By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 19 (Reuters) - NASA cleared the space shuttle Discovery on Monday for launch on May 31 to deliver the centerpiece of Japan's space program, a massive laboratory named Kibo, to the International Space Station.
Liftoff is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with docking at the space station expected two days later.
"Right now we're in great shape," said the launch director at the U.S. space agency, Mike Leinbach.
In addition to installing Kibo onto the orbital complex, the Discovery astronauts plan to tackle an assortment of maintenance jobs to help prepare the station for an expanded six-member crew.
Three people now live aboard the station full time, in staggered increments ranging from three to six months.
NASA is in the process of figuring out how to repair a paddle wheel that turns one of the station's solar wing panels which will be needed to fully power the outpost.
Astronauts Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan are scheduled to make three spacewalks during Discovery's nine-day stay at the station.
In addition to installing and outfitting Kibo, the spacewalkers will inspect and troubleshoot the broken solar array rotary joint and replace nitrogen tanks needed to pressurize the station's ammonia cooling system.
"It's an extremely complicated mission," NASA spaceflight chief Bill Gerstenmaier said.
NASA has two years to complete the space station before retiring the shuttle fleet. Eleven flights, including Discovery's, are planned.
Delays building the shuttle's fuel tanks, which were extensively remodeled after the 2003 Columbia shuttle accident, forced NASA to drop one of two more missions to the space station planned this year following Kibo's arrival.
The agency still plans to fly a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope in October. (Editing by Jim Loney and Doina Chiacu) ((jim.loney@reuters.com; +1 305 810 2688; Reuters Messaging: jim.loney.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: SPACE SHUTTLE/
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GENEVA, May 19 (Reuters) - A revised negotiating text from the chairman of talks on industrial goods at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) widened the range of possible tariff cuts on Monday to try to reach agreement on a trade deal.
The text from Canada's WTO ambassador Don Stephenson will, together with a similar document on agriculture issued earlier, prepare the way for a meeting of ministers to clinch an outline trade deal in the Doha round in the coming weeks.
Stephenson's new text, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, goes a little way to meeting a demand from developing countries that rich countries should make bigger tariff cuts.
It sets a new range for developed country tariff ceilings of 7-9 percent instead of 8-9 percent.
Instead of a ceiling in the range of 19-23 percent for developing countries, it offers them three options depending to what extent they want to shield their industries from the full force of tariff cuts sought by rich countries.
The tariff ceiling for developing countries seeking no waiver would be 23-26 percent, while it drops to 19-21 percent for countries that choose to cut up to 12-14 percent of their tariffs by half of the generally mandated amount.
The revised text adds possible new flexible elements for countries in customs union -- as sought by Brazil and South Africa and for countries willing to enter further voluntary agreements on specific industrial sectors.
And it raises the possibility of special treatment for South Africa, Bolivia and Venezuela.
But all the new elements are shown in square brackets, indicating that the WTO's 152 members have not yet agreed on them.
The text also adds proposals on non-tariff barriers in chemicals and electronic goods. These are regulations such as safety standards which can be abused to keep out imports more effectively than tariff duties.
But the revised text retains the previous language on the special treatment for phasing in tariff cuts for members who recently joined the WTO, and have therefore recently taken big steps to open up their markets.
This would give China, the most prominent such member, up to 18 years to phase in whatever tariff cuts are agreed -- 8-10 years for all developing countries, an extra 2-5 years for recent members on top of that, and 2-3 years grace.
U.S. and European business lobbies in particular have criticised this treatment of China, arguing that its strong export growth shows it is benefiting from WTO membership and does not need special treatment. (Reporting by Jonathan Lynn) ((jonathan.lynn@reuters.com ; +41 22 733 3831; Reuters Messaging: jonathan.lynn.reuters.com@reuters.net ))
Keywords: TRADE WTO/INDUSTRY
By Steve Keating
QUEBEC CITY, May 19 (Reuters) - After ending a 15-year gold medal drought at the ice hockey world championship at the weekend, the next target on Russia's radar is the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Russia's thrilling 5-4 overtime win over Canada in Sunday's final offered as much relief as excitement in Moscow.
More significantly, it signalled a long-awaited renaissance of Russian hockey and a possible return to the glory days of the Soviet Union when the Big Red Machine ruled supreme over the sport.
"Huge," said Ilya Kovalchuk, describing the win he fashioned by scoring the tying goal late in the third period followed by the game winner 2:14 into overtime.
"It's huge for our preparation for everything, for all the kids we have started building a lot of rinks (for).
"They want to improve the game, they want to win.
"Now they want to practise harder to maybe be one day on the national team."
In the 15 years between world championship titles, Russia had made only one other appearance in the final, losing to Slovakia in 2002.
While there is still much work to be done, Russian hockey finally appears to be back on track.
Leading the revival are outstanding former Soviet team members Slava Fetisov, now the Russian Minister of Sport, and goaltending great Vladislav Tretiak, who has taken control of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.
Both men, who were named to the International Ice Hockey Federation's team of the century last Saturday, have made restoring Russian hockey a top priority.
During the championship, the two men made claims that 300 to 600 new rinks were being built in Russia to develop the grass roots of the sport that had been neglected in recent years.
