Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks

LONDON -- Skirmishes raged across cyberspace Thursday between WikiLeaks supporters and the companies they accuse of trying to stifle the group, with websites on both sides of the battle line choked off by attacks. Offline, some efforts by the U.S. government and its allies to punish the website dedicated to publishing secret documents landed in court or headed to one. Judicial authorities in France foiled the French government's effort to boot WikiLeaks from its French computer servers, while supporters in Switzerland and Germany threatened lawsuits against U.S. financial companies who have cut their ties to WikiLeaks.