WikiLeaks cables: U.S. diplomats suggest Bollywood stars should visit Afghanistan (guardian)

American diplomats suggested that the India send stars Bollywood Afghanistan, tour in order to facilitate international efforts to stabilize the country, reveals secvret cable. Photo: Corbis

American diplomats suggested that the India send Bollywood stars tour Afghanistan, facilitate international efforts to stabilize the country. March 2007 confidential cable respond to a request from Washington to "specific and concrete ideas for the possibility of using soft power in the reconstruction of the India Afghanistan", officials said that Bollywood is an area which "seems to come."

"We understand movies Bollywood are very popular in Afghanistan, arranged Indian celebrities may be asked to go to Afghanistan to help focus attention on social issues," said cable.

The idea unlikely - which never lead - reveals the tireless efforts of diplomats Embassy in New Delhi for Indian resources and willingness to support the international effort in Afghanistan. "The India has to offer assistance," notes cable, immediately adding that disputing them a key would be "to overcome... Pakistani objection [s] if the India is expanding its role".

Dozens of cable sent the Embassy reveals that diplomats of difficulty had to reconcile the different agendas regions Afghanistan America's allies.

Attempts to build its influence in Kabul India and Afghans indirect aid for relief and reconstruction have often seen by Pakistan as evidence of a strategy of encircling his historic enemy. Cable refers to "the India linger sum no suspicion towards us Pakistan policy.

A key concern for the India - apparent in several cables - is that the United States and its Western allies will withdraw prematurely of the Afghanistan after having negotiated a sort of settlement with the Taliban. The Indian position was that any attempt to reconcile with militants is doomed to failure and immerse the Afghanistan in anarchy and fanaticism, which Pakistan stands for the benefit of risk.

Cables describe Shiv Shankar Menon Indian National Security Adviser, tell a Senator Claire McCaskill, as if the Pakistani establishment felt U.S. commitment was marked, it would be "he sit out and use the Indian threat as an excuse to do what he needed [in terms of fight against activists within its own borders]."

MENON said that he could be a "a minority", but he thought there is more potential for success in Afghanistan than most observers in India. "The British were convinced that the coalition would lose because they have lost three wars, but others were able to tame the country" Menon said McCaskill in February.

Two days earlier, Yukon Sinha (India) for the Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Iran top diplomat expressed scepticism reconciliation and reintegration efforts to become a central element of the strategy Afghanistan NATO and American said diplomats "output of U.S. embolden"fanatics"feel that they had beaten both the USSR as the United States... and the result will be very bad for the region". (250219)

Meeting on 15 February this year, Senator John Kerry said Indian Foreign Minister Nirupama Rao, that July 2011 set by Barack Obama date limit for the start of the withdrawal of the Afghanistan combat forces would not U.S. commitment it and "was intended to bring leverage on Afghan to make necessary reforms officials."

Kerry accepted interlocutors Indians who

"next Pakistani border, a change was necessary in the dynamics of how a fragile Pakistan civilian Government and its strong military interact with groups like the Shura Quetta [top executive top Taliban]" as well as insurgents led by religious extremist Jalaluddin Haqqani network. (250457)Delhi believes that the Pakistani security services are actually in the control of the senior management of the Taliban.

Indian officials told us counterparts in 2007 that "it is also evidence of links between the Taliban and al-Qaeda elements on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border, which is of major importance for stability in both countries.

"In the account of Mr. Mohammed Hanif, a key Taliban spokesman arrested on 15 January, [a senior intelligence officer] stated that"we now know that Mullah Omar is under Pakistani protection"cable reported."

"" The India has learned that the former head of the Pakistan ISI was directly involved in providing assistance to the Taliban,"said cable."

Blake Edwards: a life in clips (guardian)

Blake Edwards in 1989. Photograph: Rex Features

Not many emerging writers can disrupt mass enough to make the cover of the New York Times the following day, but that which is reached when Orson Welles handpicked Blake Edwards to work on his famous 1938 plays War Of The Worlds radio.

However, it was television where Edwards began to carve out its own distinctive style. Created in response to Mike Hammer, Sam Spade and on countless other private black tails of the era, the end of the 50 series NBC Peter Gunn would prove be place of birth of a large part of Blake Edwards style.

Water where counterparts were abrasive, where they were pessimistic, Gunn - powered by timeless theme music by Henry Mancini - dapper has been cooler that anyone could have imagined.

Edwards is not responsible for the scenario for lunch from 1961 to Tiffany but aerated film, feel lightfooted was in him and Audrey Hepburn would not be half of the icon that it is today without his leadership.

A year later and Edwards had moved on the days of wine and roses, a tearjerker shamelessly about alcoholism who won Oscar nominations for Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Once, aided by a peerless by Henry Mancini soundtrack, the film is still one of the most powerful arguments anti-alcohol autour - enough to convince Edwards himself to stop drinking.

