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Ringgit opens lower against US dollar Posted: 16 Jun 2013 06:55 PM PDT The ringgit was traded lower against the US dollar in early trading today on selling of the foreign currency as news of the US trimming on its stimulus measures undermined sentiments in the financial markets, dealers said. There are also concerns that there will be less money circulating in emerging markets, they said. The ringgit was quoted at 3.1200/1230 from 3.1130/1160 against a US dollar on Friday. The local currency was trader easier against the Singapore dollar at 2.4912/4946 from 2.4840/4884 Friday and was also lower against the yen at 3.2932/2978 from 3.2762/2797 last week. The ringgit also weakened against the euro at 4.1602/1648 from 4.1481/1527 and depreciated against the British pound at 4.9018/9069 from 4.8631/8688 Friday.-- Bernama

KL shares slip further in early trading Posted: 16 Jun 2013 06:53 PM PDT Share prices on Bursa Malaysia slipped further in early trading today, continuing from last week's losses as investors took the cue from further downtrend on Wall Street last Friday, dealers said. Ten minutes after opening, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined 2.63 points to 1,759.56 from Friday's close at 1,762.19. HwangDBS Vickers Research said negative vibes from the global equity markets may spill over to Asian equities today. On Friday, the Wall Street, which ended in the red, saw leading US equity indices down between 0.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent at closing, renewed concerns of a premature withdrawal of monetary stimulus by the Federal Reserve, it said. "Back home, the key FBM KLCI could surrender parts of its 19.3-point gain chalked up last Friday. However, from a technical perspective, we reckon the benchmark index will likely find intermediate support at the 1,750 level," said the research house in a note today. On the scoreboard, the Finance Index was 31.371 points lower at 16,637.43, the Industrial Index eased 2.18 points to 3,001.33 and the Plantation Index lost 29.5 points to 8,370.82. The FBM Emas Index shed 15.631 points to 12,235.52, the FBMT100 dwindled 15.96 points to 11,995.05, the FBM Mid 70 Index eased 10.87 points to 14,045.89 while the FBM Ace Index rose 21.72 points to 4,775.99. It was thin trading at the bourse with gainers leading losers by 93 to 91, with 137 counters unchanged, 1,262 untraded and 19 suspended. Turnover stood at 81.288 million shares worth RM32.275 million. Among actives, Patimas Computers and Sycal Ventures were both unchanged at five sen and 41 sen, respectively, while Eti Tech Corporation lost one sen to 8.5 sen. Heavyweights, Maybank declined four sen to RM10.14, CIMB eased five sen to RM8.12 while Sime Darby was unchanged at RM9.53. Axiata Group gained one sen to RM6.63.-- Bernama

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Obama doesn't think NSA programs violated Americans' privacy, WH says - CBS News Posted: 16 Jun 2013 07:59 AM PDT (CBS News) President Obama does not believe his administration has violated the privacy of any American in light of leaked documents detailing sweeping government surveillance programs, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Sunday on "Face the Nation," and he plans to make clear that sentiment "in the days ahead." Claims from Edward Snowden - the former National Security Agency computer technician who leaked top-secret documents detailing the surveillance reach - that he, sitting at his desk, had the authorities to wiretap anyone, "from you or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the president if I had a personal email" are "incorrect" and will be adjudicated over time, McDonough said. McDonough would not say, however, that the government is entirely in the right in its collection of phone records and mining of data from the servers of nine major Internet companies: "If there's problems, we're gonna get to the bottom of them," he said. "We do have to find the right balance, especially in this new situation when we find ourselves, with all of us reliant on Internet, on email, on texting. So we find ourselves communicating in different ways - but that means the bad guys are doing that as well. Hong Kong: Edward Snowden's welcoming refuge Officials: NSA programs broke terror plots in 20 nations Senators skip briefing on NSA surveillance programs Keeping in mind that the programs were designed to track movement and communication of suspected terrorists, McDonough went on, "the president recognizes more than anybody that he has a fundamental obligation to the American people, and that's to keep them safe. But he also swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. He believes that we can do both, he believes that we are doing both, and he's proud of the work that we've been able to undertake to do that." Mr. Obama is not simply telling Americans, "trust me," McDonough d, tossing to the famous Reagan doctrine, "trust but verify;" "the president is saying, 'I want every member of Congress, on whose authority we are running this program, to understand it, to be briefed on it, and to be comfortable with it.'" Having entered office in 2009 "pretty skeptical" about the importance and reach of federal surveillance programs, Mr. Obama "changed many things," and in 2009 and 2011 presented a "classified white paper" of the programs to all 535 U.S. lawmakers, so "at the end of the day," McDonough continued, "it was bipartisan majorities that enacted these." McDonough also pointed to oversight of the programs by the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court, as well as independent audits. Indeed, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. - chairman of the House Intelligence Committee - agreed later on the program: The NSA programs are "legal" and "comport with the Constitution." But it's the "pattern of deception" coming out of "scandals" like Benghazi and the Justice Department's seizure of journalists' phone records, he argued, that "made it very, very difficult to explain" why the surveillance programs were different. On Saturday, two top intelligence officials reported that the NSA data collection had successfully thwarted potential terrorist plots in the United States and more than 20 other countries. Rogers explained the way the terrorist-tracking works without violating civil liberties: "We take the business records by a court order, and it's just phone numbers - no names, no addresses - put it in a lock box," Rogers said. "And if they get a foreign terrorist overseas that's dialing in to the United Sates, they take that phone number... they plug it into this big pile, if you will, of just phone numbers - it's like a phonebook without any names and any addresses with it - to see if there's a connection, a foreign terrorist connection to the United States. "When a number comes out of that lock box," he continued, "it's just a phone number - no names, no addresses. If they think that's relevant to their counterterrorism investigation, they give that to the FBI. Then upon the FBI has to go out and meet all the legal standards to even get whose phone number that is."

