USA
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said Sunday he is running for president, joining an already-crowded 2008 Republican field. The health and human services secretary during President Bush's first term called himself the "reliable conservative" in the race.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited President Bush Saturday at the latter's Camp David, Md., retreat to continue talks opened several weeks ago in São Paulo. Bush called their joint desire to see a global free trade deal "the most compelling" aspect of working together. Developing biofuels was also on the agenda.
The newest draft of a major international report on climate change says global warming has already degraded conditions for many species and coastal areas. The document under review at this week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting in Belgium is the second in 2007 by a UN network of experts. It indicates that a rise of 1.8 degrees F. from 1990s levels could threaten the water supply of as many as 1.7 billion people and endanger amphibians.
The Hershey Co. said it would keep open its two hometown chocolate factories in Pennsylvania after union workers voted overwhelmingly late last week to allow as many as 650 jobs to be cut. Hershey wants to trim about a quarter of its workforce at the plants and shift jobs to a new facility in Mexico.
American Michael Phelps Sunday became the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a world aquatics championship. He set the mark by breaking his own world record in the men's 400-meter individual medley in Melbourne, Australia.
Two US pet food manufacturers voluntarily joined in a major recall of products found to contain a wheat gluten possibly contaminated by chemical fertilizer. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., a unit of Colgate-Palmolive, and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. pulled some products off the market. It was the first recall of dry foods.
With semifinal victories Saturday, defending men's champion Florida and Ohio State moved into tonight's college basketball championship game in Atlanta. Florida, which beat UCLA, 76-66, seeks to become the first team since Duke, in 1991 and 1992, to win back-to-back titles. The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes knocked off Georgetown, 67-60.
