A B C D E F G H I J K L
  SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, R&D, AND HEALTH NEWS: 1-JAN-12 - 12-MAY-12    
From 01-Jan-12 Copyright © 2011-2012 by Macroknow Inc. All Rights Reserved.
To 12-May-12  
Days 133  
News Items 537
Date Event Category Authors Title X Event Source URL Item
7-Jan-12 M&A HEAL Bristol-Myers Squibb to Acquire Inhibitex Bristol-Myers Squibb to acquire Inhibitex in a transaction valued at ~2.5 billion Bristol-Myers Squibb 1
8-Jan-12 TECH Nick Wingfield A Tech Show Loses Clout as Industry Shifts Las Vegas: The International Consumer Electronics Show, 10-13-Jan-2012 [http://www.cesweb.org] NYT 2
9-Jan-12 SCIE RES NUC Iran Starts Uranium Enrichment Underground Iran initiated a program to enrich uranium to 20% purity at the underground Fordo complex (nuclear weapons require 90% purity) VOA News-AFP-Reuters 3
13-Jan-12 RES GOV DEBT Moritz Kraemer; Frank Gill Standard & Poor's Takes Various Rating Actions On 16 Eurozone Sovereign Governments Standard & Poor's Ratings Services announced rating actions on 16 members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU or eurozone): S&P "lowered the long-term ratings on Cyprus, Italy [from A/Watch Neg/A-1 to BBB+/Negative/A-2], Portugal, and Spain [from AA-/Watch Neg/A-1+ to A/Negative/A-1] by two notches; lowered the long-term ratings on Austria, France [from AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+ to AA+/Negative/A-1+], Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, by one notch; and affirmed the long-term ratings on Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany [affirmed at AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+], Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands" Standard & Poor's 4
18-Jan-12 HEAL VIO Gilda Sedgh et al. Long-Term Worldwide Decline In Abortions Has Stalled: Plateau Coincides With Slowdown In What Had Been A Steady Increase In Contraceptive Use New research from the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO): "Between 1995 and 2003, the overall number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15–44 years) dropped from 35 to 29; . . . the global abortion rate in 2008 was virtually unchanged, at 28 per 1,000" [Gilda Sedgh et al., Induced Abortion: Incidence and Trends Worldwide from 1995 to 2008, The Lancet, 18-Jan-2012] Guttmacher Institute; WHO 5
19-Jan-12 HEAL RES David Brown Government survey finds that 5 percent of Americans suffer from a ‘serious mental illness’ National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH):~20% of American adults suffer some sort of mental illness; ~5% suffer from a serious disorder; ~4% of adults contemplate suicide each year Washington Post 6
19-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN IBM Reports 2011 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results IBM 2011 results: revenue, $106.9 billion (up 7%, up 3% adjusting for currency); net income (GAAP), $15.9 billion (up 7%). 2011Q4 results: revenue, $29.5 billion (up 2%, 1% adjusting for currency YOY); net income (GAAP), $5.5 billion (up 4% YOY) IBM 7
19-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN Patrick Darling Intel Reports Record Year $54 Billion in Annual Revenue Up 24 Percent, $2.39 in Annual EPS Up 19 Percent Intel Corporation 2011 GAAP results: record revenue, $54 billion (up 24%); record net income, $12.9 billion (up 13%). 2011Q4 GAAP results: revenue, $13.9 billion (up 21% YOY); net income, $3.4 billion (up 6% YOY) Intel 8
19-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN Microsoft Reports Record Revenue of $20.9 Billion in Second Quarter Microsoft Q2 (ended 31-Dec-2011) results: revenue, $20.89 billion (up 5% YOY); net income, $6.62 billion $6.63 billion (down 0.15% YOY) Microsoft 9
19-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN Google Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2011 Results Google 2011 GAAP results: revenues, $37.905 billion (up 29.3%); net income, $9.737 (up 14.5%). 2011Q4 GAAP results: revenues, $10.584 (up 25.4% YOY); net income, $2.705 (up 6.4% YOY) Google 10
