Rutgers: No fault in gay student's suicide

PISCATAWAY, N.J., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- New Jersey's Rutgers University denied responsibility for the suicide of an 18-year-old freshman secretly taped kissing another man in his dorm room.

It made the denial after being notified by the parents of freshmen Tyler Clementi they may seek damages from the university for their son's suicide, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported.

"We at the university share the family's sense of loss of their son, who was a member of our community," the university said in a statement.

"We also recognize that a grieving family may question whether someone or some institution could somehow have responsibility for their son's death," the statement continued. "While the university understands this reaction, (Rutgers) is not responsible for Tyler Clementi's suicide".

The claim notice, sent to the university Friday and first reported by The Star-Ledger, preserves the family's right to sue Rutgers for failing to act against two students who allegedly used a Web cam to secretly view Clementi kissing the man.

Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, and Rutgers student Molly Wei allegedly spied on Clementi with a Web cam Sept. 19, and Ravi then sent a message on the Twitter microblogging service that he had seen Clementi "making out with a dude".

Clementi later jumped off the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City.

Ravi and Wei, both 18, were charged with invasion of privacy. They later left the university.

"Subject to further investigation, it appears that Rutgers University failed to act, failed to put in place, and/or failed to implement, and enforce policies and practices that would have prevented or deterred such acts, and that Rutgers University failed to act timely and appropriately," the claim notice said.

No lawsuit has been filed and "a decision as to whether to file suit against Rutgers University in the future has not been made," Clementi family lawyer Paul Mainardi said in a statement.

By law, the family has six months after filing the tort notice to decide whether to file lawsuit, the Rutgers statement acknowledging receipt of the notice said. UPI

Russian president lauds U.S. passage of nuclear arms treaty

Washington (CNN) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday congratulated President Barack Obama on the Senate's approval of a new nuclear arms control treaty between the countries, the White House said.

According to a White House statement, the two presidents spoke by phone on the first day of Obama's Hawaiian holiday after Congress adjourned Wednesday in a flurry of legislative action, including the Senate vote to pass the treaty -- a major foreign policy objective of the Obama administration

"President Obama and President Medvedev spoke by phone this morning to discuss the new START treaty and their continued close cooperation on a range of critical issues," the White House statement said. "President Medvedev congratulated President Obama on the Senate's approval of the new START treaty, and the two leaders agreed that this was an historic event for both countries and for U.S.-Russia relations".

Obama cited issues of cooperation with Russia including Afghanistan, sanctions on Iran and World Trade Organization developments, the statement said. Obama added it was important for the two countries to work together "to support a peaceful referendum in Sudan and a resolution to the impasse in Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) that respects the results of the recent democratic election," according to the statement.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, was passed on a 71-26 Senate vote, with several Republicans joining a unified Democratic caucus in support of the accord.

The treaty will bring resumed inspections of each country's nuclear arsenal while limiting both the United States and Russia to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers. It still needs to be approved by the Russian parliament.

Signed by Obama and Medvedev in April, the treaty is considered a critical component of nuclear non-proliferation efforts and the administration's attempt to "reset" Washington's relationship with Moscow. CNN

Ivory Coast clashes kill 173, says UN

Post-election violence has claimed 173 lives in Ivory Coast, the UN says, as international pressure mounts for Laurent Gbagbo to quit the presidency.

The US says it is exploring ways to strengthen the UN presence in Ivory Coast, where Mr Gbagbo's forces are in a tense stand-off with supporters of his rival, Alassane Ouattara.

Liberian mercenaries are helping Mr Gbagbo's troops, the UN has confirmed.

The UN's rights council (UNHCR) ordered an official inquiry into the violence.

After a special meeting in Geneva, the council issued a statement condemning violations including "abductions, enforced or involuntary disappearances, arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, acts of sexual violence, denial of right to peaceful assembly, the loss of lives and the acts of destruction of property".

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the commission's unanimous stand will increase pressure on Mr Gbagbo to step down and for the UN to remain in Ivory Coast. BBC News

Toyota pays $10m to fatal Lexus crash family

Toyota has paid $10m to the family of four people killed in a runaway Lexus car in 2009.

The amount, agreed in September but kept confidential, was released by a lawyer for the dealership that lent the Lexus to the family.

Toyota, which did not admit or deny liability in the settlement, said in a statement it was disappointed the amount had been made public.

The crash triggered a series of recalls involving millions of Toyota models.

