Proposta brasileira de asilo a condenada por adultério divide Irã

DA BBC BRASIL

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A proposta brasileira de conceder asilo a iraniana Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, que chegou a ser condenada à morte por apedrejamento sob a acusação de adultério, é apoiada por ativistas que defendem os direitos humanos no Irã, mas criticada por setores mais conservadores ligados ao governo do país.

Membros de organizações de direitos humanos disseram que a oferta do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva de conceder asilo a Ashtiani é um passo positivo, mas que ainda é preciso fazer mais para pressionar o Irã a banir esse tipo de sentença.

O governo iraniano ainda não fez uma declaração oficial sobre se aceita a proposta de Lula, mas um site ligado à Guarda Revolucionária do Irã fez críticas à posição do presidente brasileiro, acusando-o de interferir nas questões internas do país.

AP

Foto divulgada pela ONG Anistia Internacional em Londres mostra Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, acusada de adultério

Ashtiani, de 43 anos, está presa no Irã desde maio de 2006, quando um tribunal na Província do Azerbaijão Ocidental a considerou culpada por manter "relações ilícitas" com dois homens após a morte de seu marido.

No início do mês, as autoridades iranianas haviam afirmado que ela não seria mais morta por apedrejamento, embora a mulher ainda possa ser sentenciada à morte por enforcamento pelo adultério e por outras acusações que pesam contra ela.

O caso teve grande repercussão internacional e, no sábado, o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva fez um apelo ao presidente do Irã, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pedindo que permita que a mulher possa se asilar no Brasil.

APOIO

"A oferta do presidente do Brasil a Ashtiani e sua família foi um passo muito positivo e é bem-vindo. No entanto, espero que isso crie uma pressão pelo fim de sentenças de morte por apedrejamento", disse à BBC Brasil a iraniana Mina Ahadi, coordenadora do Comitê Internacional Contra Apedrejamento, entidade que vem fazendo uma campanha pela liberdade de Ashtiani.

"Eu conversei com o filho dela e outros familiares sobre a oferta do Brasil. Eles ficaram muito contentes e esperançosos. Esperamos que a notícia seja dada a Ashtiani ainda nesta segunda-feira", explicou a ativista, que também coordena uma campanha com assinaturas na internet em prol da iraniana.

Apesar de elogiar a oferta brasileira, Ahadi disse que considera negativa a proximidade entre Lula e o regime islâmico do Irã.

"O presidente brasileiro ignorou evidentes violações de direitos humanos no Irã. O apelo pela liberdade e asilo de Ashtiani não apaga o criticismo em relação a ele de muitas pessoas e da oposição no Irã."

CARISMA

Para o ativista Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, diretor da entidade Direitos Humanos no Irã, a interferência de Lula em favor da iraniana foi uma grande notícia, pois o presidente brasileiro "tem o carisma junto ao governo do Irã".

"Certamente, o governo iraniano irá considerar essa proposta de forma séria, pois se trata de um país amigo e que goza de boa credibilidade com o Irã", salientou Moghaddam à BBC Brasil.

Entretanto, a ativista acredita que, por si só, a oferta de asilo a Ashtiani não mudará o destino de muitos outros sentenciados a este tipo de execução.

"Já tivemos muitas pessoas enforcadas ou apedrejadas até a morte por omissão de líderes internacionais, incluindo Lula, que poderiam ter feito mais pressão junto ao governo iraniano."

"Por se omitir no passado, apoiando o atual regime, o carisma de Lula ficou um pouco abalado entre setores da sociedade iraniana que vêm lutando por mais liberdade e direitos humanos no país", afirmou.

CRÍTICAS

O site Jahan News, ligado à Guarda Revolucionária do Irã, entidade linha-dura e que dá suporte ao regime islâmico do país, usou uma linguagem de acusação contra Lula devido à oferta de asilo.

"O presidente brasileiro está sob a influência da propaganda ocidental... e interferiu nos assuntos internos do Irã", diz um texto no site.

De acordo com Mohammad Marandi, professor de Ciência Política da Universidade de Teerã, mesmo o bom relacionamento entre Brasil e Irã não vai garantir que a proposta brasileira seja aceita, especialmente entre membros mais linha-dura do governo iraniano.

"Há um consenso geral dentro do governo de que mesmo nações amigas não podem interferir em assuntos vistos como delicados dentro do Irã. Com o Brasil não será diferente", explicou Marandi.

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AXN LEILOA PÔSTER EXCLUSIVO DE LOST

Agosto 02, 2010

O canal AXN, em parceria com o portal MercadoLivre.com, fará o leilão do pôster exclusivo de “LOST” autografado por Damon Lindelof e Carlton Cuse, criadores e produtores da trama.

Além de proporcionar aos fãs a oportunidade de levar pra casa um objeto de desejo da série mais famosa dos últimos tempos, o valor arrecadado com a ação será revertido para a Cruz Vermelha Brasileira, entidade que atua em benefício das pessoas acometidas por desastres e na capacitação em primeiros socorros.

O pôster, desenvolvido pela agência Publicis para a divulgação da sexta e última temporada de “LOST”, foi elogiado pelos produtores que fizeram questão de autografá-lo para os fãs brasileiros. A partir do dia 2 de agosto, o telespectador que quiser arrematar o pôster e ajudar a entidade, terá 10 dias para dar seu lance e a maior aposta leva o prêmio exclusivo. Para dar o seu lance, basta acessar: http://bit.ly/leilaoposterLOST

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Tweet-o-Meter monitora ‘tweets’ em 12 cidades

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Se o Twitter fosse um bolo, seu fermento seria sua API pública – aberta aos olhos e criatividade de todos os programadores do mundo. A API (Application Programming Interface, ou interface de programação de aplicações) é um conjunto de padrões de programação que permite a desenvolvedores independentes criar aplicativos que “conversam” com o serviço original – o Twitter, no caso -, inventando novas funcionalidades para ele.

Em 2008, o Twitter reconheceu que seu mecanismo de buscas era deficiente. Pouco depois, adquiriu por 30 milhões de reais o Summize – uma ferramenta de buscas que havia sido criado por outra empresa a partir da API pública do Twitter. Depois ele foi rebatizado: Twitter Search.

