Dmitry Medvedev Warns of Cold War-style Arms Race
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dmitry Medvedev has warned the world will be plunged into a new Cold War-style arms race within a decade unless Moscow and the West can strike a deal on a new missile defence system.

Mr Medvedev, the Russian president, who was giving his annual state-of-the-nation speech in the Kremlin, issued the stark warning in an apparent attempt to strong-arm Nato into caving in on the sensitive issue.

He is reported to have presented his own blueprint for a joint Nato-Russia missile defence shield at the Nato summit in Lisbon earlier this month but to have got only a lukewarm response.

Analysts said his blunt message to the West on Tuesday appeared to be: embrace us as a fully-fledged partner or have us as a potential foe.

"In the coming 10 years, we are facing the following alternative," he told an audience of Russia's top decision makers including Vladimir Putin, the prime minister.

"Either we agree on anti-missile defence and opt for fully-fledged joint co-operation, or – if we fail to get constructive co-operation – (we will face) a new round of the arms race." >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Putin Criticizes U.S. Remarks on Russia
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin responded sharply on Wednesday to criticism of Russia revealed in United States diplomatic cables published by the whistle-blowing Web site WikiLeaks, warning Washington not to interfere in Russian domestic affairs.

His comments, made in an interview to be aired on CNN’s Larry King Live, referred to a cable that said “Russian democracy has disappeared” and described the government as “an oligarchy run by the security services,” a statement attributed to the American defense secretary, Robert M. Gates.

Mr. Putin said Mr. Gates was “deeply misled,” and said Washington does not welcome critiques of its own political system.

In the interview, Mr. Putin also warned that Russia would develop and deploy new nuclear weapons if the United States does not accept its proposals on integrating Russian and European missile defense forces — amplifying on a comment made by President Dmitri A. Medvedev in his annual state of the nation address on Tuesday. >>> Ellen Barry | Wednesday, November 01, 2010

Five a Day 'Will Not Stop Cancer'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Eating fresh fruit and vegetables will not protect you from cancer as they have little effect compared with alcohol and obesity, a study finds.

Official guidelines recommend at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day in order to be healthy but new research has found that this may not have a substantial effect on cancer.

The science suggests that people should be told that cancer risk is much more related to how much you eat and drink rather than what you eat.

The review, published in the British Journal of Cancer, looks at a decade of evidence on the links between fruit and vegetables and the development of cancer, but it concludes that the evidence is still not convincing.

The only diet-related factors that definitely affect cancer risk are obesity and alcohol, they discovered.

Tobacco is still the single biggest cause of cancer.

While smoking increases the risk of cancer by as much as 50 fold, even large consumptions of fruit and veg will only reduce the risk by a maximum of 10 per cent. Read on and comment >>> Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Iran Hangs Former Soccer Player's Mistress
THE GUARDIAN: TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Wednesday hanged a former soccer player's mistress — known as a "temporary wife — who was convicted of murdering her love rival, the player's wife, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Shahla Jahed was hanged at dawn, after spending more than eight years in jail, IRNA said, in a case that has captivated the Iranian public for several years.

Jahed had become what is known as a "temporary wife" of former soccer star Nasser Mohammad Khani. She was charged in 2002 with stabbing to death Laleh Saharkhizan, the player's wife, and convicted of murder in 2004 and again in 2009, after her appeal was denied.

Contracts with "temporary wives" are a legal way for Iranian men to have mistresses outside marriage, with the agreements lasting from between several hours to a few years.

Wednesday's death sentence was based on the Islamic law of "qisas" — or eye for an eye retribution.

International human rights groups, including Amnesty International, had campaigned for Jahed's punishment to be halted.

The IRNA report said that just before the hanging at Tehran's Evin prison, the 40-year-old Jahed prayed peacefully, then burst into tears and cries, shouting for her life to be spared. >>> Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press | Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Hunt WikiLeaks Chief Down Like Osama bin Laden: Sarah Palin Demands Assange Is Treated Like Al Qaeda Terrorist
MAIL ONLINE: U.S. launches criminal investigation into Assange / Australia looks into whether he has broken local laws / 39-year-old is already facing rape inquiries in Sweden

Attack: Republican Sarah Palin (left) has claimed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be treated like a terrorist. Photographs: Mail Online
Sarah Palin has demanded that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is hunted down like Osama bin Laden.