20-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN GE Reports 4Q’11 Operating EPS of $0.39, Up 11%; Industrial Segment Revenues of $26.8B, Up 10%; Industrial Segment Organic Revenue Up 5%; Infrastructure Orders Up 15%; Largest Infrastructure Backlog in GE History at $200B; Record Industrial CFOA of $5.5B in 4Q; FY‘11 of $12.1B; GE Positioned to Deliver Double-Digit Earnings Growth in 2012 GE 2011 results: revenue, $147.3 billion (down 2%); net earnings attributable to the company, $14.151 billion (up 22%). 2011Q4 results: total revenues, $37.973 billion (down 8%); net earnings attributable to the company, $3.730 billion (down 18%) General Electric 11
24-Jan-12 BUS TECH FIN Apple Reports First Quarter Results: Highest Quarterly Revenue and Earnings Ever Apple 2012Q1 results: revenue, $46.33 billion (up 73.3% YOY); net profit, $13.06 billion (up 117.6% YOY) Apple 12
26-Jan-12 ELITE FIN HEAL Foundation Commits $750 Million to Global Fund The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave $750 million through a promissory note to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (annoucement made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 13
30-Jan-12 M&A TECH ABB to acquire Thomas & Betts for $3.9 billion to become major player in North American low-voltage products market ABB to acquire Thomas & Betts for $3.9 Billion ABB 14
1-Feb-12 BUS TECH JOBS Steven D. Jones Microsoft Cuts 200 Marketing Jobs Microsoft cut ~200 marketing jobs; Microsoft reportedly has ~6,000 marketing employees WSJ 15
1-Feb-12 LAW RES David S. Law; Mila Versteeg The Declining Influence of the United States Constitution (February 1, 2012) [New York University Law Review, Vol. 87, No. 3, June 2012; Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 11-09-01; Virginia Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 2011-39] David S. Law and Mila Versteeg on The Declining Influence of the United States Constitution: "In this Article, we show empirically that other countries have, in recent decades, become increasingly unlikely to model either the rights-related provisions or the basic structural provisions of their own constitutions upon those found in the U.S. Constitution. . . We find some support in the data for the notion that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has influenced constitution-making in other countries." Social Science Research Network 16
3-Feb-12 GOV RES SPACE Iran to Set up Base for Satellite Launch Iran's Space Agency (ISA) to set up a base for launching satellites FARS News Agency 17
5-Feb-12 HEAL CNN Wire Staff. Contributor: Dave Alsup Nearly 500 on 2 cruise ships stricken by Norovirus FL, U.S.: 499 cases of Norovirus were reported on 2 Princess Cruises ships CNN 18
9-Feb-12 BUS TECH FIN Lenovo Reports Third Quarter 2011/2012 Results Lenovo Group 2011/2012 Q3 results: sales, $8.4 billion (up 44% YOY); profit attributable to equity holders, $153 million; worldwide market share, 14.0%; market share in China, 35.3% Lenovo Group 19
9-Feb-12 M&A BUS TECH Oracle Buys Taleo: Adds Leading Talent Management Cloud Offering to the Oracle Public Cloud Oracle to acquire Taleo Corporation (provider of cloud-based talent management) for ~$1.9 billion, net of Taleo’s cash and debt Oracle 20
10-Feb-12 RES BANK DEBT Italian Banks Downgraded; S.&P. Cites Lending Risk Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded 34 Italian financial firms, including UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena NYT: Bloomberg 21
13-Feb-12 RES GOV DEBT Rating Action: Moody's adjusts ratings of 9 European sovereigns to capture downside risks Moody's Investors Service downgraded the sovereign debt ratings of 9 EU countries, including Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain; the ratings for Austria, France, and the U.K. were changed to negative Moody's Investors Service 22
13-Feb-12 BUS BANK RES Kevin Roose Wall Street’s Reputation Still Falling Harris Interactive: The 2012 Harris Poll Annual RQ Study: key survey findings: the financial sector is the 3rd lowest ranked sector by reputation (the 2 lowest ranked sectors are government and tobacco); the reputations quotients (RQ) of Bank of America, Berkshire Hathaway, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs fell significantly NYT-DealBook 23
15-Feb-12 SCIE NUC Iran Touts Uranium Enrichment Advances Iran unveiled a new generation of centrifuges to speed up uranium enrichment and Iran-produced fuel rods FARS News Agency 24