E foi neste espírito que o Tweet-o-Meter foi criado. A partir da leitura de informações na base de dados do Twitter – sempre via API -, ele criou um “termômetro” da atividade dos adeptos do Twitter na rede em tempo real. Ele registra o número de tweets postados por minuto por usuários em 12 cidades: Nova York, Londres, Paris, Munique, São Francisco, Barcelona, Oslo, Tóquio, Toronto, Roma, Moscou e Sidney. O serviço apresenta ainda outro recurso: gráficos comparativos entre os locais analisados.

O Brasil – país com o segundo maior número de visitas únicas por mês, segundo pesquisa Sysomos de janeiro – não aparece na medição.

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Celular de 94.000 reais que carrega em movimento

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A fabricante de relógios de luxo Ulysse Nardin decidiu inovar – com menos de um ano no mercado dos celulares, já tem um dos aparelhos mais caros do segmento. Se já estava fora do seu orçamento adquirir um iPhone 3GS desbloqueado (cerca de 1.800 reais), prepare-se para saber o valor Ulysse Nardin Chairman.

A versão mais ‘humilde’ do aparelho custa 24 mil reais. Caso queira um modelo personalizável, feito de metais preciosos, terá de pagar mais – aproximadamente 94 mil reais.

O aparelho possui tela touchscreen, teclado numérico, leitor de impressões digitais para identificar o dono, câmera de oito megapixels e 32 GB de memória. O diferencial Ulysse Nardin Chairman é a presença de duas baterias – uma comum, que carrega ligada na tomada e outra reserva, que é carregada simplesmente com o movimento, como num relógio de pulso.

Segundo a vendedora dos aparelhos, o dispositivo é útil: serve para ocasiões em que em que o dono do celular quer ostentar dinheiro, mas, por algum motivo, não pode levar sua Ferrari para um restaurante.

(Por Paula Reverbel)

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Na web, rádios com a sua cara

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O futurólogo Gerd Leonhard, especialista em mídia digital, prega que a geração streaming media – usuários da web que preferem acessar conteúdos na “nuvem” a fazer downloads de MP3 – cresça de forma expressiva nos próximos anos. Esse grupo que consome música na rede é simpatizante de serviços como iLike, Jango, Grooveshark e StereoMood, rádios on-line que permitem acesso a listas de canções via streaming.

O Grooveshark é atualmente o mais popular do gênero. A plataforma permite que qualquer usuário, mesmo sem cadastro, acesse o seu banco de dados para escutar música. Para tanto, basta digitar o nome da canção ou artista no campo “search for music”. Os interessados podem ainda montar listas e compartilhá-las com seus amigos.

Conheça alguns outros serviços via streaming:

- Stereomood

(Foto: Reprodução)

Considerada pelos próprios fundadores uma “rádio emocional”, inova ao etiquetar as canções. As músicas são “tagueadas” a partir de sentimentos. Os termos variam entre “feliz”, “melancólico” ou “sensual” – há também opções de atividades, como “trabalhando” ou “dirigindo”. O serviço nasceu em Milão, na Itália, em 2008, e usa a API (Application Programming Interface, ou interface de programação de aplicações) da Last.fm, rádio on-line que optou por cobrar pelo acesso ao seu acervo no Brasil.

- Ilike

(Foto: Reprodução)

O iLike é um serviço parceiro do MySpace Music, cuja base é de 60 milhões de usuários registrados. Ele possui aplicativos para Facebook, Orkut, hi5, Google e Bebo, e permite que os interessados criem perfis em sua plataforma. Não é preciso ser cadastrado para escutar suas músicas. Para ter acesso a uma estação, basta digitar no campo “enter an artist name” o nome do artista procurado. Ao reproduzir uma faixa ou vídeo, o sistema sugere artistas similares.

- Jango

(Foto: Reprodução)

Jango foi fundada em 2007, em Nova York. Além de permitir a reprodução de músicas via streaming, o sistema oferece ferramentas para a criação de estações de rádio (listas de música), que podem ser compartilhadas e monitoradas. Sua tecnologia de mapeamento consegue dizer quem está escutando a mesma música, uma determinada playlist ou até mesmo o que os amigos de um usuário estão ouvindo em um dado momento.

(Por Renata Honorato)

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Dia do Combate ao Colesterol na Hortifruti

Sex, 30 de Julho de 2010 10:14

Sempre com o foco na saúde, a Hortifruti promove de 2 a 8 de agosto uma campanha para marcar o “Dia do Combate ao Colesterol”. Nesse período, a equipe de nutrição da rede prestará atendimento aos clientes, com orientações sobre o colesterol e como manter as taxas em bons níveis. Ao longo da semana, também serão realizadas degustações de receitas especiais, elaboradas com alimentos que ajudam a baixar o colesterol. O objetivo do evento é informar e alertar os consumidores sobre a importância de uma vida saudável. Vale conferir. O evento do “Dia do Combate ao Colesterol” é gratuito e acontece em todas as lojas da Hortifruti.

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Elliott Sadler Crash Exposes Pocono Safety Weaknesses

• • Bob Zeller
  • Motorsports Editor

When a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver slides sideways off a straightaway like Elliott Sadler did Sunday at Pocono Raceway, how is it possible that he can hit anything directly head-on, as Sadler did?

It's possible because Pocono has a earthen berm at that section of the track that juts out from the regular inside wall, sticking into the runoff area. The berm is fronted by an old steel guardrail, and it was into that guardrail that Sadler's No. 19 Ford hit dead head-on in the most violent crash of the year and the most needlessly violent crash in quite some time.

It was the second horrific crash of the summer at Pocono, and several drivers, including Sunday's winner, Greg Biffle, and points leader Kevin Harvick, harshly criticized the lack of modern safety standards at the Pennsylvania track after the first crash, which saw Kasey Kahne's car nearly sail over the outside wall in the June race.

As detailed by FanHouse last week, Pocono has promised changes, explaining that they couldn't be made after the June race because there simply wasn't enough time before Sunday's event.

The criticism focused on the lack of enough SAFER barriers at Pocono, the lack of enough catch fencing, the use of old steel guardrails, the presence of earthen berms and the existence of grass runoff areas.

The latter three were factors in Sadler's crash, but the thing that made it so bad was the fact that the berm Sadler hit juts out into the runoff area.



The crash was triggered when Jimmie Johnson turned Kurt Busch's car between turns one and two while trying to draft Busch. Johnson took the blame and apologized on his radio, but Busch was hot about it.

"I got wrecked on the straightaway," Busch said. "Jimmie Johnson drove straight through us."

