U.S. orders Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks records

(Reuters) - A U.S. court has ordered Twitter to hand over details of the accounts of WikiLeaks and several supporters as part of a criminal investigation into the release of hundreds of thousands of confidential documents.

The December 14 subpoena obtained by the Department of Justice and published by online magazine Salon.com on Friday said the records sought from the microblogging website were "relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation."

It ordered Twitter to provide account information on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking Pentagon documents made public last year by WikiLeaks.

The information sought by the government includes all connection records and session times, IP addresses used to access Twitter, email and residential addresses plus billing records and details of bank accounts and credit cards.

The subpoena included the accounts of WikiLeaks supporters Jacob Appelbaum, Rop Gonggrijp and Birgitta Jonsdottir, a former WikiLeaks volunteer and member of Iceland's parliament.

WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas

'Free Julian Assange' protestors demonstrate in central London before the
WikiLeaks founder's court hearing in December. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

WikiLeaks has demanded that Google and Facebook reveal the contents of any US subpoenas they may have received after it emerged that a court in Virginia had ordered Twitter to secretly hand over details of accounts on the micro-blogging site by five figures associated with the group, including Julian Assange.

Amid strong evidence that a US grand jury has begun a wide-ranging trawl for details of what networks and accounts WikiLeaks used to communicate with Bradley Manning, the US serviceman accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of sensitive government cables, some of those named in the subpoena said they would fight disclosure.

"Today, the existence of a secret US government grand jury espionage investigation into WikiLeaks was confirmed for the first time as a subpoena was brought into the public domain," WikiLeaks said in a statement.

The writ, approved by a court in Virginia in December, demands that the San Franscisco-based micro-blogging site hand over all details of five individuals' accounts and private messaging on Twitter – including the computers and networks used.

They include WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Manning, Icelandic MP Brigitta Jonsdottir and Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp. Three of them – Gonggrijp, Assange and Jonsdottir – were named as "producers" of the first significant leak from the US cables cache: a video of an Apache helicopter attack that killed civilians and journalists in Baghdad.

In-form Federer makes history in Qatar

(CNN) -- Roger Federer became the first tennis player to win the Qatar Open three times as he ended the reign of Nikolay Davydenko in Saturday's final.

The world no. 2 was beaten by his Russian opponent in last year's semifinals, but avenged that result with a 6-3 6-4 win as he claimed the 67th ATP Tour title of his illustrious career.

The Swiss star followed up his 2005 and 2006 triumphs to give himself a boost ahead of his Australian Open title defense in the opening grand slam of 2011 later this month.

"I have had a good week. I really appreciate the support I get here. I have had good preparation. I can't believe that I am on the board already this year," Federer told reporters.

What were the top tennis moments of 2010?

"This was a strong tournament and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."

Princess Mary has given birth to twins in a Copenhagen hospital

•  Twins born at 9.30pm AEDT
•  Follows two false alarms
•  Boy and girl are healthy

Princess Mary has given birth to a boy and a girl at a Copenhagen hospital after going into labour yesterday morning local time.

The births, which came yesterday morning, local time (about 9.30pm AEDT) at Rigshospitalet, had been much anticipated with two false alarms this week.

Crown Prince Frederik told the gathered press at the hospital that following about four hours of labour, the boy cane first, followed half an hour later by the girl.

A relieved Crown Prince Frederik said the births went well and there was no nail-biting.

He said there were two small hearts to watch now and it was almost like the first time when he became a dad.

Both mother and children are doing well and he and Mary are very happy.

The girl is measuring 46cm and weighs 2554 grams while the boy weighs 2674 grams and measures 47cm.

Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary already have two children, Prince Christian, five, and Princess Isabella, three.

The Tasmanian-born member of the Danish royal family was joined by her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, at Rigshospitalet, Amalienborg Palace spokeswoman Lene Balleby said.

It is a case of third time lucky for the media following two false alarms this week that Princess Mary was about to give birth.

She was not due for another week, but it is not uncommon for a woman expecting twins to be induced a week or two early to avoid complications.

Teenager viciously attacked in Sydney after a vicious robbery in northwest

POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a vicious robbery in Sydney's northwest which has left a teenager in a critical condition in hospital with serious head injuries.

