Assange Arrest 'Expected In Days'; But He May Be 'Live' On Web Today

WikiLeaks.ch

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Britain's The Independent says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is "expected to be arrested in the coming days after Swedish prosecutors filed a new warrant with British authorities."

Some of the latest news related to the WikiLeaks release of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables that continues to generate headlines around the world:

-- Britain's The Independent says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is "expected to be arrested in the coming days after Swedish prosecutors filed a new warrant with British authorities." As we reported yesterday, Assange is thought to be in the U.K. and the Swedish warrant isn't about the leaks. It's about an alleged rape. Assange says he's innocent.

-- But Assange may be "live" on The Guardian's website starting around 8 a.m. ET. He's supposed to be in the comments thread at that link. That is, says the Guardian, "if he can get access to the Internet. ... a big if at the moment." (Update at 8:05 a.m. ET: This probably shouldn't surprise anyone, but the Guardian's webpage where Assange is supposed to join the conversation isn't loading for us at this moment. Perhaps it can't handle the traffic?)

-- And about Assange's access to the Internet ... the website's domain name system provider withdrew service from WikiLeaks.org yesterday because of hacker attacks that had "threatened the rest of its network," the Associated Press writes. WikiLeaks moved to a Swiss provider, changing its url to wikileaks.ch.

-- The New York Times says some of the leaked cables "depict heavy Afghan graft, starting at the top." NPR's Jackie Northam reported on Morning Edition that the messages highlight "two pervasive challenges the U.S. faces in Afghanistan: corruption and dealing with President Hamid Karzai. ... The cables clearly show how pervasive, corrosive and just how far up the political ladder the corruption reaches." Copyright 2010 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.