Year: 2014

By Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Supreme Court of Canada agreed on Thursday to take another look at a decision it made in 1993 upholding a ban on assisted suicide, setting up a new battle over the right to die. The case involves Gloria Taylor, an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patient and activist, who joined the right to die lawsuit in 2011. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, along with a handful of other European jurisdictions and a few U.S. states. "This is a big one dealing with something we will all one day face – how, when and under what circumstances we head for the exit sign," said constitutional lawyer Eugene Meehan, who has argued numerous cases before the court.

By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, with the S&P 500 pulling back from record levels following a round of disappointing earnings as financial stocks led the way lower. Financials were the biggest drag on the market after both Citigroup Inc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc reported quarterly profits hit by lower bond trading revenue, with Goldman's earnings falling 21 percent and Citigroup's missing expectations. The results followed fairly positive reads on the sector from JPMorgan Chase & Co , Bank of America Corp and Wells Fargo & Co . Goldman's stock slid 2.2 percent to $174.79 and ranked as one of the Dow's biggest decliners, while Citigroup dropped 4.1 percent to $52.74.

House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday said the United States should avoid a major fight over raising the federal debt ceiling that brings the United States close to a default. After passage of a $1.1 trillion spending bill, the only major fiscal hurdle facing Congress over the next nine months is an increase in the $17 trillion debt ceiling that is expected to be needed in as little as six weeks. Boehner told a news conference that the United States should not default on its debt and "shouldn't even get close to it." He did not say whether Republicans would tie an increase in the debt ceiling to demands for additional deficit reduction. Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Boehner was asked whether he would engage in direct negotiations with President Barack Obama on a new deficit-reduction package as part of the effort to increase the debt limit.

By Jim Finkle and Doina Chiacu BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A cybersecurity professional warned that the U.S. government failed to implement fixes to protect the HealthCare.gov website from hackers at a congressional hearing that Democratic lawmakers claimed was politically motivated. “HealthCare.gov is not secure today,” David Kennedy, head of computer security consulting firm TrustedSec LLC, said at a Thursday hearing of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. It’s not a question of whether or not its insecure, it’s what we need to do to fix it.” Before the hearing, Kennedy told Reuters the government has yet to plug more than 20 vulnerabilities that he and other security experts reported to the government shortly after HealthCare.gov went live on October 1. Hackers could steal personal information, modify data or attack the personal computers of the website’s users, he said.

LONDON (Reuters) – Two private healthcare groups may be forced to sell nine hospitals, mainly in London, after an investigation by the Competition Commission found patients were not getting value for money. The Competition Commission said HCA International, owned by the largest U.S. healthcare group HCA Holdings Inc, needs to sell two hospitals in central London – London Bridge and Princess Grace. Rival BMI, Britain's largest operator with 66 hospitals, could be forced to sell seven hospitals in Greater London, the south-east and the north-west of England. …

Filmmaker Lucy Walker, who received Oscar nominations for “Waste Land” (2010) and “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011), follows Marianna Palka as she prepares to go to the doctor and open the envelope that will seal her fate. Her short documentary, “The Lion’s Mouth Opens,” premieres at the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 18.        

A new government report reveals that more Americans are eating at home, and their diets are improving.