The Swedish-based whistle-blowing website Wikileaks says it has come under attack from computer hackers. The website was due to release another tranche of classified US documents but said on its Twitter feed earlier today that it is under a mass-distributed denial of service attack.
The site says that a number of newspapers are set to release details of US embassy cables. These include The Guardian in the UK which has begun to publish extracts from the cables.
“The material that we are about to release covers essentially every major issue in every country in the world,” Mr Assange said in a video link on Sunday. US officials have appealed to Mr Assange not to publish the documents saying that it would put many lives at risk. It has also asked for the documents to be returned. In response Mr Assange has asked which lives it would put at risk and has offered to publish the documents in reduced form.
The latest tranche is believed to contain some 250,000 documents including US diplomats’ confidential views of some of its allies including Australia, Britain, Canada, Israel, Russia and Turkey.
One of the documents is believed to be an unflattering profile of Prime Minister David Cameron who, it says, is not highly regarded by either the Obama administration or the US amabassador. Others claim that the US is running an intelligence campaign targeted at the leadership if the United Nations including secretary-general Ban-ki Moon.
Wikileaks has already published thousands of documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has suggested additional 15,000 civilian deaths.
Would-be Conservative peer Howard Flight has apologised over remarks he made in which he suggested that recent changes to the benefits system would encourage people on benefits to “breed”.
In a statement released by the Conservative Party, Mr Flight said “I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused and would like to withdraw the remarks.”
The remarks came in an interview with the London Evening Standard. Asked about the decision to cut child benefit for families where one earner is taxed at the higher rate of income tax, father-of-four Flight said “We’re going to have a system where the middle classes are discouraged from breeding because it’s jolly expensive but for those on benefit there is every incentive. Well that’s not very sensible.”
Flight’s comments were immediately denounced by both Labour and LibDem MPs. Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary, Douglas Alexander, described the comments as “shameful but revealing” and said they cast serious doubt over David Cameron’s judgement in appointing Howard Flight to the House of Lords last week.
LibDem MP Bob Russell said: “His comments are offensive and unacceptable. They are not appropriate for the 21st Century, especially when the gap between rich and poor is growing and when the poorest still have lower life expectancies.”
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Frederik Reinfelt, David Cameron tried to draw a veil over the affair saying “I don’t agree with what he said and I am sure he will want to apologise for what he said and I’m sure we can leave it at that.”
Although Mr Flight initially said the remarks were “taken out of context” after being questioned by reporters he subsequently issued a full apology.
Mr Flight was sacked as a Conservative Party shortly before the 2005 election when he suggested in a speech that the party planned to make much deeper spending cuts than it had stated in its manifesto; however, the multi-millionaire banker remains a popular figure on the right of the party and was one of 20 new Conservative peers recommended last week.
I’m A Celebrity contestant Gillian McKeith has claimed that she is pregnant.
The 51-year-old Scot made the claims in order to get out of one the trials in the reality TV show, according to The Sun, though TV bosses decided not to air the clip.
Ms McKeith has also told other contestants in the show that she has been hearing voices and that she thought she had rabies.
Last night she was voted to do her eighth ‘Bushtucker Trial.’
Meanwhile fellow contestant, former LibDem MP Lembit Opik, has expressed his concern for her mental state. “Gillian’s levels of aliments have increased and she has been hearing voices,” he said. “She is very weak and frail at the moment.”
A source at ITV dismssed her pregnancy claims saying that she was “clearly joking”.
Ms McKeith began to lash out as she was sent to the jungle jail after cheating in the ‘Kangaroo Court’ challenge. She then shouted that she was pregnant in an attempt to be let back into the main camp.
People described as ‘pals of Gillian’ also dismissed her pregnancy claims, with one telling The Sun: “At 51? Miracles do happen, not in this case.”
All 29 miners trapped in a coal mine in New Zealand have been declared dead after a second explosion ripped through the mine.
The explosion occurred at just after 2.30pm local time (1.30am GMT) on Wednesday at the Pike River mine near Greymouth on New Zealand’s South Island.
The mayor of Greymouth, Tony Kokshoorn, said the miners’ families were in “absolute despair” after hearing news of the second blast.
“People shouted out in anger, they are sickened by the whole thing. A lot of them felt misled,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. This is the West Coast’s darkest hour. It doesn’t get worse than this.”
