Voir le texte source

== Leaders of western world consider military action in Syria ==

<html>PARIS (AP) ― Western leaders are discussing whether to stage a military response to last week s alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. France and Germany, which refused to support the 2003 Iraq invasion,[http://test.atfangshan.com/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=3084504 Smartphone app helps police streamline fieldwork], suggested Monday they may take part. Russia said any such intervention would violate international law.
FRANCE
President Francois Hollande says time is running out for the Syrian regime and airstrikes are a possibility.
In this Aug. 19, 2013 file photo, French President Francois Hollande, left, arrives with Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault at a government seminar held at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Western leaders are discussing whether to stage a military response to last week s alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. France and Germany, which refused to support the 2003 Iraq invasion, suggested Monday,[http://shiningreputation.com/blog/ Australian Dollar Outlook], Aug. 26, 2013, they may take part. Hollande says time is running out for the Syrian regime and airstrikes are a possibility. (AP Photo by Remy de la Mauviniere)

 Everything will come into play this week, he told Le Parisien newspaper. There are several options on the table, ranging from strengthening international sanctions to airstrikes to arming the rebels.

Hollande spoke with President Barack Obama on Sunday and told him France, like Britain, would support him in a targeted military intervention, according to the paper.

 It s still too early to say categorically what will happen, he was quoted as saying. The U.N. experts are going to investigate on site. We also have to allow time for the diplomatic process. But not too much. We can t go without a reaction when confronted with chemical weapons. 

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said all the options are open. The only option that I can t imagine would be to do nothing. 

___

GERMANY

Germany suggested for the first time it may support the use of force if a chemical weapons attack is confirmed.

 The suspected large-scale use of poison gas breaks a taboo even in this Syrian conflict that has been so full of cruelty, Chancellor Angela Merkel s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Monday. It s a serious breach of the international Chemical Weapons Convention, which categorically bans the use of these weapons. It must be punished, it cannot remain without consequences. 

Germany has very clear evidence that this was a chemical weapons attack, Seibert said. He declined to speculate on what kind of response might now be needed in Syria,[http://al-wla.com/vb/showthread.php?p=64221#post64221 NASA&#039;s New Spacecraft Detects Its First 10 Supermassive Black Holes - News - Headlines &amp; Global News], but repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force.

___

RUSSIA

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western nations calling for military action against Syria have no proof the regime is behind the alleged attack.

Lavrov says the countries calling for action have assumed the role of both investigators and the U.N. Security Council in probing the incident.

 They cannot produce evidence, but keep on saying that the red line has been crossed and they cannot wait any longer, he said at a Moscow news conference.

Lavrov likened the situation in Syria to the run-up before the 2003 Iraq invasion. He warned against military intervention in Syria, saying the use of force without a sanction of the U.N. Security Council is a crude violation of international law. 

___

BRITAIN

Foreign Secretary William Hague said disagreements among the five U.N. Security Council members have prevented any action over Syria from being taken for too long and complete unity wasn t necessary to launch a response.

 We cannot in the 21st century allow the idea that chemical weapons can be used with impunity, he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron s office said lawmakers could be recalled to debate any potential action over Syria as soon as this week and that Cameron plans to meet with national security advisers Wednesday. Cameron s spokesman said London reserves the ability to take action swiftly if needed. 

Cameron later called Vladimir Putin and told the Russian leader there was little doubt that Syrian forces had been responsible and prevented immediate U.N. access to the site, suggesting they had something to hide, the premier s office said. Both agreed that any use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community, but Putin said there was no evidence about whether they had been used in Syria and, if so, who was responsible.

___

TURKEY

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country would take part in an international coalition against Syrian President Bashar Assad s regime if the U.N. failed to come up with sanctions to punish Syria for the alleged use of chemical weapons.

Turkey was once a close Syrian ally, but turned into one of Assad s harshest critics and is a key supporter of Syrian rebels. Turkey has repeatedly struck back at Syrian territory in response to shelling, mortar rounds or fire from across the border since shells from Syria struck a Turkish village in October, killing five people.

___

UNITED NATIONS

Speaking to reporters in the South Korean capital of Seoul, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said if proven, any use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances is a serious violation of international law and an outrageous crime. We cannot allow impunity in what appears to be a grave crime against humanity. 

In New York, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said: Despite the passage of a number of days, the secretary-general is confident that the team will be able to obtain and analyze evidence relevant for its investigation of the Aug. 21 incident. 

___

EUROPEAN UNION

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said a decision about military intervention in Syria hasn t been made yet and the support of the U.N. Security Council for any such action remains extremely important. 

Ashton told reporters in Estonia s capital, Tallinn,[http://mam.we.ukm.edu.pl/index.php/User:Rovahomoimi#Ned_Kelly_awards_recognise_hard Ned Kelly awards recognise hard], the world needs to find a political solution for Syria s bloodshed. She said it is difficult for the 28-member EU to reach a joint conclusion, but the bloc is considering various options. 

Ashton said she has stressed the need to end the violence in recent conversations with China and Russia. She also said it is important that U.N. weapons inspectors are allowed to examine the evidence of a possible chemical weapons attack as quickly as possible to reach a conclusion. 

___

UNITED STATES

The Obama administration was expected to toughen its criticism of Syria s alleged chemical weapons use, with Secretary of State John Kerry cutting his vacation short to address the crisis as the U.S. considers possible military actions.

___

ISRAEL

President Shimon Peres has called on the U.N. to appoint the Arab League to set up a temporary government in Syria to stop the bloodshed.

