user: U.N. human rights office calls for probe into Kadafi's death

REPORTING FROM MISURATA, LIBYA AND LONDON -- The United Nations' office for human rights said Friday that the mysterious circumstances surrounding former Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi's death warrant an official investigation.

"There seem to be four or five different versions of how he died," said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. "There are at least two cellphone videos, one showing him alive and one showing him dead. Taken together, these videos are very disturbing."

Officials with Libya's transitional government said Kadafi's funeral would be delayed pending an inquiry and a decision on where to bury the former strongman. Officials had planned to bury Kadafi on Friday, in accordance with Islamic tradition, which generally calls for interment within 24 hours.

PHOTOS: Moammar Kadafi | 1942 - 2011

Residents of the coastal city of Misurata, which endured a deadly siege by Kadafi loyalists, lined up Friday to get a look at Kadafi's blood-streaked body, which was laid out on a mattress in a refrigerated room previously used to store produce at a market.

The body was brought to Misurata on Thursday after fighters from the city captured Kadafi in the fall of his hometown, Surt.

Colville said there needs to be "an investigation ... to ascertain whether Kadafi was killed in the fighting or after his capture."

International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have also called for an inquiry.

A commission on Libya already set up by the U.N.'s Human Rights Council will probably look into Kadafi's death, but other institutions could be involved.

Colville urged Libyans to let justice be served through free and fair trials. Victims of violence during the uprising and throughout Kadafi’s 42-year rule "have the right to know the truth, to see the culture of impunity brought to an end and to receive reparations."

Full coverage: The death of Moammar Kadafi

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-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Misurata and Henry Chu in London

Photo: Libyans cast shadows as they line up to view Moammar Kadafi's body at a market in Misurata on Friday. Credit: Manu Brabo / Associated Press

Summary: The United Nation's office for human rights calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding former Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi's death. Libya's transitional government delays Moammar Kadafi's burial.


Kevin Harvick focused on winning championship, not races

Updated AUG 17, 2014 7:26p ET

While Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano were the class of the field during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick was not far behind.

Capitalizing late, Harvick was able to move around Logano on a restart with 17 laps to go to take the second spot. As Gordon took the checkered flag and his third win of the season, Harvick scored his fourth-straight second-place finish at MIS.

Missing out on the win, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver was pleased with the team's performance throughout the weekend, saying the team has other goals at this point in the season than just winning races.

"The main focus for our team has been consistency heading into the Chase to make sure we can scramble and do the things we've done over the last month," said Harvick. "When you have a solid day, finish it off. Those are the things we've been able to do.

"Obviously you want to win, but all in all we had some different goals that are as important leading into the Chase," he said.

After starting the season off strong, Harvick and his Rodney Childers-led team faced adversity, with struggles on pit road and bad luck on the track. Harvick admitted on Sunday the team had gone through period when they were "sporadic, inconsistent, fast one week, fast the next week," and would "make mistakes, have something go wrong."

Perhaps that is best illustrated by the fact that between the team's first two wins at Phoenix and Darlington, they finished 41st, 39th, 36th, 7th, and 42nd. For many, despite his strength and speed throughout the season, the issues of consistency from the team were too much for them to be considered a favorite for the title.

That situation seemed to culminate last week at Watkins Glen International when Harvick was forced to pit road early after a crew member left lead driver weight in the car. Despite the early setback, Harvick said the team performed well and he was able to finish the day seventh.

After Sunday's runner-up finish, Harvick pointed out the team has been working hard since the off-week in July to put the struggles and adversity behind them as they focus on running for a championship in the Chase.

"We were able to have a lot of discussions, set some goals," he said. "It's hard to set goals when everything is brand-new. Sure you want to go out and win. But it's been a little bit different for us to have fast cars every week and feel you're in contention to win just about every race."

In his first season working with Childers and Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick said the early-season success and adversity caught the driver-crew chief duo off guard and that it "took a while to get used to that."

With three races left before the Chase starts, Harvick has two wins and the team is coming together with a goal of peaking for the final push to the championship.

"Right now, it's kind of like we get to start over," he said. "We've been able to fix a lot of things. But when you get to Chicago, you have to have a 10 solid weeks to win this championship."

Solid day for our @jimmyjohns team! It has been a great month on the track proud of everyone!!

If the team can function as well over the next few weeks as they did Sunday in Michigan, there is little doubt they will enter the Chase with momentum on their side and the confidence to contend for a championship.

Summary: Kevin Harvick narrowly missed out on his third win of the season Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, but the driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet said he and his Stewart-Haas Racing crew are focused on being strong in the Chase more than winning races.


Women recycle plastic bags to knit sleeping mats for homeless

The "Bag Lady" group knits sleeping mats for the homeless using discarded bags. (WBBJ/ABC News US)

A group of US women have found an unexpected use for discarded plastic bags: knitting sleeping mats for homeless people across America’s south.

The Tennessee-based group, christened the “Bag Ladies”, meet every Thursday morning to make yarn out of the plastic bags which is then used to create their innovative mats, which they donate to shelters and advocacy groups. Many of the mats have been given to Louisiana flood victims.

First formed in January 2015, the group has since donated more than 160 mats, made from an estimated 10,000 plastic bags.

Each 0.9m by 1.8m mat takes approximately 600 bags and two weeks to make.

Bag Lady Janice Akin, 66, said she feels blessed at the opportunity to take part to help those in need.

"I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's a good feeling to know you're helping someone – even if just a little bit,” she told ABC News US.

Recent media coverage of the Bag Ladies’ group has seen the church group of which they are all members inundated with plastic bag donations, the Huffington Post reports.

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Summary:

assistant: A group of US women have found an unexpected use for discarded plastic bags: knitting sleeping mats for homeless people across America&rsquo;s south.