Smart Health Shop Forum Blog: May 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Paper Clip: Sleeping off racial and gender biases - The Indian Express

SLEEPING OFF RACIAL AND GENDER BIASES
Published in Science, May 29, 2015

Authors: Xiaoqing Hu, James W Antony and Others, Northwestern University, US

Preconceptions about other people can influence behaviour. The tendency to endorse racist or sexist attitudes explicitly has decreased, but social biases may play out implicitly or unconsciously, regardless of intentions or efforts to avoid bias. Participants processed counter-stereotype information paired with one sound for each type of bias.

During slow-wave sleep later, one sound was unobtrusively presented to each participant, repeatedly, to reactivate one type of training. Corresponding bias reductions were fortified in comparison with the social bias not externally reactivated. A week later, the advantage stayed. Memory reactivation during sleep tended to enhance counter-stereotype training. Maintaining bias reduction seemed sleep-dependent.

(ADAPTED FROM ABSTRACT)

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China May services PMI cools to 53.2

Growth in China's services industry cooled in May, an official survey showed on Monday, suggesting the country's worst economic downturn in at least six years may be deepening.

The non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) edged down to 53.2, from April's 53.4, the National Bureau of Statistics said on its website.

 A reading above 50 points indicates growth on a monthly basis, while one below that points to contraction.

 Growth in China's services companies has been more resilient than at its ailing factories, but the sector has succumbed to the broader economic cooldown in recent months.

 Many analysts expect growth in China's economy to cool to 7 percent this year compared to 2014, the weakest rate of expansion that the country has seen in a quarter of a century. (Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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Paper Clip: Sleeping off racial and gender biases - The Indian Express

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DIARY-Malaysia 2015 corporate earnings

Following is a list of release dates for the quarterly earningsof some top Malaysia-listed companies. All dates are confirmed except those marked by a "T", whichmeans it will be released around those dates. To submit a date, email:yantoultra.ngui@thomsonreuters.com(T): TentativeTBD: To be determined Company RIC PERIOD DATE AirAsia Bhd Q1 May 28 AMMB Holdings Bhd Q4 May 22 Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd Q1 Jun 16-22 Axiata Group Bhd Q1 May 19 British American Tobacco Q1 Apr 28 (Malaysia) Bhd MISC Bhd Q1 Apr 30 CIMB Group Holdings Bhd Q1 May 20 DiGi.com Bhd Q1 Apr 27 Felda Global Ventures Q1 May 26 Holdings Bhd Genting Malaysia Bhd Q1 May 28 Genting Bhd Q1 May 28 Hong Leong Bank Bhd Q3 May 26 Hong Leong Financial Group Q3 May 26 Bhd IHH Healthcare Bhd Q1 May 28 IOI Corporation Bhd Q3 May 14 Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd Q2 May 20 Malayan Banking Bhd Q1 May 28 Maxis Bhd Q1 Apr 27 Petroliam Nasional Bhd Q1 Apr 22 Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd Q1 May 7 PPB Group Bhd Q1 May 21 Petronas Dagangan Bhd Q1 May 11 Petronas Gas Bhd Q1 May 12 Public Bank Bhd Q1 Apr 20 RHB Capital Bhd Q1 May 29 Sime Darby Bhd Q3 May 22 Tenaga Nasional Bhd Q2 Apr 27 Telekom Malaysia Bhd Q1 May 29 IOI Properties Group Bhd Q3 May 14 UMW Holdings Bhd Q1 May 26 SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd Q4 TBD YTL Corporation Bhd Q3 May 21

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Paper Clip: Sleeping off racial and gender biases - The Indian Express

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Omaha zoo worker taken to hospital in critical condition after being bitten by a ... - Fox News

OMAHA, Neb. – An Omaha zoo worker is hospitalized in critical condition after being bitten by a large dragon on Sunday.

Paramedics were called to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Sunday afternoon, and the female zoo worker was taken to the hospital.

Few details about the incident were immediately released. The animal involved was a Komodo dragon.

The Omaha zoo is a well-regarded facility. Earlier this year, travel website TripAdvisor ranked the zoo first in the world with some 1.7 million visitors a year.

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United Airlines denies Tahera Ahmad pop can because it could be 'a weapon' - CBC.ca

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Kerry breaks leg in Geneva bike crash, now flying back to US on Monday - Fox News

Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bike crash outside Geneva on Sunday, where he had been holding nuclear talks with Iran’s foreign minister. He is expected to return to the United States no earlier than Monday.

Kerry had planned to return to Boston on Sunday. However, he decided after further consultation to remain in Geneva’s main hospital, HUG, “for purely precautionary measures” and fly home Monday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby also said Kerry never lost consciousness, is in good spirits and has spoken to several people by phone including President Obama.

The accident occurred near Scionzier, France, outside the Swiss border. Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time.

Kerry was taken directly to HUG for evaluation. A paramedic traveling with his motorcade immediately examined Kerry after his bike apparently hit a curb, causing the fall, Kirby said.

X-rays at the Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

Ending the trip means Kerry is skipping meetings with Spanish leaders and a conference in Paris on fighting the Islamic State terror group.

Kerry's cycling rides have become a theme of his diplomatic journeys, often taking his bike with him on the plane.

During discussions in late March and early April between world powers and Iran, he took several bike trips during breaks in the negotiations. Those talks were held in Lausanne, Switzerland, and led to a framework agreement.

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for six hours in a Geneva hotel Saturday as the sides now work to seal a comprehensive accord by June 30.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Remembering Vice President Biden's Son Beau - ABC News

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World No Tobacco Day: App bazaar, social media abuzz with kick-tobacco drives - Hindustan Times

Quit tobacco App bazaar, social media and online anti-tobacco support campaigns have begun to draw more aspirants than the traditional counsellers, as per a random survey on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day.

Online campaigners claim that there is a full Facebook page ‘ýTobacco Free Madhya Pradesh’ where its creators are sharing messages, pictures and articles related to tobacco addiction.

Sharing her concerns on the FB page, Divya Parashar, who is a top management executive says, “Madhya Pradesh has a very high prevalence of tobacco consumption. As per GATS (Global Adult Tobacco Survey) 2010, nearly 1.9 crore people use tobacco in some form or the other in your state. This is quite alarming and it needs urgent action. It is estimated that 1 crore people in Madhya Pradesh may die an untimely death or be diseased with serious illnesses such as cancers, heart diseases, respiratory diseases etc.”

Parashar, who is also head of the department of Social Oncology of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Bhopal, has started her own Facebook page Tobacco Free Madhya Pradesh. In fact, there are many like her whose messages are drawing many would-be tobacco quitters.

N Ganesh, who is a senior scientist at Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, says the reason people have started turning to the online support is because unlike support groups for which you have to take out time and travel to the place where the group meets regularly, online support groups are accessible through smartphones and laptops anytime by a person who wants to quit smoking.