The car maker said in its statement: "As is common in these cases, these parties agreed to keep the amount confidential, in part to protect the families from unwanted solicitations and to allow them to move on from this difficult period".

The accident which killed off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, his wife, their daughter and Mr Saylor's brother-in-law happened in August 2009. BBC News

Russia may rejoin NATO anti-terror patrols in Mediterranean

Moscow may resume participation in NATO's Active Endeavour anti-terrorist operations in the Mediterranean Sea, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Thursday.

Under Active Endeavour, which was launched after the September 11 attacks, NATO ships patrol the Mediterranean Sea, monitoring shipping to help detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity. Russia temporarily withdrew from participation in the project this summer.

"The resumption of Russia's participation in the Active Endeavour operation is possible," Grushko said.

He emphasized that Russia and NATO understand that they should "work together to settle the aftermath of the Cold War".

Speaking about practical cooperation between Russia and the alliance in 2011, Grushko said that the parties would strive against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and piracy as well as working together to tackle the problems of Afghanistan. RIA Novosti

Russian auto parts makers to get several hundred million euros in govt support

The Russian government will grant several hundred million euros to support domestic auto parts producers, Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, head of the metals-to-timber conglomerate Basic Element (BasEL), said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin discussed support for auto part producers with Deripaska during his visit to a GAZ car-making plant.

"Owing to the fact that auto parts producers are experiencing serious financial problems, their balance sheets are strained as they can't receive financing. Today there will be an announcement about support for car part producers, those supplying car parts to us and to other enterprises," Deripaska said

Deripaska said financial aid was the quickest way to raise the quality and reliability of cars. He added that "in general that investment is small enough as it amounted to hundreds of millions of euros for the whole country". RIA Novosti

RusAl requests EGM to re-elect Norilsk board

RusAl, the world's largest aluminum producer and owner of a 25 percent stake in Russia's top nickel producer Norilsk Nickel, has requested an extraordinary meeting of the miner's shareholders to elect a new board, RusAl said on Thursday.

"RusAl is wary that Norilsk managers may soon announce a purchase by Norilsk's subsidiaries of their shares using funds of all shareholders, but in the management's interest under the guise of a desire to increase the company's value," RusAl said in a statement.

RusAl claimed an interview with the Wall Street Journal by Vladimir Potanin, head of Interros, another core Norilsk shareholder, confirmed such intentions.

RusAl has proposed terminating the powers of the current board, controlled by Interros and Norilsk managers, to stop the process and ensure election of those who will stick to corporate governance rules and protect rights of all shareholders, RusAl said.

Last week, Norilsk Nickel offered to buy RusAl's stake in the company for $12 billion. The offer is valid until 3 p.m., December 28.

RusAl said it was worried by Norilsk management signing a deal with Trafigura Beheer BV on a sale to it of American Depositary Receipts equaling about 8% percent of Norilsk's stock which happened simultaneously with the $12 billion offer.

RusAl said the deal had not been approved by the board of directors, its details were murky and Trafigura may not be the end buyer of the shares, while a company friendly to Norilsk or Potanin may have financed the purchase.

"Taking sales decisions without a board of directors approval is a serious breach of corporate governance standards," RusAl said.

"It is obvious that company management had started consolidating Norilsk shares using the company's balance for its own ends ahead of an annual shareholders' meeting in June 2011 to ensure the election to the board of a necessary number of directors representing management to block the replacement of the general director which, according to Norilsk's charter, requires a qualified majority of elected directors," RusAl said.

RusAl, controlled by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, and Interros have been embroiled in a shareholder row after RusAl lost one seat on Norilsk's board at a June annual general meeting, while Interros increased its representation. RusAl has accused Interros of ruining agreed board parity and the board of directors of vote fraud. RIA Novosti

University in Russia's North Caucasus bans Muslim headscarves

One of the largest universities in Russia's predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region has moved to introduce a modest, secular dress-code, the university's rector said.

The board of Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University (PGLU) has banned both students and professors from wearing hijabs - headscarves worn by many Muslim women - and revealing clothes, and from having body piercings, rector Alexander Gorbunov said.

"We will order university guards to not admit students and professors with extreme [appearances], for example barefoot, with naked midriffs, with piercings or with aggressive religious attributes, to the university," Gorbunov said after a meeting involving university students and local police.

PGLU is a secular educational institution whose students should wear modest, secular clothes, he said.

