Marin Cilic, who after a run to the final at Queen's where he beat Tomas Berdych, Feliciano Lopez and Lleyton Hewitt would have fancied his chances of "going deep" as they say, has been having his say on the rash of withdrawals from Wimbledon today.
""I would say this is a very black day. I mean, the other days, other weeks, there were no pull-outs. It's difficult to say what the real issue is," said the Croatian.
"I just consider my own case. It's more because of obviously much lower bounces, putting more pressure on my body and my knees, as I'm pretty tall.
"It also has a difficulty on movement. It's a bit tougher to move on grass than other surfaces."
A capsule carrying three Chinese astronauts has landed safely after a 15-day mission in space.
The astronauts travelled on the Shenzhou-10 craft to China's space laboratory, the Tiangong-1.
They completed manual docking exercises and astronaut Wang Yaping gave a video lecture to students back on Earth.
The Shenzhou-10 is China's fifth manned space mission and came 10 years after China first sent an astronaut into space.
State TV showed the capsule touching down in grassland in the Inner Mongolia region at around 08:07 local time (00:07 GMT).
The mission control centre burst into applause after the crew were reported to be safe and well, reports said.
Mission commander Nie Haisheng was the first to exit the capsule at 09:31 (01:31 GMT), followed by colleagues Wang Yaping and Zhang Xiaoguang.
The astronauts needed time to allow their bodies to adjust to Earth's gravity before emerging from the space capsule, Chinese media said.
Mr Nie, who has been on one previous space mission, has now spent more hours in space than any other Chinese astronaut, having clocked up over 470 hours across his two missions, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Wang Yaping, China's second woman in space, delivered the country's first space lecture from the Tiangong-1.
China plans to eventually put a permanently manned space station above the Earth.
25 June 2013Last updated at 20:01 ETBy Roger HarrabinEnvironment analyst
The UK is not on track to hit its climate change targets through the 2020s, government advisers have warned.
The Committee on Climate Change said carbon emissions rose in 2012 by 3.5%.
After the figures were adjusted for the cold weather and a greater use of coal to make electricity, emissions fell - but by 1% compared with the 3% target.
The report also warned the Green Deal scheme, designed to incentivise people to insulate their homes, appeared to have had the opposite effect.
There has been a huge drop in people installing roof and cavity wall insulation since the previous insulation scheme was replaced by the Green Deal last year, it said.
"We haven't got the full figures yet for uptake of the Green Deal, but this does potentially look very worrying" said the committee's chief executive David Kennedy.
"We advise the government to put in very firm incentives for people to insulate their homes through, for instance, stamp duty or council tax", he said.
The statistics on Green Deal uptake are due to be released on Thursday.
Under the scheme, people can install new green technology into a property with no up-front costs and pay back the costs through their energy bill over time.
New boilers
A survey for the government on Tuesday suggested that 48% of people having their homes surveyed for the scheme said they would get energy saving measures installed.
But the overall numbers of applicants is thought to be low, and critics say if under half of people surveyed are going ahead with the full scheme, something is badly wrong.
Mr Kennedy told BBC News that the focus of the Green Deal appeared to have switched from insulating homes to buying new boilers.
"We don't need a scheme to persuade people to buy new boilers - they do that anyway" , he said.
The committee noted that 2012 had been a record year for adding wind power to the grid.
But it warned that uncertainty over the government's energy plans and anti-wind power rhetoric from ministers had recently deterred investors in clean energy.
Without further effort, it said, the government would fail to meet the targets in its carbon budgets after 2017, laid down to hold the UK to its legally binding 2050 target to reduce emissions by 80%.
It said progress had been especially slow in implementing (expensive) solid wall insulation and low-carbon heat pumps.
Firms have also been reluctant to invest in improving energy efficiency.
"The situation won't improve unless firms and individuals can see a clear direction, beyond 2020, towards de-carbonizing the economy", Mr Kennedy said.
The auction is going to be small, but its symbolism is huge. It should earn more money for Botswana than the previous system. The diamonds which are being sold were mined in Botswana and are being sold by Botswana. For decades, the auctions have taken place in Europe.
Staff from diamond giant DeBeers in London are also relocating to Gaborone, and locals are being trained and employed. Soon, DeBeers will sell about $6bn worth of the precious stones annually in Gaborone; that is the equivalent of a third of the size of the economy.
It has seen by those in power as the beginning of "bringing the diamonds home". There is excitement among many here, especially the business community which hopes to benefit from a related economic boom. The plan is a long-term one - to set up a diamond hub similar to Antwerp and Tel Aviv that will continue once the diamond mines close.
'Big-scale move'
The BBC's Rob Young in the capital, Gaborone, says about a dozen diamond buyers from around the world are in the city for the auction, which lasts for two weeks as they inspect the diamonds first and then bid for them in several rounds.
The government hopes diamond sales operations will bring more value-added jobs to the diamond sector, including clerical and jewellery-making work, our reporter says.
Its long-term plan is to set up a diamond hub similar to Antwerp and Tel Aviv that will continue once the diamond mines close, he says.
When De Beers relocates its sales operation later in the year, it will be selling about $6bn (£4bn) worth of diamonds a year in Gaborone.
Philippe Mellier, chief executive of De Beers, told the BBC that moving diamond sales was part of a deal agreed with the government of Botswana. Together they own Debswana, the country's main mining company.
It would turn Botswana into a major diamond hub, as it was already the biggest centre for diamond production, Mr Mellier said.
"It's a global movement of big scale for the diamond business," he told the BBC's Newsday programme.
