WikiLeaks news compilation

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: New diplomatic cables contain UFO details, Julian Assange says


WikiLeaks: New diplomatic cables contain UFO details, Julian Assange says

New leaked diplomatic cables set to be published by Wikileaks will contain fresh details on UFOs, according to the website's founder Julian Assange.

Last year there were almost 400 reported sightings to the Ministry of Defence of UFOs throughout Britain Photo: ALAMY

Julian Assange confirmed there were some references to extraterrestrial life in "yet-to-be-published" confidential files obtained from the American government. Photo: AP

By Andrew Hough 11:00PM GMT 03 Dec 2010

The 39 year-old Australian, who is wanted by Interpol over a charge of rape and sexual assault in Sweden, said there were some references to extraterrestrial life in yet-to-be-published confidential files obtained from the American government.

He did not disclose what information was contained in the diplomatic memos obtained by the whistleblowing website. It also remains unclear when they will be published.

Mr Assange said his website, under considerable strain in recent days over its "Cablegate" series of leaks, received emails from “weirdos” claiming to have seen UFOs.

“Many weirdos email us about UFOs or how they discovered that they were the anti-christ whilst talking with their ex-wife at a garden party over a pot-plant,” he wrote when asked if any of the documents he had received referred to extraterrestrial life.

“However, as yet they have not satisfied two of our publishing rules. 1) that the documents not be self-authored; 2) that they be original." “It is worth noting that in yet-to-be-published parts of the cablegate archive there are indeed references to UFOs.”

Last year there were almost 400 reported sightings to the Ministry of Defence of UFOs throughout Britain – a figure that had tripled from the previous year. The so-called "X Files" reported to the MoD's UFO desk, which has since been closed, was the busiest year on record.

Some websites later speculated that the cables could offer answers to claims from US military pilots that aliens have landed, infiltrated British nuclear missile sites and deactivated the weapons. Mr Assange’s comments were made during a webchat with The Guardian, during which he confirmed his team were taking security precautions due to "threats against our lives".

Mr Assange is under intense scrutiny worldwide after his website began releasing a selection of more than 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables passed to the whistle-blowing website.

Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, has called for him to be hunted down like the al-Qaeda leadership while other members of her party have directly called for a capital sentence against WikiLeaks personnel.

"The threats against our lives are a matter of public record. However, we are taking the appropriate precautions to the degree that we are able when dealing with a super power," Assange wrote in response to a reader's question.

A Canadian pundit called earlier this week for him to be assassinated for leaking US diplomatic cables, while former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said those responsible for the leaks should face execution.

The Swedish authorities are also seeking Mr Assange over a charge of rape and sexual assault. Interpol has issued an international warrant for his arrest. British police requested more information about the penalties Mr Assange could face if convicted, according to a statement on the Swedish Prosecution Authority's website.

It is understood that this has now been provided, although the Metropolitan Police refused to discuss whether officers from its extradition unit were preparing to arrest Mr Assange. Mr Assange's UK lawyer said that neither the British nor the Swedish authorities had sought to speak to his client.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Gadaffi nearly caused nuclear disaster after UN tent snub


WikiLeaks: Gadaffi nearly caused nuclear disaster after UN tent snub

A large batch of highly enriched uranium came close to leaking after it was left on a runway in Libya following a fit of pique by the country's leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, according to a leaked US diplomatic cable.

Allegedly, Col Gaddafi was angry because he had been refused permission to pitch a tent outside the United Nations headquarters in New York in 2009 Photo: PA/Stefan Rousseau

By Nick Allen, Los Angeles 7:00AM GMT 04 Dec 2010

Col Gaddafi had pledged to get rid of his weapons grade uranium and the consignment was due to be picked up by a Russian plane and taken there for disposal.

But Libya refused to let the plane land on Nov 20 last year, apparently in retaliation for Col Gaddafi having been refused permission to pitch a tent outside the United Nations headquarters in New York several months before.

The uranium, in seven containers, was then left on the runway at Libya's Tajoura nuclear facility where it was watched by only one guard. It began heating up and experts warned the containers could crack, leading to a radioactive leak and an environmental disaster.

In a frantic cable to Washington the US Ambassador Gene Cretz said: "We have one month to resolve the situation before the safety and security concerns become a crisis.

"We have to assume that the Libyan leader is the source of the problem." A personal message was sent from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Col Gaddafi and, on Dec 21, the Russian plane was allowed to land and pick up the uranium.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Saturday December 4, 2010

HIGHLIGHTS - Latest WikiLeaks developments

LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he and his colleagues are taking steps to protect themselves after death threats following the publication of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables on their website. WikiLeaks has moved its website address to the Swiss http://wikileaks.ch on Friday after two U.S. Internet providers ditched it and Paris tried to ban French servers from hosting its database of leaked information. Swedish authorities said missing information in the European arrest warrant for alleged sex crimes against Assange had been handed to British authorities.

