As Julian Assange awaits a decision by the High Court in London whether it will accept his appeal against the home secretary’s decision to extradite him to the United States, the focus of the story has shifted here to his native Australia, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said for the first time that he has discussed with the United States bringing Assange’s ordeal to a close. 

A prominent television journalist here, John Lyons, of the Australian Broadcasting Corp., shortly afterward said he understood that Assange would be back home in Australia within two months.

IN ITS 9 DECEMBER ISSUE, SCIENCE (AAAS MAGAZINE) HAD A SERIES OF ARTICLE PRAISING THE RESISTANCE OF UKRAINIAN SCIENCES AGAINST THE RUSSIAN “AGGRESSION” — ESPECIALLY IN KHARKIV.

IN UKRAINE, LIKE IN RUSSIA, THERE ARE PEOPLE DEDICATED TO UNPOLITICAL ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES. THERE ARE SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD PEOPLE. 

PRESENTLY WE HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE: WERE THE UKRAINIAN AS A WHOLE DEDICATED TO THE ERADICATION OF THE RUSSIAN CULTURE AND THE ELIMINATION OF THE AUTONOMOUS REGIONS? NO. MANY PEOPLE IN UKRAINE ARE (WERE) DECENT PEOPLE. SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO DIED OR SURVIVED RUSSIAN “ACCIDENTAL” BOMBINGS MAY NOT HAVE HATED THE RUSSIANS BEFOREHAND. SIMILARLY, PEOPLE LIVING IN THE DONBASS DID NOT HATE THE UKRAINIANS PER SE, NOR EVEN THOUGHT OF SECESSION, UNTIL THE FATEFUL EVENTS STARTED IN 2004 THAT CULMINATED IN THE 2014 MAIDAN REVOLUTION.

INVESTIGATE..... "TRADITIONAL & FAMILY VALUES" SOUNDS MORE RUSSIAN TO ME...... AND SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES (I.E. DEVELOP COMPLEX MISSILES) WERE CONDUCTED WITH SPECIALISTS FROM THE UNITED STATES... THE K-22 MISSILES USED BY THE RUSSIANS NOW (X-22 AND BETTER) ARE NOT THE SAME AS THOSE OF THE LATE 1950s....

FREE JULIAN ASSANGE NOW....

UNLIKE THE WHITE HOUSE SHITHOUSE INFANTILE BRIEFINGS, THE RUSSIAN EQUIVALENT ARE COMPREHENSIVE, INTENTIONAL AND INTENSE. VERY FEW WESTERN JOURNALISTS AND THEIR NEWSPAPERS WOULD GRASP THE SCOPE AND SERIOUSNESS OF THE CAPER BEFORE HAVING TO TAKE REFUGE BEHIND SIX PAGES OF ADVERTISING HARVEY NORMAN'S INTEREST FREE REPAYMENTS.

SO HERE WE GO:

Table of contents

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the highest-ranking officer in the American armed forces, met with Ukrainian soldiers undergoing Pentagon training at a base in Germany, where Washington recently stepped up efforts to prepare foreign troops for combat.

The general visited the US Army’s Grafenwoehr Training Area in the German state of Bavaria for just shy of two hours on Monday, overseeing training operations with Ukrainian soldiers and their American instructors. 

“This is not a run-of-the-mill rotation. This is one of those moments in time where if you want to make a difference, this is it,” Milley said during a meeting with commanders.

In the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is observed annually on the third Monday in January. The day commemorates the life and work of Dr. King, who was a Baptist minister and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. People are encouraged to use the day to “reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change espoused by Dr. King.” The holiday is typically observed with events such as marches and rallies and speeches by politicians and civil rights leaders.

The presence of a Russian flag in the stands at the Australian Open has prompted organisers to ban them from Melbourne Park.

The Swiss escort agencies near Davos are already fully booked ahead of this year’s World Economic Forum, the elite gathering that brings together heads of state, corporate executives, and influential non-profiteers, Austrian outlet Exxpress reported on Sunday, citing a missive purportedly sent from one such agency.

