Defense seeks to introduce Trayvon Martin's texts

George Zimmerman leaves the courtroom for a lunch break his trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

George Zimmerman leaves the courtroom for a lunch break his trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist and gunshot wound expert, describes George Zimmerman's injuries during Zimmerman's trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

An image is projected during testimony by forensics animation expert Daniel Shoemaker during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Judge Debra Nelson asks attorneys to project an animation image while listening to testimony from forensics animation expert Daniel Shoemaker, during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Defense counsel Mark O'Mara talks to George Zimmerman, with co-counsel Don West, center, in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? Defense attorneys asked a Florida judge on Tuesday to introduce Trayvon Martin's text messages and a Facebook posting dealing with fighting as evidence at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial.

As defense attorneys neared the finish of their presentation, they called computer analyst Richard Connor to read to the judge text messages he found on the 17-year-old Martin's phone in which he purportedly recounted a fight he had been in to a friend.

Martin was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, in February 2012 in a gated community in Sanford. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic; some activists argued that the initially delay in charging Zimmerman was influenced by Martin's race.

Jurors were out of the courtroom as defense attorneys presented their arguments about the text messages. Judge Debra Nelson heard the testimony during a hearing late Tuesday. She had ruled that information about Martin's interest in guns and fighting couldn't be used during opening statements, but she had left open the possibility that they could be introduced later.

As the hearing dragged past 10 p.m., defense attorney Don West complained that the defense hadn't been given Martin's cellphone data by prosecutors in a timely manner, which would have allowed them to authenticate the messages.

"It's simply unfair for Mr. Zimmerman not to be able to put on his defense because of these tactics," West said.

When a frustrated Nelson abruptly told the attorneys that she would rule Wednesday, West continued to address her after she officially had adjourned for the evening. He complained about a schedule that had lawyers working weekends and taking multiple depositions during the trial, in which jurors have been sequestered.

Prosecutor John Guy said jurors shouldn't be presented with the text messages and photos of a gun found on Martin's phone, as well as a Facebook posting from a half-brother asking Martin when he was going to teach him how to fight.

"It would mislead the jury and be prejudicial," Guy said. "It doesn't tell us about Trayvon Martin and certainly doesn't tell us what George Zimmerman knew about Trayvon Martin."

However, West said they were relevant.

"It relates to his physical capabilities, his knowledge of fighting," West said.

The effort to get the text messages and cellphone images introduced came after the judge said she would rule Wednesday on whether a defense animation depicting the fatal struggle between Martin and Zimmerman can be played for jurors.

Nelson held an evidence hearing with jurors out of the courtroom. Prosecutors object to allowing the animation, saying it isn't an accurate depiction.

An expert on gunshot wounds also testified that the trajectory of the bullet and gunpowder on Trayvon Martin's body support Zimmerman's account that the teen was on top when the defendant shot and killed Martin.

Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist, also used photographs of Zimmerman to point out where he appeared to have been struck. His testimony took up a significant portion of the day's hearing. Defense attorneys, who said they may wrap up their case Wednesday, were hoping DiMaio's testimony would help convince jurors of Zimmerman's claims that he shot Martin in self-defense.

DiMaio said the muzzle of Zimmerman's gun was against Martin's clothing and it was anywhere from 2 to 4 inches from Martin's skin.

"This is consistent with Mr. Zimmerman's account that Mr. Martin was over him, leaning forward at the time he was shot," said DiMaio, the former chief medical examiner in San Antonio.

DiMaio testified that lacerations to the back of Zimmerman's head were consistent with it striking a concrete sidewalk. Later, when looking at photos of Zimmerman's injuries taken the night of the shooting, DiMaio identified six separate impacts to Zimmerman's face and head. He said he believed Zimmerman's nose had been broken.

"It's obvious he's been punched in the nose and hit in the head," he said.

