Kerry was to meet Venezuela's foreign minister on the sidelines of an Organization of American States meeting in Guatemala to explore ways to repair relations. The encounter comes at Venezuela's request and is to occur just hours after Venezuela released from prison an American filmmaker who had been jailed on espionage charges, removing at least one irritant in the relationship.

U.S. officials with Kerry said the secretary was hopeful, but not certain, that Timothy Tracy's release could be a sign that the Venezuelans are interested in a rapprochement. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The discussion between Kerry and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jose Jaua will be the first at cabinet level between the two countries in at least several years and the first substantial contact since Venezuela's disputed April 14 election to replace the late populist president Hugo Chavez. Chavez protege Nicolas Maduro claimed victory at the polls, but the opposition is still contesting the results.

Washington is willing to work with Maduro's new government but has said opposition questions about the electoral process must be addressed. The Obama administration has been eager to mend ties with Venezuela after Chavez's death in March. Chavez delighted in tweaking the United States and pursued policies that U.S. officials regarded as hostile. However, until Wednesday there has been little to show for its outreach.

U.S.-Venezuelan relations have been especially tense in recent months. Maduro expelled two U.S. military attaches in March the same day Chavez died, accusing them of trying to foment instability, and Tracy's arrest came amid domestic political turmoil over the election.

The Obama administration has backed opposition candidate Henrique Capriles' call for a full recount.

U.S. officials with Kerry said he wanted to look at areas like counternarcotics and counterterrorism where cooperation could be improved with Venezuela. But they stressed that the U.S. was not going to stop expressing concerns about democracy and human rights in the country, particularly after the election.

The two countries haven't had ambassadors posted in each other's capitals since 2010 but U.S. officials said they were not sure if this subject would be raised in the meeting between Kerry and Jaua.

Shortly before the two men were to meet, Venezuela released Tracy who had been jailed for what authorities said were attempts to destabilize the country.

U.S. President Barack Obama called that allegation "ridiculous." Family and friends say the 35-year-old Hollywood producer and actor had been making a documentary about Venezuelan politics when he was arrested on April 24 at the Caracas airport as he tried to leave the country to attend his father's 80th birthday in suburban Detroit.

In a speech to the 35-member OAS annual general assembly, Kerry did not mention the developments with Venezuela, but reiterated U.S. concerns that some countries in the hemisphere are backsliding on their commitments to democracy and seeking to weaken OAS institutions that monitor and report on human rights.

"We must keep this organization's focus on its core objectives," Kerry said, calling for the OAS to redouble its efforts on protecting basic freedoms, improving rule of law and fighting corruption. "The Americas present a vivid example to the world that diversity is a strength, that inclusion works, that justice can overcome impunity, and that the rights of individuals must be protected against government overreach and abuse."

Kerry is pushing the candidacy of the US nominee for the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, James Cavallaro, a Stanford University law professor who is one of six people in the running for three spots on the panel that will be chosen later this week. Some OAS members are opposed to the U.S. having a presence on the commission because it is not also a member of the organization's human rights court.

"None of our countries is perfect, and we continue to draw strength from scrutiny and the opportunity to review our human rights practices," he said. "We are all diminished when we fail to defend the very institutions we created to safeguard the noble ideals (of) peace, democracy, development, liberty, and social justice based on respect for the essential rights of women and men."

June 10 (Reuters) - Having played Merion Golf Club a few times during his career, Webb Simpson knows his wedge game will have to be extra sharp this week when he defends his U.S. Open title on the iconic layout in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Merion is hosting its first U.S. Open in 32 years after long being viewed as too short to stage a major and Simpson knows from competing there at the 2005 U.S. Amateur that wedges are a prized commodity, especially over the first 13 holes.

"I really look at Merion as being two different golf courses," American Simpson told Reuters in an interview. "You have a lot of wedge opportunities in the first 13 holes, potentially nine of them as long as you drive it well.

"Then you have the last five holes, which will be some of the hardest we've ever seen in a U.S. Open. Merion is going to be so unique. I don't think a long player or a short player will have an advantage."

Simpson, who clinched his first major title with a one-shot victory in last year's U.S. Open at the brutally challenging Olympic Club, knows full well that the season's second major prides itself on a high level of difficulty.

