WikiLeaks Cables Portray Saudi Arabia as a Cashpoint for Terrorists
THE GUARDIAN: Hillary Clinton memo highlights Gulf states' failure to block funding for groups like al-Qaida, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba

The terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab walks through the Chatrapathi Sivaji train station in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks. Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the atrocity, is one of several groups that have raised funds via Saudi Arabia. Photograph: The Guardian
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.

"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. >>> Declan Walsh in Islamabad | Sunday, December 05, 2010

JAN. 9, 2006 | OUTSIDE MECCA, Saudi Arabia | Pilgrims at Mount Arafat. American officials say fund-raisers for extremist groups descend on people taking part in the annual pilgrimage to seek money for their causes, according to leaked cables. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Cash Flow to Terrorists Evades U.S. Efforts: WASHINGTON — Nine years after the United States vowed to shut down the money pipeline that finances terrorism, senior Obama administration officials say they believe that many millions of dollars are flowing largely unimpeded to extremist groups worldwide, and they have grown frustrated by frequent resistance from allies in the Middle East, according to secret diplomatic dispatches. >>> Eric Lichtblau and Eric Schmitt | Sunday, December 05, 2010

Blogroll & List of Newspapers & Journals: A Message to My Visitors
Recently, because of a malfunction in the old Blogger template – my sidebar wouldn’t load correctly – I was forced to change over to the new Blogger template. I had been reluctant to change over before because I knew it would be time-intensive, and time is what we are all short of these days.

Anyway, change is what I had to embrace. In actual fact, I am very pleased with the new look of the website. I hope that you are too. However, the changeover has meant that very many links have dropped off. Many of these links will be to loyal websites which have linked back to this one for a long time. Naturally, I regretted this. But I fully intended to rectify the matter in due course. (For ‘in due course’ read ‘when I could figure out how’!)

Using the new template has been a somewhat steep learning curve for me. In these matters, I have been self-taught from the start.

I am pleased to report that I have got to grips with the new template now. So it’s only a question of time to place all the links back up on the sidebar. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way of doing this quickly. Each link has to be placed up there one-by-one.

With Christmas approaching, my time is going to be even tighter than it normally is; however, I shall endeavour to correct this matter as soon as possible. Please bear with me. This new website truly is a work in progress! It is at times like this that I wish I had five pairs of hands! Regards to all. Mark

Benedikt XVI. Ganz privat – Autor stellt Papstbuch „Das Licht der Welt" vor
Jetzt liegt es in den Geschäften: Das Buch über Benedikt XVI.. In „Das Licht der Welt" bringt der Autor Peter Seewald den Lesern nahe, wie der Papst wirklich denkt und fühlt. Das Buch wurde im Vatikan vorgestellt.

BILD.de: HEILIGER VATER IN ROM: Benedikt XVI. – der mächtigste Papst aller Zeiten – Papst Benedikt XVI. (83) – seit fünf Jahren ist der deutsche Kardinal Joseph Ratzinger das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche. >>> | Dienstag, 23. November 2010

The Party of the Rich, by the Rich, for the Rich
THE GUARDIAN: Never have Republican values been so brazenly apparent than in holding the unemployed to ransom for the Bush tax cuts

Rarely has the true face of the modern Republican party in America been exposed so obviously.

Just a day after President Barack Obama met with Republican leaders and came out talking of a new era of co-operation, Republican senators united around Mitch McConnell to sign a letter declaring they would pass no legislation without movement on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

That legislation they are willing to scupper includes extending unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans, still suffering the terrible hangover of the Great Recession. The tax cuts the Republicans are really fired up over will benefit only the top 2% of Americans. >>> Paul Harris | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Nick Clegg's Unexpectedly Swift Journey from Idol to Hate Figure
THE OBSERVER: The Lib Dem leader will survive a backbench rebellion over tuition fees but his reputation is irreversibly changed

Once upon a time, long, long ago – well, six months ago – Nick Clegg gave a pre-election interview to the Observer in which he forecast "Greek-style" unrest on the streets of Britain if the next government tried to drive through policies for which it did not have a proper mandate. I thought at the time that this was over-the-top attention-seeking by a Lib Dem leader who was then struggling to make an impression on the consciousness of the nation. For this was before the leaders' TV debate which briefly transformed him into the messiah of a new politics.

I am now happy to admit that I was wrong and he was right. The government is facing street demonstrations with a Greek streak during which the protesters roar that they have been betrayed. What Nick Clegg didn't anticipate – where his crystal ball let him down – was that he would be the focus of the fury.

The student marches against the hike in tuition fees have seen violence done to a variety of targets: a police van trashed and windows smashed at Tory Towers. But it is about the Lib Dem leader that the protesters, the peaceful majority and the anarchic minority alike, are most venomous. The police have advised him to stop cycling for fear of his personal safety; excrement has been pushed through his letter box. The National Union of Students is hoping to mobilise its members in their greatest numbers to coincide with the Commons vote on the legislation this Thursday. The walls of Westminster will again reverberate to their chants, the least rude of which is: "Nick Clegg! Dick Head!" >>> Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, December 05, 2010

Ex-marine Predicts Win in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fight
THE OBSERVER: The first soldier to be discharged under rules against gay servicemen believes a repeal is imminent

Justin Elzie was discharged after coming out on television. Photograph: The Observer
As the row over America's ban on gay people serving openly in the military reached a fever pitch last week, Justin Elzie felt he had finally neared the end of a 17-year journey.

Elzie, a former marine, was the first person to be discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law, soon after it was brought in by President Bill Clinton in 1993. He has become an important figure in the struggle against the controversial policy, which could now soon be repealed.

"I know it is going to happen now. It is going to be repealed. It is just a matter of when," said Elzie, who recently chained himself to the White House fence in protest at the policy's continued existence. He has also just published a book about his life and last week lobbied politicians in Washington as the Senate conducted hearings on repeal of the law. >>> Paul Harris | Sunday, December 05, 2010

WikiLeaks Site's Swiss Host Dismisses Pressure to Take It Offline
THE GUARDIAN: Swiss host Switch says there is 'no reason' why WikiLeaks should be forced off internet, despite French and US demands

WikiLeaks received a boost tonight when Switzerland rejected growing international calls to force the site off the internet.

