Swiss researchers said Wednesday that they had taken a step closer to unlocking the mystery of ageing after discovering the impact of a longevity gene in mice and then managing to extend the life-span of worms by 60 percent thanks to a basic antibiotic treatment. More »Swiss take a step to unlocking mystery of ageing
Canadian health authorities lifted Wednesday what was effectively a ban on gay men giving blood, announcing new rules making men who have not had sex with men in the past five years eligible. More »Canada lifts ban on gay men donating blood
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to the Oklahoma City area on Sunday to see the devastation caused by tornadoes this week and to talk to families affected by the storm, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Wednesday. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu) More »Obama to travel to tornado-ravaged Oklahoma on Sunday
Scientists unveiled a concept vaccine against flu Wednesday they said may protect against various strains with a single jab. More »Concept flu vaccine may protect against many strains
By Alexandria Sage CANNES (Reuters) - Walking the red carpet of the world's most famous film showcase is a test of nerves for celebrities, not helped by wind, rain and the chaos of hundreds of photographers shouting their names. From choosing the perfect dress and hairdo, to trying not to trip on the famous red steps, the pressure is on for movie stars and glitterati at the 12-day Cannes film festival on the swanky French Riviera which wraps up on May 26. ... More »Nerves of steel and hairspray are musts for Cannes red carpet
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German software company SAP is looking to recruit people with autism as programmers and product testers, drawing on skills that can include a close attention to detail and an ability to solve complex problems. SAP has asked start-up Danish recruitment company Specialisterne to help it find, train and manage employees diagnosed with the disability. "They bring a special set of skills to the table, which fits with SAP," said a spokesman for the company, which has already hired people with autism in India and Ireland. ... More »SAP looks to recruit people with autism as programmers
CANNES (Reuters) - This year 20 films are in the main competition at the Cannes film festival, vying for the Palme d'Or for best picture that will be awarded on May 26. Here is the 2013 lineup with the average rating out of four by 10 international critics as published in trade magazine Screen: - HELI by Amat Escalante, Mexico Stars: Armando Espitia, Andrea Vergara. Synopsis: A 12-year-old girl falls in love with a police cadet, dragging her family into Mexico's brutal drug war. Average Critic Score: 1. ... More »Factbox - Reviews for films in main competition at Cannes 2013
By Alan Baldwin MONACO (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton made his point and Roscoe, his pampered pet bulldog, promptly proved him right at the Monaco Grand Prix on Wednesday. Positioning, the 2008 Formula One world champion told British reporters gathered round him in the Mercedes harbourside motorhome, is everything in Monaco. The Briton was referring to the special skills required to win the most glamorous and glittering race on the calendar but Roscoe demonstrated that positioning was important in other ways as well. ... More »Hamilton lets sleeping dogs lie - and snore
By Mark Lamport-Stokes (Reuters) - The royal and ancient game of golf, renowned for its etiquette and self-imposed penalties, has undergone many changes to the rules over its 600-year history but few issues have triggered as much debate as the proposal to outlaw the anchoring of putters. In a genteel sport where an inadvertent cough on a downswing can create controversy, the announcement by golf's rule-makers on Tuesday that anchoring would be banned from 2016 has sparked fiery, impassioned division. ... More »Analysis - Has the anchor ban come too late?