Under cross-examination, DiMaio conceded that the gunshot could also be consistent with Martin pulling away from Zimmerman, and that he reached his conclusion without factoring in statements from some neighbors who say Zimmerman was on top of Martin. DiMaio, who has testified at high-profile trials such as that of record producer Phil Spector, said witness accounts are often unreliable. The pathologist said he had been paid $2,400 by the defense.

DiMaio's testimony also addressed the difference between Zimmerman's account that he had placed Martin's arms out to his sides and a photo taken after the shooting that shows Martin's arms under his body. The pathologist said Martin would have been conscious for 10 to 15 seconds after the shooting as a reserve supply of oxygen ran out of his body, and during that time he could have moved his arms.

After DiMaio testified, the 911 calls that captured sounds of the fatal encounter were discussed again. Defense attorneys called Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte to the witness stand to describe the circumstances of how Martin's family came to hear the 911 tapes. Bonaparte said he played the 911 tapes while members of Martin's family sat together at City Hall. He played them as a courtesy before they were released publicly.

Defense attorneys are trying to show that Martin's family members may have influenced each other in concluding the screams are those of the Miami teen. Police officers testified for the defense that it's better for someone who is trying to identify a voice to listen to it alone.

Convincing the jury of who was screaming for help on the tape has become the primary goal of prosecutors and defense attorneys because it would help jurors evaluate Zimmerman's self-defense claim. Relatives of Martin's and Zimmerman's have offered conflicting opinions about who is heard screaming.

Zimmerman, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Prosecutors contend that Zimmerman was profiling Martin and perceived the teen as someone suspicious in the neighborhood, which had been the site of a series of break-ins. Martin was there visiting his father and his father's fiancee. The case sparked protests because police did not charge Zimmerman for 44 days and it touched off a nationwide debate about race and self-defense.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://twitter.com/khightower.

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-09-Neighborhood%20Watch/id-898190a680e1485e8b9aedbfe3d13763

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Italy economy minister says S&P rating cut backward looking

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Economy Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni criticised Standard & Poor's cut to its rating on Italy, saying it failed to take account of recent government measures to boost growth.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Italian banking federation, Saccomanni said ratings decisions on sovereign debt risked being based on outdated information and creating unwanted pro-cyclical effects.

He added that the move nonetheless underlined the need to continue reforms.

(Reporting By James Mackenzie, editing by Naomi O'Leary)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-economy-minister-says-p-rating-cut-backward-103100541.html

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UFC 162?s Three Stars: Chris Weidman, Mark Munoz and Edson Barboza stood out

UFC 162 will stick out in the collective MMA brain as the night the UFC got a new middleweight champion. Who truly rose above?

No. 1 star -- Chris Weidman: As if there's any doubt who stood out the most at UFC 162? Weidman took advantage of Silva clowning around to win the belt. Weidman used knowledge of his opponent and his tendency to play around in a fight to catch Silva right on the button and knock him out. He earned a $50,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night, and the middleweight championship.

No. 2 star -- Mark Munoz: Before he even stepped in the cage, he battled with depression and a major weight gain. Beating Tim Boetsch was just the logical next step. Munoz used wrestling and continuous unanswered striking to get an overwhelming win.

No. 3 star -- Edson Barboza: MMA judge Cecil Peoples once famously claimed "leg kicks certainly don't finish fights." Barboza laughs at that statement. He whipped Rafaello Oliveira's legs again and again until he could stand no more. This is the second time Barboza won a fight this way, making him the first UFC fighter to do that.

Who were your stars from UFC 162? Speak up on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-162-three-stars-chris-weidman-mark-munoz-144439658.html

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OBAMACARE SHOWDOWN GOP Slams Selective Delay, Says Families 'Out in Cold'

House Republican leaders on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to grant everybody a reprieve from the ObamaCare insurance mandate, suggesting the recent decision to delay only the requirement on businesses would be unfair to everyone else.?