Here are some of the latest revelations in U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks:

LIBYA

- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi caused a month-long nuclear scare in 2009 when he delayed the return to Russia of radioactive material in an apparent fit of diplomatic pique, leaked U.S. embassy cables showed. The incident was kept secret by U.S. diplomats who feared "shoddy" security at Libya's Tajoura nuclear facility, near Tripoli, risked the theft of the 5.2 kilograms (11.5 pounds) of highly enriched uranium (HEU), according to documents released by the website WikiLeaks.

AFGHANISTAN

- British troops were "not up" to the task of securing Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province and the local governor pleaded for U.S. reinforcements, American diplomats said. Senior ministers in Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government feared he was easily swayed by "bizarre stories of plots against him" and agreed to collaborate in a bid to stop him "going astray." The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan calls Karzai a "paranoid," "weak" and "overly self-conscious" leader who may never stop America-bashing.

EGYPT

- President Hosni Mubarak warned U.S. officials Egypt might develop nuclear weapons if Iran obtained them. A U.S. ambassador described Egypt, recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. aid since making peace with Israel in 1979, as a "stubborn and recalcitrant ally" in a February 2009 cable. Egypt lobbied last year to delay southern Sudan's secession vote for four to six years because it feared the new state could fail and the division could imperil its share of Nile waters.

ITALY

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi dismissed reports of U.S. worries over his ties with Moscow and repeated he had never profited personally from his contacts. U.S. diplomats had voiced concern over Berlusconi's ties to Russia's Vladimir Putin and the grip of energy interests on Rome's foreign policy.

LEBANON

U.S. spy planes flew reconnaissance flights over Lebanon from a British air base in Cyprus in a counter-terrorist surveillance operation requested by Lebanese officials.

MEXICO

A top Mexican official said the government was in danger of losing control of parts of the country to powerful drug cartels.

RUSSIA

President Dmitry Medvedev said the leaks showed the "cynicism" of U.S. diplomacy but suggested they would not seriously upset improving ties with Washington. Cables had suggested Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rules Russia by allowing a venal elite to siphon off cash.

TURKMENISTAN

- Turkmenistan's leader is described as "not very bright" and "a practised liar" in a cable from the U.S. embassy in the gas-rich Central Asian state. It said Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov did not like the United States, Iran or Turkey, but was fond of China. Fastidiously neat, he once insisted all men who worked in his dental clinic had creases in their trousers.

UNITED NATIONS

The CIA prepared a list of the kinds of information on U.N. officials and diplomats that it wanted U.S. envoys in New York and around the world to gather.

VENEZUELA

- Cuban intelligence services directly advised Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in what a U.S. diplomat called the "Axis of Mischief," according to a State Department cable. Other cables revealed U.S. anxiety at Chavez's "cosiness" with Iran, and concerns of Venezuelan Jews over what they saw as government prejudice against them.

YEMEN

- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh secretly offered U.S. forces open access to his country to launch attacks against al Qaeda targets, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and cited by media.

(Compiled by Maria Golovnina)

Copyright © 2010 Reuters

 

[Cigar Guy]

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Cambodia might be working for Beijing as spies within ASEAN: Wikileaks

Wikileaks Says Burma Passes Asean News to Beijing

Thursday, December 2, 2010
By BA KAUNG
The Irrawady

Burma, along with Laos and Cambodia, might be working for Beijing as spies within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), according to a US cable leak attributed to Singapore's Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew.

“Within hours, everything that is discussed in Asean meetings is known in Beijing, given China's close ties with Laos, Cambodia, and Burma,” a secret cable stated, quoting Lee Kuan Yew in a conversation with US Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg on May 30, 2009.

According to a leaked text posted on the Wikileaks website, the cable was sent from the US Charge d’Affaires in Singapore, Daniel L. Shields, to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June. The conversation, which was aimed at “eliciting MM Lee’s views on China and North Korea,” took place in Singapore's Presidential Palace.

Lee Kuan Yew was also quoted as saying in the same conversation that “Beijing is worried about its dependence on the Strait of Malacca and is moving to ease the dependence by means like a pipeline through Burma,” referring to China's major oil pipeline construction from Burma's Arakan coast to China's Yunnan province.

As China's strategic ally, Burma often seeks China's support in the United Nations whenever its human rights record is raised. And China is widely assumed to wield influence on the Burmese regime.

The leaked cable also referred to an earlier discussion between MM Lee and China's Deputy Chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff, Ma Xiaotian. Lee was quoted as recalling that when he asked Ma Xiaotian what China could do about North Korea, the Chinese official replied: “they [North Korea] can survive on their own.”

