Iran seeks to allay nuclear fears

Iran seeks to allay nuclear fears: "

Geneva diplomatic remarks hints at possibility of future cooperation over nuclear energy

Iran has expressed a desire to 'allay the fears of the international community' over its nuclear programme, and raised the possibility of future cooperation over nuclear energy, according to sources close to international talks in Geneva.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator made the remarks in the opening session of talks in Geneva with diplomats from six major powers taking part in the meeting, the first of its kind in more than a year.

It had been feared that the Iranian ­official might refuse to discuss nuclear issues, but a source said they took up three-quarters of the opening session.

Saeed Jalili – described as relaxed and positive by sources at the meetings – said the Geneva talks and ­subsequent meetings would lay the ground for co-operation. He said: 'We should co-operate in the fields of nuclear energy.'
Iran's aim, Jalili said, was to 'allay the fears of the international community', over Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is purely for civilian purposes, and which the west believes is a front for the development of atomic weapons.

But despite the early positive signs, ­Jalili has given no sign that Tehran is ready to compromise over its central position – that it has an inalienable right to enrich ­uranium, despite several UN security council resolutions demanding a suspension.

Jalili raised last Monday's attacks on two Iranian nuclear scientists, in which one was killed and another injured.

He said: 'I am mentioning this because some people have said there are ­connections between the attacks and the talks.' The EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Lady Ashton, who is leading the six-nation delegation, said she unreservedly condemned the attacks.

In the opening session Jalili, Ashton and the diplomats from the six-nation group – the US, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany – stated their position.

That was followed by bilateral meetings with the Iranians, although it was unclear which delegations took part.

The evening session was intended to give Jalili the opportunity to respond to concerns raised over Iran's continued enrichment of uranium and unresolved questions about possible military ­dimensions of the Iranian programme.

The talks are due to go into a final ­session this morning. After that, the diplomats will go back to their capitals to decide whether further negotiations, most likely in Turkey in the new year, would be worthwhile.

On Sunday, Iran's nuclear energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the country would use domestically produced uranium ­concentrates, known as yellowcake, for the first time at a key nuclear facility, ­cutting reliance on imports of the ­ingredient for nuclear fuel.

The timing of the announcement appeared to be aimed at showing Tehran's determination to pursue its nuclear plans before the talks in Geneva, which are due to resume today."

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Google Nexus S launches in UK

Google Nexus S launches in UK: "

Next-generation phone runs 'Gingerbread' 2.3 version of Android and will cost £550 unlocked or £35 per month

Google is returning to the branded phone fold with the launch of the Nexus S, built by Samsung, which will be sold in the UK through Carphone Warehouse and in the US via the retail chain Best Buy - a tacit admission that its previous attempts to sell the phone through a website failed due to lack of customer support.

The Nexus S, which will be branded in adverts as 'Pure Google', will be the first to feature Google's latest 'Gingerbread' 2.3 release of its Android phone operating system. It includes the ability to do searches and create texts and emails from voice commands - although initially this functionality will only be available in the US.

Carphone Warehouse is taking orders for the phone from today, but could not be definite about when it will be able to sell it - although it hopes to be able to begin deliveries before Christmas.

The phone will be available unlocked for £550 (compared to £500 for Apple's iPhone 4) or for free from £35 per month, according to Graham Stapleton, CPW's chief commercial director, who says that the retailer is talking to networks in the UK to set up deals.

Stapleton said that Android phones are already the second best-selling operating system on phones in its thousand-odd retail outlets throughout Europe, but that for this quarter he expects it to be the top-selling OS through the chain, pushing Nokia's Symbian OS on both smartphone and 'dumb' phones into second place. Nokia has dominated the market for phone for years, selling a greater share than any other platform, but since the launch of Apple's iPhone and devices built on Android its share in Europe has dwindled.

Industry sources suggested that CPW's decision to talk to networks about phone contracts, rather than selling the phone directly and supporting it on its own mobile network, indicate that it recognises the need for aftersales support will be greater than it can manage on its own.

Google's first venture into own-branded phones, the Nexus One in January, was initially sold only via Google's website, but the company quickly discovered that the level of after-sales support required overwhelmed it. It then spun off sales to retailers before discontinuing it entirely in July.

The Nexus S has a 4-inch screen which uses a Super AMOLED screen, which offers greater brightness and battery life than previous screen displays. The phone also has a gyroscope, near-field communications for contactless data transfer, and introduces methods for controlling many aspects of the phone purely via voice commands. Existing Android 2.2 phones can already do simple web searches from voice commands, but the 2.3 release extends that to other functions in the phone.

