WHO: Slight cancer risk after Japan nuke accident


LONDON (AP) — Two years after Japan's nuclear plant disaster, an international team of experts said Thursday that residents of areas hit by the highest doses of radiation face an increased cancer risk so small it probably won't be detectable.


In fact, experts calculated that increase at about 1 extra percentage point added to a Japanese infant's lifetime cancer risk.


"The additional risk is quite small and will probably be hidden by the noise of other (cancer) risks like people's lifestyle choices and statistical fluctuations," said Richard Wakeford of the University of Manchester, one of the authors of the report. "It's more important not to start smoking than having been in Fukushima."


The report was issued by the World Health Organization, which asked scientists to study the health effects of the disaster in Fukushima, a rural farming region.


On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima plant's power and cooling systems, causing meltdowns in three reactors and spewing radiation into the surrounding air, soil and water. The most exposed populations were directly under the plumes of radiation in the most affected communities in Fukushima, which is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tokyo.


In the report, the highest increases in risk are for people exposed as babies to radiation in the most heavily affected areas. Normally in Japan, the lifetime risk of developing cancer of an organ is about 41 percent for men and 29 percent for women. The new report said that for infants in the most heavily exposed areas, the radiation from Fukushima would add about 1 percentage point to those numbers.


Experts had been particularly worried about a spike in thyroid cancer, since radioactive iodine released in nuclear accidents is absorbed by the thyroid, especially in children. After the Chernobyl disaster, about 6,000 children exposed to radiation later developed thyroid cancer because many drank contaminated milk after the accident.


In Japan, dairy radiation levels were closely monitored, but children are not big milk drinkers there.


The WHO report estimated that women exposed as infants to the most radiation after the Fukushima accident would have a 70 percent higher chance of getting thyroid cancer in their lifetimes. But thyroid cancer is extremely rare and one of the most treatable cancers when caught early. A woman's normal lifetime risk of developing it is about 0.75 percent. That number would rise by 0.5 under the calculated increase for women who got the highest radiation doses as infants.


Wakeford said the increase may be so small it will probably not be observable.


For people beyond the most directly affected areas of Fukushima, Wakeford said the projected cancer risk from the radiation dropped dramatically. "The risks to everyone else were just infinitesimal."


David Brenner of Columbia University in New York, an expert on radiation-induced cancers, said that although the risk to individuals is tiny outside the most contaminated areas, some cancers might still result, at least in theory. But they'd be too rare to be detectable in overall cancer rates, he said.


Brenner said the numerical risk estimates in the WHO report were not surprising. He also said they should be considered imprecise because of the difficulty in determining risk from low doses of radiation. He was not connected with the WHO report.


Some experts said it was surprising that any increase in cancer was even predicted.


"On the basis of the radiation doses people have received, there is no reason to think there would be an increase in cancer in the next 50 years," said Wade Allison, an emeritus professor of physics at Oxford University, who also had no role in developing the new report. "The very small increase in cancers means that it's even less than the risk of crossing the road," he said.


WHO acknowledged in its report that it relied on some assumptions that may have resulted in an overestimate of the radiation dose in the general population.


Gerry Thomas, a professor of molecular pathology at Imperial College London, accused the United Nations health agency of hyping the cancer risk.


"It's understandable that WHO wants to err on the side of caution, but telling the Japanese about a barely significant personal risk may not be helpful," she said.


Thomas said the WHO report used inflated estimates of radiation doses and didn't properly take into account Japan's quick evacuation of people from Fukushima.


"This will fuel fears in Japan that could be more dangerous than the physical effects of radiation," she said, noting that people living under stress have higher rates of heart problems, suicide and mental illness.


In Japan, Norio Kanno, the chief of Iitate village, in one of the regions hardest hit by the disaster, harshly criticized the WHO report on Japanese public television channel NHK, describing it as "totally hypothetical."


Many people who remain in Fukushima still fear long-term health risks from the radiation, and some refuse to let their children play outside or eat locally grown food.


Some restrictions have been lifted on a 12-mile (20-kilometer) zone around the nuclear plant. But large sections of land in the area remain off-limits. Many residents aren't expected to be able to return to their homes for years.


Kanno accused the report's authors of exaggerating the cancer risk and stoking fear among residents.


