Jimmy Carter, other former leaders to visit NKorea

BEIJING (AP) -- Former President Jimmy Carter said Monday that he hopes to meet with North Korea's reclusive leader during a visit aimed at assessing severe food shortages and discussing the revival of nuclear disarmament talks.

Carter is making the three-day visit to North Korea this week accompanied by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Brundtland and former Irish President Mary Robinson. The four are members of a group of retired world leaders called the Elders founded by former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Carter said the group "would like very much" to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, as well as his son and heir-apparent Kim Jong Un, but was unsure whether that would happen.

New leader overhauls US broadcasts into Cuba

MIAMI (AP) -- A new generation of managers is taking the reins at the U.S. government's radio and TV broadcasts into Cuba, promising to overhaul the stations' programming in an effort to make them more relevant and reach a younger audience.

The overhaul coincides with broader policy changes, as President Barack Obama has shifted from the Bush-era tactic of advocating the overthrow of Fidel Castro's communist government to encourage more cultural and economic exchanges to bring about political change from within the island.

Treasury investment funds report $1.7B gains

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Treasury Department said Friday that an investment program set up during the financial crisis to buy toxic assets from banks is showing a $1.7 billion gain.

The department committed $22.1 billion in taxpayer funds to the Public-Private Investment Program, which was created in March 2009. The money has been used to set up funds that have invested in mortgage-backed securities and other financial assets. The goal is to take those assets off the books of large banks that were facing huge losses from bad real estate investments during the housing bubble.

The department has earned more than $500 million in dividends and other profits from the investments, Treasury said. And Treasury's share of the securities held in the funds has increased in value by $1.2 billion.

BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The maker of BlackBerry devices says tighter restrictions on the popular gadgets proposed by Emirati authorities would likely apply to other smartphones too, raising new questions about data freedom in the Gulf Arab nation.

The United Arab Emirates' telecommunications regulator has outlined plans to limit access to the Blackberry Enterprise Server system, which provides the most secure form of communication on the handheld devices. It is used by many international companies and government agencies to keep emails and other data safe.

Only organizations with 20 or more BlackBerry accounts would be allowed to use the service under the UAE's proposed new rules. Others would need to rely on a less-secure system that analysts say is easier for authorities to monitor and could cause accessibility problems for corporate users.

How Health Insurance Can Help You

Health insurance plans may seem like an added expenses that you might not actually need. Nevertheless, health insurance might be helpful for a number of reasons. You can research through health insurance plans to find the best one for you, whether it is something that only covers the a few and far-between doctor's visits you may need throughout the year, or disability coverage that takes into account any serious health issues that you may have. Health insurance, if it is the right plan, can serve as a hugely beneficial part of keeping you healthy.

Feds mulling next move in Bonds saga

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- After years of investigation, three weeks of trial and millions of dollars spent pursuing Barry Bonds, federal prosecutors were back where they started Thursday - deciding whether to try and prove the home run king's records were built with steroids and lies.

On Wednesday, the jury that was to finally decide whether Bonds deceived a grand jury in 2003 when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs instead left the issue deeply unresolved.

The panel of eight women and four men convicted Bonds of obstructing justice, but deadlocked on the three charges at the heart of the government's perjury case, including two counts of lying about the use of steroids and human growth hormone. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston declared a mistrial on those three charges.

A Consumer's Guide to Health Care Modernize

The six-month day of remembrance] of the act of the health care modernize, more of the law's preparations will be effectively. Nearly consumers, even so, will not ensure whatever alterations till later on January 1, while their recently health insurance plan class starts.

Meantime, employees will be having prepare for drops "open registration" point, while they selection their health coverage for the coming class. In addition, people who buy their own health insurance will be researching their options. Medicare beneficiaries will be able to change their coverage later this year if they want.

Here's a look at how the law affects people who get their coverage at work, buy their own health insurance or are enrolled in Medicare.