To begin with only services that translate voice commands for navigation and finding contacts will be available through the voice-to-text facility. But Google hopes to offer extra facilities - including creating a text or email from spoken sentences, setting alarms and 'listen to' services which will find music online or on the phone - in the UK and worldwide from next year.

'One in four searches on Android devices in the US is already done by voice, which is an astonishing number to me,' Burke said.

The phone uses a 1GHz processor running at the same speed as the Nexus One, but offers greater on-chip bandwidth and a ddicated graphics processing unit, meaning it can process data much more quickly, said Dave Burke, Google's head of smartphones in the UK.

Burke said that the 2.3 Gingerbread release will be available to owners of the Nexus One and other phones as an over-the-air update 'within the next few weeks'. However it will be up to mobile operators how quickly they roll it out, although future upgrades for the Nexus S will be controlled by Google.

The Nexus S also takes advantage of facilities in Android 2.3 which include native support for voice-over-internet calls when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Burke acknowledged that some network operators might choose to remove that functionality from their own builds of Android for phones they sell in future. 'That's the Android open model - people can change the software,' he said."

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Titanic being devoured, say scientists

Titanic being devoured, say scientists: "

The newly identified bacteria, isolated from 'rusticles' on the Titanic, could also damage vital underwater installations such as offshore oil and gas pipelines

It may have been an iceberg that sunk the Titanic but it is a bacterium that is slowly destroying its remains on the ocean floor, scientists said today.

Microorganisms collected from a 'rusticle' – a structure that looks like an icicle but consists of rust – are slowly destroying the iron hull of the liner on the seabed 3.8km (2.36 miles) below the Atlantic waves where it plummeted, killing 1,517 people, in April 1912.

The newly identified species, while potentially dangerous to vital underwater installations such as offshore oil and gas pipelines, could also offer a new way to recycle iron from old ships and marine structures, according to the researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and Seville University in Spain.

The discovery of the bacterium, now named Halomonas titanicae, will be reported in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiologyon Wednesday. When the researchers tested its rusting ability in the lab, they found that it was able to adhere to steel surfaces, creating knob-like mounds of corrosion products.

A similar process is thought to be responsible for the formation of the rusticles on the hull of the Titanic. They appear to be solid structures but are highly porous and support a complex variety of bacteria, suggesting that H. titanicae and other organisms may accelerate the corrosion of steel.

Lead researchers Bhavleen Kaur and Henrietta Mann from Dalhousie University say the role of microbes in this process is only now starting to be understood. 'We believe H. titanicae plays a part in the recycling of iron structures at certain depths. This could be useful in the disposal of old naval and merchant ships and oil rigs that have been cleaned of toxins and oil-based products and then sunk in the deep ocean.'

The scientists believe the findings could have applications for industry. 'We don't know yet whether this species arrived aboard the RMS Titanic before or after it sank. We also don't know if these bacteria cause similar damage to offshore oil and gas pipelines. Finding answers to these questions will not only better our understanding of our oceans, but may also equip us to devise coatings that can prevent similar deterioration to other metal structures,' they said."

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UN climate chief urged to bar Iranian scientist

UN climate chief urged to bar Iranian scientist: "

Rajendra Pachauri denies helping Washington block scientist from senior post on intergovernmental climate body

• Cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord
• Lifting the lid on America's secret climate tactics

The US used backstage diplomatic manoeuvres to help block the appointment of a scientist from Iran to a key position on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a leaked diplomatic cable reveals.

The US privately lobbied IPCC chair Dr Rajendra Pachauri, as well as the UK, EU, Argentina and Mali representatives, and had put its embassies to work from Brazil to Uzbekistan. It wanted to prevent the election of Dr Mostafa Jafari as one of two co-chairmen of a key working group.

The other co-chair was to be an American scientist, Prof Christopher Field. The US state department noted that sharing the IPCC position with an Iranian would be 'problematic' and 'potentially at odds with overall US policy towards Iran'.

The jobs often involved travel to and extended residencies in each other's countries, the cable said. The appointment of an Iranian would also 'significantly complicate' US funding for the IPCC secretariat for that working group. US diplomats recognised Jafari as 'a highly-qualified scientist ... but he is also a senior Iranian government employee'.