The whistleblowers site, which has been publishing leaked US embassy cables, was forced to switch domain names to WikiLeaks.ch yesterday after the US host of its main website, WikiLeaks.org, pulled the plug following mounting political pressure.

The site's new Swiss host, Switch, today said there was "no reason" why it should be forced offline, despite demands from France and the US. Switch is a non-profit registrar set up by the Swiss government for all 1.5 million Swiss .ch domain names. >>> Josh Halliday | Saturdaay, December 04, 2010

PayPal No Pal to WikiLeaks!
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The online payment service PayPal 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.

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.” Paypal cuts off donations to WikiLeaks >>> Robert Mendick Chief reporter | Saturday, December 04, 2010

"Der Islam ist eine deutsche Religion"
ZEIT ONLINE: Tariq Ramadan über die Kunst, zugleich Muslim und Europäer zu sein

Muslimischer Intellektueller: Tariq Ramadan in Oxford. Foto: Zeit Online
DIE ZEIT: Professor Ramadan, in Europa macht sich eine Stimmung gegen den Islam breit. Minarette, Burkas und Kopftücher werden verboten. Deutschland debattiert über integrationsunwillige Muslime. Warum diese Zuspitzung?

Tariq Ramadan: Unsere westlichen Gesellschaften sind verunsichert durch die Globalisierung. Auch die Einwanderungsströme gehören dazu. Aber entscheidend ist das Sichtbarwerden des Fremden. Darum erregen sich die Leute über Moscheebauten, Minarette, Kopftücher, andere Hautfarben, Sprachen und Gerüche in ihren Vierteln. Wenn gegen die angebliche Islamisierung der Städte protestiert wird, geht es um die Sichtbarkeit einer fremden Religion, die dazugehören will. Das ist neu. Solange das Fremde nicht dazugehört, kann man leichter damit leben.

ZEIT: Seit Jahren leben wir mit der Terrordrohung im Namen des Islams.

Ramadan: Gewalt im Namen der Religion vergiftet die Debatte. Wir Muslime können die Augen nicht davor verschließen, dass dies die Wahrnehmung des Islams beeinflusst. Doch handelt die Islam-Debatte von unserer europäischen Identität. Sie ist hochpolitisch: Auf dem ganzen Kontinent bilden sich Parteien, deren Wahlerfolg davon abhängt, Misstrauen zu schüren. Sie füttern das Gefühl der Verunsicherung, man könne nicht mehr Deutscher oder Niederländer sein wegen dieser Einwanderer.

ZEIT: Der deutsche Präsident hat gesagt, der Islam gehöre zu Deutschland. Er wurde angegriffen, auch aus dem eigenen Lager.

Ramadan: Diese Identitätsfragen übersteigen die Bindungskraft der politischen Lager. Sie können heute Menschen auf der Linken finden, die sehr scharf gegen den Multikulturalismus polemisieren, und auf der Rechten gibt es welche, die einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft offen gegenüberstehen. Ihr Präsident hat etwas Offensichtliches festgestellt: Wenn es Millionen von Muslimen in Deutschland gibt, ist der Islam natürlich auch eine deutsche Religion. Der Islam ist eine europäische Religion, er ist ein Teil von Europas Geschichte und Gegenwart. Er ist nicht das ganz andere, er ist für Europa nichts Äußerliches mehr, bei sieben Millionen Muslimen in Frankreich, drei Millionen in England, vier in Deutschland. >>> Von Jörg Lau | Freitag, 03. Dezember 2010

WikiLeaks : le mandat de M. Sarkozy débute par un "affront" au roi du Maroc
En juillet 2007, Abdelaziz Bouteflika recevait Nicolas Sarkozy à Alger. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Nicolas Sarkozy tout juste élu président de la République, il réserve au Maghreb son premier déplacement hors d'Europe, comme avant lui Jacques Chirac. Mais l'ordre de visite est inversé. Cette fois, le premier pays visité ne sera pas le Maroc. L'Algérie passera avant le royaume chérifien.

Pourquoi ce changement ? Paris a beau expliquer à ses interlocuteurs marocains que le roi Mohammed VI a tout à gagner à ce que la visite se termine à Rabat, et qu'ainsi il aura "le dernier mot". Rien n'y fait. Les Marocains s'estiment trahis et annulent la visite à Rabat du président français en avançant des "considérations d'agenda, un prétexte vide à la mesure de l'affront subi", peut-on lire dans un télégramme du département d'Etat américain obtenu par WikiLeaks et révélé par Le Monde. >>> Jean-Pierre Tuquoi | Samedi 04 Décembre 2010

Smokers Should Not Be Forced Out of Hospitals
THE GUARDIAN: There should be more controlled smoking zones, argues Richard White

Smoking shelters have been reintroduced in some Bournemouth hospitals. Photograph: The Guardian
The government is proposing its next phase of tobacco control: plain packaging for cigarette packets. It is a controversial move, not least as it will be easier for criminal gangs to replicate packets to look authentic, prompting fears that illicit cigarette distribution levels may increase. Some campaigners would also like to see smoking outside pubs, restaurants and other public places banned.

This would be a step too far for tobacco control. Instead, there should be more controlled smoking zones. In September, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals NHS foundation trust reintroduced smoking shelters for staff, patients and visitors, following a five-year ban. Staff and patients had been found smoking on the premises, including in the toilets, the oxygen store and even under the bedclothes.

Like other hospitals that have reversed blanket bans, the decision to permit designated smoking areas was not to encourage or promote smoking but to minimise the risk of illicit smoking on the premises. >>> Richard White | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

wikileaks.ch
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wikileaks hat offenbar vorausgeahnt, dass ihre Internet-Adresse «wikileaks.org» früher oder später gesperrt werden könnte. Denn die jetzt bekanntgegebene «Schweizer» Ausweichadresse «wikileaks.ch» wurde bereits vor 6 Monaten registriert. Mittlerweile war jedoch auch sie zumindest zeitweise nicht erreichbar.



