Christmas Shocker: WikiLeaks Publishes Santa's Naughty List

(Cartoon by Ape Man at Boing Boing; Video by Rooster Teeth)

Iran Interview: Sister of Habib Latifi, Sentenced to Die on Sunday

Masih Alinejad interviews Elahe Latifi, sister of condemned Kurdish detainee Habibollah Latifi:

I thought in honour of the religious month of Moharram, no executions would be carried out, but apparently that does not matter to the authorities. Our last hope is God.

One is hopeful until the last minute. Hopeful to be able to do anything for her loved one.

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A Special Message: Put Something in EA's Stocking for Christmas

It's been a great year.

As the success of Enduring America became the promise of EA WorldView, we added new specialist sections and continued to sharpen our reputation for cutting-edge coverage of world events.

EA, with an all-volunteer staff, still relies on income from our advertising partners and donations from our readers to keep us growing. Last year we asked you to buy us a coffee, but this year we've hung a Christmas stocking on the mantelpiece. We have big ambitions for the site in 2011, and we're hoping a few surprises in the stocking will make this possible.

If you would like to donate- any amount, big or small --- you can do so via PayPal on our Donations page. If you can't use PayPal, drop us a line and we can let you know how you can still reach that stocking.

Wishing all our readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the best of New Years!

Iran Feature: Why Peace Activists Should Take an Interest in the Green Movement (Postel/Hashemi)

Danny Postel and Nader Hashemi write for The Fellowship of Reconciliation:

We are peace activists and supporters of the Green movement in Iran. We adamantly oppose any military attack on Iran, and we stand in solidarity with the democratic struggle in Iran. We see these positions as inextricably linked, as forming a consistent position based on the principles of peace, social justice, and human rights. But there’s a lot of confusion about this in the peace movement. We offer the following food for thought in hopes of clarifying some of the issues at hand and encouraging peace activists to learn more about the Green movement.

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Belarus Updates: Threat of Prosecution Continues for Candidates and Activists

1905 GMT: Political analyst Svetlana Naumova of the Speak Truth campaign has been interrogated by state security service KGB about alleged plans to overthrow the government.

1900 GMT: The lawyer for opposition candidate Vladimir Neklyaev has still not seen her client, who was taken from a hospital bed on Sunday --- having been beaten unconscious by police --- and detain. Neklyaev's wife Olga Neklyaeva says she does not know if he is alive.

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WikiLeaks: Israel Bombed Syria Nuclear Reactor in 2007 (YNet)

A confidential cable sent on April 25, 2008 by then-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to State Department representatives worldwide states that "on September 6 2007, Israel destroyed the nuclear reactor built by Syria secretly, apparently with North Korea's help."

The document is in fact a first official and detailed confirmation of the attack, starting with the intelligence collected before the strike, the cooperation between Israel and the United States, the troubling and harsh conclusions shared by both countries, the Israeli government's decision to bomb Syria and the fear that President Bashar Assad would launch a war in response.

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The Latest from Iran (24 December): An Execution and a Hero

2110 GMT: Sanctions Watch. The Reserve Bank of India will no longer arrange payments for Iranian crude imports.

India's central bank said future payments will have to be settled outside the existing Asian Clearing Union mechanism, which includes central banks of India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

1730 GMT: Execution Watch. Rawa News has published an interview with the sister of Habibollah Latifi, the Kurdish prisoner scheduled for execution on Sunday (now see the English text in a separate entry).

She says, "[The authorities] acted very cleverly. They delivered the sentence 1 1/2 hours before the close of office hours on Thursday. So we could not do anything. Today was a Friday [weekend in Iran]. Tomorrow is the last day [before the execution], unless a miracle appears. They have planned so that we can not actually do anything."

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A Political Thriller: Congress Passes the New START Treaty on Nuclear Weapons

The confirmation on Wednesday of the New START Treaty with Russia concluded a staggering turnaround in the fortunes of the Obama Administration. Even the tax cuts of the previous week, initially presented as a victory for the Republicans holding the President hostage to their demands, have now become part of the triumphal story of Barack Obama as the Comeback Kid.

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Korea Not-Quite-Crisis Update: What is Kim Jong-Il Looking at Today?

On Thursday, South Korea held live-fire drills near Yeonpyeong Island, shelled by North Korean artillery last month. The international media prepared for International Crisis, but nothing really happened, so everybody put away their headlines.

Later in the day, Pyongyang offered the consolation of propaganda about "holy war", but they then let down the press with no follow-up either of God or Bombs.

So, at this time of Not-Quite-International-Crisis, EA offers another update in the series, "What is North Korean Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il Looking at Today?"

Wood...

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WikiLeaks and Iraq 2009: Grand Ayatollah Sistani Checks Iran's Influence?

Najaf, as the epicenter of Shia Islam, carries significant importance for Iran and its overall campaign to expand its sphere of influence in Iraq and the region. The city is home to many Iranian pilgrims and traders eager to profit spiritually and financially from the city's religious and commercial offerings. There is general awareness and acknowledgment among many Iraqis that Iran's influence, albeit a historic reality, does not always translate into mutual benefit for Najafis. Many also acknowledge that Iran will continue to capitalize on its ties to the city in order to foster greater socio-economic dependencies. The extent of its ability to influence the ways of the Marja'iyyah are more limited, particularly during Sistani's tenure, given the clerical establishment's unrivaled theocratic and geographic prominence when compared to its "sister city" Qom.

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