15-Feb-12 RES BANK DEBT Rating Action: Moody's Reviews Ratings for European Banks Moody's Investors Service announced rating actions affecting 114 financial institutions in 16 European countries: the following were placed on review for downgrade: (i) the standalone credit assessments for 99 financial institutions; (ii) the long-term debt and deposit ratings for 109 institutions; (iii) the short-term ratings for 66 institutions. The distribution of the headquarters of the financial institutions affected by this announcement, by country and rank, is as follows: Italy (24), Spain (21), France (10), UK (9), Austria (8), Denmark (8), Germany (7), Netherlands (6), Portugal (6), Sweden (5), Slovenia (4), Switzerland (2), Belgium (1), Finland (1), Luxembourg (1), Norway (1). Moody's Investors Service, Inc.,  25
15-Feb-12 RES Bank DEBT Announcement: Moody's Reviews Ratings for Banks and Securities Firms with Global Capital Markets Operations Moody's Investors Service announced a review of 17 banks and securities firms with global capital markets operations; the long-term ratings and standalone credit assessments  for Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Royal Bank of Canada were placed under review. Moody's Investors Service, Inc.,  26
17-Feb-12 BUS TECH SEC Nick Wingfield; Somini Sengupta Drones Set Sights on U.S. Skies U.S.: new federal law allows use of drones for commercial purposes, including policing, reconnaissance, monitoring, and surveillance; the market for drones is estimated at $5.9 billion NYT 27
22-Feb-12 RES GOV DEBT Paul Rawkins (Primary Analyst); Chris Pryce (Secondary Analyst); David Riley (Committee Chairperson) Fitch Downgrades Greece to 'C' from 'CCC' Fitch Ratings downgraded Greece's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) from 'CCC' to 'C' Fitch Ratings 28
22-Feb-12 BUS TECH FIN HP Reports First Quarter 2012 Results HP 2012Q1 resuts: GAAP net revenue, $30 billion (down 7% YOY); GAAP net earnings, $1.5 billion (down 44% YOY) Hewlett-Packard Development Company-Martketwire via Comtex 29
23-Feb-12 HEAL REL VIO Alberto Giubilini; Francesca Minerva After-birth abortion: why should the baby live? [J Med Ethics doi:10.1136/medethics-2011-100411] Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva argue that "what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled," because: "(1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people" Journal of Medical Ethics 30
28-Feb-12 BUS RES COMP IBM Research Advances Device Performance for Quantum Computing Scientists at IBM Research announced major advances in quantum computing device performance; using 3D superconducting qubits (research initiated at Yale University), IBM scientists were able to "extend the amount of time that the qubits retain their quantum states up to 100 microseconds," thus enabling "effective error correction schemes" and suggesting "broader engineering aspects for scalability" IBM 31
29-Feb-12 GOV MEDIA SCIE Frozen out: Canada's government should free its scientists to speak to the press, as its US counterpart has [Nature 483,6(01 March 2012)doi:10.1038/483006a] Nature Editorial: "Since Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party won power in 2006, there has been a gradual tightening of media protocols for federal scientists and other government workers. Researchers who once would have felt comfortable responding freely and promptly to journalists are now required to direct inquiries to a media-relations office, which demands written questions in advance, and might not permit scientists to speak. . . Policy directives and e-mails obtained from the government through freedom of information reveal a confused and Byzantine approach to the press, prioritizing message control and showing little understanding of the importance of the free flow of scientific knowledge." Nature-Editorial 32
4-Mar-12 RES GOV DEBT Moody's downgrades Greece after debt swap 2-Mar-2012: Moody's Investors Service cut Greece's local and foreign-currency bond ratings from Ca to C – the lowest possible rating Ahram Online: Reuters 33
6-Mar-12 BANK DEBT RES Sarah Mulholland; Zeke Faux; Alan Goldstein (ed.) S&P Blocked by Banks in CMBS Market After Derailed Goldman Deal: Mortgages Five big banks – Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Deutsche Bank AG, and Morgan Stanley – dumped S&P’s credit ratings as they issued $11.3 billion of commercial mortgage bond market debt Bloomberg 34
