The Americas

News from North, Central and South America

Panel urges more choice in birth after C-section

A National Institutes of Health panel says vaginal birth after caesarean is reasonably safe and should be more widely available. Many hospitals ban the practice as a matter of policy or liability.

Vaginal birth after caesarean, or VBAC, is reasonably safe and should be more widely available, a National Institutes of Health advisory panel concluded Wednesday.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Obama touts plan to cut waste in Medicare, Medicaid

Pitching his healthcare reform legislation in suburban Missouri, the president announces a broadened initiative to block fraud in government health programs.

Promoting a new initiative to reduce waste in Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs, President Obama traveled to suburban St. Louis on Wednesday to keep up momentum behind his push to complete work on a health overhaul this month.

Read more [LA Times National News]

JihadJane? To most she was just Colleen

The American woman, 46, faces terrorism charges. An old boyfriend 'can't believe it,' and a former acquaintance calls the suspect naive.

Colleen R. LaRose, the strawberry-haired suburban woman who is accused of volunteering for a terrorist plot in Europe, appeared to live a double life.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Pill found to outdo lotion in tough head-lice cases

Despite results of a study, the chief author says ivermectin is not advised for first-line use, and it's not approved in the U.S. for use against lice.

Head lice are itchy, nasty nuisances that can be hard to get rid of. Can a pill provide relief? A new study has found that in tough cases, an oral medication kills the parasites more effectively than a prescription lotion applied to the scalp.

Read more [LA Times National News]

National school standards outlined

Uniform, rigorous guidelines for math and English instruction are released in draft form. The project, backed by all but two states, is up for public review until April 2.

Math and English instruction in the United States moved a step closer to uniform -- and more rigorous -- standards Wednesday as a draft of new national guidelines was released.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Senate approves $138-billion spending bill

The legislation, which must be reconciled with the House version, would extend jobless benefits and tax measures created to boost the economy, and help states pay for Medicaid.

After months of wrangling, the Senate on Wednesday approved a $138-billion spending bill that would extend jobless benefits, help states pay for Medicaid and continue a bundle of tax measures designed to stimulate the economy.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Chile quakes leaves Concepcion's dreams up in the air

The people of the central Chilean city, an intellectual center home to a vibrant arts scene, wondering about the future.

Belen Portino was looking forward to finishing high school and continuing her studies in a top university before last month's earthquake struck, shutting down Chile's second city.

China exports leap 46% in February

The nation's exports grow for the third consecutive month compared with a year earlier. Critics of China's artificially low currency are expected to increase demands for a hike in its value.

China's exports rose 46% in February from a year earlier, beating expectations and setting the stage for more calls to increase the value of the Chinese currency, analysts said.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Invasive heart test may be overused, researchers say

Almost 66% of patients who undergo cardiac catheterization despite no previous diagnosis of heart disease receive results indicating no 'significant' blockage, study finds.

Nearly two-thirds of those who undergo an invasive heart test called cardiac catheterization when they do not have diagnosed heart disease receive a clean bill of health, suggesting that the expensive procedure -- which exposes the patient to substantial amounts of radiation -- may be overused, researchers reported Wednesday.

Read more [LA Times National News]

Chile's new leader to be sworn in

Chilean tycoon Sebastian Pinera will be sworn in as president, with a major post-earthquake rebuilding effort ahead of him.
Read more [BBC Americas]

Doctor in mastectomy furor wants to operate

The Windsor, Ont., surgeon at the heart of a controversy over unnecessary mastectomies has asked to have her hospital privileges reinstated, but is still waiting for an answer from hospital officials.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Google says it's in talks with China

CEO Eric Schmidt expects 'something will happen soon' after the Internet search giant vowed to remove censorship filters in the wake of it suffering a cyber attack.

Google Inc. broke a long silence in its clash with China on Wednesday as its chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said that the Internet search giant was talking to Chinese officials and that he expected "something will happen soon."