Busch's car went into the outside wall, then slid across the track, hit the wet, grassy runoff area, sailed into the inside guardrail and finally came to a stop back near the track surface.

Sadler, who was having a good weekend at Pocono, having won the NASCAR truck race on Saturday, was hit from behind as he slowed down because of Busch's crash.



His car sailed off the track toward the inside wall, skated on the wet grass and slammed head-on into the earthen berm outcropping.

The violent impact ripped the engine and one wheel from his car, and left Sadler wincing in pain and gasping for breath as he crawled out of his car. But he was not significantly injured.

"I'm OK. I'm a little sore," Sadler told reporters after coming out of the infield care center. "The breath definitely got knocked out of me. It was probably the hardest hit I've ever had in a race car, but I've got to thank all my guys back at home that put these things together. It knocked the engine out of it. I know it knocked the swaybar tube and the whole swaybar out of it and the whole left-front wheel assembly, but I'm still in one piece so it did its job. The way it hit the guardrail back there was pretty tough."

When Busch began to crash, "I saw some smoke," Sadler said. "Everybody started checking up. I checked up. Whoever was running behind us did not and ran in the back of us and knocked us down through the grass."

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Colombia busca enfrentar a dos pueblos hermanos: Chávez

Chávez dice ahora que impedirá que «el lacayo» Uribe le lleve a la guerra

Desbaratado un atentado previsto para la toma de posesión de Santos

Venezuela / Oviedo

El presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, siguió ayer alimentando el rumor guerrero en la crisis que le enfrenta con Colombia desde que el pasado 22 de julio rompió las relaciones con ese país, que, previamente, lo había acusado de dar cobijo a guerrilleros de las FARC y el ELN.

Tras afirmar el sábado que está «revisando planes de guerra», Chávez afirmó ayer que se ha trazado como «objetivo supremo» impedir que el Gobierno de su colega de Colombia, Álvaro Uribe, al que llamó «lacayo» (de EE UU), logre esta semana que ambas naciones vayan a la guerra.

Desde Bogotá, fuentes oficiales informaron de que la policía de la capital colombiana ha detenido a cuatro presuntos traficantes de armas y explosivos que trabajaban para las FARC y señaló que, con ello, evitó al menos un atentado terrorista previo a la posesión del nuevo presidente colombiano, Juan Manuel Santos, el próximo domingo.

Chávez teme una operación de Colombia en suelo venezolano

Creará diez distritos militares en los 2.200 kilómetros de frontera con el país vecino

LUDMILA VINOGRADOFF / CORRESPONSAL EN CARACAS

Día 02/08/2010

REUTERS

Personal de la Guardia Nacional venezolana vigila la frontera con Colombia.

Nadie apuesta por un enfrentamiento bélico o una guerra entre Venezuela y Colombia después de la ruptura de relaciones. Eso es cierto, pero ambos gobiernos están esperando a ver quién tira la primera piedra para empezar la confrontación y, mientras eso ocurre, refuerzan militarmente la frontera de 2.212 kilómetros que comparten.

El presidente Hugo Chávez rompió los vínculos diplomáticos el pasado 22 de julio, tras la acusación del Gobierno de Álvaro Uribe de que protegía en territorio venezolano a 1.500 guerrilleros de la Fuerza Armada Revolucionaria de Colombia (FARC) y el Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). Uribe mostró ante la Organización de los Estados Americanos evidencias de 87 campamentos con sus coordenadas, vídeos y fotografías.

Chávez anunció el viernes pasado que creará diez distritos militares a lo largo de la frontera común por considerar a su vecino colombiano como «una amenaza». El primero de este puesto militar estará ubicado en la zona de Perijá, norte de Zulia donde, según denuncias de Bogotá, existen campamentos de la FARC y el ELN.

A través de la cadena estatal de televisión de Venezuela, Chávez aseguró que en una de las coordenadas del campamento de las FARC que denunció el embajador de Colombia en la OEA, Luis Hoyos, «lo que realmente hay es una piedra en medio de un río».

Chávez prefiere a Santos

El presidente venezolano afirmó que Uribe es «capaz de todo en los últimos días que le quedan en el poder. Hemos revisado planes de guerra y desplegado unidades militares, aéreas, de infantería, pero en silencio porque no queremos alterar a nadie». Chávez adelantó también que espera una mejor relación con el gobierno Juan Manuel Santos, que tomará posesión el próximo 7 de agosto para normalizar la situación.

Por su parte, el Gobierno colombiano informó también de que el sábado se pondría en funcionamiento una base militar que tendrá como objetivo vigilar el espacio aéreo de la frontera y combatir la narcoguerrilla. La base estará ubicada en Yopal, capital del departamento de Casanare.

En caso de llegar a un hipotético estado de guerra, «Venezuela no tiene capacidad de enfrentar una escalada de conflicto que nos lleve a una escaramuza o enfrentamiento militar», afirma el vicealmirante Iván Carratú, ex director del Instituto de Altos Estudios de Defensa Nacional.

Un conflicto electoral

En declaraciones a ABC, el vicealmirante reconoció que «el poder relativo de combate favorece a Colombia en estos momentos porque su ejército está mejor entrenado y calificado, existe la sociedad de unidad de Uribe y Santos, y además nosotros no tenemos el apresto militar».

A la pregunta de qué es lo que busca Chávez reforzando la frontera con los «diez distritos militares», Carratú dijo que quiere «crear un escenario de conflicto interno para entonces tomar medidas como declarar un Estado de Emergencia Nacional o Estado de Excepción, para diferir o suspender las elecciones legislativas previstas para el 26 de septiembre».

«La denuncia de Uribe le viene a Chávez como anillo al dedo para su objetivo electoral, pero está entrampado porque no tiene el apoyo internacional y está perdiendo el interno», añadió Carratú.

Rocío San Miguel, directora de la ONG Control Ciudadano y experta en temas militares, coincide con Carratú en la superioridad del ejército colombiano. San Miguel recordó que el embajador Luis Hoyos utilizará el plazo de 30 días anunciado en la OEA para tomar medidas políticas y diplomáticas como denunciar a Venezuela ante la Corte Penal Internacional.

En lo que coinciden los analistas es en que el ejército colombiano no atacará en territorio vecino para perseguir a la guerrilla a menos que Chávez tire la primera piedra.