7-Mar-12 VIO HEAL Will Englund Teens choosing death in Russia Countries with the highest teenage suicide rates: 1. Belarus; 2. Kazakhstan; 3. Russia; Russia's teenage suicide rate is ~5 per day (>4 times that of the United States) NYT 35
12-Mar-12 ELITE TECH MON Rob Cox The Ruthless Overlords Of Silicon Valley Rob Cox, on "the Overlords of Silicon Valley": "Though Silicon Valley’s newest billionaires may anoint themselves the saints of American capitalism, they’re beginning to resemble something else entirely: robber barons. Behind the hoodies and flip-flops lurk businesspeople as rapacious as the black-suited and top-hatted industrialists of the late-19th century." The Daily Beast 36
12-Mar-12 M&A BUS HEAL Asahi Kasei Announces Agreement to Acquire ZOLL Medical
 Japan/U.S.: Asahi Kasei Corporation to acquire ZOLL Medical Corporation for ~$2.21 billion Asahi Kasei Corporation 37
12-Mar-12 RES ECON EDU Michelle Kaske; Mark Tannenbaum (ed.) New York City Tops Global Competitiveness, Economist Report Says Top ranked cities for global competitiveness according to an Economist Intelligence Unit report commissioned by Citigroup Inc.: 1. New York; 2. London; 3. Singapore; 4. Paris and Hong Kong (tied). 120 cities were surveyed. According to the report, a joint Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology campus is expected to generate $6 billion. Bloomberg 38
13-Mar-12 GOV BANK RES Federal Reserve announces summary results of latest round of bank stress tests The Federal Reserve announced results of the latest round of bank stress tests; the hypothetical stress scenario includes "a peak unemployment rate of 13 percent, a 50 percent drop in equity prices, and a 21 percent decline in housing prices"; 4 out of 19 banks failed the stress test; the 4 banks include Ally Financial Inc., Citigroup Inc., MetLife Inc. and SunTrust Banks Inc. [see also Ronald D. Orol, Citi among banks that fail Fed stress test, MarketWatch, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/citi-among-banks-that-fail-fed-stress-test-2012-03-13] Federal Reserve Board 39
14-Mar-12 LAW MON RES Ellen M. Ryan; Laura E. Simmons Securities Class Action Settlements: 2011 Review and Analysis The number of court-approved securities class action settlements in 2011 decreased to 65 (a 10-year low; down 25% YOY); and settlement funds in 2011 tumbled to $1.362 (down 58% YOY) [see also http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/court-approved-class-action-settlements-at-decade-low/] Cornerstone Research 40
15-Mar-12 M&A BUS TECH Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire NDS San Jose, CA/London, UK: Cisco Systems Inc. to acquire NDS Group PLC (video software and content security solutions) for ~$5 billion Cisco 41
16-Mar-12 GOV SCIE TECH Choe Sang-hun; Steven Lee Myers. Contributor: William J. Broad North Korea Says It Will Launch Satellite Into Orbit North Korea annouced it will launch a satellite into orbit NYT 42
19-Mar-12 RES MIL MKT Rise in international arms transfers is driven by Asian demand, says SIPRI [Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2011: Paul Holtom, Mark Bromley, Pieter D. Wezeman and Siemon T. Wezeman]
 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): the volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007-2011 was 24% higher than in 2002-2006. The 5 biggest suppliers in 2007-11 were: 1. the United States (30% of international arms exports; up 24% between 2002-2006 and 2007-2011); 2. Russia (24%; up 12%); 3. Germany (9%; up 37%); 4. France (8%; up 12%); 5. the United Kingdom (4%; up 2%). The 5 largest recipients of arms in 2007-2011 were: 1. India (10% of global arms imports); 2. South Korea (6%); 3. Pakistan (5%); 4. China (5%); 5. Singapore (4%). China has become the 6th largest supplier of arms in the world; Chinese arms exports increased by 95% from 2002-2006 to 2007-11. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 43
19-Mar-12 RES GOV Investigation Ranks 50 State Governments for Corruptibility [See Caitlin Ginley, "50 states and no winners," http://www.stateintegrity.org/state_integrity_invesitgation_overview_story] State Integrity Investigation: "State governments are largely doing a poor job delivering transparency and accountability to their citizenry. Meanwhile, statehouses remain ripe for corruption and self-dealing." Center for Public Integrity 44
