The star of HBO's "Behind the Candelabra" spoke about his throat cancer that was diagnosed in 2010 and its sometime association with the ubiquitous human papillomavirus, or HPV, and oral sex.

"Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus," today's edition of The Guardian newspaper .

But the actor's publicist, Allen Burry, told ABCNews.com today that his client "never said it was the cause of his particular cancer. They did discuss it. He did say oral sex is a suspected cause of certain oral cancers. He did not say it was his specifically."

About 63 percent of the estimated 11,726 cases of oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed each year in the United States are thought to be caused by HPV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with HPV-associated anal cancer and the rate of infection appears to be increasing.

"Right now in the United States only 2 percent of boys are vaccinated, which is shocking because by the time they are adults, these boys will be more likely to get cancer from HPV than girls," said , director of the University of Maryland's Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center.

"By the time they become adults, throat cancer from HPV in men is four times more likely than cervical cancer in women."

HPV spreads via oral, vaginal and anal intimacy, as well as through cunnilingus and fellatio. The virus does not live in the blood, semen or vaginal secretions. It takes about 20 years for exposure to the virus to develop into cancer.

Doctors say that-- earlier sex, more partners and especially oral sex -- are contributing to a new epidemic of orpharyngeal squamous cell cancers, those of the throat, tonsils and base of the tongue.

Similarly high rates have also been seen in Europe, where a 2010showed a strong correlation between oral cancers and oral sex.

About 50 percent of all girls are vaccinated against HPV-related cervical cancer, a number which is slowly increasing because of strong CDC recommendations, Dr. Cullen said. Women do get HPV-related throat cancer, but at a much lower rate than men.

"The take home message is this virus is out there and virtually everyone is exposed as they become sexually active ... no matter what point in life," he said. "And boys are at greater risk than girls."

The CDC recommends two licensed vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, to protect against cervical, anal and oral cancers, but those guidelines have never been fully embraced by parents or young adults.

"Why not prevent what's preventable? HPV infects both sexes," Austin, Texas, pediatrician Dr. Ari Brown said. "And, while the biggest benefit for boys to get this shot is prevention against spreading it to girls, boys are at risk for other types of HPV-related cancers as well as genital warts."

But even as HPV-related head, neck and throat cancers are on the rise -- by more than 225 percent between 1988 and 2004, according to one study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology -- vaccination rates remain low.

"I think the public was spooked and once people are scared, it is hard to unscare them," Brown said. "However, the vaccine has been out for seven years now. Over 40 million doses have been given. Hopefully, people will become more accepting of the vaccine over time and we will be able to reduce the number of illnesses caused by HPV."

Aboutand about 14 million become newly infected each year, according to the CDC. The virus is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women will get at least one kind of HPV in their lifetimes.

Cervarix is recommended for females 10 through 25 years of age. . It is also for 9- through 26-year-old males.

Some parents have objected to giving their sons and daughters a vaccine that presumes they will be sexually active.

"What I always tell parents is that you don't have to have intercourse to get HPV," Dr. Brown said. "There are other forms of intimacy that can spread this virus. So, just because you believe your child will not have sex until they are 30 or married, etc., it is possible that having a physical relationship with a partner will lead to HPV infection."

The virus can be spread via skin-to-skin contact with an infected partner, although thin genital skin is the most easily infected.

Others have expressed safety concerns about the vaccine.

A government report released in 2009 , as well as incidents of blood clots and neurological disorders.

Cullen said looking back at reports, researchers have concluded that there were "no excess deaths" directly attributed to the vaccine.

"The vaccine has been given to hundreds of thousands, if not millions worldwide," oncologist Cullen said. "We have more than 10 years experience and it has been looked at carefully. We can now say with complete confidence that it is very safe and the reactions we have seen are usually very mild, as you would see with any injection."

Because of the growing acceptance of vaccination among girls, cervical cancer rates among women are beginning to decline, Cullen said. "All this is very good news," he added.

But HPV rectal and anal cancers are "going up significantly."

Each year, more than 30,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx are diagnosed, and more than 8,000 people die from oral cancer, according to the CDC.

There are more than 100 strains of the virus. Some cause genital warts, but others can result in cell changes that decades later can become cancerous. Each strain is identified by a number; oral and cervical cancers are caused by HPV sub-types 16 and 18.

HPV can also cause cancers of the vulva, vagina and penis, and there is some evidence it is associated with lung cancers.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Justin Chatwin is out as a "Shameless" series regular, Showtime told TheWrap on Wednesday. There is, however, the possibility of the actor coming back for future episodes in "some manner," the network said.

