England, Dutch win friendlies

Last weekend?s pre-Euro 2012 friendlies saw a handful qualified teams walk through some mildly interesting matches: Spain?s reserves strolled; Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark lost; and the metronomic predictability of Portugal gave us another goal-less performance.

This weekend, with most teams sprinting through their final Euro 2012 auditions, the results were noticeably better. Portugal even managed to score.

Netherlands 6-0 Northern Ireland

On June 5, 2010, the Netherlands were sent to South Africa 2010 only after villagers around Amsterdam sought the Tulip God?s World Cup blessing by bringing a ceremonial roe deer to the steps of the municipal windmill to be bludgeoned by clog. Some interpreted the ritual as a soccer game, reporting it as a 6-1 win over Hungary. The confusion led Arjen Robben to rupture a groin.

Today the ritual was repeated. This time, Northern Ireland played the roe deer and failed to scored. For the Dutch, Robin van Persie scored twice. So did Ibrahim Afellay. Wesley Sneijder and Ron Vlaar rounded out the Netherlands? 6-0 victory.

Northern Ireland has now won only two of their last 26 matches.

Team capsule: Netherlands

England 1-0 Belgium

A second-straight impressive win for the Three Lions, having won by the same score in Norway last week. ?Perhaps more important: Roy Hodgson avoided his librarian?s tendencies and started some players who could trouble an opposition?s defense.

In our England capsule, I speculated an ?attacking? three of Andy Carroll, James Milner and Stewart Downing could would be ?brutal.? There was an alternative: Starting Ashley Young and Theo Walcott wide, flanking Danny Welbeck. We didn?t exactly get that today (either in selection or formation), but the choices were encouraging: Welbeck was healthy enough to start up top (scoring in the first half); Young and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain were also in the starting XI. It was quite the victory for rational deduction.

England?s next game: Nine days from now, when they face France to open the teams? Euro 2012.

Denmark 2-0 Australia

Morten Olsen?s team came into this match having lost two in a row, and while those losses were against respectable teams (Russia and Brazil), they weren?t by respectable margins, outscored 5-1 in two home games.

All that is in the past, now, though this was not a full-strength Australia, and Denmark let the Socceroos control the second half. Neither of the Danes? goals came from open play: Daniel Agger scoring from the spot in the first while Andreas Bjelland banged home a corner in the second.

Read between the lines of Olsen?s post-match reaction and you see some worry.

?[Australia] were tired. They have had a tough week because they have been training all week long,? Olsen said. ?It is important for us that we have a win at this moment.?

?[A]t this moment.? Subtext: A win is a win, and right now, we?ll take what we can get.

Silver lining: Stephan Anderson kept a clean sheet. He?s going to be Denmark?s starting goalkeeper next week, with Thomas Sorensen forced to pull out of the squad with a back injury.

Team capsule: Denmark

Portugal 1-3 Turkey

Portugal went 57 minutes without scoring (after being shut out in their last two matches). By the time Nani broke through, they?were already down two. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty kick. Pepe closed the match with an own goal. Most embarrassing: Ricardo Quaresema played.

Given what we?ve seen from Portugal and Denmark, is Group B even the tournament?s toughest group? Portugal?s tendency to be vastly-overrated (blame Ronaldo; blame memories of Figo) fueled most ?Group of Death? talk, but general under-appreciation of Denmark made up for that. Group B could be the tournament?s toughest quartet without a decent Portugal. Denmark would make up for it.

But what if Denmark can?t? What if neither Denmark nor Portugal can scare Germany or the Netherlands? Is Group B really better than Group C (Spain, Croatia, Italy, Ireland)?

Probably not.

Team capsule: Portugal

Norway 1-1 Croatia

Eh, it happens. I?m sure Slaven Bilic would have loved to go into a tough Group C with a win in Croatia?s final game, but they?ll have to settle for a draw at a decent team who needed a stoppage time equalizer to salvage a result. That Croatia got a draw without their best player, Luka Modric, is also reason to be encouraged.