"I'm enraged," he said.


___


Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and AP Science Writer Malcolm Ritter in New York contributed to this report.


__


Online:


WHO report: http://bit.ly/YDCXcb


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Risk assets rise on Fed stimulus vow, Italy debt sale

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares, commodity currencies and oil rose on Thursday as sentiment improved after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his commitment to strong stimulus measures, while a smooth debt sale calmed nerves jangled by Italy's political deadlock.


European markets are seen extending gains for a second day, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100 <.ftse>, Paris's CAC-40 <.fchi> and Frankfurt's DAX <.gdaxi> would open as much as 0.6 percent higher. <.l><.eu/>


A 0.1 percent rise in U.S. stock futures also hinted at a firm Wall Street start. <.n/>


The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> was up 0.3 percent and was set for a monthly gain of 0.7 percent.


Australian shares <.axjo> soared 1.5 percent, Hong Kong shares <.hsi> added 1.2 percent and Indonesian stocks <.jkse> continued their bull run to hit another historic peak after closing on Wednesday at a record.


Japan's Nikkei stock average <.n225> climbed 1.3 percent as the yen softened. <.t/>


The yen was defensive, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominating Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda as Bank of Japan governor, and academic Kikuo Iwata as one of the two deputy governors. Both are seen by markets to support Abe's call for unconventional reflationary stimulus measures, and that view has underpinned yen selling.


Italy's inconclusive election last weekend raised fears that the euro zone's third-largest economy could abandon its fiscal reforms, but analysts and traders say they expect Rome to pursue a basic austerity path to pare down its huge debt, even if is at a more moderate pace, and that the European Central Bank will stand ready to provide funding support if needed.


The rally in equities and other risk assets showed the dimming appeal of safe-haven investments. A day after slumping nearly 1 percent on Wednesday, spot gold traded little changed around $1,597 an ounce and was headed for its longest run of monthly declines in more than 16 years.


"Gold's sentiment remains fickle, as it lacks a significant catalyst to propel the rally into the 13th year and people are more sensitive to even slightly bearish signs," said Chen Min, an analyst at Jinrui Futures in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.


Bernanke, speaking before Congress for a second day, downplayed signs of internal divisions, saying the policy of quantitative easing has the support of a "significant majority" of top central bank policymakers.


Uncertainty over an imminent U.S. fiscal tightening could dampen the positive mood, however, as President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders have not reached a deal to avoid the $85-billion in automatic "sequestration" spending cuts, due to start on Friday.


Regional data released on Thursday was mixed.


Australian business investment showed a surprise fall last quarter as firms outside the red-hot mining sector cut back, while estimates of future spending confirmed the long boom in resource investment was likely to end this year.


Japan's industrial output, on the other hand, rose for a second straight month in January, offering some evidence that the export-reliant economy may be emerging from a mild recession, taking strength from a pick-up in global demand and the weaker yen.


ITALY SURVIVES


Italy's borrowing costs rose to a four-month high on Wednesday at the first bond auction since this week's inconclusive election but solid demand from domestic investors eased fears that the political deadlock could destabilize Europe's second-biggest sovereign debt market.


"Indeed there is room for optimism -- if the Italian risks remain contained -- as signals of stabilization continue to emerge," Barclays Capital said in a note.


The euro inched up 0.1 percent to $1.3143, well above a seven-week low of $1.3018 on Tuesday.


Others were more cautious.


"While confidence is high, there are still risks present. Negative political news from Italy may provide headwinds, while the looming 1 March deadline for the U.S. sequester could trigger $85 billion of across-the-board budget cuts," said Miguel Audencial, a sales trader with Sydney-based CMC Markets.


The yen steadied around 92.24 against the dollar. The yen hit its lowest since May 2010 of 94.77 on Monday before the outcome of the Italian vote rattled financial markets and sent the yen soaring to 90.85 yen.


The yen eased 0.1 percent against the euro to 121.19 after jumping to 118.74 on Monday.


U.S. crude rose 0.3 percent to $93.02 a barrel while Brent rose 0.2 percent to $112.07.


(Additional reporting by Luke Pachymuthu and Rujun Shen in Singapore; Editing by Eric Meijer)



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Japan to Begin Restarting Idled Nuclear Plants


Junji Kurokawa/Associated Press


Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his policy speech at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo.







