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| Thirteen workers test positive for radiation at New Mexico waste site Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 07:01 PM PST Thirteen workers have tested positive for radiation exposure tied to an accidental release earlier this month of high levels of radiation in an underground nuclear waste repository in New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Energy said on Wednesday. No workers were underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project in southeastern New Mexico when air sensors half a mile below surface in an ancient salt formation triggered an alarm on February 14 indicating excessive amounts of radioactive particles. Particles emitted from the decay of those radioactive elements can harm humans if inhaled or ingested. But analyses released on Wednesday of biological samples lifted from the workers showed that 13 of them were in fact exposed to radioactive particles, Joe Franco, manager of the U.S. Energy Department field office that oversees the plant, said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Hillary Clinton defends Obamacare, but open to changes: report Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 06:27 PM PST  Hillary Clinton, who leads the pack of potential Democratic 2016 presidential contenders, defended Obamacare on Wednesday but added she was open to "evidence-based changes" in the program, CNN reported. President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law is shaping up as a hot-button campaign issue in congressional elections in November and possibly the 2016 White House race. The law, which seeks to extend health coverage to millions of uninsured or underinsured people, has been under steady attack by Republicans, who say it is too costly, kills jobs and robs many Americans of healthcare choices. "But I would be the first to say if things aren't working, then we need people of good faith to come together and make evidence-based changes," said Clinton, who led a failed effort to pass healthcare reform during the administration of her husband, Bill Clinton. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry likens Uganda anti-gay law to anti-Semitism and apartheid Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 05:29 PM PST  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday likened new anti-gay legislation in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties for homosexuality to anti-Semitic laws in Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa. "You could change the focus of this legislation to black or Jewish and you could be in 1930s Germany or you could be in 1950s-1960s apartheid South Africa," Kerry told a group of reporters. Kerry said the legislation signed by President Yoweri Museveni on Monday was "atrocious" and expressed concern at mounting discrimination against gays in 78 countries around the world. Homosexuality is a taboo in almost all Africa countries and illegal in 37, including in Uganda where it has been criminalized since British colonial rule. Full Story | Top |
| UK troops mentally resilient despite Iraq, Afghan conflicts Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 03:32 PM PST  By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Intervention strategies have helped mitigate the psychological impact on British soldiers of more than 10 years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new study suggests, leaving them mentally healthier than their U.S. peers. But the study, by the King's Centre for Military Health Research at King's College London, found some British soldiers - particularly reservists and soldiers deployed in combat - do seem more vulnerable to mental illness when they come home. "Overall, UK military personnel have remained relatively resilient in spite of the stresses endured in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Deirdre MacManus, who led the study. Full Story | Top |
| Wisconsin man gets three years for sexually assaulting stepsister Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 03:31 PM PST Joshua Drabek, 20, was convicted by a Dane County jury on February 21 of first degree sexual assault of a child without great bodily harm, second degree sexual assault of a child and child abuse-intentionally causing harm, according to court records. Drabek was accused of forcing her to engage in oral sex and trying to have intercourse with her, according to a criminal compliant. The girl's father, Chad Chritton, 42, and his wife Melinda Drabek-Chritton, 44, who is Drabek's mother, were sentenced to five years in prison each in the case. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate leader Reid blasts Koch brothers over Obamacare ads Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 03:18 PM PST  By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused the billionaire Koch brothers on Wednesday of being 'un-American" for spreading headline-grabbing "lies" about President Barack Obama's healthcare law. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, the Nevada Democrat blasted ads by Americans for Prosperity, a political advocacy group backed by David and Charles Koch. Koch Industries Inc, the brothers' oil and gas conglomerate, fired back, saying the Kochs were not responsible for the ad by Americans for Prosperity and calling Reid's remarks "disgraceful." In its statement, Koch Industries said: "It is disgraceful that Senator Reid and his fellow Democrats are attacking a cancer victim as part of their campaign against Charles Koch and David Koch." Americans for Prosperity also struck back at Reid, saying in a statement: "Instead of admitting that the health care law is a bad deal for Americans, Senator Reid has chosen to attack the brave men and women who are sharing their personal stories about ObamaCare." The ad scored "two Pinocchios" out of a possible four by the Washington Post's fact checker Glenn Kessler, who said the commercial did not give a full accounting comparing the patient's old plan with a new one. Full Story | Top |
| S&P 500 ends near flat; retailers fly for a second day Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 03:15 PM PST  By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks finished flat on Wednesday with investors hesitant to make a big move on the day before comments from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, though retailers' shares rallied on results for a second day. Target Corp and Lowe's Cos Inc shares jumped following upbeat earnings and gave the biggest boosts to the S&P 500. Full Story | Top |
