After Apple launched a trademark lawsuit against Samsung, it’s the South Korean firm’s turn to sue. Samsung is suing Apple in Seoul, Tokyo, and Germany over patent violations, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Korean tech company says Apple—one of its leading buyers of chips and other tech components—…
Continue reading …Sarasota paper says Florida police failed to attend court hearing – Shawn Tyson was freed hours before James Cooper and James Kouzaris were murdered A Florida judge warned that a teenager was “a danger to the community” and should remain in custody, only for a colleague to free him hours before he is alleged to have shot dead two British tourists in Sarasota. Shawn Tyson of Newtown, Sarasota, was arrested for killing James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, one day after their bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds on a street in the crime-plagued neighbourhood. But it has emerged that the 16-year-old, who had dropped out of school and is believed to have had a troubled home life, should not have been back on the streets at all after an earlier arrest for gun crime. Detectives failed to appear as ordered at a 15 April hearing into an episode in which Tyson fired a weapon during a fight, and juvenile bench Judge Deno Economou – unaware of the concerns of Sarasota’s chief judge Lee Haworth at an earlier hearing – released him from jail into the custody of his mother. It was the last in a number of “prosecutorial missteps and a series of communication problems” cited by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper that led to the fatal confrontation between Tyson and the British friends, who had been enjoying a night out in the early hours of Saturday during a three-week holiday in Florida. Detectives are still trying to work out what brought Cooper, of Warwick, and Kouzaris, from Northampton, into an area of town notorious for gang activity at 3am, but are working on several theories, including that they took a wrong turn as they looked for food after leaving a bar, or were ordered there at gunpoint before being robbed and killed. According to the Herald-Tribune, Tyson was first arrested on 7 April for firing a gun into a car at another youth with whom he had been engaged in a feud. A Newtown resident told the paper that Tyson and her brother had fallen out and Tyson waved a revolver at them and threatened to kill them, shortly before firing. “There’s continuing potential escalation between these alleged victims and [Tyson will remain in custody] … to help defuse this situation, but particularly because of the danger it presents to the community with a young 16-year-old handling a firearm,” Judge Haworth said at Tyson’s initial hearing on 8 April. He ordered that detectives appear at the hearing before Judge Economou a week later, but they failed to do so and prosecutors did not pass on Haworth’s warning. The Sarasota Police Department announced it was no longer talking to reporters, and nobody was available for comment at the Sarasota courthouse, which was closed for the Easter holidays. Meanwhile, the bodies of the Britons are believed to be back in the UK after their release by a coroner. An announcement about funeral arrangements is expected soon. Gun crime Florida Crime United States Richard Luscombe guardian.co.uk
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Party to field 450 fewer candidates that in 2007 as leader Nick Griffin comes under pressure over organisation’s finances The British National party is facing political meltdown in next month’s local elections after a string of defections and growing concern over its finances. Dozens of prominent BNP figures have either been suspended or have resigned and in the past few weeks several former members have announced they are to stand for rival far-right and nationalist organisations. The BNP is standing around 250 candidates in next month’s elections, compared with approximately 700 in the equivalent polls in 2007. The turmoil comes as the Electoral Commission announced this week that the party had “failed to comply with the legal requirement to keep adequate financial records” for the second year running, further increasing the pressure on the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, who fought off a leadership challenge last year. “The position of the party is extremely dire,” said Professor Matthew Goodwin, from Nottingham University, an expert on far-right politics. “The defections and rebellions are going strong and we have seen a whole host of key figures leave to join other far-right groups … Nick Griffin is becoming increasingly isolated.” The BNP says it is focusing on the elections to the Welsh assembly, where it claims it could secure two seats, but anti-Griffin rebels say the BNP should be making more progress in England as cuts bite and economic instability increases. “There is growing anger within the party because there was a period when it looked like Nick Griffin may have been able to force the BNP into the political mainstream,” said a spokesman for the anti-racist campaign Hope not Hate. “But it is clear Nick Griffin will himself be the BNP’s nemesis. His mismanagement, arrogance and dictatorial leadership have dragged his own party off a political cliff.” The BNP’s election prospects took a blow earlier this month when it emerged that around 15 former members, including some key figures such as former Yorkshire organiser Chris Beverley, had defected and are standing for the English Democrats in next month’s elections. On his blog Beverley said it had been a “huge decision” and blamed the actions of Griffin and his leadership team for the party’s problems. Goodwin said: “There are just over 200 BNP candidates but there are 390 far-right candidates in total so what we are seeing quite clearly is that the far right is splintering, not just among one or two parties but among a whole host of groups and factions … it is the classic case of far-right parties in the UK shooting themselves in the foot.” Analysts say BNP infighting has allowed other far-right and nationalist