Ex-U.S. President Carter Plans to Visit North Korea

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is planning to visit North Korea soon to try to win the release of a U.S. citizen held for committing crimes against the reclusive state, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.

Carter has made contact with the North to arrange for the visit, and he is likely to make the trip in a personal capacity to secure the release of Kenneth Bae, the U.S. citizen, a source in Washington was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

"The issue of Kenneth Bae who has been held in the North for nine months is becoming a burden for the United States," the diplomatic source was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

"Even if Carter's visit materialises, it will be focused on the issue of Kenneth's Bae's release more than anything else."

Bae, who is in his mid 40s, was sentenced in May to 15 years hard labour by North Korea's Supreme Court after being detained in November as he led a tour group through the northern region of the country.

North Korea said Bae was participating in activities designed to overthrow the government, by infiltrating at least 250 students into the country.

Bae has acknowledged to being a missionary and has said he had conducted services in the North.

Bae said he had been moved by his faith to preach in North Korea, ranked the most hostile to Christianity by Open Doors International, a Christian advocacy and aid group, since the late 2000s.

His arrest and conviction came as the North and the United States remain locked in a diplomatic standoff surrounding Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests and its claim that Washington was plotting to attack the country.

In two months of daily verbal assault earlier this year prompted by annual drills by U.S. and South Korean militaries, Pyongyang threatened to attack the two allies using its nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang has had a history of trying to use American captives as a bargaining chip to drag Washington into talks but the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has been reluctant to respond.

Bae has sent letters to his family in the United States pleading for help because his health was failing, his sister said in a media interview last week.

Carter has made trips to the North on diplomatic missions and in 2010 helped earn the release of another American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a Boston native who had been sentenced to eight years hard labour for illegally entering the country.

Former President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea in 2009 and won the release of two American women media workers who had been sentenced to 12 years for illegally entering the country.

? 2013 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/carter-to-visit-north/2013/07/29/id/517439

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Alonso rebuked by Ferrari president

Ferrari have admitted that Fernando Alonso has been admonished? by the company's president.

The team said Luca Di Montezemolo phoned the driver on Monday to wish him a happy birthday but also "tweaked his ear" for his "latest comments".

Ferrari have not revealed which remarks by Alonso, 32, upset Di Montezemolo.

But when he was asked what birthday present he would like after finishing fifth in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso replied: "Someone else's car."

Alonso coy on Red Bull rumours

A Ferrari statement said Alonso was reminded by Di Montezemolo that "all the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own.

"This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one's own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it."

The statement said Di Montezemolo was referring to Alonso when he told the team in a meeting on Monday that "there is a need to close ranks, without giving in to rash outbursts that, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of a bad result, are no use to anyone".

It is highly unusual for Ferrari to reveal its internal dealings in such a manner and it emphasises Di Montezemolo's strength of feeling about the situation.

The statement comes after a day after it emerged Alonso's manager had had a meeting with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner over the Hungarian GP weekend.

Sources say Alonso's manager, Luiz Garcia Abad, told Horner that the Spaniard was potentially available to partner Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull next year and would like the opportunity to do so.

Andrew Benson on Alonso & Ferrari

"Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo is playing a dangerous game in publicly admonishing Fernando Alonso.

"The Spaniard has carried Ferrari on his back for the last four seasons, performing miracles in an uncompetitive car. So it is understandable if he is frustrated, even if his manager meeting Red Bull's team boss Christian Horner in Hungary was probably not the most sensible idea.

"Di Montezemolo's actions are unlikely to sit well with Alonso, a proud man and truly great driver.

"How will this end? Will everyone calm down and accept that, for all their current problems, Alonso and Ferrari are probably in the best place they can be? Or will it turn sour, in the way Alonso's relationship with McLaren did six years ago?"

Alonso, who lies third in the drivers' championship, 39 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel, insisted after the race that he was "very happy" at Ferrari.

Asked whether his representative had approached Red Bull, Alonso said: "I don't think so. Not that I know."

Abad told BBC Sport there had been "no discussions" with Horner.

The Ferrari statement will do little to quell the impression that all is not well between Ferrari and their star driver.

