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S-Korea vows retaliation against any further attack
Pak identifies 20 more suspects
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Wikileaks Expose Personal details of world leaders bared Moammar Gaddafi: A memo describes Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi having an intense dislike of staying above the first floor of hotels. The cables say that Gaddafi's fear of flying creates logistical headaches for his staff, who make great attempts to avoid long flights over water. And Gaddafi is reportedly obsessively dependent on travelling with a Ukrainian nurse described as a "voluptuous blonde" because she alone ‘knows his routine’. US ‘deeply regrets’ release
of documents by WikiLeaks
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S-Korea vows retaliation against any further attack
Seoul, November 29 Lee addressed the nation for the first time since Tuesday's attack as the US and South Korean warships took part in military manoeuvres, prompting concern in regional power China and threats of all-out war from North Korea. He also visited U.S. forces in Korea to thank them for the show of force. “North Korea will pay the price in the event of further provocations,” Lee said. "Attacking civilians militarily is an inhumane crime that is strictly forbidden in a time of war… Now is the time to show action, not a hundred words.” Lee has been criticised in the media for being weak, and an opinion poll on Monday showed many felt the government had been too restrained. Lee's personal rating has also fallen since the attack, and there have been protests against his response. About 500 former soldiers and ex-police burnt North Korean flags and effigies of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at a Seoul rally on Monday. The attack raised tensions on the peninsula to their highest level in at least two decades, but experts say the crisis is unlikely to escalate into war. Clashes in disputed waters off the west coast are not uncommon, with dozens of sailors killed and warships sunk over the past 11 years, but Tuesday's attack on Yeonpyeong was the first time a residential area had suffered a direct hit. Of the four killed, two were civilians. Markets in Seoul mirrored the broader region on Monday, as players judged the latest spat as being no worse than previous between the Koreas, who are still technically at war having only signed a truce to stop fighting in the 1950-53 war. China has proposed emergency talks amid global pressure on Beijing to be more aggressive in helping resolve the standoff between the rival Koreas and try to rein in ally Pyongyang, which depends on China for aid. Seoul, however, is sceptical of the proposal — sitting down with North Korea would be effectively rewarding it for bad behaviour. And Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said on Monday it would be "unacceptable" to resume six-party talks now. — Reuters
China for US mediation
Beijing: After proposing urgent consultations among key nations to defuse the crisis in Korean Peninsula, China on Monday sought the help of the US to facilitate dialogue to ease tensions. Top Chinese diplomat and state councillor Dai Bingguo called up US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the phone and said China and the US should help ease the tensions over the Korean Peninsula and facilitate dialogues South cancels drill on tense island
Seoul: South Korea's military said on Monday that new artillery drills planned for the front-line island targeted in last week's deadly North Korean bombardment were postponed, hours after authorities on the island announced the exercises. Similar live-fire maneuvers by South Korean troops one week earlier triggered the North's bombardment that decimated parts of Yeonpyeong Island, killing four persons and drawing return fire in a clash that set the region on edge.
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Pak identifies 20 more suspects
Two years after gunmen mounted commando-style attacks in the financial capital of India, Pakistani agencies have identified 20 more suspects in connection with the Mumbai carnage.The new suspects had allegedly provided logistical and monetary support for the attacks.
Pakistan has so far arrested seven suspects, including the alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. According to a classified report leaked to Express Tribune, the counter-terrorism wing of a Pakistani federal agency has now identified another 20 suspects ‘most of them from the Lashkar-e-Taiba’ who had allegedly abetted the Mumbai terror attacks. The report contains complete profiles of the suspects, including their photographs and residential addresses. According to the report, Muhammad Amjad Khan, resident of Multan, was facilitator of the Mumbai attacks in Karachi. Another suspect has been identified as Iftikhar Ali, a resident of Faisalabad. He had allegedly deposited $250 in Islamabad to obtain Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) connection for terrorism communication. Shahid Ghafoor of Bahawalpur was allegedly captain of the boats, Al Hussaini and Al Fouz, which were used by the Mumbai attackers.Ten more suspects identified as crew members of the two boats are: Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Usman, Ateequr Rehman, Riaz Ahmed, Muhammad Mushtaq, Muhammad Naeem, Abdul Shakoor, Muhammad Sabir Salfi, Muhammad Usman and Shakil Ahmad. All of them belong to various areas of Punjab.
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Wikileaks Expose
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US ‘deeply regrets’ release of documents by WikiLeaks
Washington, November 29 A day after after WikiLeaks released 2.5 lakh confidential cables, Clinton said the whistle-blower website acted "illegally" by posting the material online. She said the US is taking "aggressive steps" to hold those responsible for release of confidential documents and to prevent such incidents from recurring. However, she said, "I will not comment on or confirm what are alleged to be stolen State Department cables." "But I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential, including private discussions between counterparts or our diplomats' personal assessments and observations," she said. "I want to make it clear that our official foreign policy is not set through these messages... I am confident that the partnership built by the Obama Administration will withstand the challenge," she said. Meanwhile, US Attorney General Eric Holder today said a criminal investigation in underway against WikiLeaks and any individual involved in breaking US law, be it an American or foreigner, will be held accountable. As the US now makes efforts to deal with the consequences of the leak of 250,000 secret diplomatic documents, the Attorney General said if gaps are found in American laws, they would be closed to deal with such incidences. "I condemn the action that WikiLeaks has taken. It puts at risk our national security.," Holder said.
— AFP
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Seoul, November 29
Moammar Gaddafi: A memo describes Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi having an intense dislike of staying above the first floor of hotels. The cables say that Gaddafi's fear of flying creates logistical headaches for his staff, who make great attempts to avoid long flights over water. And Gaddafi is reportedly obsessively dependent on travelling with a Ukrainian nurse described as a "voluptuous blonde" because she alone ‘knows his routine’.
Vladimir Putin: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is an "alpha dog" who makes all decisions in place of Russian President Dimitry Medvedev as he "plays Robin" to Russian strongman's "Batman". This is what an official at the US Embassy in Moscow wrote in 2008 about the relationship between Medvedev and Putin.
Silvio Berlusconi: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is "feckless, vain and ineffective as a modern European leader", according to a US official in Rome. Another cable remarked on Berlusconi's "frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard".
Nicholas Sarkozy: French President Nicholas Sarkozy, in the view of US diplomats in Paris, has a "thin-skinned and authoritarian personal style" because of his tendency to rebuke his team and the French Prime Minister.
Hamid Karzai: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is described in one cable from Kabul as "an extremely weak man who did not listen to facts but was instead easily swayed by anyone who came to report even the most bizarre stories or plots against him".
Robert Mugabe: In 2007 Christopher W. Dell, the then US ambassador to Zimbabwe, calls Robert Mugabe, the authoritarian ruler of the African country, "a brilliant tactician" but mocked "his deep ignorance on economic issues".
Asif Ali Zardari: Saudi king Abdullah termed Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari the "biggest obstacle in the country's progress". The papers also carried "reservations of the US about Pakistan's nuclear programme and the war on terror in Afghanistan".