in Labour’s Trident review Ken Livingstone downgraded

 
Pic: Ken Livingstone 
political reporter,London(wp/es):
Ken Livingstone was today downgraded in Labour’s nuclear defence review in a victory for shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry and the trade union leaders.
Unveiling a change of approach, she made clear she would be calling the shots over whether to replace the Trident missile system.
“I go into this wanting to look a the evidence before making policy,” she said.
Ms Thornberry, the Islington South MP, is a backer of unilateral disarmament just like Mr Livingstone and Mr Corbyn.
But she eased tensions by stressing she would listen to all sides, adding: “I will not be afraid of asking some very hard questions.”
Former mayor Mr Livingstone upset the unions by suggesting a decision to scrap Labour’s backing for nuclear weapons defences could be rushed through in just eight or ten weeks.
He was widely seen to have been appointed to co-head a review by Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to steamroll a change of policy.
 But union leaders like Unite’s Len McCluskey and the GMB’s Paul Kenny this week made clear they would fight to defend the jobs of defence workers.

Julian Assange can be questioned by Swedish prosecutors at the Ecuadorian embassy in London

staff reporter,London(wp/es):
Julian Assange can be questioned by Swedish prosecutors at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the South American nation’s foreign minister has said.
The WikiLeaks founder has sought refuse in the embassy in Knightsbridge since 2012 as he awaited extradition to Sweden to answer rape allegations.
Foreign minister Ricardo Patino told an Ecuadorian radio station that the country was accepting a request by Sweden to interrogate Assange “as long as the sovereignty of the Ecuadorian state and the laws in the Constitution are respected."
He suggested Swedish authorities could provide Ecuadorian counterparts with the questions and could be allowed a presence during the interrogation.
On Friday, Kristinn Hrafnsson, a spokesman for WikiLeaks, told the Guardian that Mr Assange welcomed the “opportunity to deliver his statement to the prosecutor”.

“Julian has been offering his statement to the prosecutor by various means for five years [in total] and for three-and-a-half years since he went into the embassy – whether via video link or by the prosecutor coming to London.
“Let’s hope [the interview] can be carried out as soon as possible. Julian is very eager to get his point of view into the investigation.”
Mr Assange said he fears he will be extradited to the US over the activities of WikiLeaks if he leaves the embassy.
In October, Scotland Yard announced it was removing the 24-hour police presence at the embassy.