United State News Update: 2011

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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.

US new home permits rise 11% in March

The US housing market regained some ground in March after the number of permits for new-build homes rose by 11.2% compared with the previous month.

However, the recovery was from a very low base. February saw the lowest number of permits issued since 1963.

Home construction also rose 7.2% between the months to a seasonally adjusted 549,000 units, according to the US Commerce Department.

But the market remains weak with plenty of unsold and repossessed homes.

Millions of foreclosures have forced home prices down, meaning in some cities, prices are half of what they were before the housing market collapsed in 2006 and 2007.

Other figures underlined the fragility of the market.

The number of new homes finished and ready to sell dropped in March to the lowest since records began in 1968.

Data out on Monday also showed that confidence among home builders remains depressed.

The National Association of Home Builders said its index of industry sentiment for April fell one notch, to 16.

Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market's future, and the index has not been above that level since April 2006.

US warned on top credit rating by Standard & Poor's

The US has been warned that the credit rating on its government debt could be cut by Standard & Poor's.

S&P is concerned that Democrats and Republicans will not be able to agree a plan to reduce the growing US deficit.

It has downgraded its outlook from stable to negative, increasing the likelihood that the rating could be cut within the next two years.

The US Treasury responded that S&P had underestimated its ability to tackle the national debt.

"Because the US has, relative to its 'AAA' [top-rated] peers, what we consider to be very large budget deficits and rising government indebtedness and the path to addressing these is not clear to us, we have revised our outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable," the agency said in a statement.

The surprise move sent US and European shares lower. The S&P 500 fell the most in a month, and the US dollar dropped against the euro and Swiss franc. Oil was also sharply lower.

In Europe, the main UK, German and French indexes all fell by at least 2%.

The US federal deficit currently stands at $1.4tn (£858bn) and is expected to reach $1.5tn in the current fiscal year.

Budget battle

President Barack Obama suggested that the world could plunge into a new recession if the ceiling on money the US can borrow is not raised in the next few weeks, before the current debt limit of $14.3tn is reached. [Read More]

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Mississippi River levee to be breached for third time

US government engineers will blow up a third section of a Mississippi River levee in Missouri to relieve a flood threat, as rising waters continue to threaten towns in several US states.

Officials hope the new blast on the Birds Point levee will divert water for 35 miles (56km) before returning it to the river in the town of New Madrid.

The levee was first breached on Monday in order to save a town in Illinois.

The detonation sacrificed 200 square miles of farmland in Missouri.

'Disaster areas'

The third blast was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed until 1300 local time (1800 GMT) on Thursday due to logistical difficulties, said the Army Corp of Engineers, which is responsible for the system of locks and dams along the Mississippi River.

On Thursday, Arkansas closed a large section of Interstate 40, one of the busiest roadways in the nation, due to increased water levels, the state's transportation department said.

President Barack Obama declared regions in the states of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky disasters areas on Wednesday, making the states eligible for federal help with relief efforts.

Thousands of people from the states of Illinois to Louisiana have already been forced from their homes, as waters continue to rise.

Forecasters said the rising water levels could break some of the high-water records set during floods in 1927 and 1937.

By blowing a hole in the levee on Monday night, the Army Corps of Engineers hoped to reduce the river level in Cairo, lessen the pressure on the flood wall over the town, and relieve the flood risk further down the Mississippi River.

Water levels receded after the first blast and a second section of the levee was detonated on Tuesday to allow the water back into the river.

Royal newly-weds to visit US after Canada tour

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to pay an official visit to the US following their first overseas tour to Canada this summer.

Prince William and his new wife will extend the trip with a three-day visit to California from 8-10 July, said their spokesman.

Announcing the visit on its Twitter page, Clarence House said a full itinerary would be published later.

It will be the first official visit to the US for the duke.

While the prince has previously visited the States in a private capacity, this will be the duchess's first trip to the country.

The prince returned to his job as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot this week after marrying the duchess on Friday at Westminster Abbey.

The couple spent their first weekend as a married couple at a secret location in the UK, and opted to postpone their honeymoon until a later date.

They will begin their first joint official overseas trip by touring Canada from 30 June to 8 July, including visits to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and the capital, Ottawa.

Speaking earlier this year Canadian PM Stephen Harper said it was a testament to Canada's "very close relationship with the Royal Family".

It is believed the couple will take part in Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on 1 July.

William visited the Commonwealth country in 1998 aged 15, touring Vancouver with his father the Prince of Wales and brother Prince Harry.

The Queen visited Canada last July, and in 2009, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall spent 11 days there.

Osama Bin Laden: The power of shrines

Osama Bin Laden's body was buried at sea to deny his followers a shrine, it has been widely reported. But why do the graves of leaders matter so much?

For a man who had been the world's most wanted, it was a deeply undistinguished final resting place.

The remains of Osama Bin Laden met an inauspicious fate - his body dropped into the ocean from an American aircraft carrier.

