Think local, former U.N. leader Kofi Annan tells Miami forum

In the Ritz-Carlton ballroom in Coconut Grove on Monday, Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed a crowd of well-dressed world savers to open the Continuity Forum of the Americas Business Council (abc*). In a speech that touched on the environment, the Arab awakening, democracy in Latin America, the spiraling conflict in Syria, nuclear war...

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Appeals court: Miami judge should step off murder case for critical comments from bench

A Miami-Dade judge should step down from a murder case after publicly criticizing relatives of the slain victim, an appeals court says.The unusual ruling comes less than a month after Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch, while on the bench, said relatives of Oscar Padilla showed “gross disrespect” for him when they appeared on a Spanish-language television news program to complain...

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Political Polling After the End of the Phone

With over a third of U.S. households forgoing the land-line and people using their phones less and less for talking, the phone call is no longer the best way for pollsters to reach the people they need to speak with. With that changing trend, this election season polling places like Gallup worked cell-phone calls into its repertoire to get a better...

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STREAMING: Soundgarden Live on Letterman

Soundgarden is the latest band to headline the Live on Letterman concert series, streaming now!RELATED: New Music Tuesday!The Grammy Award-winning rockers are performing at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City preceding the release of King Animal, their first album in 16 years. Former acts to appear on the live concert series include Adele, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood...

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Judge orders hearing to determine if cop killer competent enough for death penalty

They say he’s too dumb to die for his heinous crimes.A federal judge has scheduled a series of special hearings later this month to hear testimony about whether a man convicted of the execution-style murder of two undercover NYPD officers is mentally competent to face the death penalty — again.Ronell Wilson has already been convicted of the point-blank...

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Noven’s niche: The Miami company is key producer of transdermal patches

At the Noven Pharmaceuticals plant in southwest Miami, scientists and technicians use highly specialized machinery to blend prescription medications and adhesives to make layered transdermal patches that release precise quantities of drugs over time after being applied to a patient’s skin.Noven, a subsidiary of Japan’s Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical, has about 700 employees nationwide...

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Spending by blind services agencies receive scrutiny

TALLAHASSEE -- Looking for a lesson in how government outsourcing is working in Florida?Try this: Organizations that win business with the little-known state Division of Blind Services can bill taxpayers $58 an hour for travel time to meet with a blind person. The same organizations can charge taxpayers $2,000 or more to place one phone call.If the deal sounds good for the...

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Malaysian charged with Facebook insult of sultan; sister says he’ll file police complaint

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The sister of a Malaysian man who has been charged with insulting a state sultan on Facebook says he is innocent and plans to lodge a complaint over his detention.Anisa Abdul Jalil, sister of Ahmad Abdul Jalil, says her brother was charged Thursday with making offensive postings on Facebook last month. She...

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2-year-old boy drowns in pond on Long Island

HUNTINGTON — A 2-year-old boy has drowned in a pond on Long Island.Suffolk County police say the child fell into the pond in Hecksher Park at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday.When police arrived at the scene, a good Samaritan was administering CPR. But the boy was later pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital.The boy was at the park with his father. Their names...

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Gov. Rick Scott may shift stance on health reform law

With the reelection of President Barack Obama, Florida’s Republican leaders are reconsidering their fervent opposition to federal healthcare reform, triggering a discussion that could have huge repercussions for South Florida.At stake is more than $6 billion in federal funding for Miami-Dade and Broward over the next decade and the possibility of health insurance for a large...

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