Video causes web furor over OH athletes' rape case

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An online video fueling social media reaction to the case of two eastern Ohio high school football players charged with rape isn't new evidence for state investigators handling the case, the attorney general said Friday.
The 16-year-old boys are set for trial Feb. 13 in juvenile court in Steubenville on allegations that they raped a teenage girl last August. Special prosecutors and a visiting judge are handling the case because local authorities knew people involved with the football team in the small city.
At a probable cause hearing last fall, teenagers not charged in the case testified that the victim was intoxicated and at times unresponsive on the night of the alleged assault, according to the local newspaper, the Steubenville Herald-Star.
Public interest increased this week with the online circulation of an unverified video, lasting more than 12 minutes, that purportedly shows another young man joking about the alleged rape victim, also 16. The video apparently was released by hackers who allege more people were involved and should be held accountable.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said state investigators aiding local police were aware of the video before it spread online. They're not commenting on details of the video or what other evidence authorities have.
DeWine criticized the video Friday and said his heart goes out to rape victims.
"I think what is unique and different about this case is that the victim continues to be victimized every time that there is some image that's posted up on the Internet, every time that you have a despicable 12-minute video like we saw yesterday," he said. "You know, I can just imagine how I would feel if this was my daughter."
Attorneys for the defendants, Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond, who played football for Steubenville High School, didn't immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment Friday. The attorneys have denied the charges in court.
The boys were charged with rape after the teenage girl's parents contacted police about the alleged assault in mid-August. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.
Kidnapping charges against both defendants were dropped after a probable cause hearing, according to the court. The visiting judge has ruled the case will remain in juvenile court, not be moved to adult court.
Authorities continue pleading for anyone with information about what happened to come forward, and the investigation has spurred heated commentary online. Some support the defendants and question the character of the teenage girl, while others allege a cover-up or contend more people should be charged.
The latter group includes hacker-activists associating under the Anonymous and KnightSec labels who point to comments they say were posted around the time of the alleged attack on social media by several people who are not charged. A peaceful protest publicized by the hackers drew scores of people to the local courthouse last weekend.
In a related issue, student Cody Saltsman and his family sued a blogger and anonymous posters to her blog site in a case that arose from online comments suggesting the student might have been involved but not charged. The suit was settled with the operator of the crime blog acknowledging that there was no evidence of Saltsman's involvement in the rape, and Saltsman apologizing in a statement for tweets he sent the night of the alleged attack.
The alleged victim, who doesn't attend Steubenville schools, is "doing as well as I guess could be expected," said Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney for her family. He said the publicity and online commentary has been tough on her family.
It's possible she could be compelled to testify in court next month, but that decision is up to prosecutors, Fitzsimmons said. He declined to comment on any facts of the case, including whether or how the victim knew Mays and Richmond.

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You Won't Believe How Many Americans Are Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Discovered: Scary numbers about sleeping while driving; our moon might get its own moon; decoding the malware genome; fighting HIV with HIV.
RELATED: An HIV Vaccine; LSD as Treatment for Alcoholism
Who are all these people falling asleep at the wheel? We all know about the dangers of drunk driving. And texting while driving. But new data suggests we might need more PSAs that raise awareness about the issue of drowsy driving. A report from U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers found that among 150,000 drivers surveyed from around the country, 4.2 percent admit to falling asleep at the wheel at least once in the last month. Not year—month. If you break it down by year, as much as 11 percent have snoozed while driving. It's a wonder that only 2.5 percent of fatal car collisions stem from drowsy driving. If you're nodding off, pull over to any gas station and get yourself some Red Bull, people. [Los Angeles Times]
RELATED: Forget Big Gulps: Mayor Bloomberg's Latest War Is on Bad Drivers
Our moon might soon get a meta-moon. That giant rock orbiting our planet could soon have its own less-giant rock orbiting it, astronomers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies are saying. They plan to coax an asteroid into orbiting the moon this April so they can study it better. They aim to do these by sending a robotic spacecraft to drag an approximately 500 ton object into the moon's gravitational pull. "Such an achievement has the potential to inspire a nation," the researchers write.  [Discover]
RELATED: What Can Go Wrong with a Proven, FDA Panel-Approved Anti-HIV Drug?
Decoding malware "genome" could prevent future cyber attacks. Not all malware viruses are identical, but they often share certain encoded similarities. You might even say they have similar baseline "genetic" structures. Invincea labs' Josh Saxe is trying to crack that code in order to undertand how to prevent future malware attacks. "Our vision is to have a database of the world's malware, which people can use to share insights," he says about his and his colleagues research. His program is funded by the DARPA's Cyber Genome Program. [New Scientist]
RELATED: 48% of L.A. Crashes Are Hit-and-Runs
Fighting HIV with HIV. There's a saying about fighting fire with fire, but when it comes to HIV the approach might actually work. A new paper in Science Translational Medicine shows that injecting HIV-positive patients with an inactivated version of the virus can boost immune response, making people better equipped to stave off the active HIV in their bloodstream. "It is likely that the person’s immune system is already damaged, and so they cannot mount a sufficiently efficient functional antiviral response," says Statens Serum Institute physician Anders Fomsgaard. "It may be more optimal to vaccinate during antiretroviral therapy

