Swiss cut off bank account for WikiLeaks' Assange

The Swiss postal system stripped WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of a key fundraising tool Monday, accusing him of lying and immediately shutting down one of his bank accounts.

The swift action by Postfinance, the financial arm of Swiss Post, came after it determined the "Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process."

Assange had told Postfinance he lived in Geneva but could offer no proof that he was a Swiss resident, a requirement of opening such an account.

Postfinance spokesman Alex Josty told The Associated Press the account was closed Monday afternoon and there would be "no criminal consequences" for misleading authorities.

"That's his money, he will get his money back," Josty said. "We just close the account and that's it."

The setback leaves Assange with only a few options for raising money for his secret-spilling site through a Swiss-Icelandic credit card processing center and accounts in Iceland and Germany.

WikiLeaks has been under intense international scrutiny over its disclosure of a mountain of classified U.S. diplomatic cables, after previously releasing tens of thousands of classified U.S. military documents on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The unprecedented disclosures have embarrassed the U.S. and other governments worldwide and prompted U.S. officials to pressure the WikiLeaks site and its facilitators.

A Swiss website, wikileaks.ch, has been handling much of the traffic from WikiLeaks after other Internet service and online payment providers began severing ties with the organization.

WikiLeaks' Swedish servers came under suspected attack again Monday, the latest in a series of online computer assaults that have knocked the secret-spilling group across the Web.

WikiLeaks, in a tweet to its followers, confirmed it was having difficulty with its PRQ severs but did not elaborate.

"We are investigating the cause," it said.

While U.S. officials are investigating whether they can charge Assange, the 39-year-old Australian faces sexual misconduct allegations connected to his stay in Sweden over the summer.

The Swedish case has been described by his British lawyer Mark Stephens as a political stunt, but it could eventually lead to his extradition from Britain to Sweden. A European arrest warrant was issued for Assange last week and it is currently working its way through the British legal system.

Extradition experts say such warrants can take weeks or even months to lead to an arrest, although high profile cases tend to move faster. The BBC said the Swedish warrant was now with London's Scotland Yard — suggesting that matters were developing quickly.

The broadcaster didn't cite its source, and the police force declined comment.

Scotland Yard would still have to seek a warrant at Westminster and City Magistrates' Court, which handles extradition, before Assange were detained. Such a move would not be announced ahead of time.

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Willow Smith rocks the holidays, bad news about Botox, and the Kennedy Center Honors displays diverse styles

Willow Smith is scheduled to whip her hair on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" show. The girl-of-a-thousand-hair-styles showed off another one Saturday when she performed at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at L.A. Live, wearing braids that looked like candy canes. [People] 

-- The red carpet was rolled out in Washington Sunday night for the Kennedy Center Honors[Huffington Post]   and there was a true diversity of looks. Michelle Obama was sophisticated in a figure-huggging gown that showed off those toned arms. Sheryl Crow channeled her inner goddess in a flowing cream dress cinched at the waist. Nancy Shevell, the date of honoree Paul McCartney, was edgy in a short green-and-black dress with sheer paneled hem, while honoree Oprah Winfrey was elegant in a sweeping black skirt and low-cut white blouse. But what was Kid Rock thinking, in shirtsleeves, a hat and some kind of furry vest?

-- While celebrities can burn out as fast as a shooting star in the worlds of fashion and beauty, Jessica Simpson is showing some staying power and is on track to becoming a billion-dollar fashion powerhouse. [WWD] (subscription required) 

-- We wonder if Angelina Jolie will be as successful? She's entered into a new jewelry collaboration. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

-- Canadian researchers have done a study that shows that Botox injections can cause muscle to waste away to fat, both at the injection site and in other parts of the body ... in rabbits, at least. The researchers, from the University of Calgary, warn that their findings "raise important questions" about the long-term use of the popular cosmetic treatment. The study results were published in the Journal of Biomechanics.  [Daily Mail]

-- The British Fashion Council plans to honor the late Alexander McQueen with a posthumous award for outstanding achievement in fashion. [WWD] (subscription required) 

-- Belgian model Tanga Moreau, who in the late 1990s appeared in Vogue Paris and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue (among others), is returning to modeling after a 10-year absence. [Telegraph] 

-- Jezebel has unearthed a 1988 music video featuring designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, a number of gender-bending male and female models, a cone bra and dancing scissors. Kind of a precursor to some of the videos design houses have been using the last couple of years.

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The New Hot Wheels

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters-Landov

The Most Fuel Efficient Cars - 2010

The electric car has traveled a long and bumpy road. Remember the EV1, which General Motors rolled out in the mid-’90s and literally scrapped a few years later? Well, the electric car has been resuscitated—and is here to stay. You can thank Uncle Sam for that: the government mandated that carmakers cut tailpipe emissions by 5 percent each year from 2012 to 2016, and boost fuel economy fleetwide by an average of seven miles per gallon. In other words, auto companies can’t wiggle out of it this time.