Bilic, however, may not see it that way. Yesterday, he spoke of the importance of this match as preparation for Ireland (against whom Croatia open Euro 2012). He was also expected a win:

?We couldn?t have a better warm-up for the opening match against Ireland. Norway are something like Ireland, they?re two teams very similar in their style of play and team ability. The match in Oslo will show us where we are a week before our first match ? The result is always important and a victory here would bring a better atmosphere and confidence to the team.?

Team capsule: Croatia

Poland 4-0 Andorra

Andorra! An-dorra! FIFA ranking: 205. If you came across a crusty-spined Encyclopedia Brittania?curated?by an soccer fan who had it up to here with their stuffy editor?s job, you?d find an entry under ?Spend-off Game?, and I guarantee you it says ?usually played against an opponent highly unlikely to win and thereby ruin the send-off?s festivities (see: Andorra).?

Poland was up three after 40 minutes. Roberto Lewandowski scored. Ludovic Obaniak scored. Jakub Blaszczykowski scored from the spot.

Poland?s next game: Friday against Greece: Euro 2012?s opener.

Team capsule: Poland

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Sony to sell downloadable content at GameStops in Europe and Australia

Sony isn't about to let Nintendo and PC games get a leg up on it in the downloadable content (DLC) arena. That's why the company's European arm (which also runs the show in Australia and New Zealand) is taking its digital wares to GameStop, where customers will be able to use cash, gift cards or trade credits to purchase activation codes for PlayStation Network games and add-ons. All told, some 1,600 stores in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland will soon be offering the ability to purchase content usually ordered from the comfort of your couch and Crash Bandicoot boxer shorts. The complete PR awaits you after the break.

Continue reading Sony to sell downloadable content at GameStops in Europe and Australia

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Fly With Delta Airlines This Summer

Article Directory :: Travel & Leisure Articles

Delta Airlines is the world's largest commercial airline, serving virtually every corner of the world. You can rely on Delta Airlines for customer service, safety and comfort. Their large fleet of aircraft, and partnerships throughout the world guarantee a seamless journey no matter where you are going. As one of the premier world airlines, Delta is also innovative in on-board services. It has the largest fleet of wi-fi enabled aircraft, meaning that you can keep in touch even as you are en route to your destination.

Delta Airlines flies from most major cities in Canada, and offers many specials throughout the year. This summer, you can fly specials from Canada to Latin America, Asia and Europe. When booking a flight on Delta Airlines, head over to an online discount travel site for a complete overview of Delta specials, along with other airlines, and compare them all in one place.

The convenience of making your holiday plans on a discount travel site is that you can compare multiple itineraries, and combine airlines for the most convenient schedule. Discount travel sites also offer the convenience of booking hotel and car at the same time at substantially less than if you booked them each separately.

If you are heading for Mexico this summer, also check out WestJet Vacations. They are offering many options for savings in Mexico when you book flight and hotel together. Golf packages are especially attractive for the traveler this summer. Enjoy an all-inclusive holiday through WestJet Vacations, and don't worry about another thing. WestJet Vacations all-inclusive holidays include airfare from major Canadian cities, hotel, meals, drinks and entertainment and activities.

Specials this summer from WestJet Vacations include Mexico, the Caribbean, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Orlando. Packages include entry fees to attractions, tickets to shows or golf. You can tailor your holiday to suit your needs and those of your family. Booking all at one place means peace of mind when you arrive, knowing that you won't be standing in long lines for tickets, or miss the opportunity for a new adventure.

Whether you are flying WestJet or Delta Airlines, the world is at our feet. Taking advantage of online discount travel sites can bring you closer to your dream vacation. Many offer email alerts so that you can monitor the airfare for your desired destination, and book when the price meets your budget. This will save you hours of planning, and ensure that you are getting the best deal.