Zum Teil in Schwyzertüütsch (Schweizerdeutsch) übertragen.

WikiLeaks >>>

Pakistani Cleric Puts Bounty on Christian Woman's Head
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A hardline, pro-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric on Friday offered a reward for anyone who kills a Christian woman sentenced to death by a court on charges of insulting Islam.

The sentence against Asia Bibi has renewed debate about Pakistan's blasphemy law which critics say is used to persecute religious minorities, fan religious extremism and settle personal scores. Non-Muslim minorities account for roughly 4 per cent of Pakistan's 170 million population.

Maulana Yousef Qureshi, the imam of a major mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, offered a £3,700 reward and warned the government against any move to abolish or change the blasphemy law.

"We will strongly resist any attempt to repeal laws which provide protection to the sanctity of Holy Prophet Mohammad," Qureshi told a rally of hardline Islamists."Any one who kills Asia will be given 500,000 rupees in reward from Masjid Mohabat Khan," he said referring to his mosque. >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

Lawyer: Wikileaks Is Under Attack
SKY NEWS: Mark Stephens, lawyer for the Wikileaks founder Juilan Assange, says the site in under concerted attack.

Liam Neeson Angers Narnia Fans by Suggesting Aslan Is Mohammed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Liam Neeson has caused controversy by suggesting that Aslan, the Christlike character in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, could represent the prophet Mohammed or Buddha.

The actor who voices the lion in the film adaptations of the books has angered some fans of the stories, who claim he is distorting Lewis’s intentions to be “politically correct”.

Aslan the lion features in all seven Narnia books, guiding children away from evil and harm and encouraging them to do good.

Lewis was clear that the Aslan was based on Christ, and once wrote of the character: “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?”.” [sic] >>> Roya Nikkhah | Saturday, December 04, 2010

WikiLeaks: Britain Mocked by US over 'Special Relationship'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US officials privately mocked Britain’s 'paranoia' over maintaining the 'special relationship', cables released by WikiLeaks suggest.

Richard LeBaron, the US deputy chief of mission, said the obsession with the alliance would “be humorous, if it were not so corrosive”.

He also reported to Washington that it would be “tempting” to take advantage of Britain’s attitude.

The documents show that senior Conservative policians met with members of President Barack Obama's administration before the election to promise a "much more pro-American" regime.

The Tories, including some who are now members of the Cabinet, promised to buy more US weapons and to "fight together" more closely in future.

The documents suggest a faint ridiculing of Britain's attitude to the US, with politicians described as "paranoid" about maintaining the "special relationship" with the US. >>> Andy Bloxham | Saturday, December 04, 2010


SKY NEWS: US Mocked UK Over 'Special Relationship': US officials mocked senior members of then opposition leader David Cameron's party who vowed to run a pro-US regime if they won this year's election, new leaked diplomatic cables have revealed. >>> Pete Norman, Sky News Online | Saturday, December 04, 2010

Svjatoslav Richter: Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor – Movement I: Moderato
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester c-moll op.18: 1. Satz: Moderato


Movement II: Adagio sostenuto / 2. Satz: Adagio sostenuto

Turkey Is Like Iran
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Erdogan threatens regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior

The WikiLeaks documents confirmed the great American and European anxiety over the dangerous regime in power in Turkey. At this time, there are two Middle Eastern entities already controlled by Muslim Brotherhood parties: Hamas in Gaza and Erdogan in Ankara. One should not be surprised to see the friendly ties between the Turkish regime and Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah: We are dealing with political Islam movements that use any means possible in order to take power and threaten others.

In the past, Turkey served as an important pro-Western anchor in the Middle East and played a stabilizing, responsible and constructive role. Today, it constitutes a threat and jeopardizes most Arab regimes, and also Israel, being a focal point of shocks and tensions. Erdogan is threatening regional stability with his thuggish, megalomaniac behavior and with his support for axis of evil elements.

The regimes in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and many others are greatly disturbed by the new, aggressive player that suddenly emerged against them. While everyone knows that Iran is an enemy, the current regime in Turkey still hides behind the glory of previous Turkish regimes which were friends of the West.

We better understand that we are dealing with a hostile regime that has no intention of giving up power in Turkey.

And now came Erdogan’s latest statement in Beirut, whereby “Turkey won’t remain silent” in case of a new war between Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah and made the threat substantive. From now own, according to its own declaration, Turkey is a potential military foe of Israel and may embark on war against us. >>> Guy Bechor | Thursday, December 02, 2010

YNET NEWS: Erdogan calls WikiLeaks docs 'gossip': Turkish prime minister visibly upset by leaked cables which claim he has eight Swiss bank accounts with private funds and surrounds himself with fawning advisors; says US must 'hold cable writers accountable for slander' >>> AFP | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Eric Cantona: “Kill the (Criminal) Banks”

ARAB NEWS: Editorial: Wrong medicine – Cantona may be a brilliant footballer but he knows little about banks >>> | Friday, December 03, 2010

Obama's Surprise Trip to Afghanistan
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: President Barack Obama praised American troops for "important progress" against the Taliban, during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Video courtesy of Reuters


Notice Obama refers to the "holiday season". He can't seem to bring himself to refer to the Christmas season. Funny that!

Pentagon Backs Gay Ban Repeal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges Senators to repeal a 17-year-old policy which allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. Video courtesy of Reuters and photo courtesy of Associated Press.

Incredible! An Ad from a Less Enlightened Age!

Lockerbie Bomber’s Family ‘To Sue Over Prison Ordeal’
DAILY EXPRESS: THE family of the Lockerbie bomber is preparing a compensation claim against Britain for false imprisonment, Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi revealed last night.

He said the case against 58-year-old former secret serviceman Abdulbaset Ali Al-Megrahi had been fabricated by former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher and ex-US President Ronald Reagan.

Gaddafi even suggested that CIA agents were behind the atrocity – a theory already advanced in a controversial film and a number of books.