“We have a tobacco cessation clinic at our hospital, one of the only kinds in the state, but people hardly visit it. And those who come don't take it that seriously. So last year, we decided to extend our efforts to social media. Divya Parashar’s page is a step in that direction," he says.

There are scores of pages on Facebook catering to different groups and aspirations.

There are pages like Smoke free women, quit smoking hypnotherapy, quit smoking today, quit smoking group and so on.

Illustration: Abhimanyu Sinha Such groups continuously share experiences and tips on quitting smoking. Many youngsters have found such online groups helpful to sustain their motivation to leave the addiction.

“Quitting smoking is very difficult, but when I visited some FB pages and online support groups, I became aware that I was not alone. There were many like me who had quit smoking and then again started. But they were trying again. Reading accounts of such people trying to quit smoking helped me to muster courage to try quitting. I have quit two times, but this time I am hopeful that I will succeed like so many others whom I encountered in the online support and awareness groups,” says Shivang Singh, who has just completed his engineering.

QUIT SMOKE APPS

Quit smoking - QuitNow! This app offers you real-time stats-the time (days, hours, minutes) since the last cigarette of your life, how many cigarettes you have avoided, money and time you have saved and so on. You can also share your experiences and chat with other quitters

Quit smoking slowly This app claims to help you slowly reduce the amount of cigarettes per day and let your body adapt to less cigarettes daily

Stop Smoking Hypnosis This app claims that repeated hypnotic suggestions and a strong focus can help you kick the smoking habit.

Quit Smoking Cessation Nation This app helps you to know the benefits of quitting smoking by keeping track of amount of money you’ve saved, cigarettes not smoked, and health improvements.

Time To Quit Smoke This app also tracks the benefits of quitting smoking

Stop Smoking Fast Hypnosis App This app how hypnosis can be used to be free from tobacco addiction

Kick the Habit Quit Smoking This app is designed for both -people who wish to quit over time and those who want to quit immediately.

My Quit Smoking Coach Its makers claim this interactive App was designed by professional non-smoking coaches and helps you quit by motivating you and keeping track of your progress

STOP Cigarettes - Quit smoking This app provides tips, tasks and targets based on the studies, which can help you overcome nicotine addiction

Stop Smoking Through this app you can set small goals that are easy to achieve and receive notification every day in order to support your motivation.

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United Airlines denies Tahera Ahmad pop can because it could be 'a weapon' - CBC.ca

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John Kerry to stay overnight at Geneva hospital after bike accident - CNN

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, May 29, shortly after Buhari's inauguration in Abuja, Nigeria.

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Kerry is welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the presidential residence of Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday, May 12.

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Kerry speaks with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi at the Diaoyutai State Guest House on May 16 in Beijing. Kerry is urging China to halt increasingly assertive actions it is taking in the South China Sea.

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Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, from left, Luebeck's Mayor Bernd Saxe, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Kerry take a boat cruise during a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers in Luebeck, Germany, on April 15. The foreign ministers met to discuss global political and security issues ahead of a G-7 summit to take place in June 2015 in southern Germany.

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Kerry rides his bike on March 16, during a break in talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, about Iran's nuclear program.

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Kerry listens to a talk during the 51st Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 8. The Ukraine conflict, ISIS jihadists and the wider "collapse of the global order" occupied the world's security community at the annual meeting.

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Kerry walks off the plane at Kiev Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 5. His visit came as international pressure grew for an immediate halt to surging violence.

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Kerry walks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris on January 16 through a memorial to the victims killed in the attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

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Kerry and U.S. President Barack Obama meet with Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, on November 12, 2014, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

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During a tour of the Berlin Wall memorial on October 22, 2014, in Berlin, Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, chat with Regina Webert-Lehmann, who in 1989 fled from communist East Germany in her Trabant car (pictured) to Hungary shortly before revolutions swept Eastern Europe. Kerry and Steinmeier met with students and walked along a still-standing portion of the wall that divided East and West Berlin and whose fall 25 years ago marked the end of the Cold War.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, from left, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Khalid al-Sabah, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, Kerry, Omani Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa and Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil stand together for a photo of the Gulf Cooperation Council and regional partners on September 11, 2014, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Kerry and regional counterparts discused forming a coalition to support an American campaign against ISIS jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

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Kerry looks out over Baghdad, Iraq, from a helicopter on September 10, 2014. Kerry flew into Iraq for talks with its new leaders on their role in a long-awaited new strategy against ISIS militants.

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Kerry visits a replica of Captain Cook's ship Endeavour at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on August 11, 2014.

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Kerry kicks around a soccer ball during an airplane refueling stop at Sal Island, Cape Verde, on Monday, May 5, 2014. Kerry was on his first major tour of Africa, focusing on some of the continent's most brutal conflicts.

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Kerry visits patients at the Fistula Clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital in Kinshasa, Congo, on Sunday, May 4, 2014.

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Kerry talks with the crew of a U.S. Air Force plane prior to departure from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday, May 2, 2014. He was en route to Juba, South Sudan, to demand a cease-fire in the brutal civil war that has sparked dire warnings of genocide and famine.

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Kerry looks out a window moments before meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Zeralda, Algeria, in April 2014.

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Kerry stands beside a barricade at the Shrine of the Fallen in Kiev, Ukraine, in March 2014. It was part of his trip to Europe in search of a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

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Kerry talks to reporters on a boat on the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam in December. Kerry had patrolled the muddy waters 40 years earlier as a U.S. naval officer. Kerry also visited Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

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Kerry checks his cell phone in Geneva, Switzerland, prior to a November 2103 meeting with Iran's foreign minister and the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs.

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In May 2013, Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visited the St. Basil Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square.

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Kerry boards a plane in Amman, Jordan, where in May 2013 he met with leaders to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria.

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During a flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Paris in March 2013, Kerry presents a birthday cake to traveling CBS correspondent Margaret Brennan.

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In March 2013, Kerry met with leaders of the Syrian Opposition Coalition in Istanbul and pledged once again to increase U.S. assistance. Kerry then traveled to Brussels to discuss NATO's post-2014 mission in Afghanistan.

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Kerry's third trip as secretary of state focused on promoting peace in the Middle East. He visited Turkey, seen here, and Egypt before heading to London for a meeting of G8 foreign ministers.

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Kerry touches down in Rome during a hectic nine-day trip in February 2013. Kerry accompanied President Barack Obama to Europe, Israel, Jordan and several Palestinian territories.

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Kerry talks to reporters en route to London on his first trip as secretary of state in February 2013. The trip took him through European and Middle Eastern capitals.