By Yeganeh Torbati and Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's clerical rulers may have sought to remove any challenge to their grip by barring two vivid contenders from next month's presidential election, but they risk alienating voters already disillusioned by the violent aftermath of the 2009 poll. The June 14 vote will have little bearing on the policies that have long put Iran at odds with the West - ranging from its nuclear programme to its support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah guerrillas. ... More »Iran's rulers risk alienating voters by candidate bans
By Carey Gillam and Alice Mannette MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - A miniature bookcase with children's books spilling out is among the few furnishings still standing amid the tornado-torn rubble of what once was the Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma. Pink and green pencils and sparkling coloured stickers are scattered amid twisted piles of metal, wood and bricks. Unlike the Plaza Towers elementary school, where seven children died in a powerful 1.3 mile (2 km) wide tornado on Monday, no one died at the Briarwood school. ... More »At tornado-hit school, coloured stickers and pencils litter ruins
PARIS (Reuters) - France will invest about 20 million euros to increase security for diplomats and embassies in the Middle East and Africa after its mission in Libya was targeted by a car bomb in April, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Spokesman Philippe Lalliot confirmed an email sent by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to staff on Tuesday saying the measure had to be taken following the rising number of serious international crises and threats emanating from them. "This plan takes into consideration the change in threats," Lalliot told a daily news briefing. ... More »France beefs up Africa, Middle East embassy security
By Michael Roddy BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Opera companies throughout the world are staging Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle this year to fete his 200th birthday on May 22, but Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer is having no part of it during his "Wagner Days" festival in June. Fischer, who launched his festival in 2006 in the Bela Bartok concert hall at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, will have a new "Meistersinger von Nurnberg", rounding out productions of pretty much all the major operas in the Wagner canon. ... More »Hungary Wagner festival will not "Ring" in composer's birthday
By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government will decide soon whether to take part in peace talks with the opposition, a senior Syrian diplomat said after talks in Moscow. Asked whether Damascus had committed to joint Russian-U.S. efforts to hold a peace conference, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said: "We are still discussing these questions." "A final decision will be taken after our return to Damascus," Mekdad told Russian news agency Itar-TASS following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. ... More »Syria to decide soon on peace talk participation -minister
(Reuters) - Struggling British carrier Flybe Group Plc said it would sell some slots at London Gatwick Airport to easyJet Plc and push back the delivery of 16 new aircraft by three to four years to help it return to profitability. Europe's largest regional airline also cut more jobs and said its workforce was now 22 percent lower at 2,140. The airline said these steps would help save 30 million pounds in costs this year, with more than half coming from the job cuts. ... More »Flybe sells some Gatwick slots, delays aircraft deliveries
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran denied on Wednesday any link to members of a spying ring detained by its Sunni Muslim regional rival Saudi Arabia, according to Iranian media. Saudi state media reported on Tuesday that officials had detained 10 people accused of spying for Iran after arresting 18 people in the same case in March. Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, accuses the Islamic Republic of stirring up unrest among minority Saudi Shi'ites. Tehran rejects that charge and has repeatedly denied any involvement in espionage in Saudi Arabia. ... More »Iran denies link to group arrested for spying in Saudi Arabia
By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. At least one family took refuge in a bathtub and some people shut themselves in underground shelters built into their houses when the powerful storm tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday. ... More »Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived
(Reuters) - Zach Johnson has finished no better than joint 18th on the 2013 PGA Tour but hopes he can regain top form on his title defence at this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas where he is a twice former champion. A medium-length hitter who is renowned for his accuracy, tenacity and a superb short game, the 37-year-old American has always loved playing at Colonial Country Club, an iconic venue where high quality shot-making reaps rich reward. ... More »Johnson banks on Colonial comfort factor
By Karolos Grohmann BERLIN (Reuters) - Puerto Rican banker Richard Carrion launched his bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday, with his long financial experience a powerful pitch in his quest for the world's top sports job. The 60-year-old Carrion, who is chairman of Puerto Rican lender Popular Inc, heads the IOC's finance commission and is a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, becomes the third official candidate in the race to be decided on September 10. ... More »Banker Carrion bids for IOC presidency
LONDON (Reuters) - An 18th century silver Rococo coffee pot is expected to become the most valuable piece of English silver ever sold at auction when it goes up for sale in July, auction house Christie's said. The ornate George II pot made in 1738 by one of the greatest silversmiths of his day, Paul de Lamerie, is expected to fetch up to 4.5 million pounds ($6.8 million) when it goes to auction on July 4 in London, Christie's said on Wednesday. That sale would trump the silver wine cistern of 18th century diplomat Thomas Wentworth, which sold for 2. ... More »Silver coffee pot could set $6 million record at auction