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India steps up fight against cigarette firms over health warnings

By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India's health ministry has ordered government agencies to enforce a new rule for bigger health warnings on cigarette packs, stepping up a fight against the country's $10 billion cigarette industry that has shut down its factories in protest. The health ministry's action highlights a growing conflict between the tobacco industry and the federal government which wants manufacturers to cover 85 percent of a cigarette pack's surface in health warnings, up from 20 percent. India's biggest cigarette maker ITC Ltd, part-owned by British American Tobacco, has not implemented the government order, saying it contradicts a parliamentary committee's recommendation for warnings to cover half a cigarette pack.

Guinea govt says two people have died from Ebola

Two people from the same family have died from Ebola in Guinea, the government said Thursday, as the WHO declared a flare-up of the virus in neighbouring Sierra Leone over. The cases are the first in Guinea since the country was declared Ebola free at the end of last year, and the UN health agency warned that a recurrence of the tropical disease — which has claimed 11,300 lives since December 2013 — remained a possibility. WHO declared that flare-up officially over on Thursday after no new cases were seen for 42 days — the length of two Ebola incubation cycles.

Britain unveils plan for sugar tax on soft drinks industry

Britain will introduce a sugar levy on soft drinks in two years' time to tackle a growing obesity crisis, Chancellor George Osborne said in a surprise announcement on Wednesday, hitting share prices in drinks and sugar firms. Just months after the government ruled out a sugar tax, Osborne said the planned levy, which would be imposed on companies and based on the sugar content in drinks, would raise 520 million pounds. “Of course, some may choose to pass the price onto consumers and that will be their decision, and this would have an impact on consumption too,” Osborne told parliament during his annual budget speech.

Two former Flint officials blame state and feds for water crisis

The former mayor and former emergency manager of Flint both blamed the dangerously high lead levels in the city's water on state and federal officials, according to testimony released on Monday that is to be delivered at a hearing in Washington this week. Former Mayor Dayne Walling and former emergency manager Darnell Earley, who was appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, are among witnesses who will testify at two days of hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The water crisis has drawn national attention and led to heavy criticism of Snyder, with some voters mounting a petition drive to have him recalled.

Obama pledges more than $450 million aid to help Colombia peace plan

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Thursday he would ask the U.S. Congress for more than $450 million in aid to help Colombia end “half a century of wrenching conflict” and implement a peace accord aimed at ending Latin America's longest war. If approved, the aid would help with security and fighting the drug trade, as well as educating and retraining members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the leftist rebel group at war with the government since 1964. “After half a century of wrenching conflict, the time has come for peace,” Obama said after meeting with Colombian President Juan Manual Santos.

Coca-Cola India says may have to shut factories if new sin tax passed

The Indian subsidiary of Coca-Cola Co said on Friday it may have to close some bottling plants if the government pushes through a proposal that would subject fizzy drinks to a 40 percent “sin” tax, as part of a broader fiscal overhaul. The beverage maker, which operates 57 factories and bottling plants across India, said a proposal to group sugary sodas with higher-taxed luxury cars and tobacco would hurt demand for its drinks. “It will lead to a sharp decline in consumer purchase,” Coca-Cola India said in a statement.

U.S. investigative panel to look into drug pricing next year

By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. House of Representatives investigative panel said it plans to hold a 2016 hearing on skyrocketing drug costs, a move that comes at a time when Valeant Pharmaceuticals International is facing increased scrutiny into its pricing practices. A spokeswoman for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform said on Monday the panel is conducting a thorough investigation into drug pricing and has reached out to drug companies to gather information. Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging launched a new probe into drug pricing at Valeant and Turing, signaling growing bipartisan agreement on the need to review the rising cost of prescription drugs in the United States.

Researcher: Children’s cancer linked to Fukushima radiation

TOKYO (AP) — A new study says children living near the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a rate 20 to 50 times that of children elsewhere, a difference the authors contend undermines the government's position that more cases have been discovered in the area only because of stringent monitoring.

South Korea reports 14 more MERS cases, fifth death

South Korean health officials on Sunday reported 14 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, bringing the total in the country’s outbreak to 64, and said a fifth person infected with the virus had died. South Korea’s outbreak of the often-deadly MERS virus, first reported on May 20, is the largest outside the Middle East, prompting public fear and questions over the government’s initial response. The patient who died was a 75-year-old man who had been in the same Seoul hospital emergency room where a total of 17 people, including two medical staff, are believed to have been infected with MERS, South Korea’s health ministry said.

Ex-Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew’s health deteriorates

The health of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore, has deteriorated further and he remains critically ill in intensive care, the prime minister's office said on Wednesday. Singapore's first prime minister Lee, 91, has been in hospital with severe pneumonia since Feb. 5. “Lee Kuan Yew remains critically ill in the ICU and has deteriorated further,” the government statement said, without giving further details. The update follows Tuesday's announcement that Lee's health had worsened due to an infection.