United State News Update

Friday, May 13, 2011

Coffee mooted as a breast cancer preventer

Women who drink lots of coffee may cut their risk of developing one type of breast cancer, according to a new study, but experts are urging caution.

The Karolinska Institute findings are based on nearly 6,000 women and suggest drinking more than five cups a day halves a woman's risk.

But cancer experts say the evidence is not proof enough and women should instead focus on leading a healthy lifestyle to cut their cancer odds.

They say the findings need confirming.

The Swedish researchers are now doing more studies to dig deeper into the coffee question.

Their initial findings suggest that coffee cuts the risk of an aggressive form of breast cancer called oestrogen-receptor negative breast cancer.

Aggressive cancer

Around one in four women diagnosed with breast cancer will have oestrogen-receptor negative breast cancer, which is often resilient to drug treatment and requires intensive chemotherapy. [Read More]

Sex and coffee 'trigger stroke'

Coffee, sex and blowing your nose could increase the risk of a type of stroke, say researchers in the Netherlands.

The study on 250 patients identified eight risk factors linked to bleeding on the brain.

They all increase blood pressure which could result in blood vessels bursting, according to research published in the journal Stroke.

The Stroke Association said more research was needed to see if the triggers caused the rupture.

More than 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year with nearly 29,000 due to bleeding on the brain.

Bleeding can happen when a weakened blood vessel, known as a brain aneurysm, bursts. This can result in brain damage or death.

The researchers at the University Medical Center in Utrecht looked at 250 patients for three years to identify what triggers ruptures.

Caffeine danger

They found that coffee was responsible for more than one in 10 burst brain aneurysms. [Read More]

Pfizer sets aside $772m for drug illness claims

The drugs giant Pfizer has put aside $772m (£476m) to resolve claims its hormone replacement drugs cause serious illness.

Pfizer, which is the world's largest drugmaker, said the money provides "the minimum expected costs to resolve all of the other outstanding" lawsuits over the drugs.

The company did not say how many cases would be settled.

Pfizer has already settled a third of claims relating to the drugs.

At the height of the litigation, the company faced more than 10,000 claims.

Much of the claims were inherited along with Pfizer's 2009 takeover of Wyeth, which makes the menopause treatment drug Prempro.

In 2002 a study linked the drug with breast cancer.

More than six million women took Prempro and related menopause drugs to treat symptoms including hot flushes and mood swings.

Wyeth has won dismissals of more than 3,000 cases before they came to be tried.

US officials get access to Bin Laden wives in Pakistan

US officials have had access to three of Osama Bin Laden's widows in Pakistan, the White House has said.

Spokesman Jay Carney gave no further details, but the US wants to obtain information about the al-Qaeda leader's life since he disappeared in late 2001.

The women were taken into Pakistani custody after surviving the raid by US commandos on Bin Laden's compound in the city of Abbottabad on 2 May.

One official said interviews with them had not been particularly forthcoming.

Pakistan has said it will repatriate the widows and their children. One of the women is from Yemen; the other two are from Saudi Arabia.

Analysts say they could offer rare details about his life on the run.

One of the wives has told Pakistani investigators that he lived in Pakistan for more than seven years. Another has said she moved to Abbottabad in 2006, a year after their home was built, and had never left its upper floors.

Before the raid, Bin Laden's whereabouts had been unknown since he escaped from the mountains of Tora Bora in southern Afghanistan during an assault by US and Afghan forces in December 2001. [Read More]

George Mitchell resigns as US envoy to Middle East

US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is resigning after two years in the role, the White House says.

Mr Mitchell, a former senator and broker of the peace deal in Northern Ireland, is stepping down for personal reasons, the Associated Press reported.

He has shuttled between the Israelis and Palestinians trying to bring the two sides together for peace talks.

US President Barack Obama said Mr Mitchell had "contributed immeasurably" to the peace process.

In a letter to the president announcing his resignation, Mr Mitchell said he had taken the job with the expectation of serving in the position for two years.

He also said in the letter: "I strongly support your vision of comprehensive peace in the Middle East and thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your administration."

Mr Obama said in a statement: "As he returns to his family, George leaves behind a proud legacy of dedicated public service and the country owes him a debt of gratitude for his extraordinary commitment."

He praised Mr Mitchell's "deep commitment to resolving conflict and advancing democracy".

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "As well as anyone in his generation, George understands the slow, hard work of diplomacy, the art of compromise and the indispensable role of American leadership in the world."

She appointed Deputy Middle East Envoy David Hale to serve as acting envoy. Mr Mitchell's resignation will be effective from 20 May.

September talks

Mr Mitchell, 77, was appointed Middle East envoy by President Barack Obama in early 2009. [Read More]

Friday, May 6, 2011

Osama Bin Laden 'planned 9/11 anniversary train attack'

Documents found at Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan home suggest he was planning attacks on the US, including on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, reports say.

One plan was to target a US rail route, US officials revealed, although no imminent threat was detected.

Officials are examining computers, DVDs, hard-drives and documents seized from the Abbottabad home where Bin Laden may have hid for up to six years.

Several rallies are expected across Pakistan in protest at Monday's raid.

Many Pakistanis are angry at what they see as a US infringement of their country's sovereignty.

They are also critical of the government for allowing the commando operation to happen, although officials deny they were told about it.

