WikiLeaks’ Assange arrested in London


LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested in London on Tuesday on suspicion of rape on an arrest warrant issued by Swedish authorities, British police said. Assange, 39, was detained


after attending a London police station by appointment at 5:30 p.m. (Manila time) and was due to appear at the City of West- minster Magistrates Court later in the day, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. “Officers from the Metropolitan


Police Service’s Extradition Unit have this morning, Tuesday, December 7, arrested Julian Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities on suspicion of rape,” the statement said. Assange’s arrest came after the whaistleblowing website leaked North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- tion plans to protect the Baltic states from Russia, causing fresh diplomatic tensions. His lawyers had said earlier that


he would fight extradition to Sweden, where the former hacker is wanted for questioning on sus- picion of crimes including rape. They fear that from there, he could be passed on to the United States. “We have got 10 days to do this and a lot of complex schedules to organize. I am sure it will be an-nounced when it happens,” his main London-based lawyer Mark Stephens said. Another of Assange’s London-


based lawyers, Jennifer Robinson, said that he was “isolated and persecuted” and that death threats had been made on blogs against his son.


“I think he will get a fair hearing here in Britain but I think our— his—prospects—if he were ever to be returned to the US, which is a real threat—[for] a fair trial, is, in my view, nigh on impossible,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. A court in Stockholm issued an


arrest warrant for Assange on Novem- ber 18 for questioning on suspicion of “rape, sexual molestation and un- lawful coercion” in Sweden in August. Assange has denied any wrong- doing and has yet to be formally charged at press time.


WikiLeaks itself continued to be chased around the globe following its release of thousands of US diplomatic cables, with Swiss authorities shutting down one of Assange’s bank accounts on Monday. The Swiss Post Office’s banking arm said that he had provided false information in his application. A French judge, however, de- clined to force web provider OVH to shut down WikiLeaks, after the government called for it to be kicked out of France.


WikiLeaks has already been expelled from the United States, where politicians have called for Assange to be treated as a terrorist. Supporters of the website have responded by setting up hundreds of “mirror” sites to keep it online. AFP


world The Manila Times WEDNESDAY


B 5


D ecember 8, 2010


100 COUNTRIES, GROUPS BACK CHINA’S NOBEL STANCE BEIJING: More than 100 countries and international organizations have


expressed support for China’s stance on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which will be awarded to convicted Chinese criminal Liu Xiaobo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said on Tuesday. XINHUA


Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay recognize Palestinian state B


UENOS AIRES: Argentina and Uruguay said on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) that they were


joining Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state, earning praise from Palestinian officials but an immediate sharp rebuke from Israel.


Israel called the announcement


by Buenos Aires “regrettable” and said that it went against an Israeli- Palestinian agreement that such a state should only be recognized with Israeli approval.


The comments echoed criticism Israel made after Brazil started the South American movement on Friday by saying that it recognized a Pales- tinian state based on 1967 borders, before the Six Day War in which Israel seized Gaza and the West Bank.


But Palestinian leader Mahmud Ab-


bas, on a visit to Turkey, expressed his “pride” over the decision by Buenos Aires, according to an official statement. His foreign minister, Riad al-Malki, told Agence France-Presse that the Palestinians had expected that Para- guay and other Latin American coun- tries will make “similar decisions.” “The Argentine government recognizes Palestine as a free and independent state within the borders defined in 1967,” Argentine Foreign


Minister Hector Timerman said, reading a letter sent by President Cristina Kirchner to Abbas. Timerman said the move reflected a general consensus among mem- bers of Mercosur, the South Ame- rican trade bloc. Uruguay announced soon after-


ward that it will recognize a Pales- tinian state next year. “Uruguay will surely follow the same path as Argentina in 2011,” Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Conde told Agence France-Presse. “We are working toward opening a diplomatic representation in Palestine, most likely in Ramallah.” Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and


Uruguay all make up Mercosur. Venezuela’s membership is pending. The decision to recognize a Palesti-


nian state stems from a “deep desire to see a definitive advance in the negotia- tion process leading to the establish-


WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States, South Korea and Japan all urged China on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) to help rein in its ally North Korea and vowed solidarity in defending Seoul from any further attacks from the North. However, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts Kim Sung-Hwan of South Korea and Seiji Maehara of Japan were vague about how they would deal with North Korea’s “belligerent” behavior. The trio met in Washington after


North Korea shelled a South Korean border island on November 23, killing two marines and two civilians, and after it revealed a uranium enrichment program that alarmed US scientists. Kim, the South Korean foreign


minister, said that the three shared the view that the Stalinist state in Pyongyang would face “severe consequences” if it engages in further provocations. “We all agree that North Korea’s


provocative and belligerent behavior jeopardizes peace and stability in Asia,” Clinton said at a closing press conference with Kim and Maehara. The chief US diplomat opened the talks with a moment of silence for the dead and injured in what she described as an “unprovoked attack” on Yeonpyeong island.


She agreed with her counterparts that the attack violated the 1953 armistice, while the uranium enrich- ment program is a violation of United Nations Security Council


worldinbrief


SOUTH KOREA CONTINUES LIVE-FIRE DRILLS SEOUL: South Korea’s military staged a second day of live-fire exercises Tuesday as its top officer scheduled talks with his US counterpart on ways to deter any new North Korean attack.


US DIPLOMAT ARRIVES IN MYANMAR FOR TALKS YANGON: A senior US diplomat arrived in Myanmar on Tuesday, officials said, for the first high-level talks with the government and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi following her release and controversial elections.


