FIFA set to appoint corruption prosecutor

By GRAHAM DUNBAR

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:49 a.m. ET July 16, 2012

GENEVA (AP) -FIFA ruling board members meet on Tuesday to appoint a corruption prosecutor who will be urged to investigate how hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded.

As part of FIFA President Sepp Blatter's anti-corruption reforms, his executive committee in Zurich will choose lawyers to lead independent prosecuting and judging chambers of a revamped ethics court.

FIFA's top anti-corruption adviser, Mark Pieth, told The Associated Press the scheduled appointments are key to modernizing football's scandal-hit world governing body.

"They are absolutely fundamental to get this moving," said Pieth, who has led a 13-member panel advising FIFA since January.

Pieth's group has said the ethics officials must have authority to examine old cases, after finding that FIFA "insufficiently investigated" some allegations about World Cup bidding.

The December 2010 poll of FIFA's high command has been shrouded by claims that some received payments or sought unethical favors from bidders, and that several breached bidding rules by joining a pact to back Qatar and the Spain-Portugal bid. Russia won the 2018 rights and Qatar was selected for 2022 ahead of the United States in a final round of voting.

"We will want to meet the people who are going to be elected and make it clear what we expect of them," said Pieth, a Swiss law professor, in a telephone interview. "We must help these people to see that they get the right resources."

A leading candidate for the prosecutor's job is Luis Moreno-Ocampo of Argentina, who completed his term at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands last month.

Moreno-Ocampo's name is among four suggested by Pieth's panel to chair the investigation unit. Four more candidates have been proposed to chair the judging chamber, which will rule on FIFA cases and set sanctions.

Still, FIFA could decline the advice and opt for candidates proposed from elsewhere.

"We don't know if they are going to use our list," Pieth said. "I am hopeful that they will have the sense to use the names that met the requirements."

The new FIFA ethics bodies will also oversee vetting football officials for their integrity to hold office at FIFA.

Pieth's team - known as the Independent Governance Committee - agreed that FIFA's in-house judicial bodies needed credible leaders drawn from outside the so-called "football family." A new FIFA statute approved in May says candidates must have had no paid connection with football "during the four years preceding his term."

Pieth confirmed that "there are women" on his list - though FIFA reportedly told one panel member that female candidates were "entirely unacceptable" at this stage.

FIFA's stance comes as it prepares to welcome a woman at the executive committee table for the first time on Tuesday.

Burundi football president Lydia Nsekera was approved by FIFA's member countries in May to join the now 25-member ruling panel, fulfilling a promise in Blatter's reform agenda. Nsekera is also a member of Pieth's panel.

The meeting falls days after a long-running World Cup financial scandal flared up.

FIFA published a Swiss prosecutor's report last Wednesday which finally identified former president Joao Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira, former head of the 2014 World Cup organizing committee, for taking millions of dollars in kickbacks from broadcasting deals in the 1990s.

Pieth, who had been blocked by Swiss courts from seeing the court dossier, said he was "very happy" it was published.

"For me, it's the right moment. It reminds people from the (executive committee) that they really have a problem," the former United Nations investigator said. "It goes way beyond looking at individual people in the executive committee and even a president."

In the days since, Blatter has defended his role in the affair, said his mentor Havelange should be stripped of his FIFA honorary presidency and cast doubt on how Germany won hosting rights in 2000 for the 2006 World Cup.

Because FIFA has a 10-year statute of limitations, the new ethics court is unlikely to get involved.

Also Tuesday, FIFA is slated to approve an upgraded code of ethics for all football officials, players and referees and discuss Kosovo's status in international football.

Blatter said in May that Kosovo's national and club teams should play international friendly matches, ahead of the Balkan province getting formal recognition of statehood from the United Nations.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44764367/ns/sports-soccer/

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How to finance a home improvement project - HomeServicesLink

This is traditionally the first choice for financing major home improvements or remodeling projects. Basically, it involves taking out a second mortgage on your home to pay for the work you want to have done. Because it?s a type of mortgage, the interest you pay is tax-deductible, which makes this a very attractive type of financing.

Of course, to get a home equity loan, you need to have equity in your property. Most lenders will allow you to borrow against no more than 80-85 percent of your home?s current value ? and that includes the balance on your existing mortgage. So naturally, this isn?t an option for those who are underwater on their mortgage or have little home equity to begin with.

Home equity line of credit (HELOC)

This is another type of home equity loan. The difference is, instead of borrowing a lump sum, you?re given a line of credit, like a credit card, that you can borrow against as you need it. This is convenient for do-it-yourself projects or others where you need to make occasional outlays for materials or labor. HELCO interest rates tend to be lower than on a regular home equity loan, but the tax advantages are the same. Equity requirements tend to be somewhat stricter than on a standard home equity loan.

