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Uruguay wins case against US tobacco firm

Uruguay won an arbitration case against US tobacco giant Philip Morris, which sued the state claiming its strict anti-tobacco law harmed the cigarette maker's business, both sides said. “The Uruguayan state has emerged victorious and the tobacco company's claims have been roundly rejected,” Uruguayan President Tabara Vasquez said in a televised address. Philip Morris reacted by saying “we respect” the verdict, which is binding in any case.

Strasbourg, Lyon join race to snatch EMA from London after Brexit

Officials from the cities of Strasbourg and Lyon are pressing France to wrest the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from London following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The EMA approves medicines for all EU countries and employs 890 people including temporary staff. Philippe Richert, president of Grand Est regional council in eastern France, urged President Francois Hollande in a July 1 letter to call for the EMA to be headquartered in Strasbourg.

Senate easily advances $1.1 billion in Zika funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted decisively on Tuesday in favor of a bipartisan $1.1 billion measure to combat the Zika virus this year and next, cutting back President Barack Obama's request but offering significantly more money to fight Zika than would House GOP conservatives.

Obama: Filtered water in Flint is safe for kids over 6 years old

FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged parents in Flint, Michigan, to ensure their children were tested for lead in their blood even as he sought to assure the community that filtered water in the city was safe for anyone over the age of six. Obama said it would take more than two years to replace water pipes in the city, which is struggling with the effects of lead-poisoned drinking water. The president also sipped filtered water during a meeting with regulators there. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner, editing by G Crosse)

Brazil’s Rousseff vows to win Zika ‘war’

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vowed to “win the war” against the Zika virus, but some experts criticized her government's response and warned the Olympics could fuel the disease's spread. The tropical virus is blamed for cases of brain damage in babies as it sweeps through Latin America, and Rousseff, whose government is deploying 220,000 soldiers to help eradicate the mosquitoes that transmit it, likened the outbreak to a battle. Rousseff and US President Barack Obama agreed Friday to launch a high-level bilateral group to develop a vaccine.

Rio will be success despite ‘situation of crisis’: Bach

By Karolos Grohmann ATHENS (Reuters) – This year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be successful despite the country's financial and political turmoil which have made final preparations harder, International Olympic Committee President (IOC) Thomas Bach said on Wednesday. Brazil is faced with a severe economic downturn, having been awarded the Olympics with the country experiencing a financial boom back in 2009. “It is, as you know, six months before the Olympic Games and it is the most difficult time to prepare for Games,” Bach, speaking at the Greek Olympic Committee headquarters, told reporters.

Senate votes to gut Obamacare in symbolic vote

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After five years of failed attempts, U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a symbolic bill to gut President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law, but Obama has vowed to veto the measure. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 52-47 to repeal several core Obamacare provisions under special budget procedural rules that allow for passage with a simple majority rather than the 60-vote threshold needed for most legislation in the Senate. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Eric Walsh)

U.S. House Speaker Ryan rules out work with Obama on immigration

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Sunday ruled out working with President Barack Obama on overhauling U.S. immigration policy, saying it would be “a ridiculous notion” to pursue legislation because Obama cannot be trusted on the issue. Republicans have fought Obama's unilateral steps that bypassed a gridlocked Congress to try to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. Obama's executive orders, announced last November but put on hold by the courts, would let up to 4.7 million illegal immigrants stay without threat of deportation.