20-Mar-12 BUS FIN TECH Oracle Reports Q3 GAAP EPS Up 20% To 49 Cents; Q3 Non-GAAP EPS Up 15% To 62 Cents: Trailing Twelve Month Operating Cash Flow Up 35% To $13.5 Billion Oracle fiscal 2012Q3 results: total revenues, $9.0 billion (up 3% YOY); net income, $2.5 billion (up 18% YOY); operating cash flow on a trailing 12-month basis, $13.5 billion (up 35% YOY) Oracle 45
21-Mar-12 RES REL Dr. Gudrun Kugler (director of the Observatory) Report 2011 Dr. Gudrun Kugler, director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians: "Studies suggest that 85% of all hate crimes with an anti-religion background in Europe are directed against Christians . . ." Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians 46
27-Mar-12 HEAL Brigid Fitzgerald Reading Growth in World Contraceptive Use Stalling; 215 Million Women’s Needs Still Unmet Earth Policy Institute: ≥215 million women want to prevent or delay pregnancy but use no effective contraception; ~40% of all pregnancies are unintended; modern contraception methods include oral contraception (“the pill”), condoms, injections, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and sterilization [for more information, see World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse by Lester R. Brown at http://www.earth-policy.org/books/wote] Earth Policy Institute 47
28-Mar-12 RES GOV ELITE Dan Hind [author of "The Threat to Reason and The Return of the Public" and "Occupy movement and deliberative politics, Common Sense: Occupation, Assembly and the Future of Liberty"] The third British Empire – London is considered the "capital of capitalism" allowing foreign billionaires to stash tax free income offshore. Dan Hind, on the 3 British Empires, the first 2 being "deeply criminal projects . . . they relied heavily on profits from slavery and the sale of narcotics": Empire 1. "an Atlantic empire built on North American colonies and Caribbean possessions"; Empire 2. "an Asian empire, built on control of India and coercive trade with China"; Empire 3. "organised around the country's offshore financial infrastructure and its substantial diplomatic, intelligence and communications resources" Al Jazeera 48
29-Mar-12 GOV MIl RES Ron Ben-Yishai Analysis: US thwarting Israeli strike on Iran Analysis by Ron Ben-Yishai alleging that the U.S. is leaking classified information to the media in order to hinder an Israeli strike in Iran; the leak operation is described as a "practical, targeted assassination of potential Israeli operations in Iran" Ynet News 49
30-Mar-12 HEAL RES Jon Baio Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, United States, 2008 CDC survey: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) among the 14 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDMs) sites in 2008: 11.3 per 1,000 (1 in 88) children aged 8 years (up 78% when compared with statistics for 2002) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 50
3-Apr-12 RES BUS DEBT Rating Action: Moody's downgrades GE rating to Aa3, GE Capital to A1 Moody's Investors Service downgraded (1) the senior unsecured debt rating of General Electric Company (GE) to Aa3 from Aa2; and (2) the senior unsecured rating of its finance subsidiary, General Electric Capital Corporation, to A1 from Aa2. The rating outlook for GE and GECC is stable Moody's Investors Service 51
4-Apr-12 M&A RES Graphics: Mergers and Acquisitions, Top Financial and Legal Advisers Mergers and acquisitions in 2012Q1: wordwide, $481 billion (down 34%): U.S., $146 billion [source: Thomson Reuters] NYT-DealBook 52
4-Apr-12 M&A BUS TECH EBX Group and IBM Announce Strategic Agreement IBM to acquires 20% of SIX Automacao's capital, a subsidiary of SIX Solucoes Inteligentes, an EBX Group technology company; IBM and EBX Group to collaborate on research, and to create Joint Industry Solutions Center at SIX Automacao; EBX Group to outsource IT operations to IBM for ~$1 billion over 10 years IBM 53
9-Apr-12 BUS TECH JOBS Tiffany Hsu Sony Corp. to cut 10,000 jobs, or 6% of global workforce Sony Corporation to cut 10,000 jobs (~6% of its global workforce) [Sony's net loss in 2011Q4 was $2.038 billion; sales and operating revenue was down 17.4%; see http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/11q3_sony.pdf] Los Angeles Times 54
9-Apr-12 M&A TECH WWW Facebook to Acquire Instagram Facebook to acquire Instagram (photo-sharing app for mobile devices) for $1 billion in cash and shares of Facebook Facebook 55
