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Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

Gas-price rise hits 5th straight week

The expectation that gasoline prices will be higher this spring has sent speculators on a buying spree, bidding up prices, and motorists are feeling the increase at the pump for the fifth consecutive week, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles area is $2.590, which is 8.1 cents higher than last week, 38 cents higher than last month and 50 cents higher than last year.

Rotavirus vaccine approved by U.S.

WASHINGTON - A vaccine that protects against a virus that is the leading cause of early childhood diarrhea - one that kills hundreds of thousands of infants in developing countries - received U.S. approval Friday.

Many poorer countries have been desperate for the rotavirus vaccine. But it's unclear how quickly parents and doctors in the United States will embrace it: Seven years ago, the first attempt at a rotavirus vaccine ended in failure after it was linked to deaths and injuries.

The new vaccine, RotaTeq, made by Merck & Co., appears safe and effective, the Food and Drug Administration said. In trials involving tens of thousands of infants, it prevented at least 98 percent of severe cases of gastroenteritis, or intestinal inflammation.

``This vaccine gives health care providers an important new tool that can effectively prevent an illness that affects almost all children within the first few years of life,'' said Dr. Jesse L. Goodman, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

The earlier vaccine, Wyeth's RotaShield, was pulled from the U.S. market in 1999 after it was linked to a small increase in intussusception, a rare, life-threatening blockage or twisting of the intestine. That could mean an initially cool reception for RotaTeq.

Bush's FCC pick gives GOP control

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush chose telecommunications attorney and lobbyist Robert McDowell on Friday to take an open seat at the Federal Communications Commission, a move that would restore the agency's 3-2 GOP majority.

McDowell currently serves as senior vice president and assistant general counsel at CompTel, a trade organization representing phone carriers that compete with the regional Bell companies - Verizon, BellSouth, Qwest and AT&T.

The Senate would have to confirm the nomination.

McDowell would give FCC Chairman Kevin Martin a Republican majority at the agency - something he hasn't had since he was elevated to the post last March.

Intuit defends ads about H&R Block

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Intuit Inc. is defending advertising of its TurboTax software against rival H&R Block Inc., which claimed that its smaller competitor's campaign was misleading.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Intuit filed court documents Thursday saying H&R Block has made inconsistent statements on the number of tax returns it prepares. H&R Block says Intuit has muddled the numbers released by its Kansas City-based rival.