Sources close to Ferrari say the team are not entirely convinced Alonso always gets the best out the car in qualifying, while those close to Alonso say he feels he is constantly having to push to the absolute maximum to make up for an uncompetitive car.

Ferrari's admission that Di Montezemolo was unhappy with Alonso's public behaviour came on the same day that the team confirmed the signing of former Lotus technical director James Allison? to lead their design department.

Allison's appointment as technical director chassis has seen the former occupant of that role, Pat Fry, moved to a new job as director of engineering.

Allison, who is one of F1's most highly regarded design engineers, joined Ferrari with the explicit approval of Alonso.

The two worked together at Renault when Alonso won his back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006, when Allison was deputy technical director.

Prior to that, he worked at Ferrari for five years during the early 2000s, when they dominated the sport with Michael Schumacher.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23495111

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Requiring some patients to get mental health treatment saves money

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Mandating outpatient treatment for certain people with severe mental illness, while controversial, results in substantial cost savings by cutting hospitalizations and increasing outpatient care, according to a financial analysis.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/xlbaRUBN3a8/130730091016.htm

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UN rights expert says Syria is in 'free fall'

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? The head of the U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria warned Monday that the country is in "free fall" and has become a battlefield where civilians are the main victims of acts of terror, from indiscriminate shelling to rape and sectarian killing.

Paulo Pinheiro told the U.N. General Assembly that "massacres and other unlawful killings are perpetrated with impunity" ? most by pro-government forces and some by anti-government armed groups.

He urged the international community to demand a diplomatic solution to the 2 1/2-year conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people.

"The world must hear the cry of the people ? stop the violence, put an end to this carnage, halt the destruction of the great country of Syria!," he said.

Pinheiro painted a devastating picture of the war-ravaged country: people fleeing to escape bombs from their own government, a collapsing economy and a conflict spilling across borders, "igniting tensions in the whole region."

"The war remains deadlocked as both sides labor under the illusion that a military victory is possible," he said.

He said 4.5 million people are displaced inside Syria, 18 million remain in their homes and have become the first providers of humanitarian aid to their fellow citizens, and more than 2.5 million are unemployed and struggling to survive.

"The estimated cost of the conflict to Syria's economy is between 60 to 80 billion dollars, a third of its pre-war GDP," he said.

The government is relying on its superior weaponry and control of the skies to maintain control of major cities and lines of communications while hundreds of anti-government armed groups have increased operations in the north and south, Pinheiro said.

Few of these rebel groups are able to fight across several fronts, and the majority are seriously fragmented, with fighters shifting allegiances usually to better-equipped and better-funded groups, he said.

Pinheiro demanded that the government stop using imprecise weapons such as unguided missiles, cluster munitions and "thermobaric bombs" on civilian areas.

He said both sides must stop laying siege to cities and towns and cutting off vital supplies of food, water, medicine and electricity.

"Civilians are the real victims of this prolonged war," Pinheiro said. "Crimes that shock the conscience have become a dreadful daily reality in Syria."

An untold number of men and women have disappeared from checkpoints and the streets, he said, and those freed from detention "are living with the physical and mental scares of torture."

Pinheiro said a significant proportion of casualties are deaths from indiscriminate or disproportionate shelling from mortars that have landed in streets, barrel bombs that have turned homes into rubble and surface-to-surface missiles that have destroyed not only homes but neighborhoods.

"Of extreme concern is whether both government forces and anti-government armed groups are positioning military objectives within civilian areas, exposing residents to attacks by the opposing side," he said.

He said crimes of sexual violence, including rape, have been documented taking place at checkpoints, during house searches and in detention centers.

"That civilians should come under such sustained unlawful attacks should shock your conscience and spur you to action," Pinheiro told diplomats from the 193 U.N. member states. "But it has not. As the conflict drags on, you ? and the world ? have become accustomed to levels of violence that were previously unthinkable."

The General Assembly has adopted several resolutions calling for an end to the Syrian conflict, but they are not legally binding. The Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding, has been paralyzed and unable to act because of deep divisions between its Western members who support the opposition and Russia and China, who back President Bashar Assad's regime.