Around 1,000 people had already gathered in central Abbottabad following Friday prayers, the AFP news agency reported.

They were setting fire to tyres, blocking a main road and shouting "Down, down USA!" and "Terrorist, terrorist, USA terrorist".

Anti-American sentiment appeared to be high at a similar protest in the south-western city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

Later on Friday, US President Barack Obama is due to meet some of the troops involved in the helicopter-borne assault.

He will hold private meetings on Friday at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with at least some of the Navy Seals who took part in the raid.

Derail plan

Information about the apparent plans unearthed in Pakistan was contained in a joint FBI and Homeland Security bulletin, the Associated Press news agency said. [Read More]

Bin Laden: The team that killed him

The men assigned to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden were part of the US Navy's legendary special forces unit, the Seals. Who are they?

It was years in the planning but took just 40 minutes to execute.

More than a dozen members of the US military were dropped near the high-walled, three-storey compound on the outskirts of Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan.

After a brief firefight, five people were killed, including Osama Bin Laden, who reportedly received a shot above his left eye.

All the US forces escaped unharmed, despite technical problems with one helicopter that they had to leave behind.

It says everything about their presence of mind that despite the dangers, they collected hard drives, DVDs and documents from the building before they left.

From the US point of view, the mission, codenamed Geronimo, could hardly have gone any better, a reflection on the preparation and skills of the men who carried it out. [Read More]

US employment jumps 244,000 in April

US employment rose in April for the seventh month in a row, official figures have shown, but the overall unemployment rate has also risen.

According to the US Labor Department, the number of new jobs created in April rose by 244,000, more than expected.

However, the unemployment rate rose too, to 9%, from 8.8%. The employment and unemployment figures are collected using different methods.

The number of US citizens out of work is 13.7 million.

Although the increase in the number of people in work was better than had been expected, it is a fraction of the 8 million US workers who lost their jobs in the downturn following the 2008 financial crisis.

Higher commodity and food prices curbed US economic growth in the first quarter.

But although inflation is higher than the authorities would like, Friday's employment data showed little in the way of pressure from wage inflation. Average hourly earnings rose just 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $22.95.

'Sustainable growth'

A wide range of sectors saw jobs growth. Employment in retail trade rose by 57,000, while professional and business services added 51,000 jobs.

Employment in healthcare increased by 37,000, leisure and hospitality rose by 46,000, and manufacturing by 29,000.

However, the number of public sector jobs fell by 24,000.

"It looks like a good report if you don't look at unemployment. Job creation is good. We're getting close to the point where we are seeing sustainable job growth," said Gary Thayer, from Wells Fargo Advisors.

"The stock market likes the numbers, but the report also moves us maybe a step closer to the Fed pulling back on stimulus.

"That doesn't mean a rate hike right away. We might see the Fed let its balance sheet contract a bit in the second half of the year, but we probably won't see an actual rate hike until early 2012."

Growth in the US economy slows to 1.8%

US economic growth slowed in the first three months of 2011 to an annualised rate of 1.8%, corresponding to a 0.4% quarterly increase.

This compares with a revised annual growth rate of 3.1% in the previous quarter, official figures show.

US GDP is expressed as an annualised rate, or annual pace, which shows what the three months' economic activity would mean if it carried on for a year.

The figure is a first estimate, and could be revised either up or down.

Economic growth has been hampered by high energy prices which have weakened consumer spending.

Consumer spending fell to 2.7% from 4% in the previous quarter.

Analysts said that although the GDP data was disappointing, it was not unexpected after the federal government slashed defence spending and heavy winter weather delayed construction projects.

Consumption crimped

"It's very much in line with consensus. The underlying components were a little better than what I had expected. The biggest factor was weather. It hurt consumption and construction," said Stephen Stanley of Pierpont Securities.

"Energy also hurt consumption as well. Higher gasoline prices took a bigger bite out of people's budget."

On Wednesday, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke said that the struggling housing market would continue to weigh on the US economic recovery.

He pointed out that home building and commercial construction were both "very weak" in the first quarter.

The Federal Reserve has cut its economic growth forecast for this year, citing weaker growth for the first quarter.

However, Mr Bernanke also said that he believed the elements leading to weaker economic growth would lessen throughout the year.

"Most of the factors that account for the slower growth in the first quarter appear to us to be transitory," he added.

The Fed now expects growth for 2011 to be between 3.1% and 3.3%.

US house price falls continue, Case Shiller index shows

US house prices fell for the eighth month in a row in February and are nearing lows reached during the 2009 recession, a survey has said.

The Case Shiller housing index, which is compiled by rating agency Standard & Poor's, was down 3.3% from a year ago.

"There is very little, if any, good news about housing," said David Blitzer, S&P's index committee head.

"Prices continue to weaken, trends in sales and construction are disappointing."

Recent data confirms that the US housing market remains in a "slow recovery", says Mr Blitzer, with home sales still close to recent lows and repossessions and mortgage payment delinquencies still elevated.

Of the 20 cities tracked by the closely-watched index, 19 registered falling prices over the past 12 months, according to the company's latest data release.

The one exception is Detroit, at the heart of the US rustbelt, where prices finally appear to have bottomed out.

However, home values in Detroit remain 30% below their level of 2000, thanks to a market slump in the city caused by the near-collapse of the US car industry.

The index is now just 0.4% above the low it reached in May 2009 following the bursting of the US housing bubble.