“MM Lee said he interpreted this as meaning that even if China cut off aid, the DPRK (North Korea) leadership would survive. This is a leadership that has already taken actions like killing ROK (South Korean) Cabinet Members in Burma,” the cable stated, referring to an incident in which North Korean commandos attempted to assassinate South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan during an official visit he made to Rangoon in October 1983.

The attempt to kill the South Korean president with a bomb was widely believed to have been masterminded by North Korean leader Kim Jong II before he succeeded his father Kim II Sung.

Among the hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables leaked by the Wikileaks website, there is little mention of Burmese issues. But in its website, it stated that there are over 3,000 records related to Burma. The documents remain inaccessible to the public but are expected to be released soon.

While the Wikileaks website lists US embassies around the world as sources for much of leaked information, the US Embassy in Rangoon is not included.

In another leaked memo released on Nov. 28 but dated July 31 2009 with its original source being US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Burma was mentioned as one of the priority issues in US foreign policy.

The memo mentioned a request for reporting of biographic information relating to the United Nations, including information about “credit card account numbers; frequent flyer account numbers; and work schedules.”

Regarding Burma, the memo asked for information on “Views of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) and member states on Burma” and also plans and intentions of the UN Secretary General on Burma and level of trust in his Special Adviser, who was then Nigerian national Ibraham Gambari. Also, views were sought from Burmese officials on the UN Chief and his special adviser; the development and democratization activities of UNDP in Burma; and details of the UNDP Resident Coordinator's relationship with Burmese officials.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Paypal cuts off donations to WikiLeaks


Paypal cuts off donations to WikiLeaks

The online payment service PayPal suspended the account used by WikiLeaks to collect donations.

Paypal Photo: ALAMY
​

Robert Mendick Chief reporter 3:00PM GMT 04 Dec 2010

The decision follows the publication by WikiLeaks of thousands of leaked US embassy cables.

WikiLeaks accused PayPal, which is based in America, of bowing to US Government demands to withdraw its service. PayPal is one of several methods that enables WikiLeaks to receive donations and finance its operations.

On Wednesday, Amazon ended an agreement to host WikiLeaks, forcing the website to switch to a Swiss internet address on Friday. It had also been dropped by another US internet service provider. In a posting on WikiLeaks’ Twitter page, the website announced: “PayPal bans WikiLeaks after US government pressure.”

A statement on the PayPal site said: “PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity. We’ve notified the account holder of this action.”

The internet publisher directed users to http://www.wikileaks.ch after the wikileaks.org site on which it had published classified US government information vanished from view for about six hours. Last week, the company providing Wikileaks with its domain name, EveryDNS.net, cut off the service because the domain wikileaks.org had become the target of “multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks”.

The company said: “These attacks have, and future attacks would, threaten the stability of the EveryDNS.net infrastructure, which enables access to almost 500,000 other websites.” Amazon said Wikileaks had failed to adhere to its terms of service. Amazon said on its website: “It’s clear that Wikileaks doesn’t own or otherwise control all the rights to this classified content.

Further it is not credible that the extraordinary volume of 250,000 classified documents that Wikileaks is publishing could have been carefully redacted in such a way as to ensure that they weren’t putting innocent people in jeopardy.” Amazon said on its website. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, is believed to be in hiding in the south east of England. He is wanted in Sweden over alleged sex crimes.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Assange - Scarlet Pimpernel of cyberspace

For a man obsessed with leaking sensitive information, the founder of Wikileaks founder is remarkably reluctant to reveal anything about himself,
says William Langley.


WikiLeaks story 'overdone'

Former British Ambassador to the US Christopher Meyer says WikiLeaks releases have revealed nothing new about diplomatic relations.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Top Chinese officials ordered attack on Google, Wikileaks cables claim


Top Chinese officials ordered attack on Google, Wikileaks cables claim

The hacking of Google which forced the search engine to pull out of China was masterminded by a senior member of the Communist regime, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

A Chinese politician became hostile to Google after he searched his own name and found articles criticising him

By Patrick Sawer 7:57PM GMT 04 Dec 2010

Classified information sent by US diplomats to the State Department in Washington and published on WikiLeaks, claims that the Chinese politician became hostile to Google after he searched his own name and found articles criticising him.

This apparently prompted an assault on the search engine, forcing it to "walk away from a potential market of 400 million internet users" in January this year, amid a highly publicised row about internet censorship. The allegation that the attack on Google was orchestrated by Communist party leaders has not been revealed until now.

The politician is accused of acting with a second member of the politburo in an attempt to force Google to drop a link from its Chinese-language search engine to its uncensored google.com version. One cable from the US embassy in Beijing, marked as secret, records that attempts to break into the accounts of dissidents who used Google's Gmail system had been co-ordinated "with the oversight of" the two politburo members.

