Since the US involvement in Libya began in March, public opinion has just about reversed: 46% of respondents in a new Gallup poll disapprove of the action and 39% approve. The poll comes as the House of Representatives is expected to vote today to strip funding for the operation, though…
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Actor, who had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, died on Thursday at his Beverly Hills home Peter Falk, the American actor famous for his role in the TV detective series Columbo, has died at the age of 83. Falk’s lawyer said the actor died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home on Thursday evening. He had reportedly been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Falk won four Emmys for his starring role in Columbo, which ran from 1971 to 2003. Lieutenant Columbo became well-known for his trademark raincoat, cigar and his killer catchphrase: “One more thing …” Falk also starred in The Princess Bride and Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire. Falk received Oscar nominations for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles. He last appeared in the feature film American Cowslip in 2009. He is survived by Shera, his wife, and two daughters Catherine and Jackie. Television United States Amy Fallon guardian.co.uk
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At least eight killed by security forces as Syrians across the country dismiss President Bashar-al-Assad’s reforms At least eight people were killed as Damascus its biggest day of anti-regime protests when Syrians turned out en masse to dismiss reforms offered by President Bashar al-Assad as too little and too late. Tear gas and live bullets were fired at demonstrators leaving Friday prayers in several areas of the capital and elsewhere, but Syrian state TV blamed unidentified gunmen for some deaths. Activists reported a total of 12 people killed, including three civilians and a policeman in Barzeh, in north Damascus, and four in the south. There were also protests in the central city of Homs and, more unusually, in Aleppo, Syria’s second city, which has been largely peaceful so far. State media also reported a large shipment of weapons had been seized in Latakia, allegedly destined for “armed groups” in northern Syria. The government announced it was calling off its military operation in the villages around Jisr al-Shughour and the Turkish border – possibly in response to mounting pressure from Ankara. Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said he had conveyed Turkey’s “concerns and thoughts” about the operation to his Syrian counterpart. The US and Britain had both warned of the risk of escalation if Syria did not halt its deployment. The scale and geographical spread of the latest protests – dubbed “the Friday of the end of legitimacy” — appeared to underline Assad’s failure to dampen opposition fervour. In an address on Monday, he spoke of dialogue and reform, but democracy activists dismissed his offers as cosmetic or insufficient. Opposition leaders in Damascus were reported to be planning a public meeting on Monday to discuss future strategy. On the 15th Friday on which Syrians have taken to the streets, many are looking for the trigger for what they see as the inevitable downfall of the regime — either the economy collapsing or heavier outside pressure led by Turkey. Opposition figures and independent analysts see Ramadan — which starts on 1 August — as the deadline for ramping up action, since daily attendance at the mosque will make mass protests more likely. In a belated attempt to regain the initiative and win some credibility the Syrian government has allowed a number of foreign journalists to enter Damascus, although they are escorted by official minders and unable to move freely. The government has said 500 members of the security forces have died since protests erupted in mid-March. Activists say more than 1,400 civilians have been killed and about 10,000 detained. Nidaa Hassan is the pseudonym of a journalist in Damascus Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Ian Black Nidaa Hassan guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Well, apparently they’re not packing it in quite yet: Just one day after dropping plans to appeal their $65 million Facebook settlement, the Winklevoss twins filed a new suit against the social networking site yesterday. This time around, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and business partner Divya Narendra seek to discover…
Continue reading …Newt Gingrich has opted not to pony up the $15,000 necessary to be a main competitor in August’s Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, reports the Des Moines Register . The poll doubles as a GOP fundraiser, and candidates can essentially rent space for their supporters. Gingrich’s tottering campaign is reportedly…
Continue reading …Charred, twisted clumps of steel left over from the World Trade Center attacks are being sent to thousands of fire departments, police departments, and cities around the US for memorials to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, reports Reuters . “These serve as centerpieces of history for towns all…
