US court demands WikiLeaks' Twitter account info
US investigators have gone to court to demand details about WikiLeaks' Twitter account, according to documents obtained yesterday -- the first revelation about the criminal case Washington is trying to build against those who leaked classified US documents.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said he believed other American Internet companies such as Facebook and Google may also have been ordered to divulge information on himself and colleagues.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a subpoena ordering Twitter Inc to hand over private messages, billing information, telephone numbers, connection records and other information about accounts run by Assange and others.
The subpoena also targeted Pfc Bradley Manning, the US Army intelligence analyst suspected of supplying the site with classified information; Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliamentarian and one-time WikiLeaks collaborator; and Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp and US programmer Jacob Appelbaum, both of whom have worked with WikiLeaks in the past.
The subpoena, dated December 14, asked for information dating back to November 1, 2009.
Assange blasted the US move, saying it amounted to harassment, and vowed to fight it.
"If the Iranian government was to attempt to coercively obtain this information from journalists and activists of foreign nations, human rights groups around the world would speak out," he said in a statement.
A copy of the subpoena, sent to The Associated Press by Jonsdottir, said that the information sought was "relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation" and ordered Twitter not to disclose its existence to Assange or any of the others targeted.
But a second document, dated January 5, unsealed the court order. Although the reason wasn't made explicit in the document, WikiLeaks said it had been unsealed "thanks to legal action by Twitter".
The micro-blogging site Twitter declined to comment on the topic, saying only that its policy is to notify its users, where possible, of government requests for information.
Neither Facebook Inc nor Google Inc immediately returned messages yesterday seeking comment on possible subpoenas.
In Washington yesterday, the US government volunteered little new information about its ongoing criminal investigation against Assange and WikiLeaks after news of its subpoena leaked. Under rules governing grand jury investigations -- in which US prosecutors present evidence and testimony to selected private citizens behind closed doors to seek their approval to formally file charges -- government lawyers are not allowed to discuss the case until charges are announced publicly.
It was not immediately clear how the data being requested would be useful to investigators, but Twitter's logs could reveal the Internet addresses that Assange and WikiLeaks supporters have been using, which could help track their locations as they travelled around the world. The information also might identify others with official access to WikiLeaks' account on Twitter who so far have escaped scrutiny.
Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, said targeting Twitter showed how desperate US officials were to pin a crime on the WikiLeaks founder.
"(This is an attempt to) shake the electronic tree in the hope some kind of criminal charge drops out the bottom of it," Stephens told the BBC yesterday.
Jonsdottir said in a Twitter message that she had "no intention to hand my information over willingly." Appelbaum, whose Twitter feed suggested he was travelling in Iceland, said he was apprehensive about returning to the US.
"Time to try to enjoy the last of my vacation, I suppose," he tweeted.
Gonggrijp expressed annoyance that officials had misspelled his last name in the subpoena -- and praised Twitter for notifying him.
News of the subpoena follows months of angry back and forth between US officials and WikiLeaks, which has released thousands of secret US military documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more recently, thousands of classified US diplomatic cables.
US officials say posting the military documents put informers' lives at risk, and that revealing diplomatic cables has made other countries reluctant to deal with American officials.
WikiLeaks denies that its postings put any lives at risk, saying that Washington merely is acting out of embarrassment over the revelations contained in the cables.
Assange is currently out on bail in Britain, where he is fighting extradition to Sweden on sex crimes allegations. His next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Source:AP
Turks and Caicos civil service election prompts concerns
Civil servants in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) have elected Dr Rufus Ewing as president of the newly reformed Civil Service Association (CSA).
Ewing, who is the director of Medical Services in the TCI, reportedly received about 220 votes. There are between 2,200 and 3,000 civil servants on staff in the TCI.
The ability to have an organised approach to issues affecting what is perceived or actual unfair treatment of civil servants is being viewed by government employees as a positive move.
It has also been revealed there is a plan to collect dues from the members, which could be used to build a fund to assist civil servants in need of financial support. It is unclear if the dues will be used to compensate CSA officers in any way.