The cyber assault was described to the Americans by a high-level Chinese source as "100% political in nature" and having "nothing to do with removing Google... as a competitor to Chinese search engines". Last December Google said that it was hit by a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure". Part of it was aimed at the Gmail accounts of "Chinese human rights activists".

Shortly after the attack, Google withdrew from mainland China, and relocated to Hong Kong, where it was able to run an uncensored version of its website in English and Chinese. Both Google and the US suspected leading Chinese politicians were behind the hacking, but neither said so at the time.

The cables show that diplomats at the time discussed whether China's most powerful man, Hu Jintao, the president, or his prime minister, Wen Jiabao, were "aware of these actions". The secret note sent back to Washington concedes that "it is unclear" whether advance knowledge of the strike went right to the top.

Google began operating in China in 2006 and in a bid to gain market share from its local rival Baidu launched Google.cn, in which results relating to contentious issues such as Tibet, Taiwan and the Tiananmen Square massacre were filtered out. Google, whose motto is Don't Be Evil, retained a link to the unfiltered Google.com on its Google.cn website, which prompted months of tension with the Chinese government.

A cable from Beijing notes that Google had already begun to raise concerns with the most senior American diplomat in the country at the time. Dan Piccuta, the US chargé d'affaires, was told how the prominent politician had "recently discovered that Google's worldwide site is uncensored" after he "allegedly entered his own name and found results critical of him".

According to the cable, the Chinese government shortly afterwards ordered "the three dominant SOE [state influence enterprises] telecoms [companies] to stop doing business with the company". Google held out however and refused to block access to Google.com. The US embassy was told that "removing the link to Google.com is against the company's principles".

China subsequently increased its attacks on Google, another cable claims. A group of Chinese internet users reported that Google China was "not effectively filtering pornographic sites" and the Chinese government blocked access to Google for 24 hours.

The documents shed light on the extent of the close working relationship between Google and the US authorities in China. In January, a few days after Google made the hacking public, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, made a speech in Washington entitled "remarks on internet freedom".

Clinton warned that "countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century". She called on the Chinese government to "conduct a thorough review of the cyber intrusions" without revealing that it was her own officials who believed the attack was co-ordinated from inside the Chinese politburo.

It was revealed yesterday that the online payment service PayPal has suspended the account used by WikiLeaks to collect donations. The decision follows the publication by WikiLeaks of thousands of leaked US embassy cables. WikiLeaks accused PayPal, which is based in America, of bowing to US Government demands to withdraw its service.

PayPal is one of several methods that enables WikiLeaks to receive donations and finance its operations. On Wednesday, Amazon ended an agreement to host WikiLeaks, forcing the website to switch to a Swiss internet address on Friday. It had also been dropped by another US internet service provider.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Gen Sir Richard Dannatt : WikiLeaks paints a distorted picture of our efforts in Afghanistan

When the rubber really hits the road, I defy anyone to criticise the British soldier, says Gen Sir Richard Dannatt. Of all the diplomatic correspondence released by WikiLeaks, the reports regarding British strategy in Afghanistan are among the most controversial.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Wikileaks: China accused of plotting cyber warfare


Wikileaks: China accused of plotting cyber warfare

China is accused of plotting internet warfare using sophisticated computer hackers specially employed by private companies, according to the latest state department cables released by WikiLeaks.

The greatest threat of cyber terrorism comes from ChinaPhoto: ALAMY

By Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter 7:00AM GMT 05 Dec 2010

A series of cables labelled 'cyber threat' also suggest the US fears cyber attacks from Iran and Islamic hardliners in India as well as China. The cables identify a number of Iranian hackers who have attempted to break through security surrounding wireless networks.

It also notes "tech-savvy groups such as the Indian mujahideen – whose members have received training on wireless hacking and have implemented sophisticated techniques in support of terrorist attacks – also seek to develop hacking proficiency and methodologies".

But the greatest threat comes from China, according to the documents. The state department, it has now emerged, expressed concern about the Communist Government's close relationship with two major providers of information security in China.

The companies have hired experienced hackers, who include Lin Yong, aka Lion, who founded the Honker Union of China, a Chinese hacker group that emerged after the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 and launched a series of cyber attacks on US government-related websites.

Another group of hackers – called XFocus- are blamed for releasing a computer virus known as the blaster worm which infected computers in 2003. Those hackers are suspected of now working with a Chinese IT security company with government links.

"There is a strong possibility the PRC [People's Republic of China] is harvesting the talents of its private sector in order to bolster offensive and defensive computer network operations capabilities," a secret state department circular from June 2009 said. It warned that the "potential linkages of China's top companies with the PRC illustrate the government's use of its private sector in support of information warfare objectives".

A cable sent in 2002 alleged that, since 2002, cyber intruders believed to be from China had exploited Microsoft Windows to gain access to hundreds of US government systems over the years. Officials involved in talks with China at the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009 were subject to a cyber attack containing the "poison ivy" remote access tool intended to give hackers almost complete control over the victim's system.

