Newser Story Index from June, 2012
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Feds Seizing Illegal $1M Dino Skeleton
BBC
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Jun 21, 2012 2:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Department of Homeland Security has been ordered to detain a dead, 70 million-year-old, 24-foot-long illegal immigrant. The skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Bataar—T. Rex's Mongolian cousin—was sold for $1 million at an auction in New York last month despite objections from the Mongolian government, which bans the export of fossils,...
Warren Jeffs Taps 15 Men to Father All Followers' Kids
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 21, 2012 1:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Imprisoned pedophile Warren Jeffs has issued an edict from his Texas cell naming 15 men who are to father all children conceived among his polygamy followers, sources have revealed. Sex is forbidden for all others, even married men, who will only serve as family "caretakers" for children fathered by others, according to the edict. The decree...
Gun Dealer Linked to Mass Shootings Shuts Down
Associated Press
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Jun 21, 2012 1:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The online dealer who sold a handgun used in the Virginia Tech massacre and supplied equipment to two other mass shooters has shut down—not from a change of heart about his line of work, but because of scores of complaints from customers, reports AP . Eric Thompson's Wisconsin-based business, TGSCOM, closed abruptly last month as police...
Sports Artist LeRoy Neiman Dead at 91
Associated Press
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Jun 21, 2012 1:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Flamboyant sports artist LeRoy Neiman has died at the age of 91 after a long and colorful life and career. The artist, best known for his brightly colored, impressionistic paintings and sketches of major sport events, rivaled American artists like Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses in popularity, notes the New York Times . Neiman—who painted...
Zoo Animals Die in Devastating Minn. Flood
MSNBC
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Jun 21, 2012 12:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A polar bear and a seal who managed to swim to freedom and safety were among the lucky ones when torrential rains inundated a Minnesota town, flooding homes and streets, forcing evacuations and wiping out the local zoo. An 8-year-old boy was swept six blocks in an underground culvert in Duluth before he was spit out, safe, in a wooded area, reports...
Snooki Is Naming Her Baby Boy ....
Z100
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Jun 21, 2012 12:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
No, it's not Guido. It's not even that weird. Snooki is naming her baby boy Lorenzo. "I think we're going to go with Lorenzo," she says. "It's my boy, if you don't like it, pfffft." She also tells Z100 that it was no problem giving up drinking for the surprise pregnancy with baby daddy Jionni LaValle, saying...
Finally: 'Expanded Tweets' Bust 140-Character Limit
Slate
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Jun 20, 2012 7:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Twitter's 140-character limit is all but sancrosanct, as Slate's Farhad Manjoo discovered a while back when he suggested doubling it. Diehards were horrified, and company honchos ridiculed the notion. But what's this? Twitter has just unveiled "expanded tweets" that allow a lot more characters and "interactive experiences"...
'Mega-Brothel' Coming to Sydney
AFP
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Jun 20, 2012 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A brothel in Sydney, Australia, will spend millions expanding into the continent's largest sex venue after government officials gave the go-ahead. The Stiletto mega-brothel will double its rooms to 40 with the $12.2 million renovation. Some of the new rooms will feature multiple beds and pool tables, reports AFP . The city council initially blocked...
BCS Officials Move Toward 4-Team Playoff
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 6:22 PM CDT
(AP) -
The many haters of the BCS system used to determine college football's championship team might soon have reason to celebrate: The BCS commissioners say they have come to a consensus on a model four-team playoff that will be presented to the university presidents next week for approval.
NBC Might Replace Ann Curry on Today
mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com
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Jun 20, 2012 6:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ann Curry just celebrated her one-year anniversary as co-host of the Today show, but it looks like she won't be around for a second. The network is fixing to replace her, reports the New York Times . The show has dipped in the ratings since Curry replaced Meredith Vieira, and NBC is trying to ease her into a different position at the network,...
NYC Restaurant Offers $1K Caviar Pizza
Yahoo
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Jun 20, 2012 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Have an extra $1,000 lying around and a craving for a decadent snack? Pop in to Nino's Restaurant in New York City and order the Bellisima Pizza. The luxurious pie, going for a thousand bucks, is smothered with six different types of caviar, reports Yahoo . You'll also find some Maine Lobster chunks on there. Or are obscenely expensive hamburgers...
Norway Killer Complains He's Been Traumatized
Sky News
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Jun 20, 2012 4:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik interrupted his trial today to complain about his own trauma in comparison to his victims. The judge demanded he stop several times, although he was eventually allowed to finish his address as gallery members exited in protest. After two trauma experts spoke about the troubles affecting families of survivors and...
Lawmaker: Why No Hearings on Radical Christians, Too?