Five candidates for the presidency were nominated but all but Ewing declined the nomination. It is unclear why these other nominated parties did not go forward. Some say it was intimidation of having to confront the interim government. Others are saying Ewing was preselected.
Two top belonger members of the interim government, who asked to remain anonymous, both suggested that Ewing has his eye on a political career and this is his first step.
Both agreed that the medical issues facing the country, including the unsettled administrative condition of the medical sector, should have excluded Doctor Ewing from this new endeavour, which they both felt would tend to further diminish his ability to address his basic responsibilities.
This opinion was echoed somewhat by another report by Providenciales (Provo)-based WIV TV channel 4, which reported that at least some of the 122 Haitians on board a sloop that ran aground in West Caicos within the past week have not been checked for cholera. Another source said the Haitians are being shipped home with dispatch, some already having left.
Ewing issued an early statement reporting that checks had been performed and no danger was present. WIV reported they were unable to reach Ewing for comment. It is unknown which report is correct.
In related news, a Haitian national, who spent the Christmas/New Year holidays in Haiti, on returning to the TCI was detained along with fellow passengers at the Provo Airport while blood tests were performed. Out of approximately 20 passengers, 5 tested positive and were returned to Haiti. Reportedly these were all from Port au Prince. Others with proper documentation were released after they were cleared.
Also reported was that some fellow travelers presenting travel visas were returned to Haiti. Recently the use of visas to clear immigration has been suspended. It appears these visa documents may have been forged.
Immigration officers are now checking documentation of passengers traveling from Provo to North Caicos at the ferry dock and ticket counter.
Revolt within Trinidad coalition member threatens government
Moves are reportedly afoot to remove Finance Minister Winston Dookeran as political leader of the Congress of the People (COP) which is one of the partners in the People's Partnership government in Trinidad and Tobago.
Sources say the man in the challenger's corner is Sports Minister Anil Roberts.
The Trinidad Express reported that Dookeran says he is not bothered by reports of such moves.
"I will not engage in such frivolities. There are major issues to deal with in the country," he responded when asked to comment on the reports on Saturday.
Pressed for a further comment, Dookeran said, "You remember when Gandhi was spat on in the train in South Africa and the people asked him ‘aren't you bothered about that?’ His response was ‘I don't have to be bothered, he (the man who spat on him) has to be bothered because he's the one who has done something wrong.’"
Sources said that there was strong support for Roberts to put himself up for the leadership position come March.
When contacted, Roberts said that if the people want him to serve he would willingly do so.
Ousted chairman of Antigua-Barbuda Electoral Commission warns of legal action
Former chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC), Sir Gerald Watt QC, has announced that he will challenge his removal as head of the commission in the courts.
The Observer newspaper reported that, in a press release, Watt said he received two letters within minutes of each other from Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and Governor General Dame Louise Lake-Tack respectively.
He said the prime minister indicated that Watt was being replaced as chairman because the former attorney general no longer enjoyed the people's confidence.
The governor general's letter, according to Watt, quoted verbatim from a letter that Spencer wrote to the head of state on the matter.
Lake-Tack's letter also informed him that the revocation of his appointment as chairman would not affect his position as a member or ordinary commissioner of the ABEC, Watt said.
He described the prime minister and the governor general's actions in this regard as "unlawful and contrary to the specific provisions of the Representation of the People Amendment Act.”
Watt said what he found most objectionable was that the prime minister had taken action to remove him as chairman of ABEC right on the heels of him being completely exonerated and vindicated by a judicial tribunal, which the prime minister had asked to be set up with the specific purpose of determining whether or not he should be removed.
He warned that the dictatorial and despotic action by the prime minister cannot and will not stand.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Lester Bird has criticized Lake-Tack and Spencer for removing Watt.
In his Sunday broadcast, Bird said, "It is a violation of a most important part of the law whose purpose to protect you, the citizens and residents of our country, from having your right to elect a government of your choice stolen by the authoritarian prime minister.”