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World No Tobacco Day: App bazaar, social media abuzz with kick-tobacco drives - Hindustan Times

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O'Malley ready to campaign hard in New Hampshire - Washington Post

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Senate convenes to try to reach Patriot Act compromise - USA TODAY

Erin Kelly, USA TODAY 5:43 p.m. EDT May 31, 2015

In this April 7, 2015, file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. holds up his cellphone as he speaks before announcing the start of his presidential campaign in Louisville, Ky.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

WASHINGTON — Key sections of the Patriot Act were set to expire at midnight Sunday as the Senate convened to try to end a stalemate over the future of the sweeping anti-terrorism law.

The drama on the Senate floor during a rare weekend session highlighted sharp divisions within the Republican Party over privacy concerns and national security, while carrying immediate implications for government surveillance programs.

Complicating the debate was a threat by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a presidential candidate, to block votes on all the legislation in order to force the expiration of the Patriot Act provisions. Paul believes the three sections set to expire at midnight violate Americans' privacy rights. He said federal agents could still seek a warrant to monitor suspected terrorists even without the Patriot Act powers.

"This is a debate over the Bill of Rights," said Paul, who had the support of about 30 young people wearing "Stand with Rand" T-shirts in the Senate visitors' gallery. "This is a debate over your right to be left alone."

Senators were struggling to choose among competing bills that would extend the Patriot Act as it is through 2020, change it by ending a controversial phone surveillance program or extend it for a short time, so members could try to reach a compromise.

"Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have the opportunity to debate this while the program expires," said Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., blamed Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for running out the clock on the law in an effort to persuade senators to extend the law without making any changes to end controversial surveillance programs.

That approach backfired, as Democrats and libertarian-leaning Republicans concerned about privacy rights balked at renewing the law as it is for another five years.

"We're in the mess we are today because of the majority leader," Reid said Sunday. "The majority leader should have seen it coming. Everybody else did."

McConnell and other security hawks in the Senate argue that Congress should not weaken any of the government's surveillance powers at a time when the USA is being threatened by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.

"To go dark on this is a risk of Americans' lives," Coats said of the looming Patriot Act expiration.

After about an hour of initial debate Sunday, the Senate planned to take a break to try to reach agreement on a way forward. Senate Republicans were expected to meet for about an hour before taking a series of votes on the Patriot Act.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, urged the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act, which would rewrite Section 215 of the Patriot Act to end the National Security Agency's mass collection of the phone records of millions of Americans not suspected of any terrorist activity.

The House passed the bipartisan bill on May 13 by a vote of 338-88. President Obama has promised to sign it into law if it is approved by the Senate. That program was made public in 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been charged by US authorities with violations of the Espionage Act and is living in Russia.

"Al Qaeda, ISIL and other terrorists around the globe continue to plot attacks on America and our allies," Boehner said in a statement just before the Senate session Sunday. "Anyone who is satisfied with letting this critical intelligence capability go dark isn't taking the terrorist threat seriously. I'd urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan USA Freedom Act, and do so expeditiously."

Three key Patriot Act provisions were set to expire at midnight Sunday. In addition to Section 215, the expiring sections include a "lone wolf" provision that allows U.S. authorities to target surveillance at suspected terrorists who are acting alone without any direct ties to terrorist groups or rogue nations.

A"roving wiretap" section also is expiring. The provision allows federal agencies to monitor a suspected terrorist rather than a specific phone or electronic device. Criminals often use and throw away multiple pre-paid, disposable cell phones known as "burners."

Senate leaders convened the Sunday session after failing to reach agreement on the issue before their week-long Memorial Day recess.

Senators on May 23 failed to reach the 60-vote super-majority needed to advance bills to renew the Patriot Act without changes through 2020 or to advance the USA Patriot Act. They also balked at agreeing to any short, temporary extensions of the law that would have given Senate leaders more time to reach a compromise.

A federal appeals court ruled in May that the NSA's bulk collection of phone data is illegal and is not what Congress intended when it passed the Patriot Act after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Before Sunday's Senate session, CIA Director John Brennan said on CBS' Face the Nation that "political grandstanding" over reauthorizing key parts of the Patriot Act was threatening national security.

Brennan said the United States faces a level of threats from the Islamic State and other groups that compares with the period leading up to the 9/11 terror attacks. The intelligence community needs "tools" like the NSA's phone-data collection program to understand the tactical moves of terror groups, he said.

"There has been a full-court effort to try to keep this country safe," Brennan said.

However, Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official, said on ABC's This Week that the authority for the phone data collection is not used often and that the FBI can go to the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court and seek an order to get the records.

"It probably is not as big a deal as the president is making out," Clarke said.

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook

As lawmakers in Congress struggle to extend the Patriot Act, polls seem to indicate the U.S. public is conflicted about government surveillance. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

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Anti-Islam protesters stage demonstration at Phoenix mosque - Reading Eagle

PHOENIX—Protesters gathered across the street from Phoenix’s largest mosque on Friday, shouting obscenities and holding up signs depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but a line of police kept the crowd from mixing with those attending evening prayer.

The protest was held at the mosque once attended by two men who attacked a Muhammad cartoon contest held this month in Garland, Texas. Both attackers were killed by police.

Friday’s protest drew about 250 people. A counter-protest on the mosque side of the street was roughly the same size.

Organizers said the gathering was to demonstrate against Islam and the violence perpetrated by radical militants over depictions of Muhammad.

Organizer Jon Ritzheimer, wearing a black T-shirt with an obscene message denouncing Islam, said he had to go into hiding because the Islamic State militant group publicized his address.

The protesters had planned a post-rally meal at the nearby Wild Bill’s Saloon, but the restaurant closed its doors, posting a note saying that it respects the community and would reopen Saturday.

The mosque leadership urged attendees not to respond to taunts from the protesters.

“You can’t judge a whole mosque for two guys,” said Talal Yousufzai, who, despite the mosque’s warning, engaged in a prolonged shouting match with the protesters across the street.

Counter-protesters behind him shouted: “U-S-A, U-S-A!”

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©2015 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

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O'Malley to challenge Clinton for candidacy - Sky News Australia

Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has announced his candidacy for the US presidency.

The 52-year-old Democrat formally launched his 2016 campaign at a rally in Baltimore, where he served two terms as the city's mayor before going on to run the state.

Mr O'Malley presented himself to voters as a next-generation leader and pointed to his record as governor on issues such as gay marriage, immigration and the minimum wage.

He blasted social injustice and Wall Street excesses during his announcement speech on Saturday.

'We cannot rebuild the American Dream here at home by catering to the voices of the privileged and the powerful,' he said.

'Powerful, wealthy special interests here at home have used our government to create, in our own country, an economy that is leaving a majority of our people behind.'

O'Malley, who has aggressively courted the Democratic Party's liberal wing, is still largely unknown in a field dominated by Hillary Clinton.

He has made frequent visits to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire to help raise his profile.

Mr O'Malley endorsed Mrs Clinton during her failed presidential bid against Barack Obama in 2008, but has been more critical of the former secretary of state in recent months.