"We agree with you that the burden was overwhelming for employers, but we also believe American families need the same relief," House Speaker John Boehner and several other top Republicans wrote in a letter to President Obama.?

They addressed what is becoming a mounting concern over the administration's decision to delay, until 2015, a requirement that large employers provide health insurance to workers.?

The administration, in announcing the change, kept in place the requirement on individuals -- known as the individual mandate -- to obtain insurance. Critics argue that the selective delay will force even more people -- who would have otherwise gotten insurance through their jobs -- to go in search of insurance on the individual market or face a fine.?

The delay potentially means more people will be buying insurance out of their own pocket, buying insurance with the help of additional taxpayer subsidies or just opting out and being charged with a hefty fine by the government.?

Republicans asked Obama for a detailed breakdown on how the delay of the employer mandate would affect all these aspects -- how it would increase the cost of subsidies, and how it would increase the number of individuals expected to pay a fine.?

"We recognize that the decision to delay the employer mandate was likely not a decision you made in only a day and necessarily required substantial review by analysts" at various departments, they wrote. "Your decision to delay one part of the law affecting employers and leave in place provisions regulating individual and family health care creates many new questions and concerns."?

The lawmakers also called a press conference to urge Obama to address the issue.?

"The president's actions on ObamaCare last week were stunning," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said. "I never thought I'd see the day when the White House, the president, came down on the side of big business but left the American people out in the cold as far as this health care mandate is concerned."?

The letter was the strongest statement to date voicing concerns about how the latest delay would impact the requirement on individuals. That mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court last year.?

Other lawmakers and analysts, though, were raising that concern since last week. Michael Tanner, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, penned a column that ran in the Daily Caller noting that the delay could increase the burden on individuals and taxpayers.?

"By postponing the employer mandate ... the administration has shifted costs from employers to workers and/or taxpayers," he wrote. "That hardly seems fair."?

Obama administration officials, as well as Democratic lawmakers, have defended the decision to delay only the employer mandate. They described it as a sign of flexibility on the administration's part, responding to concerns from business groups about the reporting requirements.?

As the administration moves to simplify the rules, officials said, they would, in turn, give businesses more time to comply.?

"We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively. We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will need to do this reporting already provide health insurance to their workers, and we want to make sure it is easy for others to do so," Mark J. Mazur, the assistant secretary for Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury, said last week on the Treasury blog.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/09/gop-to-white-house-obamacare-delay-for-businesses-unfair-to-everyone-else/

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'Big Brother' viewers urge CBS to boot racists

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

5 hours ago

Cliff Lipson / CBS

Fans have had enough! On Sunday night, "Big Brother" finally aired a brief glimpse of some of the controversial content that made headlines recently, and viewers weren't happy with what they saw.

In fact, many viewers want to make sure they never have to see it again -- and not just due to clever editing. They want the players responsible for the offensive comments out of the house.

"CBS!!!!! After watching Sunday's show, 22 of us will not be watching any longer unless Arryn is kicked off the show," fan (or former fan) Rick Reimer said in a post on the official "Big Brother" Facebook page. "Her RACIST remarks cannot be allowed. We will also be boycotting any product that is advertised during the show. I hope others will follow our lead."

Reimer and his 21 unidentified allies weren't alone in the call to action.

Wendy Berry added, "It's funny how what three people have said on this show was bad enough that they've lost their job(s) however it's not bad enough to boot them off the show. Maybe the show should be renamed to Big Bigots."

Amy Williams agreed with the others, but also had a problem with CBS' decision to air the comments at all.

"Pretty sure that Aaryn should be kicked off the show for the slew of racist comments that were just shown on national television," show wrote to the same Facebook page. "Televising those comments should not have happened."

But according to some, CBS didn't go far enough. Sure, the network showed racist and homophobic comments from contestants Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman, but they didn't show the sexist or anti-Semitic comments Spencer Clawson has uttered in the house, or the numerous other inappropriate comments from other houseguests.