Some online discount travel sites also offer price protections, so that if your itinerary falls in price before departure, you will be credited with the difference. Others offer links to reviews of hotels and attractions by other travelers, so you can get an unbiased recommendation on the plans you are making. These can be very helpful, as you might discover that the hotel you are considering has very slow wi-fi, or that the staff is unfriendly. Flying on Delta Airlines this summer is easy and affordable when you book from an online travel discount website.

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Jobs report weakens Obama's election argument

President Barack Obama speaks about jobs for veterans, Friday, June 1, 2012, at Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions Global Headquarters in Golden Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

President Barack Obama speaks about jobs for veterans, Friday, June 1, 2012, at Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions Global Headquarters in Golden Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

This combination of Associated Press file photos shows from left, President Obama speaking at the TPI Composites Factory, a manufacturer of wind turbine blades on May 24, 2012, in Newton, Iowa, and Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaking at the Solyndra manufacturing facility on May 31, 2012, in Fremont, Calif. The weak May unemployment report released Friday, June 1, 2012, presents President Barack Obama with a sobering reminder that his stewardship of a gradual recovery from the deepest recession since the Great Depression presents a tenuous argument for his re-election. However anemic job growth and an uptick in joblessness to 8.2 percent give new resonance to Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney's campaign. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, Mary Altaffer. File)

President Barack Obama boards Air Force One, Friday, June 1, 2012, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a news conference outside the Solyndra manufacturing facility, Thursday, May 31, 2012, in Fremont, Calif. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

CHICAGO (AP) ? The suddenly dismal news on American jobs is a blow to President Barack Obama's re-election argument that he has been a steward of recovery. It's heightened White House anxiety over global threats to U.S. economic growth ? and the president's political prospects, too.

The economy, Obama conceded Friday, "is not growing as fast as we want it to."

Taking a harsher tone, presumed Republican rival Mitt Romney declared that the country appeared to be "moving backward." He sought to drive home a political point from the nation's first increase in joblessness in almost a year.

After a winter when the job trends were in his favor, Obama has been forced onto the defensive by three months of lackluster to dismal growth. Confronted by Friday's report of a feeble 69,000 new jobs and an uptick in unemployment to 8.2 percent in May, Obama vigorously renewed his demand that Congress step up and enact some of his jobs proposals.

Calling the Eurozone's debt crisis a "shadow" hanging over the U.S. economy, Obama made his most urgent plea yet for measures that he said would "serve as a buffer in case the situation in Europe gets any worse."

Later Friday, speaking to donors at a fundraiser, Obama said: "Europe is having a significant crisis in part because they haven't taken as many of the decisive steps as were needed to deal with the challenge, and that's weakened Asia and that means it's harder for our exports. All this stuff makes a difference in the global economy."

The jobs numbers, issued early every month, have become the year's dominant economic barometer, a baseline from which to gauge Obama's and Romney's political fortunes in an election that rides on the pace of a post-recession recovery.

Romney, responding to the first report since he effectively clinched the GOP presidential nomination, called the figures "devastating news."

In an interview Friday with CNBC, Romney said that Obama's policies and his handling of the economy had "been dealt a harsh indictment."

Obama was in Minnesota to push his proposal to expand job opportunities for veterans and to raise money for his campaign. He also raised money Friday evening in Chicago, where he was to spend a rare night in his family home.

He said private business has created more than 4 million jobs over the past 27 months, but, he added, "as we learned in today's jobs report, we're still not creating them as fast as we want."

Still, he said, "we will come back stronger; we do have better days ahead."

The economy, struggling to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, has had to fend off a number of external pressures, from high oil prices to natural disasters and, now, economic troubles in Europe and a weakening economy in China.

The unemployment numbers, while imprecise and typically a lagging indicator of economic performance, are nevertheless an undeniable marker of the human cost of a weak economy.

May's 69,000 new jobs and downward adjustments for March and April mean the economy has averaged just 73,000 jobs a month over the past two months. That's half of what's needed simply to keep up with population growth and is a dramatic drop from the 226,000 jobs created per month in the January-March quarter.

