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Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
'Baby bonus': US fertility rate hits record low in 2024; government pushes IVF, cash perk to reverse trend
The fertility rate in the United States fell to its lowest point in history in 2024, just under 1.6 children per woman, according to new data released by the CDC on Thursday. The rate is well below the replacement level of 2.1 and now sits close to that of many western European countries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This marks the latest point in a steady two-decade decline. In 2007, the US was among the few developed countries with a replacement-level fertility rate. But that changed as more women began delaying childbirth or choosing not to have children at all. 'Baby bonus' Alarmed by the drop, the Trump administration has taken steps to reverse the trend. These include an executive order to expand access to in vitro fertilisation and proposals for 'baby bonuses' aimed at encouraging couples to have children. But demographers remain sceptical. 'Birth rates are generally declining for women in most age groups and that doesn't seem likely to change in the near future,' Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina population center, told NBC news. She added that people are delaying marriage and are often worried about whether they can afford children. Population growing Despite the low fertility rate, experts say there's no cause for alarm. Leslie Root, a University of Colorado researcher, said this is part of an ongoing delay in childbirth. 'We know that the US population is still growing, and we still have a natural increase, more births than deaths,' she said. Rate still down The total number of births in 2024 actually increased slightly — by about 33,000. But due to updated census estimates, the overall birth rate still declined. CDC officials said the recalculated data showed no real change in birth rates for women in their late 30s and a fall in rates for those in their 20s and early 30s.
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Horror MRI accidents from necklace error to sex toy 'dragged through body'
The huge magnetic force of MRI machines has led to some devastating disasters, including a tragic incident involving a gun. We look at the worst accidents over the years A man has tragically died after being sucked into an MRI machine in a terrible accident. Patients undergoing an MRI scan are asked to remove all piercings and jewelry as a safety precaution, as the machine generates strong magnetic fields. But a 61-year-old who didn't follow this advice sadly lost his life as a result. The nightmare unfolded on Wednesday at the Nassau Open MRI in Long Island, New York, police said. The man in his sixties was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck at the time of the incident, which caused him to be pulled into the machine. That resulted in a "medical episode," according to police. No other details were immediately provided, reports NBC news. The man, who has not yet been identified, was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries but he sadly died the next day, less than 24 hours after the horror incident. It is not clear if the man was a patient at the MRI center at the time of the incident or why he entered the room. Objects containing ferrous metals are pulled towards MRI machines and so must not be carried into the scan room. Following the freak accident, here The Mirror takes a look at other MRI nightmares. Sex toy horror A woman was left with horrendous injuries after a sex toy she left inside her was dragged through her body during an MRI scan. The 22-year-old had inserted the "butt plug" in her back passage before she went for the scan. But the item reacted dangerously with the scanner, causing it to be dragged from her rectum and up into her body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners use powerful magnets to produce images of what is inside the body. The results of MRI scans are then used to help diagnose conditions and plan treatments. The woman who inserted the sex toy had believed it was made entirely out of silicone but it actually contained metal in its core. An image of the sex toy being dragged up through the body has circulated online and led to warnings about wearing metal objects during the scan. A X user shared the picture and captioned the post: "Never wear a butt plug to your MRI appointment. My God." Although harmless to human tissue, the magnetic field an MRI generates is 30,000 times stronger than that of the earth, capable of accelerating an object to dozens of feet per second. Nurse's freak accident It's not just patients who suffer from MRI scan malfunctions. At Redwood City Medical Center in Redwood, California, a nurse was crushed in a freak accident with an MRI machine. According to the report, the MRI's magnetic force caused the bed to be "pulled uncontrollably" into the machine. Nurse Ainah Cervantes became pinned between the bed and the machine, suffering