Costa CEO blames captain error for ship grounding

ROME (AP) — The jailed captain of the cruise ship that capsized off Tuscany made an unauthorized deviation from the programmed course, a blunder that led to its deadly crash against a reef, the ship's Italian owner said Monday.

Italian firefighters' scuba divers approach the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia which ran aground a day earlier off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The incident sent water pouring in through a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in the hull and forced the evacuation of some 4,200 people from the listing vessel early Saturday, the Italian coast guard said. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Rescue operations were halted, meanwhile, after the Costa Concordia shifted in rough seas and fears mounted that any further shifts could cause some of the 500,000 gallons of fuel on board to leak into the pristine waters off the island of Giglio that are a protected dolphin sanctuary.

The confirmed death toll rose to six after searchers found the body of a male passenger wearing a life vest in the corridor of the above-water portion of the ship. Sixteen people are unaccounted for, including two American passengers.

Chances that they would be found alive three days after the ship was speared by the reef and toppled to one side grew slimmer.

The Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested and jailed early Saturday, a few hours after Friday's night shipwreck a few hundred meters (yards) off Giglio, a tiny island of fishermen and tourist hotels near the Tuscan coast in west central Italy.

Prosecutors who are investigating the captain for manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck stepped up their scathing criticism of his conduct.

"We are struck by the unscrupulousness of the reckless maneuver that the commander of the Costa Concordia made near the island of Giglio," prosecutor Francesco Verusio told reporters. "It was inexcusable."

A judge on Tuesday is expected to decide if the captain should be charged and remain jailed in Grosseto on the mainland.

Costa Crociere SpA chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi said the company would provide him legal assistance, but he disassociated Costa from his behavior, saying it broke all rules and regulations.

"Capt. Schettino took an initiative of his own will which is contrary to our written rules of conduct," Foschi said in his first public comments since the grounding.

At a news conference in Genoa, the company's home base, Foschi said that Costa ships have their routes programmed, and alarms go off when they deviate. Those alarms are disabled if the ship's course is manually altered, he said.

"This route was put in correctly upon departure from Civitavecchia," Foschi said, referring to the port outside Rome. "The fact that it left from this course is due solely to a maneuver by the commander that was unapproved, unauthorized and unknown to Costa."

Foschi didn't respond directly to prosecutors' and passengers' accusations that Schettino abandoned ship before all passengers had been evacuated, but he suggested his conduct wasn't as bad in the hours of the evacuation as has been portrayed. He didn't elaborate.

The Italian coast guard says Schettino defied their entreaties for him to return to his ship as the chaotic evacuation of the 4,200 people aboard was in full progress. After the ship's tilt put many life rafts out of service, helicopters had to pluck to safety dozens of people remaining aboard, hours after Schettino was seen leaving the vessel.

The captain has insisted in an interview before his jailing that he stayed with the vessel to the end.

Foschi defended the conduct of the crew, while acknowledging that passengers had described a chaotic evacuation where crew members consistently downplayed the seriousness of the situation as the 300 meter-long (nearly 1,000 foot-long) ship lurched to the side.

"All our crew members behaved like heroes. All of them," he said.

He noted that 4,200 people managed to evacuate a lilting ship at night within two hours. In addition, the ship's evacuation procedures had been reviewed last November by an outside firm and port authorities and no faults were found, he said.

Costa owner Carnival Corp. estimated that preliminary losses from having the Concordia out of operation for at least through 2012 would be between $85 million and $95 million, though it said there would be other costs as well.

Why the ship sailed so close to the dangerous reefs and rocks that jut off Giglio's eastern coast is not clear, but there have been suspicions the captain may have ventured too close while carrying out a maneuver to entertain islanders and passengers.

Residents of Giglio said they had never seen the Concordia, which makes a weekly Mediterranean cruise that passes the Tuscan coast, come so close to the dangerous reef area near the southern tip of the island.

Foschi said only once before had the company approved a navigational "fly by" of this sort — last year on the night of Aug. 9-10. In that case, the port and company had approved it.