“These are the people who created this conspiracy,” he said. “The charges directed towards Libya were based on unfounded evidence in an attempt to weaken the Libyan Revolution and limit its resources and abilities.” >>> John Chapman

Headwinds Hamper Job Recovery
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Faced with higher payroll taxes and healthcare costs, employers are waiting to see a stronger economic recovery before adding new workers, according to Tig Gilliam, CEO of Adecco Group North America. He talks with Kelsey Hubbard about the health of the labor market and where we'll add jobs in 2011.

Cutting Off Jobless Benefits for Millions
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Congressional conservatives have cut off extended jobless benefits unless Bush-era tax cuts remain in place for people earning more than $200,000 a year. Video courtesy of Fox News.

Britain's Deep Freeze Continues
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The United Kingdom was brought to its knees as heavy snow continued to fall across the nation. Train services, airports and rail links were disrupted, with no end in sight for frustrated commuters. Video courtesy of Sky News.

Deadly Fire Sweeps Through Israel
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The worst brush fire in Israel's history has burned thousands of acres of land, forced villages to evacuate and killed dozens of people. Video courtesy of Reuters.

How Israel Screens for Terrorists
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: According to Israelis, the secret to their successful airport security is not labor-intensive checkpoints, but a screening system that is frowned upon in many other countries: ethnic profiling. WSJ's Martin Himel reports.


HT: Christine @ iBloga >>>

Bush Security Adviser: Wikileaks Will Damage U.S.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: In an interview with Jerry Seib, former U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley lashed out at Wikileaks for damaging U.S. diplomacy with its recent document dump. He also praised the Obama administration's handling of Iran and North Korea.

WikiLeaks Cables Claim First Scalp As German Minister's Aide Is Sacked
THE GUARDIAN: Helmut Metzner admitted acting as a mole for the US embassy during negotiations to form a government

WikiLeaks cables contained unflattering descriptions of the German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, and Angela Merkel. Photograph:
The WikiLeaks revelations have claimed their first political scalp in Europe with the sacking of the German foreign minister's chief of staff, who acted as a mole for the Americans, keeping the US embassy in Berlin posted last year on the confidential negotiations to form Angela Merkel's new government.

Amid a mood of increasing anger in the German political class at the disparaging observations on the chancellor's cabinet from US officials, a liberal MP today demanded the withdrawal of the American ambassador in Berlin, Philip Murphy. >>> Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Friday, December 03, 2010

Eric Besson demande que le site WikiLeaks ne soit plus hébergé en France
Le ministre de l'industrie, de l'énergie et de l'économie numérique, Eric Besson. Photo : LeMonde.fr
LE MONDE: Faire interdire la présence de WikiLeaks sur les serveurs français : tel est le souhait du ministre de l'industrie, de l'énergie et de l'économie numérique, Eric Besson, qui a demandé, vendredi 3 décembre, aux autorités compétentes "quelles actions peuvent être entreprises afin que ce site Internet ne soit plus hébergé en France". Eric Besson justifie cette décision en indiquant que le site a "violé" le secret diplomatique en publiant, depuis le 28 novembre, des centaines de documents confidentiels américains en collaboration avec Le Monde et d'autres grands titres de la presse mondiale. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 03 Décembre 2010

Inside Wikileaks - UK
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here

'Very Difficult' to Prosecute WikiLeaks Chief
NATIONAL POST: U.S. authorities could face insurmountable legal hurdles if they try to bring criminal charges against Julian Assange, the elusive WikiLeaks chief, even if he sets foot on U.S. soil.

The Justice Department is investigating leaks of hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents provided by the whistleblower website to news media and made public on its website.

But three specialists in espionage law said prosecuting someone like Mr. Assange on those charges would require evidence he was not only in contact with representatives of a foreign power but also intended to provide them with secrets.

No such evidence has surfaced, or has even been alleged, in the case of WikiLeaks or Mr. Assange, an Australianborn [sic] former computer hacker who has become an international celebrity.

Mr. Assange, who leads a nomadic existence and cultivates an aura of mystery, left Sweden last month after authorities there said they wanted to interrogate him about allegations of sexual misconduct made by two female acquaintances.

The U.K. newspaper The Independent said on Thursday that British police know his whereabouts but have refrained so far from acting on his arrest warrant. >>> Reuters | Thursday, December 02, 2010

WikiLeaks Goes Off-line After 'Multiple' Attacks
MSNBC: U.S. firm says denial of service attacks on site threatened its nearly 500,000 other clients

WikiLeaks went off-line late Thursday after a U.S. firm providing its domain name system said the controversial website had come under mass denial-of-service attacks.

EveryDNS.net said it had "terminated" its services to WikiLeaks as the attacks and ones expected in the future would "threaten the stability" of the company's services to nearly 500,000 other websites.

WikiLeaks has been continuing to release classified cables sent by U.S. officials, causing huge embarrassment to diplomats and world leaders amid growing outrage and calls for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be prosecuted under the U.S. Espionage Act.

A warrant for his arrest has been issued in Sweden in connection with alleged sexual offenses, which he denies. His lawyers have refuted reports he is hiding from the law at an unknown location in the U.K., saying he is lying low because of threats made against him.

The EveryDNS.net statement came as Amazon.com said such denial of service attacks or political pressure from U.S. officials had not led it to stop hosting WikiLeaks.

Amazon said WikiLeaks had violated its terms of service by publishing the leaked documents as it did not "own or otherwise control all the rights to this classified content."

In response to the website going off-line, WikiLeaks sent out a message on social media site Twitter appealing for financial support. >>> msnbc.com staff and news service reports | Friday, December 03, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks fights to stay online after US company withdraws domain name: Everydns.net says attack against leaks site endangered other customers' service – effectively pushing site off the web >>> Charles Arthur and Josh Halliday | Friday, December 03, 2010

WikiLeaks is back online from Switzerland >>>

Révélations de WikiLeaks: «Les actes d'Assange relèvent de l’espionnage»
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: WASHINGTON | Des sénateurs américains républicains et indépendants ont déposé une proposition de loi pour faciliter les recours juridiques. Ils veulent «rendre illégale la publication des noms d’informateurs des services de renseignement américains».

