Dear Readers:

For the first time in the more than four years since I launched The ‘Skeeter Bites Report, I have been forced to miss a Monday deadline and not publish. I regret to announce that due to a security breach at Google’s Gmail service (Google is the parent company of my blog host, Blogger), I have been forced to temporarily suspend publication.

Hackers broke into the Gmail server and stole the entire contact lists of millions of Gmail users, including Yours Truly. This has resulted in everyone on my Gmail list — including many subscribers of The ‘SBR — receiving very unwanted spam e-mail, with my Gmail address as the sender.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that its correspondents — and reporters for other foreign media working in China — have seen their Gmail accounts hacked.

I can only speculate that I became a target of the hackers — even though I operate in the U.S. from my home in Vermont — because of an article I posed on The ‘SBR last July on the bloody riots in Xinjiang Province.

Apparently, somebody in China didn’t like what I posted.

The bottom line is, as a direct result of this hack, not only has the security of my Gmail account been compromised, but likewise the security of my blog, as it is a Google-hosted site.

Because of this security breach, I have no alternative but to suspend publication of The ‘Skeeter Bites Report until further notice, in order to protect my sources and subscribers. Hopefully, the suspension won’t be for long.