The rescue operation was called off at midday Monday after the Concordia shifted a few inches (centimeters) in rough seas. Just beyond where the gashed ship lies, the seabed drops off quickly by some 20-30 meters (65-100 feet); if the Concordia suddenly drops, any divers participating in the rescue operation could be doomed.

There are also rising fears that any significant movement could send some 500,000 gallons of fuel into the pristine waters around the island of Giglio, which is a protected sanctuary for dolphins and other sea creatures popular with scuba divers.

Even before the accident there had been mounting calls from environmentalists to restrict passage of large ships in the area.

Costa executive Costa said that the Rotterdam, Netherlands, based Smit, one of the world's biggest salvagers, will try to salvage the 290-meter (1,000 foot) cruise liner and would provide a study by Tuesday on how to extract the fuel.

Smit has a long track record of dealing with wrecks and leaks, including refloating grounded bulk carriers and securing drilling platforms in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A spokesman for Smit, which is part of dredging and maritime services giant Royal Boskalis Westminster NV, did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the Concordia salvage.

Source: The Associated Press

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Berlusconi's party backs Monti to be new PM

ROME (AP) — Economist Mario Monti won pledges of support Sunday to lead a new technocratic government to try to rescue Italy from financial disaster, including from Silvio Berlusconi's conservative party.

Italian Economist Mario Monti and his wife Elsa leave St. Ivo church at the end of a mass in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Monti won pledges of support Sunday to lead a new technocratic government to try to rescue Italy from financial disaster, including from Silvio Berlusconi's conservative party. But Berlusconi's ally, the Northern League, said it would become an opposition party rather than back Monti. (AP Photo/Angelo Carconi)

But Berlusconi's ally, the Northern League, said it would become an opposition party rather than back Monti.

After days of being pummeled by international investors skittish about Italy's massive debts, Italy faces severe pressure from financial markets to have a new government before Asian markets open.

President Giorgio Napolitano was talking Sunday with all party leaders and could tap Monti as soon as Sunday evening, just 24 hours after Berlusconi reluctantly resigned from the premiership due to a loss of faith in his leadership.

But even if Monti is chosen, he would still have to assemble a cabinet, present his rescue strategy to Parliament, and then seek a confidence vote after a debate. All that could take a few days.

The man Berlusconi chose to be his political heir, Angelino Alfano, said the conservative People of Freedom party would "give the OK to Monti's being tapped. "

"Then we'll see and will talk with Monti about his program, and if it suits us well, we will support him," Alfano told state TV. Berlusconi's party is the largest in Parliament, and its leaders were the last in a long line of politicians having their say to Napolitano. The party's backing would be crucial for any new government to successfully push economic reform.

Pierluigi Bersani, head of the largest opposition force, made up largely of former Communists and Christian Democrats, said his party would back an "emergency, transition government," whose "strong, technical, authoritative character" will help Italy deal with the crisis.

Whoever leads Italy faces a monumental task: an Italian default could tear apart the coalition of 17 countries that use the euro and wallop Europe and the U.S., which are trying to avoid new recessions.

Italy's economy is hampered by high wage costs, low productivity, fat government payrolls, excessive taxes, choking bureaucracy, and an educational system that produces one of the lowest levels of college graduates among rich countries.

In addition, as the third-largest economy in the eurozone, Italy is considered too big for Europe to bail out like it did Greece, Portugal and Ireland.

The next Italian government needs to push through even more painful reforms and austerity measures to deal with euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) in debt — about 120 percent of the country's economic output. And many of those debts are coming due soon — Italy has to roll over more than euro300 billion ($410 billion) of its debts next year alone.

Most centrists and center-left parties in the opposition have pledged support for a Monti government, saying the former European Union competition commissioner has the moral authority and economic know-how to get Italy to pass long-delayed structural economic reforms.

"Italian parties are at fork in the road. Either they speculate on the situation, hoping that they can get some campaign capital from it, or they take up their responsibilities to save the country," said centrist opposition leader Pier Ferdinanco Casini, expressing hope that a new government could last until elections are scheduled for spring 2013.

