UPDATE 3-Texas rejects key provisions of Obama's health law - Reuters UK
* Perry joins five other governors in objecting
* Says won't be party to 'socializing healthcare'
* A quarter of Texas residents have no health insurance (Adds Obama administration comment, more information about Perry, comment from analyst)
By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Texas, July 9 (Reuters) - Governor Rick Perry said on Monday Texas will not implement an expansion of the Medicaid program or create a health insurance exchange, placing the state with the highest percentage of people without insurance outside key parts of President Barack Obama's signature law.
The announcement makes Texas the most populous state that has rejected the provisions. Some 6.2 million people are without health insurance in Texas, or 24.6 percent of the state population, the highest percentage in the nation. California has more people without insurance but a lower percentage.
Perry joined fellow Republican governors of Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Louisiana in rejecting the two provisions of the law, according to americanhealthline.com. They hope that November elections will result in Republicans winning the White House and enough seats in Congress to repeal the law.
"I will not be party to socializing healthcare and bankrupting my state in direct contradiction to our Constitution and our founding principles of limited government," Perry said in a statement.
He sent a letter on Monday to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking her to relay the message to Obama that Perry opposes the provisions "because both represent brazen intrusions into the sovereignty of our state."
"I stand proudly with the growing chorus of governors who reject the Obamacare power grab. Neither a 'state' exchange nor the expansion of Medicaid under this program would result in better 'patient protection' or in more 'affordable care,'" said Perry, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race in January. "They would only make Texas a mere appendage of the federal government when it comes to health care."
Sebelius spokesman Keith Maley said the department "will continue to work with states to ensure they have the flexibility and resources they need to implement" the law known formally as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is a frequent critic of the Obama administration and the author of a book on states' rights called "Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington." Perry in 2009 rejected federal funding for unemployment benefits because accepting it would have required Texas to expand the number of people entitled to draw the benefits.
CALLS MEDICAID A FAILURE
Texas was one of 26 states that challenged in court the 2010 health law.
If any states resisting the healthcare plan do not create insurance exchanges, the federal government plans to set them up. The exchanges are intended to extend health coverage to an additional 16 million people, while the Medicaid expansion would broaden eligibility requirements to cover another 16 million people.
The U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld the law's individual mandate, which demands everyone who can afford to buy health insurance does so or face a fine, as constitutional.
But the court said Congress went too far in the part of the law that requires states to expand Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people. The court said the federal government may not take away Medicaid dollars from states that do not comply with the expansion.
On Fox News on Monday, Perry said Medicaid is a failure.
"To expand this program is like adding a thousand people to the Titanic," Perry said. "You don't expand a program that is not working already. If the federal government were serious about finding solutions, what they would do is block-grant those dollars back to the states, so states could find more efficient ways to deliver healthcare."
Anne Dunkelberg, associate director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin group that advocates for low- and middle-income Texans, said the Medicaid expansion would extend health coverage to as many as 2 million uninsured Texans.
"Failing to expand Medicaid would squander the opportunity to pump tens of billions of dollars into our state economy and leave as many as 1.5 to 2 million of struggling Texans out in the cold without insurance coverage," she said in a statement.
Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Rebecca Acuna called Perry's decision on Medicaid "cruel and negligent."
"Rick Perry's Texas solution is to let Texans stay ill and uninsured," Acuna said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Jim Forsyth and Jeff Mason; editing by Bill Trott and Mohammad Zargham)
Boucher injury scare ahead of England Tests - ESPN.co.uk
Mark Boucher required immediate surgery on his left eye after being struck by a bail on the opening day of South Africa's first tour match against Somerset at Taunton. Boucher suffered the injury when Gemaal Hussain was bowled by Imran Tahir at the end of the 46th over and the bail ricocheted into his face.
He was taken to the hospital minutes after leaving the field and, following assessment by an ophthalmologist, was booked in for surgery at 6pm on Monday evening. Team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said the full extent of the damage will only be known later.
AB de Villiers took over the wicketkeeping against Somerset but it seems highly likely that South Africa will have to call up another gloveman with Thami Tsolekile, who was nationally contracted from April 1, the likeliest candidate.
Tsolekile recently played for the South Africa A side in the two unofficial Tests against Sri Lanka A, and has also been named in the squad to travel to Ireland to shadow the senior side from the third Test onwards.
Tsolekile last played for South Africa in 2004 when he represented the country in three Tests, including one against England. Since then he has changed franchises from the Cape Town-based Cobras to the Johannesburg team, Lions, where he has spent the last three seasons. Tsolekile was earmarked as the successor to Boucher, who indicated he would retire after the England series, when he was awarded a central contract and was chosen to play for the A side.
He equalled the South African record for the most catches in a first-class innings when he claimed eight in the first innings of the match against Sri Lanka A, which ended in a draw on Monday.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
Stone Roses "atmosphere" for sale on eBay - BBC News
A Stone Roses fan is selling a container of "atmosphere" on eBay from the band's recent reunion gig in Manchester.
Bottled in what appears to be a urine sample container, bids have now reached more than £500.
The atmosphere was collected "at around 10pm on the opening night", according to the seller.
"Here is your chance to own your very own piece of Mancunian history... approx 10cc of awesome atmosphere."
The seller added that the atmosphere was bottled at Heaton Park on 29 June between the songs This Is The One and She Bangs The Drums.
He said he was unable to accept bids from people outside the UK because of the "totally electrified and awesome atmosphere in the container".
"It might cause security/health and safety issues being carried in a pressurised aircraft environment."
The seller says he will give some of the proceeds to a local music project for young people.
The opening night at Heaton Park was the first major UK gig by the Stone Roses' original line-up in 22 years.
The 220,000 tickets for the three Heaton Park gigs sold out in 68 minutes.
The band topped the bill at T in the Park in Scotland on Saturday.
The group, formed in Manchester in 1983, recorded just two albums before they dissolved in 1996.
Their 1989 self-titled debut is regarded as a seminal work, combining psychedelic pop and funky basslines.
Terry racially abused Ferdinand - Football
Published: 09 Jul 2012 - 11:16:55
England footballer John Terry called Anton Ferdinand a racist obscenity in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate's ex-girlfriend, a court has heard.
The 31-year-old Chelsea defender allegedly called Ferdinand, who plays for Queens Park Rangers, a "f****** black c***".
Terry is accused of a racially aggravated public order offence during a Premier League match on October 23 last year, which was broadcast to millions of people.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Terry sat in the dock wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and pink tie. The court heard that Terry told Ferdinand to "f*** off" and also called him a "f****** k***head" as the pair exchanged insults.
Opening the prosecution, Duncan Penny said: "The Crown alleges that the words he used demonstrated hostility based on Mr Ferdinand's membership or presumed membership of a racial group."
The court heard that Terry maintains he was only sarcastically repeating words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had used.
Mr Penny said: "The Crown alleges that the defendant, most probably in response to physical gestures being made by Mr Ferdinand which the defendant understood to refer to the well-publicised allegation of an extra-marital affair with a team-mate's wife, shouted at Mr Ferdinand."
He went on: "The Crown's case is that the words were abusive and insulting in a straightforward sense and that the term 'f****** black c***' was uttered as an abusive insult demonstrating hostility based on Mr Ferdinand's membership of a racial group.
"They were uttered by the defendant in response to goading by Mr Ferdinand on the issue of his extra-marital affair, rather than by way of exaggerated and instant querying of a perceived false allegation."
Terry was allowed out of the dock into the well of the court to view footage of the alleged insult.
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