TOKYO -- Japan will begin restarting its idled nuclear plants once new safety guidelines are in place later this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday, moving to ensure a stable energy supply despite public safety concerns after the Fukushima disaster.




In a speech to Parliament, Mr. Abe pledged to restart nuclear plants that pass the new guidelines, which are expected to be adopted by a newly created independent watchdog agency, the Nuclear Regulation Authority, as early as July.


All but two of Japan’s 50 operable nuclear reactors were shut down following the March 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which spewed radiation across northern Japan after a huge earthquake and tsunami knocked out vital cooling systems. Responding to public safety concerns, leaders from the previous Democratic Party government had vowed to slowly phase out nuclear power by the 2030s in favor of cleaner alternatives like solar and wind.


However, Mr. Abe, who took power after his Liberal Democratic Party won national elections in December, has vowed to scrap that planned phase out, saying that Japan needs stable and cheap electricity from nuclear power to compete economically.


On Thursday, Mr. Abe said that Japan had learned the need for tougher safety standards from the Fukushima accident, which forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate. He said the new safety standards will be enforced "without compromise."


However, he did not specify when plants that meet those new standards will be allowed to resume operations. Mr. Abe also said Japan will continue seeking energy alternatives in order to reduce its dependence on nuclear power, even without going so far as to eliminate it.


In the case of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, recently admitted that it had failed to take stronger measures to prevent disasters for fear of inviting lawsuits or protests against its nuclear plants.


In the October 2012 report, Tepco said that before the accident it had been afraid to consider the risk of such a large tsunami, fearing admissions of risk could result in public pressure to shut plants down. The report was intended to showcase internal changes as the government considers when to allow other reactors to resume operation.


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HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics






SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co said on Monday it will sell the webOS operating system to South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, unloading the smartphone software it acquired through a $ 1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.


LG will use the operating software, used in now-defunct Palm smartphones years ago, for its “smart” or Internet-connected TVs. The Asian electronics company had worked with HP on WebOS before offering to buy it outright.






Under the terms of their agreement, LG acquires the operating software’s source code, associated documentation, engineering talent, various associated websites, and licenses under HP’s intellectual property including patents covering fundamental operating system and user interface technology.


HP will retain the patents and all the technology relating to the cloud service of webOS, HP Chief Operating Officer Bill Veghte said in an interview.


“As we looked at it, we saw a very compelling IP that was very unique in the marketplace,” he said, adding that HP has already had a partnership with LG on webOS before the deal was announced.


“As a result of this collaboration, LG offered to acquire the webOS operating system technology,” Veghte said.


Skott Ahn, President and CTO, LG Electronics, said the company will incorporate the operating system in the Smart TV line-up first “and then hopefully all the other devices in the future.”


Both companies declined to reveal the terms of the deal.


LG will keep the WebOS team in Silicon Valley and, for now, will continue to be based out of HP offices, Ahn said.


HP opened its webOS mobile operating system to developers and companies in 2012 after trying to figure out how to recoup its investment in Palm, one of the pioneers of the smartphone industry.


The company had tried to build products based on webOS with the now-defunct TouchPad tablet its flagship product.


HP launched and discontinued the TouchPad in 2010, a little over a month after it hit store shelves with costly fanfare after it saw poor demand for a tablet priced on par with Apple’s dominant iPad.


WebOS is widely viewed as a strong mobile platform, but has been assailed for its paucity of applications, an important consideration while choosing a mobile device.


(Additional reporting By Paul Sandle and Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Tim Dobbyn and M.D. Golan)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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American Idol Reveals Its Top 10 Women






American Idol










02/27/2013 at 10:45 PM EST







From left: Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban


Michael Becker/FOX


American Idol's's list of the top 10 women is complete!

After the first week of sudden-death rounds, the judges gave their stamp of approval to five more female singers Wednesday night. And they sent five others home.

Keep reading to find out who's in and who's out on Idol ...

Here are the five contestants who are moving on in the competition:

1. Zoanette Johnson: The Tulsa resident, 20, was the first to be put through by the judges, who showered her with praise for singing a spirited version of "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. Keith Urban declared her "queen of the jungle." Nicki Minaj told Zoanette, "You make me so emotional ... You're the person we're going to remember tonight."

