Young stem cells make rapidly aging mice live longer, healthier

Mice bred to age too quickly seemed to have sipped from the fountain of youth after scientists injected them with stem cell-like progenitor cells derived from the muscle of young, healthy animals. Instead of becoming infirm and dying early as untreated mice did, animals that got the stem/progenitor

Jan. 4, 2012

Romney, Santorum in close race in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Mitt Romney was locked in a dead heat with Rick Santorum in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, the opening contest in the campaign to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama.Romney, the longtime front-runner, and Santorum, whose campaign only recently gained momentum, each had about 25 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the state’s 1,774 precincts reporting.Texas congressman Ron Paul was running a close third in the caucuses -- evening meetings held at 809

Jan. 4, 2012

Movie sword-fight master Anderson dies

LONDON (AP) ― Olympic fencer and movie sword master Bob Anderson appeared in some of film’s most famous dueling scenes ― though few viewers knew it. Anderson, who has died at age 89, donned Darth Vader’s black helmet and fought light saber battles in two of the three original “Star Wars” films, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Anderson, who worked with actors from Errol Flynn to Antonio Banderas during five decades as a sword master, fight director and stunt performer, died ea

Jan. 3, 2012

Saudis to let only women sell lingerie

RIYADH (AP) ― Saudi Arabia said Monday it will begin enforcing a law that allows only females to work in women’s lingerie and apparel stores, despite disapproval from the country’s top cleric.The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put into effect, partly because of view of hard-liners in the religious establishment, who oppose the whole idea of women working where men and women congregate together, like malls.Saudi women ― tired of having to de

Jan. 3, 2012

Myanmar reduces sentences for many

YANGON (AP) ― Myanmar’s government announced Monday that it is reducing the sentences of many prisoners, but stopped short of declaring an amnesty that had been expected by many people.State television and radio said President Thein Sein signed a clemency order to mark the country’s 64th anniversary of independence on Wednesday.They said death sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment and prisoners serving more than 30 years will have their sentences cut to 30 years. Prisoners serving 20-3

Jan. 3, 2012

Saudi to apply law for women only to sell lingerie

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) _ Saudi Arabia said Monday it will begin enforcing a law that allows only females to work in women's lingerie and apparel stores, despite disapproval from the country's top cleric.The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put

Jan. 3, 2012

Sarkozy 'knew about' arms commissions shell company: report

PARIS, Jan 2, 2012 (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy knew about a shell company used to channel arms sales commissions in the 1990s, French media said Monday, amid a probe into alleged illegal party funding in France.The Liberation daily quoted testimony to a judge from a former senior civil servant

Jan. 3, 2012

Thousands protest over new Hungarian constitution

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) _ Tens of thousands of protesters on Monday jeered Hungarian leaders outside a glitzy gala to mark the country's brand new constitution, accusing the government of exerting control over everything from the media, to the economy and religion.A diverse crowd chanted, whistled an

Jan. 3, 2012

Israeli, Palestinian negotiators to meet

JERUSALEM (AP) ― Israel and the Palestinians said Sunday that their chief peace negotiators would attend a gathering of international diplomats in neighboring Jordan this week, bringing the sides together for the first time in more than a year.Officials stressed that the meeting would not be a formal negotiating session. Nonetheless, it could mark an important step toward restarting peace talks, which broke down in September 2010.“The upcoming meeting is part of serious and continuous efforts to

Jan. 2, 2012

Arabs want to pull monitors out of Syria

CAIRO (AP) ― A pan-Arab body called Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the Arab League monitors in Syria because President Bashar Assad’s regime has kept up killings of government opponents even in the presence of the observers.The 88-member Arab Parliament said that Arabs are angered by the Syrian regime’s ongoing killings while the nearly 100 monitors are in the country. The monitors are supposed to be ensuring Syria complies with terms of the League’s plan to end the 9-month-old crackdown

Jan. 2, 2012

Looking for new kidney? Try Facebook

SEATTLE (AP) -- Here’s another reason for holdouts to join the social media site Facebook: It’s a great place to find a kidney.Between the children’s photos and reminiscences about high school, more and more pleas for help from people with failing kidneys are popping up. Facebook and other social media sites are quickly becoming a go-to place to find a generous person with a kidney to spare, according to the people asking for help and some national organizations that facilitate matches.Damon Bro

Jan. 2, 2012

‘French breast implants more dangerous than anticipated’

LONDON (AFP) ― Britain’s biggest cosmetic surgery chain has revealed that rupture rates on allegedly faulty French-made breast implants are seven times higher than previously thought, a report said Sunday.The new data from Transform, reported in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, has prompted Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to order an urgent review into the data used to assess the risks to 42,000 British women given the implants. The firm’s figures suggest one in 14 implants made by French manufac

Jan. 2, 2012