"In any U.S. Open, every hole is a hard hole so you've just got to take the approach that they're not going to give you any easy chances out there," he said with a smile.

"Having said that, anyone with a good wedge game and a strong mind will have an advantage, but what I remember most about Merion is the second that you think you have an easy hole is the second that you will probably make a mistake."

PLAYOFF LOSS

A three-times champion on the PGA Tour, Simpson has produced reasonably good form on the U.S. circuit this season with three top-10s in 14 starts, his best finish a playoff loss to Graeme McDowell at the RBC Heritage in April.

"I'm 13th in the FedExCup (points standings) and I haven't won a tournament this year so that's a good sign," Simpson said of a 2013 campaign which also features missed cuts at the Masters and at the Memorial Tournament in his most recent start.

"I've just got to keep improving. I didn't play well at the Memorial Tournament but I feel like I have got a lot to build on for the U.S. Open."

The biggest thing Simpson will have is the massive jolt of confidence he gained from his major breakthrough 12 months ago at Olympic where he moved past overnight leaders Jim Furyk and McDowell in the final round.

"I am a player who feeds off confidence so knowing that I was able to win at Olympic and beat the best players in the game just gave me a massive confidence boost," Simpson said.

"I experienced what it's like to contend in a major in the most pressure-packed situation on the back nine. The U.S. Open is the hardest test of golf on every level, and for me to play well that Sunday was a huge relief.

"Now I know, 'Hey, I've been here before, I know what to do, I know what to expect and I was able to perform when I needed to under the pressure'. My confidence has skyrocketed."

Asked how much he had enjoyed the past 12 months as reigning U.S. Open champion, both on and off the course, Simpson replied: "It's been great, super enjoyable. I'm being recognised more.

"I always tell people that when I used to sign autographs, kids would often ask their mom who I was and the reply would be, 'I don't know.' But now a lot more people know who I am.

"I haven't had much change off the course, and certainly I don't want to change based on successes or failures. But golf-wise, a lot has changed for me and I'm really looking forward to getting back and trying to defend my U.S. Open title." (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Gene Cherry)

The politically volatile debate reflects a reality that's difficult for parents, including the president, to swallow: Quite a number of teenagers have sex. So how easily should they be able to get a pill that prevents pregnancy if taken soon enough after sex?

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration made it a little easier, saying anyone 15 or older could begin buying one brand, Plan B One-Step, without a prescription two years younger than the current age limit of 17 and that the pill no longer has to be locked behind pharmacy counters.

But it's far from clear whether that will happen. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York had given the FDA until Monday to lift all age limits on Plan B and a cheaper generic, mandating that emergency contraception be sold just like aspirin. Instead, by requiring that buyers prove their age at the cash register, the FDA decided to treat it like beer.

The Justice Department hasn't said whether it will appeal Korman's order and thus back FDA's new approach, and that leaves the whole issue in limbo.

"This is a truly bizarre and unprecedented situation," said American University law professor Lewis A. Grossman, a specialist in food and drug law.

On Wednesday, doctors' groups, led by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, urged the Obama administration not to let the FDA action be the last word.

Any over-the-counter access marks a long-awaited change, but it's not enough, said Dr. Cora Breuner of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which supports nonprescription sale of the morning-after pill for all ages.

"We still have the major issue, which is our teen pregnancy rate is still too high," Breuner said.

Even though few young girls likely would use Plan B, which costs about $50 for a single pill, "we know that it is safe for those under 15," she said.

Most 17- to 19-year-olds are sexually active, and 30 percent of 15- and 16-year-olds have had sex, according to a study published last month by the journal Pediatrics. Sex is much rarer among younger teens. Likewise, older teens have a higher pregnancy rate, but that study also counted more than 110,000 pregnancies among 15- and 16-year-olds in 2008 alone.

The White House sought Wednesday to put much as much distance as possible between President Barack Obama and this political hot potato.

"The president, the White House, did not weigh in on this decision," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the FDA's move.

Obama must balance his own instincts as the father of two school-age daughters with the wishes of numerous political constituencies, including women's groups whose influence runs deep within the Democratic Party. It was just last week that Obama became the first president to address Planned Parenthood in person, telling the abortion rights group that as long as women must fight to make their own health choices, "you've also got a president who's going to be right there with you fighting every step of the way."