DEATH TOLL IN PAKISTAN SUICIDE ATTACK CLIMBS TO 43 GHALANAI, Pakistan: The death toll from twin suicide bombings in Pakistan’s tribal district bordering Afghanistan has risen to 43, an official said on Tuesday.


US AIRLINE GUILTY OVER CONCORDE CRASH PARIS: A French court blamed Continental Airlines on Monday for the 2000


BY EUGENE SHEFFER


resolutions and the North’s own 2005 commitment to denuclearize. Clinton nonetheless kept the door open to dialogue with North Korea. But the North must first repair ties with the South and “cease its provo- cative behavior” for long-stalled six- party negotiations to resume, she said in agreement with Kim and Maehara. The allies declined China’s invi- tation to hold emergency six-party talks with Russia in Beijing this month after North Korea shelled the island. “We appreciate Beijing’s initiative to propose an emergency six-party gathering. However, we first need an appropriate basis for the resumption of talks,” Clinton said. “Any effort, of course, must start


»horoscope


ment of a just and durable peace in the Middle East,” Timerman said. But Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor scolded: “This regrettable decision will not help at all to change the situation between Israel and the Palestinians.” Israel has already reacted with “sadness and disappointment” to Brazil’s declaration on the issue, saying that it breached a 1995 agreement it had with the Palestinian Authority that any Palestinian state should only come about through mutual negotiations. US lawmakers have also con- demned Brazil’s decision as “severely misguided” and “regrettable.” Western countries have agreed


that any definition of a Palestinian state required Israeli approval. The United States has consistently protected Israel’s position at the UN Security Council.


US, Japan, S. Korea urge Beijing to rein in Pyongyang


with North Korea ceasing all provo- cative and belligerent behavior.” The three diplomats vowed to pursue cooperation with China and Russia but urged Beijing to use its leverage with its ally in Pyongyang. “We would like China to have a more clear stance in giving warning to North Korea and to contain these provocative actions by North Korea,” Kim said through an inter- preter, noting South Korea would consult further on this topic with Washington and Tokyo. “We would hope that China, which chairs the six party talks, [would] play an even greater role in relation to North Korea,” Maehara said, also speaking through an interpreter.


AFP


Concorde crash in which 113 died, but did not jail anyone for the disaster that effectively ended commercial supersonic air travel.


WORLD POWERS, IRAN TAKE NUKE TALKS INTO SECOND DAY GENEVA: World powers and Iran arrived on Tuesday to continue talks regarding Tehran’s disputed nuclear program for a second day, after what both sides described as a “constructive” meeting so far.


ELIZABETH EDWARDS ENDS CANCER TREATMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards, announced on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) that she has ended treatment for cancer after doctors advised her any further therapy would be useless.


23 DEAD, 100 MISSING IN COLOMBIA MUDSLIDE MEDELLIN, Colombia: Emergency crews have been clawing through huge piles of mud in a desperate bid to rescue more than 100 people missing in a landslide that has claimed at least 23 lives in Colombia.


AFP


12 12 34 41 11 14 21 1


10 25 10 Series no.08 2 7 10


TODAY’S birthday (12/08/10). Any decision based on creative thinking will bear fruit this year. Now is the time for invention, innovation and discovering opportunity in unlikely places. Consider how you really love to spend your time and energy, and then focus on growing those passion projects.To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Seek balance today between independent study and group effort. The combination creates a practical blend. Persuade others to follow your lead. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — An associate fusses over financial details. You may feel an independent impulse and go off on your own. But you get better results if you work together. Gemini (May 21-June 21) —


Today is a 6 — One team member feels stressed because an idea doesn’t mesh with the plan. Take time to soothe any hurt feelings. Then make it fair later. Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today


AFP


is a 6 — Your project requires some changes. Use a very delicate touch and a slight mental readjustment to avoid damage. Then step back and admire. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 6


— Early in the day, your attention shifts from work matters to a relationship based on fun. Coworkers can manage details while you pursue a recreational activity. Go play! Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 6 — Productivity could be tricky, with your mind on romance. Imagination carries you far from practical considera- tions, yet those ideas get the job done. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a


7 — Your attention focuses on household matters today. To resolve a difficulty, first establish a balanced perspective. Then create options and choices. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today


is a 7 — The best foundation for today’s effort is creativity. You don’t need to finish anything, but you do need to get a good start. Allow emotions to flow. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) —


Today is a 9 — Produce and direct your own drama today. You won’t need much to get fired up. A shortcut limits potential less than you’d imagined and gets you there faster. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today


is a 6 — You feel self-contained in your plans and ideas today. Creative thinking becomes action, easily. Stick to practical means and minimal budget. Then go. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) —


Today is a 7 — To surprise someone special, maintain an outer appearance of busy activity. You can even ask questions to divert attention. Develop your act ahead of time. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 6 — Most of your attention is on other people now. Research facts and listen to intuition, rather than following blindly. Protect personal assets, and then choose. BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.


CHALLENGEof The Times BY CELSO BINAMIRA-GO BERINGUELA


Solve and arrange five (5) consecutive numbers into the given figures. Every three (3) numbers lying on the two (2) diagonals [forming the multiplication sign; TIMES or X] should have the same totals. Four (4) arrangements are needed. Given as clues is the Common Total (CT) (at the center) and other numbers to help you solve the puzzle.


25 36


63 52


»Sudoku 44


44 12


Series no.07 BY MICHAEL MEPHAM


Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.


Solution to today’s puzzle will be published tomorrow.


56 23


36 25


Solution for yesterdays puzzle.


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