| Beard transplants latest fad for Brooklyn's hip young men Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 02:31 PM PST  By Barbara Goldberg NEW YORK (Reuters) - Young men wearing pork-pie hats, knitted snoods and stylishly drab clothing are crowding doctors' waiting rooms in a burgeoning trend: Brooklyn hipsters seeking beard transplants. Toting photos of perpetually scruffy-faced actors like Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Gosling, an increasing number of men in their late 20s to early 40s are undergoing the procedure that can cost up to $7,000, Yael Halaas, MD, a facial plastic surgeon based in Manhattan said on Wednesday. "The demand for it has definitely increased," agreed Jeffrey Epstein, MD, a New York facial plastic surgeon who said he did 175 beard transplant procedures in 2013. "One reason is that whole hipster, casual way people like to look." Demand for the out-patient procedure completed under local anesthesia, which involves transplanting hair from the top of the head to the face, is growing quickly among those living in Brooklyn's coolest neighborhoods. Full Story | Top |
| Obesity rates remain high, but stable in the U.S. Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 02:01 PM PST Only preschool-age children show signs of a turnaround, with their obesity rates nearly halved in the same period, according to a new federal study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "The rapid increase in obesity we saw in the '80s and '90s has definitely slowed," epidemiologist Cynthia Ogden told Reuters Health. "There's some glimmer of hope in the new data in relation to the 2 to 5 year olds." Ogden, a branch chief at the National Center for Health Statistics in Rockville, Maryland, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is lead author of the new study. Obesity rates among 2 to 5 year old Americans dropped from 13.9 percent to 8.4 percent between 2003 and 2012, her team reports. Full Story | Top |
| RFK daughter says sleeping pill, car crash memories 'jumbled' Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 01:45 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere WHITE PLAINS, New York (Reuters) - A daughter of assassinated U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy told a court on Wednesday that she had not realized she had taken a sleeping pill before sideswiping a truck in 2012 and that her memory of the incident was "jumbled." Kerry Kennedy said on the third day of her impaired driving trial that she had intended to take a thyroid medication before getting into her silver Lexus, rather than the sleeping aid zolpidem, known by its brand name Ambien. Defense attorneys said the drug's effects were so quick and so powerful that Kennedy was essentially "sleep driving" and was unaware of her actions. Full Story | Top |
| A Minute With: Patton Oswalt on Spirit Awards and playing host Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 01:28 PM PST  By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When it comes to hosting an awards show, Patton Oswalt has a few tricks up his sleeve that include keeping a celebrity-filled crowd on edge. The Virginia-born Oswalt, 45, has forged a career in comedy, with roles in TV sitcoms "The King of Queens" and "Two and a Half Men," and films such as 2011's "Young Adult" and last year's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." With his comforting, friendly and often neighborly vocal tone, Oswalt is also a regular voice actor and stand-up comedian. On Saturday, he will host the Film Independent Spirit Awards, a laid-back luncheon held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California, the day before Hollywood's Oscars night. Oswalt spoke to Reuters on hosting duties, the industry of independent film and how to break the ice with nominees. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Biomet picks BAML, Goldman, JPMorgan to lead IPO - sources Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 12:45 PM PST  By Olivia Oran and Soyoung Kim NEW YORK (Reuters) - Biomet Inc, the U.S. medical device maker that was taken private by a private equity consortium for $11.4 billion in 2007, has hired underwriters for an initial public offering later this year, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Biomet's owners -- Blackstone Group LP , Goldman Sachs Group Inc's private equity arm, KKR & Co LP and TPG Capital LP -- have selected Bank of America Merrill Lynch , Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co to lead the IPO, the people said. Full Story | Top |
| Two humanitarian workers injured in landmine explosion in Mali Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 12:39 PM PST Two employees of humanitarian group Medecins du Monde's Belgian chapter were seriously injured on Wednesday when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine in restive northern Mali, the organization and a local official said. "Around noon...a Medecins du Monde vehicle triggered a mine on the road from Kidal to the airport," the group said in a statement posted on its website. "The vehicles two occupants, including the driver, are seriously injured." The statement was accompanied by a photo showing the twisted wreckage of a 4x4 bearing Medecins du Monde's logo. Medecins du Monde said that there was no indication that the organization had been specifically targeted. Full Story | Top |
| Some pediatricians consider dropping vaccines due to cost Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 12:32 PM PST By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Heath) - Ten percent of pediatricians say they have seriously considered no longer providing vaccines due to concerns about their cost, according to results from a 2011 survey. That number is actually somewhat encouraging, said coauthor Megan Lindley, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. If a pediatrician does decide to stop offering vaccines, parents will have to take their children elsewhere to get shots. Lindley stressed that the survey did not address whether doctors had actually discontinued the vaccines, only if they had considered it. Full Story | Top |
| Evening workouts don't disturb sleep Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 11:02 AM PST People who worked out in the morning reported getting the best sleep, on average. "Sleep recommendations suggest avoiding exercise prior to bed," said Matthew Buman, lead author of the study from Arizona State University in Phoenix. "We found evidence to the contrary suggesting that individuals need not avoid exercise at night." He and his colleagues analyzed responses collected from 1,000 adults participating in the 2013 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll. Based on the types of physical activity participants performed regularly, like tai chi, running or yard work, workouts were categorized by intensity as light, moderate or vigorous. Full Story | Top |
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