Dans un communiqué publié jeudi, les auteurs de cette proposition, les républicains John Ensign et Scott Brown et l’indépendant Joe Liebermann, n’ont pas précisé si la nouvelle règle s’appliquerait également aux médias américains traditionnels qui relaient les révélations faites par le site WikiLeaks.

«Julian Assange et ses complices créent pour nos ennemis une liste de coups à porter», a estimé M. Ensign. «WikiLeaks n’est pas un site d’information et Assange n’est pas un journaliste», a-t-il ajouté.

«Nos alliés et sources de renseignement doivent savoir que leurs vies ne seront pas mises en danger par leurs opposants, notre administration doit très clairement dire que révéler leurs identités ne sera pas toléré», a renchéri M. Liebermann, ancien élu démocrate.

Intitulée «bouclier», la nouvelle loi doit ajouter un paragraphe sur la protection de l’identité des informateurs à la loi punissant l’espionnage. >>> AFP | Vendredi 03 Décembre 2010

Pour Jean-Claude Trichet, il n'y a pas de crise de l'euro
LE MONDE: Le président de la Banque centrale européenne, Jean-Claude Trichet, affirme, vendredi 3 décembre, sur RTL, que l'euro est "crédible" et n'est pas "en crise en tant que monnaie", au lendemain du conseil des gouverneurs de la BCE qui a prolongé ses mesures exceptionnelles.

"On a des problèmes d'instabilité financière qui sont dus à une crise budgétaire dans certains pays européens", a-t-il ajouté, en expliquant que la BCE avait décidé jeudi de "continuer à alimenter en liquidités, sur des durées d'une semaine, un mois et trois mois, de manière illimitée, l'économie européenne". >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 03 Décembre 2010

WikiLeaks Cables: Gordon Brown an 'Abysmal' Prime Minister
THE GUARDIAN: US wrote off Brown after first year as PM and blamed him for 'post-Blair rudderlessness' which had Labour figures in despair

Gordon Brown at his first press conference as prime minister. WikiLeaks cables reveal the US embassy said he lurched from political disaster to disaster in the role. Photograph: The Guardian
The US embassy in London wrote off Gordon Brown within a year of his arrival in No 10 after concluding that an "abysmal track record" had left him lurching from "political disaster to disaster", according to cables released by WikiLeaks.

In a scathing assessment of the former prime minister, George Bush's last ambassador to London blamed Brown for presiding over a "post-Blair rudderlessness" which prompted senior Labour figures to complain of their despair to the embassy.

The diplomatic cables confirm that Barack Obama's allies were irritated by Brown's intense manner: he interrupted a Thanksgiving call to the current president's ambassador to lobby for a Tobin tax on financial transactions in the face of US opposition. "Prime minister Brown continues to press hard … despite being fully aware of US opposition to the tax," Louis Susman wrote in December last year.

US diplomats monitored the troubled premiership in detail and told Washington about the rules for replacing a Labour leader and Brown's likely successors. Read on and comment >>> Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Britain’s Most Hated Politician – Nick Clegg – Is a Man of Judgment and Courage
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Three decades ago, Norman Tebbit was the most hated man in Britain. In the eyes of his opponents, Tebbit was held to represent everything that was brutal, vicious and disgusting about the Thatcher government.

Thirty years on, British politics has at last produced a comparable villain. It is not David Cameron. Nor, astonishingly, has George Osborne been singled out for special opprobrium, despite his patrician sneer and trust fund. Local government minister Eric Pickles more or less put in a written application for the post of Coalition bully-boy, but remains a nationally popular figure.

Instead nice, gentle Nick Clegg has secured the position of Britain’s most hated man. He has been burnt in effigy by student rioters. Police have told him that he must no longer cycle to work for fear of physical attack. Excrement has been shoved through the letter box of his Sheffield constituency home, from which his family may now have to move for safety reasons.

Nor is that all. Clegg’s decision last May to join forces with Cameron is starting to look to some like an historic mistake. Inside the House of Commons, a division is beginning to open between Coalition Lib Dems and the back benches. To those with a sense of history this is very dangerous indeed – because this is exactly what happened the last time the Conservative Party and the Liberals entered a grand coalition, at the end of the First World War. By 1922, David Lloyd George had become a leader without a party, and the Liberals were fatally split.

History may be repeating itself. Lib Dem ministers love being in office, but appear remote as a result. On the back benches there is deep unhappiness and everywhere a chronic lack of conviction, epitomised by the astonishing inability of Vince Cable to state which way he will vote on government proposals to raise tuition fees to £9,000, a measure for which he is personally responsible. >>> Peter Oborne | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Firms Should Make Workplaces ‘Gay Friendly’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A raft of new schemes will be aimed at promoting equality for homosexuals, such as recruiting more openly gay candidates to become MPs and making workplaces “gay-friendly”.

The Coalition's Equailty Strategy said many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) people still faced discrimination and even violence.

“Attitudes are changing,” the strategy said. “But the sad reality remains that too many people are victims of discrimination and hate crime in the UK today.”

Ministers are in talks with campaigners and faith leaders over plans to allow same-sex couples to register their civil partnerships in churches, and other places of worship. >>> Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor | Thursday, December 02, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain embraces 'positive action' to abolish workplace discrimination: Employers will be able to reject male job applicants in favour of women who are no better qualified under new laws to promote equality at work. >>> Christopher Hope and Tim Ross | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Image: Google Images
Birds Becoming Gay Because Of Mercury
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Birds are being turned gay because there is too much mercury in their diet, scientists have revealed.

Researchers in Florida and Sri Lanka studied the effect of the metal in white ibises' diets to find out why breeding was down.

They found the higher the dose of mercury in the wading birds' food pellets, the more likely a male bird was to pair with another male.

Dr Peter Frederick from the University of Florida, who led the study, said: "We knew mercury could depress their testosterone levels but we didn't expect this.