Police reinforcements arrive to quell Turkish protests - USA TODAY Posted: 16 Jun 2013 07:49 AM PDT Thousands of people take to the streets of Istanbul overnight, after riot police storm a park that had been occupied for more than two weeks by anti-government protesters. Powered by NewsLook.com A bulldozer clears construction materials used by protesters to make barricades in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Sunday.(Photo: Vadim Ghirda, AP) Story Highlights Bulldozers clear tent city and barricades set up by protesters on Taksim Square Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan plans to hold a rally later Sunday Turkish Medical Association says 7,500 injured since unrest began on May 31 ISTANBUL -— Riot police reinforcements arrived in Istanbul on Sunday morning to help quell demonstrations across the city, as protesters remained defiant a day after police evicted activists from Gezi Park. Bulldozers cleared the tent city and barricades set up by protesters on Taksim Square while police sealed off the area to keep demonstrators away from the spot that has become the focus of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his 10 years in office. Amnesty International reported four people have died and thousands have been injured since the unrest began May 31 when riot police attempted to remove protesters from Gezi Park, which is slated for demolition. The Turkish Medical Association puts the number of injured at 7,500. Taksim Solidarity — an umbrella group that helped organize the mass demonstrations against the government — has called on supporters to gather in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Crowds amassed Sunday along several arteries leading to the square but are being held back by riot police firing tear gas and water cannon, witnesses told USA TODAY. Meanwhile, senior figures in Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party have warned that anyone who defies a ban on the demonstrations would be considered a terrorist and treated accordingly. "From now on the state will unfortunately have to consider everyone who remains there a supporter or member of a terror organization," Minister for European Union Affairs Egemen Bagis said late Saturday. "The protests from now on will play into the hands of some separatist organizations that want to break the peace and prioritize vandalism and terrorism." Many demonstrators on the ground reject being labeled as extremists. Baris Uyar, 35, an electronic engineer, said he'd been demonstrating for more than two weeks. "I don't know, of 10,000 people, there might be one person throwing a stone, but the police were throwing tear gas at those thousands of people," he said. "There is provocation on several sides, but the main duty of a democratic government is to prevent such things." Amnesty said police detained more than 100 people overnight Saturday but refused to release information on their identities or whereabouts. "Following a night of shocking police violence, the authorities are now denying due process to those they have detained," Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher in Istanbul, told reporters. "The police must release them immediately or disclose their location and allow access to family members and lawyers." The London-based human rights group criticized police tactics of using tear gas and water cannon laced with a chemical irritant on thousands of demonstrators trying to reach Taksim Square. "Protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, and there is no legitimate reason to prevent all forms of protest in the area," Gardner said. Erdogan is scheduled to address his supporters at a rally in the western part of the city on Sunday. Thousands are expected to attend the rally, which follows a similar event Saturday in the capital of Ankara, where the prime minister said his party spoke for a silent majority. "The people of Turkey protect their government," he said Saturday. "The people of Turkey protect their democracy and willpower."