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Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous vs. the Sheriff

The sheriff investigating the alleged rape in Steubenville, Ohio, has not made friends with Anonymous after the hacking collective's document dump this week accused him of being close with Steubenville High's football coach, deleting video evidence, and running "the largest illegal gambling operation in Jefferson County." So it was strange to see the sheriff on stage at the Occupy Steubenville rally Saturday afternoon.
RELATED: FBI Confirms Arrests in Anonymous Hacking Case
Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla has been targeted as the symbol of the corrupt nature surrounding the city and its relationship with the Big Red football program, ever since rape charges against two members of the team became national news again on Wednesday. Whether because of the increased attention or not, the investigation has deepened already — CNN reports the FBI offered "some technical assistance" to state authorities in charge of the case.
RELATED: LulzSec Scoffs at Report the U.K. Arrested One of Them
On Friday evening, Abdalla was declaring war against Anonymous. He had previously expressed his concerns about the information being distributed by the hacking group — the names of the accused, who are being charged as minors; the teammate whose video went viral and now may be in trouble with Ohio State University — but not to this level. Abdalla told WTRF in a new interview that he was "coming after" Anonymous.
RELATED: Turkish Cops Arrest 32 Alleged Anonymous Members
The hacking group wasn't threatened by the small town sheriff, though:
RELATED: Inside the Anonymous Hacking File on the Steubenville 'Rape Crew'
RELATED: How Two LulzSec Hackers Slipped Up
Still, some time between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, Abdalla had a change of heart. In the middle of the Anonymous-organized Occupy Steubenville gathering Saturday afternoon — many rape victims spoke to the crowd of more than 1,300 rallyers, with many more watching on UStream — Abdalla showed up and took the stage:
The crowd didn't receive him that well. Abdalla stuck around for a few minutes after this video ends, and was largely met with boos from the crowd. But it's pretty amazing that he showed up at all, considering what he said the night before.
Unfortunately, the video above doesn't contain the best part of Abdalla's appearance. The Anonymous member MC'ing the event — the one standing next to him in the picture above — actually got a chance to interview the sheriff at one point. When asked about the now notorious video of the member of the football team joking about raping the victim, Abdalla said he found it "disgusting." He told Anonymous that he was aware of the video's existence, but didn't watch it until three days ago, when Anonymous and their partners at LocalLeaks was first broadcast to the public via their constantly updating Steubenville Files.
Meanwhile, the city of Steubenville, in a direct response to the social-media storm swirled up by Anonymous and LocalLeaks, on Saturday set up a new site called Steubenville Facts. CNN reports:
With looking at the facts of the case, the rumors, the social media ... we proceeded in setting up SteubenvilleFacts.org that will present only the facts and provide information on the government of the city, as well as the transparency and the timeline of the evidence," Cathy Davison, the city manager, said during a news conference Saturday.
She said the website is meant to combat the perception that "everyone in Steubenville is acting or is like the individuals that are involved in the case. That we are a community that is run by football. That is not the case."