In a message to unnamed hospitality staff and published by Express, escort agency Sensuallounge Escort urges readers to book their “fine selection of ladies and gentlemen” ahead of time to ensure “the best possible care and company during the World Economic Forum.” 

One of the key differences is an asymmetry between Russian and Ukrainian operational thinking. For the Russian offensive, there has been a singular focus on securing towns like Bakhmut and Soledar that have limited strategic utility.

In the main, the massive Russian losses suffered for these towns are not justified by the minor gains they present. This is indicative of a Russian military institution that cares little for its people.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/two-battles-reveal-differences-between-russia-and-ukraine-forces/101858290

From a comic book cameo to a major Hollywood blockbuster. Marvel Studios has unveiled its new Israeli superhero, Sabra - and she's causing controversy. 

Sabra is an Israeli police officer who transforms into a "superheroine of the state of Israel", working as a Mossad spy agent whose aim is to protect her country from "terrorists" in Tel Aviv. 

Now Sabra will have her time in the spotlight, featuring in the next 'Captain America: New World Order' movie franchise, with Israeli actor Shira Haas playing the mutant superhero in the movie.

While Disney and Marvel's announcement at the Disney "fan event" D23 Expo 2022 in the US this month has sent ripples of excitement through the Israeli community, it's left pro-Palestinian advocates furious. This is why. 

THE DEATH OF CARDINAL PELL HAS SHAKEN THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN ROME AND IN AUSTRALIA. THE MURDOCH MEDIA HAS BEEN MORE THAN ELEGIAC ABOUT THIS CARDINAL WHO HAD CREATED HAVOCK IN THE FLOCKS OF POOR BELIEVERS. HELL WAS A CERTAINTY UNLESS YOU MUMBLED YOUR BELIEFS IN LATIN. SHOULD YOU HAVE BEEN MOLESTED BY A PEDERAST PRIEST, YOUR COMPENSATION WAS A BIT OF CASH FROM THE COLLECTION PLATE PLUS A PLACE IN HELL FOR BEING THE UNDER-AGED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TEMPTING DEVIL.

SO THE WORDS OF PRAISE FLOWED FROM THE ANGELIC PENS OF THE MURDOCH GODLY SCRIBES... MEANWHILE A FEW NASTY TONGUES HAVE SUGGESTED (IN JEST, I BELIEVE) THAT THE GOOD OLD CARDINAL HAD BEEN TOPPED OFF FOR A GLORIOUS CONVENIENT DEATH. THE CONTROVERSY WILL CARRY ON, AS NO QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED ANY MORE....

The West should heed Russia’s rejection of its “devastating” hypocrisy while there is still time, Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov warned on Monday, in an open letter addressed to the members of the European Council.

His message came after the EU placed him on its sanctions list for supporting Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine, for backing the 2014 referendum in Crimea and for sharing Moscow’s allegations of US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine. The EU blacklist, introduced last month along with its ninth sanctions package, included the names of another 140 people and 49 legal entities.

The EU must drastically ramp up the production of ammunition and heavy weapons if it wants to help Ukraine succeed in the conflict with Russia, Wolfgang Ischinger, the former chair of the Munich Security Conference and a veteran German diplomat, said on Saturday. He stressed that Kiev’s supporters would run out of supplies unless they transform their economies.

“There is much to suggest that this war is far from over. Therefore, it is necessary for us to plan for the long term,” Ischinger stressed in an interview with Germany’s Welt newspaper. “All the military experts I know are saying that stocks of old Soviet weapons and respective ammunition are running out.”

“All warfare is based on deception”. Sun Tzu, The Art of War...

Thus, as I struggle with how to bring the lights of truth to an essay on the current strategic situation, Sun Tzu brings me back to earth.

Then as I try to work out how to talk about hegemony I discover that the word entered modern political science discourse via the writings of Antonio Gramsci, philosopher and founder of the Italian Communist Party whose fascist prosecutor, with proto-get-Assangist fervour, said “We must stop his brain from working for 20 years”.

By Dennis Argall

UAE Selects Fossil Fuel Exec to Lead COP28

The appointment of ADNOC’s CEO, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, to lead this year’s UN climate talks is like asking “arms dealers to lead peace talks,” campaigners say.