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Moderate cleric Rohani to be Iran's next president: minister - Reuters Posted: 15 Jun 2013 09:01 AM PDT DUBAI | Sat Jun 15, 2013 12:00pm EDT (Reuters) - Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani has won Iran's presidential election, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar announced on state television on Saturday. Najjar said 72 percent of the 50 million eligible Iranians had turned out to vote, and that Rohani had secured just over the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a run-off. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati, Marcus George, Zahra Hosseinian and Jon Hemming, Writing by William Maclean; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

CIA will lead US effort to arm, train Syrian rebel forces, Fox confirms - Fox News Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:32 AM PDT The United States will supply Syrian rebels with weapons through a CIA-run program, FoxNews confirmed Saturday. President Obama decided Thursday to supply rebel forces with small arms and ammunition, following confirmation that the regime of Syria President Bashar al-Assad's has been using chemical weapons in the 2-year-long civil war in which at least 90,000 people have been killed. In addition to supplying the weapons, the CIA will train rebel forces, Fox News also confirmed. Obama vowed last summer to take action should the Assad cross a "red line" by using chemical weapons but has been challenged in verifying whether his forces used chemical weapons and in determining which rebel forces can be trusted. However, the rebels being supplied with only small arms has disappointed some Capitol Hill lawmakers and other Americas who want a more robust response and who say the administration's actions might be too little, too late as Assad forces appear to be taking control of the war. The White House has still not decided whether to send anti-tank weapons. Arizona Republican John McCain, a military hawk, wants much heavier arms, including anti-aircraft missiles to go after Assad's air power. Russia, for its part, question the evidence presented by the U.S. and says it does not meet stringent criteria for reliability. Syria's state news agency is reporting that government forces have captured a suburb of Damascus near the capital's international airport. SANA says troops killed several rebels and destroyed their hideouts in the Ahmadiyeh area on Saturday, two days after a mortar round landed near the airport's runway and briefly disrupted flights. A local rebel commander who identified himself by his nickname, Abu Hareth, for fear of government reprisals, said soldiers and rebels have been fighting sporadically in the area since late Friday. He said two rebel fighters have been killed there since. Ahmadiyeh is part of a region known as Eastern Ghouta, where government forces have been on the offensive for weeks. The Associated Press contributed to this report   Print   Email   Share   Comments Recommend Tweet Share This Article

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US stocks end lower ahead of Fed meet Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:09 PM PDT NEW YORK: US stocks gave up an early rally and ended lower Friday amid some slightly downbeat economic data and caution ahead of next week's Federal Reserve policy board meeting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 105.90 points (0.70 per cent) at 15,070.18. The broad-based S&P 500 lost 9.63 (0.59 per cent) at 1,626.73, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite fell 21.81 (0.63 per cent) to 3,423.56. A flat reading on US industrial production last month, a decline in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index, and a modest gain in May producer prices clouded trade. The fresh data pointed to the Federal Open Market Committee keeping its stimulus policy in place when it meets on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, the International Monetary Fund pared its 12014 forecast for US growth, blaming the government's sharp "sequester" spending cuts. "The deficit reduction in 2013 has been excessively rapid and ill-designed," it said. "A slower pace of deficit reduction would help the recovery at a time when monetary policy has limited room to support it further." Shares in Myriad Genetics sank 13.8 per cent after several companies announced competing products to its BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic cancer tests in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling that the company cannot patent the two genes. Groupon shares jumped 11.5 per cent to $7.65 after Deutsche Bank gave the online coupon dispenser an upgrade and a $10 target. Banks were hit in the fall: American Express lost 3.0 per cent, Citigroup 2.1 per cent and JPMorgan Chase 1.9 per cent. In the tech sector, Facebook shares were off 0.4 per cent and Microsoft fell 0.9 per cent. -- AFP

