The first congressional hearing to examine the science of the U.N.'s highly publicized climate change report quickly turned into a contentious, partisan fight over environmental policy, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the center of the maelstrom.
A new weight-loss weapon is set to hit stores this summer, after getting the nod yesterday from the Food and Drug Administration. The new version of orlistat, to be named Alli, will be packaged at half the strength of its prescription counterpart, Xenical, and will be the only FDA-approved weight-loss product available over the counter. The agency emphasizes that it should be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise regimen. "If someone chooses to use orlistat alone, the drug won't be very effective," says Charles Ganley, director of the FDA's office of nonprescription products.
Parents struggling to help Junior lose a few pounds may want to send him to bed early. A new study published in the current Child Development finds that children who sleep more tend to weigh less than children who sleep less and are less likely to be overweight five years later. The researchers twice surveyed 1,441 kids about their sleeping patterns and weight, at a five-year interval. The children were all between the ages of 3 and 12.
AP - Anna Nicole Smith, the curvaceous blonde whose life played out as an extraordinary tabloid tale — Playboy centerfold, jeans model, bride of an octogenarian oil tycoon, reality-show subject, tragic mother — died Thursday after collapsing at a hotel. She was 39.
AP - A "very damning" report by the Defense Department's inspector general depicts a Pentagon that purposely manipulated intelligence in an effort to link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida in the runup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, says the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
AP - Gazans danced in the streets, honked car horns and set off fireworks to celebrate a Hamas-Fatah power-sharing deal they hope will avert civil war.
An autopsy will be conducted Friday to help determine why Anna Nicole Smith died, officials said. Late Thursday, police carried bags of evidence out of the hotel where she was found unconscious. Also, one of the men involved in a paternity dispute over Smith's baby daughter is seeking a DNA sample, and a hearing is set for Friday morning.
The death of sassy spokeswoman Anna Nicole Smith coupled with growing doubts about TrimSpa's controversial weight-loss products may prove too much for the closely held company, marketing experts said Thursday.
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