

All the problems start with the more than 10,000 election authorities that are responsible for the rules of the presidential ballot.

Every jurisdiction seems to have authority for setting the rules — except for the US government that is being elected. The US Senate even shot down limited federal powers, under the 1965 Voting Rights Act to protect minority communities, earlier this year. In a nutshell that means there are different rules on how, where and when you can vote.

Take the case of our everyday voter, Mary Milwaukee. If Mary lives in Reno, Nevada she’ll receive a postal ballot paper in the next few weeks even if she never applied for it. Moreover, according to the US Postal Service, 223,000 ballot papers will go to the wrong homes in Nevada because people moved and forgot to change their address. No risk of ballot fraud here, right? And Nevada is a swing state.

If Mary lived in Jackson, Mississippi, she would have to register to vote no later than 29 days before poll day, and if she were born outside the US, would have to prove her naturalisation. After registering, she could apply for a postal ballot paper only if she had a good excuse. One justification for a postal ballot is if Mary contracted COVID-19. However, if she contracts it less than a week out from the election, unless she soldiers down to the ballot box on November 3, her vote won’t count.

But let’s say Mary does live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has not made up her mind until the eve of the election. Mary is allowed to cast a vote only at her local polling booth. She is unable to vote further down the road or across the country. And if Mary does get to vote after she finishes her working shift at Walmart, the queue to vote could be three hours long or worse. She had better rug up because the outside temperature is about 4C that time of year.

(continued)

Six fined, two arrested over Chadstone anti-lockdown flash mob

Samantha Dick - Sep 20, 2020

A bizarre anti-lockdown flash mob at Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne’s south-east quickly fizzled within minutes on Sunday.

About 50 demonstrators formed a makeshift choir outside Coles supermarket and sang You’re The Voice by John Farnham at 1pm.

But before they had a chance to belt out an encore, the group quickly dispersed over fear of being caught by police.

Five police Public Order Response vans arrived on the scene at 1.15pm, but by then most of the demonstrators had split up.

Victoria Police arrested two people and issued six fines to singers.

“It is only a very small number of people that still choose to put the rest of the community at risk through their selfish behaviour,” a police spokeswoman said.

“We will continue to take the same swift and firm action against those who choose to blatantly ignore the CHO directions.”

Victoria Police said it would continue investigating the people who attended the protest.

They’ve got the voice, but we don’t understand it

Speaking to the Herald Sun after the rally, one demonstrator accused the Victorian government of “protecting paedophiles and taking our rights away”.

His words echoed that of QAnon, a far-right group pushing conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and paedophile rings.

“Innocent people want to protest for freedom against our government – Black Lives Matter is OK, but it’s not OK when you want to speak up against the government,” the woman said.

“It’s disgusting. Our freedom of speech and human rights have been violated, so we’re going to stand up for Victoria.”

Another anti-lockdown supporter told the Herald Sun he wanted to “expose the lies that are going on and the trans-human agenda that’s coming next”.

On Saturday, Victoria Police arrested 16 people and issued 21 fines to anti-lockdown protesters in the Elsternwick area.

Punishment hypocrisy

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been accused of hypocrisy for allowing anti-lockdown protesters to be fined, but not any of the people in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs who spread COVID-19 after illegally visiting other family members’ homes.

The group behind the outbreak, which has grown to 40 virus infections, is largely from the Afghan community in Casey. Two of those infected by the virus are in hospital.

Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien seized the opportunity to slam Labor for “double standards” that were “as toxic as this virus”.

“It’s a disgrace that Labor has locked up innocent Victorians under a curfew while those who break the law and spread the virus get off scot free,” he said.

“This is the same Andrews hypocrisy that saw teenagers fined for learning to drive while 10,000 Black Lives Matter protesters were ignored.”

However, on Sunday Mr Andrews defended his decision not to fine the families in Casey for breaching lockdown because it might stop them from being “full and frank” in crucial contact-tracing interviews.

“If people are going to get fined for telling the truth … well then, I think we know what happens,” he said.

“People won’t tell the truth, and we won’t know where they’ve been, who they’ve infected, and we won’t be able to pull up an outbreak at 40 [cases]. It’ll be hundreds.”

He said he was “frustrated that people were doing the wrong thing”, but said the “truth was worth everything”.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/20/chadstone-lockdown-protest-coronavirus/

>>10729596

>>10729607

Clearnet jpg test

>>10729596

Q Post #2653

Jan 6 2019 12:32:35 (EST)

[RBG]

Why was she 'selected'?

Who appointed her?

Remember [her] history.

Ref: 230-page book called Sex Bias in the U.S. Code, published in 1977 by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Highlights:

>Called for the sex-integration of prisons and reformatories so that conditions of imprisonment, security and housing could be equal. She explained, “If the grand design of such institutions is to prepare inmates for return to the community as persons equipped to benefit from and contribute to civil society, then perpetuation of single-sex institutions should be rejected.” (Page 101)

>Called for the sex-integration of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts because they “perpetuate stereotyped sex roles.” (Page 145)

>Insisted on sex-integrating “college fraternity and sorority chapters” and replacing them with “college social societies.” (Page 169)

>Cast constitutional doubt on the legality of “Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as separate holidays.” (Page 146)

>Called for reducing the age of consent for sexual acts to people who are “less than 12 years old.” (Page 102)

>Asserted that laws against “bigamists, persons cohabiting with more than one woman, and women cohabiting with a bigamist” are unconstitutional. (Page 195)

>Objected to laws against prostitution because “prostitution, as a consensual act between adults, is arguably within the zone of privacy protected by recent constitutional decisions.” (Page 97)

>Ginsburg wrote that the Mann Act (which punishes those who engage in interstate sex traffic of women and girls) is “offensive.” Such acts should be considered “within the zone of privacy.” (Page 98)

>Demanded that we “firmly reject draft or combat exemption for women,” stating “women must be subject to the draft if men are.” But, she added, “the need for affirmative action and for transition measures is particularly strong in the uniformed services.” (Page 218)

>An indefatigable censor, Ginsburg listed hundreds of “sexist” words that must be eliminated from all statutes. Among words she found offensive were: man, woman, manmade, mankind, husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, serviceman, longshoreman, postmaster, watchman, seamanship, and “to man” (a vessel). (Pages 15-16)

>Wanted he, she, him, her, his, and hers to be dropped down the memory hole. They must be replaced by he/she, her/him, and hers/his, and federal statutes must use the bad grammar of “plural constructions to avoid third person singular pronouns.” (Page 52-53)

>Condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling in Harris v. McRae and claimed that taxpayer-funded abortions should be a constitutional right.

http://humanevents.com/2005/08/23/senators-overlooked-radical-record-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/

Who are the doctors 'currently' treating [RBG]?

What other political [former/current] sr. political heads are they affiliated w/?

What 'off-market' drugs are being provided to [RBG] in order to sustain minimum daily function?

What is the real medical diagnosis of [RBG]?

Who is managing her care?

Who is 'really' managing her care?

The clock is ticking.

PANIC IN DC.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2653

—

Senators Overlooked Radical Record of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Phyllis Schlafly on August 23, 2005

https://humanevents.com/2005/08/23/senators-overlooked-radical-record-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/

>>10729596

>>10729636

Sex Bias in the U.S. Code - A Report of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp66290

https://www2.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/documents/cr12se9.pdf

—

>Called for the sex-integration of prisons and reformatories so that conditions of imprisonment, security and housing could be equal. She explained, “If the grand design of such institutions is to prepare inmates for return to the community as persons equipped to benefit from and contribute to civil society, then perpetuation of single-sex institutions should be rejected.” (Page 101)

>Called for the sex-integration of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts because they “perpetuate stereotyped sex roles.” (Page 145)

>>10729744

>Insisted on sex-integrating “college fraternity and sorority chapters” and replacing them with “college social societies.” (Page 169)

>Cast constitutional doubt on the legality of “Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as separate holidays.” (Page 146)

>Called for reducing the age of consent for sexual acts to people who are “less than 12 years old.” (Page 102)

>Asserted that laws against “bigamists, persons cohabiting with more than one woman, and women cohabiting with a bigamist” are unconstitutional. (Page 195)

>Objected to laws against prostitution because “prostitution, as a consensual act between adults, is arguably within the zone of privacy protected by recent constitutional decisions.” (Page 97)

>>10729763

>Ginsburg wrote that the Mann Act (which punishes those who engage in interstate sex traffic of women and girls) is “offensive.” Such acts should be considered “within the zone of privacy.” (Page 98)

>Demanded that we “firmly reject draft or combat exemption for women,” stating “women must be subject to the draft if men are.” But, she added, “the need for affirmative action and for transition measures is particularly strong in the uniformed services.” (Page 218)

>An indefatigable censor, Ginsburg listed hundreds of “sexist” words that must be eliminated from all statutes. Among words she found offensive were: man, woman, manmade, mankind, husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, serviceman, longshoreman, postmaster, watchman, seamanship, and “to man” (a vessel). (Pages 15-16)

>Wanted he, she, him, her, his, and hers to be dropped down the memory hole. They must be replaced by he/she, her/him, and hers/his, and federal statutes must use the bad grammar of “plural constructions to avoid third person singular pronouns.” (Page 52-53)

'Shrouded in secrecy': ASD to be grilled over axed official history

Australia's cyber spy agency will be grilled at a parliamentary hearing over its shock decision to cancel a contract with the Australian National University to write its official history.

The Australian Signals Directorate is in talks with the ANU about how much of the $2.2 million contract it will pay out after military historian John Blaxland worked for more than a year on the project.

The ASD's decision to sever ties with Professor Blaxland, revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Saturday, has embarrassed some senior members of the Morrison government who have been urging the agency to be more transparent.

The development comes at a sensitive time for the signals directorate, with the government looking to pass new laws giving the agency more powers to protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and help federal police go after serious criminals onshore.

Crossbench senator Rex Patrick said the cancelling of the contract without public explanation raised significant concerns including a lack of transparency and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Senator Patrick said the ASD "can expect to be grilled" by him at a Senate estimates hearing next month.

"How much public money has been spent under the contract since the work commenced? For what reason did ASD terminate the contract? What are the plans moving forward? These are just some of the questions that must be answered by ASD," Senator Patrick said.

"It is an organisation shrouded in secrecy, but this cannot apply in relation to public expenditure on and plans related to the writing of its history."

The decision has shocked colleagues of Professor Blaxland, a former intelligence officer with the Australian Defence Force who co-authored The Official History of ASIO.

In a press release in July last year, the ASD said the selection of Professor Blaxland came "after a rigorous tender process" and praised him as "one of Australia’s most experienced and respected military historians".

ASD director-general Rachel Noble, who took over in February this year, made the decision to cancel the contract, sources familiar with the decision confirmed.

Senior security sources said the ASD would still go ahead with an official history but wanted more control over the project. The ASD said the replacement process would take in the work already completed by Professor Balxland and his team.

Senator Patrick said the project would lack credibility if it was produced from within the organisation.

"An attempt to write a history from within will reasonably be met with significant concerns about bias and incompleteness. The words 'secret agency' and 'autobiography' should never be used in the same sentence, ever."

Under the contract, Professor Blaxland and emeritus professor David Horner were to write an exhaustive two-volume history of the agency from its establishment in the late 1940s, but it would not chronicle the last 20 years.

Professor Blaxland, who stepped down as the head of the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre to undertake the project, was about halfway through the first volume when he was told by the ASD in recent weeks the contract would be cancelled.

A spokesman for the ASD said it remained committed to delivering an account of its history in time for its 75th anniversary in 2022.