He added, “To give you the protection to stop any prime minister from appointing a political hatchet man to the chairmanship or membership of the Commission, the prime minister is required by the law to consult with the leader of the opposition before recommending any such appointments.”
“In other words,” the Opposition leader said, “these positions are so sensitive to the maintenance of democracy in our country and to protect you from dictatorship, that the law requires consultation between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.”
“By secretly appointing Juno Samuel -- a known political activist, and a notorious opponent of the Labour Party and its supporters -- without consulting the leader of the opposition, Spencer has not only flouted the law, but he has scorned your democratic rights,” Bird told listeners.
The former prime minister, who is also an attorney, added that there is no legal basis for Sir Gerald's removal and both the governor general and the prime minister are aware of this.
Rihanna makes history in UK chart
Rihanna has set a new record as the first female solo artist in UK chart history to achieve number one singles in five consecutive years.
The Official Charts Company announced her record after What's My Name? rose from number two to the top spot.
The last solo artist to achieve the feat was Elvis Presley, who had number ones in each year from 1957 to 1963.
Rihanna's album Loud also holds on to its number one slot, giving her the second UK chart double of her career.
In 2007, her album Good Girl Gone Bad and single Umbrella topped both charts simultaneously.
Loud has now sold nearly 900,000 copies since its release in November last year.
As well as her number one, Rihanna, who is 22 and from Barbados, also appears on two other songs in the top 10 - Only Girl (In The World) and Who's That Chick.
Only Girl (In The World) was a number one last year and followed other number ones for Run This Town (2009), Take A Bow (2008) and Umbrella (2007).
Other albums which have re-entered the top 10 are Plan B's The Defamation of Strickland Banks, Rumer's Seasons Of My Soul and Cee Lo Green's The Lady Killer which climbs to its highest chart position yet at number four.
In the singles chart, the BBC's Sound Of 2011 winner, Jessie J, climbs to number five from last week's 18 with Do It Like A Dude.
Source:BBC
The Social Network wins National Critics award
The Social Network has moved a step closer to Oscar success after bagging four awards from the National Society of Film Critics in the US.
The film, about the origins of Facebook, was named best picture while David Fincher was named best director and writer Aaron Sorkin claimed best screenplay.
Jessie Eisenberg was named best actor as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
British actress Olivia Williams picked up best supporting actress.
She played the wife of a former Prime Minister in Roman Polanski's The Ghost.
The Social Network is widely considered one of the front-runners for the Oscar nominations, which are announced on 25 January.
Eisenberg beat off competition from Colin Firth for The King's Speech in the acting category but Firth's co-star Geoffrey Rush was named best supporting actor for playing a speech therapist who helped King George VI overcome a stammer.
The National Society of Film Critics, which includes members from newspapers in Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Chicago criticised the US Classification & Ratings Administration for placing an R-rating on The King's Speech for the use of strong language in the film.
The rating requires under-17s to be accompanied by an adult.
The British Board of Film Classification lowered the rating of the film from 15 to 12A, after its UK distributors launched an appeal against the decision.
Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno won an award as Mussolini's secret lover in Vincere while the award for best foreign language film was won by Carlos - about the life of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the jailed terrorist also known as the Jackal.
Boyle honour
The cast of The Social Network was also given the ensemble performance award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Natalie Portman was named best actress for her role as a ballerina in the forthcoming Black Swan, while British actress Carey Mulligan's roles in Never Let Me Go and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps landed her the award for breakthrough performance.
Danny Boyle, the director of 127 Hours and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire was presented with a visionary award and Javier Bardem collected the international star honour.
Source:BBC
Scots-Chinese deal as Vice Premier Li Keqiang visits UK
Scotland and China have sealed a major green energy deal, as Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang began a four-day visit to the UK.
The agreement, worth $10m (£6.4m), will see technology pioneered in Scotland used at a new renewable energy conversion plant in China.
Confirmation of the deal came as Mr Li and his delegation arrived in Edinburgh for the first day of his visit.