(Warning: The following video contains strong language.)

"Kaitlin Barnaby, Jeremy McGuire, David Girton and Spencer Clawson have also said things of the same nature," TODAY reader Godabed pointed out.

Katesus7 shared a similar sentiment on the "Big Brother" forums at Television Without Pity.

"They put it almost all on Aaryn, with one blink and you missed it comment by Gina Marie, they had several HGs give PC diary rooms about how offended they were, and not one word about all the other (expletive) said about Andy and the women by Spencer or Jeremy, who got off scott free," the viewer wrote. "Basically, CBS said 'oh, all right, enough people rose a stink so we'll give you your little segment. Now shut up and start voting for Spencer or Nick to win MVP!' It was just extremely unsatisfying. Although I guess it's still more than I thought they'd show."

"We are very mindful of the important issues that have been raised by these recent comments," CBS said in a statement shared with TODAY.com on Monday. "With regard to the broadcast version, we are weighing carefully issues of broadcast standards, an obligation to inform the audience of important elements that influence the competition, and sensitivity to how any inappropriate comments are presented.?

Host Julie Chen also said on "The Talk" Monday that the network chose to air the comments because they were now having an impact on the game play. "You can't just put it in there and say, 'Judge her, everybody," she said.

"When I first found out that Aaryn, who is a 22-year-old girl, made anti-gay, anti-black and anti-Asian comments, I have to be honest, the Asian ones hit me the most," she added about how the derogatory comments impacted her. "I took it personally. I'm a human being. The really sad part was it took me back to the '70s when I was growing up in Queens and when I was 7-years-old getting bullied, being called a chink and people pulling their eyes. ... I thought, 'Wow, I haven't heard comments like that (in a long time).' The year is 2013. ... I felt ignorant, there are still people in the country who feel that way and act that way? Yes there is ... it made me sad."

Just how the network should handle the problem was a point that had our readers torn last week. When we asked about it, 35 percent said the players involved should get the boot, but 45 percent thought they'd be satisfied if the footage in question aired. Another 18 percent thought the show should be canceled for the rest of the season. And then there was the 4 percent who thought the best policy would just be to ignore the increasingly difficult-to-ignore situation and not even air the controversy.

Amy McGranor Oviatt had a different idea that she shared on the show's official Facebook page -- let the predicament play out naturally.

"I think Aaryn is disgusting but just bc she said things that we dont agree with does not mean she should be kicked off," Oviatt wrote. "This is BB and that is the point of the show. She will totally get hers and i think that when Howard (Overby) calls her out for what she said and then she walks out to a booing crowd, AND has to answer to (host) Julie (Chen)....that will be sweet revenge and EVERYONE will tune in to watch her go down."

Livejournal user and Oh No They Didn't poster Evett had another, less feasible (and far less legal) solution: "Julie Chen needs to lock the doors from the outside and set that whole house on fire."

What do you think should happen? Click the "Talk about it" button below and share your thoughts.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/big-brother-viewers-urge-network-boot-racist-homophobic-players-6C10569794

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What Will Apple's Budget iPhone Look Like? This Report Could Give You An Idea