May's 8.2 percent jobless rate, the first increase in 11 months, reflected more people coming back into the job force, but that was a thin silver-lining to an otherwise discouraging report.

No president since the Great Depression has sought re-election with unemployment as high as that, and past incumbents have lost when the rate was on the rise.

The economy is central to each candidate's argument ? Obama wants it to be a choice between his and Romney's economic visions; Romney wants it to be referendum on Obama's economic policies.

Obama is counting on an unemployment trajectory that has fallen from a high of 10 percent in October 2009. The president likes to point to the 3.8 million jobs created since he became president, though 12.5 million people remain unemployed. He highlights the resurgence of the auto industry following government bailouts of Chrysler and General Motors.

Friday's report seriously dampens Obama's message, though the May numbers may end up doing more damage to Obama's short-term political standing than to the economy long-term.

The United States has experienced periods of jobs slowdown for the past three years, only to bounce back. Last year, from May to August, job growth averaged 80,000 a month and from June through September of 2010, the average was 76,000.

Hiring, housing, consumer spending and manufacturing all appear to be improving, yet they remain less than healthy. Economists surveyed by The Associated Press expect growth to pick up this year, though not enough to lower unemployment much.

Eager to draw attention to his challenger, Obama has mounted a step-by-step assault on Romney's economic record, from his days as a venture capitalist to his tenure as Massachusetts governor from 2003-2007.

The Obama campaign released a new online video Friday that features several of Romney's former Republican political foes, including Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, criticizing Romney's economic record.

But speaking to a group of donors in Chicago, Obama said the election would be close. "The reason this is going to be a close race is we've gone through a tough four years on top of a tough decade for a lot of families before that. And folks feel worn out and if you don't have a job you don't care that there have been 4 million jobs created."

Romney, now free from his primary contests, has aimed at Obama's economic policies, arguing that they have slowed the recovery, not aided it. The Republican has emphasized his own background in private business to argue that he's qualified to lead a nation in economic turmoil.

On Friday, his campaign released a new television ad promising "a better day" and declaring that a Romney presidency would focus from the start on the economy and the federal deficit, unleash U.S. energy resources and stand up to China on trade. "President Romney's leadership puts jobs first," the ad states.

Obama could face the highest unemployment rate on Election Day of any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But his aides argue that the trend line is more important than the actual number. Jimmy Carter lost his re-election bid in 1980 to Ronald Reagan as unemployment climbed from 6 percent to 7.5 percent. George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992 as unemployment rose from 6.9 percent to 7.6 percent.

While Reagan faced an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent in October 1984, the rate had been dropping since the spring of 1983. He went on to win re-election.

___

Obama campaign video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB7vuo2piak

Associated Press

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Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari Head for the Woods in Fox ...

Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried and Aziz Ansari are just a few of the stars who will voice characters in Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios?s ?Epic.?

The upcoming 3D action-adventure comedy chronicles a teenage girl dropped in the middle of a wooded battle between forces of good and evil. It is slated to hit theaters May 24.

Chris Wedge, who made ?Ice Age,? is directing; Lori Forte and Jerry Davis are producing.

Other members of the voice cast include ?Jackass? star Johnny Knoxville, rapper Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis and Stephen Tyler.

Blue Sky Studios previously worked with Fox Animation on the ?Ice Age? films, the ?Rio? franchise as well as ?Dr Seuss? Horton Hears a Who!?

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Hornets win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 in NBA

NEW YORK (AP) ? After a painful wait for a new owner, the search for a new star was a breeze for the New Orleans Hornets.

All it took was a little luck of the draw.

And Anthony Davis can't wait to play as a pro in the city where he won a championship in college.

The Hornets, recently sold by the NBA to Saints owner Tom Benson, won the league's draft lottery Wednesday and the No. 1 pick overall ? which they almost certainly will use to select the consensus college player of the year who led Kentucky to a national title.

He could be joined by another young piece, as the Hornets also have the No. 10 pick.