But Umberto Bossi said his Northern League party won't back any Monti-led government "for now." Bossi said he told Napolitano that his party, whose support kept Berlusconi's conservative coalition in power for years, will be a "vigilant" opposition to any Monti government until the economist spells out his plans.

"For now, we said, 'no.' Then we'll see the program and decide, time by time" whether to support specific legislation, Bossi said. "In any case, we won't give him any blank check."

Bossi's party has been demanding early elections instead. He also has opposed one key remedy, a pension reform that raises the retirement age for women.

Roberto Maroni, a founder of the Northern League, said he personally esteems Monti but won't back him.

"Parliament must have the guarantee of an opposition," Maroni told Italy's Sky TG24 TV. "Otherwise it won't be a democratic parliament."

Pressured for days by the markets, the 75-year-old Berlusconi stepped down Saturday night after new austerity measures won approval in Parliament. He slipped out of the presidential palace through a side door after handing in his resignation, as a hecklers jeered in the square outside the main entrance.

Even those new austerity measures are not enough to revive the dormant Italian economy. They raised the retirement age to 67, but not until 2026. They called for the sale of state property and privatizing some services but contained no painful labor reforms.

Maroni said he spoke with Berlusconi Saturday night and found him "very tried, physically tired. But he is always a great fighter."

"It was an ugly show to see. People spitting, throwing" objects, Maroni said.

"This phase is over, a blank page is being opened," Maroni said, holding out hope that the League and Berlusconi's forces might again join in a future political coalition.

Berlusconi's longtime nemesis, former anti-corruption prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, said his small Italy of Values Party would be willing to back a strictly "technocrat" government with no politicians in the cabinet "to respond to the (economic) emergency and give back this country its credibility."

Without mentioning Monti by name, Di Pietro insisted that elections must be held as soon as possible. But, he acknowledged, "in these hours of emergency, it's very hard" to carry out an electoral campaign.

Monti was reserved Sunday as he and his wife headed to church in Rome. Asked whether he was excited at the prospect of being Italy's next premier, he responded: "Have you noticed what a beautiful day it is?"

Source: The Associated Press

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Berlusconi promises to resign amid Italy debt woes

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Minister Silvio Berlusconi said for the first time Tuesday that he would resign once parliament approves economic reforms, and Greek politicians said they were close to agreeing on a new government to lead their country through painful cutbacks.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi aatends a voting session
at the Lower Chamber, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. Premier
Silvio Berlusconi won a much-watched vote Tuesday, but the
result laid bare his lack of support in Parliament as financial
pressure from the eurozone debt crisis pummeled Italy.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Both governments are under heavy pressure to reassure financial markets that the 17-country eurozone is moving quickly to reduce crippling government debts before those debts break apart the monetary union and plunge the world into a new recession.

Berlusconi's promise to resign came during a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after the premier lost his parliamentary majority during a routine vote earlier Tuesday. In a statement, Napolitano's office said Berlusconi had agreed to step down once the economic reforms have passed parliament. A vote on the measures is planned for next week.

Wealthier European countries including Germany and France have already bailed out struggling Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and Greece will get another euro100 billion ($138 billion) of debt relief as soon as it resolves its political crisis.

Senior government officials said Greece would get a new prime minister later Tuesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the second day of talks between Prime Minister George Papandreou and opposition leader Antonis Samaras. They hope to reach a power-sharing deal that will prevent Greece from going bankrupt.

Italy poses an even graver challenge: Europe can't afford to bail out its euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) debt pile, and wants to see Italy live up to promises to rein in spending and improve lagging growth so it can pay it off itself. Few believe Berlusconi — sapped by scandal and economic bungling — has the political clout to get that done, and calls had increased for him to resign.

Among those urging that he step down was Berlusconi's main coalition ally, Northern League leader Umberto Bossi, who told reporters Tuesday: "We asked him to step aside, take a step to the side." Bossi is the volatile ally who brought down Berlusconi's first conservative government in 1994.

His comments came as he arrived for a much-watched vote that Berlusconi survived, but which laid bare the prime minister's lack of support in Parliament.