Another year and Edwards had co-written and directed the first film in a series that will prove to be his legacy. 1963 Rose Panther was created as a piece of capers together using David Niven and Peter Wagner skills as much as anyone else. But it was Clouseau Inspector who would come to define the film and its consequences for many performance havoc of Peter Sellers.

The first of these suites, Shot In The Dark, marked the moment where Blake Edwards to realize the potential of the character Clouseau. He seemed to know exactly how much space to leave before vendors that its plans become complacent, introducing foil perfect stage fright and possibly crazy Charles Dreyfus. It was a moment that Edwards would never better.

The 1970s were relatively calm for Edwards, consisting of a few pieces of minors and three distinct suites of the Pink Panther. However, he was able to close the Decade epic mode with 10, noisy sex comedy who somehow managed to transform Dudley Moore a megastar and pin-up. With 10 Edward had found his second breath.

Victor Victoria 1982 - a remake of 1933 - consolidated on this second German film blowing to great effect. By combining this labyrinthine farce, ambivalent sexuality, music by Henry Mancini and a show-stopping by his wife, Julie Andrews, Tower is such an Oscar winning tour de force that he subsequently developed a second life as a Tony Award-winning musical.

In this regard, there was a notable and unstoppable quality decline. A brief highlight, however, was Blind Date 1987, featuring a hero pre-action Bruce Willis. Her frenetic distribution here gave him an ideal opportunity to chew landscapes more than anyone could have thought possible.

In 2004, Blake Edwards finally won her Oscar. This is only an honorary Oscar and he had to undergo an introduction of nauseating line of demarcation of Jim Carrey, but the octogenarian still managed to steal show together with the deadly slapstick research inimitable display.

Anne Billson: Why we love interrogation docs of false-or-not as Catfish (guardian)

Fake or not? A still from Brill.

The history is almost certainly a sort of lie, said Orson Welles f for false. That goes double so-called documentary that test the credulity of the Viewer. Exit through the Gift Shop, I'm still here and Catfish let you ask that fool with. Unless filmmakers cut on-site, it is difficult to identify which actually ends and the fiction begins, but the debate generates column inches, which is a film without a big budget marketing gold dust.

Catfish year of production: 2010 country: rest of the world, USA Cert (UK): 12A Runtime: 94 minutes administration: Ariel Schulman, Henry JoostMore on this film

These documentaries are playing on a long tradition of juggling degrees of truth, or it weights for propaganda purposes. Robert Flaherty was criticized in retrospect to have false North Nanook elements (both "the Nanook wives", for example, have been played by girlfriends own Director), but in the 1920s, it was accepted practice for the documentary scene or recreate scenes.

If it is not simply that kind of literary hoax perpetrated by Chatterton, Vian or Frey cooking, film techniques could have been designed to encourage the deceit; events that appear to be shot in a single location are filmed elsewhere, while its doubled, editing and special effects manipulate raw materials. Documentaries, such as historical and biopics epics, are often criticised for twisting of the facts, but it is difficult to define facts in a medium that requires its practitioners make creative choices and impose structure to make a film of missions.

Welles, of course, became one of the godfathers of modern Sham in 1938, with a theatre of war of the worlds as a series of simulated; newsletters mercury radio adaptation He flirted with the truth f for fake, that was a hoax, part part true story. The legend "Based on a true story" is a fictional drama, The Amityville Horror, the social network, but the fashion faux, Zelig and sequences found false, sealed in the snuff and Cannibal Holocaust oral, is established convention entered into overdrive with affordability more camcorders, because it is a type of storytelling that develops on amateur production values. The spread of the internet access more eroded water enabling manufacturers, for example, Blair Witch Project abandon preliminary advice their horror story was not a product of the imagination, but really occurred.

Everyone loves a hoax and pop cultural swindlers today are rather than condemned reputation: Paul Kaye, Chris Morris and Sacha Baron Cohen were supposed to make the respondents in the post-modern variations on Candid Camera chumps alias. It is only a short step to doc or-flawed; Although if born French filmmaker exit through the gift shop is a fictional, as some think, it would have taken years of meticulous to establish its back history, planning a process that starts smack of "Great con David Maurer" and recalled the realities of rubber in the matrix or The Truman Show, in which life itself is exposed as a fraud.

Fakery is now so ingrained culture popular that we have become suspicious of what anyone claiming to present the truth. The French documentary oceans was full of amazing images of Sea serpents long and winding or spheres trillion on small fish, organize themselves in shimmering. Even when the end credits, reads a shark sequence get that cut fins and be initiated into the ocean to die was "reconstituted", it makes us all that we have seen the question.

Similarly, we are continually questioning the authenticity of what is happening in a film such as Catfish. But now, we have begun to these detectors shit even watching everything either TV talent with rigged results or news articles on castrating German engaged their daughters in the cities that may or may not exist. At its most extreme suspicion may fail in conspiracy paranoiac theorization, but he encouraged as look at us events such as Royal engagement with a skeptical eye and ask how to internship-managed to divert the attention of the most important stories. Of course, just leaves us with the problem of labour on which of these news stories are "Resting on a true story", which are mockumentaries.