2. Aubrey Cleland: After singing a slowed-down version of Beyoncé's "Sweet Dreams," Mariah Carey told Cleland, 19, "You're limitless." Nicki and Randy Jackson pointed out her commercial appeal. "Lookin' like a current artist, soundin' like one, feelin' like one," said Nicki of the performance.

3. Candice Glover: Taking on Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" paid off for the singer, 23, who earned a standing ovation from Keith. Randy said she was "one of my favorite singers in the whole competition."

4. Breanna Steer: "You're extremely marketable and gorgeous and talented," Mariah told the singer, 18, after she sang a dramatic version of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" that had Randy wanting to sign her up for a recording contract. "You got the whole package," he said. "You brought so much drama."

5. Janelle Arthur: She beat out the other country singer in the competition, Rachel Hale, for the final spot in the women's top 10 after singing Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss." Though Randy called Arthur, 23, his "favorite country singer in this competition," the other judges questioned her song choice. "[The song] doesn't give you a chance to really soar," Keith said. "The melody kept pulling you back."

These five will join the five female finalists announced last week – Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb, Adriana Latonio, Angela Miller and Tenna Torres – as well as the five men – Charlie Askew, Curtis Finch Jr., Paul Jolley, Elijah Liu and Devin Velez. Ten more guys will sing Thursday (8 p.m. ET) and five will move on to round out season 12's top 20.

Did the judges make the right decisions? Sound off in the comments below.

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Medicare paid $5.1B for poor nursing home care


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Medicare paid billions in taxpayer dollars to nursing homes nationwide that were not meeting basic requirements to look after their residents, government investigators have found.


The report, released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general, said Medicare paid about $5.1 billion for patients to stay in skilled nursing facilities that failed to meet federal quality of care rules in 2009, in some cases resulting in dangerous and neglectful conditions.


One out of every three times patients wound up in nursing homes that year, they landed in facilities that failed to follow basic care requirements laid out by the federal agency that administers Medicare, investigators estimated.


By law, nursing homes need to write up care plans specially tailored for each resident, so doctors, nurses, therapists and all other caregivers are on the same page about how to help residents reach the highest possible levels of physical, mental and psychological well-being.


Not only are residents often going without the crucial help they need, but the government could be spending taxpayer money on facilities that could endanger people's health, the report concluded. The findings come as concerns about health care quality and cost are garnering heightened attention as the Obama administration implements the nation's sweeping health care overhaul.


"These findings raise concerns about what Medicare is paying for," the report said.


Investigators estimate that in one out of five stays, patients' health problems weren't addressed in the care plans, falling far short of government directives. For example, one home made no plans to monitor a patient's use of two anti-psychotic drugs and one depression medication, even though the drugs could have serious side effects.


In other cases, residents got therapy they didn't need, which the report said was in the nursing homes' financial interest because they would be reimbursed at a higher rate by Medicare.


In one example, a patient kept getting physical and occupational therapy even though the care plan said all the health goals had been met, the report said.


The Office of Inspector General's report was based on medical records from 190 patient visits to nursing homes in 42 states that lasted at least three weeks, which investigators said gave them a statistically valid sample of Medicare beneficiaries' experiences in skilled nursing facilities.


That sample represents about 1.1 million patient visits to nursing homes nationwide in 2009, the most recent year for which data was available, according to the review.


Overall, the review raises questions about whether the system is allowing homes to get paid for poor quality services that may be harming residents, investigators said, and recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tie payments to homes' abilities to meet basic care requirements. The report also recommended that the agency strengthen its regulations and ramp up its oversight. The review did not name individual homes, nor did it estimate the number of patients who had been mistreated, but instead looked at the overall number of stays in which problems arose.


In response, the agency agreed that it should consider tying Medicare reimbursements to homes' provision of good care. CMS also said in written comments that it is reviewing its own regulations to improve enforcement at the homes.


"Medicare has made significant changes to the way we pay providers thanks to the health care law, to reward better quality care," Medicare spokesman Brian Cook said in a statement to AP. "We are taking steps to make sure these facilities have the resources to improve the quality of their care, and make sure Medicare is paying for the quality of care that beneficiaries are entitled to."