The U.S. and Russia are supporting a new international conference to try to get both sides to agree to a transitional government.

Pinheiro said it isn't enough for "those walking along the corridors of power" to be appalled.

"There is an obligation to do what you must to bring this war to a close," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-rights-expert-says-syria-free-fall-184520328.html

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New Zealand probing report its military spied on McClatchy freelance journalist in Afghanistan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? New Zealand's acting defense force chief said Monday that there is no evidence the military unlawfully spied on a journalist in Afghanistan who was freelancing for U.S. news organization McClatchy.

The statement came in response to a report in the Sunday Star-Times newspaper that the military collected phone metadata to spy on journalist Jon Stephenson, a New Zealander. The story by journalist Nicky Hager said the military became unhappy at Stephenson's reporting on how it treated Afghan prisoners.

Also Monday, the country's Minister of Defense Jonathan Coleman acknowledged the existence of an embarrassing confidential order that lists investigative journalists alongside spies and terrorists as potential threats to New Zealand's military.

The acting defense force chief, Major General Tim Keating, said the military officers responsible for operations in Afghanistan have assured him that there had been no unlawful monitoring of Stephenson by New Zealand or foreign spy agencies.

That would appear to be a reference to the NSA with which New Zealand shares intelligence information under a long-standing arrangement known as the "Five Eyes," which in addition to New Zealand and the U.S. includes the Britain, Australia and Canada.

The White House and AP intelligence sources in Washington did not respond Sunday to requests for comment on the Sunday Star-Times story.

"We have identified no information at this time that supports Mr. Hager's claims," Keating said in the statement.

Stephenson wrote for several news organizations and was a freelancer for McClatchy for about 10 months last year.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/217326551.html

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Ahmadinejad Plans To Establish New University

What will Iran's outgoing president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, do once he officially steps down later this week?

According to local media in Iran, Ahmadinejad has been given permission by Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution to open a university for postgraduate studies in Tehran.

Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's right-hand man, has said that Ahmadinejad wants to name the institution "Iranian University."

Quoting Tasnin news agency, AP reports that the university will focus on technology, nanotechnology, and aerospace and nuclear science.

One member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, Mohammad-Hossein Yadegari, says Ahmadinejad "wanted to have scientific activity and work in educating."

Ahmadinejad has a doctorate in transportation engineering from Iran's University of Science and Technology.

Internationally, he might best be remembered for controversial statements about Iran's nuclear program, the Holocaust, homosexuality, and Israel, among other things.

During a farewell ceremony in Tehran earlier this month, Ahmadinejad characterized his denial of the Holocaust as one of his greatest achievements.

He also told reporters on July 25 that he "will continue serving" Iran after he leaves office.

According to a June 22 directive by Gholam-Hossein Elham, the presidential deputy for human resources, Ahmadinejad will form a new "Former President's Office" with a staff of 25 people.

Iran's reformist "Shargh" daily suggested that the office's activities might overlap with the new president's work.

Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's deputy for executive affairs, has explained that the law allows for presidents and vice presidents to form personal offices once they leave office.

-- Deana Kjuka

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ahmadinejad-presidency-university-iran/25060125.html

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Same-Day Delivery Is Great for Everybody? Except the Deliverers

We've already adjusted to the consumer utopia of buying just about everything online with a single click, but waiting for it to show up is still the hardest part. eBay Now pulled it off in a few places, and it's not easy; just ask the couriers who are making it happen.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CAlNPi1CDsY/same-day-delivery-is-great-for-everybody-except-the-de-950457762

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How the Android Central editors rock their home screens

We Android users love to set up our devices just right, with everything we want or need within easy reach right from our home screens. We also like to share and compare with each other, and enjoy looking at some of the more exotic setups some folks have going on.

Someone asked the other day, wondering what the AC staff's home screens looked like. I sent a shout out to the forum mods and blog writers to send me a quick snap, without doing any tidying up. So here you go, and feel free to give us a few pointers while you're in there.