Pachauri today rejected any suggestion he had colluded with the US private approaches, which apparently ended in another candidate, an Argentinian, being appointed to the position to which Jafari had been nominated. A spokesperson for Pachauri said that he, 'neither influenced, nor agreed to influence, the election. Not only would such an agreement be outside his mandate as chairman of the IPCC, but it would also be impossible to achieve.'

The cable claims: 'Prior to arrival in Geneva, the [US delegation] contacted IPCC chairman Dr Rajendra Pachauri (please protect) who agreed to work on this issue to avoid the potential for disruption to one of the organisation's three core working groups.' The phrase 'please protect' is used to tell the cable's recipients not to use a contact's name publicly.

• WikiLeaks cables: Climate talks doomed, says EU president
• WikiLeaks cables: America's secret climate diplomacy
• Cancún climate talks in danger of collapse

The US also lobbied the Austrian who was the EU's representative on the committee which 'manages the election process'. US officials were optimistic, saying he 'showed an understanding of US equities'. They also tried to persuade Mali to nominate a candidate for the position, as well as the Argentinians. The German, British and Dutch delegations were all pressured to help the US.

Earlier this year, the IPCC – which was set up to review and assess the scientific evidence on climate change and report back to governments – accepted the need for fundamental reform after the disastrous handling of a mistake in the IPCC's last major report, which wrongly stated that all glaciers in the Himalayas would melt by 2035. That public relations catastrophe was attributed to the IPCC's tiny communications staff, but the revelation that the US manipulated the appointments process presents a more fundamental challenge as the IPCC's governing principles (pdf) state its role is 'to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis' information related to human-induced climate change, on behalf of the world's governments.

According to the cable, sent on 2 September 2008 in the name of Condoleezza Rice, the then US secretary of state, the US delegation to the IPCC was 'working actively' to prevent the election of Jafari, 'who has represented Iran in international negotiations'.

Jafari and Field were the only candidates specifically nominated (pdf) for the co-chair positions on one of the three core working groups of the IPCC. It is standard IPCC practice for one co-chair to be from a developed country and the other from a developing country.

The confidential cable put diplomatic missions in capitals around the world on standby to help the US IPCC delegation (USdel) 'secure a positive outcome' in blocking Jafari's nomination.

The cable was sent two days before the end of the IPCC plenary at which the appointments were made, and at the end of the day on which Pachauri was re-elected as chair (pdf). It predicted: 'Based on experience at prior IPCC plenaries, events ... will likely unfold unpredictably and rapidly, necessitating a rapid and flexible USG [US government] response.'

In the event, Field was elected alongside an Argentinian candidate as co-chairs of the second of the three working groups that write the IPCC's influential reports. Jafari was appointed in June 2010 to a far more junior position, as one of 15 'lead authors' on a chapter for the third working group's report (pdf), due to be published in 2014. He had already served as a lead author for the previous IPCC report, which was published in 2007 and is credited with convincing the world's governments that human activities were very likely to be causing global warming. The report helped win the IPCC that year's Nobel peace prize alongside former US vice-president Al Gore.

The state department was aware of the sensitivity of its delegation's efforts, ordering their missions not to contact their host countries' diplomats 'until such a call is received' as 'USdel will be interacting directly with host-country expert delegations in Geneva, and premature contacts ... could be highly counterproductive'.

It had also considered withdrawing its candidate, Field, but concluded that 'having a US co-chair at the IPCC significantly bolsters US interests on climate change, a key foreign policy issue'. Furthermore, withdrawal 'would effectively give Iran a veto over future US nominees in UN bodies'.

Pachauri's spokesperson said he had no direct or indirect role in the appointment. 'Maintaining regular contact with the member governments of the IPCC to ensure the smooth running of the organisation is an important part of Dr Pachauri's role as chairman, but the nomination of candidates to chair working groups are made by country representatives and Dr Pachauri has no role whatsoever, formally or informally, in that process.'

The state department had also applied pressure on countries around the world to support Field. On 15 August 2008, a 'sensitive' cable from Brasilia recounted a meeting at which US officials 'urged' senior Brazilian climate change officials to back him. The Brazilians said they 'would give the nomination full and careful consideration' while adding they had two candidates of their own running for IPCC positions. The US official told them the US government would give these careful consideration.

On the same day, Norway indicated support for Field and asked for backing for its candidate. During August, the US also received support from at least five other nations: Macedonia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia and Uzbekistan.