10-Apr-12 BUS TECH FIN Sony Announces Revision of Consolidated Forecast
for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2012		 Sony revised its consolidated net loss attributable to Sony Corporation’s stockholders for the FY ended 31-Mar-2012: from Ą220 billion (or ~$2.7 billion) (Feb-2012 forecast) to Ą520 billion (or ~$6.4 billion) (Apr-2012 forecast) Sony 56
11-Apr-12 HEAL Lisa Schlein Dementia Cases to Triple by 2050 as World Ages World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer’s Disease International: the number of people afflicted with dementia is expected to tripple from ~36 million to >115 million by 2050 VOA News 57
11-Apr-12 BUS HEAL FRAUD Katie Thomas J.&J. Fined $1.2 Billion in Drug Case Tim Fox, an Arkansas Circuit Court judge, ordered Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary to pay $1.19 billion for violating Arkansas' Medicaid fraud law NYT 58
12-Apr-12 BUS TECH FIN Google Announces First Quarter 2012 Results and Proposal for New Class of Stock – Proposal Would Effectively Implement 2-for-1 Stock Split While Preserving Long-Term Governance Structure Google 2012Q1 results (GAAP): revenues, $10.65 billion (up 24% YOY); net income, $2.89 billion (up 60.7% YOY); cash and cash equivalent at end of period, $23.108 billion (up 86.1% YOY); Google proposed to Implement 2-for-1 stock split while preserving long-term governance structure Google 59
13-Apr-12 GOV SPACE SCIE Steve Herman North Korea Admits Rocket Failed Shortly After Launch North Korea: Taepo Dong-2 multistage rocket carrying Kwangmyongsong-3 earth observation satellite failed shortly after launch VOA News 60
16-Apr-12 HEAL RES Art Chimes Study Links Dental X-Rays to Brain Tumors -- Risk doubles compared to common x-rays Yale study led by Dr. Elizabeth Claus links dental X-rays to brain tumors (meningioma) [see also http://publichealth.yale.edu/people/elizabeth_claus-1.profile] VOA News 61
17-Apr-12 BUS TECH FIN IBM Reports 2012 First-Quarter Results IBM 2012Q1 results: revenue: $24.673 billion (flat, up 1% adjusting for currency); net income (GAAP), $3.066 billion (up 7.1% YOY) IBM 62
17-Apr-12 BUS TECH FIN Patrick Darling Intel Reports First-Quarter Revenue of $12.9 Billion Intel Corporation 2012Q1 GAAP results: revenue, $12.9 billion (down 7% QOQ); net income, $2.7 billion (down 19% QOQ) Intel 63
17-Apr-12 VIO HEAL EDU Afghan schoolgirls poisoned in alleged attack Afghanistan: ~150 schoolgirls drank poisoned water at their high school; hardliners who oppose female education are suspected Al Jazeera: Agencies 64
18-Apr-12 M&A BUS HEAL SXC and Catalyst To Combine, Creating Leading Provider Of Pharmacy Benefit Management Services And Healthcare Information Technology Solutions SXC Health Solutions to acquire Catalyst Health Solutions in a cash and stock transaction valued at ~$4.4 billion SXC Health Solutions 65
19-Apr-12 BUS TECH Microsoft Reports Record Third-Quarter Revenue Microsoft FY2012 Q3 results: revenue, $17.41 billion (up 6% YOY); net income, $5.11 billion (down 2.3% YOY) Microsoft 66
19-Apr-12 SPACE SCIE MIL India Declares Itself Major Missile Power India successfully test-fired Agni-V, a new missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Beijing Shangai, and Moscow. Agni V specifications: range, 45,000 km; payload, 1,360.78 kg VOA News 67
19-Apr-12 MIL TECH Steve Herman South Korea Says New Missile Can Hit Any Target in North South Korea is deploying a new cruise missile capable of hitting any target in North Korea; the missile's range is >1,000 km VOA News 68
20-Apr-12 GOV BANK RES Federal Reserve Board announces the formation of the Model Validation Council The Federal Reserve Board announced the formation of the Model Validation Council; the Council will provide the Federal Reserve with "expert and independent advice on its process to rigorously assess the models used in stress tests of banking institutions" Federal Reserve Board 69
20-Apr-12 BUS TECH FIN GE Reports 1Q’12 Operating EPS of $0.34, +3% (+17% excluding 1Q’11 one-time items); Industrial Segment Revenues of $23.7B, +14%; Organic Growth +11%; Infrastructure Orders +20%; Industrial Segment Profit +10%; Industrial CFOA of $2.1B, +22% GE 2012Q1 results: consolidated revenues from continuing operations, $35.182 billion (down 8% YOY); Consolidated net earnings attributable to the Company, $3.034 billion (down 12% YOY) GE 70
