WikiLeaks news compilation

[Cigar Guy]

Russia's Putin raps U.S. over leaked cables


Russia's Putin raps U.S. over leaked cables

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a regional conference of his ruling party United Russia in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, December 6, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool

By Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW | Thu Dec 9, 2010 6:22pm GMT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attacked the United States on Thursday over secret U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, saying the West had no right to preach to Russia about democracy.

When asked about cables which cast him as Russia's "alpha-dog" ruler, Putin asked: "Do you think the American diplomatic service is a crystal clean source of information? Do you think so?"

He then criticised the West over the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who turned himself in to authorities in Britain this week after a warrant by a Swedish prosecutor who wants to question him about sexual misconduct accusations.

"If it is full democracy, then why have they hidden Mr. Assange in prison? That's what, democracy?" Putin said, in the strongest Russian criticism of the affair.

"So, you know, as they say in the countryside, some people's cows can moo, but yours should keep quiet. So I would like to shoot the puck back at our American colleagues," Putin said at a briefing with his French counterpart Francois Fillon.

The phrase is a colloquial term which is a Russian equivalent of "the pot calling the kettle black." Leaked U.S. cables cast Putin as a ruler who allows an elite of corrupt officials and crooked spies to siphon off cash from the world's biggest energy producer.

PRESSURE ON WASHINGTON

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last week that the leaked cables showed the cynicism of U.S. diplomats whose cables cast him as the junior partner to Putin who had to get his decisions approved by his mentor.

But Putin's criticism ratchets up the pressure on the United States after one of the leaked cables said U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates had observed on February 8, 2010, that "Russian democracy has disappeared and the government is an oligarchy run by the security services."

That comment was cited in a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Paris. French PM Fillon said at the joint briefing in Moscow that France needed no U.S. advice on how to deal with Russia.

"The French government does not need advice from the diplomats of any other countries about Russia," Fillon said through a Russian translator. "As to WikiLeaks, I will never comment about information that has been stolen."

During Fillon's visit to Russia, French engineer Alstom said it has secured contracts with a host of Russian firms, including Rushydro, Rosatom, Inter RAO, Mosenergo and Russian Technologies.

It did not give details of the size of the deals, though Putin said that French companies were Russia's preferred partners for work on global energy markets. "French companies are for us the preferred partners in work on global energy markets," Putin said. He gave no further details.

(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Steve Gutterman)

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: denial-of-service attack explained

A website serves up specific pages as a visitor requests them. When you are browsing a site and clicking on links, you are sending that site requests for information.


WikiLeaks: ex-WikiLeaks staff 'to launch rival site'

A group of former WikiLeaks collaborators who quit the project are to launch a new campaigning site next week to protest against its founder, a Swedish newspaper said on Thursday.


Teenager arrested for WikiLeaks attacks

A 16-year-old Dutch boy is facing up to six years in prison after admitting involvement in the cyber attacks.


WikiLeaks: Australian minister working as 'protected US source'

A senior Australian minister has been operating as a "protected" source for the US and passing information about the inner workings of the government to Washington, confidential cables released by WikiLeaks have disclosed.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks cyber attacks like 'nuclear weapon'

WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg likens the latest denial of service bombardment cyber attacks on Amazon and Twitter to 'nuclear weapon'.


WikiLeaks: Burma 'building nuclear site with North Korea's help'

Burma is building secret nuclear and missile sites deep in the jungle with North Korea's help, according to witnesses in the country cited in US diplomatic cables.


WikiLeaks hackers threaten British Government

An army of computer hackers is planning to bring down British government websites if Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is extradited to Sweden.


Zimbabwe's 'Blood Diamonds' exposed

Wikileak cables from the US embassy in Zimbabwe allege that President Robert Mugabe's family and the central bank governor are involved in the illegal smuggling of diamonds from the Marange fields.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: denial-of-service attack explained


WikiLeaks: denial-of-service attack explained

A website serves up specific pages as a visitor requests them. When you are browsing a site and clicking on links, you are sending that site requests for information.