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Getting weapons to Syrian rebels not that hard - USA TODAY Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:11 AM PDT NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomes a "clear" US statement accusing the Syrian regime of using chemical weapons, and said Damascus must let the UN investigate the allegations. Powered by NewsLook.com This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian refugees filling their buckets at Atmeh refugee camp, in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, Syria, Friday, April 5, 2013. A barrage of rockets slammed into a contested district on the northeastern edge of Damascus, killing several people and trapping others under the rubble, while violence raged around suburbs of the capital, activists said. (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center AMC) ORG XMIT: BEI104(Photo: Anonymous AP) Story Highlights U.S. intelligence has vetted the rebel forces NATO member Turkey has air bases and ports that U.S. forces have used U.S. presence in Syria itself will likely be very small Now that President Obama has decided to provide military assistance to Syrian rebels the next step is easy, says a military analyst who's been studying the Syria conflict. U.S. intelligence has vetted the rebel forces to determine who should get the arms and it has a willing middleman in Turkey, on Syria's northern border, said Christopher Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study or War. A NATO member. Turkey has air bases and ports that U.S. forces have used in the past to move equipment and people to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, he says. Turkey's Incirlak Air Base, which is technically a NATO air base, is one likely hub for U.S. supplied weapons intended for the rebels, Harmer says. "The US moves cargo through there all the time," Harmer said. Establishing a supply route to the rebels "is not that hard." According to USA TODAY reporting in Turkey, the United States has already been sending communications equipment to rebels of the Free Syrian Army through Turkey. Rebels have said they have picked up shipments in Istanbul and driven them across the border into Syria along secure routes. Turkey has sea ports for larger shipments. But most of the weapons rebel leaders have requested are light weapons, chief among them shoulder-fired missiles. The missiles are wanted to shoot down Syrian aircraft or disable Syrian tanks. If the USA agrees to provide such weapons they can be delivered to Turkey by air, Harmer said. Arms could then travel by truck or rail to the Turkish border with Syria, and that's where U.S. control over the weapons will likely end, Harmer said. The effort depends on Turkish cooperation. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already allowed weapons from saufi Arabia and Qatar to transit through his country and supports the toppling of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. The Syrian rebels control at least 20 miles of Syrian territory south of the Turkish border, "so there's no really no mechanical way for the Syrian government to stop them," Harmer said. However, there is a risk that Syria will directly attack Turkey over the shipments. Syria has already fired missiles into Turkey territory along the border to target weapons shipments and rebel fighters who seek protection on the Turkey side of the border. Turkey has been hosting around one million Syrian refugees, and rebels have camps there as well. The U.S. presence in Syria itself will likely be very small, limited to CIA or special forces operators, and focused on identifying rebel groups they can trust, Harmer said. "We don't want to provide weapons to al-Qaeda affiliates" who are known to also be fighting the government in Syria, he said. When the conflict started, the identity and motivations was not well understood. Harmer said two years have changed that situation completely. The Institute for the Study of War and other independent groups have completed extensive studies on the various rebel groups. "We know from open sources, YouTube videos and interviews who are secular freedom lovers and who are the extremist religious types," Harmer said.