Radical Islamic movements originating in the volatile North Caucasus have become an issue of concern for the federal authorities who have been fighting militants in the region for two decades.

Russia's chief Mufti Ravil Gainutdin said on Tuesday that followers of Islam in Russia have no complaints about their treatment by the authorities, who treat them "with great respect".

"Russia's multimillion Islamic community can have no claims toward the current authorities because our rights are not being suppressed," he said. "We live in a free, democratic country".

A recent outbreak of racially motivated violence has brought inter-ethnic relations to the fore in Russia, with both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stressing the multicultural nature of Russian society. RIA Novosti

Russia, EU to complete partnership talks by 2012

Negotiations on a new basic partnership agreement between Russia and the European Union could be completed by late 2011-early 2012, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Thursday.

Twelve full rounds of talks have already been held, he said.

The new agreement should update and replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The PCA expired at the end of 2007 but was automatically prolonged.

The new deal should provide a comprehensive framework for EU-Russia relations, and include substantive, legally binding commitments in all areas of the partnership, including political dialogue, security issues, economic cooperation, research, education and culture, as well as solid provisions on trade, investment and energy.

The negotiations were started in July 2008, suspended by the EU over the August 2008 war in South Ossetia and restarted in December 2008. RIA Novosti

Berlusconi defends record

ROME, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi defended everything from his handling of the Neapolitan trash crisis to his personal life Thursday.

At an end-of-year meeting with the news media, Berlusconi said he expects to be able to reform his government by the end of next month, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. If he fails, then a parliamentary election will be necessary.

Last week, Berlusconi survived a no-confidence vote triggered by supporters of his former ally, House Speaker Gianfranco Fini, who formed the People of Freedom Party with him. He told reporters he plans to change the party's name, partly because he wants more moderates in his group and partly because he dislikes its Italian acronym, PdL.

Berlusconi suggested a leftist plot is behind continued trash problems in Naples, blaming them on local officials who have failed to follow through on commitments his government negotiated. Accusations of corruption in construction contracts in the Abruzzi region, devastated by an earthquake, are "mudslinging" from the left.

The prime minister blamed his estranged wife for public criticism of his lifestyle by his daughter, Barbara. UPI

Man, daughter admit to pigeon importing

MIAMI, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida man and his daughter pleaded guilty to illegally importing wildlife after 72 unhatched pigeon eggs were found in the daughter's luggage.

Federal investigators said Claribel Blanco Cuellar, 21, was stopped June 7 by Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport and the 72 eggs were found in her luggage, The Miami Herald reported Thursday.

Investigators said the eggs were given to Cuellar by an uncle in Cuba and were destined for sale at El Morrillero, a pet store owned by her father, Rufino Blanco, 47.

Cuellar and Blanco both pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally importing wildlife and they each face as long as five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when they are sentenced March 3. UPI

Obama joins family in Hawaii

KAILUA, Hawaii, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama started his first day of vacation in Hawaii Thursday with a workout at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

Obama arrived for his workout at 8:23 a.m. and managed to avoid the media that accompanied him on the seven-minute drive from the winter White House in Kailua on the eastern shore of Oahu.

Obama later played his first full round of golf in two months at the base with Hawaii pals Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos, and Eric Whitaker from Chicago.

Obama joined his family after the lame-duck session of Congress adjourned.

Air Force One touched down at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam just before midnight Thursday. The ride to his vacation home was about 25 minutes.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, traveled to their home state with Obama.

Hirono said Obama asked her if she was returning home for the holiday and asked if she wanted a lift, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported. She said it was her first first time aboard Air Force One.

"He said he's going to go swimming and I said, 'don't forget shave ice,'" she said. "He's just here to relax with his family".

Akaka said his conversation with the president was "mostly family talk," the newspaper said.

Obama is looking forward to spending time with family and friends, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

"I think the president is ... anxious to spend time where he grew up," visiting relatives and childhood friends, Gibbs said.

Obama also will be working, Gibbs said.

"I anticipate that he'll take a number of things with him and that he'll read a good amount of stuff," the spokesman said. "He'll have, obviously, his daily intelligence briefing, as well as probably (read) a novel or two". UPI

Bull mastiffs impounded after 2nd attack

SEATTLE, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The fate of two bull mastiffs in Seattle that mauled a child and attacked a woman and her dog will be determined soon, an animal shelter official said.

