A lot of people are upset about my offer to Casey Anthony to pose in Hustler Magazine. I can understand being upset by the verdict but it doesn’t give anyone the right to dismantle the whole justice system. I’ve said publicly that I agree with the verdict, but she may very well be complicit in the death her daughter. I know that there is a two-year-old child gone and if any of us could bring her back we would. But we can’t. The whole Casey Anthony affair is a morbid phenomenon. The only thing I can equate it to is the interest of others who marry people in prison with no chance of conjugal visits or freedom. Richard Ramirez, the famed Night Stalker, received more marriage proposals than any other prisoner in history. I did not make my offer to her in a vacuum. The media has spent the past three years making Casey Anthony into a media star. They’ve breathlessly covered every aspect of the case from the day they learned that little girl was missing. Now that she is out of jail, the media continues to devote hours of programming to even the tiniest bit of information about what she may or may not be doing. Without that, no one would even know who she is.
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CNBC's Rick Santelli had to explain the economy to MSNBC contributor Ezra Klein on today's Morning Joe (h/t Hot Air ). Klein argued that another recession would “move money around in ways that are unfair.”
Continue reading …CNBC's Rick Santelli had to explain the economy to MSNBC contributor Ezra Klein on today's Morning Joe (h/t Hot Air ). Klein argued that another recession would “move money around in ways that are unfair.”
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Supporters clash with riot police removing opposition leader from Kiev courtroom on judge’s orders Ukraine’s former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been arrested by police acting on a judge’s orders for violating court procedure during her trial for abuse of office. Her supporters squabbled on Friday with riot police in court, trying to prevent them from driving her away in a prison car and shouting: “Shame! Shame!” Dozens gathered outside court in Kiev and tried to block the road, but were pushed aside. The charismatic Tymoshenko has criticised the trial as a ploy by President Viktor Yanukovych to bar her from elections and mocked the court. She has refused to rise when addressing the court, as required, and routinely insulted the judge. Her supporters have repeatedly disrupted hearings. Complying with the presiding judge’s orders, police surrounded Tymoshenko and escorted her out of the courtroom. The 50-year-old opposition leader is charged with abusing her powers by signing a natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009 that prosecutors claim was disadvantageous to Ukraine. Tymoshenko insists she is innocent, arguing that the contract ended weeks of natural gas disruptions to Ukrainian and European consumers and that she was authorised to sign the deal as prime minister. Experts in Ukraine and abroad believe the trial’s real motive is to disqualify Tymoshenko from upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections by convicting her as a felon. Tymoshenko has a long and bitter history with Yanukovych. She was the central figure in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution mass protests, which threw out Yanukovych’s fraud-tainted victory in a presidential election and led to another vote that brought a pro-western government to power. Tymoshenko became prime minister, but Ukrainians grew frustrated by economic hardships, slow reforms and endless bickering in the Orange camp. As a result, she lost to Kremlin-friendly Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential election. Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko Europe guardian.co.uk
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Supporters clash with riot police removing opposition leader from Kiev courtroom on judge’s orders Ukraine’s former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been arrested by police acting on a judge’s orders for violating court procedure during her trial for abuse of office. Her supporters squabbled on Friday with riot police in court, trying to prevent them from driving her away in a prison car and shouting: “Shame! Shame!” Dozens gathered outside court in Kiev and tried to block the road, but were pushed aside. The charismatic Tymoshenko has criticised the trial as a ploy by President Viktor Yanukovych to bar her from elections and mocked the court. She has refused to rise when addressing the court, as required, and routinely insulted the judge. Her supporters have repeatedly disrupted hearings. Complying with the presiding judge’s orders, police surrounded Tymoshenko and escorted her out of the courtroom. The 50-year-old opposition leader is charged with abusing her powers by signing a natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009 that prosecutors claim was disadvantageous to Ukraine. Tymoshenko insists she is innocent, arguing that the contract ended weeks of natural gas disruptions to Ukrainian and European consumers and that she was authorised to sign the deal as prime minister. Experts in Ukraine and abroad believe the trial’s real motive is to disqualify Tymoshenko from upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections by convicting her as a felon. Tymoshenko has a long and bitter history with Yanukovych. She was the central figure in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution mass protests, which threw out Yanukovych’s fraud-tainted victory in a presidential election and led to another vote that brought a pro-western government to power. Tymoshenko became prime minister, but Ukrainians grew frustrated by economic hardships, slow reforms and endless bickering in the Orange camp. As a result, she lost to Kremlin-friendly Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential election. Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko Europe guardian.co.uk