The AC staff home screen thread

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/vNZ6LCE3-Bg/story01.htm

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METS: Washington Nationals hit three home runs in victory; Dillon Gee struggles

By The Associated Press

New York Mets starting pitcher Dillon Gee (35) throws during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park Saturday, July 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON >> Dan Haren?s season-long struggles have hampered the Nationals. His latest outing was something different. He?s got the win to prove it.

Haren won for the first time since May 9, backed by home runs from Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and Denard Span that powered the Washington to a 4-1 win over the New York Mets on Saturday.

Haren (5-11) pitched seven innings, allowing one run and three hits.

?How ?bout Haren? How ?bout that,? Nationals manager Davey Johnson said, excitedly. ?He was great. He still had some left in the tank, too.?

In his longest start since May 30, Haren walked one and struck out six.

?It?s obviously been a long time to have that winning feeling after a game,? smiling former All-Star said. ?It definitely feels good.?

Bad innings, often caused by the 21 home runs he?s allowed this season, have been Haren?s issue. His winless drought wasn?t a case of bad luck but primarily poor pitching, though he?s now allowed two runs or fewer in three of his last four starts.

In between victories, the veteran right-hander made 11 starts, going 0-8 with a 6.18 ERA. Even worse, Washington lost all 11 games, including three since Haren returned from the disabled list on July 8.

David Wright nearly homered off Haren in the first and sixth innings, but his high-arcing shots down the left-field line landed wide of the pole.

?Gave up a couple of home runs ? foul,? Haren cracked. ?Thankfully, they were foul today.? Continued...

Haren also doubled to help the Nationals win for the third time in four games.

Desmond and Span hit back-to-back homers against Dillon Gee (7-8) in the second and Harper followed with a two-run drive in the third.

Harper had two hits in his return to the starting lineup after being limited to pinch-hitting duty in the second game of Friday?s doubleheader. The All-Star outfielder aggravated his left knee while diving for a ball in the opener.

After Haren?s leadoff double in the third, Harper hit his 15th home run of the year.

Despite a tumultuous week, which included the Nationals firing their hitting coach, demoting former closer Drew Storen to the minors and an 11-0 loss to the Mets, Washington has regained its touch.

?I think that could probably be rock bottom there,? Haren said of Friday?s 11-run loss. ?We don?t have any more time for hitting bottom anymore. ... I was finally able to maintain momentum, something I haven?t done all year.?

Wright had two singles and an RBI for the Mets, who have lost two straight. Washington took the second game on Ryan Zimmerman?s game-ending homer.

?The home runs are killing us, there?s no doubt,? Mets manager Terry Collins said.

Span hit his first home run with the Nationals and first for the former Minnesota outfielder since Oct. 2, 2012, a span of 426 plate appearances.

?My home run trot was definitely a little rusty,? Span said. ?I think I stutter stepped around third. I was just trying not to fall.? Continued...

The game was delayed by rain for 62 minutes with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Only scattered fans from the original crowd of 37,464 returned to watch the final five outs.

Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 26th save.

With Eric Young Jr. on second following a single and stolen base in the sixth, Wright?s two-out single ended Haren?s shutout hopes.

Haren and the Nationals bullpen held New York to one hit over the final three innings. Reliever Tyler Clippard pitched a spotless eighth.

Gee had not lost since June 17 and did allow an earned run in his preceding two starts. He dominated the Nationals in three previous starts this season, posting a 3-0 record with an 0.96 ERA.

?The balls they hit out, they were mistakes, they weren?t good pitches,? said Gee who pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits. ?They did a good job. I was happy to at least get through 7 innings. That was big. But the damage had been done.?

NOTES: Minus the delay, the game took 2 hours, 17 minutes. ... Washington has seven sets of back-to-back home runs this season. ... The Mets are moving to a six-man pitching rotation in an attempt to limit the number of innings pitched by starters Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. Following Gee and Carlos Torres in Washington, Jeremy Hefner pitches Monday at Miami followed by Wheeler, Jenrry Mejia and Harvey. ... Torres (1-1, 0.94) opposes Washington?s RHP Taylor Jordan (0-3, 3.68) in Sunday?s series finale.

?

Source: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2013/07/27/sports/doc51f478026793b222046239.txt

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