? Home | Apple Stock | Tracked Sites | TechNN | | E-Mail | Sherlock Plugin Close Left Panel | Login | Subscribe to MacSurfer's Headline News Poll | Most Popular | Talking Heads | A Year Ago Today | Sunday, July 7, 2013 Checked 2:15 PM; Last Updated 9:35 AM CDT; 14:35 GMT
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Subscriptions Benefits Include: ? Custom Newspages ? Keyword-Built Page ? Timestamp Options ? Choice of RSS Feeds ? Headline Discussions ? MORE ...	This weekend's MU PROMO offers 50% savings on CleanMyMac 2.0.4. "CleanMyMac finds and eliminates the files that waste your storage space. Deleted unused files, remove unwanted apps, and trim down your iPhoto library. It's your space -- take it back with CleanMyMac." Is Tim Cook proving to be the right CEO for Apple? Vote for the results in the left column below or go straight to the results here. Weekend Highlights: Hello Siri: Is Apple bringing offline dictation to iOS 7?; "Psst: want a cheap iPhone?; Patent application reveals flexible battery for iWatch; Boston University sues Apple over 1997 patent; Discover (or rediscover) 8 hidden Mac features; Tim Cook hopes to boost iPhone sales at Apple Store locations given resellers taking the lion's share of sales; who will Apple hire to replace Ron Johnson as head of retail? Jonny Evans argues what the company needs is a brand evangelist, not a shopkeeper; Samsung releases disappointing quarterly earnings, Philip Elmer-DeWitt calls it "a taste of Apple's bitter pill"; but is this a sign that the market is over-saturated with smartphones?; Doron Levin at Forbes says this generation of automotive consumers is right up Apple's alley; Steve Wozniak believes Apple is still hunting for the "next big direction" now two years since Steve Jobs' death; Erica Ogg at GigaOM feels strongly that for wearable computing to work, it needs Apple's touch; desktop push alerts coming to OS X; Macworld helps fix Airport Utility 6.3 problems in their latest Bugs & Fixes feature; Electronista has a first look at Numbers for iCloud, calls the app "beautiful, elegant and simple to use"; for new switchers to Mac, or even as a refresher, Rich Mogull explains Mac security basics; Mactuts+ walks through data storage options for your Mac; here's instruction on how to retain iTunes metadata following a CD re-rip; Thomas Brand of Egg Freckles expounds upon filing protocol with OS X Mavericks; a report out of Reuters looks into Japan's largest carrier and iPhone hold out NTT DoCoMo which refuses to carry the iDevice; T-Mobile makes another change to iPhone 5 pricing lowering down payment by $5 but increasing monthly equipment cost by $1 meaning a savings of $4; Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 advertisements on Icelandic TV slam Siri's lack of language support; is the combo of Jaz-Z and Samsung enough to rival Apple? Yes according to Interbrand; DigiTimes report says Taiwan component makers are nervous about new Apple patent which combines USB and SD card ports; iMore previews Phone, Face Time and Messages blocking in iOS 7; budding music producers will want to look at this WSJ How-To on building a home studio; at Macworld UK, Karl Hodge sorts out differences for those stuck deciding whether to buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro; how does Apple's management style compare to that of the iconic Braun of the 1960s? WEEKEND BLOWOUT: Every NEW or RENEWING paid subscriber receives 2 YEARS FREE.
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Insight: Threat of protest vote casts long shadow over European elections

By Luke Baker

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - In the diplomatic parlor games popular in Brussels, few issues are generating more gossip or being talked about more animatedly than next year's elections to the European Parliament.

They may be 11 months away, but anyone following European affairs closely knows the vote has the potential to shake the ground under the political establishment and bring about a fundamental shift in the balance of power in Europe.

Frustration with how leaders have handled the economic crisis over the past three years, coupled with rising populism, has raised expectations that the anti-European Union vote will surge in the polls.

That would undermine the traditional political blocs, which range across the political spectrum but for the most part are in favor of the EU.

And because they will be the first European elections since the introduction of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, which gave the parliament additional powers, it means the outcome will directly influence the appointment of the EU's most important jobs.

"Most people I've talked to are predicting that parties on the extreme wings of the politics of Europe, both the far-right and the far-left, will pick up seats in this election," said William Kennard, U.S. ambassador to the EU for the past four years.

"There is a not insignificant prospect that the populists, particularly on the far-right, will have more influence in the parliament than they've had in this particular term, and I think that could affect politics in an interesting way."

If there was any complacency about the potential impact of the vote, which takes place in all 28 EU member states between May 22-25 next year, it was displaced recently by Britain's Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing, anti-EU party UKIP.

