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| Oklahoma botches execution, raising questions on death penalty in U.S Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 08:27 PM PDT  By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett died during a botched execution on Tuesday, minutes after a doctor had called a halt to the procedure, raising more questions about new death penalty cocktails used by the state and others. Thirteen minutes after administering a lethal injection at the state's death chamber in McAlester, Lockett lifted his head and started mumbling. The troubled execution was expected to have national implications, with lawyers for death row inmates having argued that new lethal injection cocktails used in Oklahoma and other states could cause undue suffering and violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. "This could be a real turning point in the whole debate as people get disgusted by this sort of thing," said Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which monitors capital punishment. Full Story | Top |
| J&J suspends sale of device used in fibroid surgery - WSJ Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 08:01 PM PDT (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson suspended sale of devices used in fibroid surgery amid concerns about their potential to spread a rare but deadly cancer, the Wall Street Journal reported. J&J was halting world-wide sale, distribution and promotion of the tools called power morcellators but not permanently pulling them from the market, the Journal said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Sanofi explores $7 billion-plus drug divestiture - sources Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 07:53 PM PDT  By Sophie Sassard, Olivia Oran and Soyoung Kim LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sanofi SA is looking to sell a portfolio of mature drugs that could fetch between $7 billion and $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, yet another example of drugmakers trying to shed non-core assets and focus on high-growth areas. The French pharmaceutical company is working with Evercore Partners Inc and has contacted potential buyers in the past few months, the people said on Tuesday, asking not to be named because the matter is private. Generic drugmakers and specialty pharmaceutical companies are seen as logical buyers for the Sanofi drug portfolio, said the people familiar with the matter. Sanofi could not be immediately reached for comment, while Evercore declined to comment. Full Story | Top |
| Rugby league-NRL offers McKinnon 'job for life' Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 06:18 PM PDT Australia's National Rugby League has pledged a "job for life" for Newcastle Knights forward Alex McKinnon, whose neck was broken in a match last month. The 22-year-old suffered the sickening injury against Melbourne Storm on March 24 after being dumped heavily into the turf in a lifting tackle by three opposition players. One of the tacklers was banned for seven matches by the NRL. "His spirit and determination are an inspiration for all of us," NRL chief executive Dave Smith said in a media release on Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| Alstom accepts 10 billion euro GE bid for its energy unit Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 04:36 PM PDT  By Matthieu Protard and Maria Sheahan PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The board of Alstom accepted General Electric's 10 billion euro ($13.82 billion) bid for its energy unit on Tuesday, several sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Sources said GE is not in exclusive talks with Alstom. The French transport-to-turbines group is also set to receive an offer from its much larger German competitor Siemens AG , which said it had sent a letter to Alstom after its managing and supervisory boards had decided to make an offer. Alstom is expected to make a statement about the two offers early on Wednesday, before its shares, suspended since late last week, resume trading. Full Story | Top |
| Georgia governor signs law to drug test some welfare recipients Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 04:23 PM PDT  By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed legislation on Tuesday requiring some applicants for food stamps and welfare benefits to undergo a drug test. Under the bill, testing could be required if authorities have a "reasonable suspicion" of drug use. Drug use is a barrier to finding and keeping a job, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said. Debbie Seagraves, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, called the legislation "shameful" and said it violated the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief urges South Sudan's Kiir help end violence, anti-U.N. campaign Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 04:16 PM PDT  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday to publicly call for an end to a "negative campaign" against U.N. peacekeepers and to bring to justice those responsible for attacks there on civilians and the United Nations. In a phone call with Kiir, the U.N. chief called for "an immediate halt to the vicious fighting and the appalling killing of South Sudanese civilians," according to a statement from Ban's press office. More than 1 million people have fled their homes since fighting erupted in December between troops backing Kiir and soldiers loyal to his sacked deputy, Riek Machar. Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands have sought refuge at U.N. bases around South Sudan, the world's youngest country, after the violence spread. Full Story | Top |
| Study finds Fukushima radioactivity in tuna off Oregon, Washington Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 03:24 PM PDT By Shelby Sebens PORTLAND Ore. (Reuters) - A sample of albacore tuna caught off the shores of Oregon and Washington state have small levels of radioactivity from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, researchers said on Tuesday. But authors of the Oregon State University study say the levels are so small you would have to consume more than 700,000 pounds of the fish with the highest radioactive level to match the amount of radiation the average person is annually exposed to in everyday life through cosmic rays, the air, the ground, X-rays and other sources. Still, the findings shed some light about the impact of the meltdown on the Pacific Ocean following the March 2011 tsunami and subsequent power plant disaster, said Delvan Neville, a graduate research assistant at OSU and lead author of the study. "I think people would rather have an answer on what is there and what isn't there than have a big question mark," Neville said. At the most extreme, radiation levels tripled from fish tested before Fuskushima and fish tested after. Full Story | Top |