"We're seeing very large reproductive effects at very low concentrations of mercury so we really need to be paying more attention to this." >>> | Thursday, December 01, 2010

Berlusconi, l'ambassadeur de Poutine
Vladimir Poutine et Silvio Berlusconi le 18 avril 2008. Photo : LeMonde.fr
LE MONDE: Entre Vladimir Poutine et Silvio Berlusconi, amitié et intérêts commerciaux se confondent pour former un mélange explosif, qui perturbe l'agenda américain. Tel est le fil directeur de plusieurs télégrammes diplomatiques, obtenus par WikiLeaks et étudiés par Le Monde, consacrés aux liens entre l'Italie et la Russie. Des télégrammes qui trahissent une profonde irritation envers le chef du gouvernement italien, suspecté à demi-mots et sans preuve claire de favoriser ses propres intérêts dans les contrats gaziers passés entre les deux pays.

La relation personnelle entre les deux hommes a notamment frappé les Américains au moment de la guerre éclair d'août 2008 entre la Géorgie et la Russie. "Berlusconi a parlé à Poutine chaque jour, pendant une semaine", souligne l'ambassade à Rome, le 26 janvier 2009. Résultat : M. Berlusconi a justifié la poussée militaire russe sur le territoire géorgien par la nécessité d'éviter un bain de sang par Tbilissi, présenté comme l'agresseur. "Berlusconi admire le style de gouvernement macho, décidé et autoritaire de Poutine, qu'il croit correspondre au sien", écrit l'ambassade. Selon une source dans le cabinet du premier ministre italien, leurs rencontres fréquentes sont égayées par "des échanges de cadeaux fastueux".

La famille Poutine passe aussi de longs séjours dans la villa de Silvio Berlusconi en Sardaigne, aux frais de ce dernier, rappelle l'ambassade à Moscou, le 20 mai 2009. "Sur les sujets majeurs, il semble que les relations économiques russo-italiennes soient dirigées par les premiers ministres qui disposent d'un lien direct l'un vers l'autre ainsi que du contrôle de certaines des plus grandes ressources de leurs économies respectives, souligne l'ambassade à Moscou, le 5 février 2010. Quelles que soient les façons dont ils utilisent ces ressources, il est probable qu'ils ne le font pas uniquement sur la base de calculs de rentabilité et de commerce." >>> Piotr Smolar | Jeudi 02 Décembre 2010

Wikileaks-Enthüllungen: Westerwelles Büroleiter war Informant
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die FDP hat ihren Mitarbeiter ausfindig gemacht, der die amerikanische Botschaft während der Koalitionsverhandlungen mit vertraulichen Informationen versorgt hat. Nach F.A.Z.-Informationen handelt es sich um den Büroleiter Guido Westerwelles, Helmut Metzner.

Fünf Tage immerhin hat die Suche in der FDP-Parteizentrale gedauert, dann war nach hausinternen Befragungen der Mitarbeiter ausfindig gemacht worden, der die amerikanische Botschaft während der Koalitionsverhandlungen mit Dokumenten und vertraulichen Informationen versorgt haben soll. Es handelt sich um den derzeitigen Leiter des Büros des FDP-Bundesvorsitzenden Guido Westerwelle, Helmut Metzner.

Der 41 Jahre alte Geschichtswissenschaftler arbeitete seit 2004 als Abteilungsleiter Strategie und Kampagnen in der Bundesgeschäftsstelle der FDP. Als solcher hatte er Zugang zu vertraulichen Sitzungen und vertraulichen Unterlagen der FDP-Führung.

Nach der Bundestagswahl beförderte Westerwelle seinen bisherigen Büroleiter Martin Biesel zum Staatssekretär im Auswärtigen Amt. Metzner wurde nach einer Übergangszeit Büroleiter des Parteivorsitzenden Westerwelle in der FDP-Zentrale. In dieser Funktion nahm er bis jetzt auch weiterhin an Sitzungen des FDP-Präsidiums teil. >>> Von Peter Carstens, Berlin | Donnerstag, 02. Dezember 2010

Nigeria vs. Dick Cheney
Korruptionsvorwürfe gegen früheren US-Vizepräsidenten
Dick Cheney, Aufnahme vom Mai 2009. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: Wegen Korruption will Nigeria Anklage gegen den früheren US-Vizepräsidenten Dick Cheney erheben. Als Chef des Erdölkonzerns Halliburton soll er selbst in die Bestechung nigerianischer Beamter involviert gewesen sein.

Wie ein Sprecher der nigerianischen Anti-Korruptionsbehörde, Femi Babafemi, am Donnerstag mitteilte, soll die offizielle Anklageschrift Anfang nächster Woche vorliegen. Die Vorwürfe beträfen Schmiergeldzahlungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau einer Flüssiggasanlage durch den US-Energiekonzern Halliburton im Süden Nigerias. Insgesamt sollen zwischen 1995 und 2005 Schiergelder [sic] von 182 Millionen Dollar geflossen sein. >>> afp | Donnerstag, 02. Dezember 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nigeria 'to charge Dick Cheney': Nigeria is to charge Dick Cheney, the former US Vice-President, over a bribery scandal that involves a former subsidiary of energy firm Halliburton. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Thursday, December 02, 2010

'A Funny Little Guy' Accused of Leaking U.S. Documents
NATIONAL POST: Son of a broken marriage between American father and a Welsh mother, the young Bradley Manning was teased for being a geek and gay.

In light of this, his choice of the U.S. military as a career seems unlikely but it appears he was attracted by the chance to expand his computer expertise. It was also a way of getting the army to pay for college.

Today, he's accused of being the man behind the WikiLeaks furor, a disgruntled squaddie in Iraq who downloaded thousands of sensitive U.S. documents and handed them over to the whistleblowing website.

"He was a funny little character, really on the ball, a really bright kid. [He] loved computers, absolutely loved them," said James Kirkpatrick, who knew him at school in Harverfordwest [sic], Wales, his mother's hometown to which she returned after her divorce.

"Obviously the Army there has got very good technology and good training for computers so I can see why he may have joined it but you never would have expected him to do so," he told the BBC.

But Private First Class Manning, now 23, had a trigger-hair temper and would slam books on the desk in rage if fellow students didn't pay attention.