The revelations come during a major UN summit on climate change in Cancún, Mexico. A global treaty is not expected to be agreed, with many countries blaming a lack of firm action on greenhouse gas emissions in the US as a major factor for the lack of progress since the failed Copenhagen summit a year ago."

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Terry Jones: I'd like a robot butler

Terry Jones: I'd like a robot butler: "

The comedian, writer and Monty Python star on the importance of using technology sparingly

What's your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life?
I think it's the lavatory. It's improved my life absolutely – I couldn't live without it. I use it constantly during the day, and it gets rid of all the stuff I don't want in my life. My least favourite is my computer, because that dominates my life and takes up so much of my time. And I don't think I write any better on the computer.

When was the last time you used it, and what for?
The last time I used the lavatory was this morning – and I had a really good go on it, it was one of those very satisfactory poos.

What additional features would you add if you could?
I suppose I would actually like to have a proper newspaper rack or stand beside it, where you could have books. At the moment I only have a little stool, and everything falls off. And maybe a seat warmer, possibly?

Do you think it will be obsolete in 10 years' time?
I suppose if everybody stops eating and drinking it will be, but I guess it will march on – until the sewerage system breaks down, which is likely in the coming breakdown of civilisation that is bound to happen.

What always frustrates you about technology in general?
I think it's how it takes over our lives. You discover a simple solution to something, and then it mushrooms and gets out of hand.

If you had one tip about getting the best out of new technology, what would it be?
Use it sparingly. Like they say on the anchovy paste that is Gentleman's Relish.

Do you consider yourself to be a luddite or a nerd?
I don't think I'm either, really – I'm in that amorphous in-between mass. I fought against having a mobile phone for years, but then I was forced to get one because everyone else had one – I was told I was being unfair because nobody could get hold of me.

What's the most expensive piece of technology you've ever owned?
A piano – it was a Broadbent, and they went out of business shortly after I bought it.

Mac or PC, and why?
Well, Mac, because Douglas Adams, who was a great friend of mine, would have had a heart attack if I'd bought a PC – he was such a fan of the Mac. It was because of Douglas that I started getting into computers.

Do you still buy CDs and DVDs, or do you download music and films? What was your last purchase?
Yeah, I do, I buy physical media. I think the last thing I bought was a DVD of a Japanese film.

Robot butlers – a good idea or not?
Well, a good idea, as long as you don't have to talk to it. And as long as it doesn't want to get into bed with you.

What piece of technology would you most like to own?
I'd like something that peels potatoes really quickly – that would be wonderful. I do a lot of cooking, you see. Then again, I suppose the robot butler could always do it."

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V&A shows off emperor's old clothes

V&A shows off emperor's old clothes: "

Exhibition of imperial robes from the Forbidden City, most of which have never been seen outside China

At just this time of year, as the winter solstice approached three centuries ago, the officials of the Chinese imperial wardrobe would have been preparing some of the emperor's most stunning robes for one of the most important ceremonies of the year: blue-black silk embroidered with golden dragons, lined and with a deep border of glossy sable fur to keep out the bitter cold, as he made offerings at an open-air altar to guarantee that winter would end and spring and fertility return.

Emperor Kangxi ruled China from 1661 until 1722, but his gleaming coat survives as if the small armies of imperial silk weavers and embroiderers had completed it yesterday. It is now part of a dazzling collection of imperial robes which astonished the curator who went to the Forbidden City to collect them and goes on show tomorrow at the V&A.

Most have never left China before, but neither have they been seen by the Chinese tourists who throng the Forbidden City. The once closed world of the imperial palace has been a museum since 1925, but has no gallery suitable for displaying fragile textiles. Most have been in store since their original owners died, treated as sacred relics and never worn. There they survived the opium wars, the Boxer rebellion when the Forbidden City was extensively looted, the toppling of the empire and the establishment of the republic, both world wars and the cultural revolution.

'When I first saw them in the stores, I could not believe my eyes,' curator Ming Wilson said. She was born in southern China, but had never seen any of the garments. 'I had seen a photograph, but they were so much more beautiful, and the condition was so extraordinary, I was astonished. It has never happened before to me as a curator. Most of them have never left the stores: the collection is so enormous it has taken five generations of curators since 1925 just to complete the stock taking.'

The exhibition includes a wedding gown made in 1889 when Yehe Nara Jingen married the emperor Guangxu, which took three years to make. It is richly embroidered with dragons and phoenix, on red silk, the colour for weddings: the last boy emperor Pu Yi recalled that when he married in 1922, two years before he was expelled from the Forbidden City, the bridal chamber 'looked like a melted red wax candle'.