Peres comments marked the highest-profile Israeli call for international intervention in neighboring Syria. Israel has been careful to stay on the sidelines of Syria s civil war, which has killed more than 100,000. But international demands have been growing for action amid the chemical weapons attack allegations.

Peres said foreigners will not understand what is going on in Syria so the U.N. should task the Arab League with setting up a government.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin; Sylvia Hui in London; Jari Tanner in Tallinn,[http://casebriefbank.com/ Sober thoughts- Giants can take positives from loss to Cowboys], Estonia; Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow; John Heilprin in Geneva; Peter Spielmann in New York; and Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report.</html>

== Apple iPhone launch- Selling, trading in your old iPhone ==

<html>The prospect of Apple’s new iPhone or more likely iPhones ?being announced September 10 ?is leading to brisk trade in the resale market with sellers looking to cash in on their old smartphones to buy new.

And for those who would rather not venture onto Craigslist,[http://www.hkhobby.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=2663588&extra=page%3D1 Haaretz.com News Widget Israel News Broadcast], eBay or another ad site, the age old practice of simply trading in your car for a new one has taken hold in the phone market with carriers offering credit towards new devices when you bring in the old. And then there are sites such as sellyourelectronics.ca that will pay for your used smartphone.

“Device trade in, or if you want to call them trade-up programs have been very, very popular and they continue to grow in terms of popularity,” said Brent Johnston, Telus vice-president of mobility solutions. “We see that as the iconic devices have proliferated and everybody wants the latest iPhone or Samsung device, those devices tend to keep their value in the secondary market.”



If you’re looking to maximize your return on your old smartphone,[http://calhounaviation.com/index.php/forum/welcome-mat/161121-refreshed-surface-2-and-surface-pro-2-expected-at-microsoft-sept-23-event-news-headlines-global-news#178341 Refreshed Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 Expected at Microsoft Sept. 23  Event  - News - Headlines & Global News], just like selling a car, selling it privately usually brings the biggest bucks. But just as some buyers prefer to hand over the keys to a dealer and not worry about selling on their own, for some consumers, convenience is worth taking a lower price for their trade-in.

Johnston said depending on the length of the contract, a buyer with an iPhone 5 purchased at the subsidized price when it was released a year ago, could find the trade-in covers most or even all of the remaining device balance.

What can you expect to get for your old phone?

I did a comparison of prices for an iPhone 4 32GB in good working condition among some of the options there are for trading in or selling your old phone. Prices vary depending on the condition.:

Carriers (I checked Telus, Bell, Rogers, Virgin Mobile) : $100
Best Buy, Future Shop: $100 in gift cards
eBay: listed as high as $300+
Craigslist: offered at $200 for a factory unlocked version
T-Booth Wireless: $45 to $125
Sellyourelectronics.ca: $234
If you’re planning to sell your old iPhone, you’ve already missed the window with the highest prices, since resale value drops somewhat the minute a new phone release is imminent and not just rumoured. The prices are expected to drop even more with next week’s iPhone announcement, which could see both an iPhone 5S and a discount version of the iPhone unveiled.

“Don’t wait if you want to sell,” is the advice from Gary Ng.



Is it time to trade up your old smartphone?

For early adopters, the answer is always yes but not everyone is ready to shell out upwards of $700 a year to have the latest smartphone on the market.

If you bought the iPhone 5 a year ago,[http://wsolaunchcode.com/forum/showthread.php?801741-Dennis-Rodman-may-train-North-Korean-Olympic-team-wants-to-bring-ex&p=1285156#post1285156 Dennis Rodman may train North Korean Olympic team, wants to bring ex], Ng suggests the upgrade won’t be worth making. It’ll be a little like the difference between the iPhone 4 and the 4S.

“The upgrade is not seen as an all new redesign,” said Ng. “It is a spec upgrade there’s a faster processor, the camera is supposed to have improvements for low light, there’s supposed to be a gold or champagne colour available and a fingerprint sensor built into the home button somehow.

“But if you have an iPhone 5 you probably don’t need to upgrade right now. It’s is pretty crazy to upgrade but for anyone who has an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, this is definitely the time to upgrade the jump is going to be pretty significant.”

Along with Apple’s new flagship iPhone, the successor to the iPhone 5 expected in the September 10 announcement, ?industry watchers are also think Apple will introduce its budget iPhone, so far dubbed the iPhone 5C by the rumour mill. With ?plastic case and supposedly to come in five colour choices, the 5C is expected to have a four-inch Retina display screen and be very similar in the rest of its specs to the iPhone 5.

Photos, said to be ones of the new iPhones appeared on the Chinese web site but were subsequently removed.



A cheaper version of the iPhone could put that phone in a price range that allows people to buy it outright,[http://smogdos.com/content/simmons-first-makes-bid-bankrupt-bank-holding-company%E2%80%99 Simmons First makes bid on bankrupt bank holding c], instead of signing on for what are now maximum two-year wireless contracts in Canada. Although you can get your carrier to unlock your phone check the specific conditions with your carrier buying a factory unlocked phone at full price means you’re not locked into a contract.

“Savvy buyers might want to work out the math,” said Ng.?“If you have a subsidized phone,[http://forum.coolstudy.org/thread-483134-1-1.html Washington Redskins strike first after backwards pass from Michael Vick], there is a minimum spend amount. If you don’t need an expensive plan, in the long run it might be better to pay the full price for the phone and get a cheaper contract.

“For people who have the money up front to purchase an unlocked phone, it gives you the mobility to move to any carrier you want to and go month to month.”

The expansion of data sharing also makes it easier if you want to hand down your old phone down to your child or give it to your partner or other family member.</html>