The dogs' owner, a 31-year-old Seattle man, turned them over to the Seattle Animal Shelter after they got loose Monday and attacked a woman and her dog, an Australian Shepherd mix, The Seattle Times reported Thursday.

The mastiffs were two of three dogs that mauled a 10-year-old boy Dec. 5 when he climbed over a backyard fence to retrieve a ball. The boy, who sustained large gashes to his throat and head and possibly a broken arm, was taken to the hospital, the Times said.

The boy's mother said her son is recovering.

The owner subsequently gave away one of the three dogs, the Times reported.

In Monday's incident, the two remaining mastiffs pinned down the woman's dog and bit it, but it was not injured and was able to run away. The mastiffs then turned on the woman, but the man's parents were able to get them back into the yard, and the woman was unharmed, the Times reported.

Animal control officers Tuesday were told of the incident and impounded the mastiffs.

Don Jordan, director of the Seattle Animal Shelter, said the mastiffs' owner, who has been cooperative since the Dec. 5 incident, "decided to voluntarily surrender the dogs to the city".

Jordan said the mastiffs' fate will be determined in the next week or 10 days. UPI

Skype back to near normal

LUXEMBOURG, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Internet phone service Skype was back in business Thursday after an outage that lasted almost a day.

Skype, which is based in Luxembourg, was down most of Wednesday, USA Today reported. Service returned Thursday with video and audio calls being made at almost normal levels by noon EST.

The outage was the longest since 2007 and affected millions of users around the world. Some features remained unavailable or were running slowly Thursday afternoon.

Skype Chief Executive Officer Tony Bates, who has been on the job for only eight weeks, said the company apologizes to its members.

"The root cause was software," Bates told USA Today in a phone interview. "We had to temporarily bring in some dedicated servers and shift resources to get back online".

He said a malicious attack was unlikely.

Users in Japan, Europe and the United States all reported problems, which started Tuesday, the BBC reported. The company said the trouble has been traced to critical parts of its network being taken offline.

Bates said Skype lost about half of its estimated 20 million daily calls when the problem first occurred.

In a blog, the company said that the problem was caused by several "supernode" failures. Supernodes route traffic between users.

"Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available," the blog read. "Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype".

The firm said its engineers were trying to create "mega-supernodes" to circumvent the problem. UPI

Immigrants spur Canadian population growth

OTTAWA, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Canada's immigration rate was its highest in four decades, pushing the country's population up to nearly 34.3 million, Canada's statistics agency said.

Sixty-five percent of Canada's 129,300-person population increase from July 1 to Oct. 1 was due to 84,200 new immigrants, Statistics Canada said.

The influx reached most provinces and territories, some of which had their highest quarterly immigration levels in nearly 40 years, the agency said.

Prince Edward Island, the maritime province that's Canada's smallest in both land area and population, recorded the highest growth rate, with a 0.7 percent population increase, the agency said.

The increase was largely due to 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971, the agency said.

Quebec and Manitoba also broke 1971 records.

Ontario didn't break any records, but immigrants made up 70 percent of its third-quarter population increase, Statistics Canada said.

Alberta, in the western part of Canada, was the only province to report growth driven by a "natural increase," responsible for 60 percent of the growth, the agency said.

Newfoundland and Labrador, on the country's Atlantic coast, was the only province to lose people, down about 500.

The agency expects Canada to add 240,000 to 265,000 more people by the end of the year.

The immigration increase followed Canada's June announcement it would welcome immigrants to "keep the workforce strong" as the economy grows following the Great Recession, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Kelli Fraser told Postmedia News. UPI

Serbia moves nuclear waste to Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Serbian government says it has successfully transferred 2.5 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste to Russia.

The Wednesday transfer was conducted as part of a special program in which Russia disposes of spent fuel from Russian-built reactors in other countries, RIA Novosti reported.

More than 8,000 spent fuel elements, including 28 pounds of highly enriched uranium, were transported from a Soviet-built reactor outside Belgrade to the Mayak nuclear facility in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, a statement by the press service of the Serbian government said.

"Serbia along with its international partners managed to implement this sensitive work (the transportation) without problems," Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said in the statement.

The shipping of the waste took eight years to arrange and cost Serbia $55 million, he said.

Russia will use the money to rehabilitate the polluted environment of the industrial Chelyabinsk region, RIA Novosti reported. UPI

Detroit firebomb attack kills 70-year-old

DETROIT, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Detroit fire department officials say a 70-year-old man has died after saving his wife from what firefighters called a firebombing of several houses.