Cash-out refinance

With mortgage interest rates as low as they are, it might make sense to simply do a cash-out refinance of your existing mortgage rather than seek a home equity loan or HELOC. In a cash-out refinance, you borrow against the value of your home as part of refinancing your mortgage ? you take money away from the transaction.

The interest rates are lower than on a HELOC or regular home equity loan, and refinancing your current mortgage lets you reduce the interest rate on your existing mortgage debt as well. You may also find that lenders are more willing to do a cash-out refinance than either type of home equity loan, although closing costs tend to be significantly more.

Again, this type of loan is available only to borrowers with significant equity in their homes.

FHA 203(k) refinance

This is the first of the home improvement loan options for borrowers limited home equity. An FHA 203(k) refinance allows you to refinance your current mortgage with an FHA loan while borrowing additional money for home improvements. The additional amount you can borrow for home improvements is based upon the improved value of the home once the work is completed. This provides a bit more flexibility for homeowners who currently don?t have much home equity.

This type of loan can?t be used for luxury improvements such as installing a hot tub, although more routine niceties such as an outdoor deck are allowed. All work must be completed within 6 months unless a waiver is obtained. This type of loan is also available to buy and rehabilitate a home as well. Contact an FHA-authorized lender for details.

FHA Title 1 home improvement loans

With this type of loan, you can borrow up to $25,000 for home improvements even if you?re underwater on your mortgage. These are fixed-rate home loans with terms of up to 20 years. Interest rates are higher than on the loans described above ? 10 to 14 percent is common ? but are still much lower than you would get on a unsecured personal loan from a private lender. Same as an FHA 203(k), this type of loan cannot be used for certain improvements deemed to be luxuries.

Borrow from your 401(k)

If you have a 401(k) retirement account, you can borrow against it to make home improvements. Note that we aren?t talking about taking money out of the account, but borrowing money you?ll repay to yourself. The advantage of this approach is that you can borrow money at a really low effective rate ? usually slightly higher than what it would earn if left in the account (so most of the interest is paid to yourself).

The downside is that the interest on these loans isn?t tax-deductible, as on a home equity loan, and you typically have to repay it back into the account within 5 years. Also, if you?re laid off, you have to repay the loan in just two months or incur a 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal. This makes it an option you really should consider only if you have a pressing need for improvements, such as major repairs or adding necessary space for a growing family.

Borrow against other investments

Maybe you?re underwater on your mortgage, but have investments such as stocks, bonds, CDs or mutual funds? Rather than selling them to pay for the work, you can use them as collateral to take out a loan. This will get you a much lower interest rate than on an unsecured personal loan from a private lender. In cases like this, you typically want to avoid borrowing against stocks or mutual funds since the value may decline and the debt could be called in. Fixed-income investments, such as bonds or CDs, offer a more stable option.

Contractor financing

Many types of contractors will provide their own financing for work you have them perform. This is particularly true for products and services like new windows, siding, roofing or furnaces and air conditioning systems.

If you go this route, be sure you understand what the true cost of the financing is. Some contractors may advertise low interest rates or no interest payments for a year, but charge higher rates for the work itself, so you end up paying more out of pocket than you might have with another contractor and bank financing.

Credit cards/personal loans

As a last resort, you can always put it on plastic. But don?t forget, credit cards carry some of the highest rates around. Personal loans from a bank, which like credit cards are an unsecured form of credit, also tend to carry high interest rates. Many borrowers underestimate just how long it will take them to repay a high-interest loan, particularly when it involves the type of money needed to do most home improvement projects.

Generally speaking, this type of financing should be used only for small, relatively inexpensive projects that can be quickly repaid. Credit card companies often offer low- or zero-interest ?teaser? rates that may seem attractive but can get you into financial trouble if you don?t pay them off before the teaser rate expires and the rate jumps. Use with caution.

Article courtesy of MortgageLoan.com by Kirk Haverkamp.

Remember if you need financing assistance, check our our list of mortgage providers.

-->

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Source: http://homeserviceslink.com/cincinnatihomeimprovementblog/2012/07/16/how-to-finance-a-home-improvement-project/

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Original MLS-er Corrales picked for All-Star game

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:13 p.m. ET July 15, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) -Ramiro Corrales, the only active player in Major League Soccer who was there when the league started in 1996, is on the All-Star team.

The San Jose Earthquakes defender was chosen by Commissioner Don Garber to the 18-man squad, joining 11 players voted to the team by fans, and Garber's other pick, Philadelphia Union defender Carlos Valdes.

