Whistleblower
The US extradition request for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was rejected by a London court on Monday. The court cited medical reasons for the decision, in particular Assange's mental condition and suicidal risk. The lawyers for the US judiciary immediately appealed.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden and his wife Lindsay Mills have announced that the couple is pregnant with a child. In addition, Snowden has stated that "After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship".
He added that the child will be raised "with all the values of the America we love" and that he is looking forward to the day he can return to the United States.
Donald Trump said on Saturday, to reporters at his Bedminster golf club, that he is "going to start looking at it" at the issue of giving a pardon to Edward Snowden.
Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after he leaked a trove of secret files in 2013 to news organisations. The data contained vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA.
Trump's stance toward Snowden represents a sharp reversal. Back in 2013, Trump expressed here hostility toward Snowden, calling him "a spy who should be executed."
An investigation by BBC's Persian service found that Iran's death toll is three times as high as reported by the country's health ministry. While Iran had officially reported 14,405 Covid-19 related deaths and 278,827 infections, Iran's government records show almost 42,000 deaths and 451,024 confirmed cases. BBC obtained the data from an anonymous source, who wanted to "shed light on truth", included daily hospital admissions and patient information.
In a tweet on Thursday, Trump calls Dr Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a "disgruntled employee". Trump states that he had never met or heard about Bright and that Bright was neither liked or respected by people who he spoke to.
Bright had a filed a whistleblower complaint after he was removed from his position earlier this year. In an interview, Bright told the New York Times, “I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way".
Doctor Rick Bright – immunologist, public health official former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority – is about to testify before Congress, stating the US government and the Trump administration were ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic. Bright stated in his written testimony that the US “missed early warning signals” and that he "faced hostility and marginalization from HHS officials" when warning the administration about shortages of medical supplies.
Bright also stated that "without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history".
Bright filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position for criticising Trump's promotion of the drug chloroquine.
Rui Pinto is now under house arrest, still banned from the Internet, and awaiting trial. Extradited from Hungary in March 2019 for alleged attempts of blackmailing an investment fund, Pinto is currently facing 90 allegations of criminal offense in Portugal. Pinto had previously published evidence of corruption and tax evasion that have since lead to investigations both in and outside the world of football.