Iran elections: the world hopes for change, but is likely to be disappointed - The Guardian Posted: 14 Jun 2013 09:01 AM PDT Ian Black, Middle East editor An Iranian voter with the inked finger that shows she has cast her ballot in the country's presidential elections. Photograph: Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua Press/Corbis Predicting the outcome of Iranian presidential elections is notoriously difficult – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was virtually unknown when he won his first term in 2005. But aside from the near certainty of surprises the only other constant is that the outside world will be hoping to see different policies from whoever replaces the unlamented incumbent. Satisfaction is far from guaranteed. Surging support for the cleric Hassan Rouhani over the past few days has been a salutary reminder of the volatility of these races. Under Iran's hybrid political system presidential candidates are vetted on the authority of the theocratic "supreme leader" but chosen by popular vote. The country's reformists are still battered and bruised – their two candidates in 2009 remain under house arrest – but supporters of the "Green" movement who believe they were robbed last time are still there and anxious to see better times. Appearances count for a lot. The Iranian establishment has worked hard to forestall the sort of mass protests that followed the disputed election four years ago – not least because since then the world has witnessed the Arab uprisings (Tehran has relished portraying them as an "Islamic awakening") as well as the unrest in neighbouring Turkey. Restrictions on the internet and domestic and foreign media are part of this preventive strategy. Turnout, always seen as important to underline the democratic legitimacy of the Islamic Republic in the face of its enemies at home and abroad, will matter too – though very large numbers are likely to favour the more moderate candidates. Whoever becomes president, however, will face a familiar set of pressing domestic and international issues. The biggest one is the economy, battered by tightening sanctions imposed by the US to apply pressure over stalled nuclear negotiations. Iran's economy faces severe and long-standing structural problems that have been aggravated by the sanctions – even if it remains a taboo to link the two explicitly. Exchanges between the leading candidates on this point have been coded but unmistakable. It is clear, however, that the big issue is that of Iran's isolation in the wider world – the point on which the clownish and provocative Ahmadinejad aroused most anger. It was striking that Ali Akbar Salehi, the foreign minister, declared as he cast his vote that he hoped for improved relations with the US – a handy reminder that, revolutionary ideology aside, many Iranians still admire America. Making precisely the opposite point, the Supreme Leader himself – who at 74 seems unlikely to temper his hostility to the country which engineered the overthrow of Mossadegh and backed the shah – lashed out at Washington. "To hell with you if you do not believe in our election!" said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was a blunt response to comments by US officials that they do not have "high expectations" that the election will change "the fundamental calculus of Iran". That certainly seems true of Saeed Jalili, the hardliner and current nuclear negotiator who is seen as Khamenei's personal choice. But would a different winner, Rouhani or Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, the technocratic mayor of Tehran, display more flexibility to win support among young Iranians (a third of the 50-million-strong electorate are under the age of 30) though that could risk the opposition of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, the loyal keepers of Khomeini's flame? Maybe. But on the international issues it still seems unlikely. "Whoever wins will be very limited in their ability to influence foreign and nuclear policy," warns Ali Ansari of St Andrews University. Expectations in the west, then, are sensibly low. But if there is to be change for the better in Iran after this election it could perhaps come in a new and better-functioning relationship between Khamenei and the president after the ructions of the Ahmadinejad years – his departure at least bringing audible sighs of relief from his many enemies. Sign up for the Guardian Today Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Sign up for the daily email Get the Guardian's daily US email Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. Sign up for the daily email Sign up now Get the Guardian's daily Australia email Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the daily email

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KL shares rebounded to open higher Posted: 13 Jun 2013 06:57 PM PDT Share prices on Bursa Malaysia rebounded this morning from its recent losses, as fund managers took the cue from overnight gains on Wall Street, dealers said. At 9.03am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) stood at 1,752.9, rising 10.03 points after opening 6.54 points higher at 1,749.41 in early trading today. HwangDBS Vickers Research said that a relief rebound was in store for Asian equities today. This follows an overnight bounce on Wall Street which saw its leading indices jumping between 1.2 per cent and 1.5 per cent amid expectations that the Federal Reserve might not be tapering its quantitative easing programme anytime soon. "Back home, the key FBM KLCI is set to stage a technical rebound too. "After losing 44.9 points or 2.5 per cent in three days, the benchmark index could recover to overcome its immediate support-turned-resistance line of 1,750 points ahead," it said in a research note. On the scoreboard, the Finance Index rose 67.94 points to 16,621.7, the Industrial Index perked 27.01 points to 3,009.69 and the Plantation Index gained 9.3 points to 8,265.45. The FBM Emas Index garnered 71.32 points to 12,201.94, the FBMT100 advanced 71.52 points to 11,963.04, the FBM Mid 70 Index chalked up 96.51 points to 14,062.53 and the FBM Ace Index surged 35.61 points to 4,696.27. Market breadth was positive as gainers thumped losers 225 to 25, with 70 counters unchanged, 1,263 untraded and 19 suspended. Turnover stood at 62.953 million shares worth RM43.558 million. Among actives, Eti Tech Corp inched up half-a-sen to 11.5 sen, Naim Indah gained 1.5 sen to 17.5 sen and Malton improved four sen to 94.5 sen. For heavyweights, Maybank added 12 sen to RM10.16, CIMB earned two sen to RM8.15, Sime Darby rose nine sen to RM9.55 and Petronas Chemicals garnered four sen to RM6.40. However, Axiata Group was flat at RM6.48.-- Bernama