In an extraordinary outburst on Facebook, the former Alaska governor attacked the White House for 'incompetent handling of this whole fiasco.'

'First and foremost, what steps were taken to stop Wikileaks director Julian Assange from distributing this highly sensitive classified material especially after he had already published material not once but twice in the previous months?.' she wrote.

'Assange is not a "journalist," any more than the "editor" of al Qaeda's new English-language magazine Inspire is a "journalist."

'He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands.

'His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban.

'Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?'

Palin claimed that the administration's inability to hunt down Assange showed a lack of effort. Read on and comment >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Julian Assange has done us all a big favour by publishing this information, more especially by exposing the hypocrisy of those at the top. If those at the top had behaved properly, and with integrity, then they'd have nothing to fear. The so-called élite seem to think that they can keep information from the "little people". Well, they can't anymore! The internet has changed all that. Now we can look forward to more open journalism. I applaud Julian Assange for this. Sarah Palin, as usual, doesn't know what on earth she's talking about. In actual fact, Julian Assange has done the USA a great favour too. By showing us that China favours a re-unified Korea, and Iran weakened by the Ayatollah's cancer, we might well be able to avert two wars. Now wouldn't that be a good thing? Hats off to Julian! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Moo! >>>

Wikileaks Founder Leads Race to Be Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, is leading the race to become Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2010.

Mr Assange, the Australian-born former hacker and computer programmer, currently tops a list which includes Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Steve Jobs, the Chilean miners, Lady Gaga and "The Unemployed American" in its top 10.

David Cameron, is in 13th place, one spot behind Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Last month Wikileaks published nearly 400,000 field reports by American soldiers in Iraq, That followed the publication in July of 77,000 secret US documents on the war in Afghanistan.

The website, which styles itself "the first intelligence agency of the people," was founded in Dec 2006. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Friday, November 12, 2010

Burqa Approved for Swimming in Western Australia
GATES OF VIENNA: The Western Australian health authorities have decided to make an exception for burqa-like swimwear in public swimming pools, on the basis of religious beliefs. Past complaints have cost them dearly in civil lawsuit payouts, so an adjustment to the official policy became necessary.

If non-Muslims were to wear similar clothing, it would be considered unhygienic, and they would not be allowed in the pool. But the magic of Islam can perform many wonders, and one of them seems to be to reverse bad hygiene. Say the shahada, and presto! The bacteria flee from the scene. Read on and comment >>> Baron Bodissey | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

La diplomatie américaine secouée par la tempête WikiLeaks
Le combat de Julian Assange, fondateur de WikiLeaks, contre les Etats-Unis. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Après les révélations de WikiLeaks, les Etats-Unis vont devoir offrir des garanties de confidentialité à leurs interlocuteurs à travers le monde pour regagner la confiance

Y a-t-il une vie pour les diplomates après les mégarévélations de WikiLeaks? Alors que le site continue de déballer, au goutte à goutte, les 251 287 câbles diplomatiques plus ou moins secrets originaires des ambassades américaines, voilà la diplomatie mondiale convertie en un immense territoire de ragots. Aux quatre coins du monde, les premières réactions sont plutôt à tenter de minimiser l’importance de ces fuites, parfois à en rire (le rire jaune de Silvio Berlusconi qualifié de «macho») ou à les mettre, comme en Iran, sur le compte d’une vaste «machination» américaine. Mais à Washington même, ce déballage intime n’a pas fini de laisser des traces.

«Un rêve pour les historiens, un cauchemar pour les diplomates», résumait le Britannique Timothy Garton Ash, qui fait partie des heureux historiens voyant défiler aujourd’hui devant leurs yeux des wagons entiers de matériel brut dont ils ne pouvaient jusqu’ici que rêver. >>> Luis Lema | Mardi 30 Novembre 2010

“War Is Terror” – Danish Peace Activists

Christians Caught in Jewish-Muslim Crossfire

WikiLeaks: 'Cocky' Duke of York Told to Steer Clear of Policy Issues by Vince Cable
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duke of York has been warned to avoid commenting on policy issues after his candid views on anti-corruption investigations were made public by WikiLeaks.


Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said that corruption investigations were "not a matter" for the Duke, adding that it would be "helpful" if he steered clear of policy issues in future.

