U.S. health panel likely to make HIV tests routine

U.S. health panel likely to make HIV tests routine
United flights make emergency returns to Newark, Houston
U.S. swimmer Nyad making progress on Cuba-to-Florida swim
Deloitte says accountant's suicide unrelated to Standard Chartered
Lake Superior lightning kills 9-year-old boy, four injured
Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS
Firefighters keep flames at bay from evacuated Idaho town
U.S. health panel likely to make HIV tests routine
Deloitte says accountant's suicide unrelated to Standard Chartered
Lake Superior lightning kills 9-year-old boy, four injured
United flights make emergency returns to Newark, Houston
Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:50 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. health panel may soon make HIV testing as standard a practice as checking cholesterol levels, a move that would fundamentally change how the virus is detected and treated. The U.S. Preventive Services Task force, a government-backed group of clinicians and scientists, is expected to make a new recommendation on HIV screening available for public comment before the end of the year. ...

United flights make emergency returns to Newark, Houston

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 11:59 AM PDT

(Reuters) - A United Airlines flight to Seattle returned safely to Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday after reporting smoke in the cockpit and cabin, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said. It was the second United flight in two days to make an emergency return to Newark Liberty International Airport. Another United flight returned to Houston after experiencing mechanical issues on Sunday. United flight 409 to Seattle landed safely at Newark at 9:15 a.m. EDT on Sunday, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. ...

U.S. swimmer Nyad making progress on Cuba-to-Florida swim

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 02:26 PM PDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad battled jellyfish and choppy seas on Sunday during the second day of her attempt to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to the United States. Nyad, an American who will turn 63 on Wednesday, began her fourth attempt to swim across the Florida Straits on Saturday afternoon, jumping off from Havana's Hemingway Marina. She is accompanied by five boats and 50 crew members, some of whom posted blog updates on her website (www.diananyad.com/blog). During the night, jellyfish stung Nyad on the lips, forehead, hands and neck, they said. ...

Deloitte says accountant's suicide unrelated to Standard Chartered

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:31 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deloitte LLP said Sunday that the suicide of a New York accountant was unrelated to work for British bank Standard Chartered Plc. Daniel Pirron, 57, was found dead of a gunshot to the head on August 13 after a passerby noticed the body in a Fairfield, Connecticut parking lot, a Fairfield Police spokeswoman said Sunday. A .38-caliber handgun, found near his body, was registered to Pirron. Pirron worked as an accountant in the general counsel's office of Deloitte in New York City. ...

Lake Superior lightning kills 9-year-old boy, four injured

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 01:32 PM PDT

(Reuters) - A lightning strike on a Lake Superior beach in Minnesota injured five people, including a 9-year-old Wisconsin boy who later died, authorities said on Sunday. Sergeant Wade Rasch of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said that a family party was on a friend's sailboat that took shelter from a sudden thunderstorm at Minnesota Point, near the Superior entry to the Duluth-Superior harbor, on Saturday. Lightning struck as the group was in shallow water near the beach, he said. Luke Voigt, 9, of Iron River, Wisconsin, was flown by helicopter to a Duluth hospital, where he died. ...

Magnitude 5.6 quake hits off coast of Washington state: USGS

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:52 AM PDT

(Reuters) - A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of the West Coast state of Washington on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said. The depth was reported at 6.3 miles and the quake was located 190 miles west of Neah Bay, the USGS said. There was no immediate statement from the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii on the quake. (Reporting by Ed Lane; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Firefighters keep flames at bay from evacuated Idaho town

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:29 PM PDT

SALMON Idaho (Reuters) - A wildfire roared out of control for a ninth day on Sunday through rugged, tinder-try terrain in Idaho's Boise National Forest, where firefighters kept up a battle to prevent flames from reaching a newly evacuated town east of the state capital. The so-called Trinity Ridge blaze has swallowed well over 88,000 acres of sagebrush and timber in south-central Idaho since it was ignited on August 3 by an off-road vehicle that caught fire, authorities said. ...