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Sudan: at least 30 Darfur rebels killed in clashes

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.
The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.
Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. Rights groups charge the regime retaliated by unleashing Arab militias on civilians, a claim the government denies.
The U.N. estimates 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced in the conflict.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court over Darfur.

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Iran annual inflation hits 27.4 percent

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's central bank says the annual inflation rate hit 27.4 percent at the end of 2012, one of the highest rates ever quoted by Iranian authorities.
The soaring rate is attributed to Western sanctions over Iran's suspect nuclear program and government mismanagement.
The figure was posted on the bank's website Wednesday. It reflects worsening economic conditions under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has come under criticism both from reformist opponents and conservatives, former allies who helped him win a disputed election in 2009.
Besides rampant inflation, Iran's currency faces collapse. In October, the Iranian rial lost about 50 percent of its value within a week.
The West believes Iran may be aiming to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this and says the program is for peaceful purposes.

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Iranians freed by Syrian rebels arrive in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians held captive since August in exchange for the release of more than 2,000 detainees in the first major prisoner swap of the country's civil war, officials said.
The exchange came just days after Assad vowed to press ahead with the fight against rebels despite international pressure to end the bloodshed that has left more than 60,000 people dead.
Iran is one of Assad's main backers and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime.
The group of 48 men arrived at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces. Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, greeted them with hugs and flowers.
Rebels claimed the captives were linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, but Tehran has denied that, saying the men were pilgrims visiting Shiite religious sites in Syria.
Shibani said their release was a result of elaborate and "tough" negotiations, but he did not provide any other details of the deal. The Syrian government, which rarely gives details on security related matters, had no official comment and it was not clear what prompted the exchange.
The rebels had threatened to kill the captives unless the Syrian regime halted military operations against the opposition.
A spokesman for a Turkish Islamic aid group that helped coordinate the release said the regime had agreed to release 2,130 people in exchange for the Iranians.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Niger, said four Turks and "a number of Palestinians" were among the prisoners being released by Syria.
He said one Turkish and one Qatari aid organization helped broker the deal, and that Turkey had been talking with the rebels.
"The rebels had made some preliminary preparations for the release, but we did not know what the Syrian reaction would be. In the end, it seems that they agreed," he said.
"There are still people being held in prisons and who are being aggrieved. Let's hope that they may be released as well and let's hope that the process is beneficial for all," Erdogan said. The news conference was broadcast live on Turkish television.
There were conflicting reports about how many of the prisoners in Syrian custody had been freed. Speaking in Istanbul, Umit Sonmez of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief said the 48 Iranians were handed over to aid workers soon after the Syrian regime let a group go.
Sonmez said the Syrian prisoners included "ordinary people or friends or relatives of the rebels."
"This is the largest prisoner exchange to date," Sonmez said. "We are pleased that people from all sides who were held and victimized have finally been freed."
Turkey's state-run agency Anadolu Agency also said a group of people, including women and children, held in the Syrian Interior Ministry building in Damascus had been released and were escorted onto buses. The report could not immediately be confirmed.
Bulent Yildirim, the head of the Turkish aid organization, told Anadolu in Damascus that 1,000 people have been released so far, including 74 women and a number of children between the ages of 13 and 15.
An official in Syria's Interior Ministry said Wednesday that a group or prisoners would be released later in the day from the police headquarters in Damascus. But the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements, declined to say whether the release was related to the freed Iranians.
The reported deal would mark the first major prisoner swap since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.
Regime forces and rebels have exchanged prisoners before, most arranged by mediators in the suburbs of Damascus and in northern Syria, but the numbers ranged from two to 20 prisoners. The Syrian Red Crescent also has arranged exchanges of bodies from both sides.
___
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Barbara Surk in Beirut contributed to this story.