"ASD has commenced a replacement process, consistent with Commonwealth procurement guidelines. This process will leverage the existing work compiled under the ANU contract," the ASD spokesman said.

"As the contract was terminated early by mutual agreement, full payment was not made.

"It would not be appropriate to discuss final payments as these are subject to commercial settlement."

An ANU spokesman said the university "enjoys a productive and strong relationship with ASD and looks forward to continuing to work with the agency on this matter".

"Details of contracts are commercial in confidence and as such are not discussed publicly," the ANU spokesman said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/shrouded-in-secrecy-asd-to-be-grilled-over-axed-official-history-20200921-p55xkb.html

Dassi Erlich Tweet

BREAKING NEWS

LEIFER WILL BE EXTRADITED TO AUSTRALIA!!

(appeal is expected)

A victory for justice!!

A victory for all survivors!!

Exhaling years of holding our breath!

We truly value every person standing with us in our refusal to remain silent!

Today our hearts are smiling!

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1307940167810834432

—

Malka Leifer, alleged paedophile, should be extradited to Australia, Israeli court rules

A court in Jerusalem has ruled the former principal of Melbourne's Adass Israel school, Malka Leifer, can be extradited to Australia to face 74 charges of sexual abuse.

Ms Leifer allegedly fled to her native Israel in 2008 when she learned three of her former students planned to file a complaint with police.

Australia lodged an extradition request in 2013 and she was arrested by Israeli police the following year.

The decision in the Jerusalem District Court comes after six years of legal wrangling and can be appealed to Israel's Supreme Court.

After that, the country's Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn must also sign the extradition order, something that can also be appealed.

The long-running battle over extradition

This was the 71st hearing over whether Malka Leifer should be sent to Australia.

Ms Leifer was mostly allowed to live under house arrest after her 2014 arrest.

Her lawyers told various extradition hearings that she could not go to Australia because she suffered from panic attacks and was too unwell to leave her home.

However, she was jailed in 2018 when private investigators obtained more than 200 hours of video showing Ms Leifer living normally in an orthodox Jewish settlement, shopping and socialising.

She has been examined more than 30 times by mental health experts, many of whom have declared her competent.

In January, an expert panel concluded not only that Ms Leifer was well, but that she had been perpetrating a "fraud" to avoid justice.

Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled earlier this month that Malka Leifer is mentally fit to stand trial on the charges she faces in Victoria.

Melbourne sisters say they were abused by authority figure

Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper grew up in the Adass Israel community, a Hasidic Jewish group in Melbourne's inner south.

They allege when they were teenagers, their headmistress Malka Leifer groomed and then abused them over several years.

The sisters say they did not realise they had all been abused until 2007 when Dassi Erlich spoke to a therapist, who encouraged her to come forward.

Ms Erlich described the ruling in the Jerusalem District Court as a "victory for all survivors".

"We truly value every person standing with us in our refusal to remain silent. Today our hearts are smiling," she wrote on Twitter.

Malka Leifer has denied the allegations against her.

But during a July hearing, her lawyer Nick Kaufman questioned whether some of the alleged abuse was a crime under Israeli law.

He said even if the allegations were true, two of the victims were no longer children at the time, and could have rebuffed the sexual advances.

"The fact that there was so much discussion around the issue of consent when it comes to sexual abuse was very disheartening that this is still happening in 2020 in the courts," Nicole Meyer said.

The case has strained relations between Israel and Australia.

In February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Israel's President Reuven Rivlin that Australia had a strong desire to see justice in the long-running case.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-21/israeli-court-rules-on-malka-leifer-extradition/12684138

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweets

As I sit here in my office reading this article, my heart gave a shudder of excitement knowing how truly scared “They” all should be. #JeffreyEpstein #PANIC #PrinceAndrew #GhislaineMaxwell #ChildTrafficking

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1307975080421384194

Names of EVERY passenger to have flown on Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft 'to be revealed "sparking panic among the pedophile's wealthy friends"'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8754807/Names-passenger-Jeffrey-Epsteins-aircraft-revealed-sparking-panic.html

—

Not to mention that #Epstein main pilot #LarryVisowski lived it large up until his boss was dead. Larry was responsible for carrying 100’s if not 1000’s of underage minors across state borders and internationally. This is HUGE!Watch them scatter like cockroaches. #DarkToLight

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1307975083349037056

—

Names of EVERY passenger to have flown on Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft 'to be revealed "sparking panic among the pedophile's wealthy friends"'

Jeffrey Epstein's flight logs on his aircraft, including his 'Lolita Express' jet, have been subpoenaed, sparking fear among the rich and famous who partied with the pedophile.

The Attorney General in the US Virgin Islands, where the billionaire had a home and is said to have carried out many of his horrific crimes, has demanded to see the logs which document the passengers on his aircraft.

The logs on his four helicopters and three planes span from 1998 until his suicide in prison last year.

Attorney General Denise George has filed a lawsuit against his estate alleging 22 accounts including human trafficking, aggravated rape, child abuse, neglect, forced labour and prostitution, The Mirror reported.

Ms George is also requesting to see any 'complaints or reports of potentially suspicious conduct' as well as personal notes made by the pilots.

The subpoena demands the names and details of anyone who worked for the pilots, interacted with Epstein and passengers who travelled with him.

Pilot David Rodgers has previously revealed logs from 2009 which showed Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey and Naomi Campbell were among those who flew on his jet.

It is not suggested they were aware of any wrongdoing by Epstein.

A source said: 'The records that have been subpoenaed will make the ones Rodgers provided look like a Post-It note.

'There is panic among many of the rich and famous.'

Lawyers for the victims said the logs released in 2009 did not include the flights of chief pilot Larry Visoki who had flown Epstein for more than 25 years.

It comes as a celebrity chef has been quizzed by detectives 20 years after he worked for Epstein - prompting renewed calls for Prince Andrew to speak to the FBI.

Adam Perry Lang, 51, opened the Barbecoa restaurant with Jamie Oliver in London in 2010 - and worked for Jeffrey Epstein between 1999 and 2003.

He is now 'fully cooperating' with the FBI investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by depraved billionaire Epstein, reported the Daily Mirror.

Attorney Arick Fudali, representing the victims, heaped pressure on Prince Andrew - who has been accused of stonewalling detectives.

Mr Fudali said: 'We certainly hope that this may inspire other witnesses to come forward and help shed some light on Epstein's dark scheme.'

American Mr Perry Lang catered for the Duke of York, 60, and flew with him in a private jet on two occasions - once in February 1999 and in May 2000.

Sources told the newspaper: 'Perry Lang holds information on what took place. They will get as much detail as possible that will shape any interview they may one day have with the duke.'

Mr Perry Lang, who has been described as a decent man by victims, came forward after Virginia Giuffre, 37, wrote to ask him to be the 'hero'.

His lawyer Lawrence Lustberg confirmed the chef was helping the FBI. Mr Perry Lang himself added: 'We have absolutely always been available to the attorneys representing the victims.'

He previously denied being aware of any 'depraved behaviour' during his four-year term as Epstein's chef.

Epstein, 66, killed himself while awaiting trial in a cell for underage sex trafficking last year.

Last month, Virginia Giuffre claimed Prince Andrew played a 'guessing game,' with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell about her age before comparing her to his daughters.

The accuser spoke out in a documentary series, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, claiming she met the royal in London, describing him as an 'abuser,' and 'not the prince from the fairy tale stories you read'.

(continued)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8754807/Names-passenger-Jeffrey-Epsteins-aircraft-revealed-sparking-panic.html

Julian Assange removed from Ecuadorean embassy ‘on Donald Trump’s orders’

Julian Assange was removed from the Ecuadorean embassy “on direct orders from the president (Donald Trump)’’, the Old Bailey has heard.

Arthur Schwartz, a high profile Republican political donor close to the Donald Trump administration had advance knowledge the WikiLeaks founder would be removed from the Ecuadorean embassy and charged with an indictment related to Chelsea Manning’s leaks, an American journalist has claimed.

Cassandra Fairbanks, the journalist, is also an activist and personal supporter of Mr Assange, visiting the WikiLeaks founder in January and March 2019 when he was still in the embassy to relay information she received from Mr Schwartz.

She has also provided the Old Bailey with a recording of a conversation she had with Mr Schwartz, who she said was a fixer for Donald Trump junior and who provided communications for the US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.

She says in the recording Mr Schwarz refers to Mr Assange’s removal from the embassy being carried out by Mr Grenell on direct orders from the president. The recording was not played in court.

The US prosecutors, who are seeking Mr Assange’s extradition, did not challenge the statement, but said they did not accept it. James Dole, for the US, said Ms Fairbanks’ claim in her statement was not within her direct knowledge.

But Mr Assange’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said her statement was reliable and true. He said it indicated the US government’s concerted plan at the top level by Donald Trump and Mr Grenell to take Mr Assange out of the embassy to extradite him, and to compel Chelsea Manning to give evidence against him.

Ms Fairbanks said Mr Schwartz told her during an angry phone conversation on October 30, 2018 that “a pardon isn’t going to f—ing happen’’ and that he provided new details about a future prosecution against Mr Assange that were later made public and which only those very close to the situation would have been aware of.

Ms Fairbanks said Mr Schwartz told her Mr Assange would be charged with the Chelsea Manning case and it would not involve the Vault 7 publication or anything to do with the Democrat files. He said the US government would go into the embassy to get Mr Assange, but that nothing would happen before Christmas.

In another phone call on March 29, 2019 Ms Fairbanks said Mr Schwartz told her there was an inquiry into who leaked information she had then passed onto Assange.

“It was obvious that the US was involved including the State Department and that Schwartz had been made a party to the information,’’ she said in her statement to the court.

Later she added: “I believe it must have been an official US enterprise to spy on meetings in the embassy’’.

She said Mr Schwartz had sent messages that Mr Assange deserved a lethal injection and that both Mr Assange and Ms Manning should die in prison soon after Mr Assange’s removal from the embassy on April 11, 2019.

On September 10, 2019 Ms Fairbanks tweeted that Mr Grenell was involved in Mr Assange’s arrest in response to Mr Grenell’s name being floated as a likely candidate to replace National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Mr Schwartz contacted Ms Fairbanks on that same day and she recorded the conversation.

She said: “Mr Schwartz informed me that in co-ordinating for Assange to be removed from the embassy, Ambassador Grenell had done so on direct ‘orders from the President’. I believed this connected President Trump to those who have been reported as having secured the deal to arrest Assange. I believed Schwartz’s statement to be correct because his close personal ties to both President Trump and Grenell are well known.’’

Mr Assange is contesting the US extradition where he faces 18 counts of spying and up to 175 years in jail if convicted. The trial continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/julian-assange-removed-from-ecuadorean-embassy-on-donald-trumps-orders/news-story/8896a270e3f3b3443d1e0abd2a165255

TikTok says it won’t spy on Australians or block content on Chinese orders

1/2

TikTok has denied it would take instruction from the Chinese government to hand over Australians’ data or censor their content, as it prepares to front a federal Senate committee into foreign interference through social media.

“The entire industry has received scrutiny, and rightly so. Yet, we have received even more scrutiny due to the company’s origins,” TikTok’s Australian general manager Lee Hunter said in a submission to Parliament.

The wildly popular video app has come under intense scrutiny in Australia and the United States over claims of censorship and security.

Owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, it counts some 1.6 million Australians among more than 800 million global users, but has faced questions over alleged data harvesting and links to the Chinese government.

US President Donald Trump wants to all but ban the app, forcing its parent company to sell off its international operations for it to continue operating in America.

Federal Coalition politicians have also taken aim at the social media platform, with Jim Molan calling it “a data collection service disguised as social media”, and George Christensen saying it should be banned.