Contraception advocates see a double standard. No one is carded when buying a condom, but under the FDA's decision they would have to prove their age when buying a pill to prevent pregnancy if that condom breaks.

"This isn't a compromise. This is wrong," said Cynthia Pearson of the National Women's Health Network.

Likewise, social conservatives were outraged by the FDA's move, saying it was important for parents and medical professionals to be involved in such decisions involving teens.

"This decision undermines the right of parents to make important health decisions for their young daughters," said Anna Higgins of the Family Research Council. She added that removing the prescription requirement meant "teens and women will avoid necessary medical screenings" that could detect serious problems.

The FDA had been poised to lift all age limits and let Plan B sell over the counter in late 2011, when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in an unprecedented move, overruled her own scientists. Sebelius said some girls as young as 11 were physically capable of bearing children but shouldn't be able to buy the pregnancy-preventing pill on their own.

Ruling earlier this month in a lawsuit challenging that decision, Korman blasted the Obama administration for letting election-year politics trump science. The judge called the morning-after pill "among the safest drugs sold over the counter," and gave the government 30 days to lift all age limits.

Obama aides bristled at the suggestion that the FDA decision was an attempt at political compromise, insisting the FDA merely responded to an application filed by Plan B's manufacturer which sought the 15 age limit and over-the-counter sales.

At the same time, Carney signaled that a policy allowing 15-year-olds to buy the pill off the shelf would be more palatable to Obama than the prospect of 11-year-olds having unfettered access. Pointing to Obama's comments in support of Sebelius back in 2011, Carney said, "he referred to younger girls, and I believe so did Secretary Sebelius."

If a woman already is pregnant, the morning-after pill has no effect. It prevents ovulation or fertilization of an egg. According to the medical definition, pregnancy doesn't begin until a fertilized egg implants itself into the wall of the uterus. Still, some critics say Plan B is the equivalent of an abortion pill because it may also be able to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, a contention that many scientists and Korman, in his ruling said has been discredited.

[More from BGR: ]

Whats more, the researchersays that although malware writers typically try to make the codes in their creations as complicated as possible it is rare to see concealment as advanced as Odad.as in mobile malware.In other words, it sounds like the everything bagel ofmalware: Not only can it perform multiple malicious functions, but its enormously complex to dissect as well.

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Bieber, who was named top male artist, also performed at the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He also took home Billboard's first Milestone Award, chosen by fans, for musical innovation and ingenuity.

"I'm 19 years old. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, Bieber said. "It should really be about the music. This is not a gimmick. I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously. And all this other bull should not be spoken of."

The teen heartthrob did not elaborate, but in recent months he has been involved in several high-profile incidents ranging from driving offenses to reports of hard partying and drugs being found on his tour bus in Sweden.

Swift won the top award of the night, artist of the year. She thanked her fans by telling them: "You are the longest and best relationship I've ever had."

Pop diva Madonna was named top touring artist for her "MDNA Tour," 2012's highest-grossing concert series.

Madonna strode onstage to accept the accolade from will.i.am, wearing black fishnet stockings, garters and a padlock choker.

The MDNA tour grossed more than $305 million from 88 sold-out shows and attracted an audience of 2.2 million people. Madonna acknowledged her fans, saying: "A showgirl needs her fans. Thank you for supporting me for three decades."

She also thanked her four children for being "incredibly supportive."

The Billboard Music Awards, hosted by "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan, opened with Bruno Mars performing "Treasure."

Early awards went to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who won top rap song for "Thrift Shop," and Nicki Minaj, who took home the top rap artist honor.

Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" was named top digital song, while Swift took home the top Billboard 200 album award for "Red."

French producer and DJ David Guetta was named top electric dance music artist.

Among musical highlights, Bieber performed "Take You," which was chosen by his fans via Twitter, before pairing up with will.i.am for "#ThatPOWER."

Other musical pairings included Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull singing "#LiveItUp," Minaj and Lil Wayne who performed "High School," and Christina Aguilera and Pitbull singing "Feel This Moment."

Selena Gomez, Chris Brown, Icona Pop, South Korea rap sensation Psy and Swift, who was nominated for 11 Billboard awards and received eight, performed as well.

In an apparently unscripted moment, Miguel, performing "Adorn," leapt from the stage and landed feet-first atop two young women. No mention was made on the broadcast as to whether they were injured.