The vice premier is also meeting Prime Minister David Cameron in London.
The visit has a focus on promoting trade and political links with the UK and other European nations.
Mr Li - widely tipped to become the next Chinese premier - will also meet key UK government figures in London, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor George Osborne and Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said the licensing deal was reached between Sino-Scots firm Shanghai Huanuan Boiler and Vessel Co/Cochran and Scotland-based engineers W2E Engineering, which specialises in generating electricity from domestic refuse.
Mr Salmond, who has led several trade missions to China over the past two years, said the visit was vital for building economic growth, especially in renewable energy.
"China already has the largest deployment of on-shore renewable technology, and Scotland is a world-leader in pioneering the technology and application of clean, green energy," he said.
"This announcement is another positive step forward in strengthening Sino-Scottish links and confirming Scotland's reputation as a global leader in the development of renewable energy."
Shanghai Huanuan chairman Dong Ping added: "This agreement will see the creation of new green power stations built in Scotland and in China and this will generate sustainable renewable energy at a reduced cost for our global customers."
On the first day of the trip, Mr Li held talks with Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and also visited the renewable energy firm Pelamis Wave Power.
Mr Moore described the meeting as "very constructive", adding: "China and the UK are key partners in growth for the future.
"There are a huge number of economic opportunities which exist between China and Scotland and I am keen to see us take advantage of our excellent trading links and create new routes to market in the near future."
Mr Li is also due to deliver a speech at a China-Britain British Council banquet, ahead of his return to Beijing on Wednesday.
The vice premier's stay in the UK comes after a three-day visit to Spain, where he signed $7.5bn (£4.8bn, 5.7bn euros) in trade deals.
Mr Li also reaffirmed his country would buy Spanish government bonds, despite the recent crisis of market confidence over eurozone debt.
China has already made several Scottish trade agreements, including a deal requiring all "Scotch Whisky" sold in China to have been made in Scotland.
Anne MacColl, of the economic agency Scottish Development International, said Scotland was in a strong position to contribute to many of China's key aims, which also included life sciences, financial services and academic connections.
Car spy case: Renault's Patrick Pelata remains upbeat
Renault's chief operating officer says the impact of industrial spying on the carmaker could have been much worse.
Patrick Pelata told Le Monde newspaper data about Renault's electric car programme may have leaked, but its vital technology secrets were safe.
Renault suspended three senior managers on Monday after an investigation into the possible leaking of electric vehicle secrets to rivals.
France's industry minister refused to speculate whether China was involved.
Eric Besson had previously described the case at Renault, which is 15% state-owned, as "economic warfare", and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked the intelligence service to investigate.
Sources within Renault suspect the final recipient of the stolen information was likely to have been a rival in China.
Advanced technology
Without pointing fingers, Mr Pelata said the theft, which was detected last August and led to four months of internal investigations, was "the work of professionals".
"Renault is the victim of an organised international network," he told Le Monde's weekend edition.
"After a few weeks, we came to the conclusion that we were facing an organised collection of economic, technological and strategic interests located to serve abroad," added Mr Pelata.
He said the theft may have included details about the costs and economic model of Renault's high-profile multi-billion euro electric vehicle programme, but not the "golden nuggets" of its technology, including some 200 patents that are being lodged.
Mr Pelata said the theft involved three key Renault executives, whose identities he did not wish to confirm.
One of the three - whom he said would face a preliminary hearing before facing a likely dismissal and possible criminal charges - is reportedly a member of the carmaker's management committee.
The right-leaning Le Figaro newspaper had reported earlier that the information passed on relates to the technology in the battery and the engine of electrical vehicles that will be rolled out after 2012.
But Mr Pelata said "nothing critical" about the company's innovative technology had been leaked.
"It's serious, but not as bad as if it had been the technology," he said. "Whether it's the chemistry of the electrodes, the structure of the batteries, the different elements of assembling, be it the charger or the engine itself, we feel ok."