Mr Hunter and other senior TikTok employees are set to give evidence before the Senate’s Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media on Friday.

Before the hearing, and after the company launched an advertising blitz claiming the company was being unfairly targeted, Mr Hunter complained that TikTok had copped more scrutiny than other social media apps because of its links to China.

“Whilst we don’t want TikTok to be a political football, we accept this scrutiny and embrace the challenge of giving peace of mind by providing even more transparency and accountability,” he wrote in a submission to the committee.

Mr Hunter said TikTok did not accept paid political advertising – unlike platforms like Facebook – and sought to distance the company from the Chinese government, claiming there had been “misinformation” spread about its dealings.

“The personal data we collect from Australian users is stored on servers located in the United States and Singapore. We have strict controls around security and data access,” he said.

“TikTok has never shared Australian user data with the Chinese government, nor censored Australian content at its request.”

Further, he claimed any request from China for Australian user data would have to be approved by the federal government, under the mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) process between the two countries.

“The Chinese government or law enforcement would need to send the evidence disclosure request through the relevant MLAT process,” Mr Hunter said.

“To date, we have not received any MLAT requests in respect of Australian user data, nor have we received requests to censor Australian content from, the Chinese government.”

(continued)

>>10738701

Clearnet jpg / pdf test

>>10739184

Clearnet jpg test

>>10739218

Clearnet jpg test

FORCED TO STARVE Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex slaves ice tea and fruit to keep them ‘prepubescent-thin’, Virginia Giuffre reveals

CONTROLLING Jeffrey Epstein fed girls fruit platters while they paraded naked around his mansion, it's been claimed.

The twisted paedophile is said to have kept an eye on the diets of his "victims" as he wanted them to look skinny and "prepubescent."

Epstein "sex slave" Virginia Giuffre also claims Ghislaine Maxwell monitored what they were eating.

The Brit socialite has been accused of being Epstein's so-called madam although she denies the claim.

She is awaiting trial for her alleged role in his sex trafficking operation but has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Giuffre - also known as Virginia Roberts - told the 'Broken: Seeking Justice' podcast: "We would lay out completely naked… Jeffrey did not like tan lines.

"He wanted tanned bodies, petite bodies, prepubescent bodies.

"Jeffrey had us on these ridiculous diets. It was all organic… It was never like carbs, you can't just fill up, they wanted you to look a specific way."

Giuffre went onto claim Epstein's girls were given iced tea and fed fruit platters leaving them feeling "starving."

She also alleged Epstein's former chef Adam Perry Lang saw her and other girls walking around naked.

However, Lang told the podcast he never saw sexual activity or nudity and was not aware of any depraved acts committed by Epstein.

There is absolutely no suggestion of wrongdoing by Lang.

The chef reportedly volunteered himself to the FBI after Giuffre, 37, pleaded with him: “Please don’t be an enabler. Be a hero to me.”

His lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, confirmed he was now working to help the FBI with their investigation into Epstein - who killed himself in his New York jail cell.

A lawyer for Lang told the Daily Beast: "We have absolutely always been available to the attorneys for the lawyers representing the victims — indeed, we reached out and spoke to one of them many months ago.

"Although we invited a meeting with Adam in no uncertain terms, those attorneys have literally never gotten back to us (although we did hear from other counsel this week).

"That said, we are in current contact with the federal prosecutors in the Southern District of NY and are fully cooperating with their investigation and remain more than happy to, in coordination with the prosecutors, cooperate with counsel for the victims as well."

Last week, we reported how an insider told how Epstein spent an hour every day watching videos of naked teens "for inspiration" on his paedophile island.

The billionaire sex fiend ogled explicit episodes of Girls Gone Wild while pedalling on an exercise bike on private Caribbean isle Little St James - where he raped victims as young as 12.

Epstein - who reportedly demanded sex three times a day - was said to have been "transfixed" by the videos of college girls flashing their breasts in nightclubs.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12728807/epstein-maxwell-sex-slaves-fruit-prepubescent-thin/

—

BROKEN: Seeking Justice

Investigative Reporter Julie K. Brown exposed Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes to the world. Now his survivors are fighting for the truth. This season, host Tara Palmeri follows the women who are making their own justice.

The Enablers

There was a whole world of people around Jeffrey Epstein—his staff. Virginia Roberts Guiffre wants them to speak up.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-enablers/id1478460758

>>10739544

Clearnet jpg test

Resignations in the news

Australian judge James Spigelman resigns from Hong Kong court

Australian judge James Spigelman has resigned from Hong Kong's top court months after Beijing tightened restrictions on the legal system and imposed new national security laws on the former British colony.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a government gazette published on Friday that she had "revoked the appointment" of Spigelman.

A Hong Kong government spokeswoman confirmed Spigelman had tendered his resignation on September 2, but no further reasons for the termination were given.

The former ABC chairman has been contacted for comment through the Lowy Institute where he is a board member.

The 74-year-old has served on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal since April 2013 as a non-permanent judge. The former lieutenant-governor of NSW was one of four judges from Australia on the court, which was established after the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, to continue the British common-law system. There are also nine British judges and one Canadian judge on the court.

Former Australian High Court chief justices Murray Gleeson and Robert French along with former High Court judge William Gummow have not had their appointments publicly revoked.

The court has never had jurisdiction over acts of state, such as defence and foreign affairs, but the imposition of the new national security laws by Beijing in July raised questions about its future. The laws prevent, curb and punish dissent, threats to the Chinese state, pro-democracy or independence sentiment. They have been condemned by the Australian, British and US governments.

British MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the future of Commonwealth judges on the court needed to be examined.

"That is the question – to what degree will these independent judges just give cover to what is a totalitarian regime," he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

The former leader of the Conservative Party said the current situation was "exposing decent people to intolerable structures" that do not exist in the UK or Australia where the judiciary "are free to reach decisions without fear or favour".

"This is not the case in Hong Kong," he said. "I think this is a question that now needs to be dealt with."

The Chinese government maintains the laws are necessary to restore law and order after more than 15 months of protests over Beijing's influence in the territory.

The former chief justice of NSW has never spoken publicly about the Hong Kong protests or the new national security laws, which give courts the power to hear trials in secret and send dissidents to the mainland China for prosecution.

Spigelman, who was born in Poland to Jewish parents that survived the Holocaust, was vocal about his belief in social justice in interviews with the Law Society of Hong Kong in 2016.

"I always understood the importance of social tolerance in the community," he said, adding his background made him "particularly sympathetic to groups who suffer discrimination or are otherwise oppressed".

He also defended the principles of open justice as "the foundation of judicial accountability", arguing it was "essential to maintain public confidence in the judiciary and the administration of justice".

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australian-judge-kicked-off-hong-kong-court-20200918-p55x0p.html

>>10739927

Clearnet jpg / pdf test

Assange's fiancee asks Scott Morrison to guarantee family's safety

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London: The mother of Julian Assange's children is seeking Australian citizenship for their sons and has called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to promise the family would be safe to live in Australia if the WikiLeaks founder escapes being extradited to the United States.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Stella Morris said she would love to live in Australia but only if the family's safety was guaranteed.

Morris said she planned to wed Assange by Christmas outside Belmarsh Prison on London's outskirts, where the 49-year-old is in remand while he fights his extradition to the US.

The WikiLeaks founder is resisting an application to send him to the US to answer an 18-count American indictment. Assange has been formally rearrested on a new US indictment, which updates and broadens previous charges. All but one are for violations of the country’s Espionage Act.

The pair began a relationship inside the Ecuadorian embassy in 2015, four years after they first met. Assange had been living in the embassy since 2012 after seeking refuge to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden.

At the time, the South African-born Morris had joined his legal team to help fight his extradition to Sweden, where he was accused of sexual assault. Swedish authorities dropped the investigation in 2019.

The pair had two children — Gabriel, 3, and Max, 18 months — keeping their relationship and family a secret from the outside world until earlier this year.

Morris said she and Assange had thought having a family together would be impossible but began dreaming of the idea and finally pursuing it after former US president Barack Obama pardoned Chelsea Manning, the former soldier and whistleblower who was convicted of espionage.

"The trajectory was that he [Julian] would be free and also the Department of Justice had announced that it would not prosecute him for the Manning disclosures," she said.

"It was a rational decision, I was 33 at the time and I knew I wanted children and it was faith in our love for each other and the certainty, a feeling that this was right."

But while the children speak to Assange daily, they have never known life with their father at home.

Morris knows there is now the possibility her sons will not see their father again. They last saw him in prison about a month ago, the first time since March.

"I tell my kids that Julian’s a hero and I make him very present, we watch videos of him, they’ve been to the prison."

"I don’t want Julian to become a martyr. We’re a family, he’s not a symbol to us. He’s part of … he’s Daddy. So I just tell them that Daddy’s coming home."

The family's hopes of a life together plummeted on April 11 last year, when Assange was sensationally arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge, after his hosts of seven years terminated his political asylum.

British police were invited into the embassy to arrest him for skipping bail in 2012 when he first sought asylum.

The images of Assange being dragged out of the Knightsbridge enclave looking years older with an overgrown straggly grey beard, moustache and long hair, shocked the world.

"He had wanted to shave for days," Morris recounts. Assange, knowing his time inside his diplomatic fortress was coming to an end, had requested a razor to shave and asked for a hairdresser but his hosts denied both pleas.

"He was aware that if he came out soon, he wanted to look good because he knew he would be dragged into court and people would see him.

"He's very unhappy that that is how the world saw him for the first time in many months," she says.

Denying Assange the chance of some personal grooming before he was dragged out was a reflection of how the relationship between guest and hosts had broken down.

Soon after Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno evicted the embassy's rent-free tenant he told the BBC the Australian had become unmanageable, even smearing his own faeces on the walls in the time leading up to his arrest.

"It never happened," Morris says of the claim. "It’s outrageous what Ecuador put out and the whole faeces story is an absolute lie."

"It's the most predictable and nasty, dirty, smear – literally a smear."

The Ecuadorian embassy in London refused to comment. No video evidence to back the claim has ever been provided, despite Assange's quarters being under video surveillance.

(continued)

>>10740252

Clearnet jpg test

Ron / CodeMonkey Tweet

New bug with media uploads sometimes failing. Investigating.

https://twitter.com/CodeMonkeyZ/status/1308262556084047874

ASIO's case load jumps as pandemic fuels far-right extremism

Violent right-wing extremists are increasingly catching the attention of Australia's domestic spy agency, with the threat now accounting for about a third of its counter-terrorism cases.

The Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation has also revealed it is looking "very closely" at listing right-wing extremist groups on Australia's terror register after the significant jump in its caseload over the past four years.

The coronavirus pandemic has also fuelled far-right extremism, with more extremists finding each other online amid anti-government sentiments in response to lockdowns.

Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, ASIO Deputy Director-General Heather Cook confirmed right-wing violent extremism now accounted for between 30 and 40 per cent of its current caseload in counter-terrorism work. This compared to between 10 and 15 per cent prior to 2016.

"There's always a combination of factors which contribute to an attraction to a particular ideology at a particular point in time," she said.

"Some of the circumstances of COVID have contributed to an increase in radicalisation, in particular because of the amount of time individuals are spending in isolation or working from home or not in school I suppose, working remotely, the amount of time individuals are spending online.

"I think it [the pandemic] also makes it much easier to be finding like-minded individuals, there is a much wider variety of what I would call chat groups or areas where individuals with these views can coalesce and discuss and I guess promote these views more widely."

Ms Cook said anti-government sentiment being expressed around the world in response to lockdowns and other public health measures was "amplifying some of the extreme views", while speculation about the origins of COVID-19 was fuelling racist views.

