WikiLeaks CableGate: December 22, Day 25

Check and update this page often for the latest news and views on the WikiLeaks saga, as well as our special report.

DECEMBER 22, DAY 25

Fact: WikiLeaks has released 1,862 of the reported 251, 287 U.S. diplomatic cables it claims to have in its possession. That means they have only released slightly less than three-fourths of one percent of the total. They have released 38 new cables since Monday.

[AP] U.N. Checking on WikiLeaks Suspect's Treatment

The United Nations' top anti-torture envoy is looking into a complaint that the Army private suspected of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks has been mistreated in custody, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

[NYTimes] Tensions were rising on Wednesday between Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian political factions, over a leaked American diplomatic cable and ongoing accusations by each side regarding the other's arrests, plans and statements. Gen. Adnan Damiri, spokesman for the security services of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, called a news conference and said that Hamas rockets, rocket launchers and automatic weapons had been found in Ramallah and Nablus. This was evidence, he said, of plans by Hamas to attack fellow Palestinians.

[Bloomberg News] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said his organization has damning materials about Russia, and now Novaya Gazeta, perhaps the dominant independent Russian newspaper, has unfettered access to them. Novaya Gazeta said on its website that it agreed to join forces with WikiLeaks to expose corruption in Russia.

[Australia's Herald Sun] Julian Assange will receive free membership in the Australian journalists' union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). "Julian Assange has been a member of the Media Alliance for several years. Clearly, with banking corporations freezing his accounts, his situation is quite extraordinary," the MEAA secretary said in a statement. "We've drawn up a new union card for him and offer him the full support of his union and professional association."

[FoxNews] John R. Quain at Fox News decides: Which is worse, Facebook or WikiLeaks?

"Companies like Facebook don't have to tell you what they know about you or with whom they've shared the information. Perhaps the best idea would be to use the attacks on privacy to fight the attacks on privacy. Get the people behind WikiLeaks to turn their attention toward finding whistleblowers in Silicon Valley. Then we'd know what really goes on behind the social networking Web pages and search engine databases."

[The Guardian] Vatican vetoed Holocaust memorial over Pius XII row

The Vatican has withdrawn from a written agreement to join an international Holocaust memorial organisation because of tensions over the activity of Pope Pius XII, the pope during the second world war, American diplomatic cables show.

[El Pais] Julian Assange said in an interview: "Police were worried that I could be assassinated (after release from jail.) I get death threats constantly. My lawyer gets them, my children get them. Most seem to come from militants of the US armed forces."

[Finextra] Bank of America is reportedly buying up abusive domain names related to its executives and board members in light of persistent rumors that it is WikiLeaks' next target. For example, the company registered a number of domains for CEO Brian Moynihan: BrianMoynihanBlows.com, BrianMoynihanSucks.com, BrianTMoynihanBlows.com, and BrianTMoynihanSucks.com.

[Washington Post] Who says the CIA lacks a sense of humor? The Washington Post reports this morning that the nation's premiere foreign espionage agency has launched a new task force to monitor the actions of WikiLeaks. It's called the WikiLeaks Task Force, but is reportedly referred to affectionately by the folks in Langley by its acronym: W.T.F.

[AP] The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have denied a U.S. government cable saying the demands of the Vancouver Olympics prompted them to curb drug investigations. The February 2009 cable obtained by WikiLeaks said the Mounties had all but stopped marijuana-related probes. Constable Michael McLaughlin said "it's absolutely not true" that marijuana, or any other drug investigation, stopped for the Olympics.

DECEMBER 21, DAY 24

Fact: WikiLeaks has released 1,824 of the reported 251, 287 U.S. diplomatic cables it claims to have in its possession. That means they have only released slightly less than three-fourths of one percent of the total. They have released no new cables since Monday.

[Guardian (U.K.)] Bangladeshi "Death Squad" Trained by UK Government

"The British government has been training a Bangladeshi paramilitary force condemned by human rights organizations as a 'government death squad', leaked US embassy cables have revealed."

[Guardian (U.K.)] How "Hurricane Anna Nicole" Blew Away the Bahamas

"The 'titillating details' of the 'sordid affairs' of the Anna Nicole saga 'enticed' Bahamians and changed the face of the island's politics, two confidential memos sent by the embassy in Nassau reveal."