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Valencia, Malaga through to King's Cup quarters

* Valencia see off La Liga rivals Osasuna
* Malaga suffer scare against third-tier Eibar (Adds Valencia-Osasuna, quotes, byline)
MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Valencia eased past La Liga rivals Osasuna into the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on Tuesday, while Malaga flirted with danger against third-tier Eibar before a flurry of late goals put them safely into the last eight.
Valencia will play 2011 winners Real Madrid or Celta Vigo for a place in the semi-finals, with Celta holding a 2-1 advantage from last month's last 16, first leg ahead of their visit to the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Malaga are facing a probable last-eight clash with holders Barcelona, who host Cordoba on Thursday having won their first leg 2-0 at the second-division Andalusian club.
Valencia went into their second leg against Pamplona-based Osasuna with a 2-0 lead and were cruising at a half-empty Mestalla when Tino Costa smashed in a free kick to open the scoring in the 34th minute.
However, Joseba Llorente pulled a goal back with a powerful low drive three minutes later and both sides squandered a number of chances before substitute Roberto Soldado struck with the last kick of the game for a 2-1 victory that sent Valencia through 4-1 on aggregate.
In the earlier kickoff at Malaga's Rosaleda stadium, Argentine midfielder Diego Buonanotte saved the Andalusian club from potential humiliation when he scored twice and created another in a 4-1 comeback win against lowly Eibar.
Lying second in their regional section of the Segunda B division and never having played in the top flight, Eibar knocked out 2012 finalists Athletic Bilbao in the previous round and held Malaga to a 1-1 draw at their tiny Ipurua stadium in the Basque Country in the first leg.
They took a surprise lead in the 12th minute of the return game when Ruben Arroyo was quickest to the rebound from a long-range Mikel Arruabarrena effort and goalkeeper Carlos Kameni could only deflect his weak shot into the net.
With Malaga fielding a weakened side, Eibar held on relatively comfortably until the 74th minute when Buonanotte exchanged passes with Javier Saviola and struck the ball high past Eibar keeper Xabi Iruretagoiena.
Two minutes later, Buonanotte set up Seba Fernandez to make it 2-1 on the night and substitute Francisco Portillo glanced a header into the net from a Nacho Monreal centre in the 82nd minute as the visitors' defences crumbled.
Their misery was complete when Guillermo Roldan was shown a straight red card four minutes from time and Buonanotte scored his second in added time to make it 5-2 on aggregate and set up a quarter-final meeting with holders Barcelona or Cordoba.
MATURITY, PATIENCE
"Nobody thought it was going to be easy," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference.
"They are a team with a lot of confidence and they are having a great season," the Chilean added.
"Above all in the final 20 minutes we made the most of the space to win the game. It was tough but there was a maturity and patience there to achieve the result."
Sevilla are virtually assured of a place in the last eight after they won their first leg at Real Mallorca 5-0 and host the Balearic Islanders on Wednesday before Real Zaragoza seek to maintain a 1-0 advantage at home to Levante.

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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte are signing up in droves for free language classes in order to be ready for a barrage of foreign visitors to the tropical country during the 2014 soccer World Cup.
The women join many others in Brazilian society, from politicians to construction workers, who are racing the clock to prepare 12 host cities throughout the nation for the international soccer championship.
"When all this chatter about being ready for the World Cup started last year, we decided the women needed to be prepared for it too," Cida Vieira, president of the Minas Gerais state Association of Prostitutes, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The group has solicited volunteers to teach English, Spanish and even Portuguese, she said, explaining that some of the city's sex workers are immigrants who needed to learn Brazil's primary language.
Vieira said demand for the classes could surpass the 300 women who originally expressed interest, with calls coming in from as far away as Sao Paulo, about 509 km (316 miles) from Belo Horizonte.
"This is important for the dignity of the work, the women need to be able to negotiate a fair price and defend themselves," she said.