crushing injuries, according to KTVU. "I was getting pushed by the bed," she said, according to a report obtained by the news channel. Gun horror On January 16 2023, a man who took his mother to have an MRI scan ended up with a bullet in his abdomen when the magnets in the machine caused his gun to involuntarily discharge. Leandro Mathias de Novaes accompanied his mother to the scan at the Laboratorio Cura in São Paulo, Brazil. The machine yanked had the weapon from his waistband, causing it to go off and shoor him. He wa rushed to the São Luiz Morumbi Hospital, where he hung on for weeks, before eventually succumbing to his injuries on February 6. He was rushed to the São Luiz Morumbi Hospital but sadly died weeks later on February 6. Following the accident, a spokesperson for Laboratorio Cura said: "Both the patient and his companion were properly instructed regarding the procedures for accessing the examination room and warned about the removal of any and all metallic objects." The facility's PR added that both Novaes and his mother signed a form regarding the protocols, but that the lawyer failed to mention his weapon and entered the unit with it "by his own decision." Sucked into scanner A man died after being sucked into an MRI machine while visiting a relative at a hospital. The incident occurred in Mumbai India, when Rajesh Maru, 32, was pulled towards the machine by its magnetic force after he entered the room carrying an oxygen cylinder, the city's police said in a statement. The victim's uncle said Maru had been asked to carry the cylinder by the junior staff member who assured him the machine was switched off. "A doctor and another member of staff were arrested for causing death due to negligence," Mumbai police spokesman Deepak Deoraj told AFP. The man is sad to have died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder which was damaged after hitting the machine. Fatal brain trauma In 2001, a six-year-old cancer patient was tragically killed during a routine brain scan due to the 'missile' effect of MRIs. The boy died a month later from head injuries and brain trauma after being struck by a nearby oxygen tank due to the machine's massive magnet. Hospital officials say the oxygen tank was "introduced" into the exam room while the machine's magnet was on. Hours of agony Two hospital workers spent four hours pinned between a highly magnetic MRI machine and a metal oxygen tank. The 4ft tank was pulled across the room by the machine at Tata Memorial Hospital in New Delhi, India, leaving porter Sunil Jadhav and technician Swami Ramaiah seriously injured. The 28-year-old porter was asked to fetch an oxygen mask but thought he was being asked to fetch a whole tank, the Mumbai Mirror reported. The technician, 35, suffered punctured bladder and severe bleeding from his abdomen Normally the incident could have been over within seconds, but the machine's emergency shut-off switch failed to work, hospital authorities said.
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Man dies after being sucked into MRI machine wearing large metal necklace
Police said the man, who has not been named, was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck at the time of the incident which caused him to be pulled into the machine A man has died after being sucked into an MRI machine in a freak accident. When undergoing an MRI scam, patients are asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe because the machine generates strong magnetic fields. But a 61-year-old who didn't follow this advice sadly died as a result. The incident occurred around 4:30pm local time on Wednesday, July 16 at the Nassau Open MRI on Old Country Road in Westbury, Nassau County police said. Officers were told that a 61-year-old man had entered an MRI room where a scan was being performed. Police said he was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck at the time of the incident which caused him to be pulled into the machine. That resulted in a "medical episode," according to police. No other details were immediately provided, reports NBC news. The man, who has not yet been identified, was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries but he sadly died the next day, less than 24 hours after the horror incident. It is not clear if the man was a patient at the MRI center at the time of the incident or why he entered the room. One witness told CBS News that the man had defied orders to stay out of the room after he heard his relative screaming from inside and got concerned. MRI machines use intensely powerful magnets that can draw in metal objects, making it unsafe to bring metal of any kind near the machine. The magnetic field is always on, and even small objects can turn into projectiles. Injuries can range from minor burns and cuts to severe wounds. No details were released on the nature of the injuries to the man in Wednesday's incident. An investigation is ongoing into the circumstances, but police have said there is no criminality involved and it appears to have been an accident.
