The court drama of the century begins in the UK next week, as the extradition hearing of journalist and publisher Julian Assange begins. It has immense implications in the world of journalism and the right of people to know what their governments are doing. Assange is in solitary confinement, often inaccessible to his legal team and unable to see his wife and children, or his parents. If extradited to America and found guilty there he faces a prison sentence of over 100 years. With little or no news coverage, the issues raised by Julian Assange have, for the most part, remained ignored and unreported by the mainstream media. To coincide with the forthcoming court hearing at the Old Bailey on September 7, a new documentary, “No Extradition” is to be released online. Pablo Navarrete is the filmmaker behind the documentary; we spoke to him about the extradition hearing and the wider implications of Assange’s landmark case.
Britain was the first country to deploy the tank on the battlefield over 100 years ago. Is it now to be the first country to drop the tank from service, saying it is no longer fit for purpose? It was a startling news story, but was there something more behind the headlines? With a Strategic Defence and Security review imminent, were generals setting out their store for more investment in the MoD; were political advisers stimulating debate in the press? With escalating tensions between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean and the discovery of huge gas reserves in Cyprus, not to mention the changing world order and global instability, what are Britain’s responsibilities in a post-Brexit world? We asked Philip Ingram, MBE and former British Army Intelligence Officer these questions and more.