The show ended with the Icon Award for Prince, in recognition of his unique career and accomplishments in the music industry. Prince performed a medley to close the show, but did not deliver an acceptance speech.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by David Brunnstrom and Stacey Joyce)

Mark Buehrle (2-3) was solid through six innings for the Blue Jays (22-29), with one earned run allowed on five hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Tim Hudson (4-4) also went six for the Braves but his pitching line wasn't so flattering. The right-hander gave up six runs on eight hits with just one strikeout.

He was replaced in the seventh by reliever Cory Rasmus, Colby's brother, who made his second major-league appearance and lost points in the sibling rivalry.

Cory Rasmus gave up a ground-rule double to Melky Cabrera, walked Jose Bautista and watched Encarnacion send the first pitch over the fence for his 14th homer of the year for a 9-1 lead.

Colby Rasmus also got some family bragging rights after the Blue Jays centre-fielder doubled off his brother later in the inning.

Evan Gattis had the lone homer for NL East-leading Atlanta (30-20), a two-run drive in the eighth inning off Brad Lincoln.

Rasmus's homer to right field in the second gave Toronto a 2-0 lead and came two batters after Adam Lind was rewarded for a great at-bat against Hudson. Lind battled for eight pitches against the Braves right hander before sending the ninth pitch to right field for a double.

Encarnacion made it 4-0 in the third. His hit to centre drove in Cabrera and Bautista, but Encarnacion followed them to the dugout after getting caught between first and second base.

On the mound, Buehrle had a one-hitter going until the fifth inning when Atlanta third baseman Chris Johnson doubled and Andrelton Simmons sent him home with a single.

The Blue Jays starter had only one more inning in him. Gattis hit a ball that bounced off Buehrle for a single in the sixth, prompting a chat with Toronto's trainer. Brian McCann then moved runners to second and third, but Buehrle struck out Dan Uggla on his 111th pitch of the game to end the scoring threat, the inning and his outing.

Toronto's offence took control from there. Lind had a lead-off walk in the bottom of the inning and on the next at-bat Arencibia crushed an offering from Hudson over the centre-field wall for a 6-1 Blue Jays lead.

The inning wasn't without incident. Brett Lawrie stole second but his left ankle was caught on the base in a play similar to the one that severely sprained shortstop Jose Reyes's left ankle in April. Lawrie moved to third but signalled to the dugout and was replaced by Mark DeRosa for the remainder of the game.

The team later announced Lawrie is day-to-day.

Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 22,8008. ... Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said the team is hoping to have RHP Josh Johnson (triceps) back June 4 when Toronto opens a two-game series in San Francisco. ... Braves centre-fielder B.J. Upton and right-fielder Jason Heyward were given the day off. ... Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.50 earned-run average) gets the start for the Blue Jays on Tuesday afternoon. Atlanta counters with Paul Maholm (6-4, 3.38 ERA).

SEOUL (Reuters) - Overtaking Apple Inc as the world's leading maker of smartphones has stretched Samsung Electronics Co's in-house supply lines, and the South Korean firm is now courting some of its rival's main parts suppliers.

After costly courtroom battles over technology patents, the two gadget giants are now going head-to-head over securing the best supply of parts as they jostle to rule the $253 billion smartphone market. The two took 100 percent of the industry's profit in January-March, Canaccord Genuity data show.

Trampling on Apple's supply patch could make life tough for the U.S. firm as it prepares for its next product line-up including a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets such as China. Having Samsung muscle in on its suppliers could drive up costs and lead to component bottlenecks, disrupting product launches.

Samsung's huge in-house supply chain - providing parts from displays and powerful processors to memory chips and batteries - has been a core strength in its war for smartphone supremacy. As it now looks to widen its lead with products spanning both the high and cheap-and-cheerful ends of the market, Samsung's supplies have become stretched, prompting it to hunt elsewhere to ensure it isn't caught short.

"The next round of the post-patent battle for them will be over component supplies," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. "Who wins access to the best performing components in class in large quantity - that's the key ... and explains why Samsung is shopping for components more than ever."

SHARP AND SOUR?

Samsung has made overtures to traditional Apple partners such as Japanese display maker Sharp Corp and South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix. Samsung, which buys most of its mobile screens from its Samsung Display unit, last year placed orders with Sharp for high-resolution LCD screens for its popular Galaxy range of products, though it later canceled the order, said two people familiar with the matter, asking not to be named as the negotiations were confidential.

