China's Case Against Artist Cites Taxes, Paper Says.

SHANGHAI -- Ai Weiwei, the prominent Chinese artist and social critic who was detained by the police this month, is being investigated for tax evasion, destroying evidence and distributing pornography, according to a Hong Kong-based newspaper with close ties to Beijing. The newspaper, Wen Wei Po, was the latest Chinese publication to speculate about the fate of Mr. Ai, an internationally recognized artist and outspoken government critic. Its claims were immediately disputed by his wife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]