The other five additions were made by D.C. United coach Ben Olson, who will coach the All-Stars against Chelsea on July 25 in Philadelphia. Olson took goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Kyle Beckerman, and forwards Eddie Johnson and Chris Pontius.

They join the 11 stars voted to the team by fans, a group headed by Galaxy stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

---

MLS ALL-STARS

Goalkeepers: Dan Kennedy (Chivas USA), Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City)

Defenders: Steven Beitashour (San Jose Earthquakes), Aurelien Collin (Sporting Kansas City), Ramiro Corrales (San Jose Earthquakes), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Heath Pearce (New York Red Bulls), Carlos Valdes (Philadelphia Union)

Midfielders: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders FC), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards: Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48190657/ns/sports-soccer/

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Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side ...

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Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side effects than chemotherapy
(Nanowerk News) Currently, large doses of chemotherapy are required when treating certain forms of cancer, resulting in toxic side effects. The chemicals enter the body and work to destroy or shrink the tumor, but also harm vital organs and drastically affect bodily functions. Now, University of Missouri scientists have found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves. This new treatment would require doses that are thousands of times smaller than chemotherapy and do not travel through the body inflicting damage to healthy areas. The study is being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ("Laminin receptor specific therapeutic gold nanoparticles (198AuNP-EGCg) show efficacy in treating prostate cancer").
"In our study, we found that a special compound in tea was attracted to tumor cells in the prostate," said Kattesh Katti, curators' professor of radiology and physics in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Science and senior research scientist at the MU Research Reactor. "When we combined the tea compound with radioactive gold nanoparticles, the tea compound helped 'deliver' the nanoparticles to the site of the tumors and the nanoparticles destroyed the tumor cells very efficiently."
Currently, doctors treat prostate cancer by injecting hundreds of radioactive 'seeds' into the prostate. However, that treatment is not effective when treating an aggressive form of prostate cancer, said Cathy Cutler, research professor at the MU Research Reactor and co-author of the study. The size of the seeds and their inability to deliver effective doses hampers their ability to stop the aggressive form of prostate cancer.
In the study, the MU scientists created nanoparticles that are just the right size. Instead of hundreds of injections, the team only used one or two injections, and the nanoparticles were more likely to stay very close to the tumor sites.
Cutler and Katti have been working with colleagues Raghuraman Kannan, Anandhi Upendran, Charles Caldwell as well as others in the Department of Radiology and at the MU Research Reactor to develop and design the nanoparticles to the correct shape and size to treat prostate cancer. If the nanoparticles produced are too small, they can escape and spread; if they are made large enough, the nanoparticles will stay inside the tumor and treat it much more effectively than current methods.
"Current therapy for this disease is not effective in those patients who have aggressive prostate cancer tumors," Cutler said. "Most of the time, prostate cancers are slow-growing; the disease remains localized and it is easily managed. Aggressive forms of the disease spread to other parts of the body, and it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. men. However, we believe the gold nanoparticles could shrink the tumors, both those that are slow-growing and aggressive, or eliminate them completely."
"This treatment is successful due to the inherent properties of radioactive gold nanoparticles," Kannan said. "First, the gold nanoparticles should be made to the correct size, and second, they have very favorable radiochemical properties, including a very short half-life."
With a half-life of only 2.7 days, the radioactivity from the gold nanoparticles is finished within three weeks.
"Because of their size and the compound found in tea, the nanoparticles remain at the tumor sites," Upendran said. "This helps the nanoparticles maintain a high level of effectiveness, resulting in significant tumor volume reduction within 28 days of treatment."
In the current study, the team tested the nanoparticles on mice. Prior to human trials, the scientists will study the treatment in dogs with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer in dogs is extremely close to the human form of the disease.
"When it comes to drug discovery, MU is fortunate because we have a combination of experts in cancer research, animal modeling, isotope production and nanomedicine, and state-of-the-art research infrastructure to take discoveries from 'the bench to the bedside' and never leave campus," Katti said. "For example, we developed the nanoparticles here at our research reactor, which is one of the few places in the world that produces therapeutic, clinical grade radioisotopes. We then tested the radioactive gold nanoparticles in small animals in collaboration with other radiology researchers using testing facilities located at the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital. Our next steps include partnering with the College of Veterinary Medicine to treat larger animals with the hopes of having human clinical trials, held on our campus, soon."

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Source: http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/newsid=25953.php

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The best way to enhance internet site sales revenue in niche market ...

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NxtGenUG Cambridge : Developer?s View of Windows 8

Coming Events?Coming Events
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Birmingham - Wye Aye Ess Ate
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Manchester - Building on Windows Azure
Monday, July 23, 2012
Coventry - Windows 8
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Cambridge - Developer?s View of Windows 8
Monday, August 13, 2012
Hereford - Costall does MVC
Event: Developer?s View of Windows 8?
In our rescheduled session with Robert "Boss" Hogg, we'll be discussing more Windows 8-related news.