He added that the programme had not lost "one day" as a result of the theft and was still on schedule.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Paris, says it is a mark of how seriously the French government is taking this breach of trust that it has asked the intelligence service to investigate.
Car manufacturing is an important part of the French economy, and a major employer, our correspondent says.
One of the biggest advantages that Western carmakers have is their advanced technology, which enables them to compete against cheaper labour costs outside Europe.
The carmaker, alongside its partner Nissan, has invested heavily in electric vehicle technology.
Both plan to launch a number of new electric vehicles over the next two years.
Facebook document 'reveals profits and suggests IPO'
The strength of Facebook's profitability has been indicated in a document circulated on behalf of the social networking site.
Reports say the document, sent by Goldman Sachs to its clients, shows that Facebook made a net profit of $355m (£230m) on revenues of $1.2bn in the first nine months of 2010.
The paper also reportedly showed the firm is seeking to raise $1.5bn.
The fundraising has fuelled speculation that Facebook is set to go public.
Facebook declined to comment.
Investor threshold
Any cash call is likely to attract additional investors meaning that the site could pass a key investor limit.
Under US securities regulations, companies with 500 shareholders or more are required to disclose financial information within 120 days of the end of the year in which they cross the 500-shareholder threshold.
The requirement removes one of the attractions of remaining a private company and often leads to firms going public.
Reports also suggest that the 100-page document states that Facebook expects to exceed the 500 investor limit by 2011.
If so, it would have to start revealing comprehensive financial information by April 2012.
Goldman was also reported this week to have valued Facebook at about $50bn after making a separate investment of $450m in the social networking site.
This valuation is at the high end of estimates and would make it worth more than Time Warner, eBay or Yahoo.
Source: BBC
Giffords shooting: Suspect Jared Loughner charged
US authorities have charged a 22-year-old man over Saturday's Arizona shooting in which a congresswoman was seriously wounded and six people died.
Federal prosecutors charged Jared Loughner with trying to assassinate Gabrielle Giffords, 40, and killing two other government officials.
Mr Loughner, who is due to appear in court, could face the death penalty.
Ms Giffords is in a critical condition after being shot in the head at a public meeting in Tucson, Arizona.
She had been holding an open-invitation meeting with constituents outside a supermarket when a man holding a gun approached and opened fire.
She was shot from close range by the gunman, who then began shooting into the crowd.
Among the dead were a nine-year-old girl and a federal judge. A total of 14 people were injured, in addition to the six who were killed.
Local Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said a woman tackled the gunman as he tried to reload, snatching a magazine of bullets.
He managed to reload with another magazine, but the gun malfunctioned and two men then restrained him.
The sheriff said they had prevented a much greater tragedy.
Police searching Mr Loughner's Tucson home said they had found an envelope with messages saying "I planned ahead", "my assassination", and the name "Giffords".
So far, Mr Loughner has been charged only with offences relating to the attack on government employees, which is the responsibility of federal prosecutors.
They charged him with two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Federal Judge John Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, an aide of Ms Giffords.
He was also charged with attempted assassination over the shooting of Ms Giffords, and two counts of attempting to murder two other aides.
The Justice Department said he would appear in court in Phoenix on Monday.
State authorities are expected to bring charges against him later for attacking non government employees.
911 calls
US President Barack Obama has called on Americans to observe a "moment of silence" for the victims at 1600GMT on Monday.
On Sunday, police released tapes of emergency 911 calls made at the time of the attack.
In one, a caller says: "I see the man that was caught shooting was held down by some other... people.
"They took away his gun and they're holding him down so he can't do anything else."
Various former classmates have described Mr Loughner as "obviously disturbed".
He was said to be a loner who had posted a number of anti-government videos and messages on social-networking websites.
Shortly before the attack he had posted: "Goodbye friends. Dear friends, don't be mad at me."
Doctors at the hospital where Ms Giffords is being treated said they were "cautiously optimistic" about her recovery.
The congresswoman was described by Democratic colleagues as a rising star in the party.
All of next week's legislative debates in the House of Representatives have been postponed.
Source: BBC