Mainstream News

The trouble with using police informants in the US

"Some law enforcement agencies in the US use informants in as many as 90% of their drug cases. But there are surprisingly few rules on how informants are used and a groundswell of calls for the system to be reformed. 'Snitches' are staple fare in Hollywood crime dramas, often working secretly with the police to bring down mafia godfathers or powerful drug cartels. The reality of informants in the US criminal justice system is usually rather different." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe trouble with using police informants in the US

No proof that helmets prevent concussion: experts

"Helmets and mouthguards can prevent serious head and facial injuries, but there is no evidence they specifically stave off concussion, top authorities in sports medicine say. Paradoxically, wearing this protection may lead to injuries because a player is tempted to take greater risks, they say. 'Biomechanical studies have shown a reduction in impact forces to the brain with the use of head gear and helmets, but these findings have not been translated to show a reduction in concussion incidence.' There can also be a 'paradoxical increase in injury rates' when players, kitted out in protective gear, adopt more dangerous tactics." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNo proof that helmets prevent concussion: experts

More than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving

"More than two-thirds of American motorists use a mobile phone while driving despite recent laws in many jurisdictions banning the practice, a survey showed Thursday. The study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 69 percent of US drivers talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Some 31 percent of drivers also said that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving

Researchers find sex cures migraines as well as medication

"Pounding headache? Sex could cure what ails you just as well as medication, a new study from the University of Munster finds. Researchers recruited 800 migraine sufferers and 200 cluster headache sufferers. While findings are preliminary, results showed that more than half of the migraine sufferers said their pain subsided after a bout of passion with their partners. The researchers suggested that sex triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which can reduce, or even eliminate, a headache, The Telegraph reported." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingResearchers find sex cures migraines as well as medication

Widespread placebo prescriptions prompt debate over the ethics of overmedication

"Almost all UK GPs have at some point given a patient a treatment they don’t need. While few GPs gave sugar pills or saline injections (only 1% admitted to doing this on a regular basis), most had given what the paper called 'impure placebos'. These they defined as treatments that can be effective in some instances, but not for the suspected condition or not at the dose prescribed. More interestingly, the survey also asked the doctors’ opinions on the ethicality of such treatment. Doctors seemed more comfortable ethically with prescribing impure placebos. However, more than 90% thought prescribing either pure or impure placebos was unacceptable." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWidespread placebo prescriptions prompt debate over the ethics of overmedication

US issues health warning over mercury fillings [2008]

"Amalgam dental fillings – which contain the highly toxic metal mercury – pose a health risk, the world's top medical regulatory agency has conceded. After years of insisting the fillings are safe, the US government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a health warning about them. It represents a landmark victory for campaigners, who say the fillings are responsible for a range of ailments, including heart conditions and Alzheimer's disease. The FDA is now reviewing its rules and may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS issues health warning over mercury fillings [2008]

U.S. sends anti-missile destroyer near North Korean coast

"The USS Fitzgerald, which had sailed to South Korea as part of recent exercises, has been sent off the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula instead of returning to its home port in Japan, a US defense official said. Pyongyang in February tested a nuclear bomb and has declared itself to be at a state of war with US-allied South Korea. The United States previously took the unprecedented step of announcing test bombing by nuclear-capable state-of-the-art B-2 bombers. It has also deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing exercise." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. sends anti-missile destroyer near North Korean coast

Obama launches $100 million brain-mapping project

"US President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a $100 million project to map the intricate inner mysteries of the human brain, targeting cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s. The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative will be run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Obama was introduced as 'scientist in chief' at the White House event by NIH Director Francis Collins, and his administration makes the case that despite tough fiscal times, investments in science are vital." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama launches $100 million brain-mapping project

Beekeepers sue EPA over failing to stop harmful pesticides

"The US government is being sued by a coalition of beekeepers, conservation and food campaigners over pesticides linked to serious harm in bees. The lawsuit accuses the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of failing to protect the insects – which pollinate three-quarters of all food crops – from nerve agents that it says should be suspended from use. Neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used insecticides, are also facing the prospect of suspension in the European Union, after the health commissioner pledged to press on with the proposed ban despite opposition from the UK and Germany." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBeekeepers sue EPA over failing to stop harmful pesticides

U.S. criticizes ‘unnecessary’ EU rules on genetically modified crops

"The United States on Monday criticized 'unnecessary' European Union rules against genetically modified US crop imports as it prepares to enter free-trade talks with the EU. EU restrictions notably have resulted in delays in the approval of new GM traits 'despite positive assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),' the US Trade Representative’s office said in a report on reducing trade sanitary barriers. The USTR also criticized the EU for imposing 'commercially infeasible requirements' on GE content in food products under EU Traceability and Labeling regulations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. criticizes ‘unnecessary’ EU rules on genetically modified crops