She said the way in which extreme right-wing extremists were using the internet to recruit the "young and vulnerable" was similar to the methods deployed by Islamic State at its peak, adding the strategy was being used "to good effect".

But Ms Cook cautioned there was a "significant leap" from holding extreme right-wing views to wanting to carry out violence and some of the ASIO investigations find the person does not intend to commit violent acts.

"I don't think it would be accurate to say that everybody ASIO is currently looking at is about to carry out a terrorist attack," she told the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

Australia is now the only member of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership without any far-right extremist individuals or groups on its terror list after New Zealand last month put the Christchurch mosque killer on its register.

Labor has been calling for a review of Australia's proscribed list of terrorist organisations to ascertain whether right-wing groups should be on the register.

Ms Cook said ASIO was "always evaluating whether or not groups meet those thresholds for proscription".

She said there was difficulty in defining right-wing extremists as a group because they often acted as a "loose coalition of like-minded individuals talking to each other and plotting".

"We are definitely looking at what our partners overseas are doing, but again circumstances are always different," she said.

ASIO has been on alert for extremists who could have been inspired by the Christchurch mosque killer and other massacres overseas, as small far-right cells across the country are becoming more organised and sophisticated than ever before.

The concern is being heightened by extreme right-wing groups increasingly attracting people from a military background who know how to use weapons, as well as a younger membership who aren't displaying obvious signs of their extremism.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/asio-s-case-load-jumps-as-pandemic-fuels-far-right-extremism-20200922-p55y4d.html

>>10741209

Clearnet jpg / pdf test

US involved in major Bathurst granny flat raid over alleged international drug and firearm crimes

A major NSW police operation involving US Homeland Security hit a granny flat in Bathurst today, with a man arrested over alleged international firearm and drug crimes.

Teams from multiple agencies searched the home on Violet and Prospect Streets, and a specialist Hazmat unit was called in after police said a "suspicious substance" was found inside.

The alleged suspicious substance was approximately one litre of an unspecified drug-related chemical, police said, which began to mysteriously crystallise during the search.

Both homes either side of the property were evacuated, and a 50-metre exclusion zone was set up.

The man, aged 36, was known to NSW police and will face a lengthy prison sentence, if convicted.

Last month police received information over the alleged importation of firearm parts and drug manufacturing equipment into Australia from the US, Hong Kong, China, Germany and Japan.

Those items allegedly included trigger mechanisms and gun barrels. The ABF alleged at least 10 importations had been tracked coming into Australia.

Bathurst police commander Peter O'Brien said information had initially been flagged up by "various intelligence sources" around the world.

NSW Police footage of the raid showed authorities speaking to the arrested man, who wore dark sunglasses, a gold watch and a gold chain.

Australian Border Force Inspector Tony Wheatley did not rule out the suspect and raid could be connected to a wider criminal syndicate.

"The bulk of the imports have come through air cargo or our international mail stream," he alleged.

The investigation, which began in August, was conducted by NSW Police in tandem with Australian Border Force and US Homeland Security.

Inspector Wheatley called it a "fantastic example" of joint agency work.

"This goes to show the power of a global focus on illegal firearms."

NSW Police Detective Inspector Rob Bevern, with Western Region Enforcement Squad, said a hazmat unit was called soon after police executed a warrant.

"Officers located a suspicious liquid in a container that had started to crystallise."

Specialist officers from the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit and the Drug and Firearms Squad's Chemical Operations Unit were called out to examine the substance.

Detective Inspector Bevern said it was "not unusual" for US agencies to in Australia and be part of the raid.

The man was served with firearms and weapons prohibition orders before he was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station, where he is expected to be charged.

The ABF said a charge on the firearms offences alone would carry at least a 10 year sentence.

By mid-afternoon, roads around the property remained closed.

The operation is ongoing.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/bathurst-police-operation-us-homeland-security-alleged-illegal-firearm-and-drug-arrest/7dd9103c-3fd5-41e3-80ef-14923c6e3f2a

Depressed Julian Assange ‘at risk of suicide’

Julian Assange has made preparations to end his life, including writing letters to family and friends and writing a will. He has also been visited by a Catholic priest for absolution, the Old ­Bailey heard on Tuesday.

The WikiLeaks founder, contesting his extradition to the US, was also involved in “a recent incident’’ at Belmarsh prison that caused concern.

Assange has told medical staff of two other incidents in the jail, such as being found with a razor blade hidden in a pile of underwear for which he was punished with four days’ solitary confinement, and claimed that on ­another occasion he was found with cords, but this evidence is contested.

Neuropsychiatrist Michael Kopelman, who has visited Assange on 20 occasions during his time in Belmarsh prison, gave in-depth details of his medical conditions and history, saying the detail of his testimony would cause Assange “some embarrassment’’ as he only reluctantly revealed his medical conditions to others.

Professor Kopelman said Assange was at a high risk of suicide because he had severe clinical depression and psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations.

Another medical expert has diagnosed Assange as having ­Asperger’s.

Professor Kopelman said if Assange were extradited, “my prediction is that he will deteriorate substantially, have a particularly severe depression, suicidal ideas and severe psychological suffering and harm’’.

He said depression, which carries a suicide risk, in addition to his Asperger’s diagnosis and the situation in which he would find himself, were only part of a long list of risks and he could not make a mathematical prediction of the risk.

“All I can do is note there are an abundance of known risk factors in Mr Assange’s case,’’ he said.

He added: “Confronted with imminent or actual extradition in this context, it remains my view that Mr Assange will act upon his suicidal impulse, driven by his psychiatric disorders.

“I say that the risk is ‘very high’ because of the reported high rates of suicide in US single-cell, segregated facilities; because of the abundance of risk factors in Mr Assange’s case; because of the intensity of his suicidal preoccupation, and the extent of his planning and preparation; and also because of his acute awareness of the prospect he faces.’’

Professor Kopelman said of the latest prison incident: “It doesn’t take me by surprise in light of everything I have said.’’

Assange’s psychiatric history includes hospitalisation in Melbourne for a week when he was in his 20s and treatment for depression between 1994-95 and 2003 and 2005.

Professor Kopelman said when Assange was in the Ecuador embassy in London, there was a deterioration in his depressive state, and in 2019 he was severely depressed. He said his condition improved at the beginning of this year where he was moderately depressed, but then deteriorated again during lockdown.

Assange, 49, had a genetic predisposition to clinical depression as two members of his family had killed themselves, he said.

James Lewis, the US prosecutor, said Professor Kopelman’s opinion was premised upon speculation as to variables such as the length of sentence that Assange would receive and the conditions of his detention, which might or might not eventuate.

In cross-examination, the court heard Assange regularly read the British Medical Journal and didn’t want to see a psychiatrist until after he had discussed it with his legal team.

Assange is contesting extradition to the US, where he faces 18 spying charges.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/depressed-julian-assange-at-risk-of-suicide/news-story/8896a270e3f3b3443d1e0abd2a165255

>>10752687

Assange extradition: Key medical witness ‘failed in duty to court’

A key medical witness for Julian Assange has admitted “not doing his duty to the court’’ when he omitted information about Mr Assange’s partner Stella Moris and their children and the impact this may have on his mental state, the Old Bailey has heard.

Professor Michael Kopelman, a neuroscientist who has observed and treated Mr Assange since May 30, 2019, said instead of assisting the court he was “trying to be diplomatic’’ by not mentioning Ms Moris in his first written testimony to the court.

Prof Kopelman said he had consulted with Mr Assange’s legal team and decided not to put details about Ms Moris and the two young children she had with Mr Assange because it wasn’t in the public domain when he wrote the court report and ‘’she was very concerned about privacy so we decided not to put it in’’. He added that when Ms Moris went public about her relationship he submitted a second report.

However the US prosecutors said that all Prof Kopelman said in that report was that Mr Assange began a close relationship with a woman, this woman remained very supportive and helped his morale; she has two children.

James Lewis, for the US prosecutors said: “It’s astonishing … you didn’t lead with that she was his partner and mother of his two children.’’ He said the judge might not have known about Ms Moris’ relationship with Mr Assange and Prof Kopelman’s duty as an expert witness to the court overrode any embarrassment or vow of confidentiality to Mr Assange. Prof Kopelman replied: “I didn’t do my duty to the court, I was trying to be diplomatic.’’

Mr Lewis suggested such family factors would be relevant to a diagnosis and assessment of suicide risk.

Ms Moris went public about her relationship with Mr Assange and their two children, Gabriel, three and Max, 18 months, in April this year. At the time Ms Moris was supporting a bail application during a peak in the coronavirus pandemic when said she feared Mr Assange could die and their lives were on the brink. The couple started their relationship inside the Ecuadorean embassy in 2015 where Ms Moris, 37, was on his legal team.

During cross examination Prof Kopelman said there was only one medical diagnosis of Mr Assange’s depressive episodes because most medical records had been destroyed in Victoria, Australia under a seven year rule. Instead he relied on interviews with Mr Assange’s parents and a former colleague, Suelette Dreyfus, as well as a doctor colleague known as Professor Mullen.

Prof Kopelman said he had not meant to deceive anybody when his report referred to Ms Dreyfus as a “doctor’’ and that she had confirmed a diagnosis of depression, even though she had not met him until two years after his first depressive episode.

“When I said she confirmed, I meant she was consistent with what he and others had told me; she corroborated. I did not intend to imply she was a medical doctor who confirmed medical depression. She was friends with Assange when he was 23, a couple of years after the first depression,’’ he said.

Both the prosecution and the defence have asked the court not to release Prof Kopelman’s written court testimonies to the media, which is being contested by media representatives.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/assange-extradition-key-medical-witness-failed-in-duty-to-court/news-story/45bb5633c7a6c4a258fb0d425c18f5eb

>>10729992

Malka Leifer extradition promise ‘illegal’, claims defence

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an “unlawful promise” to Australian political elders including John Howard and former deputy PM Wayne Swan to speed the extradition of accused sex predator Malka ­Leifer, her defence will claim in a last-ditch bid to scuttle her return to Melbourne to face trial.

The gambit turns on a meeting last October in Mr Netanyahu’s Jerusalem office where he told the high-powered delegation that Israel’s government would not stand in the way of Ms Leifer’s ­extradition if and when it was ­approved by local judges.

Following the granting of Australia’s longstanding request for her extradition on Monday by the Jerusalem District Court, one of Ms Leifer’s lawyers, Nick Kaufman, said Mr Netanyahu’s alleged commitment to send her on her way breached due process.

If Israel’s peak Supreme Court rejects Ms Leifer’s foreshadowed appeal against the extradition order, the final decision rests with Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, whose approval is required to put her on a plane.

Mr Kaufman told The Australian that the Justice Minister’s pledge to “work to expedite” the process reflected the “undue influence” of Mr Netanyahu on the back of his illegal promise to the Australian dignitaries.

“The minister’s discretion to extradite is only exercised after an appeal procedure is exhausted and after he has heard submissions from the accused,” the lawyer said. “When the Justice Minister welcomes the decision of the District Court and announces prior to the appeal that he will do all in his power to speed up Malka Leifer’s extradition to Australia, then he is not, I submit, acting in accordance with accepted principles of administrative propriety.”

Neither office of Mr Netan­yahu or Mr Nissenkorn would comment.

Ms Leifer, 55, faces 74 charges of sexual abuse including rape against sisters Nicole Meyer, 35, Dassi Erlich, 32, and Elly Sapper, 31, committed in 2003-07 while she was principal of Melbourne’s Adass Israel ultra-Orthodox Jewish School. She fled home to Israel in 2008 when the first allegations against her emerged.