US officials were at pains to insist that the process was conducted in "strict conformance with Islamic precepts and practices".

But the purpose of his burial at sea was clear - to ensure that there was no grave to become a shrine for supporters, and a recruiting tool for extremist Islamism. [Read More]

US tobacco firms win Missouri hospitals case

Six major US tobacco companies have defeated a lawsuit by hospitals seeking compensation for treating patients with smoking-related illnesses.

Thirty-seven hospitals in the state of Missouri had claimed cigarette companies delivered an "unreasonably dangerous" product.

They sought more than $455m (£272m) reimbursement for treating uninsured smokers who had not paid for care.

The hospitals treat many destitute, non-paying patients.

They said medical ethics required them to treat people in need, regardless of their ability to pay.

In the case, the hospitals claimed that tobacco companies manipulated the nicotine content in cigarettes and misrepresented the health effects of smoking.

But a jury in St Louis rejected their claim.

"The jury agreed with Philip Morris USA that ordinary cigarettes are not negligently designed or defective," said Murray Garnick of Philip Morris.

An official from Lorillard, another company in the case, said: "Compelling evidence was presented to the jury, including testimony from hospital witnesses, that confirmed the hospitals were not financially damaged as they asserted."

FluPhone app 'helps track spread of infectious diseases'

A mobile phone application could help monitor the way infectious diseases such as flu are spread.

The FluPhone app was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.

Volunteers' phones fitted with the app "talk" to each other, recording how many people each "infected subject" meets during an imaginary epidemic.

The university is one of seven institutions working on the study to reduce the impact of epidemics.

The FluPhone app uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously record interaction between volunteers involved in the study.

When mobile phones come into close proximity, that fact is recorded and data is sent automatically to the research team.

'Valuable insight'

Professor Jon Crowcroft and Dr Eiko Yoneki, co-principal investigators of the study, said they believed the collected data could be used to simulate social interaction during a real epidemic or pandemic.

A three-month FluPhone pilot study, using a basic version of the app, was conducted in Cambridge in 2010.

Dr Yoneki said: "The data was a valuable insight into how human communities are formed, how much time people spend together, and how frequently they meet. [Read More]

Barack Obama to visit Ground Zero

US President Barack Obama is to visit Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York, later on Thursday, four days after US forces killed al-Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

Bin Laden was believed to be the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and many others.

Mr Obama will lay a wreath in memory of the victims and speak to relatives.

The visit comes a day after the US leader said graphic photographs of Bin Laden's body would not be made public.

The al-Qaeda leader was killed by US special forces in northern Pakistan on Monday. His body was then buried at sea from a US aircraft carrier.

The Pakistani military on Thursday admitted "shortcomings" for failing to locate Bin Laden and has said it will launch an investigation.

But it also warned it would review co-operation with the US if there were any more unilateral raids such as the one that killed Bin Laden.

Moment of reflection

In New York Mr Obama will meet the families of those who died when the World Trade Center collapsed and those who tried to save them. [Read More]

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

World 'failed to track' Bin Laden

Pakistan's prime minister says spy agencies worldwide share the blame for his country's failure to capture Osama Bin Laden, who was killed by US forces.

"We have intelligence failure of the rest of the world including the United States," PM Yousuf Raza Gilani said.

Pakistan has been criticised for not locating Bin Laden, who was living near the country's main military academy.

The CIA head has said the US did not tell Islamabad of the raid in advance, for fear it would be jeopardised.

Meanwhile the US has revised its account of how the operation took place.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday that Bin Laden was not armed when his compound was stormed by US special forces in the early hours of Monday. [Read More]

Monday, May 2, 2011

Al-Qaeda's remaining leaders

After 11 September 2001, the US issued a list of suspected al-Qaeda leaders. Many have now been captured or killed, including Osama Bin Laden, while some new names have emerged.

Ayman al-Zawahiri

Ayman al-Zawahiri, an eye surgeon who helped found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad militant group, is expected to replace Osama Bin Laden as the leader of al-Qaeda.

He was already the group's chief ideologue and was believed by some experts to have been the "operational brains" behind the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. [Read More]

Bin Laden raid was revealed on Twitter

The raid that killed Osama Bin Laden was revealed first on Twitter.

An IT consultant, living in Abbottabad, unknowingly tweeted details of the US-led operation as it happened.

Sohaib Athar wrote that a helicopter was hovering overhead shortly before the assault began and said that it might not be a Pakistani aircraft.

He only became aware of the significance of his tweets after President Obama announced details of Bin Laden's death.

Mr Athar's first posting on the subject came at around 1am local time (9pm BST).

He wrote: "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)."

Soon after, he reported the sound of an explosion, now known to have been US forces blowing-up their damaged helicopter.

"A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S"

Throughout the raid, Mr Athar was drawing on information from friends in the local area who were also online. [Read More]