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| Protest-hit China city says no plant without public support Monday, Mar 31, 2014 08:33 PM PDT A city in southern China which has been the site of violent protests against a proposed chemical plant said it will not go ahead with the project if a majority of residents object to it, as authorities seek to head off more unrest. Photos posted on Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblog service, have showed hundreds of demonstrators marching along the streets over the past two days, an overturned car in flames and protesters laying bloodied on the road. "If the majority of people are against it, the city government won't make a decision contrary to public opinion," it said. Maoming residents have been protesting the production of paraxylene, a chemical used to make fabrics and plastic bottles at a plant run by the local government and state-owned Sinopec Corp, China's biggest refiner. Full Story | Top |
| Federal judge will not block Arizona rules on use of abortion drugs Monday, Mar 31, 2014 05:19 PM PDT By Paul Ingram TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and a private women's health clinic to block new Arizona regulations that would limit the use of abortion-inducing drugs. The regulations, which go into effect on Tuesday, would require any medicine used to induce an abortion to be administered strictly according to protocols issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and instructions on the label. The FDA has approved RU-486, the so-called "abortion pill," for use within seven weeks' gestation. Doctors who have prescribed it later than that have made an off-label use which is not allowed under Arizona's law. Full Story | Top |
| Legal challenge to Alabama abortion law will go to trial, judge rules Monday, Mar 31, 2014 04:56 PM PDT By Verna Gates BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday ordered a trial to determine whether a new Alabama law requiring doctors who perform abortions to obtain hospital admitting privileges poses a significant impediment for women seeking an abortion. Since abortion clinics typically use traveling physicians, the law could cause the closure of three of Alabama's five facilities, a potential constitutional violation, abortion supporters have argued in court. In an 86-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson cited the possibility of an "undue burden." He ruled the trial will focus on if the law violates the constitutional rights of women who want an abortion by imposing a "substantial obstacle." "If the court finds that the statute was motivated by a purpose of protecting fetal life, then the statute had the unconstitutional purpose of creating a substantial obstacle," Thompson wrote. "Evidence establishing that the legislature passed a statute with the purpose of closing down the clinic would suffice to establish a constitutional violation," he added. Full Story | Top |
| Louisiana House passes abortion restriction bill Monday, Mar 31, 2014 04:34 PM PDT By Kathy Finn NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The Louisiana House of Representatives on Monday approved a bill to impose new restrictions on abortion clinics, adopting a measure similar to one in other states that have forced clinics to shut down. Without discussion, the House voted 85-6 to approve the bill, which requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at an adequately equipped hospital within 30 miles of the place where the abortion is performed. The bill was backed by Republican Governor Bobby Jindal and sponsored by Democratic Representative Katrina Jackson, who chairs the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. "This is about the safety of women," Jackson said, noting a federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law that contains the same language as the Louisiana bill. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare website stalls a bit before enrollment deadline Monday, Mar 31, 2014 04:16 PM PDT By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The federal website for U.S. consumers to enroll in private health insurance under Obamacare ran into problems twice on Monday because of a surge of people trying to access the site hours before a midnight deadline to sign up for coverage. Technical issues that barred access to HealthCare.gov for several hours throughout the day underscored the frantic last-minute pace of an enrollment process that could determine the ultimate success or failure of the healthcare law that represents President Barack Obama's domestic policy achievement. More than 6 million people had signed up for private health coverage through the new Obamacare insurance markets by last week, surpassing a target set after a disastrous October rollout called the enrollment process into question. Full Story | Top |
| Federal judge will not block Arizona rules limiting use of abortion drugs Monday, Mar 31, 2014 04:09 PM PDT (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and a private women's health clinic to block new Arizona regulations that would limit the use of abortion-inducing drugs. The regulations, which go into effect on Tuesday, would require any medicine used to induce an abortion to be administered strictly according to protocols issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and instructions on the label. Planned Parenthood and the Tucson Women's center sued to overturn the rules and sought a temporary restraining order to stop them from going into effect while the lawsuit was being litigated. They argued that the regulations could force women to travel to other states to get an abortion or prevent them from getting the procedure altogether. Full Story | Top |
| Congress approves bill to avert Medicare pay cut for doctors Monday, Mar 31, 2014 04:06 PM PDT The U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval on Monday to legislation to avert a pay cut for doctors who participate in the Medicare insurance program for the elderly and disabled. By a vote of 64-35, the Democratic-led Senate sent the measure, approved last week by the Republican-led House of Representatives, to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The bill would give doctors a one-year reprieve from a 24 percent cut set to kick in this week under the Medicare payment formula, known as the Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. The payments affect doctors treating patients under Medicare, which pays for healthcare for nearly 51 million people in the United States who are 65 and older or disabled. Full Story | Top |