Mr Cable was speaking after leaked documents showed that the Duke, Britain's trade envoy, described the British government as "stupid" during a business brunch at which he surprised an American ambassador with his foul language.

The Duke also railed against the “idiocy” of a Serious Fraud Office investigation into allegations of bribery surrounding BAE Systems and spoke “cockily” in a discussion that “verged on the rude”, according to the ambassador. >>> Gordon Rayner, Robert Winnett and Toby Harnden in Washington | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Spiegel Online International Photo Gallery
King Abdullah of Saudi-Arabia: According to an embassy dispatch, he can't stand his neighbors in Iran and, expressing his disdain for mullahs in Tehran, said "there is no doubt something unstable about them." Photograph: Spiegel Online International
Mehriban Aliyeva (second from right), the wife of Azerbaijan leader Ilham Aliyev: She has had so much plastic surgery that it is possible to confuse her for one of her daughters from a distance, but that she can barely still move her face, according to US embassy dispatches. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
To the gallery >>>

WikiLeaks plant Enthüllung über US-Großbank
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die von WikiLeaks veröffentlichten US-Botschaftsdepeschen rütteln die Welt auf - schon kündigt die Internetplattform neue Enthüllungen an. Als nächstes will Gründer Julian Assange Zehntausende interne Dokumente aus einer großen US-Bank ins Netz stellen.

Washington - Berlin, Washington, London, Rom, Paris, Moskau - weltweit sorgt die Veröffentlichung Hunderttausender US-Diplomatendepeschen für Aufregung. Prompt kündigt WikiLeaks den nächsten Coup an: Seine Internetplattform werde Zehntausende interne Dokumente aus einer großen US-Bank veröffentlichen, "die ein oder zwei Banken in die Tiefe reißen" könnten, sagte WikiLeaks-Gründer Julian Assange dem US-Magazin "Forbes". Die Dokumente sollten "Anfang kommenden Jahres" im Internet veröffentlicht werden. Sie würden unter anderem zeigen, wie auf Führungsetagen der Banken gegen die Ethik verstoßen werde.

Die Offenlegung des Materials eröffne "wahre und repräsentative Einsichten, wie sich Banken auf der Management-Ebene verhalten", sagte Assange. "Man kann es das Ökosystem der Korruption nennen." Die Folge der Veröffentlichung dürften "vermutlich Untersuchungen und Reformen sein". Die Dokumente enthüllten "ungeheuerliche Übertretungen" und "unethische Praktiken". Gegenstand des Materials seien aber auch "die unterstützenden Entscheidungsstrukturen und die interne Ethik des Managements". Assange betonte jedoch, dass noch unklar sei, ob es sich hier um kriminelle Vorgänge handele. "Ich kann nur sagen, dass es klar um unethische Praktiken geht." Man sei sehr vorsichtig damit, Leute als kriminell zu etikettieren, bis man sehr sicher sei.

Der Australier verglich in dem Interview die anstehende Veröffentlichung mit den E-Mails, die im Zusammenhang mit dem Enron-Unternehmensskandal ans Licht kamen. Der einst zehntgrößte US-Konzern hatte 2001 nach einem Bilanzbetrug einen Insolvenzantrag gestellt - Auftakt einer ganzen Reihe von Betrugsfällen, die die US-Wirtschaft in den folgenden beiden Jahren erschütterten. Ecuador bietet Assange Asyl an >>> anr/dpa/AFP/dapd | Dienstag, 30. November 2010

British Police Issue Warning Before Protests
THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON (Reuters) — The British police have warned students not to use violence in demonstrations on Tuesday against a planned increase in tuition fees, after clashes during two previous days of protests.

Organizers are calling for university and secondary school students to take to the streets in what they are calling a “national day of action” against plans by the Conservative-led coalition government to almost triple tuition, up to $14,500 a year.

“November 30 will see even more students come out on protest across the country,” the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts said in a statement. The organizers said that about 24,000 had promised to participate.

Protesters smashed windows and started fires at the building housing the Conservative Party’s headquarters in London during a march this month, and scuffles and vandalism took place in London during protests last week. >>> Reuters | Monday, November 29, 2010

Cables Depict U.S. Haggling to Find Takers for Detainees
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — Last year, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed an unorthodox way to return Guantánamo Bay prisoners to a chaotic country like Yemen without fear that they would disappear and join a terrorist group.