By Carole Theriault 6:00AM GMT 10 Dec 2010

Some, which are used to getting lots and lots of visitors, have a huge capacity for increases in traffic, but none are all powerful. A DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack attempts to flood a targeted web server with an enormous number of requests from a ton of machines under its control.

The web server, receiving so many requests at one time, effectively falls over under the pressure, becoming useless during the attack.

Imagine yourself driving along to work on a main UK motorway when, out of nowhere, thousands of cars suddenly appear stopping you dead in your tracks. The motorway becomes useless because it can’t get you from A to B.

Now, DDoS are by no means new. We have seen them used for years to attack all kinds of websites. Sometimes the attackers are political activists or moralists who target an enemy of their beliefs.

The computers that hackers use to attack websites are often innocent home user machines with insufficient security software. Unbeknown to the user, the computer is under unauthorised third-party control to attack specific web targets.

In this specific WikiLeaks case, the story is a little different. We have actually seen websites hosting information on how computers users can download a programme to effectively join the DDoS army.

It is mind-boggling. Why would anyone allow an unknown party access to his/her machine to commit such a crime? The advice to all is that no matter what your views are, do not allow your computer to be used in a cyber war you will have no control over.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Burma 'building nuclear site with North Korea's help'


WikiLeaks: Burma 'building nuclear site with North Korea's help'

Burma is building secret nuclear and missile sites deep in the jungle with North Korea's help, according to witnesses in the country cited in US diplomatic cables.

North Korea is helping Burma build secret nuclear missile sites deep in the jungle Photo: ALAMY

By Barney Henderson 7:00AM GMT 10 Dec 2010

A Burmese officer is quoted in a cable sent from the US embassy in Rangoon to Washington as witnessing the building of an underground facility 300 miles north west of the capital.

An expatriate businessman witnessed a barge carrying reinforced steel bars of a diameter that suggested a large project and dockworkers saw other suspicious items arriving.

"The North Koreans, aided by Burmese workers, are constructing a concrete-reinforced underground facility that is '500ft from the top of the cave to the top of the hill above'," according to the cable obtained by WikiLeaks and printed in the Guardian.

According to a cable dated August 2004, a Burmese officer disclosed information about a site in the town of Minbu on the Irrawaddy river where surface-to-air missiles were allegedly being assembled and 300 North Koreans were working, although the US embassy in Rangoon described this information as dubious.

Burma has signed a deal with Russia to build a civilian nuclear reactor to help with energy shortages, although the project has so far stalled. A source within Burma's government told the Australian ambassador last year that the agreement with Russia was for "software training" while an agreement with North Korea, which, if exists, would break international rules on nuclear proliferation, was for "hardware".

The commander of the Burmese military, General Thura Shwe Mann, visited North Korea in 2008, according to the cable. In another report, a businessman offered uranium to the US embassy in Rangoon, which the embassy bought. There have long been rumours that Burma is building a nuclear bomb with North Korean assistance, which have been denied by both countries.

The released cables come at a time of intense international concern over North Korea after its shelled Yeongpyeong Island in South Korea last month, killing four people. Satellite images released last month also showed North Korea is building a new nuclear reactor.

In other cables published on Thursday night, China is apparently losing patience with the Burmese military junta and is "fed up with the footdragging" of Gen Than Shwe. The cables suggest China shares the concerns of the US over Burma's instability and aversion to change.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Kenya arrests two Singaporeans in ivory bust


Kenya arrests two Singaporeans in ivory bust
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NAIROBI - Kenyan police arrested two Bangkok-bound Singaporeans who were checking in 92 kilos of illegal raw ivory at Nairobi airport, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said Saturday.

The cargo, packed in four suitcases, was ready to board a midnight Kenya Airways flight to Bangkok, Thailand and detected by KWS Canine Unit rangers with their sniffer dogs, a statement said.

Kenya, which has successfully repopulated several herds of elephants in recent years, is a major source of smuggled ivory and has seen a rise in poaching lately.

Thailand is a known transit point for the ivory, most of which is then sent to China, where it is used in medicines and ornaments.