The vote, on a routine budget measure, won 308 votes of approval and no votes against in the lower house. But 321 deputies abstained from voting, most of them from the center-left opposition. If all 630 lawmakers had voted, Berlusconi would need a 316-seat majority to assure he was still in command.

Berlusconi scrutinized the vote tally handed him right after the vote, apparently trying to figure out who had abstained.

"This government does not have the majority!" thundered opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani, rising up in the chamber. "We all know that Italy is running the real risk in the next days to not have access to financial markets."

He was referring to Italy's borrowing rates, which have been soaring amid weeks of political uncertainty over Berlusconi's ability to oversee the adoption of austerity measures to fight Italy's growing debt burden.

Italian bond yields — the interest rates Italy would need to pay when it borrows money — reached their highest point since the country joined the euro in 1999 on increasing fears of default. The yields hit 6.73 percent, not far from the 7 percent levels that pushed Ireland, Portugal and Greece to seek bailouts.

Higher yields are signs of market fear of default and reluctance to lend, and they also make debt harder to repay in a vicious circle, since Italy needs to take out new loans to pay off the old ones.

The European Central Bank has been buying government bonds as a last-ditch defense to drive down yields and borrowing costs, but the bank insists the program is temporary. Eurozone finance ministers are working on ways to strengthen their euro440 billion bailout fund and give it effective lending power of over euro1 trillion through financial leverage and attracting money from private investors.

Even that wouldn't be enough to save Italy, the eurozone's third-largest economy.

In Greece, Papandreou and Samaras agreed over the weekend to forge an interim government that will shepherd the country's new euro130 billion ($179 billion) European rescue package through Parliament.

By Tuesday afternoon there were still no details of when an interim prime minister would be announced, but the pressure was increasing on Greek politicians to make decisions soon. There was mounting speculation that a former deputy at the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos, might replace Papandreou.

The country's ministers offered their resignations to Papandreou on Tuesday to pave the way for the creation of the interim government, which is only expected to last until Feb. 19 when a newly elected government would take over.

"We have made our resignation available to the prime minister in order to help him with his actions," Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis said. "My feeling is that tonight we will have a name (of the new premier). It's going well."

Greece's eurozone partners are demanding that Papandreou, Samaras and three other Greek officials co-sign a letter reaffirming their commitment to the country's bailout deals and economic reforms, in return for the release of a vital euro8 billion ($11 billion) loan installment later this month, according to a senior government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the demand was not public.

In return for its bailout cash, Greece has endured 20 months of punishing austerity measures. The efforts by Papandreou's government to keep the country solvent have prompted violent protests, crippling strikes and a sharp decline in living standards for most Greeks.

Source: The Associated Press

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Press release: Italian Anonymous

A few hours ago, the Italian police announced complaints, arrests and raids against a number of members of Italian anonymous.

The media has spread the news that the entire Italian network of anonymous has been dismantled and the “leader’s” of Italian anonymous was arrested.

Anonymous denies these media reports an reiterates that this is impossible: Anonymous is not been dismantled. Anonymous has no leaders, no structure. All anonymous members operate at the same level. Those arrested are not “dangerous hackers”as the media calls them, but people like you. They have been arrested while peacefully protesting for there and your rights. Our protest will continue louder than ever.

The Italian Anonymous have not fallen because of this cowardly attempt to dismantle them and announce consequences for there actions taken by the police, to demonstrate that anonymous is present and fights on, like it did in the past and will in the future, for the freedom of the internet. Italy anonymous calls all citizens of the internet and the international anonymous: We need you! Let them have it, stronger than ever.

We are Anonymous

We are Legion

We do Not forget

We do not Forgive

Expect Us

Source: AnonOps

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Anonymous suspects arrested in Italian police raids

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Anonymous suspects arrested in Italian police raids

Italian police are the latest to make arrests in connection to hacking collective Anonymous, according to reports from the country today.

32 dawn raids were carried out, including one across the border in the Swiss region of Ticino. Following the raids, three people including one minor were arrested.