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Coche atropella a 12 personas en Rastro

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Gol cancela quase todos os voos em Congonhas

Excesso de horas trabalhadas pelos tripulantes gera atrasos e cancelamentos desde sexta

01 de agosto de 2010 | 21h 57

Solange Spigliatti, da Central de Notícias

SÃO PAULO - Problemas operacionais da empresa aérea Gol, iniciados na última sexta-feira, 30, causaram o cancelamento de quase todos os voos previstos para chegarem ou partirem do Aeroporto de Congonhas, na zona sul de São Paulo, neste domingo, 1.

Segundo a Coordenação de Voos da companhia, os cancelamentos foram reflexo de uma situação que se desenvolveu desde a sexta-feira, por conta do intenso tráfego aéreo causado pelo fim das férias escolares e pelo excesso de horas trabalhadas pelos tripulantes.

De acordo com a Gol, desde a sexta foi necessário transferir algumas de suas partidas programadas, que já registravam atrasos, para o Aeroporto de Congonhas, que fecha às 23 horas, para o Aeroporto Internacional de Cumbica, em Guarulhos, na grande São Paulo.

Por conta disso, algumas tripulações atingiram o limite de horas de jornada de trabalho previsto na regulamentação da profissão e foram impossibilitadas de seguir viagem. Segundo a Gol, a jornada diário da tripulação é de até 11 horas, contando da apresentação do funcionário no momento em que chega para trabalhar, até 30 minutos depois com o 'corte dos motores', quando o avião é desligado.

A jornada total mensal para a tripulação é de até 85 horas/mês. Devido ao mês de julho ter 31 dias, um dia a mais que os demais meses, este limite seria ultrapassado, segundo a empresa, e foi necessário o remanejamento da tripulação, com o acionamento de funcionários extras.

A partir deste acionamento de tripulantes extras para fazer os voos, os atrasos foram ficando cada vez maiores, segundo a Gol, que garante que está trabalhando para regularizar os horários das operações afetadas. A previsão da Gol é a de que os voos sejam normalizados na manhã desta segunda-feira, 2.

Relatório da Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária (Infraero) mostra que no período das 6h30 até as 20 horas de hoje, 17 voos de chegadas da Gol, de diversas regiões do país, foram canceladas e quatro registravam atrasos de mais de uma hora. Outras 13 partidas também foram canceladas no período.

Segundo a Gol, em todo o país foram registrados 52 cancelamentos e 296 alterações de horários em seus voos, entre partidas e chegadas, ao longo deste domingo.

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Mais um dossiê: PT x PT; filha de Mantega é acusada de tráfico de influência

01/08 às O Globo

BRASÍLIA - Um novo suposto dossiê, desta vez de petista contra petista, agita a campanha presidencial a pouco mais de duas semanas do início do horário eleitoral na TV, no próximo dia 17. Setores da oposição criticaram a descoberta de uma carta anônima que teria sido elaborada por setores do PT contra o próprio governo. O alvo seria o ministro da Fazenda, Guido Mantega, e envolveu a disputa pelo comando da Previ, fundo de pensão do Banco do Brasil. As acusações foram publicadas em maio pelo jornal "Valor Econômico" e neste domingo pela "Folha de S.Paulo".

Na carta, uma das filhas do ministro, a empresária, atriz e modelo Marina Mantega, é acusada de tráfico de influência junto ao vice-presidente de Negócios de Varejo do Banco do Brasil, Paulo Caffarelli, que era cotado para assumir a presidência da Previ. O texto, de uma folha, virou um dossiê contra Mantega, que apoiava a indicação de Cafarelli.

O presidente nacional do PSDB, o senador Sérgio Guerra (PE), teme que uma onda de dossiês contamine ainda mais a disputa eleitoral. Para o tucano, os petistas têm verdadeira obsessão e compulsão por dossiês.

- Eles são viciados em dossiês, é uma questão obsessiva e compulsiva do PT e do governo. Os petistas são cheios de hábitos estranhos - disse Guerra, que também é coordenador da campanha presidencial de José Serra (PSDB).

Guerra teme novo dossiê contra Serra

O tucano disse que teme uma possível nova investida contra a candidatura de Serra. Há quase dois meses, o PSDB descobriu que um documento com dados sigilosos do Imposto de Renda do vice-presidente do partido, Eduardo Jorge, estaria em poder da equipe de campanha da petista Dilma Rousseff.

- Se eles fazem até contra eles, imaginem o que pode fazer contra nós - disse Guerra.

O presidente nacional do PT, José Eduardo Dutra, desqualificou o suposto dossiê:

- Isso não é dossiê. É uma carta anônima e sem sustentação.

Dutra disse que a notícia sobre a existência da "carta" é "assunto velho".

Caffarelli esteve com Marina Mantega por três vezes, na sede do banco, em São Paulo, segundo reportagem da "Folha de S.Paulo". Os dois teriam se conhecido quando Marina, economista de formação, trabalhava no banco Pine. Ela conversou com Caffarelli para pedir informações, como linhas de exportação, mas em uma das ocasiões questionou sobre a dívida de uma empresa. A reportagem da "Folha" cita que seria a Gradiente, empresa da qual seu namorado Ricardo Staub é sócio. Caffarelli não teria nem olhado os dados solicitados.

Em uma das cartas anônimas, há o argumento de que, caso o "tucano" Caffarelli assumisse a Previ, a campanha de Dilma Rousseff (PT) poderia ser prejudicada.

Diretamente ligado a uma ala que tentou assumir o comando da Previ, o deputado federal Ricardo Berzoini (PT-SP), ex-presidente do PT, divulgou em seu twitter ter sugerido ao ministro da Fazenda uma investigação a respeito dessa carta. Berzoini diz que recomendou "a abertura de uma sindicância interna".

Berzoini tentou emplacar um nome, o do diretor de Participações da Previ, Joílson Ferreira, mas foi preterido. Também estava na disputa o vice-presidente de Negócios Internacionais e Atacado, Allan Toledo. Cafarelli também ficou de fora.

O cargo foi preenchido pelo vice-presidente de Crédito do Banco do Brasil, Ricardo Flores, escolhido pelo presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Para se ter uma ideia do que estava em jogo, a Previ foi criada em 1904 e é o maior fundo de pensão do país em patrimônio, avaliado em torno de R$ 140 bilhões.

A senadora Kátia Abreu (DEM-TO) também criticou o dossiê:

- É mais um péssimo exemplo para o país. O PT não mede as consequências para atingir seus objetivos.

