| SNP criticises Alexander’s month of ‘self-imposed silence’
Labour's Holyrood leader Wendy Alexander was accused yesterday of going on a month-long "self-imposed silence" since the Electoral Commission began investigating an illegal donation to her leadership campaign. The SNP's Roseanna Cunningham said that by Friday a full month would have passed without the Labour leader giving any interviews or answering any questions. .
Sen. Mel Martinez wants to double Medicare fraud penalties
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez on Tuesday trumpeted his proposal to stiffen criminal and civil penalties for people who abuse the nation's health-care system, bringing his message to South Florida, the nation's worst haven for Medicare fraud. ''In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties we probably have three of the busiest counties in fraud in the United States by a large measure,'' the Florida Republican told reporters at Miami Dade College. He said the federal government estimates about $60 billion in Medicare fraud claims a year, including about $12 billion in Florida. ''Four million Floridians and 47 million Americans that are uninsured could all be amply insured if we just took the fraud out of the Medicare system,'' he said. Martinez, who also met with U.S.
Tobacco: an inconvenient weed
A call for world action last week sounded as familiar as, say, that against global warming. But while a UN report did warn of a "catastrophe" in the 21st century, the topic wasn't the usual greenhouse gases. It was tobacco smoking. In terms of global priorities to save lives, the math alone argues for as much attention to be paid to tobacco addiction as to climate change – maybe even more. In the 20th century, more people died prematurely from smoking (100 million) than those who perished under the ruthless regimes of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. Today, tobacco is seen as responsible for more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, according to the World Health Organization in its 300-plus-page report, "Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008." And with escalating numbers of people taking up the habit in poorer countries, WHO predicts another 1 billion people will die prematurely in the 21st century – unless more governments and people act to prevent smoking.
Former high court justice is mediator for ORU lawsuit
For more: Read the latest ORU stories, view the lawsuit and other documents and watch slide shows and video.
The parties involved in the Oral Roberts University lawsuit have chosen former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Daniel Boudreau as their mediator.
Three former professors have sued ORU, former President Richard Roberts and three college administrators for wrongful termination and related claims.
Tulsa County District Judge Rebecca Nightingale last week granted a request by ORU and the administrators to require mediation.
John Tucker, an attorney for ORU and the administrators, said a date for the mediation has not been set.
Boudreau served on all three levels of the Oklahoma judiciary -- the district court, intermediate court of civil appeals and the state Supreme Court.
AT&T, T-Mobile move to match Verizon's 'chatty' plan
The company estimated that target audience to be about 15 percent of cellphone users, or more than 30 million people. Previously, MetroPCS and other smaller carriers offer unlimited calling, but only in specific cities and regions. The nation's wireless companies are in a fierce battle for subscribers. AT&T is the nation's largest with 70.1 million subscribers. Verizon Wireless is close behind with 65.7 million customers. T-Mobile has 28.7 million subscribers, and Sprint had 54 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, the latest figure available. The quick responses by competitors to the Verizon Wireless move demonstrates the high stakes in the telecommunications industry, analysts said. Doing nothing would have allowed Verizon to steal high-volume users, they said.
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