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Rabu, 30 Oktober 2013

New York City Council votes to raise tobacco purchasing age to 21 - ( T3CHNLG1 )

By Curtis Skinner

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York City Council voted to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco to 21, the highest in the country, in hopes of reducing smoking among the city’s young adults.

The council voted 35 to 10 on Wednesday to raise the age requirement from 18.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an anti-smoking crusader, was expected to sign the bill, which would become law 180 days later.

Some 19,000 high school students under 18 currently smoke in the city and 80 percent of smokers start before age 21, according to the city’s health department. Youth smoking rates have hovered around 8.5 percent since 2007 after having been cut in half from 2001 to 2006.

“We need the next big thing. And this is the next big thing,” City Councilman James Gennaro, the sponsor of the bill, told reporters about the bill’s intent to further reduce smoking among the city’s youth.

Raising the minimum sales age to 21 would reduce smoking among 14 to 17 year olds by two-thirds and cut rates by a little over half for 18 to 20 year olds, the health department said.

Bloomberg, nearing the end of his third and final term, has made public health a focus of his 12 years in office, starting with a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants in 2002. In 2011 the city banned smoking in outdoor venues such as public parks and beaches. Bloomberg has also targeted fatty foods, salt and sugary drinks in New York City restaurants.

Four states – Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah – and several municipalities across the country have set the minimum age for buying tobacco products at 19.

While New York would be the first major city to have a sales age as high as 21, the Boston suburb of Needham, Massachusetts, actually led the way in 2005. Between 2006 and 2012, smoking among high school students in Needham fell by more than half, New York City officials said.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Bob Burgdorfer)

U.S. appeals court revives patent fight over AstraZeneca drug - ( T3CHNLG1 )

By Jessica Dye

(Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reinstated part of a legal fight by AstraZeneca over a patent protecting its Pulmicort Respules asthma drug, months after the court temporarily halted competitors from distributing generic versions.

The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reverses an earlier decision that generic drugmakers -including Apotex Inc, Sandoz Inc and Watson Laboratories Inc -had not infringed an AstraZeneca patent relating to the drug.

The court left intact a finding that another AstraZeneca patent related to the drug was invalid.

AstraZeneca said in a statement Wednesday that it had “full confidence in the strength of its intellectual property rights” concerning the pediatric asthma drug.

The defendants were not immediately available for comment after regular business hours Wednesday.

AstraZeneca had filed suit earlier this year seeking to block the generic drugmakers from introducing versions of Pulmicort Respules. The defendants countersued, saying that the patents were invalid and that they had not infringed them.

The case went to trial, and in April a federal judge in New Jersey found that one AstraZeneca patent had not been infringed, and that another was invalid. AstraZeneca appealed, and in May the Federal Circuit issued a temporary injunction to block generic versions of the drug from being distributed in the United States.

Defendants Apotex, Watson and Breath Limited had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the drug, and Sandoz received approval while the appeal was pending, AstraZeneca said in a statement.

None of the manufacturers have launched a generic product in the United States, although AstraZeneca has an agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals allowing that company to sell a generic version, the company said.

According to a regulatory filing from AstraZeneca, Pulmicort generated $ 866 million in worldwide revenue for AstraZeneca in 2012.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Mosquitoes known to carry dengue, yellow fever seen in California - ( T3CHNLG1 )

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A tropical mosquito known to carry dengue and yellow fever has been detected in California, raising concerns among public health officials and prompting intense efforts to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly diseases.

The mosquito, known by the scientific name Aedes aegypti requires little standing water to reproduce.

“This mosquito bites during the day. It’s an aggressive mosquito and that in itself – the nuisance aspect – is going to be huge for people in our areas,” said Steve Mulligan, director of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District that encompasses parts of Fresno County.

“It could bring about an impact in our lifestyle. We like to be outdoors in summertime and enjoy our backyards,” he said.

None of the specimens trapped and tested since the mosquito first appeared in California’s Central Valley in June have been found to carry disease, and no illnesses associated with the insect have been reported.

But the tiny insect’s feeding and breeding habits make it a voracious pest, which if allowed to propagate could pose a risk to the nation’s most populous state as an avenue of infection for dengue and yellow fever, public health authorities said.

Native to tropical and subtropical regions, the species has already turned up in Hawaii, Arizona, Texas and parts of the U.S. Southeast, Florida in particular.

“We’re hoping to eradicate this species, but that will be challenging, and we’re certainly interested in whether it can survive the winter months in California,” said Vicki Kramer, chief of vector-borne diseases for the state Department of Public Health.

Vector-control authorities in Fresno, Madera and San Mateo counties, where the mosquito has been identified, are warning residents to empty bird baths, dog dishes, flower pots and other sources of standing water from around their homes.