'The President of the United States is not some crown to be passed between two families,' he said in a recent TV interview in direct reference to the Clinton and Bush families.

He repeated the comment to the delight of his supporters during Saturday's rally.

Mr O'Malley is the third Democrat to enter the 2016 race for the White House.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont officially kicked off his campaign on Tuesday.

Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee is expected to announce his candidacy on 3 June, expanding the Democratic field to four.

The Republican side, meanwhile, already has seen eight candidates launch bids, with several more expected to enter in the coming weeks including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Among those in the hunt for the GOP nomination are Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, retired neurosurgeon Dr Ben Carson and technology executive Carly Fiorina.

Former Senator Rick Santorum and Ex-New York Governor George Pataki launched their bids earlier this week.

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Scientists say killing HIV's sugar intake kills its growth - Toronto Sun

A groundbreaking study reveals that starving HIV of sugar prevents it from reproducing.

Scientists at Northwestern Medicine and Vanderbilt University say that after the virus invades an activated immune cell, it craves sugar and nutrients from the cell to replicate and fuel its growth throughout the body.

The team discovered the switch that turns on the immune cell’s sugar and nutrient pipeline and blocked it with an experimental compound. This process, they say, shuts down the pipeline, and starves HIV to death.

They added that the virus was unable to replicate in human cells in vitro.

On Northwestern University's site, Prof. Harry Taylor explained that when HIV enters the bloodstream, it searches out active CD4+ T cells, which he refers to as the commanders-in-chief of the immune system.

It hijacks its glucose supply to build millions of copies of itself and invade other cells.

"It's a monster that invades the cell and says 'feed me!’ " Taylor said.

This is believed to be the first time scientists have targeted the virus's ability to pilfer the cell's pantry to stop its growth.

"Perhaps this new approach, which slows the growth of the immune cells, could reduce the dangerous inflammation and thwart the life-long persistence of HIV."

The study was published May 28 in PLOS Pathogens.

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Two People Stabbed at Tufts University Frat House - TIME

Steven Senne—AP A Tufts University law enforcement official stands outside the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, in Somerville, Mass., May 31, 2015, near the Tufts University, Medford, Mass., campus. (SOMERVILLE, Mass.) — Police say two nonstudents stabbed at a Tufts University fraternity house knew their attackers.

The stabbings occurred early Sunday at the Delta Tau Delta house.

Somerville Deputy Police Chief Paul Trant tells reporters at the scene the attackers and the victims knew each other. Lt. Joseph McCain says the investigation continues, and he referred questions to Trant.

Tufts spokeswoman Kim Thurler says the victims aren’t affiliated with the university. They were taken to a hospital.

Jim Russell, executive vice president of the national fraternity, says it’s working to determine the circumstances and cooperating with police. He says only a small number of men are living at the house for the upcoming Tufts summer term.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

Two people were stabbed at a Tufts University fraternity house early Sunday, leading the school to briefly issue a shelter-in-place order as police searched the campus for a suspect or suspects.

The victims, who are not affiliated with the university, were sent to the hospital, where the severity of their injuries was unknown.

The stabbing occurred at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house on Professors Row, a street that runs through the Boston-area campus, Tufts spokeswoman Kim Thurler said.

School officials had asked students through social media and email alerts to seek shelter and to lock their doors at about 5 a.m. while police responded to reports of a “serious crime.” The shelter-in-place advisory was lifted at about 8 a.m.

Somerville police spokesman Lt. Joseph McCain said there were no suspects in custody and investigators were still interviewing witnesses.

Tufts’ commencement was held on May 17 and summer sessions are underway. However, Thurler said, the stabbing victims are not affiliated with the university.

Even though students may return to their normal activities, there will continue to be an enhanced police presence on campus as the investigation continues, Thurler said.

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John Kerry heading home for treatment of broken leg - USA TODAY

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rides his bicycle along the shore of Lake Geneva after holding meetings with Iran's Foreign Minister in Lausanne, Switzerland. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was flown by helicopter to a Swiss hospital after having a bike crash Sunday outside of Geneva, where he had been holding nuclear talks with Iran's foreign minister, a U.S. official said.(Photo: Brian Snyder, AP)

Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Boston for treatment of a broken right leg, an injury he sustained Sunday in a fall after hitting a curb while cycling part of the Tour de France route in eastern France.

The injury forced Kerry to break off a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State, and the injury raised questions about his ability to participate in future diplomatic initiatives.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry will be treated at Massachusetts General Hospital by the same physician who operated on his right hip in 2009 to relieve chronic pain. He said X-rays confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur (thigh bone).

"The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery," Kirby said.

Kerry fell near the town of Scionzier, southeast of the Swiss border. He was airlifted to a hospital in Geneva. He's flying back to the U.S. on a plane with special medical equipment, the State Department said.

It's unclear whether Kerry needs surgery, or how a lengthy rehabilitation might affect nuclear talks with Iran. Kerry has been the lead negotiator in several sessions with Iran over the past two years. He had been in Geneva for a Saturday meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The sides in the negotiations have been working toward a June 30 deadline for a comprehensive nuclear accord between Iran, the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.

Kirby said Kerry will participate remotely in Monday's conference in Paris on the Islamic State threat.

Kerry, 71, is an avid cyclist and often brings his bike on diplomatic missions. He took bike trips during breaks in talks earlier this year with Iran and the other nations.

It's not his first athletic scrape. In 2012, he appeared at the State of the Union address with black eyes and a broken nose — the result of a collision in a pickup ice hockey game.

Sometimes Kerry's athletic endeavors have had political implications. When he was a presidential candidate in 2004, some analysts said that images of Kerry windsurfing off the coast of Massachusetts (which he represented in the U.S. Senate) reinforced his image as aloof and elite. And when Kerry went hunting, some critics claimed those images were designed to convey the opposite impression.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Kerry is in stable condition and did not lose consciousness according to the State Department. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

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O'Malley to challenge Clinton for candidacy - Sky News Australia

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Indiana bird flu restrictions hit youngsters in 4-H programs - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Thousands of Indiana children who raised and doted on chickens, turkeys and other poultry for 4-H projects are feeling the sting of a statewide ban on bird shows aimed at preventing the spread of a bird flu that's killed tens of millions of chickens nationwide.

The ban announced Wednesday means youngsters in grades 3 through 12 who compete in 4-H won't be able to bring their prized poultry to county fairs or the Indiana State Fair this summer to compete for ribbons or simply to show off their animal-raising skills.

Phoebe Beheler, a 13-year-old from western Indiana's Warren County, is among nearly 6,800 4-H participants across Indiana who raised birds — from chickens to pigeons — but who are now prohibited from showing their birds at 4-H events because of the state's bird show ban.