Detroit Fire Capt. Steve Varnas said Russell Marcilis Sr. "was trying to make it, got almost to the front door and expired," after his wife Marie, 63, escaped the Wednesday night fire with injuries not considered life threatening, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Family members said they believe it was a case of apparently mistaken revenge.

Firebombs hit homes on each side of the Marcilis residence but only the Marcilis home went up in flames, firefighters said.

A neighbor allegedly had a feud at a local bar during the weekend, the couple's son Russel Marcilis Jr. said, "and that could have led to it".

"What we heard is it was just the wrong house," he said.

Neighbor Cecilia Thomas, 46, said she and another resident heard the firebombing and went outside to find Marie Marcilis fleeing the burning house.

They tried to rescue her husband but couldn't get into the home, Thomas said.

"I kept trying to open the screen door but it burned my hands,""Thomas said. 

"The whole house was just blazing".

Detroit police declined to comment on the incident, the Free Press said. UPI

Woman accused of attempted murder for hire

COLLINSVILLE, Ill., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman faces federal charges of contracting for the murder of her 3-year-old son's father, officials said.

Christina Lynn Keck, 31, of Collinsville allegedly paid undercover FBI Special Agent Daniel Cook $600 to kill her ex-boyfriend in Texas, where he lives with the son, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reported Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Wilkerson ordered Keck's detainment earlier this week.

A cooperating witness contacted the FBI, saying Keck had asked him to find someone to kill the child's father, the complaint against Keck said.

An affidavit filed by Cook said the parents were involved in a custody dispute.

Keck provided Cook with information about the child's father, including directions to his house and business, and showed him the man's Facebook pictures, the News-Democrat reported.

The affidavit read, "When asked if she wanted the murder done in the presence of her 3-year-old son, Keck replied, 'Preferably not in my son's presence, so as not to traumatize him".

Cook said Keck told him, "I'll deal with my son".

"I want him gone," Cook said the woman told him.

A preliminary and detention hearing is scheduled for Dec. 27 in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.

If convicted, Keck faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. UPI

Police mum on hiker death investigation

JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- No one has taken responsibility for an attack on two women Christian missionaries that killed one of them, Israeli police say.

One of the women, Kaye Susan Wilson, told police she and Kristine Luken were stabbed by two men who appeared to be Arab as they hiked in a forest in the Jerusalem area Saturday. Wilson said she played dead until the men left.

The assailants are believed to be motivated by Arab nationalism, Shmuel Ben-Ruby, a police spokesman said. But he said no group has claimed the stabbing, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Police were releasing little information about the investigation. Wilson told reporters Wednesday the attackers tore off her Star of David pendant and then stabbed her in that place.

Wilson and Luken were members of Church's Mission among Jewish People, a British and U.S.-based group which preaches Messianic Judaism. Luken, 44, a former U.S. government employee from Virginia, had been living in Nottingham, England, recently, while Wilson, a native of Britain, is an Israeli citizen.

"She had an infectious love for God and a great admiration and love for the Jewish people and the Holy Land," Church's Ministry said in a statement.

Luken's body was to be returned to the United States for burial with memorial services planned in Jerusalem and Nottingham, the BBC said. UPI

Fla. man, 66, faces 50 child porn counts

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida speech pathologist with a sex offender history was charged with 50 counts of possession of child pornography.

Warren Day, 66, of Pembroke Pines allegedly was viewing a child pornography Web site when Broward County detectives arrived at his home to investigate, The Miami Herald reported Thursday.

Hundreds of images of children between the ages of 1 and 12, engaging in sexually explicit acts with other children and adults were discovered in Day's home, investigators said.

Broward sheriff's deputies followed up on tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a computer was being used to upload and share child pornography, the Herald reported.

Pending an analysis of Day's computer and a couple of other media instruments found in his home, Day could face even more charges, the newspaper said.

In 1982, Day served two years probation for a sex act against a child, but registry as a sexual offender was not yet required.

Day has worked as a speech pathologist with seniors at the Hollywood Rehabilitation Center for the last seven months, but throughout his 30-year career, he has been in contact with children from kindergarten to high school. He was earlier employed by the Dade County School System, the newspaper said. UPI

Thailand asks China to extend panda's stay

BANGKOK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Thai officials say they've asked China to allow a giant panda cub, a celebrity at a northern Thailand zoo, to stay for two more years.