The raids follow police action in Spain last month, which saw another three suspects arrested in connection with the hack which brought down Sony’s Playstation Network for several weeks. It’s unclear if the Italian arrests relate to the same incident or not, but police are reportedly claiming to have grabbed an alleged “ringleader” going by the nickname of Frey – an Italian 26 year-old living in Switzerland.

TechEye reports a statement from Italian police, which downplays Anonymous’ hacking skills.

Out of all of the current hacker groups, Anonymous is the largest, but is also populated by the least technical people. Some of its members carry out attacks using software downloaded from the Internet and do not carry out the most basic attempts to secure their IP address.

We’re expecting more details of the arrests to emerge throughout the day and we’ll update this story as and when we hear more.

Source: The Next Web

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Protesters stage rally against Silvio Berlusconi

CLASHES broke out between police and hundreds of demonstrators staging fresh protests against Italy's scandal-plagued prime minister Silvio Berlusconi outside his villa, local media reports.

"Resign, resign!" the protesters shouted at the gates of Berlusconi's private villa in the Milan suburb of Arcore, where he was spending the weekend.

Roughly a hundred protesters tried to break a security cordon erected several hundred metres from Berlusconi's residence, sparking clashes with riot police whom they pelted with bottles and other objects.

A banner demanded "Prostitutes out of the state," in an apparent reference to allegations that Berlusconi had paid for sex with prostitutes at wild parties in the mansion, allegations the Prime Minister has denied.

Another clash took place in front of Arcore's train station with several officers, demonstrators and a journalist injured, police said. Police arrested two protesters.

The protests were organised by the "Purple People" an anti-Berlusconi group on the internet which previously held a "No Berlusconi Day" in 2009.

Judges are set to request this week that Berlusconi stand trial, while the 74-year-old has remained defiant, vowing to stay in office.

The inquiry into Berlusconi's alleged liaisons with prostitutes was first reported last month and has dominated Italian newspapers since then.

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Milan in another anti-Berlusconi demonstration that included prominent writers Umberto Eco and Roberto Saviano.

In a separate development, a group of online activists known as "Anonymous" launched attacks yesterday against the Italian government's website, citing political grievances, ANSA news agency reported. The group announced its assaults earlier in the day, saying they were launched because "the political and economic situation in Italy has become unstable".

In particular, the group attacked the judiciary system and government, which it said was "implicated in prostitution, including minors," an apparent reference to the sex scandal dogging Berlusconi.

The website (www.governo.it) did not immediately appear to be blocked.

Source: Adelaide Now

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I will became Anonymous!

How was that?

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10 Fascinating International Facts That Are Wrong

1. Russia

The Error: The former Soviet Union celebrated the October Revolution in October.

Although the Bolsheviks took control over October 25-26, 1917, this was under the Old Style (Julian) calendar. One of the first things the Communists did was to modernize their calendar to the Gregorian Calendar – thereby pushing the day ahead 13 days (into November). This was a major holiday in the Soviet Union, mostly because with the official ban on religion the biggest holidays were civil holidays such as May Day and the October Revolution.

2. Germany & Britain

The Error: The British king George I of Hanover used English or German when speaking with his cabinet.

I don’t know that this is so much a misconception as “it’s obvious” that a British monarch would speak English. Those who know history and realize George I was a German prince who spoke no English may then think that “it’s obvious” he and his advisors spoke German. The reality is that since his cabinet did not speak German, the lingua franca in the meetings was French.

3. Britain & France

The Error: The Titanic was the first ship known to use the distress code “SOS”?

Although British ships preferred the traditional distress call “CQD”, most of the other European countries used the International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea standard set in 1908 of “SOS”. The French ship Niagara is known to have used “SOS” well before the Titanic did. Incidently, in CQD, the CQ was a general call on a telegraph line with the D standing for Distress. In James Cameron’s “Titanic”, he did get it right that the radio operator tried both CQD and SOS after the new distress call was suggested to him.

