Ai Weiwei, a high-profile Chinese government critic has said he and 11 others were detained by police in a hotel today to prevent them from attending the trial of an activist Tan Zuoren who investigated the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in last year’s earthquake, where they were due to give defence evidence. He said he had been confined to his room by the police and that he did not know when he would be released. Weiwei, who was a consultant for the Beijing Olympics Bird’s Nest stadium, said police in the southwestern city of Chengdu also assaulted him and another supporter who tried to attend. Read more here