The revival has been helped along by the considerable financial muscle of oil billionaire and hockey enthusiast Alexander Medvedev, who is backing a new Russian Super League.
The new league's top priority is to keep the best young Russians playing at home but could also provide competition for NHL talent.
U.S. netminder Robert Esche told reporters he has already agreed to a contract to play in Russia next season for $1.8 million.
These developments are sure to have an impact on the 2010 Olympics and, looking further ahead, the 2014 Winter Games in the Russian city of Sochi.
Most of the 16 countries that competed at the world championship in Canada did so with one eye on Vancouver.
There was more than a silver lining to Canada's second place finish, the hosts securing the top seeding for the 2010 Olympic tournament by reaching the final.
"We all know the Olympics are the measuring stick," said Team Canada coach Ken Hitchcock. "If you're talking about world power, if you're talking about supremacy in hockey, you talk about the Olympics."
(Editing by Rex Gowar) ((steve.keating@reuters.com; +1-248-605-1131; Reuters Messaging: steve.keating.reuters.com@reuters.net. For the latest Reuters Premier League and international football news see: http://football.uk.reuters.com))
For more ice hockey click on [ICEH-LEN]
Keywords: ICE HOCKEY WORLD/RUSSIA
(Updates share price, rewords disclaimer)
NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - Global information company Thomson Reuters Corp <TRI.TO> <TRIL.L> plans to cut 140 editorial jobs by the end of the year as its Reuters news service absorbs Thomson Financial News.
More than half the cuts will be in Europe, while the rest will be scattered, Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger wrote in a memo to employees on Monday.
Reuters also plans to add about 50 new jobs in growth areas, Schlesinger said, adding that the news organization should have about 2,500 employees by year's end.
"When two similar and once competing organisations come together, there is natural overlap and duplication in coverage," Schlesinger wrote.
"Wherever possible, we have worked to minimize job losses and to avoid redundancy by moving people into new roles and cancelling open posts that don't fit within the new organisation," he added.
Britain's National Union of Journalists said it had not ruled out a strike but would negotiate with the company first.
"The NUJ has been pressing hard to have any job cuts carried out through voluntary redundancies and will continue to do so," said NUJ representative Myra MacDonald.
Thomson Reuters had said it would shed jobs after Thomson Corp bought Reuters Group Plc for more than $16 billion in cash and stock on April 17.
Thomson Reuters, which employs 50,000 worldwide, could lose about 1,500 jobs in total, according to a BBC report.
Thomson Reuters is cutting as many as 650 jobs in its content, technology and operations division, according to a memo sent to employees by the head of that group, Peter Moss.
"It is important to emphasize that the number of people leaving the company through redundancies will be significantly less than this, with our current projection being approximately 250 people," Moss wrote.
Thomson Reuters spokesman Frank DeMaria confirmed the statements in the memos.
Thomson Reuters shares closed up 1.63 percent at 1,682 pence in London while its New York-listed shares closed up 0.80 percent at $37.95.
(Reporters and editors involved in writing and editing this report may own Thomson Reuters securities and are bound by the Reuters Code of Conduct, which restricts dealing in securities in companies on which a journalist is reporting)
(Reporting by Robert MacMillan; Editing by Jack Reerink & Ted Kerr)
((robert.macmillan@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6012; Reuters Messaging: robert.macmillan.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Click on http://blogs.reuters.com/category/themes/mediafile/ to see Reuters MediaFile blog Keywords: THOMSONREUTERS/
CHICAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - An injectable gel used to improve the appearance of lips, cheeks and other facial features may cause swelling, nodules and other problems, researchers in Spain reported on Monday.
The compound, called polyalkylimide, has been used primarily in Europe, said Dr. Jaume Alijotas-Reig, and colleagues at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Autonomous University in Barcelona, Spain.
Early reports on polyalkylimide injections indicated there were no significant signs of rejection of the material or adverse reaction to introduction of a foreign substance, the researchers said.
"However, more recent evidence refutes these statements, and so the complete safety of polyalkylimide implant gels can no longer be assured," they added in a small study published in the Archives of Dermatology.
Their findings were based on 25 patients, eight of whom had a previous implant of one kind or another, including silicone breast implants.
The group developed a variety of problems including swelling, hardening and swollen or tender nodules near the injection site, as well as fever, arthritis and dry eyes or mouth a year or more after the treatment.
After nearly two years, 11 of the group appeared to be free of adverse effects but 10 still had recurrent problems, the study found.
"We do not know the real number of cases that have developed delayed adverse effects because of the tendency of many physicians to not report negative events," the researchers said in their report.
The compound, which came on the market in 2001, "is increasingly one of the most commonly used fillers in Europe," they said.
Considering the increased use of the implants, doctors "should be aware that intermediate or delayed adverse effects can occur ... just as they can with collagen, polyacrylamide, polylactic acid or methacrylate," the researchers said, referring to other compounds used as cosmetic fillers.
The compound, sold as Bio-Alcamid, is patented by Polymekon Sri of Brindisi, Italy, and marketed in partnership with Ascente Medical Corp of Toronto, both privately held.
Polymekon's website says studies have proven it safe and effective.
(Reporting by Michael Conlon; editing by Mohammad Zargham) ((Mike.Conlon@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 312 408 8730; Reuters Messaging: mike.conlon.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: SKIN IMPLANTS/
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