Canada says “significant risks” remain in U.S. after fiscal deal






OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada‘s finance minister on Wednesday welcomed the U.S. “fiscal cliff” agreement, but warned that significant risks remain and urged more action to put the U.S. fiscal situation on a sustainable path.


“Canada welcomes the agreement reached between the president and the Congress that protects the U.S. economy in the short term,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in a statement.






“That said, there remain a number of significant risks to the U.S. economic outlook. It is my hope that leaders in the United States continue to work together to develop future action that will put the U.S. fiscal position on a sustainable path,” he said.


(Reporting by Louise Egan; Editing by Leslie Adler)


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Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt in West Bank






TAMOUN, West Bank (AP) — An arrest raid by undercover Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors ignited rare clashes in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, residents said, leaving at 10 Palestinians wounded.


Israeli army raids into Palestinian areas to seize activists and militants are fairly common. The raids are normally coordinated with Palestinian security forces, and suspects are usually apprehended without violence.






The clashes began early Tuesday after Israeli forces disguised as merchants in a vegetable truck arrested one man. Regular army forces then entered the town, prompting youths to hurl rocks to try to prevent more arrests.


Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition as youths set tires and bins on fire to block the passage of military vehicles. In several hours of clashes, dozens of masked youths hid behind makeshift barriers, hurling rocks and firebombs at soldiers.


Faris Bisharat, a resident of Tamoun, said 10 men were wounded, some by live fire. Bisharat said the wanted men belong to Islamic Jihad, a violent group sworn to Israel’s destruction. It wasn’t clear how many men Israeli forces sought to arrest. There were no immediate details on how seriously the 10 were hurt.


The Israeli military said it arrested a “terrorist affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terror group.” It said two soldiers were injured during the raid.


The fighting, which broke out in several parts of the town of some 8,000 people, were a rare, angry response. It was also unusual for Israeli forces to use live fire toward Palestinian demonstrators. Israel says it uses live fire only in extremely dangerous situations.


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No surprise: YouTube, Angry Birds, Instagram and Facebook among 2012′s top apps









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ESPN’s Hannah Storm returns 3 weeks after accident






NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN anchor Hannah Storm returns to the air New Year’s Day, exactly three weeks after she was seriously burned in a propane gas grill accident at her home.


Storm suffered second-degree burns on her chest and hands, and first-degree burns to her face and neck. She lost her eyebrows and eyelashes, and roughly half her hair.






Storm will host ABC’s telecast of the 2013 Rose Parade on Tuesday. Her left hand will be bandaged and she said viewers might notice a difference in her hair texture where extensions have been added.


“I’m a little nervous about things I used to take for granted,” she said by phone this weekend from Pasadena, Calif. “Little things like putting on makeup and even turning pages on my script.”


The award-winning sportscaster and producer was preparing dinner outside her home in Connecticut on the night of Dec. 11 when she noticed the flame on the grill had gone out. She turned off the gas and when she reignited it “there was an explosion and a wall of fire came at me.”


“It was like you see in a movie, it happened in a split-second,” she said. “A neighbor said he thought a tree had fallen through the roof, it was that loud. It blew the doors off the grill.”


With her left hand, she tore off her burning shirt. She tried to use another part of her shirt to extinguish the flames that engulfed her head and chest, while yelling for help. Her 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, called 911 and a computer technician who was working in the house grabbed some ice as Storm tried to cool the burns.


Soon, police and rescue teams arrived at the house. Storm’s husband, NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks, also had returned home with another of the couple’s three daughters. As her mother was being treated, the younger Hannah calmly said something that, days later, her mom could laugh about.


“OK, Mommy, I’m going to do my homework now,” she said.


Storm was taken by ambulance to the Trauma and Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center and was treated for 24 hours.


“I didn’t see my face until the next day and you wonder how it’s going to look,” she said. “I was pretty shocked. But my overarching thought was I’ve covered events with military members who have been through a lot worse than me, and they’ve come through. I kept thinking, ‘I can do this. I’m fortunate.’”