CMS hires state-level agencies to survey the homes and make sure they are complying with federal law, and can require correction plans, deny payment or end a contract with a home if major deficiencies come to light. The agency also said it would follow up on potential enforcement at the homes featured in the report.


Greg Crist, a Washington-based spokeswoman for the American Health Care Association, which represents the largest share of skilled nursing facilities nationwide, said overall nursing home operators are well regulated and follow federal guidelines but added that he could not fully comment on the report's conclusions without having had the chance to read it.


"Our members begin every treatment with the individual's personal health needs at the forefront. This is a hands-on process, involving doctors and even family members in an effort to enhance the health outcome of the patient," Crist said.


Virginia Fichera, who has relatives in two nursing homes in New York, said she would welcome a greater push for accountability at skilled nursing facilities.


"Once you're in a nursing home, if things don't go right, you're really a prisoner," said Fichera, a retired professor in Sterling, NY. "As a concerned relative, you just want to know the care is good, and if there are problems, why they are happening and when they'll be fixed."


Once residents are ready to go back home or transfer to another facility, federal law also requires that the homes write special plans to make sure patients are safely discharged.


Investigators found the homes didn't always do what was needed to ensure a smooth transition.


In nearly one-third of cases, facilities also did not provide enough information when the patient moved to another setting, the report found.


___


On the Web:


The OIG report: http://1.usa.gov/VaztQm


The Medicare nursing home database: http://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare/search.aspx?bhcp=1&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1


___


Follow Garance Burke on Twitter at —http://twitter.com/garanceburke.


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Wall Street rebounds on Bernanke comments, data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rebounded from their worst decline since November on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the Fed's bond-buying stimulus and sales of new homes hit a 4 1/2-year high.


The S&P 500 had climbed 6 percent for the year and came within reach of all-time highs before the minutes from the Fed's January meeting were released last Wednesday. Since then, the benchmark S&P 500 has fallen 1 percent.


Bernanke, in testimony on Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, strongly defended the Fed's bond-buying stimulus program and quieted rumblings that the central bank may pull back from its stimulative policy measures, which were sparked by the release of the Fed minutes last week.


Bernanke's comments helped ease investors' concerns about a stalemate in Italy after a general election failed to give any party a parliamentary majority, posing the threat of prolonged instability and financial crisis in Europe, and sending the S&P 500 to its worst decline since November 7 in Monday's session.


Bernanke "certainly said everything the market needed to feel in order to get comfortable again," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital in Jersey City, New Jersey.


"The fear is we were going to see a rollover, and the first shot over the bow was what we saw out of Italy yesterday with the elections," Kenny said. "When it came to U.S. markets, we saw some of that bleeding stop because our focus shifted from the Italian political circus to Ben Bernanke."


Gains in homebuilders and other consumer stocks, following strong economic data, lifted the S&P 500, and a 5.7 percent jump in Home Depot to $67.56 boosted the Dow industrials. The PHLX housing sector index <.hgx> rose 3.2 percent.


Economic reports that showed strength in housing and consumer confidence also supported stocks. U.S. home prices rose more than expected in December, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index. Consumer confidence rebounded in February, jumping more than expected, and new-home sales rose to their highest in 4-1/2 years in January.


However, the central bank chairman also urged lawmakers to avoid sharp spending cuts set to go into effect on Friday, which he warned could combine with earlier tax increases to create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery.


The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 115.96 points, or 0.84 percent, to 13,900.13 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 9.09 points, or 0.61 percent, to 1,496.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> advanced 13.40 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 3,129.65.


Despite the bounce, the S&P 500 was unable to move back above 1,500, a closely watched level that was technical support until recently, but could now serve as a resistance point.


The CBOE Volatility Index <.vix> or the VIX, a barometer of investor anxiety, dropped 11.2 percent, a day after surging 34 percent, its biggest percentage jump since August 18, 2011.


The uncertainty caused by the Italian elections continued to weigh on stocks in Europe. The FTSEurofirst-300 index of top European shares <.fteu3> closed down 1.4 percent. The benchmark Italian index <.ftmib> tumbled 4.9 percent.


Home Depot gave the biggest boost to the Dow and provided one of the biggest lifts to the S&P 500 after the world's largest home improvement chain reported adjusted earnings and sales that beat expectations.