The garments followed a strict hierarchy: bright yellow for the emperor, apricot yellow for his sons, Siberian sable only for the imperial family, pale blue for moon ceremonies, padded robes embroidered with narrow rows of gold to look like metal armour for travelling with an entourage of 3,000 people, 6,000 horses and 1,000 boats. Ordinary Chinese people could never have afforded the sumptuous dragon embroideries, but were in any case forbidden by law to use them.

Some records survive in the archives showing that the emperors took close interest in their wardrobes. In 1697 Kangshi was ordering two new fur coats for the winter, and grumbling: 'They must not be made too tight. The lot you sent last time were really uncomfortable. You must be careful.'"

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Pizza Hut sparks race row

Pizza Hut sparks race row: "

Company apologises after AFC Bournemouth players were told by branch manager 'it's because of the way you look'

A group of black professional footballers dining at a branch of Pizza Hut in Bournemouth were asked to pay before eating and were told it was 'because of the way you look'.

Five players from League One side Bournemouth were told they would have to pay, despite a Pizza Hut employee admitting to them it was not company policy. The incident prompted the club's chairman, Eddie Mitchell, to say today that 'it is upsetting to hear that people are treated differently because of the colour of their skin'.

Pizza Hut today apologised, but said the incident was not 'racially motivated'. The restaurant called the police after the men refused to leave.

'We ordered our food. The manager came up with the bill and said: 'Would you mind paying first?' We asked if that was the policy and he said 'no',' midfielder Anton Robinson, 24, told the Bournemouth Echo.

'When we asked why he had asked us, he said: 'It's the way you look.''

'We had a good idea what he was trying to get at. A group of white kids came in straight after us and they weren't asked to pay before they had their food. The only thing that was different was the colour of our skins.'

Robinson said the group of players, including fellow first-team regulars Marvin Bartley and Liam Feeney, told the Pizza Hut employee they were professional footballers, and were happy to pay when they were finished.

'That's what normal people do,' Robinson said. 'He hadn't asked other customers to pay before their meals. It got a little bit heated, then he said: 'If you're not going to pay the bill now, I'm going to call the police to escort you off the premises'.'

Robinson said all players were smartly dressed, telling the Echo: 'When the lads go out for a meal, we know we're representing the club. We know that people recognise us and we have to behave.'

Dorset police were duly called to the restaurant during the incident last Thursday, a spokesman confirmed today, after receiving a call from Pizza Hut regarding disruptive customers.

'A group of men had been asked to leave. They weren't happy about this, but we spoke to them and they did leave,' the spokesman said.

Mitchell, Bournemouth's chairman, said the club was 'highly disappointed to hear about the treatment a number of players received on a recent visit to Pizza Hut.'

'Our players are magnificent ambassadors for AFC Bournemouth. Their behaviour is exemplary and they are a credit to the club ,' he added in a statement posted on the club's website.

'In this day and age, it is upsetting to hear that people are treated differently because of the colour of their skin, and at AFC Bournemouth we will not condone any treatment of people in such a way.'

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, said the town has an 'enviable reputation for its tolerance and openness', adding that this sort of incident was 'very rare indeed'.

'I am glad Pizza Hut has issued a full apology, not least for the appalling choice of words used by the manager,' he said.

'AFC Bournemouth stands out as an organisation that excels in binding our local community together. Pizza Hut might learn to follow suit by spending more time with both players and club alike.'

A spokeswoman for Pizza Hut said: 'This incident was not racially motivated. We have recently had a spate of customers leaving without paying their bills, so were advised by the police to ask people to pay for their meal before dining. We have been doing this at our discretion, and in this case the situation was poorly handled. We have spoken to the team member involved and have contacted the customers concerned to apologise for any offence caused.'"

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Sarah Morris

Sarah Morris: "

The Spanish government's use of the 'state of alarm' to force down striking air traffic controllers sets a troubling precedent

As many a commentator has remarked, Margaret Thatcher's brilliance lay in knowing how to pick her enemies – in Arthur Scargill, the former British prime minister had the luck to find her perfect adversary. Spain's socialist government this week found its own very popular public enemy number one: a group of air traffic controllers whose en masse claims of sickness and stress paralysed Spain's airports during one of its most popular long bank holiday weekends, leaving tens of thousands of passengers grounded.