"The message had the subject line 'China and Climate Change' and was spoofed to appear as if it were from a legitimate international economics columnist at the National Journal," according to the secret cable entitled "Diplomatic security daily". "In addition, the body of the email contained comments designed to appeal to the recipients as it was specifically aligned with their job function," the cable added:

"State department employees dealing with sensitive matters are often targets of social-engineering schemes conducted by actors seeking to harvest sensitive information," said the cable. "As negotiations on … climate change continue, it is probable intrusion attempts such as this will persist."

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Julian Assange's lawyer denounces Swedish arrest warrant as 'political stunt'

The lawyer for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denounced the warrant for his extradition over allegations of sexual offences in Sweden as a ''political stunt''.

12:47PM GMT 05 Dec 2010

Mark Stephens said Mr Assange would ''certainly'' fight deportation to Sweden on the grounds that it could lead to him being handed over to the US, where senior politicians have called for him to be executed.

He said that the WikiLeaks site - which was last week forced to move to a Swiss host after being dumped by US internet companies - had come under siege from ''a huge number of cyber-attacks''. The organisation held further secret material which it regarded as a ''thermo-nuclear device'' to be released if it needs to protect itself, he said.

Mr Assange, who is staying in Britain, has come under growing pressure from politicians in the US and around the world after his WikiLeaks site started publishing excerpts from a cache of 250,000 secret American diplomatic cables last week.

Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has described him as ''an anti-American operative with blood on his hands'' and called for him to be hunted down like a Taliban leader, while another senior Republican Mike Huckabee has said that ''anything less than execution is too kind a penalty'' for what he has done.

Swedish prosecutors have sent an international arrest warrant to the Metropolitan Police, seeking his extradition for questioning on allegations - which he strongly denies - of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. International police agency Interpol has issued a ''Red Notice'' urging people to contact police with information about his whereabouts.

But Mr Stephens said that Sweden's chief prosecutor had told Mr Assange in September that there was no case for him to answer, following complaints against him by two women, but the investigation was revived following the intervention of a Swedish politician. He said that Swedish prosecutors knew where Mr Assange was and urged them to call him to discuss the case.

Mr Stephens told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: ''It is quite bizarre, because the chief prosecutor in Sweden dropped the entire case against him, saying there was absolutely nothing for him to find back in September, and then a few weeks later on - after the intervention of a Swedish politician - a new prosecutor, not in Stockholm where Julian and these women had been, but in Gothenburg, began a new case which has resulted in these warrants and the Interpol Red Notice being put out.

''It does seem to be a political stunt. ''I have, and his Swedish lawyer has, been trying to get in touch with the prosecutor since August. Usually it is the prosecutor who does the pursuing, not the pursued. ''In this particular case, Julian Assange has tried to vindicate himself, has tried to meet with the prosecutor to have his good name restored. His name has been comprehensively traduced.''

He added: ''It is interesting to note that people as high up the American tree as Sarah Palin have called for him to be hunted down by American forces like the Taliban and assassinated. ''This is about a man who is a journalist. He received, unbidden, an 'electronic brown envelope' like journalists receive every day of the year.

''This particular journalist has put it out and what they are doing is criminalising him, criminalising journalistic activity.'' Mr Stephens said: ''The police know where he is, the Swedish prosecutor knows where he is and she could ring up at any moment.

''He has not been charged with anything. He is only wanted for interview, so why not have that interview by consent, instead of this show trial? ''I am rather worried by the political motivations that appear to be behind this. It doesn't escape me that Sweden was one of those lick-spittle states which used its resources and facilities for rendition flights.''

Mr Stephens said that only 261 of the 250,000 documents received by WikiLeaks had so far been released and many of the papers being retained contained ''material of equal importance to news-gathering'' as those which have been published. ''They have been subject to cyber-attacks and censorship around the world and they need to protect themselves,'' he said.

''This is what they believe to be a thermo-nuclear device in the information age.'' Shadow foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the release of confidential documents by WikiLeaks might impede the work of diplomats in trying to find peaceful solutions to conflict around the globe. She told Andrew Marr the leaks had ''made for good stories in the media but probably for bad diplomacy''.

Ms Cooper added: ''It does make it harder for people to have the conversations they need to. ''It does make people conscious of what they are saying and it would be a serious concern if it meant that diplomats didn't talk and leaders didn't talk to each other and they didn't send messages home. ''Diplomacy is the currency of peace. We need people to talk.''

