Putin may have amassed secret $40 billion fortune while 'fighting corruption'; new ANC leader Zuma may face corruption charges...

21 December :: Guardian reports Russian pres. Vladimir Putin may be hiding secret $40 billion fortune in accounts in Switzerland, Lichtenstein, that struggle for control of state-run assets brewing amid rival Kremlin factions; Putin fortune would be major news, as he has long claimed his attacks on political rivals were part of anti-corruption crusade against billionaire 'oligarchs'; according to the UK-based paper, "Citing sources inside the president's administration, [Russian political expert Stanislav]Belkovsky claims that after eight years in power Putin has secretly accumulated more than $40bn (£20bn). The sum would make him Russia's - and Europe's - richest man"; much of the wealth is related to his stake in state-owned businesses, a serious ethical and international relations concern, considering strong-arm tactics used by Russian energy exporters against EU market in recent years... After struggle in South Africa's ruling African National Congress party, new leader Jacob Zuma has been informed he may face criminal charges for corruption alleged during his tenure as deputy to Pres. Thabo Mbeki... Documents reveal fmr UK PM Tony Blair put intense pressure on his top prosecutor to halt an investigation into alleged bribes paid by arms firm BAE to Saudi princes; reports suggest the Saudi regime threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with Britain if the investigation was not ended, that Blair continued to press Lord Goldsmith even after the attorney general refused to suspend the search for evidence... US Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination to run for president, and endorsed fmr. Mass. gov. Mitt Romney...