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New Zealand PM refuses to say if China is ‘ally or adversary’ & abstains from calling US ‘leading democracy’

New Zealand won’t be dragged into US hostilities with China, with which it has a ‘mature’ relationship that allows for disputes and differences to be resolved in a calm manner, PM Jacinda Ardern said. Ardern was prompted several times to take a stance on the confrontation between the US and China during an interview with […]

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If Assange dies in UK prison it would mean he’d been ‘tortured to death,’ UN special rapporteur on torture tells RT

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange isn’t mentally ill and his psychological problems are solely the result of the abuse he suffers in isolation, Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, has told RT’s Going Underground. It would be a “tragedy” if Assange died in London’s Belmarsh maximum security prison due to his poor health, Melzer […]

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Pope Francis tells S. Korean president he’ll travel to N. Korea for ‘cause of peace’ if invited

Following a meeting at the Vatican, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s office has stated that Pope Francis said he would visit North Korea for “the cause of peace” if invited, to help improve the pair’s relations. Moon, in Rome for the G20 Summit, presented Pope Francis with a cross made of barbed wire from the […]

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‘If they destroy the free press, they destroy the world,’ Roger Waters says after UK court adjourns to rule on Assange extradition

Julian Assange’s extradition case could deal a fatal blow to free press worldwide, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters told RT as a British court weighed final arguments on whether to transfer the WikiLeaks co-founder to US custody. Though the UK High Court did not hand down a ruling after Thursday’s appeal hearing and is now […]

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Paris ‘open to talks’ on fishing rights if London ‘respects UK’s obligations,’ French PM says, as British trawler detained

In an ongoing spat with the UK over fishing rights, France is “open to talks,” but only if London respects its post-Brexit obligations, PM Jean Castex has said, in the wake of French officials detaining a British trawler. “We are always open for talks – morning, afternoon, and evening,” Castex told journalists during a trip […]

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Australian farmers would have had to gun down their cattle if government imposed methane-emission limits by 2030, deputy PM says

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has said the country’s farmers would have to “grab a rifle” and shoot their cattle to curb methane emissions if the government’s ‘Net Zero’ plan did not have a livestock exclusion. On Thursday, the National Party leader claimed he had wrangled a “carve-out” commitment from Prime Minister Scott Morrison […]

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Washington to let Julian Assange serve sentence in Australia if convicted after extradition to US, legal document shows

Lawyers acting on behalf of the US government have “provided assurance” to a UK extradition hearing that any custodial sentence imposed on WikiLeaks founder Assange by an American court would be allowed to be served in Australia. The US government has begun its appeal against an initial decision by a UK court that denied a […]

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US pauses aid to Sudan, threatens military coup leaders with ‘all measures’ if government not restored

The US State Department has frozen $700 million in aid to Sudan, after the country’s military staged a coup and arrested the civilian government. A spokesman said the US is willing to use “all measures” to resolve the crisis. “The United States is pausing assistance from the $700 million in emergency assistance appropriations of economic […]

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If EU ‘starts WW3’ against Poland by withholding promised funding, Warsaw will defend itself with ‘any weapons available’ – PM

Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has warned the EU against acting “with a gun to our heads,” claiming Warsaw would defend itself by any means available if the EU launched a “third World War” by holding back Covid-19 recovery funding. The strongly worded statement came after the European Commission threatened to leave Poland without billions in […]

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Snowden tells The Belmarsh Tribunal: If you love truth, you’re as much of a criminal as Assange and risk sharing his fate

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is a political prisoner and the process against him is a crime against journalism, said a group of academics, politicians, journalists and advocates convened ahead of his extradition hearing. “What we’re witnessing is a murder,” NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden told the ‘Belmarsh Tribunal’ in London on Friday, appearing via video link. […]

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Ontario premier won’t apologize after telling immigrants to ‘go somewhere else’ if they want to ‘sit around & do nothing’

Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford has refused to apologize amid backlash over “demeaning” and “racist” comments about immigrants, having told Canada’s newcomers “go somewhere else” if they plan to “collect the dole and sit around.” The premier made the controversial remarks during a press conference on Monday, where he spoke about the “desperate” labor shortages faced […]

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Taiwan will ‘meet enemy full on’ if it must, but won’t start a war, defense minister says, amid heightened tensions with Beijing

The Taiwanese defense minister has vowed that the island won’t be the one instigating conflict amid a spike in tensions with Beijing, which recently staged beach war drills in a nearby province. Speaking on Thursday, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told a parliamentary committee meeting that the island will defend itself if attacked, but that it […]

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Irish author targeted by Israel supporters ‘would be honored’ to print new book in Hebrew… if it’s boycott-compliant

Bestselling BDS-supporting writer Sally Rooney, who was widely accused of ostracizing Hebrew-speakers with her refusal to let an Israeli publisher print her latest book, said she would love to see a Hebrew translation. “If I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will […]

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Czech Senate committee to consider if hospitalized President Zeman can stay in office

The Czech Senate’s Constitutional Committee will hold a meeting next week to discuss President Milos Zeman’s abrupt hospitalization and whether it makes him unfit for office, the body’s chairman said. “I wish the president a speedy recovery but we are in a situation where clear procedures are needed if there is no speedy recovery,” the […]

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If France is such a good ally, why not give the Aussie submarine deal back to Paris? Chinese state media trolls US State Dept

The editor-in-chief of the Global Times has mocked the US State Department after Washington tweeted about the strength of the Franco-American partnership, the US’ oldest ally, and their shared commitments. On Tuesday morning, the US Department of State took to Twitter to celebrate its relationship with France, which has been strained in recent weeks following […]