Em Curitiba, o ministro do Planejamento, Paulo Bernardo, procurou minimizar os efeitos da denúncia.

- É mentira, com certeza. Eu não li, mas é mentira.

Dentro do governo é dado como certo que a autoria das cartas trazendo "denúncias" contra Caffarelli partiu de lideranças do Sindicado dos Bancários de São Paulo, onde Berzoini tem força política. O deputado saiu em defesa de dois petistas apontados como suspeitos de responsáveis pelo dossiê, o diretor da Brasilveículos, ligada ao BB, e José Luís Salinas, ex-vice-presidente do banco.

- Conheço os 'suspeitos' há tempo suficiente para não acreditar que pudessem recorrer ao mais covarde dos instrumentos para atingir supostos objetivos políticos. Tratam-se de profissionais concursados do BB, que exercem altas funções no banco há bastante tempo, sempre elogiados por suas atuações - escreveu ele.

Procurado neste domingo, Caffarelli preferiu não comentar o assunto. O Palácio do Planalto e o Banco do Brasil também silenciaram sobre o tema. A assessoria de imprensa do Ministério da Fazenda foi procurada, mas não atendeu às ligações do GLOBO.

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American and Iraqi Versions Differ in Latest Chapters of War’s Story

By TIM ARANGO

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BAGHDAD — When gunmen ambushed Iraqi security checkpoints in a large Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad last Thursday, terrorized residents said the attack reminded them of the worst days of the war. The United States military said it was unaware of any gunfighting.

Enlarge This Image

Mohammed Ameen/Reuters

In Baghdad, an Iraqi soldier stood guard on Sunday in Adhamiya, three days after a shootout.

Notes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other areas of conflict in the post-9/11 era. Go to the Blog »

On Sunday, when The Associated Press reported that July was the worst month for Iraqi casualties in more than two years, the United States military denied it. Yes, Iraqis are still dying, the American command said, but in strikingly fewer numbers than Iraqi government ministries have told the news media.

As American forces exit Iraq, with only 50,000 to remain by the end of this month and all to be withdrawn in a year, the American military command is accentuating the positive. The Americans also say they are increasingly relying on Iraqis for information they use in the story they tell, that the country they are leaving behind is steadily improving and on the path to becoming a safe and stable democracy.

But it is also an axiom of conflict that competing stories emerge about the same events. The “fog of war” still shrouds this country more than seven years after the American-led invasion, at a time when America’s war is largely complete, even as its legacy remains unfinished.

This was apparently the case Thursday in the Adhamiya neighborhood of Baghdad, a Sunni enclave that once symbolized sectarian bloodletting. Witnesses on the street and a local hospital recounted a brazen assault by gunmen on Iraqi security posts that recalled the not-too-distant past.

“I saw the attackers shooting the soldiers at the checkpoint using silencers. There were three or four armed men and then I was shocked when a big explosion happened,” recalled one witness, a shop owner named Kahlil Asmaeel. “I was very afraid, and I had to hide to protect myself from the shooting.”

Noman Hospital in Adhamiya received the bodies of three soldiers killed by gunshots, and was treating four wounded traffic police officers who had been shot, according to an official there who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.

Adhamiya residents awoke the next day to a ghost city of barricades and empty streets, and they lined up outside the few shops that were open to buy bread in anticipation of an early curfew. An Iraqi newspaper declared, “curfew cripples life in Adhamiya.” The Iraqi government said it found a video that showed insurgents burning soldier corpses in the street.

An American military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as ground rules for the conversation, explained that “we got all our information from the Iraqi police and we had no reports of firing weapons.”

In the Adhamiya attacks, the American military official said, the Americans were informed only of roadside bombs, not gun battles, but he said, “We believe we got a very full story.”

The Americans are not always passive absorbers of Iraqi information, however.

Last Monday morning, a couple of hours after the Al Arabiya satellite news channel was bombed, Col. Roger Cloutier, commander of the Third Infantry Division’s First Brigade in Baghdad, immediately got a telephoned update: two killed, eight wounded, so far, and an American explosive ordnance disposal unit was on the scene at the request of the Iraqis.

In some instances, as in the release of casualty statistics, the Americans publicly showcase their own data, which consistently show many fewer violent deaths than figures released by the Interior Ministry.

Since the war began, the numbers of dead and wounded have been bitterly contested among the press, the American military and the Iraqi government. In the latest episode on Sunday, the United States military contested figures released by The A.P. on Iraqi casualties in July.

In a news release, the military said it “refutes the reported figures of violence” that indicated that July 2010 was the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008. The A.P., citing statistics compiled from the Health, Defense and Interior Ministries, reported 535 deaths in July. The Americans said the number was 222.

According to an official at the Interior Ministry, 391 were killed, excepting the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north.

In June the United States military announced that deaths of civilians and members of the Iraqi police and army were down by nearly half for the year to that point, compared with the same period of 2009. It said that deaths in April had fallen to just over 200, compared with nearly 450 in April 2009. Statistics provided by the Interior Ministry to The New York Times showed 583 deaths from violence in Iraq in April, excepting the Kurdish region.

The centerpiece of the American narrative these days is that violence is down and that Iraq is becoming safer as the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces improve. Violence is down, when measured by either the American or Iraqi statistics, but they substantially diverge over how much.

The Americans have said that civilian and security force deaths this year are down about 50 percent compared with 2009. Statistics from the Interior Ministry show violent deaths down only half as much — or 25 percent compared with 2009.

While the overall picture remains that violence is down from last year, hundreds of Iraqis still die every month in attacks, and some recent Iraqi data raise questions about the durability of the narrative of steady improvement.

In July, for instance, many more civilians were killed in Baghdad compared with the previous year: 176 last month compared with 108 last year, according to the Interior Ministry. There were more homemade bombs, called improvised explosive devices in Baghdad in July than in any month last year, according to the ministry.

It is impossible to discern who is correct, and the divergence adds to the murkiness here, especially at a time of political paralysis — there is no new government nearly five months after parliamentary elections — and American withdrawal.

Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, an American military spokesman, wrote in an e-mail, “I can say with confidence that our system for tracking is thoroughly reviewed.” He said he “can’t speculate” on how the Iraqi government figures are compiled.

Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American military commander here, said recently, “I’m not going to argue over figures, but what I will tell you is that it’s better than it was.”