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People power forces Abdoulaye Wade to abandon constitutional changes smoothing his re-election path Anti-government protesters in Senegal vowed to intensify their campaign to block President Abdoulaye Wade from standing in next year’s election after street demonstrations forced him to back down over constitutional changes. The capital Dakar was calm on Friday after violence on Thursday prompted Wade to abandon proposed changes to election law that appeared designed to smooth his path to re-election in February 2012. The protests, which saw more than 100 people injured, energised his vocal but mostly disorganised opponents, and may herald a turbulent run-up to the election in a country that has been spared the strife of others in west Africa. “The battle that was won does not put an end to our fight to restore law and order … and legitimacy,” leaders of Don’t Touch My Constitution!, the campaign group which led the protests, said in a statement. “One last battle remains: to make sure … Wade does not try and impose his candidacy in 2012. This would be illegal, illegitimate, inopportune and dangerous for the stability of Senegal and the sub-region.” After years in opposition, Wade came to power in 2000 and is coming to the end of his second term. His supporters say constitutional changes in 2001 mean the first term did not count, so he is eligible to stand next year’. This, and the election law ploy, angered many in a country that has enjoyed decades of peace but where basic services like water and electricity remain poor in sprawling neighbourhoods, while an elite appear to prosper. “The people have taken back power” read a headline on Friday in the newspaper Le Populaire. In an editorial, private newspaper Walfadjiri said the protests were an unprecedented show of anger against the president. “(Wade) can no longer count on the apathy of the armchair opponents to modify the laws of the country as he wishes,” the newspaper said. The Benno Siggil Senegal opposition coalition, which has struggled to build a united position against Wade, is to insist he does not stand next year. Senegal has become an increasingly important regional hub for business and international organisations. It is a strategic partner for western nations in a turbulent region. J Peter Pham, director of the Ansari Africa Centre at the Atlantic Council think tank, said Wade had disappointed after coming to power with “extraordinary promise”. “His stubbornness and rather blatant attempt to foist a dynasty on the Senegalese people may well prove the ruination of a wonderful country if he gets the third term that he himself declared unconstitutional just a few years ago,” Pham said. Aside from trying to reduce from 50% to 25% the minimum needed to win in the first round, Wade had sought to introduce the role of vice-president, which critics said might have been filled by his powerful and unpopular son, Karim. Top donors the EU and the US issued public statements of concern this week over the planned constitutional changes, saying they needed broader public debate. A senior international business executive said companies were watching the situation closely, in the context of uprisings in North Africa. “It is business as usual today … But things could get nasty if (the opposition) pushes on that (Wade’s candidacy).” Senegal Africa Protest guardian.co.uk
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Cameron legal crackdown ‘not protecting families’ says Crisis as charities challenge image that squatting is a lifestyle choice Leading charities are warning that proposals to make squatting a criminal offence risk dragging some of the country’s most vulnerable people through the justice system. A letter from the charity Crisis and endorsed by the Big Issue Foundation challenges the media image that squatting is largely a lifestyle choice popular with middle class dropouts. It points out that almost 40% of homeless people resort to squatting at some point, and that of these more than half have been to prison, 20% are alcohol-dependent and more than a third have mental health problems. The letter, which is backed by other organisations working with homeless people and ex-offenders, will be sent to the government next week. The proposal to criminalise squatting in England and Wales – as is already the case in Scotland – was announced by David Cameron on Tuesday as part of his wider toughening of criminal justice measures. “A lot of the debate is coloured by media headlines about people squatting from a lifestyle choice in these large mansions,” said Katharine Sacks-Jones, head of policy at Crisis. “What we really want to make sure ministers are aware of is that there’s a large proportion of squatters who are very vulnerable people who are squatting because they simply don’t have another choice. This law would be criminalising very, very vulnerable people, and I don’t think anyone wants to see that. It’s counter-productive. It’s not going to address the underlying problems that these people face: that there’s a lack of housing.” Groups representing squatters say that while precise numbers are hard to establish, the government’s estimate of 20,000 squatters throughout the UK is likely to be a significant underestimate. The recession means squatters now include families who cannot meet mortgage payments, they say. “This