The 15-year-old boy was walking along the Old Bells Line of Road at Kurrajong after leaving a nearby party when he was attacked from behind by at least two people at 12.30am this morning.

He was punched in the head and knocked to the ground before cash was stolen from his wallet.

Another partygoer found him a short time later and helped him to walk home.

From there he was taken by ambulance to Hawkesbury Hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull, eye socket and jaw, as well as bleeding on the brain.

He's since been transferred to Nepean Hospital.

Officers from the Hawkesbury Local Area Command are investigating the assault and would particularly like to speak to anyone who was at the party nearby and has information about the attack.

Several shot at Tuscon grocery

(CNN) -- Several people were shot Saturday at a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.

The shooting occurred at a Safeway shortly after 10 a.m. MST, according to sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ogan.

A couple of victims with gunshot wounds have arrived at Northwest Medical Center, according to spokesman Richard Parker.

"They've been coming in the last 10 minutes. I'm not sure of the severity of their injuries," he said.

Ogan said the motive for the shooting is unclear.

"We're just trying to sort this out right now," he said.

U.S. to offer Pakistan support when VP visits: report

(Reuters) - The Obama administration will offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, a message that Vice President Joe Biden will deliver next week during a visit to the country amid strained relations, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials have criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to curb militants within its borders who attack U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The administration has decided to intensify existing efforts to help improve stability in the region, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials.

Biden will meet with Pakistan's military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and top government leaders to get more information about Pakistan's long-term strategy for the region and what help Islamabad needs, the report said.

There was no immediate comment from the vice president's office on Saturday.

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has been strained with Pakistan complaining that Washington does provide adequate support and does not understand its security needs.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will be in the United States next week for a memorial service on January 14 for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat who was Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Obama and his top national security aides have ruled out ideas from some military commanders to allow U.S. ground forces to do targeted raids in the region, the report said.

U.S. aid to Pakistan is expected to be about $3 billion this year, the Post said, but Pakistan has complained that money has been slow to arrive and that requested military equipment has not been sent.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bill Trott)

Southern Sudan's wildlife treasure

(CNN) -- This Sunday, more than 3 million people in Southern Sudan are expected to vote in a referendum to create a nation in Eastern Africa.

As they do, there is a historic opportunity, perhaps unprecedented, for wildlife conservation, sustainable natural resource management and environmentally friendly ecotourism to be integrated into the nation-building process.

Land-use issues loom large in the election. Vast oil deposits in Southern Sudan account for roughly 98% of the region's revenues and will come under the south's management if it becomes a separate country. The White Nile flows through Southern Sudan toward Khartoum, adding water to the region's resource issues.

The hidden jewel in this unique landscape is its stunning wildlife. Before civil war broke out in 1983, Southern Sudan boasted some of the most spectacular and important wildlife populations in Africa and the world's second-largest wildlife migration -- of some 1.3 million antelope.

Large populations of buffalo, antelope, elephants and chimpanzees were neglected and presumed lost during the two-decade war.

At the request of the provisional government of Southern Sudan, the Wildlife Conservation Society surveyed the country for wildlife in 2007, thanks to funding from USAID and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The magnificent antelope migration and vast tracts of savannas, wetlands and woodlands remained largely intact.

P.E.I. takes over student loan program

The provincial government has taken over Prince Edward Island's student loan program.

Allan Campbell, minister of innovation and advanced learning, said the change was necessary because the P.E.I. Credit Union system no longer wanted to provide the service.

He said a contract has been awarded to a private company to take care of the loan program's day-to-day operations.

"The students themselves I think what they're going to see is a smooth transition here," Campbell said. "The service provider is a large company that does a lot of this type of work right across the country … and of course we do have staff here at student financial services in the province that are well versed and that do a great job."

The Student Financial Assistance Act, which allowed the changeover, came into effect a few weeks ago.

15 headless bodies found in Acapulco

(CNN) -- The headless bodies of 15 people were found dumped near a shopping center in the tourist city of Acapulco, Mexico, the Guerrero State Public Security office said in a statement Saturday.