The October 29, 2019, meeting with Mr Netanyahu was arranged by Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler, heading the delegation of former prime minister Mr Howard, Mr Swan, former Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer, another former federal Liberal opposition leader Brendan Nelson and former federal Labor minister Stephen Conroy.

Mr Leibler asked Mr Netan­yahu whether his government would be bound by a public commitment by former justice minister Ayelet Shaked to sign the extradition order once the court process was completed.

This was in the context of her sacking by Mr Netanyahu in June 2019 in what was seen as a pre-election power play, and revelations police had recommended criminal charges against then deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman, a leader of the ultra-­Orthodox religious right, over alleged witness tampering on Ms Leifer’s behalf. “I don’t recall him (Mr Netanyahu) specifically saying the justice minister would sign the order, but he said his government would not do anything to interfere with or further delay the process once judicial hearings had been completed,” Mr Leibler said.

Mr Kaufman had since asked that he forward any notes or documentation from the meeting, a request Mr Leibler rejected.

In ordering Ms Leifer’s extradition, judge Chana Miriam Lomp of the Jerusalem District Court on Monday demolished a defence ­argument that Australian jails could not cater for the needs of a strictly Orthodox Jewish woman.

As Ms Leifer was not resident in Israel at the time of the alleged sex offences, she should serve time in Australia if found guilty, the judge said.

Saluting her alleged victims, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said the sisters were “heroes” for fighting for ­justice.

“The courage, grace and dignity of those Victorians is quite amazing,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/malka-leifer-extradition-promise-illegal-claims-defence/news-story/8f9e1dfa054b84d999ecf71965842440

>>10739389

TRAPPED Ghislaine Maxwell said she ‘hated’ Jeffrey Epstein but she ‘couldn’t leave’ him, perv’s ex-housekeeper claims

A FORMER housekeeper of Jeffrey Epstein has claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell told him she hated the disgraced financier but could not leave.

Juan Alessi made the claims during an interview with Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre for the podcast Broken: Seeking Justice.

Alessi said Maxwell had opened up to him about her connection with Epstein, and so he asked why she was so close to the convicted sex offender.

According to Alessi, 70, Maxwell said: “I hate him but I can’t leave.”

The housekeeper said he then pushed Maxwell, 58, asking her, “Why? You have money. Why are you not leaving?”

Alessi worked for Epstein from 1991 to 2006 – first as a maintenance worker at his homes, and then as a driver and housekeeper in Palm Beach, Florida.

His interviewer, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, in allegations the prince has denied.

Alessi said that Andrew visited Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, two or three times while he was working there.

The 70-year-old said Andrew was memorable because he was polite and the only one of Epstein’s guests to leave him a tip.

Mum-of-three Giuffre, alleged that she was procured by Maxwell, 57, as a teenage “sex slave” for Epstein.

Alessi and Giuffre last saw each other in 2002, when Giuffre left for Thailand to train as a masseuse.

Giuffre, 37, claims that Epstein had asked her to carry a baby for him and Maxwell, who is currently housed in a Brooklyn, New York, jail awaiting trial in July 2021.

AWAITING TRIAL

Prosecutors allege that between 1994 and 1997 Maxwell helped Epstein to groom girls as young as 14.

Maxwell has been charged with six counts of perjury and sex trafficking offenses.

The 17-page indictment against Maxwell accused her of grooming and befriending victims, normalizing inappropriate behavior, being present during abuse to put victims at ease, encouraging victims to accept Epstein's help, and encouraging victims to engage in sexual activity and taking part herself.

One accuser, Jennifer Araoz, said Maxwell was at the "centre of his sex trafficking ring."

She faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty and denies all accusations.

Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in August 2019 in an incident that was ruled suicide by hanging.

He met Maxwell in the early 90s – around the time her father, Robert Maxwell, a newspaper tycoon, died in mysterious circumstances after falling from his yacht.

Maxwell and Epstein dated for some time before later breaking up.

They remained good friends, with Maxwell going on to manage Epstein's properties.

A 'CONFUSING' RELATIONSHIP

In his interview with Giuffre, Alessi addressed the pair's relationship.

He said: "That relationship between Epstein and her, I never understood.'

Alessi added: "I told her many times. I said, 'Ghislaine, why are you doing this? Why are you staying with this guy?'

"[She said] 'I hate him, I hate him but I can't leave.' I said, 'Why? You have money. Why are you not leaving?"

Giuffre said that she found their relationship "confusing."

It is this relationship that will likely form the case against Maxwell in her upcoming trial.

Alessi said that there was a code of secrecy inside Epstein's home, and that he "was not supposed to talk to the guests."

He added: "I was not supposed to talk to Virginia. Nothing. No talking."

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/broken-seeking-justice/id1478460758

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12742606/jeffrey-epstien-housekeeper-claims-ghislaine-maxwell-couldnt-leave/

—

BROKEN: Seeking Justice

Investigative Reporter Julie K. Brown exposed Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes to the world. Now his survivors are fighting for the truth. This season, host Tara Palmeri follows the women who are making their own justice.

Witness

Some people saw more than others. But will they admit it?

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/witness/id1478460758

Paul Keating’s daughter Alexandra dating Hollywood director Rupert Sanders

It’s been revealed the youngest daughter of former Australian prime minister Paul Keating is dating a controversial Hollywood director, and the pair has appeared in an Archibald Prize entry.

The youngest daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating is dating controversial Hollywood director Rupert Sanders.

Confidential can reveal Alexandra Keating and Sanders are an item, and have appeared in a double portrait that was entered in the Archibald Prize, whose winner is announced on Friday.

The portrait, titled Alexandra Keating and Rupert Sanders on a Yacht in Sydney Harbour, is by artist Oliver Watts who is friends with both Alexandra and her sister Katherine Keating. Katherine was drawn into the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal when she was filmed farewelling Prince Andrew at the front door of Epstein’s New York mansion when he was staying there in 2010.

There is no suggestion Katherine Keating, who was reportedly friends with the Duke, knew of any wrongdoing by Epstein.

Rupert Sanders is controversial in that he made international headlines when he and actor Kristen Stewart were photographed in an intimate embrace in 2012.

Sanders was at the time married to model Liberty Ross, with whom he has two children. The couple divorced in 2014.

Stewart was in a relationship with her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson. Both Stewart and Sanders issued separate public apologies after the images were printed.

Oliver Watts told Arts Editor Elizabeth Fortescue that he joined Sanders and Alexandra on a boat at Rose Bay in January or February this year.

The couple had agreed to let Watts paint them, and Sanders stepped in to direct what sort of pose they should take for their portrait.

“Obviously Rupert is very creative,” Watts said.

Sanders directed Snow White and The Huntsman in 2012, which starred Kristen Stewart. He also directed the film adaptation of the sci-fi manga franchise Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson.

Watts would not comment on whether the boat in the painting belongs to Paul Keating, or whether the former PM was on board that day. But he did reveal his admiration for Alexandra.

“She’s really a special person — very clever, very charismatic,” Watts said.

“She is happy that Rupert is her boyfriend.”

The painting is “a tender conversation piece of a couple”, Watts said.

Alexandra’s father was himself the subject of a very handsome painting by Brian Westwood which won the Archibald in 1992 when Keating was PM.

While Watts’ painting of Keating’s daughter and her boyfriend was not selected as a finalist for the $100,000 Archibald Prize, it was chosen for the Salon des Refuses. The Salon is the “alternative Archibald” exhibition, chosen from among the Archibald rejects and shown at the S.H. Ervin Gallery in The Rocks.

The Archibald Prize will be announced on Friday at the Art Gallery of NSW. Both the Archibald and Salon des Refuses open on Saturday.

Notables in the running for the Archibald this year include broadcaster Adam Spencer (painted by Samuel Rush Condon), documentary star Dujuan Hoosen (by Blak Douglas, aka Adam Hill), journalist David Marr (by Nicholas Harding), journalist Annabel Crabb (by Jane Guthleben), chef Adam Liaw (by Yoshio Honjo), ALP leader Anthony Albanese (by James Powditch), writer Bruce Pascoe (by Craig Ruddy) and Magda Szubanski (by Wendy Sharpe).

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/arts/paul-keatings-daughter-dating-hollywood-director-rupert-sanders/news-story/80d015022dec8d36e102bce2cca70581

INTERNATIONAL STING AGAINST DARK WEB VENDORS LEADS TO 179 ARRESTS

22 September 2020 - Press Release

Today, a coalition of law enforcement agencies across the world announced the results of a coordinated operation known as DisrupTor which targeted vendors and buyers of illicit goods on the dark web.

This operation follows the takedown in May of last year of Wall Street Market, the world’s then second largest illegal online market in the dark web. Led by the German Federal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt) with the support of the Dutch National Police (Politie) Europol, Eurojust and various US government agencies, this takedown provided investigators with quantitative data and materials to identify suspects behind dark web accounts used for illegal activity.

As a result, 179 vendors who engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit good were arrested across Europe and the United States. Over $6.5 million were seized in both cash and virtual currencies, alongside some 500 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA, and medicine containing addictive substances; and 64 firearms.

The arrests were carried out in the United States (121), Germany (42), the Netherlands (8), United Kingdom (4), Austria (3), and Sweden (1). A number of investigations are still ongoing to identify the individuals behind dark web accounts.

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO TACKLE THE DARK WEB

Operation DisrupTor was composed of a series of separate but complementary joint operations coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, all aimed at making a global impact on the sale of illicit goods on the dark web.

This operation was the result of a collaborative effort between the law enforcement and judicial authorities of Austria, Cyprus, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Commenting on this operation, the Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), Edvardas Šileris, said:

Law enforcement is most effective when working together, and today’s announcement sends a strong message to criminals selling or buying illicit goods on the dark web: the hidden internet is no longer hidden, and your anonymous activity is not anonymous. Law enforcement is committed to tracking down criminals, no matter where they operate – be it on the streets or behind a computer screen.

THE DARK WEB IS NO FAIRY TALE

The golden age of dark web marketplace is over. Operations such as these highlight the capability of law enforcement to counter encryption and anonymity of dark web market places. Police no longer only takes down such illegal marketplaces – they also chase down the criminals buying and selling illegal goods through such sites.

Thinking of buying illegal goods anonymously on the dark web?

These are the dangers you are exposed to:

* Putting your life in danger: dangerous illegal drugs such as fentanyl or counterfeit substances could kill you.

* Become a victim of cyber scammers who are only after your money.

* Exposing your device to damaging malware.

Law enforcement can also trace back illicit transactions to both the buyer and seller. An individual who purchased illicit goods from hidden sites is at risk of prosecution in a number of countries.

The dark web is not a fairy tale - vendors and buyers are no longer hidden in the shadow.

The following authorities took part in this operation:

Austria: Federal Investigation Bureau (Bundeskriminalamt)

Cyprus: Cyprus Police (Αστυνομία Κύπρου)

Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), State Criminal Police Offices (Landeskriminalämter), the competent local police forces and Customs Investigation Offices (Zollfahndungsämter)

The Netherlands: National Police (Politie), Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Koninklijke Marechaussee)

Sweden: National Police (Polisen)

Australia: Western Australia Police Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

United Kingdom: National Crime Agency; Dark Web Intelligence, Collection and Exploitation (DICE)

United States: Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Department of Defense (DOD)

https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/international-sting-against-dark-web-vendors-leads-to-179-arrests

>>10738679

Facebook suddenly refuses to appear before foreign interference committee

Facebook has suddenly refused to appear before a parliamentary committee into foreign interference, asking instead for its evidence to be rescheduled after the US election in November.

The chair of the inquiry, Labor Senator Jenny McAllister, was disappointed at the social media giant's about-face given the publicity surrounding its platform being used for disinformation campaigns in the past.