Zoological Park Organization chief Sophon Damnui and the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti say they've been working to extend the contract signed with China to keep the cub Lhinping at the Chiang Mai Zoo for another two years, the Bangkok Post reported Thursday.

The cub was born in May 2009 to Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang, two giant pandas on a 10-year loan from China since 2003.

China would send representatives to inspect the living conditions of the giant pandas and their cub in January, Sophon said.

Thai authorities would discuss the proposed extension of the cub's stay during the visit, he said.

Of the more than 1.2 million tourists who visited the Chiang Mai Zoo this year, 600,000 went expressly to see the pandas, Sophon said. UPI

Netanyahu: World blames Palestinians

JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The world is starting to realize it's the Palestinians, not the Israelis, obstructing Mideast peace, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday.

Palestinian officials refuse to move ahead with the peace process due to Iranian pressure and tensions within the Fatah political party, Netanyahu told a group of Russian-speaking journalists.

His remarks were reported by Israel Radio.

The world also understands the nuclear arming of Iran is the Middle East's main problem now, not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel Radio quoted Netanyahu as telling the journalists.

U.S., Israeli and European officials allege Tehran is planning to build nuclear weapons while Iran's leadership says the nuclear program is to generate electricity without dipping into the oil supply it prefers to sell abroad, and to provide fuel for medical reactors.

Israel considers the possibility of Iranian nuclear weapons an existential threat, The New York Times reported.

Netanyahu also reiterated to the journalists his promise of last week to ask U.S. President Barack Obama to release Jonathan Jay Pollard from prison. Pollard is a U.S. civilian intelligence analyst convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel.

Netanyahu will send a letter to Obama asking for the release next week, Ynetnews.com reported.

Pollard's current projected release date is Nov. 21, 2015. UPI

London Underground drivers to strike

LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Officials of the London Underground system have gone to court to prevent a strike on Boxing Day by drivers, authorities said.

Members of the train drivers' union say they are planning a 24-hour walkout on the Dec. 26 public holiday after negotiations about holiday pay failed, the BBC reported Thursday.

Drivers were asking to be paid triple time and given an additional day off for working on Boxing Day.

Transport for London officials said they were seeking an injunction against the "completely unnecessary" strike.

The drivers union called the injunction request "disappointing".

In 1996 the union signed an agreement to consider Boxing Day a normal working day in return for higher pay and longer holidays.

However, increased Tube services on government holidays meant drivers now had to work more public holidays than was the case when the agreement was signed, union officials said.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, commenting on the strike threat, said, "All it succeeds in doing is alienating Londoners, stopping people from going about their jobs, impeding our great city from leading the country out of recession". UPI

Microsoft warns of browser security flaw

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. software giant Microsoft says a serious vulnerability in its Internet Explorer browser could allow attackers to take control of an unprotected computer.

Code to exploit the bug has already been published but Microsoft said it had no evidence it was currently being used by cybercriminals, the BBC reported Thursday.

The bug involves the way IE manages a computer's memory when processing Cascading Style Sheets that define the look and feel of pages on a Web site.

IE's memory management can be exploited to inject malicious code into the stream of instructions a computer processes as a browser is being used, experts say.

"As vulnerabilities go, this kind is the most serious as it allows remote execution of code," said Rik Ferguson, senior security analyst at Trend Micro. "This means the attacker can run programs, such as malware, directly on the victim's computer".

Microsoft is "investigating" the bug and working on a permanent fix, the company said in a statement. UPI

'Ainda há material de impacto sobre EUA', diz fundador do WikiLeaks

GENEBRA - Julian Assange, fundador do grupo WikiLeaks, tem causado uma série de embaraços a Washington com a divulgação de telegramas secretos da diplomacia americana. Em sua primeira entrevista a um jornal latino-americano desde que foi libertado sob fiança pela Justiça da Grã-Bretanha, no dia 16, Assange falou ao Estado, por telefone, sobre a pressão feita pelos EUA.

Para ele, o que Washington faz hoje somente se compara aos anos do macarthismo - o período de perseguição política, entre os anos 40 e 50, por parte do Estado americano contra suspeitos de simpatizar com o comunismo. Ele garante que um material ainda mais explosivo está por surgir em 2011 em relação aos EUA. "Os valores americanos estão sendo jogados no lixo", alertou, sobre a pressão que tem recebido.