Read more [LA Times National News]

TB rate 185 times higher for Inuit than others

Tuberculosis remains a serious health problem in Canada's North, with the infection rate among Inuit 185 times greater than for others born in the country, a national analysis shows.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Liberals feared Abu Ghraib-type detainee scandal: source

The Liberal government of 2005 feared Canada's detention of Afghan prisoners would spark a controversy similar to Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, according to a current government official who spoke with CBC News.
Read more [CBC Canada]

9/11 image on poster 'bad taste': Sask. NDP

Saskatchewan's opposition New Democratic Party is slamming an advertisement distributed in a government-held constituency announcing a fundraising dinner that includes an image of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in flames and refers to a pig roast.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Indian status coming for thousands of Canadians

More than 45,000 Canadians could be recognized as status Indians under changes the federal government plans to make to the Indian Act, CBC News has learned.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Mexican shakes up world rich list

Mexican Carlos Slim overtakes Bill Gates as the world's richest man, according to the Forbes "rich list", with a fortune of $53.5bn.
Read more [BBC Americas]

Religion ban in Quebec's public daycares welcomed

Publicly funded daycare operators in Quebec are welcoming the province's announcement it will ban religious instruction in government-subsidized daycares.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Passengers held up flight to watch hockey

Travellers the world over know the pains of flight delays due to fog, weather, late pilots or just plain busy airports. But how about a delay due to a hockey game?
Read more [CBC Canada]

Villanueva mother breaks down at inquest

The mother of 18-year-old Fredy Villanueva breaks down during the coroner's inquest into her son's shooting by Montreal police.
Read more [CBC Canada]

MPs approve federal budget

The House of Commons has voted to support the federal budget.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Accused killer calmly recounts LRT slaying

The man accused of killing Arcelie Laoagan calmly described how he was drunk and stoned when he raped and beat the Calgary woman to death near an LRT station.
Read more [CBC Canada]

2 listeriosis cases investigated in Ont.

Health officials in Ontario are investigating two cases of listeriosis that appear to be linked to salami recalled from stores in Ontario and Quebec about three months ago.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Federal contractor racks up hefty bills

Federal contract workers charged the government $5,266 to install six potlights and $1,000 to replace a light switch.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Brazil online

Brazilians exploit potential as web use spreads
Read more [BBC Americas]

Seal-meat loin on MPs' lunch menu

MPs and senators from across the political spectrum enjoyed a special lunch Wednesday featuring Canada's best-known furry sea mammal - the seal.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Alberta counterfeiters nabbed in B.C.

Police in Surrey, B.C., have busted a counterfeiting operation they say was run by an escaped Alberta inmate and seized $75,000 US in fake U.S. bills, fraudulent credit cards and drugs.
Read more [CBC Canada]

US reports record budget deficit

The US government records a budget deficit of $221bn (£147.6bn) in February - the largest monthly deficit in its history.
Read more [BBC Americas]

Murder charge laid in deadly police shootout

Ontario Provincial Police have charged former township leader Fred Preston with first-degree murder in death of a constable who was killed in a shootout on a rural road in southwestern Ontario.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Manitoba girl, 6, sexually assaulted

A six-year-old girl from The Pas, Man. was abducted on her way to school Wednesday, taken to a home and sexually assaulted by a teenaged boy, RCMP say.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Taxpayer watchdog doles out waste awards

Mailouts from MPs, exorbitant Nova Scotia MLA expenses and a Toronto homeless audit are all cited at a tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony meant to highlight questionable government spending.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Money man

A look at Mexican Carlos Slim - the world's richest man
Read more [BBC Americas]

Alleged victim testifies in RCMP sex-assault trial

A Yukon Supreme Court judge has heard testimony from a woman who claims two off-duty RCMP officers raped her a year ago but defence lawyers argued it was the plaintiff who initiated sexual contact with the Mounties.
Read more [CBC Canada]

Mother of OD baby asked to try methadone

A Calgary couple argued about how their baby daughter got a hold of methadone rather than focusing on her health after she ingested the drug, a former friend testified in court.
Read more [CBC Canada]

N.L. lab head quits after drug error fiasco

Dr. Nash Denic has resigned as head of laboratory services at Newfoundland and Labrador's largest health authority after a drug-testing fiasco in which lab officials are accused of reacting to the problem too slowly.
Read more [CBC Canada]