Duraid Adnan and an Iraqi reporter for The New York Times contributed reporting from Baghdad.

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Cuba eyes more self-employment, not market reforms

By Carlos Batista (AFP) –

HAVANA — With government plans afoot to reshape Cuba's work force by cutting the bloat out of some payrolls, President Raul Castro said he would allow more small private businesses.

The economy is 95 percent in state hands at the moment. Castro's move is aimed at limiting the socioeconomic fallout from planned work force shifts that could target one million excess jobs.

The Council of Ministers "agreed to expand the range of self-employment jobs, and their use as another alternative for workers who lose their jobs," Castro said as he gave a closing address at a biannual session of the National Assembly.

After the crash of the former Soviet bloc, Cuba's cash-strapped government in the 1990s approved a wide range of self-employment. Positions such as beauticians, dog groomers, small restaurant owners and even cigarette lighter refillers were legalized as long as workers got licenses and paid taxes.

But social resentment spread when some workers, particularly in small private restaurants, achieved dramatic levels of success.

The government began increasing taxation and regulation, and decreasing license-granting, until the self-employed sector was largely rendered paralyzed, like most of the economy.

By 2009, there were just 148,000 people out of a work force of five million who were legally self-employed.

Cuba has no regular access to international funding; it depends heavily on the cut-rate oil it gets from Venezuela in order to keep its fragile economy afloat. Tourism earnings and remittances from emigres also are key pillars of the Cuban economy.

Inefficiency is rampant and wages are woefully low.

Cubans' hopes had been running high that change was coming to allow some economic opening in the Americas' only one-party communist regime.

But the Castro government flatly ruled out the possibility of a sweeping turn toward capitalism.

"One cannot speak of reforms," said Economy Minister Marino Murillo.

"We are studying an updating of the Cuban economic model in which socialist economic priorities will be at the forefront, and not the market," he stressed, in a message sure to disappoint many on the island desperately weary after years of hardship and almost no economic or political change.

If there was any welcome news for Cubans, many of whom were fearful that job shifts discussed in state media recently could leave them unemployed for the first time, Castro insisted no massive firings without reassignment of workers would take place.

"No one will be simply left out in the cold" on the employment front, Castro said.

Raul Castro, 79, said he would launch new wage and salary practices early next year. He did not give details.

Three months ago he gave a green light for a test-run privatization of barber and beauty shops.

Under the limited program, the state now rents out shops to workers who used to live mainly on tips and work at home on off hours. Now stylists are able to set their own prices, and are working at improving service. Stylists pay for a license, their rent, social security plus electric and water bills.

Legislative committees have been looking at whether privatization can be expanded in food businesses, long plagued by insufficient supply, high prices, and major problems in the distribution chain, from rampant theft to spoilage.

Castro took the reins from his ailing brother Fidel Castro four years ago, saying he wanted to boost production. But the Cuban government has not made bold policy shifts able to achieve the gains it wants.

So far the government has handed fallow land to Cubans willing to farm it, and has ended the equal scale for salaries for all workers across industries.

But workers still make an average of around 20 dollars a month.

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Inefficiency is rampant and wages are woefully low in Cuba

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BlackBerry users in UAE, Saudi may have services cut

A man tests a BlackBerry smart phone at a shopping mall in Dubai August 1, 2010. Over a million BlackBerry users face being cut off from key services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE after authorities stepped up demands on maker Research In Motion for access to encrypted messages sent on the smartphone.

Credit: Reuters/Mosab Omar

Mon Aug 2, 2010 8:22am IST

By Tamara Walid and Souhail Karam

DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - More than a million BlackBerry users may have key services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut off after authorities stepped up demands on smartphone maker Research In Motion(RIMM.O) for access to encrypted messages sent over the device.

BlackBerry's Messenger application has spread rapidly in the Gulf Arab region but because the data is encrypted and sent to offshore servers, it cannot be tracked locally.

"Certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns," the United Arab Emirates' Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said in a statement.

The UAE said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from Oct. 11 until a fix was found, while industry sources said Saudi Arabia had ordered local telecom companies to freeze Messenger this month.

Sunday's moves cap wrangling with regulators over the issue, which first surfaced in 2007.

India raised similar security concerns last week, and Bahrain in April warned against using BlackBerry Messenger to distribute local news. As far back as 2007, France cautioned officials about using the services.

Indian security officials were concerned that BlackBerry's encrypted data could be used to coordinate acts against the state. They have clamped down on mobile phone operators in the wake of 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

The UAE, home to Gulf financial hub Dubai, said it would halt BlackBerry services until an "acceptable solution" was developed and applied.

Users of the device said that could mean disruptions for companies and individuals who rely on the services, including almost 700,000 in Saudi Arabia and some 500,000 in the UAE.

"It's a final decision but we are continuing discussions with them," Mohammed Al Ghanem, director general of the UAE's TRA, told Reuters.

"Censorship has got nothing to do with this," he said, calling it instead a suspension due to RIM's lack of compliance with UAE regulations.

Authorities noted there is no such problem with services on smartphones from Nokia(NOK1V.HE) or Apple'sAPPL.O iPhone.

"This is an issue for RIM since all email traffic goes though its Network Operating Centres," said James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities. "Nokia and Apple do not route traffic in this way."

RIM officials were not immediately available to comment.

The Canadian company has more than 41 million BlackBerry subscribers, meaning the Gulf bans could affect fewer than 3 percent of its users.

"The UAE market in and of itself is not significant to RIM. A bigger concern would be if it runs into similar issues in a large market such as China, which has similar security concerns, as Google is well aware of," Cordwell said.

USER UPROAR

In Saudi Arabia, BlackBerry handsets have become the must-have gizmo for Saudi youth, enabling them to connect with members of the opposite sex in a deeply conservative society.

"About 80 percent of Saudi-based BlackBerry users are individual users and 20 percent are enterprises, while these ratios are basically reversed in developing nations," said one industry source.

"This problem would not have emerged if the bulk of BlackBerry users were enterprises."

The governor of Saudi Arabia's telecom regulator declined to comment. An Interior Ministry spokesman could not immediately be reached to comment.

In the UAE, which is slowly emerging from an economic slowdown brought about by the global financial crisis and Dubai's property crash, some worried the move was aimed at curbing free speech.

"If you want to eavesdrop on your people, then you ban whatever they're using," said Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer at BT. "The basic problem is there's encryption between the BlackBerries and the servers. We find this issue all around about encryption."

