New whooping cough strain in US raises questions

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine.Health officials are looking into whether cases like the dozen found in Philadelphia might be one reason the nation just had its worst year for whooping cough in six decades. The new bug was previously reported in Japan, France and Finland."It's quite intriguing....

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Armstrong May Testify Under Oath on Doping

Facing a federal criminal investigation and a deadline that originally was tonight to tell all under oath to anti-doping authorities or lose his last chance at reducing his lifetime sporting ban, Lance Armstrong now may cooperate.His apparent 11th-hour about-face, according to the U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA), suggests he might testify under oath and give full details to...

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Stabbing at Ecuador campaign rally not politically motivated: Correa

QUITO (Reuters) - A knife attack in Ecuador that killed two government supporters was perpetrated by a man under the influence of drugs and alcohol and was not politically motivated, President Rafael Correa said on Tuesday. The man killed two Correa supporters and injured five more at a campaign rally on Monday, about two weeks before a presidential election that the leftist leader is...

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Basketball: Bryant scores 21 to lead Lakers over Net

NEW YORK: Kobe Bryant scored 21 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers overcome the absence of Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace, and a late injury to Pau Gasol, in a 92-83 NBA victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.Howard missed the game as he continues to recover from a torn labrum in his right shoulder while World Peace was suspended by the NBA for the game after an incident in...

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15 dip hands in hot oil to prove loyalty in Gujarat

SABARKANTHA (Gujarat): Fifteen persons received burn injuries after they dipped their hands in hot oil to convince a candidate, who lost in panchayat elections, that they had voted for him, police said. The candidate, identified as Girish Parmar, has been detained, police said. The incident took place at Derai village of Bayad taluka this evening after counting of votes for the district panchayat,...

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Critics seek to delay NYC sugary drinks size limit

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until...

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Lance Armstrong Under Criminal Investigation

Federal investigators are in the midst of an active criminal investigation of disgraced former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, ABC News has learned.The revelation comes in stark contrast to statements made by the U.S. Attorney for Southern California, Andre Birotte, who addressed his own criminal inquiry of Armstrong for the first time publicly on Tuesday. Birotte's...

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Syrian opposition chief says offers Assad peaceful exit

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on Monday to start talks for its departure from power and save the country from greater ruin after almost two years of bloodshed. Seeking to step up pressure on Assad to respond to his offer of talks - which dismayed some in his own opposition coalition, Alkhatib said he would...

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India's Kingfisher loses $142m in third quarter

MUMBAI: India's ailing Kingfisher Airlines, whose planes have been grounded since October, posted a net loss of 7.55 billion rupees (US$142 million) in the three months to December, the company said on Tuesday.The private carrier, controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has never made a profit since it started operations in 2005 and owes millions of dollars to banks, airports, fuel suppliers...

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Srinagar-Jammu highway closed following landslides, snowfall

SRINAGAR: Following fresh snowfall and landslides at some places, the Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the second consecutive day Tuesday. An official of the border roads organization (BRO), which maintains the over 300-km long highway, said fresh snowfall occurred during Monday night in the Bannihal sector, while landslides hit the road at Panthal, Seri and Kela Morh areas. "One of our...

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