O australiano mostra que conhece em detalhes a situação no Brasil. Critica a corrupção no País e a censura adotada por atos da Justiça contra a imprensa. Ele anuncia que poderá usar o Brasil como base de suas operações em 2011 e diz que não descartaria a possibilidade de ir ao Brasil se uma oferta de asilo fosse feita.

O fundador do WikiLeaks admite que a declaração do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva em seu apoio foi "corajosa", mas agora espera que o governo de Dilma Rousseff faça o mesmo. Assange também se defendeu da acusação de que cometeu crimes sexuais na Suécia. O australiano se classifica como "preso político", diz temer por sua vida e confirmou que ele e seus filhos têm recebido ameaças de morte. Eis os principais trechos da entrevista.

Para alguns, o sr. abriu uma nova fronteira na liberdade de imprensa, para outros, é um anarquista da internet. Como o sr. se define?

Vamos colocar de forma simples. Sou um publisher. E esse é meu papel. Como publisher tenho de organizar nosso pessoal e administrar a sequencia do material. Não pretendo ganhar dinheiro, mas levar conhecimento às pessoas para que entendam seu mundo.

O que se nota é a pressão feita pelo governo americano em relação ao sr. O vice-presidente americano, Joe Biden, o qualificou de terrorista high tech. Como essa pressão afeta sua vida?

Talvez o que mais se aproxime desse tipo de comportamento seja o período macarthista. Vemos declarações de que eu sou um terrorista high tech, de que toda nossa organização deve ser perseguida, como Osama bin Laden. Leis propostas no Senado nos qualificam de ameaça transnacional para que ações possam ser tomadas contra nós. Todo esse comportamento contra uma organização que apenas publicou o material a que teve acesso é alarmante. Isso revela algo que não víamos antes e o quanto a retórica dos EUA sobre a liberdade de imprensa na China ou outros países é falsa. Quando começamos a publicar algo sério, que poderia levar a reformas, e de fato eram informações embaraçosas, vimos as leis e os valores dos EUA serem jogados no lixo, de forma preocupante.

Como essa pressão tem sido traduzida em ações reais contra o sr. e outros membros do WikiLeaks?

O FBI foi ao País de Gales. Fizeram uma busca na casa da mãe de Bradley Manning (analista de inteligência do Exército americano acusado de ter revelado documentos secretos sobre as guerras no Afeganistão e Iraque). Os EUA tentam me indiciar por conspiração, espionagem ou outros crimes para garantir minha prisão pelo restante da vida. Vemos a pressão ampla dos EUA em países aliados como Austrália, Grã-Bretanha e Suécia para me espionar e processar.

Com toda essa pressão, como o WikiLeaks consegue sobreviver financeiramente?

Temos uma base de apoio, em todo o mundo, incluindo os EUA e Austrália. Na situação australiana, vimos uma petição com 600 mil pessoas num país de 20 milhões de habitantes; na América do Sul, e especialmente no Brasil, recebemos apoio político. O aspecto financeiro é difícil. É verdade que Visa, Mastercard e Bank of America, sem autorização judicial, cortaram nossas transações financeiras. Mas há mais formas de as pessoas nos ajudarem. Infelizmente, a forma mais fácil é por cartão de crédito - e isso foi tirado de nós.

O sr. estaria guardando algo ainda mais poderoso contra os EUA para ser publicado, que abalaria o governo americano?

Temos várias revelações ainda que teriam um impacto político grande para o governo americano e para outros governos. Mas vamos seguir nosso trabalho normal. Só revelamos 2.250 telegramas de 250 mil. Há muito, muito mais.

Qual o impacto disso tudo e dessas revelações que o sr. traz para a democracia no mundo?

O que eu espero é que nosso trabalho mostre às pessoas em todo o mundo como é que o mundo de fato funciona.

Para 2011, quais são os planos de WikiLeaks?

Para 2011, vamos publicar mais telegramas sobre países e sobre mais de cem organizações. Mas também teremos outras publicações. Vamos expandir nossa estrutura.

Que tipo de revelações estarão nas próximas publicações?

Temos milhares e milhares de documentos significativos. Alguns dos mais significativos foram sobre os bancos, na Suíça, Islândia, Ilhas Cayman, EUA e Grã-Bretanha.

Algum plano sobre ampliar sua organização no Brasil?

Sim. Temos alguns brasileiros já trabalhando nas últimas semanas. Mas vemos muito apoio vindo do Brasil, tanto da população, mídia, da forte e emergente cultura de internet. E também há muita corrupção. Portanto, haverá bons tempos no futuro no Brasil para nós.