The victims are all men between the ages of 25 and 30 years old. Police were led to the bodies by a group of burning vehicles, the security office said.

A 16th body was found in a nearby car. The victim was a 30-year-old man who was shot to death, the office said.

The bodies were not found in an area frequented by tourists, said a spokeswoman for the security office.

"It's a shopping center where locals go regularly, but it's not that far away from the tourist areas," she said. "They were found on a popular highway used to get to the tourist area."

The killings are believed to be drug related, she said.

According to authorities, more than 28,000 people have died in Mexico in drug-related violence since 2006.

Police and military forces have stepped up operations in the region in light of the grisly discoveries.

Obama urges end to "symbolic battles" in Congress

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged newly empowered Republicans on Saturday not to wage "symbolic battles" against him but to instead work together to help spur job growth and economic recovery.

Obama issued his appeal in his weekly radio address after Republicans took power in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting up potentially fierce fights with the president and his Democrats on spending, debt and healthcare.

"Our fundamental mission must be to accelerate hiring and growth," Obama said.

He touted as an example of bipartisan cooperation a massive compromise tax cut package approved by Congress last month that he said had contributed to "more optimistic economic forecasts for the year ahead."

Obama cautiously welcomed Friday's Labor Department report that unemployment in December fell to 9.4 percent from 9.8 percent. But the rise of 103,000 in non-farm payrolls fell short of economists' expectations.

"We know that these numbers can bounce around from month to month. But the trend is clear," he said. "The pace of hiring is picking up.

Turning to the political front, Obama kept up his push for increased bipartisanship since his Democrats were trounced in the November congressional elections.

"What we can't do is refight the battles of the past two years that distract us from the hard work of moving our economy forward," he said.

"What we can't do is engage in the kinds of symbolic battles that so often consume Washington while the rest of America waits for us to solve problems," he said.

Resurgent Republicans have vowed to undo Obama's healthcare reform plan, but the effort took a hit on Thursday when congressional budget analysts said repeal would add billions of dollars to the federal budget deficit.

Democrats, who still control the Senate despite losses in last year's elections, have promised to protect the healthcare law, Obama's signature legislative victory. The Republican drive to overturn it is thus seen as largely symbolic.

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(Reuters) - Germany and France want Portugal to accept an international bailout as soon as possible in order to prevent its debt crisis spreading to other countries, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.

Without citing its sources, the magazine said government experts from both European heavyweights were concerned Lisbon will soon not be able to finance its debt at reasonable rates, after its borrowing costs rose at the end of last year.

Berlin and Paris also want euro zone countries to publicly commit to do whatever it takes to protect the bloc's single currency, including topping up a 750 billion euro ($968 billion) rescue fund if necessary.

Portugal is viewed by many economists as the peripheral euro zone country that is most likely to follow Ireland and Greece to seek an international bailout as it grapples to cut its debts and borrowing costs. It holds its first bond auction of the year next week.

(Writing by Brian Rohan; Editing by Alison Birrane)

Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds

Cesc Fabregas's 90th-minute penalty rescued a draw for Arsenal and denied Leeds a shock FA Cup victory.

The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.

Luciano Becchio went close to making it 2-0 but late Arsenal pressure paid off.

Fabregas coolly slotted home after Ben Parker held back Theo Walcott and only a super Kasper Schmeichel save stopped Denilson winning it for the Gunners.

It was a dramatic finish to a thrilling third-round tie and means Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is still yet to taste defeat to a lower-division side in the Cup, and has not lost at home in this competition since Arsenal were beaten by the same opposition in 1997.

Leeds, who as a League One side famously beat Manchester United at the same stage of last year's FA Cup before taking Tottenham to a replay, have become accustomed to causing upsets since losing their top-flight status in 2004.

Modern-Day Cowboy Rides 18-Wheeler Full Of Entenmann's Products Westward

SOLOMON, KS—Awakening to the lonely howl of a distant coyote early Tuesday morning, C.J. Hoppel climbs into his 18-wheeler and sets off westward across a barren stretch of unbroken prairie, the whipping wind his only companion as he pulls a rig full of Entenmann's baked goods and snack cakes across the plains.

