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| Rudd sworn in as Australian prime minister after overthrowing Gillard Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 09:03 PM PDT  By James Grubel CANBERRA (Reuters) - Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australian prime minister for the second time on Thursday, a day after toppling Julia Gillard and three months out from scheduled elections with polls suggesting the ruling Labor Party is staring at a devastating defeat. Rudd's resurrection as prime minister comes after three years of bitter infighting within the Labor leadership and as the world's 12th largest economy faces challenges from a slowdown in top trade partner China. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to retire most chimpanzees from medical research Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:50 PM PDT By Matt Haldane WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Wednesday it is reducing the number of chimpanzees it uses in biomedical research and will retire most of them to sanctuaries, a decision applauded by animal rights groups. "Chimpanzees are very special animals ... We believe they deserve special consideration," said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, announcing the move. The decision followed a recommendation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fresh protests in Brazil despite government concessions Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:55 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle and Tatiana Ramil BRASILIA/BELO HORIZONTE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Wednesday in new demonstrations calling for a crackdown on corruption and better public services, just a day after Congress ceded to some of the key demands galvanizing protests across the country. In Belo Horizonte, authorities said 40,000 people gathered to demand improved education and healthcare as Brazil's third-largest city hosted a Confederations Cup semi-final soccer game between Brazil and Uruguay in a warm-up for the 2014 World Cup. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scientists make wire of carbon, may sometime rival copper Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:08 PM PDT By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - Scientists have made a strong, lightweight wire from carbon that might eventually be a rival to copper if its ability to conduct electricity can be improved, Cambridge University said on Thursday. They said it was the first time that the super-strong carbon wires, spun in a tiny furnace that looks like a candy floss machine with temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 F), had been made "in a usable form" a millimeter (0.04 inch) thick. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senator says Snowden case risks Ecuador trade status Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:44 PM PDT By Doug Palmer and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday he would seek to end preferential treatment for Ecuadorean goods if the South American nation offers political asylum to fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the foreign relations panel, warned in a statement that accepting Snowden "would severely jeopardize" preferential trade access the United States provides to Ecuador under two programs that are up for renewal in Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| BP steps up spill payments protest with ad campaign Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:34 PM PDT  By Andrew Callus LONDON (Reuters) - BP has stepped up its campaign for a revision of the way compensation for its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is calculated by placing advertisements in leading newspapers ahead of a July 8 appellate court hearing in the United States. The British oil company's advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post are part of its attempt to put a lid on payments. The company has said that without relief it could be "irreparably harmed" by payouts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Coke to sell 'natural' mid-calorie cola in Argentina Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:21 PM PDT  By Martinne Geller (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co announced plans on Wednesday to introduce a cola that is sweetened with sugar and the naturally occurring, no-calorie sweetener stevia, the latest move in the high-stakes race to turn around the soda industry. Coca-Cola Life will have about half the calories of regular Coke. It will go on sale this week in Argentina, where Coca-Cola has 50 percent of the soda market, compared with PepsiCo Inc's 16 percent, according to industry newsletter Beverage Digest, which was first to report the news. ... Full Story | Top |
| GM to invest $691 million in Mexican operations Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 02:25 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - General Motors Co outlined plans on Wednesday for investing $691 million to expand its Mexican operations, including the previously unannounced expansion of its Toluca engine plant. The plans include a new factory in Silao in central Mexico to build 8-speed transmissions and an upgrade to an existing factory in San Luis Potosi that will make next-generation transmissions, GM Mexico President Ernesto Hernandez said. With numerous free trade agreements, a cheap, well-educated labor force, and proximity to the lucrative U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fresh protests under way in Brazil despite government concessions Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 12:32 PM PDT * Protesters want better public services, end to corruption * Rousseff abandons plan for constituent assembly * Congress to fast-track laws in response to protests By Anthony Boadle and Tatiana Ramil BRASILIA/BELO HORIZONTE, June 26 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Wednesday in new demonstrations calling for a crackdown on corruption and better public services, just a day after Congress ceded to a handful of the key demands galvanizing protests across the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada insists on C$1 billion clean-up fund for major oil lines Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 12:02 PM PDT  CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Companies operating major crude oil pipelines in Canada will be required to have C$1 billion ($954.97 million) available to fund clean ups from any spills, the Canadian government said on Wednesday. Joe Oliver, Canada's minister of natural resources, also announced new fines that will soon come into force for companies and individuals that violate environmental laws. The fines will range from C$25,000 to a maximum of C$100,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| Companies win U.S. free speech shield over scientific articles Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 11:23 AM PDT By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authors and publishers of controversial scientific articles, and the companies sponsoring those articles, won broad free speech protection from a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said statements of scientific conclusions on matters open to scientific debate, and which are published in a research article, cannot result in damages associated with defamation. It also said companies may promote excerpts from such an article so long as readers are not misled about the conclusions. ... Full Story | Top |
| New emir: Qatar will pursue its 'independent behavior' Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 10:37 AM PDT  By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's new emir said on Wednesday the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state would not "take direction" from anyone, in an accession speech suggesting the young leader would pursue the assertive, independent-minded foreign policy pioneered by his father. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's first address as head of state coincided with a cabinet reshuffle that saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, a force behind Qatar's support for Arab Spring revolts, replaced as premier and foreign minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| Qatar drops influential prime minister in cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 09:15 AM PDT DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's influential Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani was replaced as premier and foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, a day after the accession of a new emir. The official Qatar news agency named Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani as prime minister and Khalid al-Atiyah as foreign minister. It also named Ali Sherif al-Emadi as finance minister. Energy and Industry Minister Mohammed Saleh al-Sada kept his post. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi, Editing by William Maclean) Full Story | Top |
| Rudd returns as Australia PM after toppling Gillard Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:56 AM PDT  By James Grubel CANBERRA (Reuters) - Kevin Rudd returned as Australian prime minister on Wednesday, executing a stunning party room coup on Julia Gillard almost three years to the day after being ousted by his former deputy and less than three months out from a general election. The reinstatement of Rudd was a last-ditch effort to shore up support by the governing Labor Party, which opinion polls show faces catastrophic defeat at a poll scheduled for Sept 14. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Qatar emir says will not 'take direction' in foreign affairs Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:46 AM PDT DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's new emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said on Wednesday the Gulf state would not "take direction" in foreign affairs, supported the sovereignty and integrity of all Arab lands and would seek to diversify the gas-based economy at home. In his first speech as head of state, Sheikh Tamim, handed power on Tuesday when his father abdicated after 18 years in power, added he would follow in the "path" of his father, architect of an assertive foreign policy. But his 15-minute address focused on domestic issues and was broad in nature. ... Full Story | Top |
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