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will travel to the area on Thursday to thank rescue crews and meet the miners’ families.
“New Zealand is a small country, a country where we are our brother’s keeper, so to lose this many brothers at once strikes an agonising blow,” Mr Key told a news conference.
“The 29 men whose names and faces we have all come to know, will never walk amongst us again. We are a nation in mourning.”
Among the dead were two Australians, a South African and two Britons, Peter Roger, 40, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, both originally from Scotland.
It is not yet clear if the miners had survived a first blast on Friday however today’s explosion was more severe than Friday’s blast and lasted around 30 seconds.
Rescuers had been unable to enter the mine after air samples taken through a bore-hole completed on Wednesday had shown dangerous levels of methane and carbon monoxide.
Two robots had been sent into the mine and a third was on its way to try obtain clearer pictures of the conditions.
Royal Wedding Day Marked By Three-Day Week and Four-Day Weekend
The government has announced a bank holiday for the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The royal couple will get married on Friday 29 April at Westminster Abbey, Clarence House has announced while Prime Minister David Cameron has said it would be “a happy and momentous occasion” that would be marked by a public holiday in England.
“We want to mark the day as one of national celebration,” the PM said.
“A public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day.”
Public holidays in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved governments and announcements from both administrations are expected shortly.
The wedding will be paid for by the Royal Family but the cost of extra security and transport will be met by the taxpayer although the Middleton family are said to be keen to contribute to the costs.
Although Prince William’s parents were married at St Paul’s Cathedral his grandparents and great-grandparents were married at Westminster Abbey.
Jamie Lowther-Pinkington, who acts as Prince William’s private secretary said the abbey offered relative intimacy despite its size. He added that William and Kate had a hands-on role in the wedding but said: “We know that the world will be watching on April 29, and the couple are very, very keen indeed that the spectacle should be a classic example of what Britain does best.
“Prince William and Catherine have made it very clear that they wish everybody to be able to enjoy the day with them, consequently, the day will be a proper celebration for the nation and the realms.”
Friday 29 April falls in between Easter Monday on 25 April and the May Day Bank Holiday on 2 May and means a three-day week followed by a four-day weekend.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, welcomed the decision to hold the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
He said: “We are very pleased they have chosen Westminster Abbey for their marriage and look forward to the detailed planning for what will be a great and happy occasion for the couple themselves, for their families and friends, for the country and Commonwealth and for well-wishers across the globe.”
Houses burn on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong
Houses Burning After North Korean Bombs Island
North Korea has fired around 200 artillery shells at a small island off the coast of South Korea. Dozens of shells have landed on the island and around 60-70 houses are on fire.
The incident happened at just after 3.30pm local time (5.30am GMT) at Yeonpyeong island, near the disputed maritime border to the west of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean fighter jets have been scrambled and South Korean officials are saying that they expect the issue to be dealt with “to prevent a repetition.”
There are reports that the South Korean army had been carrying out military exercises on the island despite requests from North Korea to stop.
Residents on the island have fled their homes and at least four soldiers are said to be hurt with one fatality. Plumes of smoke are rising from burning houses on the island and the South Korean military are said to be evacuating the island.
South Korea has issued its highest non-wartime alert in response to what is the most serious confrontation between the two Korean nations since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
Reuters is reporting that top South Korean leaders are meeting in an underground bunker in Seoul. “A North Korean artillery unit staged an illegal firing provocation at 1434 PM (0534 GMT) and South Korean troops fired back immediately in self-defence,” a defence ministry spokesman said.
North Korea recently revealed that it had a modern uranium enrichment plant, which gives it a second route to a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses on the island gave reports of the shelling.
“Houses and mountains are on fire and people are evacuating. You can’t see very well because of plumes of smoke,” one man told YTN television station.
“People are frightened to death and shelling continues as we speak,” he added said.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since a South Korean warship was sunk near the border with the loss of 46 lives.
Woman Arrested After Baby Found Dead at Abergavenny
Woman Arrested After Baby Found Dead At Flat
A 22-year-old woman is being held under the Mental Health Act after an 11-month-old baby girl was found dead at a flat in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.
Jade Ruck was arrested on suspicion of murder after police found her 11-month-old daughter Harley Ruck at the flat at around 5.30am on Saturday morning. Despite police carrying out heart massage the child was pronounced dead.