Hoppel's rig, which he will drive wherever the itemized order form for
Entenmann's Ultimate Chocolate Lover's Variety Donut Packs takes him.

"This load's gotta be in Arizona by sundown tomorrow," says this 63-year-old cowboy of the American road, gesturing toward his 500- horsepower Peterbilt tractor-trailer packed to the brim with Raisin Loaf Cakes, Apple Puffs, and Ultimate Cinnamon Pastry Twisters. "But I should be able to cover 700 miles today, so long as the weather holds."

Clad in well-worn workman's denim and sturdy boots that have withstood two decades of fudgy brownie hauls, Hoppel is, by his own admission, too restless a soul to put on a suit and spend his days pushing papers around a desk. For him, there is no greater satisfaction than rising before the sun and putting in an honest day's work moving 10 tons of prepackaged, preservative-filled Entenmann's products across the country to the company's contract wholesalers out west.

Hoppel's route is long and arduous, cutting through thousands of miles of diverse terrain. But this stoic old warrior of the open road has traversed these paths hundreds of times before, and it is said that each line on his weathered face tells the story of another successful chocolate-chip muffin run.

"I lit out from Philly two days ago," says the gravel-voiced Hoppel, who left the Entenmann's distribution facility with nothing but a coarse thicket of week-old stubble, a single can of long-cut dipping tobacco, and 30,000 single-serve packs of mouthwatering Enten-Mini's Butterscotch Cakes. "I might even get a little ahead of schedule if I can cross the Colorado by nightfall. "

For Hoppel, however, the most treacherous part of his journey lies ahead. The daunting mountainous stretches of I-70 have long been known to cupcake and cruller haulers as a savage roadway forever haunted by its legendary jackknife accidents and hostile weigh-station operators.

Canada, U.S. show job gains

Statistics Canada says 22,000 jobs were created in December, helped by a boost in the manufacturing sector. (Reuters)

Canada's unemployment rate held steady at 7.6 per cent in December compared with the previous month as the economy created 22,000 jobs, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Despite the flat rate, the jobs total was slightly better than the 20,000 increase that analysts were expecting. Full-time employment rose by 38,000 in December, the fourth increase in the past five months. Full-time employment accounted for 81 per cent of total employment in December.

Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador saw job gains, while British Columbia posted declines. Other provinces saw little change, Statistics Canada said. In November, the unemployment rate fell to 7.6 per cent and 15,200 new positions were created.

	Canada	U.S.
Unemployment rate	7.6%	9.4%
Peak rate	8.7% (Aug. 2009)	10.2% (Oct. 2009)
Jobs created in 2010	368,500	1.1 million

"It was not a bad increase," Paul Ferley, assistant chief economist at RBC in Toronto, said of the new jobs. "This confirms that the Canadian economy continues to generate jobs,"

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the numbers showing more Canadians working are "encouraging," but global recovery is still fragile and "significant challenges" remain. 

Lady Gaga: I carry a photo printer in my purse

Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) -- It's not just t-t-t-telephones for Lady Gaga.

The mega-famous pop star came to the Consumer Electronics Show on Thursday to announce a new line of cameras and photo printers with Polaroid, where she is officially the "creative director."

Polaroid "really let me put my hands in there and design this s--- myself," she said.

Polaroid's Grey Label product line, which isn't available yet, will feature sunglasses with a camera embedded in them, a camera that shoots digital and Polaroid images and a portable photo printer that Gaga says she takes to bars with her -- in her purse.

"I suppose many of you are nerdy enough to carry around a mobile printer," she said, acknowledging the technophiles in attendance. "I know I will."

Wearing sunglasses, a black dress and a dark veil, Gaga looked somewhat like Jackie O at a funeral as she took a picture of the audience and printed it on the new Polaroid printer, which creates 3-by-4-inch images that look like classic Polaroids.

Video: Watch Lady Gaga introduce camera-equipped sunglasses

"Smile! You're so f---ing famous!" she said, snapping the shot. "Oh no, wait, I just took a photo of Canon. Let me go back."

NFL playoffs start today, but who will advance? Tony Grossi's take

New Orleans (11-5) at Seattle (7-9)

Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. at Qwest Field.