Sharp, in which Samsung bought a 3 percent stake earlier this year for $110 million, said this week it was seeking to boost sales to the Korean firm, potentially souring the Japanese company's ties with Cupertino, California-based Apple.

Samsung is also using more chips made by Qualcomm, another major Apple supplier, in its flagship Galaxy S, which went on sale late last month.

Some other suppliers who provide parts to both Apple and Samsung include Toshiba Corp in NAND memory chips, Sony Corp, in image sensors, and Corning Inc for its Gorilla Glass used in iPhones, iPads and Galaxy products, industry data show.

STMicroelectronics and Bosch, the only mass producers of pressure sensors used in navigation features, supply those parts for the Galaxy range, and could be tapped by Apple for future products, according to research firm iSuppli.

TINY OVERLAP, BIG IMPACT

For sure, Samsung still buys the majority of its components in-house, and the overlap with Apple on external suppliers is, so far, limited. BNP Paribas estimates that more than 80 percent of component profits generated by Galaxy S4 sales go to Samsung itself and its units.

But even a tiny overlap can be damaging as smartphones are constantly upgraded to more powerful computing and media devices - allowing users to take pictures, shoot video, play music, game online, watch TV and navigate - raising the need for more and smarter components.

"Any disruption in even small parts that you wouldn't think are really core, say headphones, can affect product launches," said Lee at NH Investment & Securities.

For example, Taiwan's HTC Corp, which has slipped out of the top-10 smartphone makers, reported a record-low quarterly profit last month after delaying the full launch of its flagship model due to a shortage of cameras.

"Having a single supplier carries a lot of risk. Bearing that in mind, Samsung may even consider using LCD along with OLED in its signature Galaxy S range to reduce its total reliance on Samsung Display," said Song Jong-ho, an analyst at KDB Daewoo Securities.

Samsung Display doesn't produce LCDs for smartphones so as it boosts sales at the lower end of market it needs to outsource LCDs. The Korean firm uses the more expensive OLED display only on its high-end models.

NOT SO DIFFERENT

Outsourcing more components could mean Samsung will lose some of its hardware differentiation - a big selling point for the Galaxy range - and be seen as just selling generic phones, say some analysts.

The Exynos 5 Octa processor, which Samsung touted as having 8 brains designed to maximize energy efficiency while multi-tasking, is not used in the S4 models sold in the United States. Instead, Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips will power the phone in that crucial market, with Exynos chips used in select markets such as South Korea and some European countries.

"Given that Qualcomm chips are also found in rival products, and the much-heralded launch of smartphones with flexible display appears to be delayed, I'm worried Samsung is losing its hardware differentiator," said BNP Paribas analyst Peter Yu.

Samsung says both Qualcomm and its own chips have passed its rigorous quality standards and both will provide satisfactory user experience. "We'll continue to resort to multi vendors to ensure smooth supply," Kim Hyunjoon, vice president of Samsung's mobile business, told analysts on a recent earnings call.

Samsung's Exynos processors accounted for around 30 percent of the S3, but that is likely to fall to around 10 percent in the S4, analysts said.

"Qualcomm's latest chips are getting good reviews from carriers, which I think forced Samsung to switch in favor of Qualcomm from Exynos in the S4," said KDB Daewoo's Song. "There's even a possibility Apple may drop its own processor and go for Qualcomm chips in some future devices."

FLEXI-TIME?

Losing some of its hardware appeal and taking longer than expected to come up with innovative products such as flexible or wearable devices are additional challenges for Samsung, which is getting only mixed reviews for its efforts to improve software capability to integrate better with hardware.

In a recent review of the S4, Walt Mossberg, a gadget expert for the Wall Street Journal, said Samsung's software was "often gimmicky, duplicative of standard Android apps, or, in some cases, only intermittently functional.

Despite the lukewarm reviews, consumers keep snapping up the S4, according to carriers. For the first time in at least three years, Samsung last year spent more on marketing than on research and development, seeking to pick up market share in the absence of new, competing models from Apple. And Samsung's operating profit is seen topping Apple's this quarter for the first time in years, J.P. Morgan analysts predict.

