One of the most concerning sights of the pre-trial hearings in Julian Assange’s extradition case has been his documents.
The WikiLeaks founder shuffled into the video conferencing room at Belmarsh high security prison, in southeast London, on October 11th, carrying a cardboard box full of paper files.
When he appeared in person at Westminster Magistrates Court, ten days later, he was carrying a folder full of papers as he took his seat behind a screen separating him from the judge.
Incredible as it may seem, these dog-eared sheaves of paper constitute the notes for his defence against an extradition request from the US on espionage charges, which could, if upheld, see him sentenced to 175 years’ prison, with no possibility of parole. In one of multiple violations of his rights as a remand prisoner, he is operating under restrictions meaning that he has no access to a laptop computer.
28 November 2019 (UNHCR)* — Filippo Grandi bears witness to conditions at the Moria centre on Lesvos and calls on European states to help Greece address situation | Français
The Ordovician-Silurian Extinction, which occurred about 439 million years ago, wiped out 86% of life on Earth at the time. Most scientists believe that this mass extinction was precipitated by glaciation and falling sea levels (possibly a result of the Appalachian mountain range forming), catastrophically impacting animal life which lived largely in the ocean at the time.
2. The Late Devonian Extinction happened about 364 million years ago and destroyed 75% of species on Earth. Possibly spread over hundreds of thousands of years, a sequence of events that depleted the oceans of oxygen and volcanic ash that cooled the Earth’s surface are believed to have driven the extinctions. It was to be 10 million years before vertebrates again appeared on land. ‘If the late Devonian extinction had not occurred, humans might not exist today.’
29 November 2019 (UN Environment)* — They call them ‘blue forests’—and they are among the most productive and valuable habitats on Earth.
Photo by Louise Jasper / Blue Ventures
Mangroves might not look like much to some, but these humble salt-loving species are vital to coastal ecosystems and communities the world over. They are a crucial breeding habitat for aquatic wildlife—with some 75 per cent of commercially fished species either spending part of their life cycle in mangrove ecosystems or depending on the habitat for food.
The four major fields of Better Blue include marine citizen science, marine public education, industry development support and endangered species and habitat protection.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 