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks : Afghan vice-president 'landed in Dubai with $52m in cash'

Afghan vice-president 'landed in Dubai with $52m in cash': WikiLeaks cables lift lid on rampant corruption

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:25 PM on 3rd December 2010

Former Afghan vice president Ahmad Zia Massoud

Classified diplomatic cables lay bare the extent of corruption at the highest level in Afghanistan, with cash apparently pouring out of the country. One report claims former vice-president Ahmad Zia Massoud flew into Dubai with $52million in cash and was never asked to explain where it came from.

U.S. envoy Karl Eikenberry told America that 'vast amounts of cash come and go from the country on a weekly, monthly and annual basis'. Before last year's presidential election, some $600 million in banking system withdrawals were reported.

Another cable detailed how the transportation ministry collects $200 million a year in trucking fees but only $30 million is turned over to the government.

'Individuals pay up to $250,000 for the post heading the office in Herat, for example, and end up owning beautiful mansions as well as making lucrative political donations,' Wahidullah Shahrani, now the mines minister, was quoted as saying.

The governor of Ghazni, Usman Usmani, and governor of Paktiya, Juma Khan Hamdard, are accused of corruption, extortion and theft of public funds.

One cable said: 'Credible sources indicate that some of the most senior government officials in [Ghazni] province have chronically engaged in significant corrupt acts: embezzling public funds, stealing humanitarian assistance and misappropriating government property, among others.'

'The consistency and scope of explicit and detailed allegations lends veracity to charges that pervasive corruption defrauds the people of meaningful government services and significantly undermines popular support for the Afghan government.'

In Paktiya, Hamdard allegedly takes bribes fromc ontractors by sending in armed men to hold contractors at construction sites until the money is paid.

Other messages display the U.S. conviction that Hamid Karzai's brother Ahmad Wali (AWK), a council chairman in Kandahar, is corrupt.

In June 2009, a cable said he was only interested in massing money and power 'through a network of political clans and the use of state institutions to protect and enable licit and illicit enterprises'. It adds that AWK's main aim was 'the enrichment, extension and perpetuation of the Karzai clan'.

KARZAI IS 'PARANOID AND WEAK AND BLAMES U.S'

The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan calls President Hamid Karzai a 'paranoid,' 'weak' and 'overly self-conscious' leader who may never stop America-bashing.

Karl Eikenberry accused Karzai of failing to grasp the 'most rudimentary principles of state-building', according to cables released by WikiLeaks.
'His deep seated insecurity as a leader combine to make any admission of fault unlikely, in turn confounding our best efforts to find in Karzai a responsible partner,' he wrote in July 2009.

State corruption was considered the norm with another cable claiming the likely new Afghan cabinet only contained one minister 'about whom no allegations of bribery exist'.

Hidden tensions: Hamid Karzai and Hillary Clinton in Kabul in July

The documents show a deep U.S. anxiety over the partnership with Kabul.

Eikenberry told the U.S. Karzai had two competing personalities: 'The first is a paranoid and weak individual unfamiliar with the basics of nation-building and overly self-conscious that his time in the spotlight of glowing reviews from the international community has passed.'

He also said Karzai was an 'ever-shrewd politician who sees himself as a nationalist hero' who used a 'blame America' tactic to deflect criticism of his administration. The envoy describes trying to 'refocus' Karzai away from his 'anti-U.S. conspiracy theories' in conversations.

Questions about weak governance and corruption have long driven a wedge between Karzai and many of the Western leaders who have nearly 150,000 soldiers in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan ranked 176th, ahead of only Somalia, in Transparency International's corruption index issued last month.

The Pentagon, in a report to the U.S. Congress, noted there was a 'questionable' commitment by Kabul to prosecuting corruption.

​

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Burma's junta leader tried to buy Manchester United


WikiLeaks: Burma's junta leader tried to buy Manchester United

Burma's junta leader tried to buy Manchester United for $1billion eight months after a tropical cyclone killed 140,000 of its people.

Myanmar junta leader Sen. Gen. Than Shwe attends Armed Forces Day ceremonies in Yangon Photo: AP

By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor 8:27PM GMT 06 Dec 2010

Than Shwe, commander in chief of the armed forces and a Man Utd fan , was urged to mount a takeover bid by his grandson, according to a leaked cable.

The cable, seen by The Guardian newspaper, disclosed how the regime used football to distract its population from ongoing political and economic problems.

A $1billion bid would have been enough to acquire a 56 per cent controlling stake in the club.

The communiqué, sent in June 2009 to Washington, said: "One well-connected source reports that the grandson wanted Than Shwe to offer $1bn for Manchester United. "The senior general thought that sort of expenditure could look bad, so he opted to create for Burma a league of its own."

The proposal was made in or before January 2009, according to the cable. Months earlier, in May 2008, Rangoon had been accused of blocking vital international aid supplies after Cyclone Nargis struck, killing 140,000 people. Mr Shwe reportedly decided not to make a bid on the grounds that it might "look bad", according to a leaked cable.