20-Apr-12 MIL SCIE TECH Engineering Review Board Concludes Review of HTV-2 Second Test Flight – Aerodynamic design validated and new understanding of thermal material properties gained U.S.: Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, on the review of data from the 2nd flight of DARPA’s Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2) traveling at ~13,000 miles/hour: "Data collected during the second test flight revealed new knowledge about thermal-protective material properties and uncertainties for Mach 20 flight inside the atmosphere, which can now be used to adjust our assumptions based on actual flight data and modify our modeling and simulation to better characterize thermal uncertainties and determine how to assess integrated thermal systems." The ultimate goal of the Conventional Prompt Global Strike initiatives executed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Strategic Warfare directorate is "to have the capability to reach anywhere in the world in less than one hour." DARPA 71
20-Apr-12 ECO RES Matt McGrath Huge' water resource exists under Africa Scientists say Africa is "sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater" – "more than 100 times estimates of annual renewable freshwater resources on Africa," see A. M. MacDonald et al., "Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa," Environmental Research Letters, 19-Apr-2012, http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024009/article] BBC News 72
23-Apr-12 BUS FIN TECH TI reports financial results for 1Q12 TI 2012 Q1 results: revenue, $3.121 billion (down 8% YOY); net income, $265 million (down 60% YOY) [total acquisition-related charges associated with TI's acquisition of National Semiconductor in Sep-2011, $174 million in Q1] Texas Instruments 73
23-Apr-12 M&A HEAL Thomson Reuters Announces Definitive Agreement to Sell its Healthcare Business to Veritas Capital for $1.25 Billion Veritas Capital to acquire Thomson Reuters's healthcare business for $1.25 billion Thomson Reuters 74
23-Apr-12 M&A HEAL AstraZeneca to acquire Ardea Biosciences for $1 billion (net of existing cash) including lead product lesinurad in Phase III development for gout AstraZeneca to acquire Ardea Biosciences for $1 billion (net of existing cash) AstraZeneca 75
24-Apr-12 BUS FIN TECH Apple Reports Second Quarter Results – Record March Quarter Sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs Apple F2012Q2 results: revenue, $39.186 billion (up 58.9% YOY); net income, $11.622 billion (up 94.1% YOY); number of iPhones sold, 35.1 million (up 88% YOY); number of iPads sold, 11.8 million (up 151% YOY) Apple 76
25-Apr-12 RES GOV DEBT Takahira Ogawa (Primary Credit Analyst):  Outlook On India Revised To Negative On Slow Fiscal Progress, Deteriorating Economic Indicators; 'BBB-' Rating Affirmed Standard & Poor's Ratings Services: (1) affirmed the 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term unsolicited sovereign credit ratings on India; (2) revised the outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable Standard & Poor's 77
25-Apr-12 RES GOV DEBT Outlook On Province of Ontario Revised To Negative From Stable Due To Risks To Fiscal Plan Standard & Poor's Ratings Services: (1) revised its outlook on the Province of Ontario to negative from stable; (2) affirmed its ratings, including its 'AA-' long-term and 'A-1+' short-term issuer credit ratings on the province. {See also "Moody's downgrades Ontario credit rating," CBC News-Agency websites, 26-Apr-2012, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/04/26/toronto-ontario-deficit.html] Standard & Poor's 78
25-Apr-12 SPACE SCIE MIL Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Upgraded Missile 24-Apr-2012: Pakistan successfully test-fired an upgraded Shaheen-1 missile VOA News-Reuters 79
26-Apr-12 RES GOV DEBT Research Update: Ratings On Spain Lowered To 'BBB+/A-2' On Debt Concerns; Outlook Negative Standard & Poor's Ratings Services: (1) lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the Kingdom of Spain to 'BBB+' from 'A': (2) lowered the short-term sovereign credit rating to 'A-2' from 'A-1'; the outlook on the long-term rating is negative Standard & Poor's 80
26-Apr-12 SCIE WEATH SPACE Kurt Achin India Successfully Launches 'All-Weather' Surveillance Satellite India successfully launched RISAT-1 ("radar imaging satellite") – an 'all-weather' satellite VOA News 81