"I'm excited for our fans, especially those people who hung in there with us," said coach Monty Williams, who represented the Hornets on stage and insisted his team keep playing hard as its difficult season was ending, even though it could have hurt its chances of landing a high pick.

"I'm excited for the Benson family. They bought this organization without knowing what pick we were going to have. And yet I'm mindful of all the work that is going to have to be done for us to be a good team. You can't skip those steps. ... Those two young guys can't help us become a championship team overnight. We've got to address a lot of issues."

So do the Charlotte Bobcats, who added one more loss to a historic season full of them. Michael Jordan's team had the best shot at the No. 1 pick after the worst season in NBA history, but instead fell to the No. 2 spot.

No such disappointment for the Hornets, whose good fortune comes after a difficult season in which they traded All-Star Chris Paul and a couple of years in limbo where they couldn't do much to upgrade the roster while the league was looking for a buyer.

"Just a first step for us to winning it all," Benson said in a TV interview after the lottery.

The Hornets moved up from the fourth spot, where they had a 13.7 percent chance, to earn the pick.

"Everything was surreal once they announced the fourth pick," Williams said. "I said 'This is pretty cool.' I knew my wife and kids were home praying that things would go well and they did."

The Bobcats had a 25 percent chance of grabbing the No. 1 pick after going 7-59, lowest winning percentage in NBA history. Instead they will have to take the best player after Davis, possibly his teammate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Washington will pick third and Cleveland fell one spot to fourth.

The team with the worst record hasn't won since Orlando drafted Dwight Howard in 2004.

"We will still take the best player available and when you win seven games you have a lot of holes," Bobcats general manager Rich Cho said. "From a competitive standpoint and for anyone who has played sports or been competitive, you want to win and be No. 1. We know we're still going to get a good player."

Cho and team vice chairman Curtis Polk said shortly after the results they hadn't heard from Jordan, the Bobcats owner.

"Being No. 2 isn't terrible. We'll be fine," Polk said.

The league bought the Hornets from financially struggling owner George Shinn in December 2010 and the sale to Benson was completed in April. In between, the NBA was criticized for the conflict of interest of a league owning a franchise, particularly when Commissioner David Stern blocked a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers in December, then approved another that landed Paul with the Clippers.

The ownership uncertainty hindered the Hornets, but they were in a celebrating mood Wednesday after earning the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1991, when they were still in Charlotte and took Larry Johnson.

General manager Dell Demps said he pumped his fist in the room where the drawing took place after seeing that the balls had been drawn in the Hornets' favor.

"When our combination came up, it was an exciting feeling," he said. "I got an incredible rush. ... We knew what the odds were. We hoped for the best. It was nothing we could control. We're just happy."

The Hornets finished 21-45, winning eight of their final 13 games with a young roster. Williams and his players felt it would be wrong to do anything but try to win down the stretch, and they were rewarded.

"Obviously, we're very excited," Demps said. "This is a great day for the city of New Orleans, our fans. ... This is the start of a new beginning."

Though they didn't officially say it, it's expected to start with Davis. One of the most dominant defensive college players in years, he earned Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four even as he went 1 for 10 from the field in the championship game. He blocked a record-tying six shots and had 16 rebounds and three steals in the Wildcats' 67-59 victory over Kansas.

"Davis is not LeBron. He's not Tim (Duncan). But they were young once and Tim had four years of college," Williams said.

The Nets were the other big loser when they stayed in the No. 6 spot. They owed their pick to Portland for this season's Gerald Wallace trade unless they moved into the top three.

The Cavs beat the odds last year and moved up to take Kyrie Irving, the eventual Rookie of the Year, and tried to follow the same formula. Nick Gilbert, the 15-year-old son of owner Dan Gilbert, was back on the podium in his bow tie, and the Cavs' traveling party that included Dan Gilbert, and former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and current Browns players Josh Cribbs and Joe Haden sported the same dress.

But there was no repeat, as the Cavs went backward this time.

"Still feel very good about (number)4 pick," Dan Gilbert wrote on his Twitter page. "We are getting a great player there and good additions w/our other 3 picks. I believe."