Wrangling over the issue included an incident last year in which a state-controlled local service provider, Emirates Telecommunications (Etisalat), introduced what it called a software upgrade. RIM said it was an unauthorized "telecommunications surveillance application."

"I think there will be such an uproar, it probably won't happen and a solution will be found," Irfan Ellam, Al Mal Capital telecoms analyst said, referring to the mooted BlackBerry services ban.

"BlackBerry is seen as essential by many companies, so if you want to attract business to your country, it doesn't make much sense to ban these BlackBerry services," said Ellam.

He said RIM had been asked to set up a proxy server in India to allow the government there to monitor traffic from a security perspective and the same approach might resolve the issue in the UAE and elsewhere.

"The UAE is asking them to have a server here and they are offering solutions other than that," a UAE source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"BlackBerry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes noncompliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern," UAE's regulator said.

RIM shares rose last week on speculation that it might unveil a new touchscreen BlackBerry this week to compete more effectively with the iPhone and models.

(Additional reporting by Matt Smith, Mahmoud Habboush in Dubai; Frederik Richter in Manama; Alastair Sharp in Cairo; Reed Stevenson in Amsterdam; Frank McGurty in Toronto; Writing by Amran Abocar; Editing by Jason Neely and Maureen Bavdek)

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AT&T, Verizon Said to Target Visa, MasterCard With Smartphones

By Peter Eichenbaum and Margaret Collins - Aug 2, 2010 12:10 AM GMT-0300 Mon Aug 02 03:10:11 UTC 2010

Visa Inc.'s new contactless payment application, "Visa payWave." Source: Visa Inc. via Bloomberg

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile carriers, are planning a venture to displace credit and debit cards with smartphones, posing a new threat to Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., three people with direct knowledge of the plan said.

The partnership, which also includes Deutsche Telekom AG unit T-Mobile USA, may work with Discover Financial Services and Barclays Plc to test a system at stores in Atlanta and three other U.S. cities that would let a consumer pay with the contactless wave of a smartphone, the people said. The carriers have been searching for a chief executive officer.

The trial would be the carriers’ biggest effort to spur mobile payments in the U.S. and supplant more than 1 billion plastic cards in American wallets. Smartphones have encroached on tasks ranging from Web browsing to street navigation and now may help the phone companies compete with San Francisco-based Visa and MasterCard, the world’s biggest payments networks.

“This is definitely a game-changer,” said industry consultant Richard Crone of San Carlos, California-based Crone Consulting LLC. The firm advises card networks, issuers and phone companies. The mobile carriers “are the biggest recurring billers in every market. They are experts at processing payments,” Crone said.

Visa and Purchase, New York-based MasterCard handled $2.45 trillion, or 82 percent, of U.S. consumer spending on general- purpose cards last year, according to the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter. That dominance has helped fuel profit growth for both companies. Visa’s annual operating income has grown sixfold since fiscal 2005 to $3.54 billion last year. MasterCard’s has surged more than fivefold to $2.27 billion.

Contactless

The service, similar to those already available in Japan, Turkey and the U.K., would use contactless technology to complete purchases in stores. They’d be processed through Discover’s payments network, currently the fourth-biggest behind Visa, MasterCard and American Express Co. Barclays would be the bank helping to manage the accounts, said the people, who requested anonymity because of confidentiality agreements.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless are equal partners in the venture and T-Mobile has a smaller stake, one person said.

Representatives for the carriers, London-based Barclays and Riverwoods, Illinois-based Discover declined to comment on the venture.

‘Logical Step’

“Mobile payments are the logical next step for consumers,” said Mark Siegel, a spokesman for Dallas-based AT&T. Marquett Smith of Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based Verizon Wireless, and Peter Dobrow of the Bellevue, Washington-based T- Mobile unit, both said their companies “have nothing to announce.”

Discover spokeswoman Leslie Sutton said the company “is always evaluating technology solutions that make things faster, safer and more convenient.”

Barclays spokesman Kevin Sullivan said “facilitating mobile payments is a big part of Barclaycard’s strategy globally.”

Retailers may be eager to help another network after years of fighting over transaction fees set by Visa and MasterCard. The merchants pressed Congress last month to approve caps on interchange, or “swipe” fees, for debit transactions and filed a 2005 federal antitrust lawsuit that is still pending. The U.S. Department of Justice is weighing whether to bring a civil lawsuit against Visa, the company said last week.

Interchange fees on credit and debit cards exceed $40 billion a year and average about 1 percent to 2 percent of every transaction.

The people with knowledge of the carriers’ venture didn’t say how much merchants may be charged per transaction or when the trial will start.

‘Tipping Point’

“We have long argued that real competition is missing from today’s payments market,” said Brian Dodge, a spokesman for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which represents merchants such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Home Depot Inc. and Target Corp. “The emergence of a secure and reliable competing network that serves the demand from consumers for mobility payment options and reduces retailers’ costs would be welcomed news.”

Visa and MasterCard are benefitting as people abandon cash and paper checks for cards and electronic payments, which account for more than half of U.S. consumer purchases, compared with 36 percent in 2003, according to the Nilson Report.

Mobile technology for banking and payments is reaching “a tipping point,” with younger consumers leading the way, Mercatus LLC, a Boston-based consulting firm, said in a June 7 study. More than half of U.S. consumers, and almost 80 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34, will use mobile financial services within five years, according to Mercatus.

‘Consumers Want It’

“Rapid and broad-based consumer adoption of mobile financial services is imminent” as people rely on their phones to manage every aspect of their lives, said Mercatus Managing Partner Bob Hedges, former head of retail banking and payments at Fleet Bank, in an interview. “Consumers want it to happen.”

MasterCard and Visa have been investing in their own mobile solutions. Visa and Richardson, Texas-based DeviceFidelity, have developed technology that can transform phones consumers carry today, including Apple Inc.’s iPhone, into a payment device that can store multiple card accounts, said Bill Gajda, head of mobile for Visa.

“Visa is in discussions with a number of mobile operators around the world,” Gajda said in a July 28 interview. “We continue to believe that the best opportunity to create a secure, scalable, mobile-payment service is by working together, converging mobile and financial networks, and extending the value of electronic payments to the mobile channel.”

