US panel: Afghans need more religious freedom

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Despite significant improvements since the hard-line Taliban ruled Afghanistan, religious freedom remains poor, especially for minorities, and Afghans still can’t debate religion or question prevailing Islamic orthodoxies without fear of being punished, a U.S. commission said in a new report on Tuesday. As the country braces for next year’s presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014, the panel urges the U.S. Continue reading

Health care facilities recognized for diligence in error reporting

Six health care facilities and pharmacies were recognized today by the Oregon Patient Safety Commission for excellence in reporting. The commission is a public-private effort that tracks voluntary reporting of errors to identify trends and improve health care. Hospitals, surgery centers, nursing home and pharmacies report “adverse events” that cause patient harm to the commission, but some are more conscientious about it than others. Continue reading

Santa Rosa nudged to eliminate unincorporated 'islands'

Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 7:02 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 7:02 p.m. It will be more difficult for Santa Rosa to avoid annexing small islands of unincorporated county land inside its borders under a policy adopted Wednesday by the agency responsible for setting the local government boundaries. Continue reading

EU unveils measures to combat biopiracy

The European Union on Thursday set out proposals aimed at thwarting the illegal use of genetic resources and traditional medicine, a practice known as biopiracy. A Europe-wide regulation would create “a level playing field for all users of genetic resources,” the European Commission said in a press release that coincided with a UN conference on biodiversity in Hyderabad, India Continue reading

FCC seeks input on Liberty bid to control Sirius

WASHINGTON (AP) Federal regulators on Tuesday opened up a public comment period on an application by John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. to take control of satellite radio company Sirius XM Radio Inc. The Federal Communications Commission said petitions to deny the application are due by Nov Continue reading

Researcher hunts for sickle cell anemia cure with gene targeting, stem cells

Halfway around the world in India, Sivaprakash Ramalingam had heard of Johns Hopkins researchers using a promising new technique for gene therapy that he hoped to integrate with stem cells to cure diseases. After getting a doctorate in biochemistry in his native country, he came to Baltimore four years ago to study under the technique’s pioneer, Srinivasan Chandrasegaran, at Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Continue reading

Easton Hospital gets Joint Commission's gold seal

Recognition is for quality and safety. The Joint Commission, an independent evaluating and accrediting agency, has awarded Easton Hospital its Gold Seal of Approval for meeting the commission's national standards for health-care quality and safety in hospitals. Continue reading