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At least 10 people dead after government troops, who witnesses claim also tried to steal food, opened fire at UN distribution site Somali government troops opened fire on famine refugees on Friday, killing at least 10 people, as both groups made a grab for food at a UN distribution site in Mogadishu, witnesses said. Witnesses accused government soldiers of starting the chaos by trying to steal some of the 290 tonnes of dry rations as aid workers tried to hand them out at Badbaado, the biggest camp in the Somali capital for famine victims. Refugees then joined in the scramble, prompting some soldiers to open fire, the witnesses said. “It was carnage. They ruthlessly shot everyone,” said Abdi Awale Nor, who has been living at the camp. “Dead bodies were left on the ground and other wounded bled to death.” David Orr, a spokesman for the World Food Programme, said the food distribution started smoothly at about 6am, but degenerated a couple hours later. “We got reports of trouble, looting. The trucks were overwhelmed by a mob of people. There were reports of some shots fired,” said Orr, who said he could not confirm any death tolls. Another refugee, Muse Sheik Ali, said soldiers tried to steal some of the food aid and refugees began to take the food. “Soldiers opened fire at them. Then soldiers took the food and people fled from the camp,” he said. Thousands of Somalis have flooded into Mogadishu from the drought-stricken south, walking much or all the way and seeing weakened loved ones perish from starvation or complications from malnutrition. The drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under five in the past 90 days in southern Somalia alone, according to US estimates. The Somalia prime minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, visited the camp after the violence and said he was “deeply sorry”. He said an investigation would be held and promised harsh punishment for anyone found guilty. International groups face huge challenges in distributing food inside Somalia. The worst-hit part of the country is a no-go area for most aid groups because it is controlled by al-Qaida-linked insurgents, who deny there is a famine and who have allowed only the International Committee of the Red Cross to enter. More than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are in need of immediate food aid. The UN says 640,000 children are acutely malnourished in Somalia, where the UN has declared five famine zones, including the refugee camps of Mogadishu. Witnesses said two WFP trucks were delivering aid when the chaos broke out. WFP often tries to do what it calls “wet feedings” in Somalia – giving out already made food like porridge – to limit the chances that it will be looted. But in this case it was dry rations, Orr said. Somali soldiers control just part of the capital and are poorly trained. “They fired on us as if we were their enemy,” said famine refugee Abidyo Geddi. “When people started to take the food then the gunfire started and everyone was being shot. We cannot stay here much longer. We don’t get much food and the rare food they bring causes death and torture.” Private militias – most of them politically connected – are competing to guard or steal food. At least four competing militias have the run of government-controlled areas of Mogadishu. The gunmen roar around in pickup trucks and wage battle over the wages they hope to be paid to either guard the aid or for the cash it will bring when it is stolen and sold. The insecurity amid the famine echoes the situation in 1992 that prompted deployment of a US-led multinational force to safeguard the delivery of food to Somalia’s starving. That international intervention collapsed in 1993 after two US helicopters were shot down and 18 servicemen were killed in the crashes and subsequent rescue attempt in the streets of Mogadishu. Famine Somalia Africa United Nations guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …At least 10 people dead after government troops, who witnesses claim also tried to steal food, opened fire at UN distribution site Somali government troops opened fire on famine refugees on Friday, killing at least 10 people, as both groups made a grab for food at a UN distribution site in Mogadishu, witnesses said. Witnesses accused government soldiers of starting the chaos by trying to steal some of the 290 tonnes of dry rations as aid workers tried to hand them out at Badbaado, the biggest camp in the Somali capital for famine victims. Refugees then joined in the scramble, prompting some soldiers to open fire, the witnesses said. “It was carnage. They ruthlessly shot everyone,” said Abdi Awale Nor, who has been living at the camp. “Dead bodies were left on the ground and other wounded bled to death.” David Orr, a spokesman for the World Food Programme, said the food distribution started smoothly at about 6am, but degenerated a couple hours later. “We got reports of trouble, looting. The trucks were overwhelmed by a mob of people. There were reports of some shots fired,” said Orr, who said he could not confirm any death tolls. Another refugee, Muse Sheik Ali, said soldiers tried to steal some of the food aid and refugees began to take the food. “Soldiers opened fire at them. Then soldiers took the food and people fled from the camp,” he said. Thousands of Somalis have flooded into Mogadishu from the drought-stricken south, walking much or all the way and seeing weakened loved ones perish from starvation or complications from malnutrition. The drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under five in the past 90 days in southern Somalia alone, according to US estimates. The Somalia prime minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, visited the camp after the violence and said he was “deeply sorry”. He said an investigation would be held and promised harsh punishment for anyone found guilty. International groups face huge challenges in distributing food inside Somalia. The worst-hit part of the country is a no-go area for most aid groups because it is controlled by al-Qaida-linked insurgents, who deny there is a famine and who have allowed only the International Committee of the Red Cross to enter. More than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are in need of immediate food aid. The UN says 640,000 children are acutely malnourished in Somalia, where the UN has declared five famine zones, including the refugee camps of Mogadishu. Witnesses said two WFP trucks were delivering aid when the chaos broke out. WFP often tries to do what it calls “wet feedings” in Somalia – giving out already made food like porridge – to limit the chances that it will be looted. But in this case it was dry rations, Orr said. Somali soldiers control just part of the capital and are poorly trained. “They fired on us as if we were their enemy,” said famine refugee Abidyo Geddi. “When people started to take the food then the gunfire started and everyone was being shot. We cannot stay here much longer. We don’t get much food and the rare food they bring causes death and torture.” Private militias – most of them politically connected – are competing to guard or steal food. At least four competing militias have the run of government-controlled areas of Mogadishu. The gunmen roar around in pickup trucks and wage battle over the wages they hope to be paid to either guard the aid or for the cash it will bring when it is stolen and sold. The insecurity amid the famine echoes the situation in 1992 that prompted deployment of a US-led multinational force to safeguard the delivery of food to Somalia’s starving. That international intervention collapsed in 1993 after two US helicopters were shot down and 18 servicemen were killed in the crashes and subsequent rescue attempt in the streets of Mogadishu. Famine Somalia Africa United Nations guardian.co.uk