Beheler, who's been raising farm animals for years, used an incubator to hatch her current 70-plus chickens, including members of the rare Nankin bantam and Dominique chicken breeds. She said raising the birds is a lot of work and not without disappointments. She recently lost two chickens to nighttime raccoon attacks.

Her 44-year-old mother, Amanda Beheler, had prepared Phoebe for the likelihood that Indiana would ban bird shows after the deadly bird flu virus was found in a single backyard flock of mixed poultry in northern Indiana.

But the advance warning from her mother, who's a trained avian ecologist, didn't soften the blow of the news of the state's ban, even though Phoebe said she understands the virus is "a very dangerous disease" to birds.

"I was really disappointed. I just wasn't too happy because I'd already lost my two best birds to raccoons," she said.

The bird show ban imposed by the State Board of Animal Health is intended to protect both Indiana's commercial poultry industry and backyard flocks of chickens from the H5 avian influenza virus. Nearly 45 million birds have died, been euthanized or will be, mostly in the Upper Midwest, because of the outbreak.

Indiana's ban will likely remain in place through the rest of 2015 and includes county fairs, 4-H events, the Indiana State Fair, exhibitions and all events where live birds are commingled. The restriction extends to public bird sales at flea markets, swap meets and sale barns, but not to private sales of birds between individuals.

Indiana's summer county fair season begins in June and continues through the summer, with the first up being the Warren County 4-H Fair, which runs June 9-13 in Williamsport.

Warren County's Purdue Extension educator, Kelly Pearson, said the bird show ban will affect about 35 4-H participants who raised poultry and other birds for the 4-H fair in the sparsely populated rural county that abuts the Illinois state line.

"I know people are going to be disappointed," she said, adding, "But the rabbits will have more room this year."

Board of Animal Health spokeswoman Denise Derrer said the agency is creating an online page that should be ready in early June to solicit ideas about what innovative approaches might allow bird shows to proceed while still safeguarding the birds.

"We're trying to get some feedback from folks who can think outside the box about how we can we bring shows and public sales back in a way that's safer and provides a healthy environment for the birds," she said.

The state's bird show ban will provide protections to the state's large poultry industry if the virus were to spread. Indiana ranks first in the nation in duck production and is among the top five states in egg and turkey production.

"We have a large and diverse industry," said Paul Brennan, executive vice president of the Indiana State Poultry Association.

While ban is a disappointment for many 4-H participants who were eager to show off their birds, it doesn't affect the ability of participating youngsters to complete their 4-H projects, said Aaron Fisher, the youth development animal science specialist at the Purdue Extension's 4-H office.

"They're still caring for, feeding and maintaining their poultry on a daily basis. The only difference is they can't show the birds," he said.

© Copyright 2015 The Journal Gazette. All rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Scientists say killing HIV's sugar intake kills its growth - Toronto Sun

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BREKKIE WRAP: United Airlines refuses Muslim woman unopened Diet Coke ... - NEWS.com.au

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Obama's trade agenda faces tougher odds heading into House - New Zealand Herald

WASHINGTON (AP) " After several near death experiences in the Senate, the trade agenda that President Barack Obama is pushing as a second term capstone faces its biggest hurdle yet in the more polarized House of Representatives.

Anti-trade forces have struggled to ignite public outrage over Obama's bid to enact new free-trade agreements. Democratic opposition in Congress to such trade deals remains widespread.

The outcome may turn on Republicans' willingness to hand the president a major win in his final years in office. Underscoring the difficulties, House leaders are looking at the second or third week of June to schedule a vote, even though House members return from a holiday recess on Monday.

"The business of bill passing is a messy, sausage-making process. It was in the Senate, and it certainly will be in the House," White House communications director Jen Psaki said in an interview. "There will be many moments where there will be difficult issues. We have our eyes wide open with that."

At issue is legislation that would give Obama parameters for the trade deals he negotiates but also speed up congressional review of the final agreements by giving lawmakers the right to approve or reject deals, but not change them.

Obama is seeking this "fast track" authority to complete a 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade deal that spans the Pacific rim from Chile to Vietnam. He and trade backers say it will open huge markets to U.S. goods by lowering tariffs and other trade barriers. Critics, labor and environmental groups in particular, argue that new trade agreements will cost jobs and that past agreements have not lived up to labor and environmental standards.

Supporters and opponents of fast track count about 20 House Democrats in favor with fewer than a dozen still on the fence. Proponents of the bill say they need at least 25 Democrats and preferably closer to 30 to counter the 40 to 50 Republicans who are expected to vote against it in the Republican-controlled House.

The fast-track legislation squeezed through the Senate, coupled with a package of federal assistance for workers displaced by free trade agreements that helped secure Democratic votes. That aid measure, called Trade Adjustment Assistance, has emerged as a particularly tricky component because it's a priority for Democrats, but many Republicans oppose it and insist on publicly voting against it.

One House leadership option is to "divide the question" on the Senate-passed bill. That would allow separate votes on fast-track and TAA.

Presumably an overwhelming number of Republicans, and just enough Democrats, would vote for fast-track. And TAA would pass with heavy Democratic support and enough help from Republicans. That would ultimately leave the Senate bill intact and clear the way for Obama's signature.

Some Democrats, however, have raised the possibility of voting heavily against TAA to sabotage their main target, fast track. And many are unhappy that the assistance package would be partly funded by cuts in the growth of the Medicare program providing health care coverage to the elderly.

"There's a lot of unease in the Democratic caucus " and explicit opposition " to Congress paying for trade adjustment assistance with Medicare savings," Bill Samuel, the legislative director for the AFL-CIO trade union federation, said in an interview. "If Republicans are counting on Democrats to put it over the top, they may not be right about that."

If the trade assistance measure survives, the fast-track measure would still be in jeopardy.

"There's overwhelming opposition in the Democratic caucus," Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a leading opponent of Obama's trade bill, said in an interview. Republican leaders "are in a bind," she said. "If they had the votes, they'd be moving."

At the White House, officials say Obama might rely less on the public speeches and high-profile interviews that characterized the drive toward the Senate vote and focus more on targeted lobbying to retain Democratic supporters and win over any remaining fence sitters.

The White House has been especially impressed by the efforts of House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican who has worked to persuade conservatives who are reluctant to give a Democratic president fast track authority. Ryan has written opinion pieces with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a darling of the conservative movement, in support of trade and has courted other conservative leaders to back fast track.

On the Democratic side, labor has made opposition to free trade deals a priority, and the AFL-CIO has frozen its political action committee contributions to lawmakers until after the trade votes. During the Memorial Day congressional recess, a coalition of fast track opponents aired ads in 17 Democratic congressional districts criticizing the legislation and calling for its defeat.

But those efforts are running up against a more muddled public view of trade. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 58 percent of those surveyed, including a majority of Democrats, say free trade agreements have been good for the U.S. Moreover, when Pew asked Americans to list their top priorities for the president and Congress this year, global trade ranked 23rd.