Executive Producer and showrunner John Wells leaked during a TV Academy Emmy panel event Tuesday night that Chatwin would not return for season 4, set for 2014.

"He has done great work, but that character was coming to an end," Wells said at the panel.

Chatwin played the conman-turned-straight Jimmy, Fiona Gallagher's (Emmy Rossum) love interest who married a drug dealer's daughter so she could remain in the United States.

At the panel, Rossum referred to Chatwin's exit as "incredibly emotional, like losing a part of your family. I shed a couple of tears in my trailer."

Jimmy was last seen being forced onto a yacht by a thug. The script had him being shot and killed on the boat, but Wells said the filming permit for the dock expired before the scene could be completed, according to TV Guide.

[More from BGR: ]

[More from BGR: ]

The research firm notes that while the iPhone and Android have similar market shares, people with higher income and education are much more likely than those with lower-income and educational levels to say they own an iPhone. Nearly half, or 49%, of respondents from households with a combined income of $150,000 or more said they owned an iPhone. Apples smartphone was also more popular than Android among adults age 55 and older.

This article was

This is what AP reporters and photographers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle are learning about the events unfolding:

___

HUGE MEDIA PRESENCE

The number of media vehicles waiting for the Bales hearing was so large that a regular lane of traffic was blocked off near the JBLM gate to accommodate them before moving the first group to the security screening area. There, as with past hearings, vehicles had to have all doors open and were screened by a dog and a handler wearing a bullet proof vest. As media filed in to the work area, John Henry Browne and Lance Rosen, attorneys for Bales and his family, were seen talking in a separate parking lot. It looks like that for this hearing, media in the work area will have a four-camera split-screen view of the proceedings, in order to show different areas of the courtroom.

Dozens of tornado warnings were issued across a wide swath of the Midwest, including Oklahoma and Missouri, as a large storm front moved through the region. Nine died and dozens were injured.

Weather service meteorologists said Saturday that crews have to assess the damage before determining whether it was caused by tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. Cars were toppled on an interstate in the Oklahoma City area, and aerial images showed damaged to homes and businesses in the suburbs of St. Louis.

They said they expected to have an estimate by Saturday afternoon.

A cold front will move through the Plains and Midwest today, lessening the chances for severe weather.

Attenborough, 87, known for his wildlife documentaries, was due to visit Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne on his "A Life On Earth Tour", speaking to audiences about his career and the evolution of filming techniques.

A spokesman for Lateral Events, promoter of the tour, said doctors were satisfied with Attenborough's progress following the operation, adding the broadcaster was his "lively self".

The BBC presenter, whose programs have included "Life on Earth", "The Living Planet" and "Frozen Planet", most recently narrated and presented the TV series "Africa".

Attenborough, who was knighted in 1985, expressed his "extreme disappointment" in a statement at having to cancel his tour of Australia, adding that he hoped to reschedule in the near future.

(Reporting by Victor Coupe, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

JUST SAY NO: All eight resolutions submitted by shareholders of Exxon Mobil Corp. were defeated at the company's annual meeting. The Exxon board had recommended "No" votes.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION VOTE: By a preliminary count, 19.8 percent of shares were cast in favor of explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. That's about the same support the measure got the previous two years.

CLIMATE AND GAS: A call to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from using Exxon products got 26.8 percent, also similar to the last two years. A proposal for the company to report on its natural gas production methods got 30.2 percent, up slightly from the last two years.

A number of protests and counter-protests have taken place in the wake of the May 22 killing of Lee Rigby, a serving soldier and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, which the authorities are treating as a terrorist incident.

Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo are now in custody on suspicion of killing Rigby. Adebowale has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm.

Small but noisy far-right groups have taken to the streets several times since Rigby's killing to express anti-Muslim views. Their actions have been widely condemned and police, politicians and religious leaders have appealed for calm.

The protest by the far-right British National Party (BNP) near the Houses of Parliament was dwarfed by a counter-demonstration by a group called Unite Against Fascism (UAF).

The BNP protesters held placards with the slogan "Hate preachers out", a reference to radical Muslim clerics they say should be deported from Britain. The UAF banners had slogans like "Free hugs", "Nazis out" and "Jobs and homes not racism".

Witnesses said there were some minor scuffles and they saw one man with a bloody nose, but police intervened quickly to keep the two sides apart.

Police said some of the UAF protesters refused to remain in their designated penned area and 20 were arrested.

The BNP originally wanted to march through Woolwich, the neighborhood in southeast London where Rigby was killed, but the police banned them from the area because it could have resulted in "ugly scenes on our streets".