Homeowners are also advised to keep screens over open windows and doors, to apply repellent when outside and to use mosquito netting over infant cribs, carriers and strollers.

Mosquito abatement districts are using special pesticides in places where aegypti is found, but they need help from the public to pinpoint infestations. They say the biggest telltale sign is being bitten in the daytime.

AGGRESSIVE DAYTIME FEEDER

Most mosquito species that bite people and are common to residential areas of California tend to feed at night. Others that bite during daylight hours are typically found in rural or undeveloped areas only, officials say.

For now, the risk of contracting dengue or yellow fever in California is low, because a mosquito would have to bite an already infected person then bite another person, experts say.

While there have been locally transmitted human cases of dengue reported in Florida this year, and occasional cases in Hawaii and Texas, all 183 cases documented in California since 2010 have been in people infected while traveling in Latin America, Asia or Africa, Kramer said.

Yellow fever in California is even more rare. The last known case was in 1999, she said.

Aedes aegypti is a primary vector for both diseases, and the chances of local transmission rise as the incidence of “imported” human cases grows and the Aedes aegypti mosquito population expands.

Dengue causes high fever, debilitating joint and muscle pain, headaches, vomiting and a skin rash. Yellow fever often begins with flu-like symptoms and can progress to a more severe phase that can lead to jaundice and internal bleeding.

Both can be fatal. Worldwide, some 500,000 people with severe dengue require hospitalization each year, and 2.5 percent of those stricken die, according to the World Health Organization. It estimates the annual number of yellow fever cases worldwide at 200,000, resulting in 30,000 deaths a year.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Gunna Dickson)

New security issues surface as Sebelius testifies - ( T3CHNLG1 )

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s embattled top health official declared herself accountable Wednesday for failures of the much-maligned health insurance website as a newly surfaced government memo pointed to security concerns that were laid out just days before its launch.

Despite the problems, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the health care overhaul, the signature legislative accomplishment of Obama’s first term. She said the website problems will be fixed by Nov. 30 and gaining health insurance will make a positive difference in the lives of millions of Americans.

The website HealthCare.gov was still experiencing outages, even as Sebelius was testifying to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that “I’m responsible.” And she faced a new range of questions about an internal memo from her department that revealed the troubled website was granted a temporary security certificate on Sept. 27, just four days before it went live on Oct. 1.

The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, said incomplete testing created uncertainties that posed a potentially high security risk for the website. It called for a six-month “mitigation” program, including ongoing monitoring and testing.

Republicans opposed to Obama’s health care law are calling for Sebelius to resign. She apologized to people having trouble signing up but told the committee that the technical issues that led to frozen screens and error messages are being cleared up on a daily basis.

Security issues raise major new concerns on top of the long list of technical problems the administration is grappling with.

“You accepted a risk on behalf of every user … that put their personal financial information at risk,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., told Sebelius, citing the memo. “Amazon would never do this. ProFlowers would never do this. Kayak would never do this. This is completely an unacceptable level of security.”

Sebelius countered that the system is secure, even though the site’s certificate, known in government parlance as an “authority to operate,” is of a temporary nature. A permanent certificate will be issued only when all security issues are addressed, she stressed.

Spokeswoman Joanne Peters added separately: “When consumers fill out their online … applications, they can trust that the information they’re providing is protected by stringent security standards and that the technology underlying the application process has been tested and is secure. Security testing happens on an ongoing basis using industry best practices.”

The security certificate is required under longstanding federal policy before any government computer system can process, store or transmit agency data. The temporary certificate was approved by Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner, the senior HHS official closest to the rollout. No major security breaches have been reported.

The memo said, “From a security perspective, the aspects of the system that were not tested due to the ongoing development, exposed a level of uncertainty that can be deemed as a high risk for the (federal marketplace website).”

It recommended setting up a security team to address risks and conduct daily tests, and said a full security test should be conducted within two to three months of the website going live.

A separate page stated that “the mitigation plan does not reduce the risk to the (website) itself going into operation on October 1, 2013. However, the added protections do reduce the risk to the overall Marketplace operations and will ensure that the … system is completely tested within the next 6 months.”

That page was signed by three senior technical officials below Tavenner at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. All the officials deal with information security issues.

Sebelius’ forthright statement about her ultimate accountability for problems with the sign-up rollout came as Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., peppered her with questions about the “debacle.”

“Hold me accountable for the debacle,” Sebelius responded. “I’m responsible.”

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee, scoffed at Republican “oversight” of a law they have repeatedly tried to repeal.

“I would urge my colleagues to stop hyperventilating,” said Waxman. “The problems with HealthCare.gov are unfortunate and we should investigate them, but they will be fixed. And then every American will have, finally have, access to affordable health insurance.”

The website HealthCare.gov was intended to be the online gateway to coverage for millions of uninsured Americans, as well those who already purchase their policies individually. Many people in the latter group will have to get new insurance next year, because their policies do not meet the standards of the new law.

