Contraception mandate outrages religious groups

The Obama administration‘s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception.The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate?For a church, mosque or synagogue, the answer is mostly straightforward. But for the massive network of religious-run soci

Feb. 9, 2012

Latest illnesses point to raw milk‘s popularity

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger.Even presidential candidate Ron Paul has joined the cause of consumers looking to buy unprocessed “real foods” straight from the farm, saying government shouldn’t deny them that choice.An outbreak of campylobacter illness is a reminder of the potential hazards, however. Raw milk from a dairy

Feb. 9, 2012

Drug firms sign up to new tropical disease fight

GENEVA (AFP) - Key players in the pharmaceutical industry pledged on Monday to donate 14 billion drug treatments as part of a new, global push to eradicate tropical diseases.Thirteen companies including Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline have committed to the programme being led by the United States, Britain and United Arab Emirates governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank.The drugs will target sufferers of so-called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as leprosy and sle

Feb. 9, 2012

Anti-cancer drug for women weakens bone density

PARIS (AFP) - A drug tipped for widespread use to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women also accelerates loss of bone density, thus potentially boosting the risk of fractures, a study published on Tuesdaysaid.Exemestane -- brand name Aromasin -- is part of a drug class called aromatase inhibitors, which lower levels of the oestrogen that some breast cancers need in order to grow.Canadian bone specialists took a look at a group of patients who had taken part in a study into the effective

Feb. 9, 2012

Too many kids breathe others‘ smoke in cars: CDC

CHICAGO (AP) -- Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren’t all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from government researchers says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking.This kind of secondhand smoke exposure has been linked with breathing problems and allergy symptoms, and more restrictions are needed to

Feb. 9, 2012

Birth control mandate irks religious organizations

The Obama administration’s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception.The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate?For a church, mosque or synagogue, the answer is mostly straightforward. But for the massive network of religious-run soci

Feb. 9, 2012

Mobile carriers raise investment 20% in 2011

South Korean mobile carriers’ investment rose 20 percent in 2011 from a year earlier mainly on increased spending to build high-speed long-term evolution networks, the telecommunications watchdog said Thursday.The three mobile carriers including top player SK Telecom Co. spent 7.67 trillion won ($6.86 billion) on investment in 2011, compared with 6.4 trillion won a year earlier, according to the Korea Communications Commission.The watchdog said that local mobile carriers spent more money last ye

Feb. 9, 2012

Study on mice shows fasting weakens cancer

Early research on mice with cancer shows that fasting may weaken tumors and help chemotherapy work better, scientists said on Wednesday.While it remains unknown if the same approach could work in humans, or if it would even be safe, researchers said the findings suggest a promising new route of stud

Feb. 9, 2012

KT Q4 net rises 12.5% on one-off factor

Korea’s telecom titan KT Corp. said Monday that its fourth-quarter net profit rose 12.5 percent from a year earlier due to a one-off factor.Net income came to 210.6 billion won ($188.9 million) in the October-December period of last year, compared with 187.1 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing.Sales jumped 24.7 percent on-year to 6.4 trillion won over the same period, while its operating profit dropped 16.7 percent to 287.6 billion won in the final quarter of last yea

Feb. 6, 2012