Facebook was pencilled in to appear on Friday before the Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, alongside executives from popular video-sharing app TikTok.

But Senator McAllister said the company advised the committee on Tuesday it would no longer make senior staff available for questioning.

She argued it was "disappointing" Facebook had not adopted the same constructive approach as TikTok, and said it appeared "unwilling to participate in our processes of democratic accountability".

"Facebook's platform has been used by malicious actors to run sophisticated disinformation campaigns in elections around the globe," Senator McAllister said.

"Eighty-four per cent of Australians are on Facebook. We use it to connect with other people and debate ideas that are important to our community.

"The Australian public deserve to know how Facebook manages the risks their platform presents to our democracy and public discourse."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Facebook said the company still planned on attending the committee.

"We are committed to cooperating with the Senate committee on this inquiry and answering the questions they may have," they said.

"Due to a scheduling issue we’ve requested to appear at a later day."

Facebook has been widely criticised for failing to stop manipulation of posts on its platform ahead of the last US election, allowing Russian meddling in the poll.

Millions of people had their personal data harvested from Facebook by Cambridge Analytica ahead of the 2016 presidential ballot, which was then used to influence the election.

In July this year, Facebook announced it would start labelling content that violated its policies ahead of this year's election.

Social media companies have drawn the interest of Australia's intelligence agencies, with TikTok facing scrutiny over its ties to the Chinese Government.

The company denies any personal data is handed over to authorities.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-23/facebook-suddenly-refuses-appear-foreign-interference-committee/12692014

—

Parliament of Australia - Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Interference_through_Social_Media/ForeignInterference

Media Releases

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Interference_through_Social_Media/ForeignInterference/Media_Releases

23 Sep 2020

https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=0df446be-5fe0-4e97-be93-fc4746438cdc

Shane Andrew Lunnay, who streamed himself having sex with a child-like sex doll, jailed for importing child exploitation material

A YouTuber who once streamed himself having sex with a child-like doll “for the shock value” was caught by police with some very disturbing images.

A ponytailed gamer who streamed video of himself having sex with a child-like doll will spend a year behind bars.

Adelaide man Shane Andrew Lunnay was also caught with drawings of children and adults engaged in acts of bestiality, and imported animated child pornography.

Sentencing him in the District Court on Wednesday, Judge Geraldine Davison said Lunnay admitted he had a sexual interest in children.

Over time, the 35-year-old developed an addiction to the animated material known as hentai.

“It is clear, looking at the materials on the file and, in particular, the photographs of your bedroom and living area, that this addiction to a fantasy way of life was all-encompassing for you,” she said.

“Sadly, however, it was not just material that was animated that you were found with.”

Judge Davison said Lunnay was also found with a number of images of real children and real child abuse material.

In May and June of 2019, the Australian Border Force detected several consignments addressed to Lunnay that contained child abuse material and “objectionable material”.

In June, the ABF executed a warrant at his home address.

Among the material seized was 650 hentai publications suspected of containing child abuse material, a computer tower and mobile phone.

The hentai publications depicted adults and or children under the age of 18 years in sexual poses and in sexual activity, including drawings of children aged between three and 12.

There were also drawings of adults and children under 12 engaging in acts of bestiality.

Lunnay later told police the material was “just drawings”, and he had been selling the anime to rid himself of his addiction.

“You also admitted conduct that involved having sex with a child-like doll and streaming this to people online,” the judge said.

“Those people included children.

“You did this for the shock value and to see people’s reactions to your conduct.”

Judge Davison said Lunnay had not been charged over the act and was not sentenced for it, but it confirmed his sexual interest in children.

Lunnay had previously posted hundreds of videos of himself playing video games on a YouTube channel called “Radical Dreamer Shane-O”.

He also talked about items he has collected, including stuffed toys and figurines.

Judge Davison said he lives with his parents and has used the internet as a way of making friends and socialising.

She added that Lunnay had now recognised the need for lifestyle changes, including applying for a gym membership, but the offending was very serious.

He was ordered to serve one year behind bars and another 18 months on parole.

Lunnay pleaded guilty to a number of Commonwealth and state offences including aggravated possession of child exploitation material and importing prohibited goods.

https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/shane-andrew-lunnay-who-streamed-himself-having-sex-with-a-childlike-sex-doll-jailed-for-importing-child-exploitation-material/news-story/77b2497ad47f68c7bf1ce342525c4ea6

Perth escape artist and children's entertainer facing string of child sex charges

A Perth entertainer who runs magic workshops for children has been charged with a string of child sex abuse charges.

Dewald Venter, 26, was first charged in May with sexual offences alleged to have been committed against a boy between 13-15 years old. They are alleged to have happened in 2014 and 2016.

Mr Venter, who performs under the stage name 'Ghupi', is alleged to have arranged to meet the boy online, and was charged with six counts of sexual penetration, five counts of indecent dealing, attempted sexual penetration, procure a child to do an indecent act, and persistent sexual conduct with a child.

He first appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court on these charges on June 8 and is next due to appear in the same court on October 5.

Continuing investigations by child abuse officers uncovered further alleged victims, a boy and a girl who were aged between 12-15 years old at the time of the reported offences, which are alleged to have happened between 2012 and 2016.

Mr Venter, who has appeared on Australia's Got Talent, and who holds world records for his escape routines, has since been charged with 15 counts of indecent dealing with a child, three counts of sexual penetration, and two counts of persistent sexual conduct with a child.

He appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court on these additional charges on Monday and will reappear on October 5.

Police will also allege during the course of their investigation Mr Venter was found with two unsupervised children, which was not permitted under his bail conditions.

He was subsequently charged with breach of bail.

Mr Venter was refused bail and appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on August 15. He is next due to appear in the same court on Wednesday.

Mr Venter, who performs at private parties and corporate events, has also worked at a summer camp in the USA teaching children magic.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-escape-artist-and-children-s-entertainer-facing-string-of-child-sex-charges-20200922-p55y3t.html

US Embassy Canberra Tweet

One year ago this week: The United States hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny Morrison for an incredible state visit, including dinner under the stars in the @WhiteHouse Rose Garden #USwithAUS

https://twitter.com/USAembassyinOZ/status/1308646621979144192

So, Pantifa has set up and arrest support hotline. You know what to do.

Call and CLOG IT UP! don't let Bloomberg bail these commie fucks out!

Pretend you're really in "trouble" keep them on the line! If you get voicemail leave a LONG message.. Clog up the system. Use Cloward–Piven strategy against them!

*67[blocks your number](international area code) 502 694 9454

So, Pantifa has set up and arrest support hotline. You know what to do.

Call and CLOG IT UP! don't let Bloomberg bail these commie fucks out!

Pretend you're really in "trouble" keep them on the line! If you get voicemail leave a LONG message.. Clog up the system. Use Cloward–Piven strategy against them!

*67[blocks your number](international area code) 502 694 9454

moh

Tom Hanks is out of quarantine as filming begins on Elvis biopic on the Gold Coast

The Hollywood superstar at the centre of Queensland’s border exemption controversy is now out of quarantine and set to begin work on the Gold Coast.

Tom Hanks touched down two weeks ago to begin filming for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, which was originally slated to begin filming in March but was suspended when the star contracted COVID-19.

Luhrmann and the Queensland Government spent months formulating a COVIDSafe plan which would allow filming to resume, tipped to inject $100 million into the local economy.

As a result, Hanks was allowed to fly into Australia while thousands of Australians remain stranded overseas.

It prompted a woman stranded in London, desperately waiting to return home to Australia, to pen a letter to Hanks, expressing how “disheartening” it was to see celebrities head to Australia while she had been waiting months to return home.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk came under fire for allowing the movie star to enter the state, even copping criticism from the Prime Minister, amid a heartbreaking case of a Canberra woman denied approval to attend her father’s funeral.

On Sydney radio on Thursday morning, before border restrictions were eased to allow ACT residents into the sunshine state, Mr Morrison said he didn’t expect special treatment to enter Queensland.

Mr Morrison accused the state of “double standards”, after 400 AFL executives were also allowed to enter the state while ordinary Australians remained locked out.

“Well I don’t think there should be double standards, I mean it’s not like I’m a Hollywood movie star or in the AFL or anything,” he told Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa.

In a press conference on Wednesday morning, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said he was “shameless” in supporting jobs on the Gold Coast, including in the film and TV industry.

“It’ll be great to see how people around the world talk about the fact that it was filmed on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“I’m sure it will encourage other film producers to come here… we’re one of the few places that can be fully open for film production.

“It really goes to underline how some people want to make this a choice between health and the economy, but it’s not a choice.

“You have to get the health response right first, and then we can get on with creating jobs, just as we have in the film industry.”

CHO Dr Jeannette Young revealed part of the reason why Hanks and his cast and crew mates were allowed to enter Queensland was for monetary reasons, namely that it would provide a well-needed boost for the state’s struggling economy.

“I have given exemptions from people in entertainment and film because that is bringing a lot of money into this state,” she said in a press conference earlier this month.

Mr Morrison said he understood why people were “frustrated” to see the “double standards.”

“Queenslanders are fair-minded people. I know, I’m sure the vast majority of Queenslanders would support the border being in place. That’s why it’s not about that, it’s about – you know, Queenslanders are very fair-minded people too, and I think this is what would offended them, the double standards that are there,” Mr Morrison said on September 10.

Hanks, alongside co-star Austin Butler, will begin filming at Village Roadshow Studios on Wednesday.

While Hanks was spotted at Pacific Fair on Tuesday, castmate Butler, who will play Elvis, was also spotted at Broadbeach.

Initial reports suggested Hanks was quarantining in a lavish Gold Coast hinterland estate, but that was later denied by Ms Palaszczuk who said the star was staying in a “government approved hotel”.

“My advice is that he is staying in a hotel, so I am told that he is not staying in a house,” she said on Sunday.

“There are other people who have flown in from LA into Sydney and are staying in New South Wales now obviously they would have had to get the exemptions and border force checks as well … but unfortunately we’re not hearing anything about that in New South Wales, all we are hearing is about Queensland.

“Scott Morrison flew up here a few months ago and talked about more incentives to get more movies here, so that’s okay, we put in on the table more incentives to get movies here as well, and I’ll tell you what they want to come to Queensland and film and that means keeping people on the Gold Coast in employment and I’ll fight for those jobs.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/tom-hanks-is-out-of-quarantine-as-filming-begins-on-elvis-biopic-on-the-gold-coast/news-story/bff2e6326dc0e65f9699fa1c17a9be29

Your excuses have ran out

Assange could crochet and play bingo in supermax prison, US prosecutor claims

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London: The US government has suggested that Julian Assange would not be held in solitary confinement and would be able to crochet and play bingo if he is extradited and jailed on spying charges.

The revelation emerged at Assange's extradition hearing underway at London's Old Bailey which has this week been focussed on Assange's mental health.

His defence team has called witnesses to testify that he has Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's, anxiety, hears voices, is depressed and would take his own life if he loses his legal battle.

The court has heard that Assange has withheld telling doctors his true mental state while detained in Belmarsh Prison because he fears being placed in solitary confinement.

Assange remains in custody while he fights his extradition arguing that his human rights would be violated.

Psychiatrist, Michael Kopelman, emeritus professor of neuropsychiatry at King's College London, has previously told the court that if Assange is extradited there is a "very high" risk the father of four would take his own life rather than serve out any sentence in a US supermax prison.

But Seena Fazel, a professor in forensic psychiatry at Oxford University, who interviewed Assange earlier this year said that he found the prisoner to be "moderately depressed," an improvement on the severely depressed state he accepted Assange was in as recently as December last year.