Robert is co-founder and Managing Director of Black Marble, a software development company specialising in collaboration, ALM and innovative technology solutions. He is a regular on the community circuit, and is in his fifth year as a Microsoft MVP. Currently, he is MVP for Connected Systems, with previous stints for Visual Studio, Architecture and BizTalk.

You can follow Robert on his blog (http://blogs.blackmarble.co.uk/blogs/boss/) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/roberthogg).

We'll be back to Microsoft Research for this session, so come along and join us for pizza and prizes in the second session of our Windows 8 marathon.

If you are not a member of NxtGenUG, you are more than welcome to attend. We just ask you register on the site, to help us to plan numbers and refreshments. Once registered on the site, you can then register for this event from this page.
Event Breakdown
Robert Hogg A Developer's view of Windows 8
Almost a year on from Windows 8 fanfare at Build, what has changed in Windows 8? Join us for a comprehensive overview of what?s new, what?s bad and how to get connected to Windows 8.

This session will be cover
- Windows 8 Overview
- Developing for Windows 8
- Developer Tooling changes
- Delivering Windows 8 applications

Please note that as this event is some time away, some of the content will change!

Source: http://www.nxtgenug.net/ViewEvent.aspx?EventID=522

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Iraq warns Turkey over separate oil deal with Kurds, says it could damage relations

BAGHDAD - Baghdad warned Turkey on Sunday that its separate oil deal with Iraq's northern self-ruled Kurdish region could damage trade relations, the latest sign of tension between the two neighbors.

This month, Iraq's Kurds announced that they have started exporting crude oil and gas to Turkey. The goal is to barter it for refined petroleum products to meet domestic demand.

The deal is part of a bigger agreement the Kurdish government negotiated and signed with Turkey in May without going through Baghdad. The agreement envisions the Kurdish region exporting not only oil but natural gas through a web of pipelines through Turkish territory to the international market.

"Exporting oil from the Kurdistan region to Turkey is illegal and illegitimate," government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. "The oil and gas are the property of all Iraqis and those exports and revenues must be managed by the federal government which represents all Iraqis," al-Dabbagh added.

He accused Ankara of "participating in the smuggling of Iraqi oil ... and this issue will affect the relations between the two countries, especially the economic ones."

The Kurds and the Arab-led government in Baghdad have been at loggerheads over the right to develop and export the north's natural resources. Baghdad maintains that the region has no right to sign deals unilaterally and that exports must go through the state-run pipelines, while Kurds argue that the constitution does in fact give them the right to sign agreements without consulting Baghdad.

The Kurds have gone ahead and unilaterally signed scores of oil deals. Baghdad keeps a blacklist of the companies involved.

In early 2011, the two sides reached a tentative agreement by which the Kurds send the oil to Baghdad, which sells it, and then it pays only expenses incurred by the developers until a final agreement is reached over all deals.

But the exports were halted in April by the Kurds, who claimed that Baghdad was withholding revenues. The central government in turn accuses the Kurds of keeping billions of dollars that ought to go into state coffers and also of smuggling oil on the side. It has threatened to cut the Kurdish region's share of federal funds.

Baghdad and Ankara for their part have seen their relations strained after Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president Tariq al-Hashemi, who faces terror charges, sought refuge in Turkey since early 2012. Al-Hashemi says the charges are politically motivated.

Another point of contention is the uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Ankara wants him to leave, while Baghdad, which has close ties to Assad's ally Iran, has been hesitant to take a stand on the Syrian conflict.

Also Sunday, Baghdad signed a preliminary deal with a Pakistani company to explore for natural gas in the country's east, the latest move by the war-torn country to develop its vast natural resources after decades of war, U.N. sanctions and neglect.

In May, Iraq awarded Pakistan Petroleum the right to explore for gas in the 6,000-square-kilometer (2300-square-mile) Block 8 in Diyala province. The company will be paid 5.38 U.S. dollars for each barrel of oil equivalent.

The contract was signed at the Oil Ministry in Baghdad and it will be sent to the Cabinet for final approval. The contract is one of four Iraq awarded in the latest bidding round to search for oil and gas. Others will be signed this month.

Since 2008, Iraq has awarded 15 oil and gas deals to international energy companies, the first major investments in the country's energy industry in more than three decades.

The goal was to boost daily production from about 3 million barrels now to 12 million barrels by 2017. But Iraq is mulling whether the target should be revised downward to fewer than 10 million barrels, considering a possible drop in demand on oil in the international market and infrastructure bottlenecks.

____

Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/world/162511336.html

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