Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws

NEW YORK (AP) — Sniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn't afford to miss.A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn't have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped for the best — and was aching, shivering and coughing by the end of the day. She stayed home...

Read More..

FBI agent admits having sex with karaoke bar worker

An FBI agent testified Friday that he had sex with an employee of a karaoke bar in the Philippines whom he met while working undercover on a case involving weapons smuggling.Marc Napolitano was working as a member of a surveillance team during meetings at karaoke bars in which another undercover agent, Charles Ro, spent time with three Filipino nationals now accused of...

Read More..

Mercury-Emissions Treaty Adopted

GENEVA (AP) — More than 140 nations adopted the first legally binding international treaty on Saturday aimed at reducing mercury emissions, after four years of negotiations on ways to set limits on the use of a highly toxic metal. The treaty was adopted after all-night negotiations that followed a week of talks in Geneva, United Nations environmental officials and diplomats said. A signing...

Read More..

Dotcom says new site legal, no revenge for Megaupload saga

AUCKLAND (Reuters) – Kim Dotcom, founder of outlawed file-sharing website Megaupload, said his new “cyberlocker” was not revenge on U.S. authorities who planned a raid on his home, closed Megaupload and charged him with online piracy for which he faces jail if found guilty.Dotcom said his new offering, Mega.co.nz, which will launch on Sunday even as he and three colleagues await extradition from New...

Read More..

Daniel Radcliffe Seen Kissing Costar Erin Darke in Sundance

Caught in the Act 01/19/2013 at 01:00 PM EST Daniel Radcliffe and Erin Darke Jonathan Leibson/Getty; George Pimentel/Getty On screen, Daniel Radcliffe's playing adult roles now. But offscreen, he's still a young wizard, conjuring up some magic with his Kill Your...

Read More..

Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits that clog patients' brains.Earlier studies found it did not help people with moderate...

Read More..

Teacher who starred in porn film fight for job, money

The Oxnard teacher who was fired for appearing in porn movies has until Feb. 13 to decide whether to appeal a decision dismissing her from the classroom, school officials said.The Commission on Professional Competence, in a 47-page report dated Jan. 3, found that Stacie Halas, 32, was unfit to teach eighth-grade science at Haydock Intermediate School and ordered her dismissal.Although...

Read More..

WORLD: Defusing a Crisis in Pakistan

January 18, 2013By Mac William Bishop and Michelle StockmanMuhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, a Pakistani preacher, emerged on the country’s political scene, leading huge protests in Islamabad. After days of standoffs, he reached a symbolic deal with the governme...

Read More..

Morrisons to launch online kitchenware business

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain‘s fourth largest supermarket group Wm Morrison said on Friday it would extend its online presence in the spring with the launch of a kitchenware website in partnership with specialist Lakeland.The joint venture will be Morrisons‘ third fully transactional website following the launch of wine website MorrisonsCellar.com in November and the purchase of baby care retailer Kiddicare.com...

Read More..

Channing Tatum & Jenna Dewan-Tatum Share a Fresh, Healthy Lunch Date

Caught in the Act 01/18/2013 at 01:35 PM EST Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum FameFlynet Eating for three?Parents-to-be Jenna Dewan-Tatum and husband Channing, fresh from a beach holiday in St. Barts, enjoyed a casual lunch date together on Wednesday. The...

Read More..