‘Tap-And-Pay’

In June, New York-based Citigroup Inc. introduced MasterCard PayPass stickers that can be affixed to the backs of mobile phones to make contactless payments at about 230,000 U.S. merchants, MasterCard spokeswoman Joanne Trout said in an e- mail.

Startups based near Silicon Valley, California, such as Zong, Bling Nation and Boku Inc., offer alternative payment solutions. Zong users enter their mobile phone numbers to make purchases on the Internet. Bling Nation works with community banks and local businesses, allowing customers to “tap-and- pay” with their devices. Boku lets online gamers buy “digital goods and social experiences,” the company says on its website.

Any new payment system may face barriers that prevent the technology from taking hold in the U.S., the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said in a May policy paper.

Consumers won’t demand mobile payments “until they know that enough merchants accept them, and merchants will not implement the technology until a critical mass of consumers justifies the cost of doing so,” the report said.

‘A Card Is Dumb’

Merchants would have to spend an estimated $200 per reader, and updating mobile phones with embedded microchips would increase manufacturing costs by $10 to $15 per handset, according to the Boston Fed. That may be worthwhile if accepting mobile payments allows retailers to send rewards and information about promotions to their customers’ phones at checkout.

The wireless carriers have an advantage over Visa and MasterCard in the race to control the U.S. payments market because the phone companies have access to their customers’ mobile numbers and bank account information, said Crone, the industry consultant.

“A mobile device is online, real-time interactivity that changes the customer relationship,” he said. “A card is dumb.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Peter Eichenbaum in New York at

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Jets CB Revis misses start of training camp, Redskins' Haynesworth still out

By The Associated Press (CP)

The New York Jets opened training camp without cornerback Darrelle Revis, Albert Haynesworth missed another practice with the Washington Redskins after failing to take a conditioning test, and the San Diego Chargers finally signed rookie running back Ryan Mathews.

Revis is holding out while locked in a contract dispute with the Jets, and there's no telling how long the All-Pro might stay away.

"Darrelle and his family were extremely deliberate with the decision-making process," agent Neil Schwartz told the Associated Press. "Obviously his actions speak far louder than words."

Revis didn't show for the team's conditioning test Sunday morning at the Jets' training facility in Florham Park, N.J., and officially became a holdout when he missed the team's first meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Cortland, N.Y.

Not good news for a team with its sights set on a Super Bowl.

Schwartz and agent Jon Feinsod said both sides worked until the last minute to get something done. General manager Mike Tannenbaum said the Jets offered long-term and short-term deals, and a face-to-face meeting in the last 72 hours and all three were denied.

Haynesworth's sore left knee kept him from taking the conditioning test once again, forcing him to sit out practice for the fourth straight day.

"There's no change from yesterday," coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's still sore, irritated, getting treatment, working out, and we'll see if he's ready to go tomorrow."

The two-time All-Pro defensive tackle won't be allowed to practice until he passes the test. He failed it on the first day of training camp Thursday and again on Friday. He didn't take it Saturday because he had a small amount of swelling in his knee.

After Sunday's practice was over, Haynesworth emerged for what has become a daily ritual. He spent about 15 minutes walking through plays with defensive co-ordinator Jim Haslett and defensive line coach Jacob Burney, learning the nuances of the team's new 3-4 defence.

Haynesworth is the only Redskins player required to take the test because he skipped the team's off-season conditioning program, partly because he wanted to work out on his own and mostly because he didn't want to play nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme and was hoping for a trade.

Mathews signed a US$25.65 million, five-year contract with the Chargers, with just more than $15 million in guaranteed money. The heir apparent to LaDainian Tomlinson, Mathews was expected to be at Sunday's late-afternoon practice. He missed seven practices, including three for rookies and selected veterans last week.

San Diego moved up 16 spots in the draft to take Mathews with the 12th pick overall. He'll replace Tomlinson, the 2006 NFL MVP who was released in the off-season and then signed with the Jets.

Late Sunday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they had come to terms with their first-round pick, defensive tackle Tyson Alualu from California. The deal is for five years and worth about $28 million. It includes more than $17 million guaranteed, but Alualu's agent says the proposed deal had not been approved by his client.

"We're close, but my client has still not signed off on it," agent Kenneth Zuckerman said. "I think they're just excited. That's all I think it is. I think someone jumped the gun."

At San Antonio, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said his arm has been sore for a couple of days. He says it's normal and nothing to worry about.

After the Cowboys finished their ninth day of training camp a week before their preseason opener, Romo said he started cutting back on his throws after first feeling soreness Saturday. He described it as "usually about a two- or three-day thing."

Romo says he is too competitive to be on the field without participating and plans to keep grinding because there is so much to be working on.

At Latrobe, Pa., Steelers kicker Jeff Reed wasn't happy to learn he won't be signed to the multi-year contract he expected after being designated as the team's franchise player.

The Steelers told Reed earlier in the year they wanted to work out an extended contract. Any chance that deal would get done apparently ended when right tackle Willie Colon was injured in June and Flozell Adams signed a two-year contract to replace him.

Reed, who signed a one-year contract for $2,814,000, can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

"All I can do is play this year out and that's pretty much it," Reed said. "I was very optimistic last off-season and that didn't get me anywhere."

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Hackers release browser-based iPhone 4 jailbreak

by Steven Musil

The unlocked iPhone 4 is now technically legal and technically possible.

Just days after the U.S. Copyright Office ruled that bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to allow "handsets to execute software applications" no longer violates federal copyright law, the iPhone Dev Team on Sunday released a jailbreak for the iPhone 4 at JailbreakMe.com.

Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the device to be connected to a computer to run the update, the latest jailbreak is accomplished via mobile Safari loaded on the device. The browser-based software bypass reportedly works on all iOS devices, including iPhones, iPads, and iPods running iOS 4 and iOS 4.01, but it will reportedly not work on devices running the iOS 4.1 beta.

Also, some users report the jailbreak disrupts FaceTime and MMS functionality on the device.

However, as of this writing, demand for the jailbreak is apparently so popular that the site's servers can't keep up, and many visitors report difficulty in getting through.

Jailbreaking allows devices to run apps not approved by the company producing the operating system--such as Apple, the main target of such bypasses. Jailbreaking also allows devices to run devices to run on nonauthorized networks.

While the U.S. Copyright Office has declared the software legal, Apple discourages users from loading the bypass, reminding them that doing so will void their device's warranty. "As we've said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably," Apple said in a statement earlier this week.

Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.

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