Ringgit opens firmer on renewed risk appetite Posted: 13 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT The ringgit opened firmer against the US dollar in early trading Friday on renewed risk appetite backed by improved market sentiments, dealers said. At 9.15am, the local unit was quoted at 3.1195/1225 vis-a-vis the US dollar's 3.1320/1350 close at 5pm Thursday. A currency dealer said global foreign exchange markets received a boost following the release of the better-than-expected economic data in the US, coupled with speculations that the Federal Reserve will announce plans to maintain the record low interest rates. Against other major currencies, the ringgit was also traded higher. The local unit improved against the Singapore dollar to 2.4930/4374 from 2.4972/4014 Thursday and strengthened against the yen to 3.2976/3025 from 3.3181/3220 yesterday. It appreciated against the British pound to 4.9014/9070 from yesterday's 4.9038/9100 close and rose against the euro to 4.1695/1742 from Thursday's close at 4.1775/1818.-- Bernama

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Supreme Court says human genes cannot be patented - CBS News Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:28 AM PDT The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that companies cannot patent parts of naturally-occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries. The high court's unanimous judgment reverses three decades of patent awards by government officials. It throws out patents held by Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics Inc. on an increasingly popular breast cancer test brought into the public eye recently by actress Angelina Jolie's revelation that she had a double mastectomy because of one of the genes involved in this case. Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the court's decision, said that Myriad's assertion - that the DNA it isolated from the body for its proprietary breast and ovarian cancer tests were patentable - had to be dismissed because it violates patent rules. The court has said that laws of nature, natural phenomena and abstract ideas are not patentable. "We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," Thomas said. Patents are the legal protection that gives inventors the right to prevent others from making, using or selling a novel device, process or application. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for almost 30 years, but opponents of Myriad Genetics Inc.'s patents on the two genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer say such protection should not be given to something that can be found inside the human body. The company has used its patent to come up with its BRACAnalysis test, which looks for mutations on the breast cancer predisposition gene, or BRCA. Those mutations are associated with much greater risks of breast and ovarian cancer. Women with a faulty gene have a three to seven times greater risk of developing breast cancer and also have a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Myriad sells the only BRCA gene test. Opponents of its patents say the company can use the patents to keep other researchers from working with the BRCA gene to develop other tests. "Today, the court struck down a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation," said Sandra Park, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project. "Myriad did not invent the BRCA genes and should not control them. Because of this ruling, patients will have greater access to genetic testing and scientists can engage in research on these genes without fear of being sued." Jolie revealed last month that her mother died of ovarian cancer and that her maternal grandmother also had the disease. She said she carries a defective BRCA1 gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, and her doctor said that the test that turned up the faulty gene link led Jolie to have both of her healthy breasts removed to try to avoid the same fate. Companies have billions of dollars of investment and years of research on the line in this case. Their advocates argue that without the ability to recoup their investment through the profits that patents bring, breakthrough scientific discoveries to combat all kinds of medical maladies wouldn't happen. But "genes and the information they encode area not patent eligible ... simply because they have been isolated from the surrounding genetic material," Thomas said. In a concurring opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia said "the portion of the DNA isolated from its natural state sought to be patented is identical to that portion of the DNA in its natural state." A Myriad spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court did rule that synthetically created DNA, known as cDNA, can be patented "because it is not naturally occurring," Thomas said. And Thomas noted there are still ways for Myriad to make money off its discovery. "Had Myriad created an innovative method of manipulating genes while searching for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, it could possibly have sought a method patent," he said. And he noted that the case before the court did not include patents on the application of knowledge about the two genes. The case is 12-398, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc.

Dozens hurt in explosion, fire at Louisiana chemical plant - CBS News Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:33 AM PDT Updated at 12:21 p.m. ET GEISMAR, La. An explosion touched off a fire at a petrochemical plant about 20 miles south of Baton Rouge, resulting in dozens of injuries, officials said. Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Jean Kelly said helicopters took three or four people Thursday from the plant owned by The Williams Companies Inc., and ground ambulances took 30. She did not have other details about injuries. The Iberville Office of Emergency Preparedness told CBS affiliate WAFB-TV so far six people were sent to the hospital for burns. Louisiana State Police Capt. Doug Cain said the explosion occurred around 8:30 a.m. The plant makes highly flammable gases that are basic building blocks in the petrochemical industry. A chemical plant is on fire after an explosion, in Geismar, La., June 13, 2013. / WAFB/9 Reports Kelly says tests have not found dangerous levels of chemicals in the air so far. State police are asked residents in St. Gabriel area to shelter in place from Highway 3115 to Highway 74 as a precaution. The company's website says the plant puts out about 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of polymer grade propylene a year.

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