4. Lebanon

The Error: John Kennedy was the first to say “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Yes, the misconception is American but the backstory is international. American politicians are renowned for plagiarizing their best lines from foreign sources. For example, Abraham Lincoln took the phrase “a government of the people, by the people and for the people” from the preface of John Wycliff’s 1384 edition of the Bible and current Vice-President Joe Biden cribbed a few speeches while in the Senate from Labour Party MP Neil Kinnock. This quote thought by many Americans to be pure Kennedy was actually from Lebanese writer Khalil Gibran in an article advocating his Lebanese brethren to rebel against the occupying Ottoman Turks.

5. Australia & Scotland

The Error: Alexander Fleming invented the antibiotic “penicillin”.

Many will disagree with this since it is more a question of semantics than a misconception. Although Alexander Fleming DISCOVERED that the mold Penicillium notatum has antibacterial properties, he was not a chemist and growing and culturing the mold was difficult for him. Howard Florey with the assistance of Ernst Chain was able to purify the penicillin and put it in a form for use in humans, thereby INVENTING penicillin as a true antibiotic.

6. Switzerland and Britain

The Error: Watson and Crick discovered DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

Again, people on Listverse will say “everyone knows that” but many people learn the simplified version that James Watson and Francis Crick discovered DNA, probably because they won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. The true discoverer was Friedrich Miescher was analyzing pus cell nuclei in 1868 when he discovered nuclein. He was able to analyze this further and discovered an acid component which he called deoxyribonucleic acid. Scientists Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty were the first to show a link between DNA and heredity in 1943 and Rosalind Franklin did the first X-ray diffraction pattern study of DNA. What Watson & Crick did was to develop a model of DNA that accounted for all of the previous research discoveries.

7. France

The Error: Mouton-Rothschild is a top-grade Chateau claret.

The five growths (classes) of red Bordeaux were determined in 1855. Four were considered First Class Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion. Mouton-Rothschild did not like being place in second class so their motto is “Premier ne puis. Second ne daigne. Mouton suis.” (First I cannot be. Second I do not deign to be. I am Mouton.) All I know is I certainly would not turn down a glass of it.

8. Scotland and Italy

The Error: The fax machine was invented after the telephone.

Scottish inventor Alexander Bain had invented the electric clock back in 1841. In 1843 he used his work on electric clock to patent a device that could be synchronized with a twin over telegraph lines, which according to some stories he did so he could transmit a picture of a new-born calf (if true it would need to be a daguerreotype which seems very unlikely for just a cow). Frederick Bakewell patented a better fax machine in 1848, two years before Bain updated his and in 1861 an Italian Giovanni Caselli invented the first high quality fax. All of this was done before both Alexander Bell and Elisha Gray independently filed for the telephone patent on 14 February 1876.

9. Germany

The Error: Albert Einstein was a poor student.

The myth that Einstein was a poor student started when an American researcher mistranslated some of Einstein’s report cards by not taking into account the grading system at the time. While Einstein was in school, students were given grades 1 to 6, 1 being the best. This was reversed (1 was worst) the year after Einstein graduated. Further research has uncovered a letter from Albert’s mother to his aunt complimenting his grades, but I guess the image of Einstein going from failing school to being a top physicist is too good to be changed because of the truth.

10. China

The Error: Pandas eat only bamboo.

The reason that pandas eat so much bamboo is that it doesn’t run away. They are omnivores that have adapted to a primarily bamboo diet but they will eat anything they can catch like small animals and carrion. The problem is that they are so slow from the fact that bamboo doesn’t provide a lot of energy that it is hard to catch anything else – a vicious cycle. There are a couple of great articles by National Geographic about the pandas from the 1980’s

Bonous Not the United States

The Error: The United States is the only country that measures things by feet, gallons, pounds, and degrees Fahrenheit.

To demonstrate how out-of-date the U.S. is from basically everyone else in the world, it is pointed out by scientists and metricians that we still use the archaic English system. It may be true, but we are not the only ones. Liberia uses the same system which is not a surprise considering that the country was started by former American slaves who named their capital after American president James Monroe and it was only recently that Liberia’s president was not a descendent of the original American emigrants. And there is a third country that uses the system – Myanmar (pictured above). As a former British colony, they of course adopted the English system. After gaining their independence, the country changed its name from Burma but not how it measured things.

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