New Software and Genetic Analyses Aim to Reduce Problems with Multiple-Drug Combinations →

Pines is among the 40 percent of Americans who are 65 years of age or older and take more than five prescription drugs. Although older individuals account for the majority of prescription drug users, they are hardly alone. More than four billion prescriptions were filled at U.S. pharmacies in 2014—an average of nearly 13 per citizen at that time.
The need to take multiple drugs poses a special risk that too often goes unrecognized by doctors and patients: certain combinations of medicines (prescription or otherwise) cause side effects that do not arise when the individual substances are taken alone. Studies published over the past two decades suggest that such “drug interactions” cause more than 30 percent of side effects from medications. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical manufacturers cannot always predict when a new agent will mix badly with other medicines—not to mention supplements or foods—and so unexpected deaths are sometimes the first sign of danger.
Not all side effects are lethal, but the widespread danger from drug interactions is prompting new efforts to prevent people from taking risky combinations...

A hydra-headed scourge: How the Midwest is battling a drug epidemic →

The heroin epidemic in the Midwest is closely linked to the rampant opiate epidemic. As doctors prescribed opioid painkillers such as OxyContin more and more liberally, their abuse grew. Sales of prescription opioid painkillers have increased 300% since 1999, according to the federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even though the amount of pain Americans report to their physicians has not changed.
Three-quarters of heroin addicts used to take prescription drugs and switched to heroin, which is cheaper and more easily available on the black market. A gram of pure heroin costs less than half what it did in the 1980s, in real terms. “This is a doctor-caused epidemic,” says Tom Frieden, boss of the CDC. In states with higher prescription rate of opioid painkillers, such as Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, the number of heroin addicts is higher too.

U.S. and China Seek Arms Deal for Cyberspace →

The United States and China are negotiating what could become the first arms control accord for cyberspace, embracing a commitment by each country that it will not be the first to use cyberweapons to cripple the other’s critical infrastructure during peacetime, according to officials involved in the talks.
While such an agreement could address attacks on power stations, banking systems, cellphone networks and hospitals, it would not, at least in its first version, protect against most of the attacks that China has been accused of conducting in the United States, including the widespread poaching of intellectual property and the theft of millions of government employees’ personal data.

Burkina to return to civilian rule after coup, mediator says →

Burkina Faso will reinstate an interim government led by President Michel Kafando, Benin's leader Thomas Boni Yayi said on Saturday, in what would be a victory for the street over army coup leaders.
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It was not clear if the alleged deal included amnesty for Diendere, a shadowy general who served as a spy chief under ousted President Blaise Compaore.
Nor was it clear if the election schedule could be restored.

U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies →

The American policy of nonintervention is intended to maintain good relations with the Afghan police and militia units the United States has trained to fight the Taliban. It also reflects a reluctance to impose cultural values in a country where pederasty is rife, particularly among powerful men, for whom being surrounded by young teenagers can be a mark of social status.
Some soldiers believed that the policy made sense, even if they were personally distressed at the sexual predation they witnessed or heard about.
“The bigger picture was fighting the Taliban,” a former Marine lance corporal reflected. “It wasn’t to stop molestation.”

But a "prudent" policy isn't just morally reprehensible; it means we're complicit:

Lance Corporal Buckley had noticed that a large entourage of “tea boys” — domestic servants who are sometimes pressed into sexual slavery — had arrived with Mr. Jan and moved into the same barracks, one floor below the Marines. He told his father about it during his final call home.
Word of Mr. Jan’s new position also reached the Marine officers who had gotten him arrested in 2010. One of them, Maj. Jason Brezler, dashed out an email to Marine officers at F.O.B. Delhi, warning them about Mr. Jan and attaching a dossier about him.
The warning was never heeded. About two weeks later, one of the older boys with Mr. Jan — around 17 years old — grabbed a rifle and killed Lance Corporal Buckley and the other Marines.
Lance Corporal Buckley’s father still agonizes about whether the killing occurred because of the sexual abuse by an American ally. “As far as the young boys are concerned, the Marines are allowing it to happen and so they’re guilty by association,” Mr. Buckley said. “They don’t know our Marines are sick to their stomachs.”

Volkswagen Drops 23% After Admitting Diesel Emissions Cheat →

Diesel and VW’s reputation for German engineering were cornerstones of Winterkorn’s effort to catch up in the U.S. market. The violations, which affect nearly half a million vehicles, could result in as much as $18 billion in fines, based on the cost per violation and the number of cars. Criminal prosecution is also possible.
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The Wolfsburg, Germany-based company admitted to fitting some of its U.S. diesel vehicles with software that turns on full pollution controls only when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, the EPA said Friday. Affected are diesel versions of the VW Jetta, Golf, Beetle and Passat and the Audi A3.

Soldiers crush protests as military seizes power in Burkina Faso →

Heavily armed troops crushed protests in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou after a former spy chief seized power in a military coup on Thursday, derailing a democratic transition that had inspired many in Africa.
At least three people were killed and more than 60 injured, according to hospital sources, when members of the presidential guard fired warning shots to disperse crowds and used batons to beat back stone-throwing demonstrators.
The coup leaders' authority did not appear to extend beyond the capital and soldiers stood aside as youths demonstrated in several other cities and towns.
The protesters were demanding the release of the interim president and members of his government detained by the presidential guard on Wednesday, and the organization of elections as scheduled for Oct. 11.

The vote is meant to mark a return to democracy a year after unrest toppled President Blaise Compaore when he tried to extend his 27-year rule. The uprising became a beacon for democratic aspirations in Africa at a time when long-term rulers from Rwanda to Congo Republic are seeking to scrap term limits.