| Scale of Guinea's Ebola epidemic unprecedented: aid agency Monday, Mar 31, 2014 03:55 PM PDT By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea faces an Ebola epidemic on an unprecedented scale as it battles to contain confirmed cases now scattered across several locations that are far apart, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Monday. The warning from an organization with experience of tackling Ebola in Central Africa comes after Guinea's president appealed for calm as the number of deaths linked to an outbreak on the border with Liberia and Sierra Leone hit 80. The outbreak of one of the world's most lethal infectious diseases has spooked a number of governments with weak health systems, prompting Senegal to close its border with Guinea and other neighbors to restrict travel and cross-border exchanges. Figures released overnight by Guinea's health ministry showed that there had been 78 deaths from 122 cases of suspected Ebola since January, up from 70. Full Story | Top |
| FDA panel votes in favor of two anti-infective drugs Monday, Mar 31, 2014 03:01 PM PDT By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave favorable reviews on Monday to two new medications to treat acute bacterial skin infections. The panel voted unanimously that Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc's tedizolid and Durata Therapeutics Inc's dalbavancin showed substantial evidence of safety and efficacy. The FDA is not obliged to follow the advice of its expert panels but typically does so. Cubist's shares closed up 4.4 percent at $73.15. Full Story | Top |
| Washington mayor signs marijuana decriminalization bill Monday, Mar 31, 2014 02:39 PM PDT  District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray on Monday signed a bill that decriminalizes possession of up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana in the U.S. capital. Proponents had backed the marijuana measure as an issue of fairness. A study by the American Civil Liberties Union had shown that blacks in Washington were eight times more likely to be arrested for pot than people of other races. Decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana in the District of Columbia is part of a nationwide trend to lessening penalties for marijuana. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. court shuts telemarketing scam that targeted elderly: FTC Monday, Mar 31, 2014 02:38 PM PDT A scam in which telemarketers targeted elderly victims' bank accounts - stealing more than $20 million by impersonating government and bank officials through fake companies - was shut down by a U.S. court, the Federal Trade Commission said on Monday. The FTC accused Ari Tietolman, Marc Ferry and others of setting up a boiler room in Canada to cold-call senior citizens and others, saying they were from the government or from the victim's bank and were selling fraud protection and pharmaceutical benefit services or other services. Once the seniors were convinced to give their bank account information, the group would withdraw money without authorization, the FTC said. "They targeted and called senior citizens and lied to them to get their bank account information. Full Story | Top |
| TSX rises on Fed remarks, posts ninth month of gains Monday, Mar 31, 2014 02:09 PM PDT  By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index gained on Monday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's assurance of continued support for the economy lifted sentiment and helped drive up shares of financial and energy companies. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said measures by the central bank to boost the U.S. economy will be necessary for some time to come. The Toronto stock market's benchmark index recorded its ninth straight monthly gain. "It speaks to the fact that the TSX has come back in favor this quarter," said Elvis Picardo, a strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver. Full Story | Top |
| Virginia lawmaker says son's suicide led to mental health reform Monday, Mar 31, 2014 02:02 PM PDT  By Lacey Johnson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A prominent Virginia state politician whose mentally ill son attacked him before committing suicide said on Monday that healthcare reforms passed because of the incident would prevent other tragedies. Democratic state Senator and former gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds said his son's death in November 2013 had forced him to confront the shortcomings of a state system he and other lawmakers had created. Deeds' 24-year-old son, Austin "Gus" Deeds, attacked his father with a knife on November 19 at their home in Bath County, Virginia. Only 13 hours before the attack, Gus Deeds had been released from state custody after a mental health evaluation. Full Story | Top |
| More evidence parents should monitor kids' media diet Monday, Mar 31, 2014 01:50 PM PDT By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - How parents monitor the television and video game habits of their children is tied to the kids' performance in school, their relationships with peers and their weight, according to a new study. "It's a fairly small effect, but what's interesting about this study is because we tracked these children over time we see these effects build," lead author Douglas Gentile told Reuters Health. He is a psychologist at Iowa State University in Ames. According to Gentile, the researchers can't say children will gain one fewer pound or get in one fewer fight for every show parents approve for their kids. Full Story | Top |
| Daily, vigorous exercise helps kids get or stay fit Monday, Mar 31, 2014 01:49 PM PDT By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A nine-month after-school exercise program helped young kids lose body fat and improve heart and lung strength compared to kids who didn't do the program, according to a new trial. It's clear that activity is good for kids, lead author Naiman A. Khan told Reuters Health. "We saw their overall body fat, abdominal fat go down, and in the absence of the program kids actually increased in overall body fat," said Khan, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the exercise group, kids did 20 to 25 minutes of health-related fitness activities plus 50 minutes of organized noncompetitive games meant to keep their hearts beating at 55 to 80 percent of their maximum heart rate. Full Story | Top |
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