Early line: Saints by 10.

TV/radio: WKYC Channel 3; WKNR AM/850.

The skinny: Winner plays either at Chicago or at Atlanta in next week's divisional round. . . . New Orleans beat Seattle, 34-19, in Week 11. The 15-point margin was Seattle's closest loss of season. . . . Seattle won NFC West after 16-6 win over St. Louis last Sunday night, becoming first sub-.500 division champion in league history. . . . Saints have never won playoff game away from Superdome (0-3). . . . QB Drew Brees has led New Orleans to wins in nine of past 10 outdoor games in regular season. . . . Only healthy Saints RBs from regular season are Reggie Bush and Julius Jones. . . . Seattle has won past four home playoff games. . . . Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will start. Hasselbeck has nine career playoff starts and is 4-1 at home. . . . Hasselbeck's 366 yards passing against Saints in Week 11 was most Saints allowed this season.

Al-Sadr calls on Iraqis 'to resist'

Thousands arrived to listen to al-Sadr speak for the first time since his return from exile [AFP]

Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia Muslim religious leader, has called on his followers to resist the "occupiers" of Iraq.

In his first public address since returning from self-imposed exile, he called on the newly formed government to make sure all US forces left Iraq by the end of the year as planned.

"We are still resisting the occupation through armed, cultural and all kinds of resistance, so repeat after me: no, no to occupiers," al-Sadr told a crowd of thousands outside his ancestral home in Najaf on Saturday.

"Yes, yes for Muqtada! Yes, yes for the leader!" the crowd shouted, waving Iraqi flags and al-Sadr's pictures.

David J. Ranz, the spokesman for the US embassy in Iraq, brushed off al-Sadr's remarks, saying the speech contained "nothing new".

A security agreement between Washington and Baghdad requires all US forces to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials in both countries have admitted that security forces are not yet ready to protect Iraq's borders from possible invasion.

Disciplined group

Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf in Baghdad said that al-Sadr's message specified ending the occupation as a key goal.

Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity

WASHINGTON - Five thousand dead blackbirds rained from the sky on the first day of the New Year in Arkansas. Then more dead birds fell in other states. Then huge fish kills were discovered in multiple US waterways.

And suddenly it became a worldwide phenomenon, with reports of mass die-offs of birds and fish in Sweden, Britain, Japan, Thailand, Brazil and beyond.

Doves, jellyfish, snapper, jackdaws... it seemed no species was immune.

Conspiracy theorists, doomsdayers and religious extremists warned that the end was nigh.

Could it be astronauts testing a potent sound beam to ward off aliens? The US military experimenting with satellite-powered energy weapons?

What about chemical sprays, meteor showers, or earthquakes activating pollutants from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

"Birds" surged to the most searched term on The New York Times website.

Religious bloggers loaded their sites with Bible verse, Hosea 4:1-3: "The land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away."

But as speculation roiled the blogosphere, wildlife experts rolled their eyes.

"It is not that unusual," said Kristen Schuler, a scientist at the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center.

"There is nothing apocalyptic or anything that is necessarily out of the ordinary for what we would see in any given week."

Indeed, the USGS keeps a log on its website with reports of groups of birds dying each week, averaging from dozens to thousands.

Acer Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 hands-on

Acer didn't just land in Vegas with Iconia tablets galore -- it brought along its new Liquid Mini and BeTouch E210 Froyo smartphones. The 3.2-inch Liquid Mini is the most interesting of the two, and like its larger older brothers, it's made of a black glossy plastic, which is bound to pick up more fingerprints than Sherlock Holmes. It will be actually be available in quite a number of hues, but Acer only had the black one on display. Still it's one cute phone, and with a 600MHz Qualcomm 7227 processor, 512MB of memory, and a 5 megapixel cam it's bound to fill Acer's mid-range smartphone offering quite nicely. That said, the unit we saw hanging around Acer's private suites wasn't working all that well -- in fact, it rebooted itself twice. This one was running Acer's own software layer on top of 2.2; the BeTouch E210 seemed to be running stock Froyo. Speaking of the BeTouch, it's a lot like the E130 with its BlackBerry-like form factor and awesome physical keyboard, except the E210 has been slimmed down and upgraded to that aforementioned 600MHz Qualcomm CPU. The E310 on display was working much better than the Liquid and while it wasn't blazing fast, it kept up with our scrolling and navigating in and out of menus. No word on US availability, but they should be hitting the UK market sometime soon. Hit the break for some beauty shots.