"The people who don't normally pay attention to campaigns probably aren't going to be showing up to vote on this," conceded Jason Stanford of the Coalition to Stop Fast Track he said. "But what is important for these members to note is that the same people who were knocking on doors for them last time are opposing this now. They are turning that important base of support into a really dedicated opposition. And that's not how anyone wants to run for re-election."

APThis story has been automatically published from the Associated Press wire which uses US spellings

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92-year-old seeks to set records as oldest woman to complete marathon in San ... - Vancouver Sun

In this June 1, 2014 photo, Harriette Thompson, then 91, starts the 2014 Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, which she completed. Thompson is scheduled to compete in the 2015 edition in San Diego on Sunday, May 31, 2015. If she completes the race she would become, at age 92, the oldest woman to ever complete a marathon. (Paul Nestor/Competitor Group via AP)

SAN DIEGO - A 92-year-old cancer survivor is seeking to become the oldest woman to finish a marathon.

Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, is participating in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego on Sunday.

"I have no idea if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm going to try," Thompson said at a news conference on Friday.

This is her 16th time running it, and last year she set a record when she finished the race in 7 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, beating the previous record for a woman 90 or older by more than an hour and a half.

Thompson is a two-time cancer survivor who dealt with the loss of her husband and a staph infection in her legs while training for this year's race.

A classically trained pianist who played three times at Carnegie Hall, Thompson says she mentally plays old piano pieces she had performed to help her get through the 26.2 miles.

"I just don't think of myself being that unusual," she said. "I have a lot of people saying what an inspiration I am. That's nice to hear, good for something at this age."

The oldest woman to complete a marathon was Gladys Burrill, who was 92 years and 19 days old when she finished the 2010 Honolulu Marathon.

Thompson is 92 years and 65 days old, according to race organizers.

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Scientists say killing HIV's sugar intake kills its growth - Toronto Sun

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2 Boston men stabbed at Tufts University fraternity house - Washington Post

By Associated Press, 

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Police say two young Boston men were stabbed in the neck, one seriously, at a Tufts University fraternity house.

Somerville Deputy Chief Paul Trant says a “person of interest” is being sought and there is no threat to the surrounding community. He says the people involved know each other.

Tufts, which said the victims weren’t affiliated with the university, issued a shelter-in-place order for about three hours early Sunday.

Trant says police responding to the Delta Tau Delta house just before 4 a.m. found the men outside. He says the stabbings appear to have happened inside.

Both victims were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. A 20-year-old has a serious injury, and a 19-year-old’s injury is non-life-threatening.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Scientists say killing HIV's sugar intake kills its growth - Toronto Sun

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BRIEF-Novartis says drugs show survival benefit for melanoma patients

May 31 Novartis AG

* Novartis says combination of Tafinlar and Mekinist showssignificant survival benefit in patients with metastaticmelanoma

 * Say three-year data from Phase I-II study reinforcelong-term overall survival benefit of combination therapy

 * Say results to be presented at the Annual Meeting of theAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Further company coverage: (Reporting By Zurich Slot)

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Thai King admitted to hospital for check ups - palace

May 31 Thailand's king was admitted tohospital on Sunday for a health check up and will stayovernight, the palace said.

Examination of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, showed a normalheartbeat and no respiratory infections, according to astatement from the Royal Household Bureau. Blood tests and bodytemperature measurement also showed no abnormalities.

 Bhumibol is widely revered by Thais, most of whom have onlyexperienced his more than six decade reign. The king is seen asa figure above the country's often violent political divisions.

 (Reporting By Pracha Hariraksapitak and Viparat Jantraprap inBangkok. Writing By Aubrey Belford in Yangon.)

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Watchdog says ex-Nazis got $20.2 million in Social Security - Economic Times

WASHINGTON: More than 130 suspected Nazi war criminals, SS guards and others who may have participated in the Third Reich's atrocities during World War II collected $20.2 million in retirement benefits, according to the Social Security Administration's inspector general. In a report scheduled for public release next week and obtained by The Associated Press, the inspector general said nearly a quarter of the total, $5.7 million, went to individuals who were found to have played a role in the Nazi persecution and had been deported. More than $14 million was paid to people who weren't deported but were alleged or found to have assisted the Nazis during a period in which millions of Jews perished in the Holocaust.

The IG's report comes seven months after an AP investigation revealed benefits were paid to former Nazis after they were forced out of the United States. AP found that the Justice Department used a legal loophole to persuade Nazi suspects to leave the U.S. in exchange for Social Security benefits. If they agreed to go voluntarily, or simply fled the country before being deported, they could keep their benefits.

Congress reacted swiftly by passing legislation to close the loophole and bar Nazi suspects from receiving benefits. President Barack Obama signed the measure into law late last year.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, requested the inspector general look into the scope of the payments following AP's investigation.

"This report is another reminder that we must never forget the atrocities committed by the Nazis," Maloney said Saturday in an emailed statement. "According to this report, 133 alleged and confirmed Nazis actively worked to conceal their true identities from our government and received millions of dollars in Social Security payments."

The report doesn't include the names of the former Nazis and is narrowly focused on how many Nazi suspects received benefits. It criticizes the Social Security Administration for improperly paying four beneficiaries $15,658 because it did not suspend the benefits in time.

The report includes a detailed breakdown of how the payments were distributed.

The Social Security Administration last year refused the AP's request that it provide the total number of Nazi suspects who received benefits and the dollar amounts.

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Japan vigilant for 'Big One' after powerful quake - Times LIVE

Buildings swayed for around a minute in Tokyo and its vicinity Saturday night as the quake struck at a remote spot in the Pacific Ocean around 874 kilometres south of the capital, the US Geological Survey said.

Despite its power, there was no risk of a tsunami as its epicentre was a deep 676 kilometres below the Earth's surface, the USGS and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Twelve people were injured, including a 56-year-old man who broke his ribs, but no one was killed, an official of the Tokyo Fire Department and local media said Sunday.

Some 400 people were trapped at the observation decks of Tokyo Tower as its elevators stopped for more than one hour.

Runways at Haneda Airport in Tokyo were closed for about 30 minutes, with trains also temporarily halted, while a football match in the city was briefly suspended.

There were no reported anomalies at any of the region's mothballed nuclear power plants.

A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, killing thousands of people and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The nuclear disaster, the world's worst since Chernobyl, displaced tens of thousands of people and rendered tracts of land uninhabitable, possibly for decades.

Saturday's quake was the second sizeable tremor Tokyo has experienced in a week, after a much less powerful -- but far shallower -- earthquake hit close to the capital on Monday.

Some experts warn recent quakes and volcano eruptions may be signs that areas near the country are entering "an active phase of crustal changes".