A US diplomatic cable published by the WikiLeaks website said the KWS had noticed a "marked increase in poaching wherever Chinese labour camps are located".

Chinese companies are in charge of several major infrastructure projects across the country.

- AFP/ir

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks: Vatican feared 'Anglican violence'

The Pope's offer to Anglicans to convert to Catholicism risked inciting discrimination and even violence towards Catholics in Britain, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.


WikiLeaks: Cuba 'to be insolvent within three years'

A newly released confidential U.S. diplomatic cable predicted Cuba's economic situation could become "fatal" within two to three years, and detailed concerns from other countries' diplomats – including China – that the communist-run country has been slow to adopt reforms.


Wikileaks' Julian Assange: The most dangerous man in the world?

Julian Assange has many enemies, but is he also running out of friends, ask Neil Tweedie and Jon Swaine.


Will the civil war return to Lebanon?

The WikiLeaks revelations have already caused immense embarrassment to William Hague but his pains count as the most trivial of setbacks compared to the epic calamity inflicted on pro-Western officials in Lebanon.


WikiLeaks: Julian Assange 'could face spying charges'

WikiLeaks founder likely to be charged under the Espionage Act.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Wikileaks suffers own leaks over financial woes

Wikileaks is facing questions over its finances as lawyers for its alleged main source, Pte Bradley Manning, said they had not seen a penny of tens of thousands of dollars raised by the site to help pay for his defence and promised to them three months ago.


Wikileaks: Russia 'warned off' hunt for Litvinenko killers by UK

Russia was hunting the killers of Alexander Litvinenko before he was poisoned but KGB officials were assured by British intelligence the matter was “under control”, according to a claim in the latest Wikileaks release.


WikiLeaks is delinquent and anti-democratic

The website's insistence that it is a voice of open ‘freedom of expression’ is simply absurd, believes Janet Daley.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks : India says 43 militant camps in Pakistan

(Reuters) - India has told the United States there were 43 militant camps in Pakistan, including 22 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and that little had been done to permanently shut them down, the latest set of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables showed.


Obama calls WikiLeaks' "deplorable" - White House

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in phone calls on Saturday that WikiLeaks' actions were "deplorable" and the leaders agreed it would not hurt ties with Washington, the White House said.


WikiLeaks : Russia was tracking Litvinenko's killers

(Reuters) - Russian authorities were following the suspected killers of Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent murdered in London four years ago, but were told by Britain the matter was under control, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks on Saturday.


WikiLeaks highlights German doubt on Turkish EU bid

(Reuters) - Germany's senior diplomat considered Turkey was too big and not modern enough to join the European Union, a magazine reported Saturday, citing U.S. diplomatic cables made available by WikiLeaks.


WikiLeaks supporters' group abandons cyber attacks

(Reuters) - A loose grouping of cyber activists supporting WikiLeaks has abandoned its strategy of online attacks on organizations seen as hostile to the site in favor of spreading the leaked documents far and wide online.


Russia said UK stopped tracking Litvinenko killers

(Reuters) - Russia told a U.S. diplomat that it had been tracking the suspected killers of a former KGB agent before his murder in London four years ago, but had been warned off by Britain, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks Saturday.


WikiLeaks : Venezuelan missile purchases worried U.S.

(Reuters) - The United States tried to stop delivery of Russian anti-aircraft missiles to Venezuela in 2009 amid concerns it could pass them on to Marxist guerrillas in Colombia or Mexican drug gangs, The Washington Post said on Sunday, citing diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks.

 

[Cigar Guy]

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/12/12/10/singapore-thinks-asian-allies-corrupt-incompetent%E2%80%94cables

Singapore thinks Asian allies corrupt, incompetent - cables

Agence France-Presse
Posted at 12/12/2010 11:40 PM | Updated as of 12/12/2010 11:43 PM

SINGAPORE - Singaporean diplomats think the leaders of some close Asian allies are corrupt, incompetent or stupid, cables from Wikileaks revealed Sunday.