26-Apr-12 GOV HEAL Update from USDA Regarding a Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States – USDA and FDA Continue to Assure Consumers That Existing Safeguards Protect Food Supply; Reiterates Safety of Consuming Beef and Dairy Products United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the 4th case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE; mad cow disease) in California; the 1st case was first reported on 24-Apr-2012 USDA 82
30-Apr-12 M&A BUS HEAL Hologic to Acquire Gen-Probe Hologic to acquire Gen-Probe in an all-cash transaction valued at ~$3.7 billion Hologic 83
30-Apr-12 M&A BUS HEAL Terra Firma acquires Four Seasons Health Care (“Four Seasons”) Terra Firma (a leading private equity firm) to acquire Four Seasons (UK’s largest independent elderly care homes and specialist care centres) for a total consideration of up to Ł825 million (~$1.34 billion) Terra Firma 84
1-May-12 REL RES David Briggs Diversity rising: Census shows Mormons, nondenominational churches, Muslims spreading out across U.S. Association of Religion Data Archives: 2010 U.S. Religion Census: 10-year statistics: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) grew to 6.14 million adherents (up by ~2 million); Protestant churches lost an average of 12.8%; Catholic churches lost 5% (down from 62 million adherents in 2000 to 59 million in 2010); the number of non-Christian congregations – synagogues, mosques, temples, etc. – increased from 8,795 in the 2000 study to 11,572 in the 2010 census (up 31.6%) ARDA 85
2-May-12 M&A BUS HEAL Sandoz to acquire Fougera Pharmaceuticals, becoming the number one generic dermatology medicines company globally and in the US Novartis to acquire Fougera Pharmaceuticals for $1.525 billion in an all-cash transaction (Sandoz is "the generic pharmaceuticals" division of Novartis) Novartis 86
7-May-12 JUST FRAUD HEAL Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at Press Conference Regarding Settlement with Abbott Laboratories U.S. Department of Justice: "Abbott Laboratories’ guilty plea to a criminal misbranding charge, coupled with its agreement to pay $1.5 billion to resolve its criminal and civil liability for unlawful marketing of Depakote, is the latest in an important line of recent health care fraud enforcement actions." The Justice Department recovered "over $8.8 billion in health care fraud settlements, judgments, penalties and fines since the formation of HEAT in May 2009." U.S. Department of Justice 87
9-May-12 BUS TECH FIN Cisco Reports Third Quarter Earnings Cisco F2012Q3 results: net sales, $11.6 billion (up 6.6% YOY); net income (GAAP), $2.2 billion (up 19.8% YOY) Cisco 88
10-May-12 BUS TECH FIN Alex Pham Sony posts $5.6-billion loss, 10% drop in sales Sony fiscal-year ended Mar-2012 results: revenue, $79.2 billion (down 9.6% YOY); loss, a record $5.6 billion (nearly double the prior year's loss of $3.2 billion) Los Angeles Times 89
11-May-12 RES BANK FIN Wallace Witkowski S&P cuts outlook on J.P. Morgan to negative Standard & Poor's (S&P) lowered its ratings outlook on J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. from stable to negative MarketWatch 90
11-May-12 HEAL RES LAW Allen Frances Diagnosing the D.S.M. Allen Frances: "D.S.M.-5 [the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] promises to be a disaster . . . it will introduce many new and unproven diagnoses that will medicalize normality and result in a glut of unnecessary and harmful drug prescription." Tthe official release of DSM-5 is The 166th APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, May 18-22, 2013 [see "DSM-5: The Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis," American Psychiatric Association (APA), http://www.dsm5.org]. NYT-Op Ed 91
11-May-12 RES BANK DEBT Joo-Yung Lee (Primary Analyst); Christopher Wolfe (Secondary Analyst); Ed Thompson (Committee Chairperson) Fitch Downgrades JPMorgan to 'A+/F1'; L-T IDR on Watch Negative Fitch Ratings downgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s (JPM) (1) long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR), from 'AA-' to 'A+' and (2) its short-term IDR, from 'F1+'  to 'F1'; Fitch placed all parent and subsidiary long-term ratings on Rating Watch Negative. Fitch Ratings 92