"I can say Japan is in an active stage now," said Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Earthquake Prediction Research Centre at Tokai University.

"Considering the geographic location of Japan, we can say the current activities are rather normal and it was too quiet" before the 2011 jolt, Nagao told AFP.

"We should be vigilant by knowing that it is no wonder that an earthquake sizeable enough to affect our society can occur anytime in the future," he said.

Kazuki Koketsu, professor with the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, said the latest tremor was unlikely to be a sign of a potential big jolt in capital, which was devastated by an massive earthquake in 1923.

"But it is important to regard it as an opportunity to prepare for a future quake," Koketsu told TV Asahi.

Japan sits at the meeting place of four tectonic plates and experiences around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes every year.

But rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even powerful quakes frequently do little damage.

On Friday a volcano in the far south of Japan erupted, spewing a huge column of ash high into the sky and forcing authorities to evacuate the island on which it sits.

The eruption caused no injuries and no damage was reported, but it served as yet another reminder of the volatile geology of the country.

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Patient has malaria, not Ebola, University of Kansas Hospital officials say - Kansas City Star

A patient under treatment at the University of Kansas Hospital who recently returned from the West African nation of Sierra Leone does not have Ebola, hospital officials said Saturday.

Tests sent to a regional lab in Nebraska indicated the patient has tested positive for malaria.

The patient, who had a fever, called the hospital before arriving and was placed in strict isolation. Hospital officials said he did not visit parts of Sierra Leone where the Ebola outbreak was occurring.

Hospital officials said the patient was responding well to therapy.

Judy L. Thomas, jthomas@kcstar.com

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New strategy to starve HIV to death - The Indian Express

Scientists have found a new strategy to starve the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to death – by blocking its sugar and nutrient pipeline.

HIV has a voracious sweet tooth, which turns out to be its Achilles’ heel, according to researchers from Northwestern Medicine and Vanderbilt University.

After the virus invades an activated immune cell, it craves sugar and nutrients from the cell to replicate and fuel its wild growth throughout the body.

Scientists discovered the switch that turns on the immune cell’s abundant sugar and nutrient pipeline. Then they blocked the switch with an experimental compound, shutting down the pipeline and, thereby, starving HIV to death. The virus was unable to replicate in human cells in vitro.

The discovery may have applications in treating cancer, which also has an immense appetite for sugar and other nutrients in the cell, which it needs to grow and spread.

“This compound can be the precursor for something that can be used in the future as part of a cocktail to treat HIV that improves on the effective medicines we have today,” said Harry Taylor, assistant professor in Medicine-Infectious Diseases. HIV needs to grow in a type of immune cell (CD4+ T-cell)

HIV needs to grow in a type of immune cell (CD4+ T-cell) that is active, meaning it is already responding to pathogens in the blood. Activation increases the T-cell’s supplies of sugar and other critical nutrients needed for both cell and virus growth.

Until now, no one knew the first step that signalled a newly activated T-cell to stock up on sugar and other nutrients. Those nutrients become the building blocks of genetic material the cell and the virus need to grow.

Northwestern and Vanderbilt scientists figured out that the first step in stocking the T-cell’s pantry involved turning on a cell component called phospholipase D1 (PLD1).

Then they used an experimental compound to block PLD1 and shut down the pipeline. This is believed to be the first time scientists have
targeted the virus’s ability to pilfer the cell’s pantry to stop its growth. The compound also slowed the proliferation of the abnormally activated immune cells, the study found.

Current HIV medications stop HIV growth but do not affect the abnormal excess activation and growth of immune cells triggered by HIV.

The excess immune cell growth is believed to contribute to the life-long persistence of HIV and leads to excess inflammation that causes premature organ damage in HIV patients – even when the virus is suppressed by current medicines.

“Perhaps this new approach, which slows the growth of the immune cells, could reduce the dangerous inflammation and thwart the life-long persistence of HIV,” Taylor added.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

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Hastert's post-Congress life one of political withdrawal and chasing cash - Washington Post

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Former Nazis received $20.2M in Social Security benefits, watchdog says - Fox News

A report from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general revealed that more than 130 suspected Nazi war criminals, SS guards and others who may have participated in the Third Reich’s atrocities collected $20.2 million in retirement benefits.

The Associated Press reports the inspector general said nearly a quarter of the total, $5.7 million, went to individuals who were found to have played a role in the Nazi persecution and had been deported. More than $14 million was paid to people who were not reported but to those who allegedly or were found to have assisted the Nazis in World War II in which millions of Jews perished in the Holocaust. The full report is expected to be released next week.

The watchdog report comes seven months after The Associated Press revealed benefits were paid to former Nazis after they were forced out of the U.S. The AP found that the Justice Department used a legal loophole to persuade Nazi suspects to leave the U.S. in exchange for Social Security benefits. IF they agreed to go voluntarily or fled the country before their deportation, they could keep their benefits.

Congress passed legislation to close the loophole and bar Nazi suspects from receiving benefits. President Obama signed the measure into law last year.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, requested the inspector general look into the scope of the payments following AP's investigation. "This report is another reminder that we must never forget the atrocities committed by the Nazis," Maloney said Saturday in an emailed statement. "According to this report, 133 alleged and confirmed Nazis actively worked to conceal their true identities from our government and received millions of dollars in Social Security payments."

The report doesn't include the names of the former Nazis and is narrowly focused on how many Nazi suspects received benefits. It criticizes the Social Security Administration for improperly paying four beneficiaries $15,658 because it did not suspend the benefits in time.

The report includes a detailed breakdown of how the payments were distributed.

The Social Security Administration last year refused the AP's request that it provide the total number of Nazi suspects who received benefits and the dollar amounts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Vice president's son Beau Biden dies at 46 of brain cancer - Washington Post

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Patient has malaria, not Ebola, University of Kansas Hospital officials say - Kansas City Star

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New strategy to starve HIV to death - The Indian Express

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Former Nazis received $20.2M in Social Security benefits, watchdog says - Fox News

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Exclusive: Six powers agree way to restore UN sanctions in push for Iran deal ... - Reuters Canada

By Louis Charbonneau, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi

NEW YORK/PARIS/ANKARA (Reuters) - Six world powers have agreed on a way to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal, clearing a major obstacle to an accord ahead of a June 30 deadline, Western officials told Reuters.

The new understanding on a U.N. sanctions “snapback” among the six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - brings them closer to a possible deal with Iran, though other hurdles remain, including ensuring United Nations access to Iranian military sites.

The six powers and Iran struck an interim agreement on April 2 ahead of a possible final deal that would aim to block an Iranian path to a nuclear bomb in exchange for lifting sanctions. But the timing of sanctions relief, access and verification of compliance and a mechanism for restoring sanctions if Iran broke its commitments were among the most difficult topics left for further negotiations.