groups to come to the fore. Organisations such as the English Defence League, the English Democrats and the British Freedom party are now challenging the BNP, but perhaps its biggest threat is a resurgent UK Independence party, which beat both the Conservatives and Lib Dems to come second in a byelection in Barnsley last month. “The activists that are frustrated with the incompetence of the BNP are going to the EDL or other rightwing factions and many [former voters] are going to Ukip if they want something more respectable,” said Goodwin. “The BNP are being outflanked on all sides.” Opponents say the defections and wider splits mean the party is struggling to stand candidates in some of its core areas. BNP spokesman Simon Darby dismissed the defections, saying: “People have gone, that is it … but wait and see about that, I think they are going to regret that, just wait and see.” He defended Griffin, insisting he was still a popular leader and that it was “a miracle” the party was still operating following what he said was a relentless campaign to undermine it by the media and the state. “I am just pleased we are still here putting up a campaign in seats we may win … we are still in the game and are looking to regroup after all the dust has settled on this election,” he said. Griffin has come under growing pressure since the BNP’s poor showing in last year’s general and council elections, when it lost all but two of the 28 councillors up for re-election and was wiped out in its east London stronghold of Barking and Dagenham. It now has 23 councillors, compared with 54 a year ago, and several senior figures, including election co-ordinator Eddie Butler and London assembly member Richard Barnbrook, have come out against Griffin. The rebels’ anger is focused on Griffin’s leadership style and concern about the party’s debts which were exacerbated this week when the Electoral Commission said the BNP had failed to keep adequate financial records for the second year running. “We have sought an urgent meeting with the party to discuss the steps they need to take to comply with the law,” said a spokesman for the commission. The party is reportedly £500,000 in debt although Darby said that the figure was “coming down”. “We are making good progress on that, that debt will be serviced,” he added. Although a poor showing in next month’s elections would increase the pressure on Griffin to stand down, Goodwin said that remains unlikely. “Griffin will hang on because the BNP constitution means it is almost impossible to oust him… [He] is doing the party in, it is not connecting with voters, they are running out of money but he is not going to go anywhere… they truly are a fading star and it is almost entirely because of Griffin’s incompetence.” BNP The far right UK Independence party (Ukip) English Defence League Local elections Local government Local politics Matthew Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …With Texas in the midst of an historic drought and battling thousands of wildfires, Gov. Rick Perry has decided to ask for some divine intervention. The governor issued a proclamation yesterday officially declaring April 22-24 “Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas.” (You can see the proclamation…
Continue reading …Research has already shown that Botox can have an effect on your own emotions, but a new study shows it may also affect how you perceive the emotions of others, USA Today reports. Part of the way we read emotions involves mimicking the facial expressions of others, the lead researcher…
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Greek government calls in Interpol over Citigroup trader’s email as restructuring speculation mounts Greece’s prime minister, George Papandreou, has launched a new attack on credit rating agencies amid mounting expectation that Greece was considering ways to restructure its debts. On the first anniversary of the Greek bailout by the International Monetary Fund and the EU , Papandreou said on a government website that agencies were “seeking to shape our destiny and determine the future of our children”. His outburst came as the Greek authorities focused on a London trader at US bank Citigroup in their attempts to get to the bottom of rumours that the government would restructure its debt as early as this Easter weekend. In an email sent on 20 April Paul Moss, a Citigroup employee, outlined “market noise” about a possible restructuring, when rumours were rife in the markets. Shares in Greek banks fell 4.7% that day, infuriating the Greek authorities, which have called in Interpol. Citi is adamant that neither it nor its employees have done anything wrong. Greek authorities said they were awaiting news of what they hoped would be an in-depth investigation. “Our cybercrime division has sent paperwork asking for the individual to be questioned,” said a police spokeswoman. On 20 April the Reuters news agency said 46 out of 55 economists expected Greece to have to restructure its debt in the next two years, with extending loans’ maturity the most likely option. Greek newspapers later reported on 22 April that this was what the country was privately already discussing. The country’s top-selling newspaper, Ta Nea, described “a velvet restructuring” that would include extending outstanding debt and a voluntary agreement to modify repayment terms. The paper said this would need to take place before 2012. Describing the informal talks, the paper said the Greek official in charge was finance minister George Papaconstantinou, who has reiterated that a debt extension or other restructuring was out of the question . Officially, the country is planning to return to the bond market early next year – reducing the urgency for a bailout – and Papaconstantinou claimed the debt was “sustainable” even though it is expected to hit 160% of GDP in 2012. Another Greek newspaper, Isotimia, reported that the government might seek to extend the maturities of its outstanding debt by an average of five years. In March Papandreou hit out at a downgrade by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s – to BB – saying that the country was being downgraded not because of its policies but because of the EU’s handling of the crisis. While Greece has never had a top-notch AAA rating it has been downgraded or warned of a downgrade eight times since January 2009, when it had an A rating. A year ago, just after the bailout, it was the first eurozone country to have its debt rating cut to junk when S&P had warned that bondholders could recover as little as 30% if the country restructured its debt. The cuts to the ratings help to push up the cost of borrowing for Greece on the international bond markets. Before the markets shut for the long Easter weekend, the yield on 10-year bonds was above 15%. Yields rise when bond prices fall. Germany, regarded as the safest borrower in the eurozone, has a yield of 3.27%. European debt crisis Greece Financial crisis Europe Euro Euro Europe Jill Treanor Helena Smith guardian.co.uk