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Iran's Khamenei says nuclear deal is unlikely in rebuke to Trump
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said negotiations with the U.S. over his country's nuclear program are unlikely to result in a deal and called the Trump administration's latest demands on Iran "outrageous." Speaking at an event to commemorate the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday, Khamenei said "there were indirect negotiations during his time as well. Needless to say, there was no result. We don't think these negotiations will yield results now either. We don't know what will happen." The comments are the latest sign that U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to fast track deals to resolve some of the world's most destabilizing crises and conflicts - from Russia's war in Ukraine to Israel's in the Gaza Strip - are floundering. Benchmark Brent oil jumped then pared its gains following the comments, which were the most pessimistic by the Islamic Republic's top decision maker since indirect talks started in April. Trump has threatened Iran with military action if it doesn't make a deal with the U.S. Khamenei's statement was also a direct repudiation of Trump's claim last week that Iran and the U.S. were "getting close to maybe doing a deal" and that Iran "has sort of agreed to the terms." The two countries are trying to resolve years of animosity and strike a deal that will contain Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for relief from U.S. sanctions that have severely hobbled the OPEC-member's oil exports and broader economy. Over the past week, Iran's ability to enrich uranium has emerged as the major sticking point between the two sides, with the U.S. insisting that Tehran abandons production altogether. Under the terms of the defunct 2015 nuclear deal that Trump scuttled in his first term, Iran was able to enrich uranium but with stringent caps on its purity levels and quantities. Those limits have been significantly breached by Iran since 2019, about a year after Trump withdrew from the landmark accord and started imposing severe sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who's leading the U.S. side of the negotiations, said on Sunday that Iran cannot be allowed to enrich uranium at all because it means the country has the technical potential to weaponize its atomic activity in the future. Iran insists it has no intention of pursuing nuclear arms. Last week a top adviser to Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, told NBC news that Tehran is willing to limit enrichment as part of a deal. But officials have repeatedly said that retaining some capacity is non-negotiable in order to fuel its nuclear power plant. "No one is waiting for this or that party's permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies, its own approach, and it follows its own path," Khamenei said, adding that the U.S. "should "try not to talk nonsense." ---------- -With assistance from Patrick Sykes. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iran's Khamenei Says Nuclear Deal Is Unlikely in Rebuke to Trump
(Bloomberg) -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said negotiations with the US over his country's nuclear program are unlikely to result in a deal and called the Trump administration's latest demands on Iran 'outrageous.' America, 'Nation of Porches' NJ Transit Train Engineers Strike, Disrupting Travel to NYC NJ Transit Makes Deal With Engineers, Ending Three-Day Strike NYC Commuters Brace for Chaos as NJ Transit Strike Looms Speaking at an event to commemorate the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday, Khamenei said 'there were indirect negotiations during his time as well. Needless to say, there was no result. We don't think these negotiations will yield results now either. We don't know what will happen.' The comments are the latest sign that US President Donald Trump's efforts to fast track deals to resolve some of the world's most destabilizing crises and conflicts — from Russia's war in Ukraine to Israel's in the Gaza Strip — are floundering. Benchmark Brent oil jumped then pared its gains following the comments, which were the most pessimistic by the Islamic Republic's top decision maker since indirect talks started in April. Trump has threatened Iran with military action if it doesn't make a deal with the US. Khamenei's statement was also a direct repudiation of Trump's claim last week that Iran and the US were 'getting close to maybe doing a deal' and that Iran 'has sort of agreed to the terms.' The two countries are trying to resolve years of animosity and strike a deal that will contain Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for relief from US sanctions that have severely hobbled the OPEC-member's oil exports and broader economy. Over the past week, Iran's ability to enrich uranium has emerged as the major sticking point between the two sides, with the US insisting that Tehran abandons production altogether. Under the terms of the defunct 2015 nuclear deal that Trump scuttled in his first term, Iran was able to enrich uranium but with stringent caps on its purity levels and quantities. Those limits have been significantly breached by Iran since 2019, about a year after Trump withdrew from the landmark accord and started imposing severe sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who's leading the US side of the negotiations, said on Sunday that Iran cannot be allowed to enrich uranium at all because it means the country has the technical potential to weaponize its atomic activity in the future. Iran insists it has no intention of pursuing nuclear arms. Last week a top adviser to Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, told NBC news that Tehran is willing to limit enrichment as part of a deal. But officials have repeatedly said that retaining some capacity is non-negotiable in order to fuel its nuclear power plant. 'No one is waiting for this or that party's permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies, its own approach, and it follows its own path,' Khamenei said, adding that the US 'should 'try not to talk nonsense.' --With assistance from Patrick Sykes. (Updates with more details, background and context.) Why Apple Still Hasn't Cracked AI Anthropic Is Trying to Win the AI Race Without Losing Its Soul Microsoft's CEO on How AI Will Remake Every Company, Including His Cartoon Network's Last Gasp DeepSeek's 'Tech Madman' Founder Is Threatening US Dominance in AI Race ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
