LatAm countries back Ecuador in Assange case

Latin American countries voiced support Thursday for Ecuador's latest decision to grant political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a move that triggered a diplomatic row between Quito and London.

The members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) -- Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador and three Caribbean island nations -- said in a statement that they "strongly object" to the British threat of raiding Ecuador's embassy in London to seize Assange, who has taken refuge there since June 19.

The statement said Britain would violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and face "grave consequences if the threats are carried out." The ALBA also expressed its "steadfast solidarity" with Ecuador, which granted political asylum to Assange on Thursday.

Jorge Tarud, president of the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Relations Committee in the Chilean Congress, on Thursday asked the Chilean government to give full support to Ecuador on the issue. Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro also urged Britain to "respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and to guarantee the privileges, inviolability and immunity of Ecuador's embassy." Read more >>

SECRET Pentagon video to be released by fugitive founder of WikiLeaks

Image by The U.S. Army via Flickr

theage.com

A SECRET Pentagon video showing an air strike in Afghanistan that killed dozens of children is set to be released by the fugitive founder of WikiLeaks.

Julian Assange, the Australian-born man behind the secretive web group, has been in hiding since last week following claims US authorities were ''hunting him''.

US media reported that Pentagon investigators were trying to find him and discourage him from publishing confidential diplomatic cables allegedly leaked to him by a disillusioned intelligence analyst

While Mr Assange's location is unknown - he may still be in Australia - he has continued to send email and Twitter messages to supporters.

In an email sent on Tuesday, he suggested he would soon release a secret Pentagon video of a US air strike on Granai in western Afghanistan in May last year.

US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both apologised for the bombing, which left as many as 100 people, mostly children and teenagers, dead.

In Tuesday's email, Mr Assange confirmed the website was ''still working on'' the ''Garani [sic] massacre''. More...