Sacramento rounds out the top five of the draft, to be held June 28 in Newark, N.J.

The Golden State Warriors stayed at No. 7, meaning they get to keep their pick instead of having to trade it to Utah. The Trail Blazers also will have two lottery selections, the Nets' and their own at No. 11.

___

AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

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Assange gets surprise chance to fight another day

Julian Assange's lawyer won a two-week reprieve to review today's decision by Britain's Supreme Court to deport the WikiLeaks boss to Sweden.

By Ben Arnoldy,?Staff writer / May 30, 2012

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Supreme Court in London in this February file photo. Britain's Supreme Court upheld the extradition of Assange to Sweden over sex-crime allegations on Wednesday.

Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Enlarge

Britain?s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be deported to Sweden to face questioning on sex-crime allegations, but Mr. Assange?s lawyer then won a surprise 14-day reprieve that has sent the legal fight into uncharted territory.

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Assange shot to international notoriety in 2010 when his website published hundreds of thousands of classified US documents, including sensitive diplomatic cables. As he rose in prominence that year, two Swedish women alleged he sexually molested them. Swedish authorities want to question Assange, who maintains the sex was consensual and alleges the allegations are politically motivated.

In a 5-2 decision, the British court dealt a blow to Assange?s nearly two-year legal effort to stave off extradition to Sweden. But after the verdict was delivered, Assange?s lawyer Dinah Rose asked for two weeks to review the decision, arguing that it hinged on a legal point not addressed by either side in a February court hearing.

The court granted the unusual request, giving Assange?s team the chance to apply to reopen the case. Such a turn of events has only occurred once before at the top of the British court system, and for different reasons, meaning the effort to move Assange to Sweden just got more uncertain and protracted.

Uncharted legal waters

?We?ve never been here before. In a sense we are all guessing,? says Carl Gardner, a British legal expert in London who blogs at HeadofLegal.com. ?It could be that this is shut down relatively quickly? [but] there?s potential for this to spiral.?

Assange?s team is now expected to file an application within two weeks to reopen the case. What the court would do with the application is uncertain.

Today?s ruling indicated that at least three judges viewed as decisive a legal point from the 1969 Vienna convention on the law of treaties ? a point the lawyers did not have a chance to debate in an earlier hearing, writes legal analyst Joshua Rozenberg in the Guardian. ?[G]iven two weeks to prepare her case, Rose could well come up with other arguments. In the meantime, Assange can stay in the UK,? writes Mr. Rozenberg, summing up that ?he lives to fight another day.?

The quickest resolution, says Mr. Gardner, would be for the Supreme Court to reopen the case, hear the arguments on the Vienna convention, and then decide it made no difference. ?That would probably take a few weeks.?

Extradition still likely

In that case, Assange still has two other appeal options, neither of which are likely to halt his extradition to Sweden, says Gardner.

In Sweden, Assange could face prosecution and eventual imprisonment. His supporters have expressed concern that the US would try to extradite him from Sweden.

?WikiLeaks is under serious threat,? read a statement from WikiLeaks. ?The US, UK, Swedish and Australian governments are engaging in a coordinated effort to extradite its editor in chief Julian Assange to the United States, to face espionage charges for journalistic activities.?

The US government has not publicly tipped its hand about any plans to request Assange?s extradition from England or Sweden. But a diplomatic cable from Australia?s embassy in Washington obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald reportedly said that ?a broad range of possible charges are under consideration, including espionage and conspiracy.?

A confidential email obtained by WikiLeaks from the Texas-based intelligence firm Stratfor indicated that the US has a sealed indictment on Assange.

But Gardner sees no advantage in the US waiting for Assange to reach Sweden before trying to extradite him. He notes that under the European arrest warrant system, if Britain hands over Assange to Sweden he cannot then be moved elsewhere without British consent.

?Actually sending him to Sweden creates an extra block on sending him to America that doesn?t exist here [in England],? says Gardner.

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