Julian Assange extradition are still requested by United States (guardian)

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. Photography: Jonathan Hordle/Rex Features

The U.S. justice department has always approached the British Government to extradite Julian Assange, in spite of one of his lawyers saying last week that an indictment would be imminent, according to British diplomats.

If the United States are preparing to seek extradition, is almost certain that the U.S. justice department and other officials would already be channelled to their counterparts in London in detail.

The U.S. attorney general, Eric Holder, is undergone enormous political action against the Assange pressures, but its officials are trying to find laws whereby mount a lawsuit.

Today, a Committee of the Congress, the House Judiciary Committee has evidence of a variety of lawyers about the possibility of prosecution under the Espionage Act and legal and constitutional issues raised by WikiLeaks.

There is a consensus among U.S. constitutional lawyers and other legal experts, while repeating problems attached to the prosecution, that Assange will be indicted. But they are dubious about the chances of extradition between Great Britain and think it will even more difficult the Sweden.

Floyd Abrams, the lawyer who has defended the New York Times in the Supreme Court on the leak the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s, said today that the chances of a U.S. indictment against Assange were better than even. Paul Rosenzweig, a former assistant Secretary for policy Assistant in the Department of Homeland Security, the higher chances to 80%.

One of the lawyers of Assange, Jennifer Robinson, told ABC News last week that an indictment may be imminent.

But a spokesman for the British Embassy in Washington, asked if the United States approached the British Government on extradition, said today: "we no comment on extradition." Private, British diplomats have indicated that it had no substantive discussions with us about any impending extradition request.

Counsel for the U.S. are sceptical about whether Assange could be prosecuted under the Espionage Act and suggests that the Department of justice was looking for alternatives.

Another one of Mark Stephens Assange, lawyers said TV al-Jazeera that a grand jury constituted secretly already honored in Alexandria, Virginia, with a view to prosecution. A spokesman for the Ministry of justice refused to comment on.

Abrams said the Bush administration has introduced difficult cases in Alexandria, and rather CD and it would be interesting Obama administration was to do the same. "CD is the most natural place, but is likely to be more pro-defending and Virginia courts are more favourable to the prosecution," said Abrams.

He added: "it would certainly be an indictment if Assange had encouraged [Bradley Manning, private U.S. suspected of being behind the leak] to provide information and a mechanism to do so." Which could make it easier for the Department of justice to bring a charge of conspiracy. I have not given the opportunities that the 80%. I think it is better as well as they will take place. »

Assange and WikiLeaks could make an argument is that it is a new, as described on its Web site and should be protected from prosecution under the freedom of the press. It could be argued that if the Assange should be prosecuted, why not, the New York Times and the Guardian?

"There must be an element of bad faith is clearly absent with [New York] Times and, I presume, the Guardian." This is a problem of debatable with Assange, "said Abrams."

Rosenzweig, a fellow of the conservative Heritage Foundation agreed: "newspapers like the Guardian add analysis and the value of the business." WikiLeaks is just a compiler or a means of distribution. Is Assange character, apparently did not properly greeted by an American Board if it ever goes to one. »

Rosenzweig put the chances of an indictment at 80% more "because of the policy of the situation than anything else." The u.s. Government must be considered to take vigorous measures against the Assange. And, if the request for extradition is refused, then Governments can share in the "foul" for failing to justice Assange.

The meeting of the grand jury in Alexandria, Rosenzweig said: "" Alexandria is a place very probably the United States Government investigation... I would be relatively confident that it is accurate. ""

Another legal expert, Scott Silliman, Professor at Duke University law school also thought that the Department of justice consider charging conspiracy Assange in its dealings with Manning. "That would be a matter very"is dependent,"However, because the Government prove beyond a reasonable doubt Assange sought Manning files or somehow induced provide WikiLeaks files should be."

"Interestingly, however, if these facts are proved, it would be no different than what many journalists of newspaper U.S. facing their sources." This means that if fresh Government a violation of the espionage or a tender, the matter would still be very problematic and would set a precedent very controversial to media in this country. »

MSNBC TV this week asked a panel of three legal experts, including Rosenzweig, businessmen and the consensus that emerged was that it risked a court challenge.

One of the Panel, the Abbe Lowell, defence counsel stated: "WikiLeaks disclosures are getting more bold and causing more controversy." The United States will be finding a way to make accusations because not doing so will be deemed bad legal precedent, poor national policy and external relations. »

The third member, Stephen Vladeck, Professor of law at American University said that, if only there was no conviction in Sweden, "I think it is very likely that the u.s. Government will continue an indictment (or opens an indictment, he has already obtained) and to request the extradition of Assange". ""