WikiLeaks disclosure the Sudanese President wealth

Omar al-Bashir the Sudanese President, has siphoned as much as $9b out of his impoverished country, and much of it may be stashed in London banks, according to secret US diplomatic cables that recount conversations with the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, according to the Guardian. Some of the funds may be held by the part-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group, according to prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who told US officials it was time to go public with the scale of Bashir’s theft in order to turn Sudanese public opinion against him. “Ocampo suggested if Bashir’s stash of money were disclosed (he put the figure at $9b), it would change Sudanese public opinion from him being a ‘crusader’ to that of a thief,” one report by a senior US official alleges. “Ocampo reported Lloyds bank in London may be holding or knowledgeable of the whereabouts of his money,” the cable says. “Ocampo suggested exposing Bashir had illegal accounts would be enough to turn the Sudanese against him.” Lloyds responded by saying it had no evidence of holding funds in Bashir’s name. “We have absolutely no evidence to suggest there is any connection between Lloyds Banking Group and Bashir. The group’s policy is to abide by the legal and regulatory obligations in all jurisdictions in which we operate.” Details of the allegations emerge in the latest batch of leaked embassy cables released by WikiLeaks which reveal that: • US officials regard European human rights standards as an “irritant”, criticising the Council of Europe for its stance on secret rendition of terror suspects. • Diplomats believe judges in the war crimes trial of the Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor have been deliberately causing delays to ensure the only African judge is presiding when the verdict is delivered. Ocampo discussed evidence of the stash with the Americans just days after issuing an arrest warrant for the Sudanese president in March 2009, the first issued by the court against a serving head of state. Bashir was indicted for seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity last year with a further three counts of genocide added in July.

Deadliest year of the war in Afghanistan

The number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan in 2010 neared 700 with two more confirmed on Saturday, by far the deadliest year of the war underscoring the renewed focus on when international forces will leave. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said one of its troops was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the heartland of the Taliban, and another in an attack by insurgents in the volatile east. It gave no other details, including their nationalities. Those deaths took the 2010 toll to 699. A total of 521 foreign troops were killed in 2009, previously the worst year of the war, but operations against the Taliban-led insurgency have increased over the past 18 months. About 2,270 foreign troops have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them Americans. Afghan forces have suffered far more but exact casualty figures are not available. The deaths came two days after U.S. President Barack Obama released a review of his strategy in the increasingly unpopular war, and will be a sobering reminder of the high human toll that has made some of Obama's European allies waiver. Chancellor Angela Merkel made an unannounced visit to German troops serving in the north on Saturday. The war has created deep divisions in Germany, the third-largest contributor of foreign troops.