Lula disse que o apoia. Mas esse apoio vem de um governo criticado por ter pensado em tomar medidas contra a imprensa. Como o sr. avalia essa posição?

O fato é que temos 2.855 telegramas sobre o Brasil (com a Embaixada dos EUA em Brasília como origem ou destino das mensagens). Mas há outros que vêm de outros países. São pelo menos outros 2.000. Sobre Lula, ele tem adotado uma posição corajosa em relação à independência do País há tempos. Mas agora está na posição de quem está terminando o mandato, que pode falar de forma mais livre sobre o que genuinamente pensa. Ao fazer essas declarações, talvez estabeleça a base e torne mais fácil para a próxima presidente tomar a mesma posição. Mas imagino que ela e o governo terão de tomar cuidado em relação aos EUA.

Dilma seria mais hesitante...

Suspeito que isso seja verdade. Mas talvez ela surpreenda e demonstre ter suficiente coragem. Temos exposto a manipulação de muitos países pelos EUA, pelas ações do Departamento de Estado. Portanto, não será mais tão fácil fazer isso como era no passado. E talvez isso possa proteger o Brasil.

Sobre liberdade de informação na América Latina, qual a avaliação do sr.? É algo que o preocupa ou não mais do que em outras regiões?

Há boas leis e proteções constitucionais em vários países latino-americanos. Mas a questão é se essas leis estão sendo seguidas na prática. A associação entre Estados (e seus Poderes Judiciários) e empresas pode permitir a censura na prática. Entendo que há um grande escândalo em relação ao blog Falha de S. Paulo, que é uma sátira ao nome do jornal com o qual temos uma parceria no Brasil. Entendo a importância de proteger a marca e temos sites similares que se passam por WikiLeaks. Mas o blog não pretende ser o jornal e acho que deve ser liberado. A censura é um problema especial quando ocorre de forma camuflada. Sempre que haja censura, ela deve ser denunciada.

O sr. se considera um preso político? Teme por sua vida?

Sim, nesse caso. Apesar das alegações não serem de crimes políticos, não há dúvidas de que nenhuma outra pessoa estaria na prisão esperando extradição. Ameaças de morte são feitas diariamente, contra meu pessoal, contra meus filhos.

Contra seus filhos... Em quais circunstâncias?

Sim, contra meus filhos. Há ainda ameaças contra meus advogados. Entramos em um assunto muito sério. Na noite passada, vimos no Canal Fox, comentaristas e políticos apelando pelo meu assassinato. Um deles até disse que tinham de se livrar de mim, mesmo de forma ilegal. Isso deve estar estimulando os militares americanos, militantes e loucos de todo o tipo. Não acho que seja provável, ainda que não seja impossível, que o governo dos EUA diretamente tente me assassinar. Mas o mais provável é que indivíduos, militares ou doentes mentais, influenciados pelos políticos, tentem fazer o trabalho. Ou que outros Estados, tentando agradar aos americanos, tentem se livrar de mim. Daniel Ellsberg, famoso por ter vazado os Papéis do Pentágono de 1971 [que revelaram segredos sobre a Guerra do Vietnã], disse que existe a possibilidade de que o governo americano me assassine, com base nos planos que existiram para assassiná-lo.

O sr. já pensou em pedir asilo no Brasil?

Seria ótimo ter isso oferecido. Há alguma reflexão sendo feita de que o Brasil seria um bom lugar para instalar algumas de nossas operações. É um país grande o suficiente para ser independente da pressão dos EUA, tem força econômica e militar suficiente para fazer isso. E não é um país como China e Rússia que não são tão tolerantes com a liberdade de imprensa. Talvez o Brasil seria um bom país para que coloquemos parte de nossas operações.

O que "The Guardian" fez ao divulgar seu caso de suposto assédio sexual foi da mesma natureza do que o WikiLeaks faz?

Não. Transparência é para governos. Não para indivíduos. O objetivo de revelar informações sobre pessoas poderosas é cobrar responsabilidade deles. Quando um governo dá material legal para um jornal para prejudicar alguém, trata-se de um abuso. O repórter que foi escolhido para receber a informação é um conhecido crítico de nossa organização. O Guardian não perguntou por que foi liberada essa documentação antes de uma audiência na Corte. Quais são os motivos envolvidos. São perguntas que não foram respondidas. Estadão