Fazel appeared for the prosecution. He disagreed with a psychiatrist called by the defence on Tuesday about the likelihood of Assange committing suicide.

He said the 49-year old had shown himself capable of managing his own suicide risk, by taking medication, undergoing counselling and accessing support from the Samaritans - a British mental health charity.

On Tuesday the court was told that Assange has made preparations for death, including writing farewell letters, receiving absolution from a Catholic priest and preparing a will.

However, Fazel said that millions of people experience suicidal "ideations" at points in their life.

"But a minority of those people actually act on those and even less die from suicide.

"Suicidal ideation is quite [a] common experience and in a lifetime many people will experience suicidal ideation at one point or another."

Fazel also said that Assange was only on the "mild end" of the autism spectrum.

It was during reexamination, that James Lewis, the QC acting for the US government suggested that if extradited, Assange would be sent to the Alexandria Detention Centre.

"There is no solitary confinement in the ADC," Lewis said.

(continued)

>>10766250

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If Assange were found guilty in a US trial and jailed he could be sent to the supermax prison in Colorado known as ADX - the United State's highest-security prison.

Lewis said each inmate had their own 13-inch television and told the court that Assange would have "ample opportunity" to socialise with inmates and members of the public.

Added to this, Lewis said ADX inmates had access to indoor and outdoor recreation, exercise, wellness programs, weekend brainteaser games and arts and crafts, library and may "paint, draw or crochet."

Lewis said inmates "may participate in a weekly bingo game". However, he prefaced his description of Assange's potential prison conditions by saying that all might not apply to the Australian.

Fazel said he could not judge whether these conditions would reduce the likelihood of Assange committing suicide as it depended on the whether they were implemented as well as their quality.

Assange's team have repeatedly said that the WikiLeaks founder would be held in extreme isolation conditions.

Last week, US attorney Eric Lewis told the court that Assange was at "high risk" of being subjected to Clinton-era special administrative measures where prisoners are subject to extreme isolation and have their legal and family visits monitored.

Assange is accused of violating the Espionage Act relating to the WikiLeaks' disclosures of a decade ago, when more than half a million military and diplomatic cables stolen from Pentagon systems by former army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning were published.

Manning was sentenced but had her sentence commuted by former President Barack Obama.

This week, Assange's fiancee said the Trump Administration wanted to "pluck him out of the UK and put him in the deepest, darkest hole of the US prison system."

"They want to bury him alive and for him to never be able to speak again or work again or see his children," she told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Assange's extradition hearing is expected to continue until next week.

If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

http://lifeline.org.au/

http://beyondblue.com.au/

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/assange-could-crochet-and-play-bingo-in-supermax-prison-us-prosecutor-claims-20200923-p55yls.html

‘We literally jumped for joy’

Malka Leifer has been ordered to be sent back to Australia to face 74 charges of child sex abuse after an Israeli judge on Monday agreed to extradite the former Melbourne principal

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It was just after 5pm on Monday when the long-awaited news from the Jerusalem District Court filtered through to sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper in Melbourne: Malka Leifer, their alleged sexual abuser and former principal of the Adass Israel School, had been ordered for extradition to Australia.

“We literally jumped for joy. It was an incredible moment to hear words that we almost never thought we would hear since 2011,” Meyer told The AJN.

“Nine years [we were] waiting [since lodging statements to police]. It’s still incredible to think about it now.”

Erlich added, “This is the day that we’ve been waiting for. It’s actually happened, and I just can’t stop smiling.”

Leifer fled to Israel when the allegations against her began to emerge in 2008. Six years ago, Australia filed an extradition request in an effort to see her return to face 74 counts of child sexual abuse. Since then, 72 court dates have followed, interspersed between bouts of feigned mental illness and claims of political interference.

In Monday’s decision, Judge Chana Lomp wrote, “I accept the petition and declare the respondent as extraditable to Australia for the offences attributed to her in the extradition request.

“Since I have determined that [Leifer] was not a resident of Israel at the time of the offences which are the subject of the petition, she is not entitled to the protection provided in Section 1A of the Extradition Law, that would have allowed her to carry out her sentence in Israel,” she said, noting that Leifer will remain in police custody until she is sent back to Australia.

Leifer’s lawyers have indicated their plans to appeal the extradition order to Israel’s Supreme Court – an avenue that is available to them for 30 days post-decision – with defence lawyer Nick Kaufman saying, “For those who think that this chapter is now closed, I’m sorry, the process will still last quite a few months more.”

Speaking on the prospect of appeal, Meyer said, “We do have faith that the Supreme Court will uphold the District Court’s decision and it is just a waiting game for us now,” adding that the sisters are hopeful the extradition will occur late this year or early 2021.

(continued)

>>10766423

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In the next procedural step, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn is required to sign off on the extradition. Signalling his intentions on Twitter, he wrote, “After years of torment, the [alleged] victims of the offence will finally be entitled to justice.

“Leifer [is accused of committing] a serious act and tried to impersonate a mentally ill person in order to evade extradition. I will work to expedite the continuation of the procedure as much as possible in order to carry out Leifer’s extradition to Australia.”

Yet, Kaufman was quoted in The Australian on Tuesday saying, “When the Justice Minister welcomes the decision of the District Court and announces prior to the appeal that he will do all in his power to speed up Malka Leifer’s extradition to Australia, then he is not, I submit, acting in accordance with accepted principles of administrative propriety.”

The article asserted an argument of Leifer’s defence that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an “unlawful promise” to a visiting delegation of senior Australian political figures to speed the extradition – and the Justice Minister’s pledge to “work to expedite” the process reflects the “undue influence” of Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, a statement released by the Ministry of Justice on Monday read, “We are very pleased with the outcome of the court’s decision and look forward to the continued and successful cooperation between Israel and Australia.

“Today is an important and significant day for the rule of law, for international cooperation and most importantly, for those who were [alleged] victims of Malka Leifer’s [alleged] crimes.”

Indeed for the sisters, the toll of the saga is not confined to the past, with Erlich sharing, “Every time there is a court hearing, our lives are turned upside down.

“As the case became more high profile, it meant a lot more media, and exposure, and that takes a lot of strength.

“It takes a lot from us.”

Added Meyer, “The mental health struggle is very real, particularly in the spaces that we don’t show on camera because that is more private.

“But we all draw strength from each other and from the wider network of people that continually support us.”

Deeming the extradition decision “a victory for everyone”, Erlich said, “This is a victory for every survivor who has fought so hard to see justice.”

Meyer echoed, “The huge amount of support [we have received] cannot be diminished because that is a huge part of helping us keep going – and bring about justice for ourselves and for many survivors that really don’t have a voice.”

https://ajn.timesofisrael.com/we-literally-jumped-for-joy/

Former QAnon Followers Explain What Drew Them In — And Got Them Out

Like those leaving cults, some people who believe in conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate can break free from their beliefs

By EJ Dickson - September 23, 2020

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Jitarth Jadeja is a hirsute man in his early thirties, charming and jovial, speaking with equal effusiveness about economics and his baby niece. He’s an atheist, pro-choice and pro-drug decriminalization, who supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be deeply invested in a dangerous far-right conspiracy theory involving baby-eating Democrats and Hollywood actors. But for two and a half years, he says, that’s exactly what he was.

“It’s almost like a drug,” he tells Rolling Stone from his parents’ house in Sydney, Australia. “You read a Q drop and he tells you something, and you’re like, ‘Whoa dude, that’s crazy’….a hit of dopamine goes off in your brain, and you have to go in deeper and deeper and deeper in order to get that feeling again. When Q first started posting I felt like, ‘Here is an explanation that, while it doesn’t make sense, if it were true explains the situation better than the current explanations I’m getting.'”

Recently, QAnon has gotten a great deal of attention in the media due to QAnon-promoting congressional candidates such as Republican nominees Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, thus bringing the theory mainstream. It has also been linked to violence, such as the 2019 shooting of a Staten Island mob boss by a QAnon supporter and a Texas woman attacking two strangers with her car earlier this year because she believed them to be child traffickers. President Trump has refused to overtly discredit or reject QAnon ideology, to the delight of believers, whose primary goal is to win Trump’s attention.

“They desperately need a place to put their anger and a way to make sense of the world. Us versus them, the horrible bad guys, is something they all seem to cling to,” says cult expert Diane Benscoter, who has spoken to numerous people whose loved ones are involved in QAnon. “The doctrine makes it easy to say, ‘Clearly we have to make a stand against this,’ and it feels really good to believe you’re on the side of righteousness and saving children.”

The mainstreaming of QAnon has also led to the advent of subreddits like r/QAnonCasualties and r/ReQuovery, for family members of QAnon believers to discuss the impact the ideology has had on their lives. Former believers who’ve extricated themselves have also taken to such subreddits to share their own stories, recounting what drew them in and providing tips and resources for those trying to get their family members out.

Anti-Clinton sentiment stoked by vloggers on YouTube set the stage for him to believe even the most outlandish claims proposed by Pizzagaters. It also helped, he says, that he grew up in an extremely religious Christian Baptist family (He says his father is still an ardent QAnon believer). “[Growing] up 18 years in that household played a role into my being primed believing something that was outlandish,” he says. “[The] fact that you can have that kind of faith in certain things leads you to be open into believing certain things without there necessarily being proof.”

Another common thread among the stories of former believers on Reddit is a history of mental illness. Jadeja had recently disconnected himself from many of his friends; he was isolated and intensely struggling with depression and undiagnosed bipolar II disorder. Because he was in graduate school, he also had a lot of time on his hands. “I was, I guess you could say, a prime candidate for Q to take a hold of me,” he says.

Ivan*, 26, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym for fear of getting doxxed, was struggling with anxiety and depression when he stumbled on Pizzagate in the subreddit r/cringeanarchy in 2016, right before Trump’s election. Though r/cringeanarchy, which would later be banned, was a haven of far-right “edgy” content, “I was politically illiterate,” though alienated and embittered, he recalls. Swapping theories about Pizzagate “wasn’t about politics. It was about team sports. It was about cheering for this side, for Team Right.” Scraping together bits of “evidence” whole cloth to support Pizzagate was not just fun, it was also empowering at a time when he was desperate to feel some semblance of control.

(continued)

>>10766576

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Ivan was conscious enough of how deranged his views sounded that he instinctively knew not to mention them to others — not, he says, that it would have helped. “I distinctly remember that if I read some article about this debunking or fact-checking, I would feel bored. I’d feel like, ‘What am I reading here? They are just probably hiding the truth. It’s not even worth the attention,'” he says. “From my own experience, when you get deep enough, any kind of fact-checking, it just flies right through you and you don’t really capture the information at all.”

Benscoter agrees that fact-checking is essentially useless. As difficult as it may be, she urges, those with loved ones deep into QAnon must refrain. “To try to make rational arguments is not going to work because they’re not going to think rationally,” she says. “You can throw rocks in it and try to make cracks,” for instance, by asking the other person to consider the possibility that Q may not be who they claim to be. But arguing with a person who is not operating according to logic or reason “just makes them stand firmer,” she says.

Instead, she advises people to try to appeal to their loved ones’ “higher selves.” “People who get involved in extremist mentality are usually really good people who care deeply about wanting to use their life for something bigger than themselves,” she says. She urges loved ones of QAnon believers to approach the conversation by saying something like, “I know the reason you care so much about this is because you’re a good person and I know you want to do right, but just consider the possibility that you are being lied to,” or, “It would be a shame if you put all this good sincere energy in something that turns out to be a lie.” “If they don’t immediately argue back fervently, if they stop for a moment, that would be a sign of a crack” in their belief system, she says. It may take a long time for such cracks to emerge, but without them believers can’t do the difficult work of setting off on the process of self-rediscovery and recovery from the false delusion of Q.