"There is a gathering electoral storm. It's coming on the left, on the centre and on the right," he warned European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, using his most thunderous voice as he addressed the full European Parliament.

"The European elections next year present the opportunity to show you, Mr Barroso, that the European project is reversible and it needs to be reversed for the betterment of the peoples of Europe."

LONG AND WINDING ROAD

A year is an extremely long time in politics and there is every likelihood that electoral predictions made now will prove dramatically different come April or May next year.

But polling conducted by Gallup and research by Debating Europe, a youth politics group, points to two trends that could prove important: turnout may be substantially higher next year than in the past, and the youth vote may be much stronger.

At every poll since the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979, turnout has fallen, dropping to just 43 percent at the last vote in 2009.

But in a survey carried out in May, Gallup found 68 percent of Britons would vote if the elections were held next week, double the British turnout at the 2009 ballot. The figures were similar for France, with the survey finding 73 percent of French were ready to vote this time, versus 40 percent in 2009.

Gallup also found increasing disapproval in most large EU countries over the direction in which Europe is moving, suggesting many of those who do turn up to vote could cast anti-EU ballots or go against how they have voted in the past.

Add to that the prospect of hundreds of thousands of young people who have never voted before turning up at the polls, especially those who are unemployed and frustrated, and the election could turn out to be far from predictable.

"Young people are angry and they want to have a voice," Adam Nyman, the director of Debating Europe told Reuters earlier this year. "I don't think they will shy away from the next election."

MOST IMPORTANT IN HISTORY

No one knows how large the anti-EU vote will be, but speculating about it has become a favorite Brussels pastime.

One EU ambassador said recently he had heard talk of up to half the 751 seats in the next parliament being backed by anti-EU or protest votes, then added he thought the figure was excessive and it was more likely to be around 30 percent.

Others see a 25-30 percent "protest vote" as possible, a figure that alarms sitting members of the parliament, who tend to break the issue down into individual member states, where anti-EU or protest parties have their national quirks.

"We could see a rise in nationalistic parties in some countries, such as Britain and France," said Andrew Duff, a senior member from the Liberal ALDE group who has been in parliament since 1999.

But Duff points out that while there are large and growing protest parties on the left and right in France and Italy, and on the right or left of the spectrum in other, smaller member states, there is not the same clear trend in Germany, the largest and most important member.

Duff still expects the four main political groups - the centre-right European People's Party, the Socialists, the Liberals and the Greens - to come out on top, even if they lose ground from their current standings.

And while there may be a significant protest vote, because it is nationally based and not coordinated as a bloc across Europe, its ability to project influence is limited.

"If we get a protest vote above 25 percent then the organization of this house is going to be very, very difficult," he said. "It would make life tough for day-to-day business and right away for the nomination of a new Commission president."

The nomination of the next Commission president - one of the two most powerful jobs in the EU - is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Brussels parlor game.

Under the Lisbon Treaty, EU member states have to "take into account" the result of next May's elections before proposing a candidate for Commission president. The candidate then has to be elected by a full majority in the parliament.

Many interpret that as giving the EU's only directly elected body greater influence in who ends up heading the Commission, the EU's executive and the only institution with the right to propose legislation, a power the parliament covets.

In the run up to the elections next year, the major groups in parliament will select their top candidate, or perhaps candidates, for the EU's most senior jobs.

There are then plans for televised debates among the candidates to generate buzz ahead of the polls and connect the electorate more directly with Brussels.

In that way, the whole process of electing the parliament, appointing the Commission president and approving his or her commissioners becomes that much more politicized, with parliament front and centre of the process.

It is not for nothing therefore that the current president of the parliament, German Socialist Martin Schulz, is seen as a leading candidate to become the next Commission president.

That's a major shift from the past and has added extra spice to elections that have largely been regarded as a sideshow for most of the last 35 years.

(Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-threat-protest-vote-casts-long-shadow-over-061730638.html

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