In the event, the Burma national football league was launched on 16 May 2009, with Than Shwe's grandson playing one team, according to another cable.

The dispatch added: "Many Burmese businessmen speculate the regime is using it as a way to distract the populace from ongoing political and economic problems or to divert their attention from criticism of the upcoming 2010 elections."

 

[Cigar Guy]

Wikileaks: Saudis 'chief funders of al-Qaeda'

Sympathisers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states give millions to al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorists, say leaked cables.


Wikileaks: China propaganda head oversaw Google campaign

The head of China's powerful propaganda department personally oversaw a campaign against Google, according to American diplomatic cables.


Wikileaks: US will have to reshuffle diplomats following revelations

The Obama administration is resigned to the fact that it will have to reshuffle numerous diplomats, military officers and intelligence officials in the wake of the WikiLeaks revelations.

Federal eurozone could marginalise Britain, King told US

Mervyn King believes that Britain could be marginalised as a force in Europe if the eurozone moves towards political union in the wake of the Continent's debt crisis.


Al-Jazeera 'used as bargaining tool by Qatar'

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic news channel, is being used as a “bargaining tool” by Qatar to further its position internationally, US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks claim.

WikiLeaks: More pressure on Assange as lawyer denounces 'political stunt' of prosecution

Attempts to arrest Julian Assange have been denounced as a "political stunt" by his lawyer, as pressure mounts on the the founder of WikiLeaks.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Wikileaks: US identifies key sites around world for security


Wikileaks: US identifies key sites around world for security

The United States has identified hundreds of sites around the world that it fears could be targeted in terrorist attacks.

Suez Canal: one of hundreds of sites around the world that US fears could be targeted in terrorist attacks Photo: AFP/GETTY

By Alex Spillius, Washington 7:26AM GMT 06 Dec 2010

The list, released by WikiLeaks, includes a dozen sites in Britain, including two telecommunications centres, several undersea communications cables, a military manufacturing plant and a vaccine production centre.

A February 2009 State Department cable asked embassies around the world to update a 2008 list of vital interests. Unlike most of the documents made available by WikiLeaks so far, it was marked “secret”.

The Government immediately condemned the latest release.

A Downing Street spokesman said this morning: "We unequivocally condemn the unauthorised release of classified information. "The leaks and their publication are damaging to national security in the United States, Britain and elsewhere.

Though most of the information was in the public domain, its release is likely to lead to accusations that WikiLeaks did not care if it aided terrorists. Among the British sites mentioned is a manufacturing facility run by BAE Systems in Lancashire, and the landing station for the transatlantic Apollo undersea cable at Bude in Cornwall.

Sites in the Middle East included the shipping lanes of Djibouti, an import terminal in Egypt, the Suez Canal and the oil terminal in Basra, Iraq. Called the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative, the list divides the world into six regions. It makes clear how the US depends on a range of substances from smallpox vaccines in Denmark to bauxite in Guinea and liquefied natural gas in the Middle East.

Also listed is a facility making the rabies vaccines in France and typhoid vaccines in Switzerland. It also includes the email and direct telephone numbers of two State Department officials compiling the information. It makes clear that US military facilities and US government property are not to be included in the survey, and that foreign governments should not be consulted during the review.

“Posts do not need to report government facilities overseas managed by State or war fighting facilities managed by other departments or agencies,” it said. However, Kristinn Hrafnsson, a spokesman for the website, denied that the information would be useful to radical groups.

“While this cable details the strategic importance of assets across the world, it does not give any information as to their exact locations, security measures, vulnerabilities or any similar factors — though it does reveal the US asked its diplomats to report back on these matters,” he said.

The release of the cable, part of a trove of 250,000 that the website says it has on file, is likely to infuriate Washington and intensify apparent US efforts to stop the distribution of the leaked diplomatic cables. WikiLeaks has been offering its archives for download through peer-to-peer sharing — a move that could allow any user around the world to post them or share them with other users.

The files include previous WikiLeaks releases, such as information on US military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the more than 800 US diplomatic cables released so far. “Due to recent attacks on our infrastructure, we’ve decided to make sure everyone can reach our content.

“As part of this process we’re releasing archived copy of all files we ever released,” WikiLeaks said in a message on its site. WikiLeaks has already been forced to change its domain name and hop-scotch to servers around the globe after successive companies and countries have responded to American pressure attacking its disclosures over the past week as illegal.

It has also come under repeated cyber-attack, through a tactic known as distributed denial of service in which thousands of computers connect to its servers in a concerted attempt to knock them off-line. “What we are seeing here are dangerous moves towards a digital McCarthyism,” wrote the group’s founder Julian Assange in a statement on its website.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Obama administration shocked by Europe banking transactions rebuke

The Obama administration was shocked by a rebuke from the European parliament over plans to monitor international banking transactions for terrorist activity, according to leaked diplomatic cables.