Another far-right group, the English Defence League (EDL), skirmished with police in Woolwich on the night of the killing and mustered about 1,000 protesters in central London on May 27 to chant slogans like "Muslim killers off our streets".

Rigby's family issued a statement on Friday saying his death should not be used as a pretext for reprisal attacks against Muslims.

On Saturday, the Daily Mirror newspaper published a letter entitled "Hope not Hate", signed by 33,000 people including Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour Party.

"By blaming all Muslims for the terrible murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, the EDL will attempt to whip up a climate of fear and violence towards the Muslim community in Britain. But the EDL will fail," the letter said.

"We know that the EDL does not speak for all Britain, just as we know that Muslim extremists do not speak for all Muslims."

(Reporting by Dylan Martinez and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas lawmakers passed sweeping changes to the state's $116 billion teacher pension system on Sunday, including the first cost-of-living increase in a dozen years and a new requirement that school districts pay part of the expense.

The state, the teachers themselves and the school districts will increase contributions, making the Teachers Retirement System of Texas less reliant on market returns.

Without the changes, the healthcare account alone would have faced a $1 billion shortfall by 2017, supporters of the legislation said.

"We were upside-down earlier, because we were relying too much on investment returns," said state Senator Robert Duncan, Republican of Lubbock, who authored the legislation. "This puts us in a situation where we are actually having long-term fixed contributions rates that should support this system for a long time."

Teacher contributions to the Teachers Retirement System of Texas would increase over the next four years from 6.4 percent of their pay to 7.7 percent, and school districts would contribute 1.5 percent of total salary costs, up from zero.

The state contribution would increase from 6.4 percent of covered payroll to 6.8 percent starting in September.

Those three sources are expected to add some $600 million to the pension fund over the first two years, according to state documents.

The last time the state passed a cost-of-living increase for retired teachers was in 2001.

Under the plan passed Sunday, teachers who have been retired since early 2004 will see a three-percent increase in benefits, affecting some 195,000 teachers, or 60 percent of those in the system.

The law increases their monthly benefits by an average of $42, though it caps that increase at $100.

Teacher groups said they were disappointed the legislation decreased the pension and health benefits of hundreds of thousands of current employees who had already earned those benefits under the existing system.

Current employees with less than five years of service by August 2014 will have to work two extra years to get full retirement benefits under the new plan. The legislation raises the minimum retirement age for those employees from 60 to 62, according to the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers.

It also raises to 62 the minimum age at which a retiree is eligible for the TRS-Care health benefits beyond catastrophic coverage, reducing the benefits for hundreds of thousands of current employees, the group said.

That new requirement does not apply to members who by August 2014 meet a rule of 70, or age plus years of service equal to 70 or more, or have at least 25 years of service credit.

"One of our goals was to continue the stability of the system, and that has been done with the increased state contributions," said Linda Bridges, president of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. "There's still more work to be done to improve the system for retirees and active members."

The Texas teachers' pension fund offers a defined-benefit plan and serves more than 1.3 million employed and retired teachers. The average annual teacher benefit is $22,764.

The pension fund is one of the world's largest private equity investors and has invested billions of dollars with firms including Apollo and KKR.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Philip Barbara)

RELATED:

From Wednesday afternoon's : "Today we're launching verified Pages to help people find the authentic accounts of celebritiesand other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook. Verified Pages have a small, bluecheck mark beside their name on timelines, in search results, and elsewhere on Facebook." Of course, Twitter verification has been around since 2008 to help us figure out whether or not it was really, truly a celebrity that said something crazy. (Note:  is not among theverified famous people on Twitter.) Since Ashton Kutcher reached 1 million followers and Oprah , Twitter has been seen as the favorite network of the rich and famous—a direct way for fans to feel connected to celebrities, and a place for celebrities to comfortably, even addictively speak out... sometimes to their detriment. (Twitter verification, it should be pointed out, has also reached levels of ridiculousness. See Choire Sicha'son the subject in the Awl.)

RELATED:

On a basic level, Facebook verification will, yes, help us make sure that we're really hearing from the real celebrity. But there's a fundamental difference between Twitter and Facebook. Despite verification, everyone is essentially the same on Twitter. Even if the follows aren't mutual, a non-celeb's Twitter account looks the same as a celeb's. Facebook is, at its core about friends—celebs on Facebook don't have friends, they have fans. You get to "like" a celeb, not be their buddy. It's very obviously all about self-promotion. Some celebs, such as Jessica Chastain, use . But that's rare. Note how Justin Bieber'spage (now verified!) pales in comparison to his .