Other than going to Christmas Eve Mass, Storm hadn’t been outside until her trip to California. ESPN reworked its anchor schedule while she was recovering, and NBC and the Golf Channel rearranged their staffing while Hicks attended to his wife.


Storm is set to host her fifth Rose Parade, with some changes. She’s left-handed, and taking notes is almost impossible. Dressing and showering are challenges, too.


Storm said that long before her accident, she’d been inspired by Iraq War veteran, actor and “Dancing With the Stars” winner J.R. Martinez, the grand marshal at last year’s parade. He was severely burned in a land mine accident while serving overseas.


One attraction of this year’s parade that she was eager to see — the Nurses’ Float, and she hoped to use that moment on air to thank everyone who had taken care of her.


Storm wants to anchor “SportsCenter” in Bristol, Conn., next Sunday. After that, the Notre Dame alum is ready to go in person to watch the No. 1 Irish play Alabama in the national championship game at Miami. She said the school reached out after hearing about her injuries and had been very supportive.


“More than anything, I feel gratitude,” she said. “Something like this really makes you appreciate everything you have, even the chance to wake up on New Year’s Day and do your job.”


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Omega-3s may not protect against faulty heart rhythm






NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Sorry, Charlie, but fish oil supplements did not prevent atrial fibrillation in patients who had already experienced episodes of the heart rhythm malfunction, a new clinical trial has found.


The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, adds to a growing pool of disappointing evidence regarding the protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids on heart health.






“The results for atrial fibrillation are important negative findings, answering key clinical and research questions,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an omega-3 expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the current study.


The new research, combined with other trials, “indicates that short-term fish oil use is unlikely to prevent recurrent atrial fibrillation,” he said.


But if the supplements don’t prevent heart rhythm problems, they don’t appear to be dangerous, either. “In all these studies, fish oil was safe and well-tolerated, with no evidence for increased bleeding,” Mozaffarian told Reuters Health.


Atrial fibrillation, in which the heart’s upper chambers beat out of step with those below, affects nearly one in 10 Americans in their 80s. The condition is linked to potentially life-threatening strokes and heart failure.


Although doctors prescribe certain medications to treat the condition, none to date has proven particularly effective. As a result, most drug treatment focuses on preventing strokes by administering blood thinners to dissolve clots caused by the fibrillation.


Some evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish like sardines and tuna, might reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, although exactly how they would produce their effect is not clear.


A study published earlier this year in Circulation, for example, found that people with the most omega-3s in their blood had a 30 percent lower chance of developing an irregular heart beat than those with the lowest concentrations of the substances (see Reuters Health story of February 1, 2012).


That 30 percent difference would work out to eight fewer cases of atrial fibrillation per 100 people – which would be a meaningful benefit if it could be enjoyed by those with fibrillation or at risk for it, just by consuming more omega 3s.


But the latest study suggests that it probably can’t. The trial included 586 men and women with a history of atrial fibrillation who were given a gram a day of fish oil or dummy capsules for a year. Participants also were allowed to take other drugs to control their heart rhythms, as prescribed by their doctors.


At the end of the study period, about 24 percent of the people who took fish oil, and 20 percent of those who did not, had experienced a recurrence of atrial fibrillation – a difference so small, statistically, it was likely due to chance.


The supplements also did not appear to reduce the risk of other cardiovascular ailments – including stroke, heart attack, heart failure – or death from any cause.


The findings on atrial fibrillation echo results from a study led by Mozaffarian published in November, of patients recovering from heart surgery.


Even so, Dr. Alejandro Macchia, a cardiologist at the GESICA Foundation in Buenos Aires, who led the current study and collaborated with Mozaffarian on the previous one, said fish oil may still prove beneficial for heart health, at least in some patients.


