THREATENED CLOSURE: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says financial problems may lead to the closure of the notorious secret-spilling site at the end of this year.
WHAT PROMPTED THIS: WikiLeaks blames a blockade imposed by financial companies including Visa, MasterCard, Western Union and PayPal. U.S.-based financial companies pulled the plug on WikiLeaks shortly after it began publishing some 250,000 U.S. State Department cables last year. The group says the restrictions starved it of nearly all its revenue.
SUSPENSION FOR NOW: WikiLeaks says it will stop publishing for the moment in order to focus on making money.
