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“Maytag Virgin” see review on page 4. Photo courtesy of Dezart Performs
Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
Friday, April 12, 2019 Vol. 15 No. 30
‘Julian Assange Arrested’ Julian Assange arrested after Ecuador tears up asylum deal By Desert Star Staff WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has spent the last seven years. That’s after Ecuador’s president Moreno withdrew asylum. That’s only a day after WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief
Kristinn Hrafnsson claimed that an extensive spying operation was conducted against Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy. During an explosive media conference Hrafnsson alleged that the operation was designed to get Assange extradited. Assange’s relationship
with Ecuadorian officials appeared increasingly strained since the current president came to power in the Latin American country in 2017. His internet connection was cut off in March of last year, with officials saying the move was to stop Assange from “interfering in the affairs of other sovereign states.”
The whistleblower garnered massive international attention in 2010 when WikiLeaks released classified US military footage, entitled ‘Collateral Murder’, of a US Apache helicopter gunship opening fire on a number of people, killing 12 including two Reuters staff, and injuring two children.
The footage, as well as US war logs from Iraq and Afghanistan and more than 200,000 diplomatic cables, were leaked to the site by US Army soldier Chelsea Manning. She was tried by a US tribunal and sentenced to 35 years in jail Continues on Page 3
Youth music festival The Hue returns to Mecca April 27 By Desert Star Staff Coachella, CA – On Saturday, April 27, a group of young organizers is giving the Coachella Valley its best opportunity to see local musicians and artists perform during the upcoming desert music festival bonanza. The Hue, the annual youth-led and authentically Coachella Valley music and arts festival, will present a seven-hour lineup that includes rock, hip-hop, DJ artists and acoustic musicians. The event is the culmination of months of hard work by members of Alianza’s Youth Organizing Council (Y0-C!), a program
helping area young people gain leadership and community organizing experience. All Hue musicians are from the Coachella Valley or have close ties to the area, said Joseph Avila, Alianza’s community outreach and YO-C! Coordinator. “The youth were the ones who decided the lineup,” Avila said. “It was completely designed by students from Desert Mirage High School and Coachella Valley High School.” Chosen artists were excited to be a part of this year’s festival.
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