Unlike airport chaos caused by volcanic ash, bad weather, overbooking and general airport mismanagement, consumers camping out or queuing for hours for information at terminals in Spain and abroad had clearly identifiable – and, as the public works minister has been pointing out for the last year, vastly overpaid, with a gobsmacking average annual salary of €350,000 (£300,000) – individuals to blame.

As the government accused the strikers of holding passengers 'hostage' to protect 'unjustified privileges', the reporting on even the most serious media outlets became increasingly one-sided as the rage of the Spanish public engulfed airwaves.

Air traffic controllers in Spain argue the government is wrong to claim they are paid more than their European counterparts, and only increase their yearly salary through overtime payments because there are too few of them. Their choice of a wildcat strike looked designed to counter Spanish striking laws, which often demand authorities approve strikes on the basis of the maintenance of 'minimum services', regulation that saps union power.

The case of the controllers, though, went largely unheard during the chaos, mainly because you would have had to have been a brave controller to grant an interview. The Spanish channel CNN+ showed footage of a group of stranded passengers who tracked air traffic controllers down to a hotel and confronted them. As the police escorted the controllers inside their meeting room, one woman loudly insulted the controllers and called for them to be sacked to general applause.

Much coverage was low on facts, led by government statements and desperate passengers calling into television and radio stations from airports.

The anger of the general public was easy to understand. Earlier in the year, the public works minister, José Blanco, had said at least one air traffic controller had made €900,000 (£760,000) in a year. Spain has been battling market jitters that it could suffer the same fate as Greece and Ireland, and here was a group of highly paid, state-funded workers dealing a body blow to the tourism industry, Spain's international reputation and individual holiday plans in a country where one in five workers are jobless.

Many passengers hoped that military air traffic controllers would be brought in to run the airports, as Blanco had threatened earlier this year. However, the government ultimately seems to have rejected this option, perhaps because the scale and complexity of modern airports is beyond the ability of controllers used to supervising fewer planes.

Instead, the government opted to declare a 'state of alarm', allowing them to 'militarise' the striking air traffic controllers. This basically meant that if the controllers refused to return to work, they could be sent to prison under military criminal law.

The declaration of the 'state of alarm' was an extraordinary step – an emergency measure provided for in Spain's constitution that was used for the first time in 32 years. So unpopular have the controllers become, such was the urgency for something to be done to get the airports moving again, that worryingly few questions have been asked about its use.

Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today said his decision to declare a state of alarm had 'produced results' and would consider extending it beyond its 15-day life. The conservative opposition party, the PP, also supported its use.

Only leftwing Izquierda Unida has dared to suggest the ends may not justify the means. Speaking after a ceremony attended by all the parties to celebrate 32 years since a referendum that helped seal Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy, IU's parliamentary spokesman, Gaspar Llamazares, said the use of the state of alarm was 'an abuse of the constitution'.

Using military law to resolve a conflict workers have with their (state) employer is a heavy-handed measure, and one that the government will presumably not be able to extend beyond Christmas. The issues behind the wildcat strike remain unresolved. The use of the state of alarm sets a troubling precedent. If a state of alarm is used to force down strikers and reinstate flights, because they are public services, is Spain saying that striking is basically unacceptable if it affects us in our daily lives?"

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Julian Assange to talk to British police

Julian Assange to talk to British police: "

• Lawyer announces Julian Assange to meet police
• WikiLeaks founder will fight any extradition attempt
• International pressure mounts as Assange's Swiss bank account is closed
• Follow latest developments live with Josh Halliday

8.49pm: In a live question and answer session with Guardian readers on Friday, Assange said:

'The Cable Gate archive has been spread, along with significant material from the US and other countries to over 100,000 people in encrypted form. If something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically.

'Further, the Cable Gate archives is in the hands of multiple news organisations. History will win. The world will be elevated to a better place. Will we survive? That depends on you.'

8.24pm: This just in from Ewen MacAskill, the Guardian's correspondent in Washington:

International pressure on Julian Assange intensified tonight as the US attorney general, Eric Holder, disclosed that he had authorised 'significant' actions aimed at prosecuting the WikiLeaks founder over the release of thousands of diplomatic cables.

The US attorney general, speaking at a press conference in Washington, said: 'The lives of people who work for the American people have been put at risk. The American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that I believe are arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way. We are doing everything that we can.'

Asked if he might mount a prosecution under the Espionage Act, Holder said: 'That is certainly something that might play a role, but there are other statutes, other tools at our disposal.'