The Raw Story
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Jun 20, 2012 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Peter King's latest hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims are under way, and a Democratic lawmaker used his allotted time to wonder why there are no hearings on radical Christians as well. Texas' Al Green, the grandson of a Christian minister, said in his five-minute speech that he "oppose[s] hearings that don’t focus...
Man Accused of Stealing $600 in Reese's Cups
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 4:13 PM CDT
(AP) -
Police in northern Ohio are trying to identify a candy thief who has stolen hundreds of dollars in peanut butter cups from a gas station store. Employees reported that a young man usually comes in after midnight, snatches Reese's peanut butter cups, and exits the store before they can call police. The workers say the candy stolen over the past...
House Panel Cites Holder for Contempt
Politico
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Jun 20, 2012 3:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Darrell Issa's House panel has voted along party lines to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, reports Politico . The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee acted after Holder refused to comply with a subpoena to hand over documents related to Fast and Furious, the gun-surveillance program that went awry among the cartels of...
Pitcher's Ejection Ignites Spat Over Baseball's 'Code'
usatoday.com
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Jun 20, 2012 3:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays got ejected from a game last night for smearing pine tar in his glove, and the incident has set off a debate about the sport's "unwritten rules," writes Gabe Lacques at USA Today . The debate isn't about the not-so-shocking revelation that some pitchers use pine tar, it's about snitching. In...
Files Suggest Bush Team Took bin Laden Too Lightly
Salon
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Jun 20, 2012 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The NSA has released a trove of CIA documents related to the hunt for Osama bin Laden both before and after 9/11, and Jordan Michael Smith of Salon thinks they amount to an indictment of the Bush administration's failure to take al-Qaeda seriously enough before the attacks. "Perhaps most damning are the documents showing that the CIA had...
Euro 2012 Animal Oracles Doing Shockingly Well
Der Spiegel
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Jun 20, 2012 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Paul the octopus stunned the world with his eight-out-of-eight correct predictions during the 2010 World Cup—but sadly, he died shortly thereafter . Der Spiegel looks at a menagerie of his would-be successors, and finds that the latest animal oracles are doing surprisingly well at predicting the outcome of the European Football Championship:...
Bahrain Delays Verdict for 11-Year-Old Protester
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 2:26 PM CDT
(AP) -
A Bahrain court has adjourned the case of an 11-year-old boy accused of taking part in anti-government protests and says it will hand down a verdict July 5. The sixth-grade student, who was in court today alongside his father, spent a month behind bars and took his final school exams there. The boy, Ali Hasan, faces charges of joining an illegal gathering...
Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 8
Mashable
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Jun 20, 2012 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hot on the heels of its "Surface" tablet announcement , Microsoft today unveiled its latest mobile offering, Windows Phone 8. This new OS will be built off the same source code as the desktop/tablet version of Windows 8, and will at last bring Microsoft's OS up to modern standards, giving it the ability to handle multi-core processors,...
Let's Require People to Vote
Bloomberg
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Jun 20, 2012 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Because of our low voter participation rates, it's likely that no US president has actually been elected by a majority of adult Americans, writes former budget director Peter Orszag at Bloomberg . We can fix that by making voting mandatory, as it is in Australia and more than two dozen other countries. In Australia, compulsory voting caused participation...
Obama Invokes Executive Privilege, Bails Out Holder
Fox News
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Jun 20, 2012 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama invoked executive privilege to justify withholding certain documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal from Congress, just minutes before the House Oversight Committee was set to hold a contempt hearing against Attorney General Eric Holder. But the committee pressed ahead with the contempt hearing anyway, Fox News reports. "This...
Time to Upgrade Trade With Russia
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 20, 2012 1:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With Russia finally due to enter the World Trade Organization, Hillary Clinton is urging the US to take a hard look at its own trade policy. A 1970s law currently prevents us from normal trade with Moscow, but at this point, that legislation is hurting only us. The Jackson-Vanik amendment limits our trade with countries that have cracked down on emigration...
Coming Soon: Sesame Street Movie
Hollywood Reporter
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Jun 20, 2012 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sesame Street is coming to the big screen once more. The movie rights have been picked up by 20th Century Fox, and longtime Sesame Street writer Joey Mazzarino will write the script, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Since its premiere in 1969, Sesame Street has spawned two big-screen films: Follow That Bird in 1985 and The Adventures...
Lawyer: Mubarak Just Fell in the Bathroom
New York Times
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Jun 20, 2012 12:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hosni Mubarak's lawyer says that, reports to the contrary , Egypt's ex-despot did not suffer a stroke and heart attack that left him on the brink of death. He just fell down in the prison bathroom. "We were surprised at what we can call a media mania in Egypt last night," the lawyer tells the New York Times .
