WikiLeaks’ Assange Arrested in London; Iran Nuclear Talks Conclude

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange during a news conference at the Geneva Press Club on Nov. 4, 2010. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images.

Julian Assange, the 39-year-old Australian and founder of the WikiLeaks web site, was arrested by Scotland Yard on Tuesday when he turned himself in at a London police station. His attorneys have said they plan to aggressively fight extradition to Sweden, where he is accused of raping two women in August.

Assange’s whereabouts have been unknown for the past month, during which 250,000 secret State Department cables were leaked by his web site. His attorney, Mark Stephens, said he turned himself in because he “has been the one in hot pursuit to vindicate himself to clear his good name.”

Assange’s defenders have claimed the rape investigation is an indirect attack on freedom of speach. A Swiss bank shut down an account set up to raise funds for the site, and there have been mirror sites set up to host its content after several providers refused service.

The leaks continue despite strong condemnation from the U.S. government, the latest over the release of the location of sensitive sites, including undersea communication lines and antivenin factories. U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the move tantamount to providing “targeting list to groups like al-Qaida.”

Iran Nuclear Talks Conclude With More Talks Planned

Meetings between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany concluded in Geneva with an agreement to meet again in Istanbul at the end of January. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for an end to U.N. sanctions against his country, saying that an end to the “nasty things” would lead to a more “fruitful” dialogue.

Iran and the “P5+1” remain at loggerheads over its program of uranium enrichment, the source of the sanctions. Iran announced on Sunday that it was mining the uranium ore, or “yellowcake,” needed to enrich uranium, an indication that the program would continue despite the sanctions. Tehran has long insisted its nuclear program is intended to produce energy.

Elizabeth Edwards’ Cancer Has Worsened, Treatment Stopped

Elizabeth Edwards. File photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images.

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, announced that she is no longer being treated for cancer after doctors told her it had spread to her liver and advised against further treatment. Edwards is resting with family at their North Carolina home.

In a statement on Facebook, Edwards said, “[I]t isn’t possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day.” Edwards was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.

Veterans Mark 69th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

Almost seven decades after what President Franklin Roosevelt called “a date which will live in infamy,” the few remaining survivors mark the anniversary Tuesday, remembering the nearly 2,400 Americans killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which pulled the United States into World War II.