Confidential diplomatic notes given by the whistleblower website to Australia's Fairfax media group contained unflattering assessments of key figures in Malaysia, Thailand, India and Japan.

"A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia," permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan reportedly told US Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney in a cable dated September 2008.

As such, "the situation in neighbouring Malaysia is confused and dangerous," fuelled by a "distinct possibility of racial conflict" that could see ethnic Chinese "flee" Malaysia and "overwhelm" Singapore, Bilahari was quoted as saying.

Another official, Peter Ho, reportedly described Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as "an opportunist" who "would not hesitate" to be critical of Singapore if "it is expedient for him to do so."

He said allegations linking Najib to the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006, which the leader has strongly rejected, would continue to "haunt" his political fortunes.

Bilahari was also critical of the Thai government in 2008, labelling then premier Thaksin Shinawatra as "corrupt" along with "everyone else, including the opposition."

He also said the Thai crown prince was "very erratic, and easily subject to influence," and warned of continued instability in Thailand.

In another 2009 memo, Singapore's ambassador at large Tommy Koh -- known for being mild-mannered and eloquent in public -- was uncharacteristically blunt in his assessment of Japan and India.

"Koh described Japan as 'the big fat loser' in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN," a leaked cable detailing a meeting between him and US officials stated.

"He attributed the relative decline of Japan's stature in the region to Japan's 'stupidity, bad leadership, and lack of vision,'" it added.

"He was equally merciless towards India, describing his 'stupid Indian friends' as 'half in, half out' of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.)"

There was no immediate reaction from the Singapore government to the leaks but the pro-government Straits Times has reproduced the potentially controversial remarks on its website.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Singapore calls India "stupid", Japan "fat loser"


http://news.oneindia.in/2010/12/12/singapore-diplomat-india-wikileaks-japan-cablegate.html

Singapore calls India "stupid", Japan "fat loser"

Sunday, December 12, 2010, 15:56 [IST]

Washington, Dec 12: The United States diplomatic cables released by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks exposed that a diplomat form Singapore had called India a "stupid."

The Singaporean foreign affairs officials made this remark during their meeting with senior US officials like Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney between 2008 and 2009.

Singapore official said that India was a "stupid" and "half in, half out" of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Singapore officials not only attacked India but also foulmouthed on other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

In one of the cables, Singapore's Ambassador Tommy Koh called Japan "the big fat loser" and "stupidity, bad leadership and lack of vision" for Japan's position in Asian region.

In another cable officials said that "A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia" and added Malaysia has a "distinct possibility of racial conflict."

Meanwhile, Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry has condemned the relaese of the cables saying that this "selective release" will not give a complete picture of the important issues.

OneIndiaNews

 

[Watchman]

Re: Singapore calls India "stupid", Japan "fat loser"

I think Julian Assange is a brillant news publisher !

Better than all the news provider of the world !

 

[Dreamer1]

Re: Russia's Putin raps U.S. over leaked cables

Stupid Mafia boss Putin,he does not even know when the Wiki fire is going to descent upon him,WTF!

USA has the most secret files on Russia.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks fiasco: PAS leaders dodge queries, Dr M gives his take

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:30

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR: The PAS leadership today avoided answering questions on the WikiLeaks expose claiming Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had sex with a male aide in a honey trap set by political rivals.

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar instead diverted the attention to the Home Ministry, saying the onus was on them to explain how foreign intelligence had gathered the information.

"The cable also mentioned (Prime Minister) Najib Tun Razak with regards to the murder of Altantuya (Shaaribuu)," he told a press conference at Parliament lobby.

"I believe the Home Minister must explain how this information was gathered and also explain on the expose on Najib," he added.

WikiLeaks, through a release of a US state department cable issued in November 2008, revealed exchanges between the Singaporean intelligence services and an Australian agency.

It stated: ''The Australians said that Singapore's intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar 'did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted'.'

ONA stands for Australia’s Office of National Assessments.

The cable was exclusively released to Australian daily The Sun-Herald and widely reported by other Australian newspapers on Sunday.