"There's not much left in terms of what you can do to really differentiate your product as everybody's thinking something similar - flexible or wearable," said NH Investment & Securities' Lee.

In late 2011, Samsung told analysts it planned to introduce flexible displays on handsets "some time in 2012, hopefully the earlier part than later", but a year later it said the technology was still "under development." It again demonstrated prototypes of flexible phones earlier this year, but executives now say they can't disclose the timing of flexible smartphones.

Rivals are also moving fast. LG Electronics Inc, the third-biggest smartphone maker in January-March on strong sales of its high-end Optimus G model, said last month it planned to introduce an unbreakable smartphone by the year-end.

(Additional reporting by Mari Saito and Reiji Murai in TOKYO; Graphic by Catherine Trevethan; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

The attack, the second in the city in just over a week, also left four International Organization for Migration workers wounded including an Italian woman badly burned by a grenade. Thirteen police were wounded while all six attackers died in the assault, authorities said.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack on a guest house used by the IOM in an upscale neighborhood of Kabul, a relatively uncommon operation by the group targeting an international aid group.

At the chaotic scene of the siege, dozens of Afghan police took cover behind blast walls and rushed around through a thick cloud of smoke made by the bomb. At least one wounded officer was seen being helped away by his comrades.

The insurgents have unleashed a wave of bombings and assassinations around the country, testing Afghan security forces' ability to respond with reduced help from international forces, who have begun a withdrawal that will see most foreign troops gone by the end of 2014.

A Nepalese guard and an Afghan police officer providing security to the compound died in the assault as well as all of the attackers, said Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi.

The attackers stormed into the building with grenade launchers after blasting open the compound's gate with the car bomb, Salangi said.He said police were able to evacuate the guest house with none of the residents killed.

From when the initial blast shook much of the city in the late afternoon until well past nightfall, fighting was still going on in the upscale Shahr-i-Now neighborhood, home to several international groups' fortified compounds as well as the headquarters of the Afghan Public Protection Force and a hospital run by the National Directorate for Security.

Security forces were able to enter the building in late evening and by 10:30 p.m. the siege was over, according to Sediq Sediqi , spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

"Fortunately, it is finished. The last attacker has been killed by the police," Sediqi told The Associated Press. Local television reporters demanded to know how a car bomber and five attackers could enter the capital, but Sediqi portrayed the battle as a victory for security forces.

"We were successful because we prevented civilian casualties," he said. He said adding that 13 police were wounded in the fighting.

"Wild terrorists attacked ... the IOM," police official Zemarai Bashari told The Associated Press at the scene. "Our forces are fighting the enemy with courage and honesty."

IOM spokesman Chris Lom told the AP in Geneva that an Italian woman working for the group was seriously burned by a grenade thrown into the compound by the attackers.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said insurgent fighters killed several people in the compound, which he said was targeted because it is "the place of residence of trainers for the CIA."He said late in the afternoon that he was in contact with the attackers and that their "morale is high" despite the fierce fighting.

Initial reports identified the target as a United Nations compound. However, the U.N. special representative to Afghanistan, Jan Kubis, said in a statement that all U.N. staff in Kabul were accounted for.

The IOM is an inter-governmental organization based in Geneva that helps resettle people worldwide. It operates in Afghanistan in a mission coordinated by the U.N. but is not an agency of the world body.

Last Thursday in Kabul, a suicide car bomber killed six Americans, including two soldiers, and nine Afghan bystanders in an attack on a U.S. convoy. Another insurgent faction, Hizb-i-Islami, claimed that bombing.

Militants have staged dramatic assaults in the past on Afghan security and international targets in the capital, but the two months before that had been relatively calm there.

As the Taliban spring offensive gets underway, however, it will test the Afghan forces' ability to keep security now that international combat forces are pulling back ahead of the 2014 withdrawal.

Most of the U.S.-led military coalition will leave by the end of next year, more than a dozen years after launching the war to topple the Taliban regime over its sheltering of al-Qaida's leadership.

The coalition on Friday condemned the attack and praised the work of the Afghan forces, saying that international personnel provided only medical support.

"Their prompt and effective action saved the lives of other innocent Afghans and members of the international community," said Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the commander of international forces.

International forces have trained some 350,000 Afghan soldiers, police and other security units under the plan to turn over full responsibility for fighting the Taliban and other militants when most foreign troops leave.