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Scotland Yard issues fresh warning to hackers following arrests of teenagers accused of links to LulzSec and Anonymous The Metropolitan police has quadrupled its cybercrime unit to 85 officers in just two months as the investigation into so-called “hacktivist” groups, LulzSec and Anonymous, gathers pace. Scotland Yard issued a fresh warning to computer hackers following the high-profile arrests of three British teenagers accused of having links to the groups. Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, the head of the Met’s e-Crime unit, said on Thursday that the cybercrime division has benefited from a recent £30m boost to its budget. The Met has helped coordinate an international investigation into the hackers linked to attacks on gaming firms and government agencies, including the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca and the US Congress. Jake Davis, an 18-year-old from the Shetland Islands, was released on bail on Monday after being charged with five offences under the Computer Misuse Act, the Serious Crime Act and the Criminal Law Act. Davis is accused of gathering data from NHS computers, being involved with attacks on News International and being part of an attack that crippled Soca’s website. The arrest of Davis, who allegedly used the online alias “Topiary”, follows that of Essex teenager Ryan Cleary in June and the arrest and release of an unnamed 16-year-old from London two weeks ago. The apparent ringleader of LulzSec, known as “Sabu”, remains at large. Police have warned that anyone using a computer unlawfully – which includes online denial of service (DoS) attacks, used frequently by the hacker collectives – faces up to 10 years in prison. Det Supt McMurdie warned : “What they’re doing isn’t civil disobedience, it’s serious crime.” The Met said in a statement: “Under UK legislation, it is an offence if a person acts from within the UK upon a computer anywhere else in the world. It is also an offence if someone anywhere else in the world to criminally affect a computer within the UK.” Hacking Internet Computing Metropolitan police Police Crime Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
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After rescue of 370 people by Italian coastguards, Rome asks Nato to investigate if Libyans were left in peril at sea Italy has demanded that Nato inquire into a report that an alliance warship blockading Libya repeatedly ignored pleas to help several hundred distressed and dying asylum seekers who were stranded at sea after fleeing the wartorn country. It is the first time Rome has taken such an initiative since the start of the fighting in Libya when people began fleeing across the Mediterranean in often unseaworthy vessels. Most of the more than 24,000 refugees have arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa, angering and embarrassing Silvio Berlusconi’s rightwing government, which won power vowing to block illegal immigration. Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, has asked his country’s permanent representative to Nato to open a debate on whether to amend the alliance’s mandate so that it covers “those who for reasons of war are forced to flee on boats, putting their personal safety at risk”. In May, Nato denied an earlier report by the Guardian that its warships had left dozens of Africans to die aboard another vessel drifting off the Libyan coast. Rome’s move follows the rescue by Italian coastguards of 370 people in conditions of extreme distress on an overcrowded boat inside Libya’s search and rescue area on Thursday. One body was found aboard the vessel and a survivor said dozens of other corpses had been thrown overboard. About 50 people were taken to hospital on Lampedusa suffering from shock, exhaustion and severe dehydration. Two were reportedly in a critical condition. A Nato spokesman in Brussels told the Guardian that it was not clear whether the boat from which they were rescued was the one allegedly refused assistance. “There were a couple of incidents, and we are trying to sort out which incident this refers to,” he said. “We are waiting for confirmation from our military colleagues in Naples.” At allied maritime command in Naples, a spokesman said: “Nato always responds and intervenes in cases of emergency, in compliance with international law. “The commanders of the ships in service with the alliance are well aware of these laws and respect the Solas [International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea] rules.” According to one survivor, the migrants rescued on Thursday had set off from the Libyan coast the previous Friday. After their boat’s engine failed, they were seen by a Cypriot tugboat which tried to help. But some of the migrants flung themselves overboard in an attempt to reach the tug and the boat’s captain – apparently fearing that the movement of people aboard the vessel might overturn it – pulled away and alerted the Italian authorities. The Italian news agency, Ansa, citing informed sources, said search and rescue officials relayed the SOS to a Nato vessel 30 miles from the imperilled boat. But, said the report, they did not get “positive responses”. It was not until Thursday morning that four coastguard patrol boats and a helicopter were dispatched from Lampedusa, 100 miles to the north. Federico Bricolo, chief whip in the Italian senate representing the Northern League, the junior partner in Berlusconi’s coalition, said: “Nato must understand it is not there just to shell Libyan cities.” He said it should “block vessels departing those coasts and send them back”. Refugees Nato Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Italy Silvio Berlusconi Europe John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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