And so, this month early adopters will begin plugging in a new generation of electric wheels and thumbing their noses as they zoom by the corner gas station. These babies aren’t just for vegans who compost and watch reruns of An Inconvenient Truth. Anyone who grumbles at $3.25-a-gallon gas will be impressed by the fuel cost: as little as $1.50 to $2.75 to fully juice up an electric car, depending on the size of the battery. You may still have to pay at the pump: some electrics are hybrids that switch to gasoline once the battery runs low. But for most city driving, you can get around on a single charge. You’ll also need to install a dedicated 240-volt charger in your garage, which can cost a couple of thousand bucks. (The one exception is the Chevy Volt, which plugs into a simple 120-volt outlet but requires 10 hours to fully charge.) Because electric cars aren’t for everyone, automakers are offering a dizzying array of other ecofriendly cars that don’t run on electricity but still give great gas mileage and green cred. There are clean diesel-powered vehicles that have nothing in common with the smoke-belching monsters of the ’70s. And almost every car company has come out with its own hybrid to give the Toyota Prius a run for its money. In fact, there are so many green choices for 2011, it’s hard to figure out which way to turn. To help you navigate the terrain, we’ve picked the top performers in each category.”

Courtesy of Nissan

Plug-Ins

Nissan Leaf
This fully electric plug-in would be right at home in the Jetsons' garage. It charges completely in seven hours with a 240-volt connection. And it's seriously cool inside, with animated displays and fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. A $349 monthly lease makes the car's $25,780 price (after a $7,500 federal tax credit) competitive with non-electrics.

Courtesy of General Motors

Chevy Volt
Worried you'll run out of juice in the middle of the expressway? Then choose the Volt, which pairs a 40-mile electric motor with a gas engine. Named Motor Trend Car of the Year, it's spunky and powers up on a standard 120-volt outlet. The lease is a steal at $2,500 down and $350 a month for 36 months, with a retail price of $33,500 after the federal tax credit.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters-Landov

Honda Fit EV
The all-electric version of Honda's sporty Fit isn't available until 2012, but it promises to be a formidable competitor to the Nissan Leaf, with a 100-mile-range motor, seating for five, and a spacious hatchback. Using technology from Honda's CR-Z sport hybrid, the motor can operate in econ, normal, or sport mode to either maximize energy efficiency or boost power.

Courtesy of Toyota

Hybrids

Toyota Prius
Still the mack daddy, the Prius remains the fuel-economy leader for gas hybrids, with 51mpg city, 48mpg highway. And given there's so much competition in the hybrid market, drivers no longer have to pay a premium: you can get into one for $23,050. A hybrid plug-in version will arrive in two years, but will its 13-mile electric range be too little, too late?

Craig Ruttle / Bloomberg-Getty Images

Ford Fusion
This hybrid offers generous mileage--41mpg city, 36mpg highway--coupled with all-wheel drive, midsize roominess, and interior creature comforts. Seats are made of 85 percent recycled materials. Unlike some other hybrids that operate on electric at parking-lot speeds, the Fusion is capable of maintaining 47mph powered solely by the electric motor.

Courtesy of Volkswagen

Volkswagen Touareg
Even tree-huggers like to haul boats and trailers from time to time. But the gas required can be guilt-inducing. What's a recreation lover to do? If you have $60,565 lying around, the Touareg may be your answer. It's heavy-duty but swanky, with 18-inch wheels, a rearview camera, and bi-xenon headlights, and it uses about 4mpg less fuel than its gas equivalent.

Diesels

Courtesy of Volkswagen

Volkswagen Golf TDI
This hatch turbo is hot with 20- and 30-somethings. It looks slick, is small enough to park in tight city spaces, and offers sporty Teutonic handling for a $23,435 price that's lower than other German brands. It's powered by a fuel--efficient 2.0-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that gets 30mpg city, 42mpg highway. It's an excellent choice for drivers who have to endure a long daily commute but want a sports-car feel.

Courtesy of Audi

Audi A3 TDI
Using the same platform and engine as the VW Golf (Audi is VW's luxury brand), this car gets equally impressive mileage, but comes with posh upgrades like standard leather seating for just $30,250. If the A3 is too small for you, wait for Audi's hybrid versions of its midsize A6, full-size A8, and Q5 SUV in 2011 and 2012. Audi will also release a plug-in hybrid in 2014.

Courtesy of BMW

BMW 3 Series
We've ranked the 335d third only because it's pricey: $44,150. This diesel gets 36mpg highway and about 580 miles to the tankload. And with an in-line six-cylinder, 265hp engine that produces a massive 425 foot-pounds of torque, power is at the ready. Stay tuned for next summer's release of an all-electric 1 Series, a sprightly four-seat sport coupe with a 100-mile range.

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