The king told a top White House aide, John O. Brennan, that the United States should implant an electronic chip in each detainee to track his movements, as is sometimes done with horses and falcons.

“Horses don’t have good lawyers,” Mr. Brennan replied.

That unusual discussion in March 2009 was one of hundreds recounted in a cache of secret State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to a number of news organizations that reveal the painstaking efforts by the United States to safely reduce the population of the Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba so that it could eventually be closed.

American diplomats went looking for countries that were not only willing to take in former prisoners but also could be trusted to keep them under close watch. In a global bazaar of sorts, the American officials sweet-talked and haggled with their foreign counterparts in an effort to resettle the detainees who had been cleared for release but could not be repatriated for fear of mistreatment, the cables show. >>> Charlie Savage and Andrew W. Lehren | Monday, November 29, 2010

China Ready To Abandon North Korea
Diplomatic despatches released by Wikileaks suggest China is ready to abandon its support for North Korea and see it reunited with the South

US Official 'Shocked' By Behaviour Of Prince

SKY NEWS: Read on and comment >>> Carole Erskine, Sky News Online | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WikiLeaks: Ayatollah Khameni Has Terminal Cancer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran's Supreme Leader has terminal cancer and could die within months US officials were told by a well-placed Iranian informant, diplomatic cables show.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Ayatollah Khamenei, the chief religious leader of Iran, who holds the final word in state affairs is a hardliner well-known to be hostile to America. Details of the health and lifestyle of the 71-year old are shrouded in secrecy.

Any credible information that he was dying would fundamentally change the diplomatic stakes in negotiations between Tehran and its Western adversaries.

The US consulate in Istanbul reported in August, 2009 that a businessman close to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president, that the Supreme Leader had been diagnosed with a fatal form of Leukaemia. The source said Ayatollah Rafsanjani believed his great rival would be dead in a "matter of months". >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Monday, November 29, 2010

WikiLeaks: Julian Assange Accuses Barack Obama Of Trying To Stifle Press Freedom
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, accused President Barack Obama of trying to stifle press freedom.

He said the Obama administration had a record of arresting whistle-blowers and had become “a regime that doesn’t believe in the freedom of the press and doesn’t act like it believes it”.

Mr Assange, 39, made the comments in a short mobile phone video which he filmed from a secret location in London. He stayed out of the spotlight, in contrast to his high-profile press conferences accompanying earlier releases on his website, after being made the subject of an international arrest warrant over allegations of rape. >>> Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Tuesday, November 30, 2010

US Embassy Cables Flush Out Royal Gossip
THE GUARDIAN: Nuggets of diplomatic 'news' about Prince Charles, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew found in leaked dispatches

Diana, the Princess of Wales. Photograph: The Guardian
Read on and comment >>> David Leigh and Robert Booth | Monday, November 29, 2010

WikiLeaks: The Revolution Has Begun – And It Will Be Digitised
THE GUARDIAN – EXTRACTS: The web is changing the way in which people relate to power, and politics will have no choice but to adapt too

Diplomacy has always involved dinners with ruling elites, backroom deals and clandestine meetings. Now, in the digital age, the reports of all those parties and patrician chats can be collected in one enormous database. And once collected in digital form, it becomes very easy for them to be shared.

…

Leaks are not the problem; they are the symptom. They reveal a disconnect between what people want and need to know and what they actually do know. The greater the secrecy, the more likely a leak. The way to move beyond leaks is to ensure a robust regime for the public to access important information.

Thanks to the internet, we have come to expect a greater level of knowledge and participation in most areas of our lives. Politics, however, has remained resolutely unreconstructed. Politicians, see themselves as parents to a public they view as children – a public that cannot be trusted with the truth, nor with the real power that knowledge brings.

…

This is a revolution, and all revolutions create fear and uncertainty. Will we move to a New Information Enlightenment or will the backlash from those who seek to maintain control no matter the cost lead us to a new totalitarianism? What happens in the next five years will define the future of democracy for the next century, so it would be well if our leaders responded to the current challenge with an eye on the future. >>> Heather Brooks | Monday, November 29, 2010