Macy's shares gained 2.8 percent to $39.59 after the department-store chain stated it expects full-year earnings to be above analysts' forecasts because of strong holiday sales.


Volume was active with about 7.08 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and Nasdaq, above the daily average of 6.48 billion.


Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of about 2 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, three stocks rose for every two that fell.


(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal; Editing by Jan Paschal)



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India Ink: Deadly Fire Breaks Out at Market in Kolkata







KOLKATA, India (AP) — A fire broke out at an illegal six-story plastics market in the Indian city of Kolkata early Wednesday morning, killing at least 19 people, police said.




The blaze, which started before 4 a.m., was likely caused by a short circuit, said West Bengal fire minister Javed Khan. The fire was under control by mid-morning, he said, but toxic gases being released by the blaze were hampering rescue efforts.


A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said at least 19 people had died. He said police were looking for the owner of the building, which was filled with dozens of small shops selling various plastic products.


Another 10 people were hospitalized in critical condition and the death toll was expected to rise, Khan said.


He called the scene of the fire "an illegal, unauthorized market."


However, local residents said the market had been operating in the building for nearly 40 years. They said there was only one entrance to the building, which made rescue efforts difficult.


The building housed several warehouses on its upper floors, where chemicals, paper and plastics were stored.


Police said the victims were porters working in the market, who also slept there at night. Eighteen of the dead were men.


Mamata Banerjee, the state's top elected official, who visited the site soon after the blaze was brought under control, issued an ultimatum to the building's owners to install fire safety equipment within two months.


Banerjee said the previous government that ruled the state for more than three decades had allowed the building to operate without any permits or safety measures.


She said she has ordered police, fire service and the city administration to file a report on the cause of the blaze and take steps to prevent the recurrence of such fires.


In December 2011, at least 93 people died in a deadly fire in a hospital in Kolkata. Soon after that, Banerjee had promised that her government would crackdown on lax safety procedures in public buildings.


Safety regulations are routinely ignored in India, where fire stairways and evacuation drills are rare. Even if fire extinguishers are present, they are commonly several years old and almost never serviced.


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Bobby Brown Sentenced to 55 Days in Jail in Drunk Driving Case















02/26/2013 at 09:30 PM EST



Bobby Brown has been sentenced to 55 days in jail and four years probation in his most recent drunk driving arrest.

Brown, 44, was pulled over in Studio City, Calif., on Oct. 24 for driving erratically and was arrested when the officer detected "a strong scent of alcohol." He was charged with DUI and driving on a suspended license.

He was also arrested for driving under the influence in March of 2012.

Brown pled no contest to the charges on Tuesday, reports TMZ. He was also ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol treatment program.

The singer, who married Alicia Etheredge in Hawaii in June of 2012, must report to jail by March 20.

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India Ink: What, No Trishna’s?

Is a pricy Japanese restaurant one of India’s best places to eat? Does southern Indian cuisine pale in comparison to Northern Indian food?

That’s what a recent list of the “50 Best Restaurants in Asia” would have you believe.

The list, organized by William Reed media, a British trade publishing house, ranks Dum Pukht, the Nawab-style cuisine in the ITC hotel in Delhi, as the top restaurant in India, and ranking No. 17 on the Asia-wide ranking.

A close second is Wasabi by Morimoto, the Japanese restaurant in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, at No. 20.

Other Indian restaurants that make the cut include Bukhara, the ITC’s ever-popular dhaba-style kebab restaurant, Indigo, a European fusion staple in Mumbai, Varq and Indian Accent, two Indian fusion spotsin Dehli, and Karavalli, Bangalore’s southwest specialist.

Conspicuous by its absence is Trishna’s, the Mumbai  seafood staple that the former New York Times journalist R.W. “Johnny” Apple put on his list of “10 restaurants outside the United States that would be worth boarding a plane to visit.” In fact, Karavalli is the only Southern Indian cuisine that gets a mention.

The list of Asia’s best restaurants was voted for by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, made up of 936 voters from the hospitality industry, including 36 from India, who each submit a list of their seven top restaurants in the world. Rashmi Uday Singh, the television host and author, was the chair of the India panel this year.

At least India’s restaurants fared better than South Korea’s – there isn’t a single Korean entry on the list.

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