"It was probably the worst experience anyone could go through," said Rowan John, a former classmate who was openly gay, according to The New York Times. "Being different like me, or Bradley, in the middle of nowhere is like going back in time to the Dark Ages." >>> Araminta Wordsworth, National Post news services | Thursday, December 02, 2010

WikiLeaks: 'Brilliant' Duke of York Is Defended by Amanda Staveley
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duke of York is defended by Amanda Staveley, his former girlfriend, after his private conversations were reported by WikiLeaks.

Few, if any, of the Duke of York's inner circle were more appalled to see a report of his private conversation, witnessed by an American diplomat, splashed all over the WikiLeaks website than Amanda Staveley.

Of the remarks he allegedly made, as Britain's special representative for trade and industry, Miss Staveley, once touted as a future wife for the Duke, says they don't ring true.

"Publishing classified documents is irresponsible at the best of times," says Miss Staveley, the boss of PCP Capital Partners in the UAE. "To do so during a time of global financial frailty and heightened unrest in certain parts of the world is the height of folly. >>> Tim Walker | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Related:

Chelsea Barracks: The Deal-maker >>>

Amanda Staveley Finds that Islam Moves Closer to Her Heart >>>

WikiLeaks: France Has Not Integrated Its Minorities
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France has not done enough to integrate its ethnic and religious minorities and needs to give Muslims a place in mainstream society, U.S. diplomats said in leaked cables published on Wednesday by a French newspaper.

Vehicles and buildings were torched in 2005 by youths in largely immigrant areas who began rampaging after two of their peers were electrocuted at a power substation while hiding from police they feared were chasing them. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Comments in diplomatic cables released by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks and published by the daily Le Monde show frustration over France's record in assimilating minority groups and highlight concerns the problem could be deepening.

"France not only has a problem with integration or immigration; it also needs to act to give Muslims a sense of French identity," the U.S. embassy in Paris said in a secret diplomatic cable to Washington dated Aug. 17, 2005.

The comments foreshadowed a wave of violent clashes in December that year between youths, many of them second-generation immigrants, and police in the gritty suburban housing projects that ring major French cities.

Television footage of burning cars and rioting youths was beamed around the world, casting a spotlight on tension between the French government and descendants of immigrant groups, many of whom belonged to France's 5-million-strong Muslim community.

"The real problem is the failure of white Christian France to view its dark-skinned and Muslim compatriots as citizens in their own right," the U.S. embassy told Washington in a cable dated Nov. 9, 2005. Craig Stapleton was U.S. ambassador to France under the administration of President George W. Bush. >>> | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

One estimate puts Putin's personal fortune at £25 billion. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
WikiLeaks: Putin's 'Secret Billions'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, has secret “illicit” assets hidden outside his country, according to allegations contained in reports from Condoleezza Rice, the former US secretary of state, disclosed in the latest batch of Wikileaks cables.

Ms Rice said she had been told by opposition figures in Russia that Mr Putin had attempted to engineer a safe transition when he stepped down as president in 2008 because he wanted to avoid “law enforcement investigations”.

The cable recorded a conversation between David Kramar, then the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Eurasian affairs, and an unidentified opposition leader during a visit to Washington.

Mr Kramar was told that Mr Putin was “nervously seeking to secure his future immunity from potential law enforcement investigations into his alleged illicit proceeds”.

The most likely candidate to take over from him was Sergei Ivanov, a charming, polyglot former KGB officer, who had experience of dealing with the west.

However, the eventual successor, and incumbent, was Dmitry Medvedev, who was described in other leaked cables as the “Robin to Putin’s Batman”.

Cables linked Mr Putin’s wealth to a “secretive Swiss-based oil trading firm” called Gunvor. >>> Andy Bloxham | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Introduction to Gunvor >>>

Wiki >>>

Wikileaks cables reveal allegations of corrupt financial links between Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Photograph: The Guardian
WikiLeaks Cables: Berlusconi 'Profited from Secret Deals' with Putin
THE GUARDIAN: Russian PM allegedly promised Italian leader a cut of energy contracts, leaked US dispatches say

US diplomats have reported startling suspicions that Silvio Berlusconi could be "profiting personally and handsomely" from secret deals with the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, according to cables released by WikiLeaks.

Exasperated by Berlusconi's pro-Russian behaviour, American embassy staff detail allegations circulating in Rome that the Italian leader has been promised a cut of huge energy contracts.

The two men are known to be personally close, but this is the first time allegations of a financial link have surfaced.

Hillary Clinton's state department in Washington sent a special request to the Rome embassy this year, asking for extra intelligence-gathering on the allegations about the men: "What personal investments, if any, do they have that might drive their foreign or economic policies?".

References to Berlusconi's "financially enriching relationship" originated both from members of his own political party and from the hostile government of Georgia, according to the leaked cables. >>> Rob Evans, Luke Harding and John Hooper | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Muslim Brotherhood Withdraws from Egyptian Elections
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Muslim Brotherhood and a secular party both withdrew on Wednesday from Egypt's election after a crushing first-round defeat by the president's ruling party in a poll marred by alleged fraud and violence.

The move left barely any opposition contesting the second round of the parliamentary poll and dealt another blow to the credibility of the vote after Egypt came in for heavy criticism from its US ally and human rights groups.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which won 20 per cent of seats at the last election in 2005 but failed to secure a single one in last Sunday's ballot, said it will boycott a run-off on December 5.

An official announcement was expected later in the day. >>> | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Steigende Nervosität in Italien
Risikoprämien auf Rekordhöhe
Demonstranten gehen gegen die Sparpläne der Regierung auf die Strasse. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: In Rom wird befürchtet, dass auch noch Italien ins Visier der Spekulation geraten könnte, obschon es besser als Portugal, Irland, Griechenland und Spanien dastehe. Die Risikoprämien für Italiens Staatsanleihen haben neue Rekordhöhen erreicht.

In italienischen Regierungskreisen wird zunehmend befürchtet, dass auch Italien vom Virus der Euro-Krise infiziert und von der internationalen Spekulation attackiert werden könnte. Mit Sorge werden etwa neuste Berichte registriert, laut denen der Wirtschaftsnobelpreisträger Krugman wie auch der Goldman-Sachs-Präsident O'Neill ausdrücklich auf dieses Risiko hingewiesen haben sollen. >>> Nikos Tzermias, Rom | Donnerstag, 02. Dezember 2010

Assange's Mother Doesn't Want Son to Be 'Hunted Down and Jailed'
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says she doesn't want her son to be "hunted down and jailed", after international police organisation Interpol issued an arrest request this morning.