Behind golden-voiced Ted Williams is ex-wife Patricia Kirtley, the story's real hero

Patricia Kirtley raised her and Ted Williams' four daughters, as well as one
children he had with a druggie girlfriend.

A viral video vaulted Ted Williams and his golden voice to fame, but the real hero of this story is the woman he left behind.

Patricia Kirtley raised four daughters alone after Williams split 23 years ago and dove down the rabbit hole of drugs.

Not only that, Kirtley took in the baby boy the radioman had with another woman and raised him as her own.

Oh, and by the way, she's partially blind.

"We survived," Kirtley said Thursday in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. "My children are survivors. They know if we get a little bit that God provides, we make it into a lot. I'm a soup maker. I make potato soup and throw in a lot of vegetables and a little meat. We always ate."

Except that Williams, who seems to be a nice guy, just wasn't strong, wasn't around and wasn't contributing financially.

BBC News - David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunite in West End

David Tennant and Catherine Tate proved an irresistible combination on Doctor Who, fighting daleks and cybermen and now they are teaming up again for a new project.

From 16 May 2011 the pair are appearing in Shakespeare's Much A Do About Nothing, at the Wyndhams Theatre in London's West End, and told BBC Breakfast in an exclusive interview, all about it.
 

BBC News - David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunite in West End:

Roy Hodgson exits Liverpool & Kenny Dalglish takes over

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has left the club by mutual consent.

Hodgson had only managed one away win in the league this season

Hodgson, 63, won only seven of 20 Premier League games after taking over from Rafael Benitez in July 2010 and led the club to 12th in the table.

Former player and manager Kenny Dalglish has been placed in charge until the end of the season.

"Both parties thought it in the best interests of the club that he stand down," said American owner John W Henry in a statement on the club's website.

Hodgson refused to answer questions about his Anfield future following Liverpool's 3-1 defeat by Blackburn on Wednesday, the club's third loss in four Premier League games, which left them just four points clear of the relegation zone.

Sisters reunite with family after 16 years behind bars

Pensacola, Florida (CNN) -- Evelyn Rasco started crying early Saturday morning as soon as she saw the cars carrying her daughters turn the corner.

Minutes later, her voice took on a tougher tone: "I'll tell you one thing, y'all ain't going back to the state of Mississippi. I'll tell you that. Y'all ain't going there to get a drink of water."

Her daughters, Gladys and Jamie Scott, were released from a Mississippi prison Friday after 16 years behind bars. Gov. Haley Barbour suspended their armed robbery sentences on one condition -- that one sister donate a kidney to the other.

Jamie Scott, 38, is gravely ill and needs a kidney transplant, said attorney Chokwe Lumumba.

Barbour said last week it "should be scheduled with urgency." And Jamie Scott told CNN she feared at one point that she would die in prison.

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Ah, the Verizon iPhone. In our bizarre careers as tech journalists, if there's one question we've heard more than "When is Verizon getting the iPhone?" we can't think of it. Also, outside the original rumors for the iPhone and iPad, we can't think of another product so heavily teased by those in the know and those not in the know -- though mostly by those not in the know.

But then we heard Verizon is having a little get together on Tuesday, which is particularly odd timing because Verizon has a huge presence and a large amount of announcements at this year's CES. Rumors of the event being a Verizon iPhone announce immediately flared up, but there were still reservations: Apple usually announces its own products at its own corporate campus -- why would Verizon be doing the honors in NY?

That's when the Wall Street Journal swooped in with a confirmation: the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday, and WSJ's All Things D even thinks Steve Jobs will be there. So, who is this fly-by-night "Wall Street Journal" publication we speak of? They have one of the best track track records on Apple rumors in the business, and they've been leading the Verizon iPhone predictions from day one. Follow after the break as we talk it out.