8.22pm: Assange is also under investigation by Australian authorities, following the WikiLeaks release of 250,000 diplomatic cables.

The country's foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, said on Saturday: 'The federal police was asked by the Australian attorney general some days ago to investigate whether or not Assange has breached any element of the Australian criminal law.'

8.15pm: Mark Stephens, the London-based lawyer who respresents 39-year-old Assange, says he will fight any move to extradite the WikiLeaks founder.

Stephens told BBC News today: 'Late this afternoon after close of business I got a call from the police who said that they had received an extradition request from Sweden.

'Their request is to interview Julian Assange. He's not been charged with anything.

'We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with the police by consent in order to facilitate the taking of that question and answer that is needed.'

The interview will happen in the 'foreseeable future', Stephens said.

8.09pm: Julian Assange tonight agreed to meet police in the UK, according to WikiLeaks lawyers.

Jennifer Robinson, a solicitor with Finers Stephens Innocent which represents Assange, said this evening: 'We have a received an arrest warrant [related to allegations in Sweden]. The police have been in touch. They have contacted us. We are negotiating with them. We are negotiating a meeting with police.'

Swedish prosecutors have sent an international arrest warrant to the Met, seeking the extradition of Assange for questioning on allegations – which he strongly denies – of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

Assange, who is staying in Britain, has come under criticism from politicians in the US and around the world after his site started publishing excerpts from a cache of more than 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables last week.

The Swiss bank account of the Australian former computer hacker was today closed by the PostFinance bank. 'The Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process,' the bank said in a statement."

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Powers hope to press Iran back to nuclear talks

Powers hope to press Iran back to nuclear talks: "GENEVA (Reuters) - Six world powers are due to hold their first talks with Iran in more than a year on Monday, hoping the meeting will lead to new negotiations over a nuclear program the West believes is aimed at making atom bombs."

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Mideast funding of militants irks U.S.: WikiLeaks

Mideast funding of militants irks U.S.: WikiLeaks: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. officials have grown frustrated over the resistance of allies in the Middle East to help shut the financial pipeline of terrorists, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing secret diplomatic dispatches."

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Facebook revamps users' profile pages

Facebook revamps users' profile pages: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Facebook on Sunday unveiled new profile pages that give photos center stage, allow users to highlight important friends and go into far more detail on their jobs."

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Japan defense plan wary of China's military: report

Japan defense plan wary of China's military: report: "TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will identify North Korea as a threat and call China's military activities a concern in a review of its defense policy that will include plans to beef up its ability to cope with Beijing's rise, a newspaper reported on Monday."

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Iran, 6 big powers to resume talks on Tuesday

Iran, 6 big powers to resume talks on Tuesday: "GENEVA (Reuters) - Talks between Iran and six major powers -- the first in over a year -- will resume on Tuesday after each power raised the issue of Tehran's disputed nuclear program in a first round on Monday, a Western official said."

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Israeli forest fire extinguished, 42 dead

Israeli forest fire extinguished, 42 dead: "JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A forest fire that killed 42 people in northern Israel's Carmel region and triggered a broad international aid effort has been extinguished, Israeli police said on Monday."

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U.S., allies seek China, Russia help on North Korea

U.S., allies seek China, Russia help on North Korea: "WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States, Japan and South Korea pressed China and Russia on Monday to help defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula as Chinese President Hu Jintao warned U.S. President Barack Obama the situation could 'spin out of control.'"

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Exclusive: AOL mulls breakup, then merger with Yahoo

Exclusive: AOL mulls breakup, then merger with Yahoo: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - AOL Inc, undergoing a radical transformation into the king of content on the Internet, is actively exploring a breakup involving a complicated series of transactions that may lead to a merger with Yahoo Inc, sources close to the plans told Reuters."

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Singapore Airlines to deploy A380 on Singapore-LA route

Singapore Airlines to deploy A380 on Singapore-LA route: "SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines, the world's second-largest carrier by market value, said on Monday it will deploy the Airbus A380 superjumbo on the Singapore-Los Angeles route beginning next year despite a controversy over the plane's engines."

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WikiLeaks lists sites U.S. says vital to interests

WikiLeaks lists sites U.S. says vital to interests: "LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks published more details of sites around the globe that the United States considers vital to its interests, prompting criticism the website is helping militants identify sensitive targets for attack."