Jackson 5 Launch Tour as 4
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tonight, four of the Jackson brothers launch their first tour together in nearly three decades—without their biggest star. Preparing for their "Unity" tour has been an emotional experience for Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie after Michael's death, they tell the AP . "The brothers don't know this, but I've broken...
Heckling Reporter Should Be Fired
Washington Post
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Jun 20, 2012 12:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Respect for the presidency has reached a new low, as proved by a pair of incidents this week, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post . There was the bullet-riddled outhouse labeled " Obama Presidential Library " at a Montana GOP convention, which showed that political discourse hasn't just "gone down the toilet," it's...
Fed Pumps $267B More Into 'Operation Twist'
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 11:58 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Federal Reserve is extending a program intended to further lower long-term interest rates, noting hiring has weakened, consumer spending is rising more slowly, and the economy needs more support. The Fed will continue Operation Twist through the end of the year, it announced today. The Fed has been selling $400 billion in short-term Treasurys...
Romney Advisers' VP Favorite: Pawlenty
Politico
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Jun 20, 2012 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite the fact that Mitt Romney just made waves by confirming Marco Rubio is being vetted as a possible runningmate , Tim Pawlenty is the No. 1 pick for VP among several of Romney's top advisers, sources tell Politico . His most winning quality seems to be his appeal to regular, working-class folks, something Romney struggles with. "Pawlenty...
Crowning Blooper: Airport Finds Tiara, Decides to Sell It
Independent
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Jun 20, 2012 11:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Glascow airport workers discovered a diamond tiara in lost luggage in 2006, officials made a surprising decision. Instead of trying to discover who owned the tiara, they sold it and other jewels (worth, it turns out, $157,000) found in the same bag to a local dealer for a few grand and donated the bucks to charity. The story may have ended there,...
Defense Rests Without Sandusky Taking Stand
Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)
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Jun 20, 2012 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
We won't be hearing Jerry Sandusky's side of things from Jerry Sandusky himself. The defense rested today without calling the former Penn State assistant coach to the stand, reports the Patriot News . The prosecution had no rebuttal, which means things will kick off again tomorrow at 9am, at which time closing arguments will be made. ESPN...
Sheen: Why I Love Prostitutes
Huffington Post
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Jun 20, 2012 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Charlie Sheen continues his "I'm Not Crazy Anymore, Really" Tour in Playboy , telling the magazine his weird behavior was caused by a "psychotic break" after years in the spotlight and many failed relationships. "I finally just said the things I had always been thinking." But when he infamously said he was "winning,"...
Failed Nuke Talks Mean Tough Iran Sanctions a Go
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 20, 2012 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Little progress was made in the West's latest round of nuclear talks with Iran—and in the absence of a new agreement, new sanctions are due to take hold in less than two weeks. On June 28, the US will instate sanctions on companies working with Iran's central bank; days later, on July 1, the European Union will launch an embargo on Iranian...
New Greek PM Signed In
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 20, 2012 10:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras was sworn in as Greece's new prime minister today, after his conservative party reached a deal to form a coalition government with the liberal Pasok and Democratic Left parties, CNN reports. "We trust that with God's help we will do all we can to get our people out of the crisis," Samaras said...
Inside the Depp-Paradis Split
New York Post
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Jun 20, 2012 10:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Johnny Depp's publicist, Robin Baum, was the one to confirm the end of Depp's relationship with Vanessa Paradis yesterday—but is Baum actually to blame for the break-up? The New York Post notes that In Touch ran a picture of Depp appearing to kiss a woman it said was Baum back in January; Baum wouldn't comment when asked about...
Toulouse Gunman in Custody
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A self-proclaimed al-Qaeda member has been detained after taking several people hostage in a Toulouse bank today, the BBC reports. The gunman fired a shot after first demanding money; he later released two of his four hostages. French media reported he was in custody after more gunfire was heard; the gunman is thought to be wounded but his hostages...
Facebook's New Buy Had Huge Security Hole
Wired
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Jun 20, 2012 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Facebook has made a new acquisition, snapping up Israeli facial recognition firm Face.com in a deal believed to be worth up to $100 million. But while Face.com's technology—which is already used to auto-tag photos on Facebook—has plenty of fans, its KLIK mobile app had a major security flaw that has only just been fixed. The app stored...
Washed Up in Washington: Japanese Home?
Associated Press
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Jun 20, 2012 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kayakers are scouring the coast of Washington state for more debris from Japan's tsunami—and their latest find, on a Makah Indian reservation 120 miles from Seattle, was rather haunting. A collection of nailed-together lumber produced by an Osaka factory, along with a bottle of kerosene with Japanese writing and a container of cough syrup,...