U.S. and European negotiators want any easing of U.N. sanctions to be automatically reversible if Tehran violates a deal. Russia and China traditionally reject such automatic measures as undermining their veto power as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

As part of the new agreement on sanctions snapback, suspected breaches by Iran would be taken up by a dispute-resolution panel, likely including the six powers and Iran, which would assess the allegations and come up with a non-binding opinion, the officials said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would also continue regularly reporting on Iran’s nuclear program, which would provide the six powers and the Security Council with information on Tehran’s activities to enable them to assess compliance.

If Iran was found to be in non-compliance with the terms of the deal, then U.N. sanctions would be restored.

The officials did not say precisely how sanctions would be restored but Western powers have been adamant that it should take place without a Security Council vote, based on provisions to be included in a new U.N. Security Council resolution to be adopted after a deal is struck. Continued...

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O'Malley's challenge to Clinton: Ideological or generational? Or both? - Washington Post

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Home-loving Toronto know the way to beat San Jose

Sebastian Giovinco set up two goals as Toronto secured a second successive Major League Soccer home victory with a 3-1 triumph over San Jose on Saturday.

Three days after losing 1-0 in a high-profile friendly against Manchester City, Toronto proved more than a match for the Earthquakes as Justin Morrow, Warren Creavalle and Luke Moore all found the net.

Toronto will be keen to maintain a strong run of home form after they were forced to play their first seven games on the road while their BMO Field stadium underwent renovations.

Elsewhere, Gershon Koffie scored a brilliant goal to set up Vancouver's 2-1 win over Salt Lake, his right-foot thunderbolt from almost 30 meters opening the scoring as the Whitecaps consolidated second place in the West.

Struggling New York City eked out a 1-1 home draw with the Houston Dynamo, thanks to a David Villa equalizer from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time.

 The draw leaves New York anchored at the foot of the Eastern standings on eight points after picking up just one win from 12 games.

There was, however, late drama in several games.

 In Washington, Chris Rolfe scored an 85th-minute penalty to give D.C. United a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union to ensure the hosts maintained their lead in the Eastern standings.

In Orlando, a long-range 89th-minute goal by Pedro Ribeiro earned the home team a 2-2 draw against Columbus.

 In Colorado, Jack Jewsbury scored in the 93rd minute as the Portland Timbers beat the Rapids 2-1, with the winner coming four minutes after Colorado had equalized.

But there was no late suspense in the other Saturday game, as Chicago whipped Montreal 3-0.


 (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by John O'Brien)

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Kansas patient tests negative for Ebola after Sierra Leone trip - Reuters Africa

May 30 (Reuters) - A man being monitored for Ebola at theUniversity of Kansas Hospital has tested negative for the deadlydisease, the hospital said on Saturday.

The man had returned from the West African nation of SierraLeone and developed a fever. The hospital said in a statementthat the patient had tested positive for malaria.

Tests from a regional lab in Nebraska showed no Ebola virus,it said. Hospital officials had said on Friday they weremonitoring the man.

More than 11,000 people have lost their lives in the Ebolaoutbreak in West Africa since the first reported case in March2014.

Only a handful of cases have been seen outside West Africa,in the United States, Spain and Britain. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington Editing by W Simon)

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New strategy to starve HIV to death - The Indian Express

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Lung cancer therapy 'milestone' - Gulf Daily News

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Hastert's post-Congress life one of political withdrawal and chasing cash - Washington Post

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#NotMyAmerica: Social media users debate tense Mohammed cartoon rally - CNN

Story highlights

Social media users lashed out for or against the rally
Some said there was a double standard when it comes to freedom of speech

But the latter was divided across a hashtag.

Behind the safety of their monitors, social media users lashed out for or against the rally and cartoon contest that reignited the debate on free speech.

Under the hashtag #NotMyAmerica, a stream of arguments and counterarguments flowed early Saturday.

Others slammed the "Draw Mohammed" organizer for asking attendees to bring their guns to the rally outside the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix.

Jon Ritzheimer said his Phoenix event was inspired by a similar one in Texas this month where police killed two men linked to ISIS. The two attempted a gun attack on a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest. They had attended the Phoenix mosque briefly.

Ritzheimer was to feature a similar contest across from its doors.

Others said there was a double standard when it comes to the freedom of speech.

Others, still, empathized with Muslims who were inside the mosque during the rally, which was held on a day they hold their prayers.

But some defended the right to protest.

And rallied against the entire religion.

CNN's Ben Brumfield contributed to this report

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More heavy rain but no new serious flooding in Houston area - Washington Post

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Beau Biden, vice president's son, dies of brain cancer - Washington Post

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Qatar's long journey home begins with loss in NZ

Joao Rodriguez's well-taken first half goal ensured Qatar's long build-up to a 2022 World Cup on home soil got off to a shaky start when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the under-20 equivalent tournament in New Zealand on Sunday.

Rodriguez, who plays for Portugal's Vitoria Setubal, finished off a superbly timed passing move and slotted home past goalkeeper Yousuf Hassan in the 25th minute of their Group C opener at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium.

Despite picking up the pace in the second half, the loss was an early setback to Qatar's journey to the 2022 World Cup with coach Felix Sanchez stating his job was to develop a team that would provide the bulk of the squad for that tournament.

"These boys will be at a great football age in 2022, by which time they will be 25, 26, and there is a huge desire among all those who work with the team for them to be competing in their home World Cup," the Spaniard told FIFA's website.

"It is a long journey but it will be enriching for them to experience this U-20 tournament, which is the closest you can get to the World Cup itself."

 The Gulf side won their first Asian under-19 title last year to qualify for this tournament and had a lengthy buildup, with camps in Austria, New Zealand and Australia over the last two months.

Sanchez also stacked his squad with Europe-based players with six of Sunday's starting side playing for Belgian second division side AS Eupen, which is owned by Qatar's ASPIRE Sports Foundation and used as a stepping stone for their young players.

 In the first half on Sunday, however, they were outclassed by the South Americans, who dominated possession and territory and were too slick in their passing and movement off the ball.

Sanchez's side improved in the second half and stretched the Colombian defense but Jassim Al Jalabi and Ahmed Alsadi wasted golden opportunities to score, with Colombia keeper Alvaro Montero diving low to his left to thwart the latter.

In Dunedin, 10-man Mali beat nine-man Mexico 2-0 in a fiery Group D match that came alive in the second half.

 Mali's Hamidou Maiga received his second booking in the 56th minute for a clumsy challenge before Mexico forward Diego Gama, who had come on as a second-half substitute, was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident.

Defender Oscar Bernal followed him two minutes later for his second booking, allowing Mali to capitalize with Adama Traore scoring in the 77th minute before Dieudonne Gbakale sealed the win three minutes later.


 (Editing by John O'Brien)

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Saturday, May 30, 2015

No Ebola for patient at KU Hospital - Lawrence Journal World

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