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China's GDP is "man-made," unreliable: top leader

China's GDP is "man-made," unreliable: top leader: "BEIJING (Reuters) - China's GDP figures are 'man-made' and therefore unreliable, the man who is expected to be the country's next head of government said in 2007, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks."

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Suicide blasts kill 40 in Pakistan's northwest

Suicide blasts kill 40 in Pakistan's northwest: "PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Suspected Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 40 people at the office compound of a government official in northwest Pakistan on Monday, demonstrating the ability of militants to strike high-profile targets in defiance of army offensives."

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Appeals court hears California gay marriage case

Appeals court hears California gay marriage case: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A three-judge appellate panel considering whether to allow gay marriage to resume in California Monday sharply questioned both sides of the case, which many expect to be appealed to the Supreme Court and set national policy."

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WikiLeaks lists sites key to U.S. security

By Tim Lister, CNN

December 6, 2010 -- Updated 1659 GMT (0059 HKT)

The Panama Canal is one of many places on a list published by WikiLeaks of locations important to U.S. security.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• List from U.S. diplomats around the world identifies sites whose loss would hurt security
• U.S., Britain condemn the release, say it damages national security for them and others
• One expert calls the list "a gift to any terrorist (group)"
• List includes locations of pipelines, telecommunication cables, resources

(CNN) -- WikiLeaks has published a secret U.S. diplomatic cable listing locations abroad that the U.S. considers vital to its national security, prompting criticism that the website is inviting terrorist attacks on American interests.
The list is part of a lengthy cable the State Department sent in February 2009 to its posts around the world. The cable asked American diplomats to identify key resources, facilities and installations outside the United States "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
The diplomats identified dozens of places on every continent, including mines, manufacturing complexes, ports and research establishments. CNN is not publishing specific details from the list, which refers to pipelines and undersea telecommunications cables as well as the location of minerals or chemicals critical to U.S. industry.
The list also mentions dams close to the U.S. border and a telecommunications hub whose destruction might seriously disrupt global communications. Diplomats also identified sites of strategic importance for supplying U.S. forces and interests abroad, such as in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Panama Canal.
The cable is classified secret and not for review by non-U.S. personnel.
The United States and Great Britain condemned the disclosure.

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"There are strong and valid reasons information is classified, including critical infrastructure and key resources that are vital to the national and economic security of any country," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told The Times newspaper in London.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, "may be directing his efforts at the United States but he is placing the interests of many countries and regions at risk," the paper quoted Crowley as saying. "This is irresponsible."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement that the publication is "damaging to national security in the United States, Britain and elsewhere."
The list is "a gift to any terrorist (group) trying to work out what are the ways in which it can damage the United States," said Malcolm Rifkind, chairman of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee in Britain.
"It is grossly improper and irresponsible" for Assange and his website to publish that information, he said.
WikiLeaks, which facilitates the anonymous leaking of secret information, published the list of sensitive sites as part of a larger disclosure of what it says are 250,000 U.S. State Department documents that were never meant for public view. The site began publishing the first of those quarter-million documents last week.
Since then, the site has been hit with denial-of-service attacks, which seek to make a website unavailable. It also has been kicked off servers in the United States and France, and it lost a major revenue source on Friday, when U.S.-based PayPal cut off its account.
On Sunday, WikiLeaks appealed to supporters worldwide to mirror its website, saying the site "is under heavy attack. In order to make it impossible to ever fully remove WikiLeaks from the Internet, we need your help."
In a tweet sent on the microblogging site Twitter Sunday night, WikiLeaks said it had 355 mirror sites, but a link in the tweet listed 208 mirror sites.
Assange, 39, is wanted by Swedish authorities on allegations of sex crimes, including rape. He has denied the allegations, but his whereabouts have been undisclosed since WikiLeaks began publishing the documents last week.

Investigators have focused much of their effort on finding Assange in Britain, where U.S. investigative activity is being conducted by the Defense Department, a senior law enforcement official said Friday.

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Best Firefox Add-ons: FoxTab

Best Firefox Add-ons: FoxTab: "
If you like visual effects and want to add some new tab management features to your Firefox, then this add-on is perfect for you.

You’ll basically choose between six different 3D layouts, and then the extension will give you the following features:

• Top Sites: for quickly accessing your favorite web sites.
• Tab Flipper: to easily flip between opened tabs using mouse or keyboard gestures.
• Recently Closed Tabs: for reopening a tab that was recently closed.

You can also customize the keyboard shortcuts to use the extension, change the size of the extension panel and so on. Here is the official page to install it."

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