'Merely personal views'

Shah Alam MP and PAS central working committee member Khalid Samad said the cable contained "personal views" of the agencies.

"You do understand that the cables are just personal views and they are merely communiques without any evidence," he told the same press conference.

Anwar has so far dodged the media radar, responding to the expose only through his micro-blogging Twitter account and blamed the Malaysian Special Branch as the source:

It is still too early to assess the impact of the cable revelation but some political observers note the negative repercussion it may have on Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat.

However, government sources say Najib and leaders in Barisan Nasional are not too keen in capitalising the cable leakages given they are implicated as well.

Anwar is presently facing his second sodomy charge after being convinced and jailed in 1999 on charges of corruption and sodomy after a falling out with then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The sodomy conviction was later overturned and was freed from jail in 2004.

He was however charged again in 2008 with committing sodomy on his former aide. Anwar has maintained the case against him was fabricated and trumped up by his political enemies who fear his political resurgence.

The trial in presently underway.

Dr M: Lee knows, others pretending

However former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the (opposition) political parties were pretending not to be aware of Anwar's alleged sodomy activities.

He also said that he believed Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has knowledge of the alleged activities.

"Yes, indeed. I think he (Lee) knows but the political parties are pretending they do not know about it," he told reporters after delivering a talk on "Globalising Malaysians in 2020" at the Tenaga Nasional University, here.

He was commenting to reports that the Singapore intelligence agency had confirmed the activities of the Opposition Leader on the basis of "technical intelligence".

 

[Cigar Guy]

Singapore has to explain, say Malaysian officials


Singapore has to explain, say Malaysian officials

<cite>ANN - <abbr class="timedate" title="Monday, December 13">Monday, December 13</abbr></cite>

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Singapore should explain the damaging remarks allegedly made by its senior government officials against Malaysia and the Prime Minister. Government officials, when contacted, said it would be best to wait for Singapore's explanation before any reaction was given.

"I am sure Singapore will explain soon enough. I am sure some people are already embarrassed with the leak," said a senior official commenting on leaked US diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks.

The cables, recorded in 2008 and 2009, involved Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) senior officials Peter Ho; Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh in meetings with senior US officials.

Kausikan reportedly said: "A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia", citing the need for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to prevail politically over the murder case of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

It is understood Kausikan is heading a Singapore delegation to Kuala Lumpur on Dec 22 for the next meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Implementation Team (MSJIT) on the Points of Agreement.

Separately, Channel News Asia quoted Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo as saying the confidentiality of diplomatic communication must be respected.

He added diplomatic relations could not be done "on the basis that there is a camera in the room recording everything." "There will be more coming out in the future. I think it is best that we respect the confidentiality of diplomatic communication," he said.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Anwar is first Malaysian ‘victim’ of Wikileaks


Published: Sunday December 12, 2010 MYT 12:40:00 PM

Anwar is first Malaysian ‘victim’ of Wikileaks

By ISABELLE LAI

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has become the first Malaysian “victim” of WikiLeaks. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Sunday that leaked US state department cable revealed that Singaporean intelligence officials told their Australian counterparts that Anwar had engaged in the conduct for which he was accused of, and that his sodomy charges were the result of a “set-up job”.

However, the Opposition Leader tweeted his comments later Sunday, saying: “Source? Polis SB Msia. Bukti tak ada (Who is the source? Malaysian police special branch. There’s no proof of any such thing)”. According to the Herald, the cable, dated November 2008, was one of several that dealt with the explosive private views of senior Singaporean officials.

Issued to Fairfax newspapers by WikiLeaks, the cable stated, “The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligence services ... told [the Office of National Intelligence] in their exchanges that [Mr Anwar] ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’.’’

It added that the Singaporeans told the office they made this assessment on the basis of “technical intelligence’’ which most likely meant intercepted communications. The office also said that Anwar’s political enemies had engineered the circumstances from which the sodomy charges arose.

‘’[The office] assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,’’ the cable stated, according to the paper.