Throughout the 3 ½-hour hearing, Sebelius was respectful, often addressing lawmakers as “sir” or “congresswoman.” She kept her cool as some lawmakers repeatedly cut off her answers. But she did not shy a few times from tersely interjecting her views while a member was speaking.

The standing-room-only hearing room was silent when she swore an oath to tell the truth and began her opening statement.

Addressing consumers who’ve tangled with the confusing system, Sebelius added, “So let me say directly to these Americans, you deserve better. I apologize.”

She parried questions about problems with the website as well as a wave of cancellation notices hitting individuals and small businesses who buy their own insurance. Those notices are coming because many existing individual policies are too skimpy to meet the law’s requirements. The administration says consumers affected will be able to find better coverage.

Lawmakers also wanted to know how many people have enrolled in plans through the health insurance marketplaces. Sebelius stuck with the administration response, promising to release the data in mid-November.

Starting Jan. 1, most Americans will be required to carry health insurance or face fines. At the same time, insurance companies will no longer be able to turn away people in poor health. The law provides subsidized private insurance for middle-class people who don’t get health care on the job. Low-income people can access an expanded version of Medicaid in states that agree to expand that safety net program.

___

Associated Press writer Jack Gillum contributed to this report.

Ariana Grande Channels Shakespeare in ‘Right There’ - ( T3CHNLG1 )

In the video for her new single, “Right There,” Ariana Grande filters Romeo and Juliet through the campy lens of a late-Nineties teenage rom-com. Directed by the Young Astronauts (who also helmed the clip for Grande’s “Almost Is Never Enough”), the clip stars Grande stars as “Juliet” opposite her suave “Romeo” love interest, Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Ariana Grande on ‘Yours Truly’ and Miley Cyrus

As in the Shakespeare story, the pair meet at a masquerade party and eventually fall in love. But, since this is a pop music video, there’s also plenty of camp: Throughout, Grande fans herself on a frilly Victorian bed, strikes sassy poses and even ventures into a massive swimming pool for a late-night make-out session. Big Sean, who contributes a guest verse to the track, also shows up, though he’s mainly relegated to the sidelines, playing the role of “The Priest.”

“How can this be wrong when it feels so right?,” Grande sings on the track, channeling the sweetness (and melodic content) of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” backed by skittering programmed snares and piano. With her high vocal range, Grande has garnered Carey comparisons before, and she told Rolling Stone recently that she counts them as “a blessing.”

“When you look at ‘The Way,’ it’s obvious, but I’m not worried about it,” she said. “It’s a massive compliment; she’s the greatest singer in the world, like literally, the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s an incredible compliment but it doesn’t worry me, because when you listen to my album as a whole, you get to know me.”

Grande’s debut, Yours Truly, came out in August, but she’s already working on her follow-up. In the same interview, the singer gave a preview of thenext album, which she hopes will be “a little bit different.”

“I don’t want it to sound like an extension of Yours Truly,” she said. “I want it to sound like an evolution. I want to explore more sounds and experiment a little bit. I have a bunch of ideas I’m very excited about and a lot of stuff cooking.”

Get a $50 American Express Gift Cheque for Bookings of 5 Nights or Longer at Participating Hotels in Jamaica! - ( T3CHNLG1 )

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Gimme That! Zoe Saldana’s Edgy Ankle Booties - ( T3CHNLG1 )

von

Rose Curiel

| Übersetzt von Rose Curiel

30. Oktober 2013 – 10:24

Marriage definitely agrees with Zoe Saldana!

The newlywed was positively glowing when she and husband, Marco Perego recently hit the streets of Venice Beach, Calif. for a little retail therapy.

While her PDA with her handsome beau undoubtedly contributed to her radiance, so too did her flawless sense of style.

Perfecting the effortlessly chic, not-trying-too-hard style that many of us strive for, Saldana nailed a fabulous fall look with a casual striped-top-and-jeans combo that she toughened up with an edgy leather jacket and badass booties.

NEWS: Is this Zoe Saldana’s wedding ring? See for yourself!

And while we (sadly) can’t have her hunky hubby, at least we can steal her style.

Yep, we found the cool girl Rag & Bone ankle boots she wore while strutting her stuff alongside Perego. We love the Newbury style in Saldana’s versatile black color of choice, but the stylish shoes also come in gray, beige and dark brown for warmer hued fall ensembles.

But no matter what shade you opt for, this is a goes-with-everything footwear find. Just ask Reese Witherspoon, who wore a similar Rag & Bone style last fall, which she paired with everything from flirty dresses to jeans.

We have a feeling we’ll spot Saldana with her booties—and man!—many more times before the season’s over!

Are you a fan of Zoe’s ankle booties?

PHOTOS: Check out more fab celebrity fashion finds