FDA finds antibiotics use in livestock is rising
The amount of antibiotics sold for use in livestock rose substantially in recent years, according to the Food and Drug Administration, a pattern that experts said was troubling given the efforts to battle antibiotic resistance in humans.
US seeks to curb dangers of antibiotic resistance
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Thursday announced measures to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, outlining a national strategy that includes incentives for the development of new drugs, tighter stewardship of existing ones, and improvements in tracking the use of antibiotics and the microbes that are resistant to them. The actions are the first major White House effort to confront a public health crisis that takes at least 23,000 lives a year, and many experts were pleased that a president had finally focused on the issue. But some said the strategy fell short in not recommending tougher measures against the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, which, they argue, is a big part of the problem. Researchers have been warning for years that antibiotics are losing their power because of overuse. Some warn that if the trend is not halted, we could return to the time before antibiotics, when it was common for people to die from ordinary infections and for children not to survive strep throat.
Number of Americans with health insurance increases
Federal researchers reported on Tuesday that the number of Americans without health insurance had declined substantially in the first quarter of this year, the first federal measure of the number of uninsured Americans since the Affordable Care Act extended coverage to millions of people in January.
More light shed on health violations
The Massachusetts Department of Health released hundreds of pages of documents Monday detailing a history of violations at the New England Compounding Center, whose tainted medicine has caused a nationwide meningitis outbreak. The documents include dozens of complaints from as early as April 1999, less than a year after the company began as a compounding pharmacy in Framingham, Mass.
Bill requiring ultrasound before abortion nears vote
RICHMOND, Va. — A bill requiring a woman to get an ultrasound before having an abortion is poised to pass Virginia’s Legislature this week, placing it on track to be signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Study finds big spike in poorest in the US
WASHINGTON — The number of people living in neighborhoods of extreme poverty grew substantially, by one third, over the past decade, according to a new report, erasing most of the gains from the 1990s when concentrated poverty declined. More than 10 percent of America’s poor now live in such neighborhoods, up from 9.1 percent in the beginning of the decade, an addition of more than 2 million people, according to the report by the Brookings Institution, an independent research group.
Governor moves to take fiscal control of Penn. capital
The fate of Pennsylvania’s financially troubled capital city, Harrisburg, took another twist in a long road Thursday, when Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill permitting him to place the city into receivership.
Census says gay parents find South more welcoming
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Being gay in this Southern city was once a lonely existence. Most people kept their sexuality to themselves, and they were reminded of the dangers of being openly gay when a gay church was bombed in the 1980s. These days, there are eight churches that openly welcome gay worshipers.
Men found guilty of hate crime in death of Latino immigrant
WASHINGTON — A federal jury found two young Pennsylvania men guilty of a hate crime on Thursday in the 2008 beating death of a Mexican immigrant. The verdict was welcomed by Hispanic organizations, which saw the trial as a national test case for the treatment of Latinos.
In Remote Afghan Area, A Model Development Program
A plan for grass-roots aid using small sums of money and village councils has nurtured modest but important changes in this corner of Afghanistan, raising hopes that it could become a model in a country where official corruption and a Taliban insurgency have frustrated many large-scale development efforts.
Afghan Leader Is Said to Accept Runoff Election
Under international pressure, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan appears set to concede as early as Tuesday that he fell short of a first-round victory in the nation’s disputed presidential election, but the path to ensuring that the country has credible leadership remains uncertain, U.S. and European officials said Monday.
17 Die in Bombing Near Indian Embassy in Kabul
A car packed with explosives blew up beside the Indian Embassy on Thursday, leaving 17 people dead in what India’s foreign secretary said was a direct attack on the embassy compound, the second in two years.
Militants Joining Forces To Advance Into Pakistan
Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab, the province that is home to more than half of Pakistanis, reinvigorating an alliance that Pakistani and American authorities say poses a serious risk to the stability of the country.
Struggling for Religious Identity in A More Modern, Secular Turkey
High school hurt for Havva Yilmaz. She tried out several selves. She ran away. Nothing felt right.
Blackwater Role in Shooting Said To Include Chaos, Civilian Deaths
Participants in a contentious Baghdad security operation this month have told U.S. investigators that during the operation at least one guard continued firing on civilians while colleagues urgently called for a cease-fire.
Shiites Grow Disillusioned With Baghdad’s Local Mahdi Militia
In a number of Shiite neighborhoods across Baghdad, residents are beginning to turn away from the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia they once saw as their only protector against Sunni militants. Now they resent it as a band of street thugs without ideology.
Baghdad Bans U.S. Contractor After Gunfire Kills Eight Iraqis
Blackwater USA, an American contractor that provides security to some of the top American officials in Iraq, has been banned from working in the country by the Iraqi government after a shooting that left eight Iraqis dead and involved an American diplomatic convoy.