is essentially criminalising homelessness in the middle of a housing crisis, which is completely crazy,” said Paul Reynolds, from Squatters Action for Secure Homes . “People who are at the raw end of a lot of other social policy end up squatting as it’s the one form of self help open to them. They can make use of an unused resource – an empty building which they look after. When the owner wants to get rid of them it’s a very cheap and simple procedure.” The notion that a law change is needed to protect families from having their homes taken over, for example when they are on holiday, is nonsense, he said. Such actions are already crimes under a 1977 law protecting “displaced residential occupiers” or intended occupiers. “If someone squats your home, you’re legally entitled to break back in and remove them using reasonable force,” he said. “This new law is designed, as far as we can tell, to protect property speculators, people who own long-term empty commercial properties which they’re often quite happy to let fall into disrepair.” Squatters invariably improve the properties in which they live, he added: “Pretty much every squat I’ve been to has had lots of work done. If someone’s living there they make it a home. A lot of landlords realise this and they don’t mind.” A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “We are determined that those who enter and occupy people’s property should be punished, which is why we will shortly be consulting on criminalising squatting. Our housing strategy, which will be published later this year, will tackle the issue of persistent homelessness by setting out our approach to creating more affordable housing, while reducing the numbers of vacant properties.” Homelessness Communities Housing Crime Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Fuming at Arizona’s anti-immigration law, LulzSec hackers are taking revenge: They’ve released “hundreds” of Arizona law enforcement documents. These include “intelligence bulletins, training manuals, personal email correspondence, names, phone numbers, addresses and passwords,” the group said in a statement. They’ve chosen their target “specifically because we are against SB1070 and…
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Leader of 2004 orange revolution denies wrongdoing over charges of abuse of power – and chastises judge as ‘puppet’ The former prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, condemned her trial on charges of abuse of power as a farce and called the judge a puppet on Friday amid chaotic scenes in a cramped and rowdy courtroom in Kiev. Tymoshenko, who is accused of signing a gas supply contract with Russia two years ago that allegedly left Ukraine $440m (£275m) out of pocket, was in combative mood, refusing to stand for the judge, Rodion Kireyev, and calling him a “puppet”. In an interview with the Guardian this week Tymoshenko, the 50-year-old erstwhile leader of the 2004 orange revolution, accused her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovich, of orchestrating prosecutions “just like Stalin in 1937″ to destroy her chances of taking part in elections next year. At the hearing she denied wrongdoing and chastised Kireyev for being a pawn of Yanukovich and his allies in an hour-and-a-half long speech. “I will get to the truth, if not in Ukrainian courts, then in international ones,” she added, according to local news agencies. “I will fight to my last breath. They want to put me in prison but that won’t help. My voice will be heard even louder from prison than now, and the whole world will hear me.” Tymoshenko – whose hair was back in her trademark circular braid – told reporters: “Yanukovych is a coward. He is afraid of political competition and opposition.” Kireyev refused a request from her lawyers to recuse himself because of his alleged inexperience and links to the president. There was a scrum inside the courthouse, where Tymoshenko’s supporters reportedly threw water over Inna Bogoslovskaya, an MP from Yanukovich’s Party of the Regions, who arrived at the building to cries of “Witch! Witch!”. Scuffles also broke out in the street. TV footage from the courtroom showed a crush of activists, lawyers and reporters, in the sweltering heat. Interfax reported Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, the EU ambassador, saying: “I can’t give a political evaluation but the conditions in which the hearing is taking place are inhuman.” Kireyev also turned down a demand from Tymoshenko’s team to delay the trial for a month so that she could finish reading 14 volumes of case material. The prosecution rests on an accusation that Tymoshenko signed a contract in 2009 for delivery of Siberia natural gas supplies with Russia without consulting Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers. In her defence she argued that she had no legal obligation to do so. Disputes over the price of gas prompted Russia to cut off supplies for several days in 2006 and 2009. Yanukovich, who denies any involvement in Tymoshenko’s trial, is trying to negotiate a lower price for gas supplies, which are tied to the price of oil and have inflated because of instability in the Middle East. The trial resumes on Saturday. Ukraine Europe Tom Parfitt guardian.co.uk
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