| High court revives rules on air pollution Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 02:58 PM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Barack Obama a victory on Tuesday by upholding a federal environmental regulation requiring some states to limit pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states. By a 6-2 vote, the court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acted reasonably in requiring 28 states to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which can lead to soot and smog. Writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called the EPA rule a cost-effective way to allocate responsibility for emission reductions among upwind states, and that the EPA need not consider each state's proportionate responsibility for the emissions in question. The regulation in question is viewed by industry and conservative critics in Congress as part of what they call the Obama administration's "war on coal" because of the pollution controls it imposes primarily on coal plants. Full Story | Top |
| Oregon candidate's call for urine samples latest offbeat move Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 02:53 PM PDT By Shelby Sebens PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - A candidate for Congress is soliciting mass urine samples from Oregonians as part of his day job as a scientist, a move some see as a novel approach to improving modern medicine and others call just another odd move in an offbeat political career. Art Robinson, a Republican making his third bid to unseat Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat, last week sent out thousands of fliers across Oregon asking for volunteer urine samples. Robinson, co-founder of the nonprofit Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, said he is hoping to get 15,000 samples to help calibrate a machine that could use urine profiles to help predict if a person will develop degenerative diseases such as cancer. "We have to have urine sample form people from all walks of life," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Alstom accepts GE offer for its energy unit: sources Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 02:19 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The board of French transport-to-turbines group Alstom has accepted General Electric's offer for its energy unit, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Both sources said GE was not in exclusive talks with Alstom, which is also set to receive an offer from Germany's Siemens. One source said GE had offered to pay about 10 billion euros ($13.82 billion) for the unit. (Reporting by Geert De Clercq) Full Story | Top |
| Food poisoning fells more than 100 at Maryland food safety summit Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 02:09 PM PDT  (Reuters) - A U.S. food safety summit in Maryland earlier this month has become a cautionary tale after more than 100 attendees came down with suspected food poisoning. Most of those affected complained of diarrhea, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement. The April 8-10 meeting at the Baltimore Convention Center included representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and food companies such as McDonald's Corp, Tyson Foods Inc and ConAgra Foods Inc. "We are working on evaluating possible exposures and doing testing at the Maryland state public health laboratory to attempt to identify an agent," the health department said in the statement. The convention center and its food service provider, Centerplate, were inspected by city health officials. Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street ends up on earnings, rebound in high-growth shares Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 01:55 PM PDT  By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, boosted by upbeat results from companies including Merck & Co and a rebound in Facebook and other high-growth shares. Merck & Co 's shares climbed 3.6 percent to $58.72, giving the S&P 500 its biggest lift, after it reported stronger-than-expected earnings. Britain's Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc confirmed talks to buy Merck's consumer health business, the latest asset up for grabs in a wave of recent pharmaceutical deals. Full Story | Top |
| Alstom board accepts 10 billion euro GE offer for energy unit-paper Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 01:25 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The board of French trains-to-turbines maker Alstom has accepted General Electric's 10 billion euro offer for its energy division, French daily Le Figaro said on its website. Alstom declined to comment on the report. The firm will issue a statement Wednesday morning around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT). GE also declined to comment. Le Figaro said the Alstom board, at its meeting on Tuesday, had accepted GE's firm and financed offer. (Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| American author Solomon wins Britain's Wellcome prize Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 01:18 PM PDT By Michael Roddy LONDON (Reuters) - American psychologist and writer Andrew Solomon won the 2014 Wellcome Book Prize on Tuesday for his "Far From the Tree: a dozen kinds of love" about raising unusual children ranging from prodigies to those suffering from autism and dyslexia. The prize, which is given to a book centered on medicine and health, is in its fifth year and carries a 30,000-pound ($50,500) cash award. Describing Solomon's book, 10 years in the making, as a "monumental work", a statement from the prize jury said it "tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also find profound meaning in doing so". Drawing on interviews with more than 300 families, the book covers subjects including deafness, dwarfism, Down's syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, prodigies, children born of rape, children convicted of crime and transgender people. Full Story | Top |
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