The day Julian Assange threatened to sue The Guardian over the US embassy cables story

The WikiLeaks US embassy cables revelations caused a world-wide sensation. But the story behind their publication turns out to be just as sensational too.

It transpires that the partnership between the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and The Guardian was anything but straightforward.

According to a Vanity Fair article by Sarah Ellison, there were rows, legal threats and a series of shocks before the newspaper was able to publish what she calls "one of the greatest journalistic scoops of the last 30 years."

She has reconstructed a blow-by-blow account of the twists and turns of the strained relationship between The Guardian - and other papers, including the New York Times - and Assange.

He emerges as an enigmatic, erratic and high-handed individual whose changes of mind and mood bedevilled the process of publishing the documents.

Assange is now under police bail in Britain, facing extradition to Sweden for questioning about claims of sexual assault. But Ellison's report sticks only to his dealings with The Guardian.

She tells how The Guardian's Nick Davies and Ian Traynor made the original contact with Assange in June last year. From that sprang the first revelatory cache of military logs of the war in Afghanistan.

The Guardian, having brought the New York Times on board, then got its first inkling of the difficulties it might have with Assange. Without consulting the paper, Assange arranged for Germany's Der Spiegel to join the partnership.

Raven Symoné Not So Happy About Weight Loss

The former little girl America loved to adore on The Bill Cosby Show and former Disney star was once content with her heavier self, liberally calling herself “thick and fabulous”. However, after years of confidently wearing the weight, Raven Simone showed up at the People’s Choice Awards with a whole new attitude and slimmer look. Symoné claims that she had no body image issues with her former weight.

“I thought I looked fabulous before and nobody else did,” she told PEOPLE magazine. ”

According to Symoné, it was the intense pressure of performing well for the Disney show, That’s So Raven that contributed to her weight gain. Since she no longer is engaged with the show, she has found time to breathe and focus on herself.

“That’s what stress does to you,” Symoné says. “I’ve been not stressing. I’ve been in my own house, decorating and finding hobbies.”

But all the new attention on her body isn’t that comforting, she claims. Symoné is not all that privy for the new attention because she doesn’t believe it’s genuine.

“Actually, now I wear bigger clothes because I don’t like the way people stare at me,” she said. “I liked it before. Now, you’re just looking at me for the wrong reasons. Before, you were actually looking at me for a real reason.”

Since her takeoff from the show, Symoné has appeared in documentaries, such as Chris Rock’s Good Hair and also recently shot The Great State of Georgia, a pilot for ABC Family.

US tells Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks supporter's messages

Birgitta Jonsdottir, the Icelandic MP and former WikiLeaks volunteer, who is now
fighting a US justice department attempt to get hold of her private messages on Twitter
Photograph: Halldor Kolbeins/AFP/Getty Images

A member of parliament in Iceland who is also a former WikiLeaks volunteer says the US justice department has ordered Twitter to hand over her private messages.

Birgitta Jonsdottir, an MP for the Movement in Iceland, said last night on Twitter that the "USA government wants to know about all my tweets and more since november 1st 2009. Do they realize I am a member of parliament in Iceland?"

She said she was starting a legal fight to stop the US getting hold of her messages, after being told by Twitter that a subpoena had been issued. She wrote: "department of justice are requesting twitter to provide the info – I got 10 days to stop it via legal process before twitter hands it over."

She said the justice department was "just sending a message and of course they are asking for a lot more than just my tweets."

Jonsdottir said she was demanding a meeting with the US ambassador to Iceland. "The justice department has gone completely over the top." She added that the US authorities had requested personal information from Twitter as well as her private messages and that she was now assessing her legal position.

"It's not just about my information. It's a warning for anyone who had anything to do with WikiLeaks. It is completely unacceptable for the US justice department to flex its muscles like this. I am lucky, I'm a representative in parliament. But what of other people? It's my duty to do whatever I can to stop this abuse."

Twitter would not comment on the case. In a statement, the company said: "We're not going to comment on specific requests, but, to help users protect their rights, it's our policy to notify users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information, unless we are prevented by law from doing so."

Most of Twitter's messages are public, but users can also send private messages on the service.

Marc Rotenberg, president of the online watchdog the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) in Washington, said it appeared the US justice department was looking at building a case against WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, over its publication of secret US documents.

