Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Washington, D.C, United States (AHN) – A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds a strong connection between the number and ages of passengers in a car driven by a teenager and the risks of that driver being involved in a fatal car accident. The report, “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” found that the likelihood of a 16- or 17-year-old driver being killed in a crash, per mile driven, increases with each additional young passenger in the car. Among the findings, the risk increases 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21; doubles when carrying two passengers younger than 21 and quadruples [...] Continue Reading…
AAA: Added teen passengers hike risks for teen drivers
May 11th, 2012 
admin Inadequate healthcare and rising HIV prevalence in Karamoja
May 5th, 2012 admin Kampala, Uganda (IRIN) – The nomadic Karimojong ethnic group, once regarded as a low-risk HIV population because regional instability in northeastern Uganda and strong adherence to their culture kept them relatively isolated, have not been a priority on the country’s HIV agenda, but recent statistics show prevalence among this community is now 5.8 percent, up from 3.5 percent five years ago. Over the past decade large numbers of Karimojong have settled in urban centers, where business is flourishing and many NGOs have set up shop; there has also been heavy military deployment in the area as part of a disarmament exercise. These and other changes in a strongly traditionalist society have combined to push prevalence closer to the [...] Continue Reading…
41 Million American workers are sleepy
April 29th, 2012 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Washingon, D.C., United States (AHN) – Feeling tired? Need another cup or coffee? Wishing for a nap? If you are working, you are not alone and you have plenty of company. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that more than 40 million workers, or roughly 30 percent of the country’s civilian workforce, gets less than six hours of sleep per night. Published April 26 in its journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC study noted that by not getting the National Sleep Foundation’s recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night, these workers pose a serious and even potentially fatal risk to themselves [...] Continue Reading…
Jaguar to build F-Type sports car in Britain
April 23rd, 2012 admin Linda Young – AHN News Writer
Birmingham, United Kingdom (AHN) – Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover announced Thursday that it would build its new Jaguar F-Type sports car in Britain. The vehicle, a two-seat convertible, is the successor to the classic Jaguar E-Type, which ended production in 1975. JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, plans to build the new car at its Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham. The planned sales launch is mid-2013. The automaker says it will base the F-type on the company’s C-X16 concept, which it unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show last year. JLR will reveal the design later this year and says it will be a successor to its E-type [...] Continue Reading…
CDC: Kids accidental deaths down 30 percent
April 17th, 2012 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The number of children and teens who die from any kind of accidents has declined nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2009, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. A main reason cited for the drop was the steep decline in traffic death. The news is good and very welcome. It highlights that more than 11,000 lives have been saved because of the decrease in unintentional deaths for those from birth to 19 years of age over the near 10 year period, but the findings are offset by the somber news that more than 9,000 youth still die every year [...] Continue Reading…
Fuel shortage threatens bread supplies in Eqypt
April 5th, 2012 admin Cairo, Egypt (IRIN) – It has been three months since a fuel shortage hit Egypt, and people’s patience is wearing thin amid fears the crisis could disrupt the production of subsidized bread. “I move from one petrol station to another every day to find the fuel necessary for the work of the bakery,” Omar Muselhi, a bakery owner from Giza, told IRIN. “I cannot do this for long. If things get worse, I will close down.” Most of Egypt’s subsidized bakeries need diesel to operate, and some have had to close, for example in the Nile Delta governorate of Monofiya. Outside Muselhi’s bakery, men, women and children form two long lines, and wait their turn. [...] Continue Reading…
Honda recalls 550,000 Pilots, CR-Vs
March 30th, 2012 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Torrance, CA, United States (AHN) – Honda is recalling some 550,000 CR-V compact crossovers and Pilot mid-size SUVs because of faulty headlights. The company says a wiring problem in the cars could cause the low beams to become inoperative and may leave drivers in the dark. The recall involves 2002 through 2004 model CR-Vs and 2003 Pilots. Honda says it will inspect and replace components of the headlight wiring systems in these vehicles According to the company’s website, no injures or accidents have been reported related to the headlight loss issue. Honda owners will be notified in late April and instructed to take their vehicles to a dealers. [...] Continue Reading…
UN asks for help in responding to Syrian refugee crisis
March 24th, 2012 admin Remtha, Jordan (IRIN) – At the edge of this busy border town, a set of old, overcrowded buildings has become a transit house for Syrians fleeing to Jordan illegally. Designed for 500, the compound now houses up to 800 at times. Those who do not find space inside sleep in the open under trees. The compound has no gate – external traffic passes through it as children run around without supervision. The toilets are strewn with days-old feces, with women’s sanitary napkins piled up in the corners. No one is fond of the place – not the UN, not the NGOs which provide services, not the Jordanian police officer who runs it – but there are few [...] Continue Reading…
Nepal celebrates less-rowdy festival of colors
March 12th, 2012 admin Anil Giri – AHN News Correspondent
Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – As water balloons drenched the unsuspecting, the celebration of Fagu Purnima or Holi — the festival of colors — was in full swing in Nepal on Wednesday. To make the most out of this color-filled fete, people gathered in the early morning with their friends and family and commenced the celebration by applying colors, including vermilion powder, to each other and making merry amongst themselves. Holi is observed by Hindus around the world to celebrate the victory of good over evil. Celebrants, especially children, pelted pedestrians with balloons and plastic bags filled with water. The younger demographic is reported to have stepped up the celebrations this [...] Continue Reading…
Experts clash over need, impact of states’ voter ID laws
February 29th, 2012 admin Tejinder Singh – AHN News Correspondent
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Two diametrically opposed experts clashed Thursday on the status and impact of newly framed voter identification laws. Appearing at a debate hosted by the National Press Club Newsmakers Committee, Laura Murphy, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, discussed the actual and potential impact of the photo voter ID laws. Spakovsky stressed the need to identify and determine citizenship, saying, “Those kinds of requirements also increase public confidence in our election process.” Of the 31 states with laws requiring voter identification, eight have strengthened or enacted their laws within [...] Continue Reading…