How the US aims to reduce Iran’s oil-barter power

When talk of Iran’s nuclear ambition is on the table, the words oil and gas are never far behind.


Wikileaks: China official criticises GDP figures

China's economic figures are unreliable and not to be trusted, according to Li Keqiang, one of the country's most senior officials.


Wikileaks: UK talks with China 'a bloody disaster'

High-level talks between the UK and China on trade and the global economy have been "a bloody disaster" according to the British embassy in Beijing.


WikiLeaks: net closes as police get warrant to arrest Julian Assange

Scotland Yard receives paperwork required to arrest the WikiLeaks founder over claims of sexual assault.


WikiLeaks: Mumbai terrorists plotted minister's assassination

Lashkar e Taiba, the Pakistan-based group behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks, planned to assassinate the controversial Indian opposition leader Narendra Modi barely six months after the 2008 massacre, according to US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Kevin Rudd warned of need to be ready to use force against China

The United States and Australia should be "prepared to deploy force" against China, if moves to assimilate the superpower into the international community backfired, then-Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned.


WikiLeaks: Herman Van Rompuy said 2010 is 'last chance of success' in Afghanistan

The year 2010 was "the last chance of success" in Afghanistan, European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said.
06 Dec 2010


Government orders security review

Cameron's national security adviser has ordered all Government departments to review their computer security in the wake of the WikiLeaks scandal.


WikiLeaks: Saddam Hussein told to 'go to hell' before execution

Saddam Hussein was told to "go to hell" moments before he was executed, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

 

[tonychat]

The newspaper cited police sources who said they knew where Assange was staying and had his telephone number. It added that it was believed he was in southeast England. The international police agency Interpol this week issued a "red notice" to assist in the arrest of Assange, who is wanted in Sweden on suspicion of sexual crimes, but Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency (Soca) so far has refused to authorize this, the paper said.

Come on, you do not issue international warrant of arrest for sexual crimes. There must be something that is more than meets the eye.

 

[patrickv]

Come on, you do not issue international warrant of arrest for sexual crimes. There must be something that is more than meets the eye.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Asia/Story/A1Story20071020-31184.html

Charged
Neil was charged on Friday with detention of a child under 15 with intent to molest, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail. He also faces charges of illegal detention with a maximum penalty of three years, and sexual abuse of a child under 15, up to 10 years.

Maj Gen Wimol said the investigation into the allegations could take a month and a trial could start soon after.

Neil's arrest ended a global manhunt that started three years ago when German police discovered hundreds of photos online showing a man - his face obscured in a swirl - having sex with Asian boys.

German police reconstructed a recognisable image believed to be Neil, and Interpol last week issued an unprecedented worldwide appeal to identify and apprehend the suspect.
Cameras at the immigration counter captured his image as he arrived at Bangkok's international airport, confirming his whereabouts. His photo has since been splashed across Thai newspapers prompting people to call police with tips.



the more u speak, the lesser u seem to know.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: China's Politburo a cabal of business empires

China's ruling Politburo is a cabal of business empires that puts vested interests over the needs of the poor and curtails media freedoms to avoiding having shady business deals exposed in the press, according to a leaked US government diplomatic cable.

WikiLeaks founder 'about to hand himself in to police'

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, will hand himself in to police - possibly as early as Tuesday - after a fresh European Arrest Warrant was issued by the Swedish authorities.

WikiLeaks: US 'lobbied UN climate head to block Iranian scientist'

The US lobbied the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to prevent an Iranian scientist taking one of its key roles, according to a diplomatic cable newly released by WikiLeaks.

Cameron: UK-US relationship 'strong'

David Cameron has insisted that the relationship between Britain and America remains "incredibly strong" in the wake of the WikiLeaks disclosures over the past week.

WikiLeaks: US hails Spanish prime minister Zapatero

The United States views Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as a "wily politician" who should not be underestimated, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks: Syria 'continued selling missiles to Hizbollah'

Syria continued selling missiles to Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group, after expressly promising the US it was not doing so, diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks disclose.

 

[Cigar Guy]

US Attorney General taking 'significant' action

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Monday the Obama administration was considering using laws in addition to the U.S. Espionage Act to possibly prosecute the release of sensitive government information by WikiLeaks.


WikiLeaks: Nato allies have secret plan for defending eastern Europe from Russia

Nato allies have drawn up a secret plan for defending several eastern European countries in the event of aggression by Russia for the first time since the end of the Cold War, diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks disclose.


WikiLeaks founder arrest warrant validated

London-based lawyer Jennifer Robinson confirms UK police have validated an European arrest warrant for Julian Assange.
07 Dec 2010


Cameron and Karzai deflect WikiLeaks question

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he does not want WikiLeaks to "come between" Britain and Afghanistan during a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.