Wikinews:Briefs/May 26, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
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Script
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Today on Wikinews: We briefly recap some of the stories appearing on Wikinews this week and from around the world.
Today is Saturday, May 26, 2012. I am Chad Tew and this is Wikinews.
Briefs
A Chinese court sentenced the so called "Bandit King" to life in prison for corruption and smuggling. Lai Changxing was convicted of importing goods into Xiamen worth several billion pounds and avoiding paying taxes and fees by paying off corrupt officials in about 4 million pounds. He was the nation's top car importer and one of the main traders in oil and imported cigarettes. Before his extradition, he was one of China's most wanted fugitives, and The People's Daily has suggested it is the most serious economic crime in modern Chinese history.
The only person convicted in the Lockerbie plane bombing in nineteen eighty eight has died. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi had told reporters last year that he had come home to die and wanted to be left alone. He still claimed he was innocent in the attack on the Pan Am Flight that left two hundred and seventy people dead. He had received a compassionate release from prison in Scotland. He is buried in Tripoli.
The Pakistani government blocked Twitter last weekend over posts that promoted a drawing contest of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had convinced Facebook to hide the posts from Pakistani visitors, but Twitter didn't respond to the request, and so the PTA blocked the site during negotiations Saturday. The block was lifted on Sunday, and Twitter said it did not remove any material.
Facebook's first couple officially tied the knot last weekend. Early that week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg turned 28 on the same day that his girlfriend Priscella Chan graduated. Friends invited to the couple's home thought they were attending a graduation party, but instead found themselves invited to the couple's wedding.
Attorney John Wolfe wins 42% against President Obama in Arkansas primary / Wikinews interviews John Wolfe, Democratic Party presidential challenger to Barack Obama (2:32)
An attorney from Tennessee is running against President Barack Obama for the nomination of the Democratic party. In Arkansas, John Wolfe won forty-two percent of the total in Tuesday's primary election. Two weeks ago, a prison inmate scored just one percent lower than Wolfe against President Obama in the West Virgina primary. We have more on John Wolfe's challenge to President Obama, including an interview, on Wikinews dot org.
I'll Have Another lived up to his name by winning the 2012 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland. Earlier in May, he won the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. In the both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, I'll Have Another had to pass the speed horse Bodemeister who led for most of those races. Each time, I'll Have Another passed Bodemeister in the final part of the race. All eyes will be on I'll Have Another during the Belmont Stakes, which will be held on June 9, the final race he would have to win to be a Triple Crown Winner. The last horse to win all three races was Affirmed in nineteen seventy eight.
Another brother of the musical group Bee Gees has died. Robin Gibb died last Sunday from colon and liver cancer. While the Gibb brothers sang in harmony, Robin was best remembered for his contributions on songs like "I Started A Joke." The Bee Gees are known for their contributions to disco from their dance singles in the mid-seventies and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, which became one of the best selling albums.
This week the Roman Catholic Church's most senior exorcist stirred up long-standing rumors in Italy about a fifteen year old girl. The girl, Emanuela Orlandi, went missing in nineteen eighty three. Investigators are currently looking into whether the girl's remains ended up alongside the coffin of a gangster. It was also suspected that the girl was kidnapped as a pawn to be traded for Mehmet Ali Agca, who had attempted to murder former Pope John Paul the Second. The exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, has dismissed these theories for his allegation that the girl was kidnapped for sex parties at the Vatican.
Outro (5:28)
And those are the headlines for this week.
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Related news
- "News briefs: May 19, 2012" — Wikinews, May 19, 2012