EPIC has already requested that the US authorities hand over information about their investigations into people who have donated to WikiLeaks via Mastercard, Visa or PayPal.

"The government has the right to get information, but that has to be done in a lawful way. Is there a lawful prosecution that could be brought against WikiLeaks? It seems unlikely to me. But it's a huge question here in the US," said Rotenberg.

Jonsdottir was involved in WikiLeaks' release last year of a video which showed a US military helicopter shooting two Reuters reporters in Iraq. US authorities believe the video was leaked by Private Bradley Manning.

Adrian Lamo, the hacker who reported Manning to the authorities, indicated that Manning first contacted WikiLeaks in late November 2009 – a period covered by the request for Jonsdottir's tweet history.

In 2009 Jonsdottir invited Assange to a party at the US embassy in Reykjavik where he chatted with the ambassador to Iceland. WikiLeaks had recently published a secret report on the collapse of the country's banks.

"I said it would be a bit of a prank to take him and see if they knew who he was. I don't think they had any idea," Jonsdottir said last year.

The MP has distanced herself from Assange and WikiLeaks, saying he should take a step back to deal with an investigation in Sweden. The 39-year-old is fighting extradition to the country, where two women have accused him of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations.

In Iceland she has championed the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative which is aimed at creating legislation to make Iceland a legal haven for journalists and media outlets.

She is not the first WikiLeaks associate to be targeted by US officials. Last July Jacob Appelbaum, one of Assange's closest colleagues, was interrogated for three hours and had his phones confiscated upon entering the country at Newark airport. Customs officials photocopied receipts and searched his laptop.

The justice department did not returns calls seeking comment last night.

Pakistani lawyers back free defense for accused assassin

Islamabad, Pakistan -- More than 500 lawyers in the city of Rawalpindi support free legal aid to defend the accused assassin of the Punjabi governor, the man's defense lawyer told CNN on Friday.

Malik Waheed Anjum, defense lawyer for Muhammad Mumtaz Qadri and the president of the district bar association in Rawalpindi, said hundreds of lawyers passed an unanimous resolution Thursday asking him to defend Qadri on behalf of the association. "We decided to support Mumtaz Qadri because of his poverty," Anjum said.

Gov. Salman Taseer, killed Tuesday, was a liberal lawmaker who had spoken out against the country's blasphemy laws, which make it a crime punishable by death to insult Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Mohammed.

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told news network Al Jazeera that Pakistanis take any blasphemous act against the prophet "very, very seriously." As a result, he said, the blasphemy law must remain. But, he added, "Nobody has a right at all to kill anyone. In Islam, killing any individual is absolutely un-Islamic."

Report: Iran says it can create its own nuclear fuel plates, rods

(CNN) -- Iran can now make its own nuclear fuel plates and rods, spurred in part by the West's behavior, the country's atomic chief and acting foreign minister told the nation's media.

"We set up an advanced facility in Isfahan to manufacture fuel plates," Ali Akbar Salehi told the semiofficial Fars News Agency. "There was a massive development in the field of (nuclear) fuel rods and plates. With the completion of this facility in Isfahan we are now among the few countries that manufacture both the (nuclear) fuel rod and plate. In fact, it was the West's (negative) behavior that facilitated our successes."

Salehi told state media in December that Iran was able to produce everything it needs for the nuclear fuel cycle, making its nuclear program self-sufficient. But it was not clear that Tehran actually had the technology to turn enriched uranium into fuel rods to run a nuclear reactor.

"Once, about two years ago, we requested (nuclear) fuel. We never thought that one day we have to enter the field of producing 20% enriched uranium, but they forced us to show our capabilities to the whole world and even produce 20% enriched fuel despite the fact that they kept insisting that Iran lacked the capability," Salehi said. "But with God's help we showed that we can do whatever we decide to do."

The United States and its allies have feared that Iran is trying to produce a nuclear bomb, but Iran has denied it.

"Whatever we say is based on the truth and reality," Salehi told Fars. "We do not exaggerate or try to deceive. It is they who do not want to believe that Iran has but one motive, and that is to achieve nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only."