The most influential media in the United States has lived up to its pro-government bias in the Snowden Affair in three major ways: firstly, by consistently referring to Snowden by the demeaning designation of 'leaker' rather than as 'whistleblower' or 'surveillance dissident,' both more respectful and accurate.

Secondly, they are completely ignoring the degree to which Russia's grant of temporary refugee status to Snowden for one year was in full accord with the normal level of protection to be given to anyone accused of nonviolent political crimes in a foreign country, and pursued diplomatically and legally by the government that is seeking to indict and prosecute. In effect, for Russia to have turned Snowden over to the United States under these conditions would have been morally and politically scandalous considering the nature of his alleged crimes.

Thirdly, the media's refusal to point out that espionage, the main accusation against Snowden, is the quintessential 'political offense' in international law, and as such is routinely excluded from any list of extraditable offenses. That is, even if there had been an extradition treaty between the United States and Russia, it should have been made clear that there was no legal duty on Russia's part to turn Snowden over to American authorities for criminal prosecution, and a moral and political duty not to do so, especially in the circumstances surrounding the controversy over Snowden.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/08/2013841016657318.html

This is why the US and its allies prefer to charge their targets with "sexual" crimes, "arm trafficking", "drug peddling" or such since spying does not cut it as a crime on the international extradition scene... Even Assange is not charged with any such offence but the hint of such. He has repeated that he is willing to answer any questions on neutral soil about his alleged offences. The UK law of course erred in not giving him the benefit of the doubt, forcing him to flee to the Ecuadorian embassy. Assange has not been charged with any crime, nor has Snowden.

 

 

Russian economy becomes biggest in Europe

 

July 17, 2013 Tatyana Lisina, RBTH
According to data from the World Bank, Russia's economy has jumped ahead of all the European nations, becoming the fifth largest worldwide in terms of GDP. Experts are confident that, in the future, the gap between the Russian Federation and the Old World will widen further.

read more: http://rbth.ru/business/2013/07/17/russian_economy_becomes_biggest_in_europe_28149.html?code=854d14fda233c7d37bbdfcd75870b4f7

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has created an anti-CNN for Western audiences with the international satellite news network Russia Today. With its recipe of smart propaganda, sex appeal and unlimited cash, it is outperforming its peers worldwide.

The political evening program often kicks off with a mixture of chaos and tabloid news. Abby Martin, the American host working for the Kremlin, has her lips slightly parted and is applying red lipstick, which goes well with her black top, high heels and ankle tattoo. Then she swings a sledgehammer and destroys a TV set tuned to CNN, the American role model and nemesis of her employer, the Russian international satellite TV network Russia Today.

This show opening is apparently meant to illustrate one thing over all else: that Russia is aggressive and enlightened -- and looks good in the process.

A photo of Edward Snowden, the whistleblower the United States wants to bring home to face charges, is projected onto the studio wall. Then there is a report on the detention camp at Guantanamo, which has hurt America's reputation. Russia Today uses the source material America supplies to its rivals untiringly and with relish. Even Washington's relatively minor peccadilloes don't escape notice. For instance, the show also includes a story about Gabonese dictator Ali Bongo Ondimba, whom US President Barack Obama supports.

Many in the West are also interested in seeing critical coverage of the self-proclaimed top world power. Russia Today is already more successful than all other foreign broadcast stations available in major US cities, such as San Francisco, Chicago and New York. In Washington, 13 times as many people watch the Russian program as those that tune into Deutsche Welle, Germany's public international broadcaster. Two million Britons watch the Kremlin channel regularly. Its online presence is also more successful than those of all its competitors. What's more, in June, Russia Today broke a YouTube record by being the first TV station to get a billion views of its videos.

The station was even more triumphant when it signed Larry King, a legend of American radio and TV journalism who began working for Russia Today this summer. Before that, King was the face of CNN for 25 years. His suspenders are even more striking than Abby Martin's lipstick antics. "America's best known TV interviewer is defecting to the Russians," wrote the London-based Times in May.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/putin-fights-war-of-images-and-propaganda-with-russia-today-channel-a-916162.html

NSA intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has found a job in Russia with an unidentified major online resource three months after being granted temporary political asylum in the country, Snowden's lawyer said Thursday.

The former defense contractor, who leaked details of classified U.S. Internet surveillance programs this summer, will start working as a technical support specialist for one of Russia's biggest websites on Friday, lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told RIA Novosti.

Kucherena declined to name Snowden's new employer "for security reasons."

Snowden arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in June on a flight from Hong Kong, but his U.S. passport was canceled and he was forced to live in the airport's transit zone while the leaders of various countries discussed the prospect of granting him asylum.

After a month of uncertainty, Snowden was granted asylum in Russia for at least a year by Russia's Federal Migration Service, despite calls from the U.S. to extradite him back to his homeland to face espionage charges.

Snowden's exact whereabouts have been kept secret since he left the airport, though authorities have said that he is not in Moscow.

Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/snowden-hired-by-a-major-russian-website/488843.html#ixzz2kKydu5hQ 
The Moscow Times