The International Olympic Committee is asking Sweden to shut down file-sharing site The Pirate Bay for distributing Olympic ceremonies.
From the AP (via Yahoo Sports):
IOC Vice President Gunilla Lindberg urged Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask to help prevent what she called “the rampant piracy of the opening ceremony,” in a letter dated Aug. 18., which was [...]

The Los Angeles Times has a feature article on the pros and cons of medical marijuana.
DEPENDING ON whom you ask, marijuana is a dangerous drug that should be kept illegal alongside heroin and PCP, or it’s a miracle herb with a trove of medical benefits that the government is seeking to deny the public — [...]

Amnesty International released a new report stating that human trafficking in Scotland consists of  a large portion of the total United Kingdom trafficking market.
From BBC News:

A modern-day slave trade is in operation across Scotland, new research has suggested.
Human rights charity Amnesty International said Scotland had 13.5% of the UK’s trade in people.
This was despite Scotland [...]

German Customs Officials are starting to use dogs specially trained to identify plants and wildlife in an attempt to stamp out smuggling.
From the AP (via MSNBC):
Getting any living thing but yourself past border police at Frankfurt Airport just got tougher.
Amy, a German shepherd, and Uno, a Labrador retriever, have joined the team at one of [...]

A rush to build Wind Turbine has torn apart communities in upstate New York as accusations of corruption and conflicts of interests fly. 
From the New York Times:
Lured by state subsidies and buoyed by high oil prices, the wind industry has arrived in force in upstate New York, promising to bring jobs, tax revenue and cutting-edge [...]

Underwater boats used by drug cartels to transport illegal drugs are creating worry among US National Security Officials that the boats may fall into terrorists hands. 
From the Boston Globe:
 Skimming just below the surface, they are extremely difficult to detect from surveillance aircraft or patrol boats. Their sleek design, up to 80 feet in length, can [...]

A lawyer is on trail for attempting to sell and profit off a stolen painting that a former client brought to him in a plastic bag.
From the AP (via The SF Chronicle):
At first, nothing seemed out of place when Michael Bakwin returned to his home in the Berkshires after he and his family went away [...]

Due to his dominating performance at the Beijing Olympics, US swimmer Michael Phelps is creating problems for bookies as gamblers continue to bet on his feats.
From Reuters (via The Guardian):
He’s the hero of the Beijing Olympics — but Michael Phelps has become the bane of bookmakers.
Gamblers have joined Phelps’s winning streak with online betting sites [...]