___

AP writers Amir Shah in Kabul and John Heilprin in Geneva contributed to this report.

Tomic's father John faced a charge of causing criminal injury in a Madrid court earlier this month after allegedly assaulting his son's hitting partner Thomas Drouet.

Tomic senior says he acted in self defense and the court hearing has been suspended until October.

With a best showing of one second round appearance last year, the slow Roland Garros clay courts would hardly be ranked as Tomic's favorite surface but Woodbridge said the 20-year-old would play despite withdrawing from last week's Rome Masters.

"From the communication I've had with his father, he will be in Paris and playing," Woodbridge, TA's Professional Tennis Manager, told reporters at Melbourne Park.

"I think it's very important that he plays there but whether he has a good result or not is probably unlikely given the surface and the circumstances.

"But he needs to keep playing coming into the grasscourt season - that's where he's played some great tennis before and if you don't get that little bit of match play, it's hard to get the momentum going."

Although John Tomic has been suspended from ATP events pending the court case, Woodbridge said he remained the world number 59's coach.

"He may not be on site but he's still going to be giving the instructions, and I think that's important for everyone to know, their relationship is still strong," he said.

Woodbridge said he thought Tomic, whose best grand slam singles performance was a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon in 2011, would be able to handle being in the public spotlight despite the recent troubles.

"He can handle that side of things - there's been plenty of it so far," he added.

"Winning a match would be great and if he gets a tough draw just playing a really tight, solid match. I think that's his first goal."

The French Open starts on May 26 and runs through until June 9.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Daily vitamin C supplements don't lower uric acid as much as drugs used to treat high levels of the acid that's responsible for gout, says a new study from New Zealand.

"It's not that the vitamin C didn't reduce the uric acid level at all, it's just so small that it wouldn't make a difference from the patients' perspectives," said Dr. Lisa Stamp, the study's lead author from the University of Otago in Christchurch.

Previous studies had found that people who eat the most vitamin C were at a decreased risk for developing gout, a form of arthritis caused by the crystallization of uric acid in joints. It's believed the vitamin increases the amount of uric acid excreted through a person's urine.

Few studies, however, have looked at whether vitamin C would lower uric acid levels in people already suffering with the pain and swelling of gout, or if it would lead to additional uric acid reductions in people who are already on medication.

For the new study, which was published in Arthritis & Rheumatism and funded by The Health Research Council of New Zealand, the researchers recruited 20 gout patients who were already on medicine and another 20 who were not.

The 20 participants who were on medication were taking allopurinol, which is marketed as Aloprim and Zyloprim. They were told to either increase their dose of the medicine or also take 500 milligrams of vitamin C supplements every day.

The 20 participants who were not already taking medication were either started on allopurinol or told to take a 500-milligram vitamin C supplement every day.

At the beginning of the eight-week study, the amount of uric acid in the participants' blood was 9 milligrams per deciliter on average. The researchers said a healthy uric acid level falls below 6.5 milligrams per deciliter.

In both cases, participants who started taking vitamin C - with or without medication - did not see a significant decrease in uric acid levels.

There was, however, a significant decrease in the uric acid levels of people who started on allopurinol - about 3 milligrams per deciliter - and in those who were on the drug but increased their doses - about a 1.6 milligrams per deciliter decrease.

"It still appears you're probably better off taking whatever uric acid lowering treatment your doctor would prescribe," Stamp said.

OBESITY AND BEER

She added that there could be a few reasons why they didn't see an association between vitamin C and decreased uric acid levels.

"It may be that just in gout patients that the effect of vitamin C would be too weak," she said.

But Dr. Tim Bongartz, a rheumatologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said it's difficult to make any firm conclusions from the new study, because it would take about 200 participants in each group to see a difference.

"So the results of the study don't tell you much," said Bongartz, who was not involved with the new study.

He added that even if the study could reproduce the results of past studies of people without gout, it probably wouldn't bring people's uric acid levels below the threshold of 6.5 milligrams per deciliter. But it doesn't mean medication is the only answer.

"It does not always have to be medication. There are many other measures that can help people drop uric acid levels. The most important one is in obese individuals to drop weight," Bongartz said.

Another way, according to both Bongartz and Stamp, is to cut back on alcohol - especially beer.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/14uAxjS Arthritis & Rheumatism, online May 16, 2013.