Julian Assange bail decision made by UK authorities, not Sweden

The decision to have Julian Assange sent to a London jail and kept there was taken by the British authorities and not by prosecutors in Sweden, as previously thought, the Guardian has learned.The Crown Prosecution Service will go to the high court tomorrow to seek the reversal of a decision to free the WikiLeaks founder on bail, made yesterday by a judge at City of Westminster magistrates court.It had been widely thought Sweden had made the decision to oppose bail, with the CPS acting merely as its representative. But today the Swedish prosecutor's office told the Guardian it had "not got a view at all on bail" and that Britain had made the...

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Industrial Production Rises, Inflation Slows

Industrial production in the U.S. increased more than forecast in November and consumer prices slowed, indicating the recovery is gaining momentum without generating inflation. Output at factories, mines and utilities rose 0.4 percent, the biggest gain since July, after a revised 0.2 percent drop in October, a Federal Reserve report showed today in Washington. The consumer-price index climbed 0.1 percent in November after a 0.2 percent gain the prior month, the Labor Department said. Assembly lines are speeding up as business investment and exports grow and consumer spending accelerates, helping to buoy an expansion that Fed policy makers said...

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Council loses fight against cinema drinking

A council has lost a fight against alcohol being allowed in more cinemas at the Marion complex in Adelaide. Greater Union has served alcohol in its upmarket gold class cinemas since 2004 and applied to extend its liquor licence to cover all cinemas in the complex. Marion Council objected and the proposal was amended to include only some extra cinemas. The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner has approved the revised application with conditions relating to security and noise. Marion mayor Felicity Ann Lewis said the council was worried about the possible impact for families. "We would be encouraging parents to be fairly vigilant about supervision of their children in that area," she said. "I think in the past families have been fairly comfortable to give their children a fair amount of freedom...

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