“I am not sure the story is over,” Dr. Macchia told Reuters Health. “I think we have enough evidence to say that there is no role of (omega-3 fatty acids) for the prevention of atrial fibrillation” in patients with a history of the condition, he said. “However in the context of primary prevention – those people who had never had a previous episode of atrial fibrillation – there is a reasonable room for a well-designed and very large clinical trial.”


SOURCE: http://bit.ly/VrTKiY Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online December 19, 2012.


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UK assumes presidency of G8 group







The UK is assuming its year-long presidency of the G8 group of nations.






The presidency – which rotates through the G8 members – means it will host the annual leaders’ summit and choose the global priorities that are discussed.


June’s summit is to be held at Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, while topics discussed will include tax havens.


The G8 is made up countries who have, historically, been the richest in the world – France, the US, Russia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada and the UK.


As prime minister of the presidency holding nation, David Cameron has said he wants to focus on combating trade protectionism, cracking down on tax havens and promoting greater government transparency.


These topics will be discussed in ministerial meetings ahead of the summit along with urgent issues like the crisis in Syria.


Although G8 summits are renowned for fine communiques, the group increasingly suffers from a credibility problem – some of the world’s largest economies like China, India and Brazil are not members, says BBC world affairs correspondent Emily Buchanan.


Our correspondent also adds that organisers will at least be hoping the June summit will be trouble-free.


The last time the UK was the host in 2005, in Gleneagles, more than 200,000 people marched against world poverty.


The proceedings were then overshadowed by the 7/7 bus and underground bombings in London.


Mr Cameron announced in November that the G8 summit would be held at the Lough Erne golf resort near Enniskillen.


It is the first time an event of this size has been held in Northern Ireland.


Speaking at the time, the prime minister said: “I want the world to see just what a fantastic place Northern Ireland is – a great place for business, a great place for investment, a place with an incredibly educated and trained workforce ready to work for international business.


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UPDATE 7-Tennis-Auckland Classic women’s singles round 1 results






Jan 1 (Infostrada Sports) – Results from the Auckland Classic Women’s Singles Round 1 matches on Tuesday


2-Julia Goerges (Germany) beat Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 6-3 6-4






Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) beat Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 6-2 6-1


1-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Greta Arn (Hungary) 6-2 6-2


8-Mona Barthel (Germany) beat Grace Min (U.S.) 6-1 6-3


6-Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (Spain) 6-3 6-2


Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) beat Nudnida Luangnam (Thailand) 6-0 6-2


Heather Watson (Britain) beat 5-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-3 (Cirstea retired)


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Angry Birds, YouTube among top apps of 2012






TORONTO (Reuters) – Angry Birds, Instagram and Facebook continued to be among the most downloaded apps of the year but rising stars also earned coveted spots on smartphones and tablets.


This year consumers spent on average two hours each day using mobile applications, an increase of 35 percent over last year, according to analytics firm Flurry. The number is expected to continue growing in 2013.






“2012 was a transformative tipping point in the way consumers use apps,” said Craig Palli, a vice president at mobile marketing company Fiksu, adding that the biggest shift is in consumers’ eagerness to turn to apps for a broad range of day-to-day tasks.


Categories such as social networking, media and entertainment, photo editing, and games, continued to captivate consumer interest, with YouTube and Angry Birds being the top free and paid apps respectively at Apple’s App Store.


Meanwhile, several apps released this year quickly joined the ranks of the top downloaded and revenue grossing apps of the year.


The game Draw Something for iPhone and Android quickly gained widespread popularity when it was released in February, and despite dropping off, is still the second most downloaded paid app of the year Android and Apple devices.


“It had a big run and other multi-player puzzle-oriented games like newcomers LetterPress and ScrambleWithFriends proved popular, too,” Palli said. “But in many respects these titles were inspired by the more revolutionary Words With Friends.”


Songza, a music-discovery app for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire, saw significant growth in both the United States and Canada, where it is now one of the top free apps on the App Store.