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Libya rebels seize tallest buildings, favoured by pro-Gaddafi snipers Rebels in the besieged city of Misrata have won a significant victory by retaking several key buildings that had been occupied by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces for over a month. The Tameen office block, the city’s tallest building, with a view across Misrata, was captured after relentless pounding by rebel forces. Numerous snipers were either killed or captured. Several other buildings nearby were also cleared, leaving the rebels in control of the northern end of Tripoli Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, which Gaddafi’s forces have been desperate to capture. The snipers had caused havoc in the city after they were sent in on 19 March, picking off civilians and rebels at will, as well as firing missiles from the roof of the buildings into civilian areas. On Friday morning, rebel forces were moving freely around the area near the Tameen building, which is littered with abandoned tanks, burnt cars and spent ammunition. Firefighters were cleaning the streets. “In this area, all the families had to leave because of the threat of the snipers,” said Hadi Tantoun, a journalist and rebel. “Capturing this building was very important.” The snipers had been cut off from the rest of Gaddafi’s forces for a week or more, unable to receive supplies. Entering the Tameen building through the pitch-black reception, strewn with debris, it was possible to get a glimpse of how they had been living. Mattresses and blankets indicated that several snipers had been sleeping in the stairwell on the first floor, relatively safe in the centre of the building. Their cooking pots still stood in the atrium area nearby. The once-smart offices on the sides of the building, whose tenants were mostly insurance agents, had been trashed by the snipers, with files on the floor and upturned sofas. In some offices, cabinets had been pushed against windows for protection. Many glass panes had been shattered by rebel fire. “Every night we attacked them with our RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and Kalashnikovs,” said Abdula Hafid, 24, a member of the “City Centre” rebel cell that finally liberated the building. “They killed a lot of civilians.” On higher floors there were empty tins of tuna and tomato paste, blankets, mattresses and sandals, and a few discarded green uniforms. According to rebel fighters, the few dozen snipers that still occupied the building this week had changed into civilian clothes before trying to escape down Tripoli Street on Thursday, towards their main base in the vegetable market. A sniper’s chair had been placed under a small window, which offered a view down the main street. Dozens of spent bullet shells and cigarettes littered the floor around the chair. In an office that had belonged to an architect there were graffiti written in green ink – Gaddafi’s colour – in Arabic. It read: “If we survive, we are warning you gays and dogs. We will not forgive anybody from Misrata. We will fuck your daughters and your wives.” One of the rebels had already penned a riposte: “Misrata is strong. We will win in the end.” On the top floor, several Gaddafi soldiers had been sleeping on dirty mattresses next to the elevator works. A torn photograph of a woman – a wife of one of the snipers perhaps – lay on the floor. On the roof there were thousands of spent bullet shells, and numerous discarded cases of anti-tank missiles that had been fired into the city. Up here the snipers would have had a clear view of the city, and everything that moved down below. They would have seen the destruction in the area nearby – buildings pockmarked by gunfire, featuring gaping holes where shells had struck, blackened by smoke. Glass and tyres and twisted metal on the streets. At the foot of the building lay the body of a sniper, covered with a blanket. It had been burned. One of the rebels said that if Gaddafi’s forces could not get their dead back to base, they set them on fire. A few civilians ventured cautiously on to Tripoli Street, which housed some of the city’s best coffee shops, several banks, and the Italian-built hotel where Mussolini once stayed. A rebel with a loudhailer warned them not to try to enter any of the shops: “This is not your property. Even if it is government property, it is for all the people”. He then cleared the area, saying it was still dangerous. The rebels had learned their lesson on Thursday night. After taking over the Tameen building, they dropped their guard while celebrating. Several fighters were killed, prompting scenes of grief at the main hospital, where brothers, fathers and colleagues of the victims wept and swore to avenge them. Libya Middle East Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East unrest Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
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Troubled families come together and fight on the Jeremy Kyle Show. It has been described as ‘human bear-baiting’, but the programme itself makes great claims about the good it does. So what happens when
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