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Soccer-Youthful Villa playing dangerous game

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pioneers Aston Villa have put almost all their faith in young players this season but the bold policy is at risk of badly backfiring for the Premier League club after Tuesday's defeat at fourth tier Bradford City.
The 3-1 reverse in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final first leg was the latest in a string of woeful displays from the 1982 European champions and damage has been done even if they salvage a trip to Wembley in the Jan. 22 second leg at home.
Manager Paul Lambert still believes they will get there and a cup final would be a big fillip for the Premier League strugglers and perhaps show their ideas are not folly after all.
"It is halftime, we have another chance to retrieve this and we will see what happens in a fortnight's time. We will be at home, have the crowd behind us, and we will have to do better than we did tonight, that is for sure," he told reporters.
Asked if Villa were favourites, he added: "Pretty sure we will be, being at home with the crowd behind us but it is a big game for us now."
Casual English football observers might have known as many of the Bradford players as Villa ones such is the Birmingham-based side's obsession with blooding youngsters but more painful results in the coming weeks could seriously spook them.
Villa had conceded 17 goals in their last four league games before the nervy 2-1 FA Cup third round win over second tier Ipswich Town on Saturday with a young backline and midfield being run ragged and looking very much their inexperienced age.
ESTABLISHED NAME
Many in the game have applauded Villa's approach in a time of mega money wages and transfers but fans will have expected something different when American Randy Lerner, former owner of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, took over the club in 2006.
The harsh realities of top-flight football mean money and experience count, especially for clubs not enjoying an excitable first season in the Premier League when average players often excel.
Villa are an established name and their perilous position in 16th in the Premier League, a point above the relegation zone, is sending shudders down their faithfuls' spines with the prospect of a humiliating cup exit also a real possibility.
"We have a great chance now and Villa will have to play exceptionally well to get to Wembley," said Bradford boss Phil Parkinson, not sounding at all like a kowtowing fourth tier manager who is happy his plucky side have got this far.
"We go there full of confidence and the pressure will be on them."
Villa flirted with relegation last season and then sacked manager Alex McLeish, who had started the policy of fielding players in their teens and early 20s, so they know the risks they are taking.
The rays of light for fans are the shock 3-1 league win at Liverpool last month and the power and pace of seven-million pound ($11 million) Belgium forward Christian Benteke, one of the few Villa players to have cost a sizeable amount of money.
Whether more funds are available in the January transfer window remains to be seen, as does the future of England striker Darren Bent after previously being mysteriously banished to the sidelines despite not being injured.
British television pundit Alan Hansen famously said in 1995 that "you can't win anything with kids" when a Manchester United team including young unknowns such as David Beckham and Gary Neville lost - ironically - at Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season.
United went on to win a league and cup double that season.

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Congressional Dairy Fix Would Still Raise Milk Prices

Dairy Manufacturers and Consumer Groups Oppose New Program
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) stated today that the legislation proposed by Congressional Agriculture Committee leaders would still cause a problem in the marketplace because it includes a controversial new program designed to limit the milk supply. That proposal, championed by Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) yet resisted by consumer groups, food manufacturers and many dairy farmers, is known as the Dairy Security Act (DSA) and would require the government to intervene in milk markets to manipulate the supply of milk in order to keep milk prices artificially high.
"It is ironic that the threat of higher dairy prices for consumers, caused by the possible implementation of the 1949 Act, is being used to force Congress to pass a new program that will result in higher prices," said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice-president for legislative and economic affairs.
The new program is included in a bill that would extend most existing farm programs for one year; it was placed on the House calendar by House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK). That bill completely rewrites U.S. dairy policies, including the new program to control milk production, yet leaves all other agriculture programs unchanged. By insisting on its inclusion in the "fiscal cliff" legislation, its supporters are making it more difficult to pass that important legislation, should leaders come to an agreement on its details.
"The Dairy Security Act is a problem, not a solution," Slominski said. "IDFA supports an extension of existing dairy policies in the current farm bill to give Congress time to complete action on a new five-year farm bill and to allow for consideration of the alternative to the Dairy Security Act offered by Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA). We believe that alternative will pass if it is brought to the full House of Representatives for an up or down vote.
"A clean extension of the 2008 Farm Bill will avoid having the 1949 Act become relevant law and allow payments to dairy farmers when milk prices fall. The 1949 Act represents agriculture policies from the past and unless Congress passes a clean extension of the Farm Bill, Secretary Vilsack would be placed in the unenviable position of proposing rules to implement such policies. Although he will be able to delay any increase on consumer dairy prices for weeks if not months, Congress should still take action to avoid that situation," Slominski concluded.

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