It took years for the cracks to emerge for Jadeja, who slowly started to realize that Q drops were laden with logical inconsistencies. A turning point for him was a follower asking Q to get Trump to say the term “tippy top” as proof of Trump’s knowledge of the conspiracy; when Trump did say the phrase during a 2018 Easter egg roll speech, Q believers rejoiced, believing it to be confirmation that Q was real. Jadeja did some research and saw that Trump had said the phrase many times before. “That’s when I realized this was all a very slick con,” he says.

Today he views the rise of QAnon with abject horror, which is compounded by the fact that he’d also managed to rope his own father into the conspiracy. (Like Lem, Jadeja’s father is still a true believer.) “It’s gone out of control. And it continues to grow out of control. And they’re not going away. Even if Trump loses, they’re not going to go away, they’ll just look at it as part of the conspiracy,” he says. He sees speaking out about his own involvement with the cult of QAnon as a form of penance — even as he worries it may be too late to curb its toxic, potentially lethal influence.

“Any time you dehumanize any part or segment of the population to such a low level, to the lowest level you can go, people are happy on the opposite side to do the worst against them,” he says of QAnon believers’ views of Trump’s enemies. “That’s the real danger here — not that [QAnon adherents] will get into the Senate. When you frame your opponents [as subhuman], you won’t just watch them burn. You’ll be happy about it.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ex-qanon-followers-cult-conspiracy-theory-pizzagate-1064076/

FBI offers $15k reward for info on New Zealander facing charges

The FBI is offering more than $15,000 for information about a New Zealand man who fled the United States after he was charged with sex trafficking and child exploitation material.

Michael James Pratt, 37, is wanted by the United States agency for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to recruit young adult and minor women to engage in sex acts that were filmed, and distributed online between 2012 and 2019.

The former Christchurch man, whose alleged offending took place in San Diego, has been on the run since a federal warrant for his arrest was issued last year.

Along with fellow New Zealander Matthew Isaac Wolfe, who was imprisoned in San Diego earlier this year, Pratt owned and operated a pornography production company as well as the websites "GirlsDoPorn" and "GirlsDoToys."

According to the FBI, the websites generated about $26 million in revenue.

The agency said Pratt has ties to, or may visit, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Singapore, Japan, Chile, Croatia, and France.

In January, in a civil case separate to the criminal charges faced by Pratt and Wolfe, a California court ordered the two men to pay $19 million in damages to 22 women, mostly students, aged between 18 and 23.

The court found that through a series of companies, including several registered to Vanuatu, Pratt owned and received 100 percent of the profits from the porn websites.

The judgement found the two New Zealanders - as well as US citizen Rueben Andre Garcia, a porn actor - liable for fraud and breach of contract for lying to women about where the pornographic videos would be disseminated, and how much they would be paid for their work. The judge ordered that videos and photographs of the women be removed from the website.

According to the judgement, the men advertised clothed modelling work on Craiglist in the US and Canada, then convinced young respondents to fly to San Diego to shoot pornographic videos and photographs, promising anonymity and fees of up to $10,500.

"Defendants assure the women that the video will never be seen by anyone they know because it will only be distributed on DVD in a foreign country; it thus will never be available in the United States, and it will never be published online," the judgement reads.

But videos were distributed online, as well as being sent directly to members of the women's communities - in some cases to parents, siblings, sports coaches, employers, and university professors.

Approximately 60 emails were sent to one plaintiff's law school. The women's names and other personal information was also deliberately disseminated.

The criminal charges faced by Pratt are conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; production of child pornography; sex trafficking of a minor and by force, fraud and coercion; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; and criminal forfeiture.

Pratt is described as being six feet tall, with brown hair, and hazel eyes. He is known to use 'Mark' as an alias.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Michael James Pratt is asked to contact the FBI in San Diego on +1 (858) 320 1800. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426831/fbi-offers-15k-reward-for-info-on-new-zealander-facing-charges

>>10766769

WANTED BY THE FBI

MICHAEL JAMES PRATT

Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion; Production of Child Pornography; Sex Trafficking of a Minor and by Force, Fraud and Coercion; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion; Criminal Forfeiture

Aliases:

Michael Pratt, Michal J. Pratt, Mark

Reward:

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Michael James Pratt.

Remarks:

Pratt has ties to or may visit: New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Singapore, Japan, Chile, Croatia, and France.

Caution:

From approximately 2012 to October 2019, in the Southern District of California and elsewhere, Michael James Pratt and others allegedly participated in a conspiracy to recruit young adult and minor women to engage in commercial sex acts by force, fraud and coercion. Pratt and a co-conspirator owned and operated a pornography production company and online pornography websites, "GirlsDoPorn" and "GirlsDoToys." Pratt and his co-conspirators allegedly recruited young women from around the United States by posting advertisements for clothed modeling jobs on the Internet. Pratt and his co-conspirators advised the women responding to the ads that the jobs were in fact for pornographic videos and that they would be paid between $3,000 to $5,000 U.S. dollars for a one-day video shoot. To persuade the women to participate, Pratt and his co-conspirators allegedly convinced the women they would remain anonymous, that their videos ​would be provided to private collectors on DVD, and would not be posted on the Internet. Pratt allegedly paid other young women working at his direction to act as references or provide false assurances to the women that, if they filmed a video, the video would not be posted online. Some ​women were not permitted to leave the shooting locations until the videos were made ​and ​others were allegedly forced to perform certain sex acts they had declined to do. Allegedly, some of the women were sexually assaulted. ​Pratt's pornography websites generated more than $17 million U.S. dollars in revenue. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Pratt in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, on November 6, 2019.

Submit a Tip:

If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legal-attache-offices

Field Office: San Diego

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego

Submit an anonymous Tip online

https://tips.fbi.gov/

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/michael-james-pratt

>>10738679

>>10738722

TikTok not keen to share information about who runs its Australian arm

TikTok is all about sharing content, but the world’s hottest social media firm is not being as open about the mysterious trio listed as directors of it’s Australian arm.

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TikTok’s Australian directors include a Sydney accountant who has more than 50 company directorships to his name, and two mysterious offshore directors about which little can be found online.

The Chinese company has been on a charm offensive in recent weeks, with its video-sharing app facing the threat of being kicked off app stores in the US by President Donald Trump and a controversy over a live-streamed suicide which appeared in the feeds of children.

While the spectre of being thrown off app stores has abated for now, the company is going to great strides to win the hearts and minds of Australians, this week announcing a new aggressive advertising campaign it says will celebrate “everyday Australians”.

General manager Lee Hunter, who is not a director, has been leading the charge to paint TikTok as a harmless, fun platform, saying on his LinkedIn a couple of months ago that “TikTok is a fun, creative, safe and entertaining platform that is, unfortunately, being used by some as a political football’’.

“We’re an open book - We welcome an open and transparent dialogue with policymakers and authorities to ensure TikTok remains a safe, fun and creative platform.’’

But the app has security professionals, and the US Government, concerned with its potential to harvest user data which could then potentially end up in the hands of the Chinese government.

TikTok Australia addressed these concerns in a recent submission to the Senate, saying “We have strict controls around security and data access. As noted in our Transparency Reports, TikTok has never shared Australian user data with the Chinese government, nor censored Australian content at its request.’’

The backgrounds of TikTok Australia’s foreign directors are not particularly transparent however, with its two foreign directors - Chinese-born Canadian citizens whose addresses are listed as in Hong Kong and Singapore - holding other international roles with the company, but keeping a low profile online.

TikTok Australia refused to provide further information about these two directors when contacted this week.

In order to operate legally in Australia, a proprietary company must have one Australian-resident director.

TikTok’s sole Australian director is Nick Barwell of French’s Forest, NSW, who is a chartered accountant and a principal at McBurney’s Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors.

Mr Barwell’s bio says he “is responsible for a large number of family groups looking to protect their wealth and provide for their families in the most tax-effective manner’’, and “also supports a number of Australian and international business clients dealing with monthly accounting, taxation compliance, internal reporting, payment processing and payroll’’.

Mr Barwell does not list his involvement with TikTok, or his numerous other company directorships, on his LinkedIn profile.

Other companies he is involved with include Bushells, Brooks Brothers Australia, and Robert Timms and previously technology firm Mashable.

Overall he is a current director of 58 companies, ASIC records show, however a large number of these companies are related to each other.

Some of Mr Barwell’s other current and former directorships or company secretary roles include:

Brooks Brothers Australia, Bushells, FreshFood Australia, Gubagoo Australia, SASOL Petroleum, Nearwater Capital Australia, Robert Timms, Vita-Mix ANZ, Mashable Australia (former director), NTT Security (Australia) (former director).

(continued)

>>10766826

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TikTok Australia’s other two directors are Ms Tian Zhao, whose address is listed as being in an upscale part of Singapore, and Zhao Liu, who is listed as living in Hong Kong. Both have no other Australian company directorships.

Both directors have a very low profile online, with Ms Zhao having just 59 connections on LinkedIn and little activity on the platform beyond occasionally sharing information about TikTok and parent company Bytedance.

Ms Zhao is also listed online as a director of TikTok Information Technologies UK.

Australian company records show Ms Zhao as being born in Beijing while companies House documents from the UK, lodged in 2017, state that her nationality is Canadian.

Zhao Liu is listed on the Zoominfo website as “Director, Corporate Development & Ir at ByteDance’’.

He is also listed as director and president of TikTok in the US and managing director of TikTok in Germany.

He does not appear to have a LinkedIn profile.

News Corp Australia sent a series of questions to Mr Barwell, asking about his level of involvement in TikTok Australia, however a response from TikTok corporate affairs did not answer these questions, or a query about further information about the backgrounds of its other directors.

“When TikTok Australia Pty Ltd was established as an Australian business entity in November last year, two Canadian citizens and an Australian were appointed as directors, in line with ASIC regulations and Australian company law,’’ a TikTok spokesperson said via email.

“Since then we have founded and significantly scaled our team in the country and brought on Australian leadership. The process is underway to realign our local directorships, as part of our regular reviews of corporate governance structures.”

TikTok Australia Pty Ltd is owned by Chinese company Bytedance Ltd, which is based in the Cayman Islands.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/tiktok-not-keen-to-share-information-about-who-runs-its-australian-arm/news-story/f6af870934336257cfb099c6d838ec35

Scott Morrison’s call with Japan’s Yoshihide Suga catches Beijing's ire

Scott Morrison’s phone call to Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga — the first by a world leader — has raised concern in Beijing about Tokyo and Canberra forming an “iron triangle with Washington” in the Asia Pacific.

An analysis published on the People’s Liberation Army’s news website China Military said there were “deep implications” in Mr Morrison and Mr Suga’s 20-minute-long, Sunday-night call, which it said “drew close attention in the international policy circle”.

In the piece Lyu Yaodong, a Japanese studies research fellow at the influential government think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Mr Suga’s call to Mr Morrison — which was made before a Sunday night call to US President Donald Trump — revealed Japan and Australia’s shared awareness of the decline of American power relative to China.

“As Washington becomes less influential in the Asia Pacific, Tokyo and Canberra have to reaffirm its importance in the region and jointly prevent their alliance with the super power from becoming an empty shell,” wrote Lyu.

The Australian and Japanese governments have repeatedly confirmed the two countries’ close strategic partnership since Mr Suga’s long serving predecessor Shinzo Abe in late August announced he was stepping down as prime minister for health reasons.

Last week Marise Payne was the first foreign minister to talk to her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, after the English speaker was reappointed as foreign minister.