A statement from Harley’s family read: “In the event of a horrific tragedy to our beautiful, happy, loving little daughter, grand-daughter, (great granddaughter) niece and cousin who was loved dearly and will be sadly missed by all around her, especially by her lost, heartbroken mum.”
Police were called to the flat in St David’s Road in the town after reports of a domestic incident.
Detective Chief Inspector Jon Williams of Gwent Police said: ‘This is an extremely distressing incident. I would reiterate that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death at this time and there is no risk to the wider community. However, I would urge anyone with any information about this incident to contact police. It could be crucial in assisting us with this investigation.
“I have a team of approximately 25 detectives and staff working on this case. Inquiries are continuing in the area and forensic examiners remain at the scene.”
Police and forensic officers were at the scene all day on Sunday and a spokeswoman said that initial reports from a post-mortem examination had established that Harley died from multiple stab wounds.
Neighbours have left tributes of soft toys and flowers at the scene.
Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact Gwent Police on 01633 838111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Ireland has formally asked the European Union for a bailout plan. Unconfirmed reports say the bailout is worth an estimated 85 billion euro (£75 billion) over three years. The announcement came in an address to the nation this evening by Prime Minister Brian Cowen. The bailout will come from the EU and the International Monetary Fund in liaison with the European Central Bank.
“We should not underestimate the scale of our economic problems,” Mr Cowen said. He added his thanks to Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy and other European nations.
The bailout fund will be to restructure the country’s banks, which will become considerably smaller, and also to plug a shortfall in the government’s finances.
Mr Cowen said that there would be cuts in public expenditure and that taxes would rise but that the issue of the country’s corporation tax rate of 12.5% had not arisen.
Earlier, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has said the loan would be used to plug a shortfall in the country’s day-to-day spending, as well as funding the banking system.
The news has come after days of talks with the IMF, and after days of denial from the Irish Government that the country would seek outside help.
Meanwhile, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said tonight that a bailout had been agreed but the size of the loan has yet to be agreed.
“One cannot name a concrete figure at the moment; we are in the middle of consultations. Ireland has applied and now it is being worked on with high priority,” Mr Schaeuble told a German TV channel on Sunday.
Twenty-seven miners are missing following an explosion at the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand.
The explosion happened at about 3.30pm on Friday local time (0230) GMT when a maintenance worker went to investigate reports of a power outage at the mine, situated on New Zealand’s South Island. The worker discovered the driver of a loader some 5000 feet into the shaft who had been blown off his vehicle. He then raised the alarm. After the two had made their way to the surface they told company officials that three other miners were also making their way back. Two miners later emerged with light injuries but there are reportedly another 27 men still trapped inside the mine – 15 of Pike River’s own employees plus 12 sub-contractors. This was later confirmed by Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whitall.
“We’ve had no communication with anyone else underground at this stage,” Mr Whitall said adding that communications had been terminated at the time of the explosion.
Specialist rescue teams, ambulances and helicopters were sent to the mine as soon as the blast was reported. Air quality testing is being carried out because of the unknown atmospheric conditions underground and it is believed it could be days before a rescue can take place. There are also concerns that ventilation inside the mine shaft may have been compromised by the power outage.
Families of the missing miners are waiting outside the mine and the mayor of Greymouth, some 30 miles south-east, says the situation is “pretty serious.”
Two miners are now being treated at Grey Hospital in Greymouth.
TV reporters in the area report seeing charred trees with smoke rising above the scene. A cabin has also been blown away.
Mine safety expert David Feickert told TV station TVNZ that it could have been a gas explosion, a coal dust explosion, or even a combination of both.
“This is what the rescue teams will be determining along with the management team on the spot,” he said. “That’s very important in terms of any rescue that’s going to take place.”
A suspect device has been found during a scan on luggage on a flight from Windhoek in Namibia to Germany.
The package, containing a detonator, batteries and a clock was found in a suitcase checked on to a flight heading for Munich. The bag was detected before it could be loaded onto the flight. The flight was delayed for several hours at Windhoek before being allowed to take off for Munich where it landed safely on Thursday morning. Germany is sending experts to Windhoek to examine the suspect from package.
On Wednesday German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere ordered a strengthening of the country’s security after receiving a tip-off that an attack was being planned in Germany for the end of November.