The Australian was added to the organisation's "wanted" list for alleged sex crimes committed in Sweden this year as his activist website continued its US diplomatic cables leaks.

Christine Assange, who lives on the Sunshine Coast, told ABC Radio she was "very distressed" about the news.

"He's my son and I love him and obviously I don't want him hunted down and jailed.

"I'm reacting as any mother would - I'm distressed," she said, adding that "a lot of stuff that's written about me and Julian is untrue" when asked about whether she had moved to Queensland from Melbourne to escape media attention.

Mr Assange is suspected of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, after an investigation by Swedish prosecutors into his encounters with two women in Sweden in August.

The arrest request, called a "Red Notice", is "not an international arrest warrant" but means Mr Assange could be arrested and extradited to Sweden from any country if local authorities act on it.

"Many of Interpol's member countries consider a Red Notice to be a valid request for provisional arrest," Interpol said on its website.

Mr Assange, 39, is contesting the warrant in a Swedish appeals court.

He has denied the accusations, with his British lawyer Mark Stephens saying last month that they were "false and without basis". >>> Glenda Kwek | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

lePARISIEN.fr: WikiLeaks : la mère de Julian Assange prend la défense de son fils – Le fondateur de WikiLeaks ne cause pas seulement des tracas aux dirigeants et diplomates de la plupart des pays du monde. Son sort inquiète aussi sa maman. La mère de l'Australien Julian Assange, sous le coup d'un ordre d'arrestation émis par la Suède, a en effet imploré mercredi qu'on ne «pourchasse» pas son fils. >>> | Mercredi 01 Decembre 2010

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange's Mum Defends Her Son
HERALD SUN: WIKILEAKS editor-in-chief Julian Assange might be unpopular with the US and its allies, but he's still mummy's little boy.

Mr Assange's mother, Christine, who doesn't even own a computer and has been keeping up with her son's exploits through the media, said her son was a "seeker of truth".

Ms Assange, who bought Julian his first computer at age 13, said her son had been a curious child, raised to believe evil flourished when good men did nothing.

"Whether you agree with what Julian does or not, living by what you believe in and standing up for something is a good thing," she said.

"He sees what he's doing as doing a good thing in the world, fighting baddies, if you like."

But she conceded she feared her 39-year-old son had "gotten too smart for himself".

"Of course, I'm his mother, he's my little boy," she said.

"I'm just a normal mother. Whatever a normal mother would feel is what I would feel about all of it.

"I'm concerned it's gotten too big and the forces that he's challenging are too big." >>> Kristen Shorten | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Happy Hanukkah!

I would like to wish all my Jewish visitors VERY HAPPY HANNUKAH. May your celebrations be blessed and peaceful. – Mark
Hanukkah starts >>>
Image: Google Images

Goodbye Sweden

HT: BeeSting >>>

Austrian MP Ewald Stadler Adresses Turkish Ambassador

HT: BeeSting >>>

WikiLeaks Cables: Reading Between the Lines
THE GUARDIAN: One message, often buried, comes out loud and clear from the embassy cables: the US should choose its allies more carefully

President Obama with King Abdullah in Riyadh, during an official visit in 2009. The Obama administration has since concluded a $60bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The WikiLeaks US embassy cables have revealed that the king has urged the US to attack Iran. Photograph: The Guardian
Among the most arresting lines in the trove of diplomatic cables made public this week was one from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. "Cut off the head of the snake," he advised his American friends. Any herpetologist would agree that this is good advice in dealing with a threatening viper. But who is this snake? King Abdullah was referring to Iran, obliquely arguing for a military attack.

Yet, there was another tantalising detail in the trove of cables that suggests the larger threat comes from inside King Abdullah's own country. "Saudi donors remain the chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like al-Qaida," the New York Times reported in its first article on the leaked documents.

That is a huge, though not unsurprising, revelation. It reflects how complex and sometimes self-defeating America's foreign alliances have become. Saudi Arabia is an intimate ally of the United States, yet Saudi money supports the world's most violently anti-American terror network.

This deeply troubling contradiction has its roots in Saudi history and tradition. The regime's survival is based on a deal with the Wahhabi clerics who dominate religious practice in Saudi Arabia – and whose austere brand of Islam is among the world's most reactionary. Clerics agree to support the regime, ignoring both its alliance with infidel America and the notoriously unIslamic lifestyles of its thousands of princes. In exchange, the regime gives these clerics billions of dollars, much of which they use to run mosques and religious schools across the Islamic world. More than a few of these mosques and schools, often run by Saudi clerics or others they have trained, are incubators of terror, where generations of lost boys learn to chant the Qur'an and hate America.

The deal is, as former CIA director James Woolsey once described it, "for the Wahhabis to be given all of the money in the world they could ever remotely dream of needing or wanting to spread their sect's beliefs, and for them to leave the House of Saud alone." Read on and comment >>> Stephen Kinzer | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

WikiLeaks Cables Condemn Russia as 'Mafia State'
THE GUARDIAN: Kremlin relies on criminals and rewards them with political patronage, while top officials collect bribes 'like a personal taxation system'


US and other western diplomats believe the Russian government is a corrupt 'mafia state', according to WikiLeaks cables. Photograph: The Guardian
Russia is a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which officials, oligarchs and organised crime are bound together to create a "virtual mafia state", according to leaked secret diplomatic cables that provide a damning American assessment of its erstwhile rival superpower.

Arms trafficking, money laundering, personal enrichment, protection for gangsters, extortion and kickbacks, suitcases full of money and secret offshore bank accounts in Cyprus: the cables paint a bleak picture of a political system in which bribery alone totals an estimated $300bn a year, and in which it is often hard to distinguish between the activities of the government and organised crime. Read on and comment >>> Luke Harding | Wednesday, December 01, 2010