Paper, a sketchbook app for the iPad, is estimated to be one of the top grossing apps released this year according to Distimo, an app analytics company. It was named by Apple as the iPad app of the year.


But the real revolution, according to Palli, is among consumers who are eager to turn to apps for their day-to-day tasks, such as finding a taxi or hotel, following current events or increasingly, making payments.


“It is really consumers who are turning to apps first and traditional methods second,” said Palli.


Uber and Hailo, which allow users to book limos and taxis, and AirBnB and HotelTonight, for finding accommodations, began to move mainstream in 2012, Palli said.


Payment apps such as Square, and Apple’s introduction of the Passbook has further positioned the smartphone as a digital wallet.


This year, during major events such as the Olympics, Hurricane Sandy and the U.S. presidential election, the top apps on the App Store reflected those events, said Palli, showing the demand for keeping up with current events through apps.


(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Bill Trott)


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Lake Superior State’s 38th list of banished words






DETROIT (AP) — Lake Superior State University‘s 38th annual list of banished words:


fiscal cliff






— kick the can down the road


— double down


— job creators/creation


— passion/passionate


— YOLO


— spoiler alert


bucket list


— trending


— superfood


— boneless wings


— guru


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U.S. approves J&J drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment






(Reuters) – U.S. health regulators have approved a new Johnson & Johnson drug for patients with tuberculosis who do not respond to other treatments, the company said.


The drug is the first in 40 years to tackle the disease using a new mechanism of action, according to J&J. The drug blocks an energy-producing enzyme that tuberculosis bacteria need to survive.






The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, chemically known as bedaquiline and to be marketed as Sirturo, on Monday following a positive review by an advisory panel last month.


Tuberculosis is an air-spread infection that usually attacks the lungs but it can also affect the brain, the spine and the kidneys.


In 2011, nearly 9 million people around the world became sick with TB, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and there were 1.4 million TB-related deaths. The disease requires six to nine months of drug treatment.


TB is more prevalent now than at any time in history, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg wrote in a blog on the FDA website. This drug will help treat and cure patients who are putting themselves and others at serious health risk, she said.


The drug itself has significant potential risks, she wrote, and will carry a warning about an increased rate of death observed in patients who received it.


Her comments followed those of the FDA advisers who found the drug to be effective, though they noted that more deaths were seen in the group of patients who took bedaquiline in combination with standard treatments than in the group that took standard drugs alone.


Doctors Without Borders said that the drug was a “potential game changer” against drug-resistant forms of the disease and an important milestone in fighting TB.


Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is caused by strains of the bacterium that have become resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the two most potent drugs for TB.


Support has not been unanimous. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen earlier this month said it had written to the FDA because of the risks of death asking it not to approve of the drug, which received a fast approval.


DETAILS FROM TRIAL


Chrispin Kambili, medical affairs leader for bedaquiline at J&J’s Janssen Therapeutics unit, said in a recent interview that the company is studying the difference in death rates but has so far seen no common pattern.


Almost every death was due to a different cause, including a motor vehicle accident. What was unusual, he said, was the low rate of death in the placebo group.


Advisers to the FDA expressed concern that a greater number of patients had elevated liver enzymes, a potential sign of liver toxicity, and elongated QT levels, an electrical irregularity in the heart that can cause sudden death.


But Kambili said none of the patients died due to serious QT prolongation and there was no unifying findings in the data.


Kambili said J&J’s drug is designed for a relatively small portion of patients – some 650,000 – who do not respond to existing therapies.


And while investment analysts at Cowen and Co have forecast peak annual sales of the product at a relatively modest $ 300 million, the drug is important from a public health standpoint, Kambili said.


J&J shares were 0.1 percent higher to $ 69.56 in late morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.


(Additional reporting by Ransdell Pierson and Caroline Humer; Editing by John Wallace, Jeffrey Benkoe and Tim Dobbyn)


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