 

[Cigar Guy]

Wikileaks: North Korea asked Clapton to perform

Kim Jong-il's son was "a great fan" of the British musician, the latest US diplomatic cables have shown. The regime approached the US and suggested that the concert could help persuade Kim Jong-il to allow aid into the country. A "performance could be an opportunity to build goodwill," the May 22 2007 cable said, according to the Guardian.


WikiLeaks: Irish government 'had evidence Gerry Adams was in IRA five years ago'

The Irish government had ''rock solid evidence'' Gerry Adams was a senior member of the IRA as recently as five years ago, according to the latest US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.


Julian Assange wined and dined at US Embassy

Julian Assange was a guest at a US Embassy cocktail party less than a year ago.


Julian Assange: 'The Pentagon wants to try me for spying'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who angered Washington by releasing secret cables, said in a documentary on Sunday he faced prosecution by the Pentagon and was disappointed with how Swedish justice had been abused.


BHP 'tried to stop Chinese deal with Rio Tinto'

Wikilieaks cables reveals miner BHP Billiton lobbied the Australian government intensively to wreck a $19.5bn investment by Chinalco of China in rival Rio Tinto.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks : Pfizer took aim at Nigeria Attorney General

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drugmaker Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against Nigeria's attorney general to convince him to drop legal action against the company over a drug trial involving children, the Guardian newspaper reported, citing U.S. diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks.


WikiLeaks : Tajikistan may support U.S. air base

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan has indicated it would welcome a U.S. military air base on its territory as reinforcement against Afghan unrest and a means of funding its cash-strapped economy, a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable said.


WikiLeaks : U.S. worried by corruption in Uzbekistan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corruption is rampant in Uzbekistan and the government of the Central Asian state is linked to organized crime, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

 

[Cigar Guy]

WikiLeaks rival Openleaks "coming soon": website


WikiLeaks rival Openleaks "coming soon": website

LONDON | Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:48am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - The former deputy to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is vowing to launch a rival site soon that he says will be more transparent than the original.

Dubbed "Openleaks" (www.openleaks.org) and run by Assange's former number two at WikiLeaks Daniel Domscheit-Berg, the site has no content on it at the moment apart from a logo and the message "Coming soon!"

In an interview with the OWNI technology website, Domscheit-Berg declined to go into the details of his dispute with Wikileaks but suggested it had strayed from its mission.

"In these last months, the organization has not been open any more, it lost its open-source promise," he said, adding that Openleaks plans to provide the means for leaked information to be published, without itself being a publisher.

U.S. and other authorities have cracked down on WikiLeaks and Assange since the site started publishing thousands of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables that have embarrassed the United States and other parties around the world.

Assange, a 39-year-old Australian who founded WikiLeaks in 2006, is in policy custody in Britain after a European arrest warrant was issued by Sweden, which wants to question him about allegations of sexual crimes. He denies the allegations.

Domscheit-Berg, who was previously involved with German hacker group the Chaos Computer Club, said Openleaks would begin trials in early 2011 and turn to bigger media later. It currently has 10 members. "We are already drowning in applications," he said.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; editing by Noah Barkin)

 

[Cigar Guy]

Red faces in Singapore no thanks to WikiLeaks


Monday December 13, 2010

Red faces in Singapore no thanks to WikiLeaks

KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore has become the latest country to be embarrassed by the WikiLeaks’ cables expose which showed that its officials had “bad-mouthed” four Asian neighbours and also supported a conclusion by the Australian intelligence agency on the Sodomy II charges against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Its Foreign Minister George Yeo made no attempt to hide the authenticity of the cables that were reported by The Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney but said “the views must be respected”.

On Malaysia, the Singapore foreign and intelligence officials angered both sides of the political divide. They described Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as being in a tight spot but also at the same time concurred with their Australian counterparts that Anwar was guilty of the charges which they also said were a “set-up”.

Anwar put the blame on Malaysian police for the information leak. The Australian newspaper also pointed out that the leaked cables noted that Malaysia was in a ‘’confused and dangerous’’ state due to “its incompetent politicians”.