Home Prices Get Rosier —in Certain Zip Codes
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 20, 2012 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The housing market's recovery has become a much patchier affair than the boom and crash were, the Wall Street Journal finds. More areas around the country are seeing home sales and prices rise, but while a few markets are seeing a solid recovery, including Phoenix and Denver, an analysis by real estate firm Zillow finds that it is more common...
Highest-Paid Actress? Thank Twilight
Forbes
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Jun 20, 2012 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The No. 1 spot on Forbes ' latest list of the highest-paid actresses goes to a 22-year-old, and we have Twilight to thank for that. Kristen Stewart was paid an estimated $12.5 million per film for the last two in the franchise, plus some of the profits. Couple that with Snow White and the Huntsman , and her estimated earnings between May...
Obama Has Staggering 13-Point Lead Over Romney
Bloomberg
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Jun 20, 2012 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The political world is buzzing today over a new Bloomberg poll that shows Barack Obama clobbering Mitt Romney by a whopping 53% to 40% margin. This comes despite voters widely disapproving of Obama's handling of the economy—only 43% approve, while 53% disapprove. So why is Obama winning? Because voters just plain don't like Romney....
'Hell' on JetBlue Flight Over Vegas
New York Post
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Jun 20, 2012 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Be glad that you were not on Sunday's JetBlue flight from Las Vegas to New York, which one passenger describes as "four hours of hell." The plane's hydraulic system failed, causing it to careen from side to side and go into dizzying turns, and the passengers' descriptions of the flight may cause you never to board a plane again:...
Pearl Jam Scammed by Own Money Man?
Seattle Times
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Jun 20, 2012 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The exec who handled Pearl Jam's "road cash" has been charged with scamming the grunge veterans of at least $380,000 over several years. Prosecutors say Rickey Goodrich, the former chief financial officer for Pearl Jam's management company, used the band's cash and credit cards to pay for spa treatments, expensive family vacations,...
Why a New Yorker Writer Stole From ... Himself
Slate
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Jun 20, 2012 8:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new staff writer at the New Yorker has already taken to plundering the work of others. Well, one other—himself. Three paragraphs in Jonah Lehrer's June 12 blog post appear in a Wall Street Journal piece he penned last year, media commentator Jim Romenesko revealed yesterday . Some of the text is a word-for-word copy. And it's...
39 Years Later, Secretariat Nabs Preakness Record
Baltimore Sun
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Jun 20, 2012 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Legendary racehorse Secretariat has notched a posthumous victory: The Maryland Racing Commission says he did indeed set a race record at the Preakness in 1973 , making him the record holder for all three Triple Crown events. Owner Penny Chenery, now 90, championed the effort for official recognition of the horse's 1:53 race. "It's nice...
Venezuela to Germany: Give Us Back Our 35-Ton Rock
Telegraph (UK)
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Jun 20, 2012 8:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Venezuela and Germany are fighting … over a 35-ton rock. Venezuela is asking for the huge red stone to be returned on behalf of the indigenous Pemon Indians, on whose native land it once rested. German artist Wolfgang von Schwarzenfeld procured it in 1997 and took it to Germany, where it currently resides in a Berlin sculpture park. He says...
US, Israel Developed Flame to Burn Iran Nuke Efforts
Washington Post
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Jun 20, 2012 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Surprise, surprise. The US and Israel together devised the malevolent Flame computer virus to snarl Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weaponry, reports the Washington Post . The massive malware has been monitoring Iran's computer networks and sending back a stream of intelligence to aid the Stuxnet-linked malfunctions in Iran's nuclear-enrichment...
Troops in Koran Burning to Be Punished, Not Charged
MSNBC
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Jun 20, 2012 7:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US military will not recommend the US troops who burned Korans at an Afghanistan NATO base, sparking protests , face any criminal charges. Administrative punishments have been recommended instead, MSNBC reports. The punishment will likely involve a rank and pay drop, a letter of reprimand, or the assignment of additional duties; it has been...
Ecuador Play Could Land Assange in Jail
BBC
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Jun 20, 2012 6:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Julian Assange spent the night at Ecuador's London embassy —and it could cost him. The move violates the conditions of his $315,000 bail, which say he must remain at his friend's address in eastern England between 10pm and 8am. Now Scotland Yard is looking to arrest the WikiLeaks founder, reports the BBC , though the AP notes that...
Ai Weiwei Reports Police Siege
CNN
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Jun 20, 2012 6:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ai Weiwei says police have prevented him from leaving his studio for a scheduled court appearance today, roughing up one of his employees in the process. "The police started calling me repeatedly yesterday afternoon, warning me to stay away from the court today, which I find pretty confusing," the Chinese artist tells CNN . Then last night,...