"If you migrate $500m-$600m per month of sales of diamonds - that's a big move and at the scale of Botswana that's a very big move and certainly a move of significant scale for southern Africa."
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Google's $1.3bn acquisition of the crowdsourced traffic-mapping and navigation company Waze, the search company has confirmed to the Guardian.
The FTC's actions follow demands from consumer groups concerned that the takeover by Google, which already dominates online mapping – notably in the US – could corner the market by absorbing the Israeli startup, which boasted earlier this year its only real competitor was Google.
Though Waze's revenues are below $70m, the level at which an FTC investigation would automatically be triggered, the watchdog is entitled to investigate any takeover that it thinks could restrict consumer choice.
The investigation is the latest in a series of antitrust and other regulatory scrutiny being applied to Google in the US and Europe. It is still discussing a consent decree with the FTC from January intended to block the potential abuse of "standards-essential" patents by its Motorola subsidiary, and in Europe faces a deadline this week over its proposals to change how it presents search results, under an investigation by the antitrust group in the European Commission. Meanwhile, European privacy regulators in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are threatening fines or investigations. The FTC is also investigating whether it has abused its dominance of the online advertising market in both text and display ads through its ownership of DoubleClick, bought for $3.1bn in 2007.
Google said when it announced the Waze purchase earlier this month that it would be keeping Waze as a separate unit "for now". The FTC could also instruct the two companies to remain separate while it carries out the investigation.
Immediately after the takeover was announced, the US pressure group Consumer Watchdog wrote to the Department of Justice, arguing that "Google already dominates the online mapping business" and alleging that the company "was able to muscle its way to dominance by unfairly favouring its own services" ahead of competitors, through its power in the search business.
Instead the FTC seems to have decided to investigate whether a Waze takeover would act against the interests of consumers by reducing market choice. Waze is a smartphone app with about 50 million active users worldwide, compared with a much higher figure for Google – and for rival mapping services from Finnish handset maker Nokia, Microsoft, and specialist satnav makers such as TomTom. The app company is thought to have been the subject of takeover approaches from Facebook and Apple in the past 12 months.
Speaking in January, Waze founder Uri Levine said: "There are only four companies in the world that can create maps, and it's an expensive business: Nokia and TomTom, which have acquired companies for billions of dollars; Google; and Waze. Of these four companies, Google and Waze do not care how much it costs to keep the maps up-to-date: Google because it has a lot of money, and Waze because it relies on the community."
Waze's users are particularly devoted to the app, which gives real-time information about traffic buildups based on its own users' data provided both passively from the handset's GPS data and actively by users inputting details of traffic buildups, accidents and speed traps.
Home Secretary Theresa May is to meet the mother of Stephen Lawrence, amid claims police tried to "smear" the family in the wake of his 1993 murder.
It is thought Mrs May will seek to reassure Doreen Lawrence that the two existing inquiries examining the claims will be objective and thorough.
Human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield will also be at the meeting, to request a judge-led inquiry into the claims.
Scotland Yard is also looking into claims Stephen's friend was bugged.
'Shocked and angry'
Stephen Lawrence, who was black, was 18 when he was killed in a racist attack as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south London, in April 1993.
It took more than 18 years before Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of his murder by an Old Bailey jury, after a review of the forensic evidence, despite them having been identified as suspects at the time.
A public inquiry in 1998 accused the Metropolitan Police of institutional racism and found failings in how they had investigated the murder.
Mrs May announced on Monday that the claims would be investigated by two existing inquiries, those of:
Barrister Mark Ellison QC, who is examining police corruption during the original investigation into the killing
Operation Herne, an investigation into undercover policing at the Met, led by the chief constable of Derbyshire Police, Mick Creedon, and partly overseen by the police watchdog
The private meeting between Mrs Lawrence and the home secretary is understood to have been suggested by Mrs May, who has met Stephen's mother several times before.
Mr Mansfield, who has previously represented the Lawrence family, told BBC Radio 5 live he would attend the meeting, and said that there needed to be a public inquiry into the police's "institutionalised deceit".
Stephen's father Neville has previously said "nothing short of a judge-led public inquiry will suffice".
The meeting comes following fresh claims on Tuesday that Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen at the time of the murder, had been targeted by police.
The BBC learned that the Met secretly recorded its officers' meetings with Mr Brooks, his lawyer, and a detective at the solicitor's office.
They were unaware the meetings were being recorded.
Scotland Yard's directorate of professional standards is looking into the claims.
'Domestic extremists'
Meanwhile, the newspaper that broke the story of the alleged smear campaign and subsequent allegations that undercover officers from Scotland Yard had spied on critics of police corruption, has made fresh claims.
A total of 8,931 individuals "have their own record" on a database kept by the National Domestic Extremism Unit, for which the Met Police is the lead force, it reported.
The details were disclosed to the newspaper following a freedom of information request.
The Federal Trade Commission has written to search engines operating in the US warning them to "clearly and prominently" distinguish advertising from "natural" search results, saying that over the past decade it has seen companies beginning to mix the two.
The letter (PDF) has been sent to the three largest US search engines – Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Bing - and also to AOL, Blekko, DuckDuckGo and 17 other specialist search engines for shopping, travel, and local business which display adverts to users.
The FTC, set up to protect US consumers' interests, does not name any search engine company in particular as having breached its rules. But it warns the companies that "consumers ordinarily expect that natural search results are included and ranked based on relevance to a search query, not based on payment from a third party. Including or ranking a search result in whole or in part based on payment is a form of advertising. To avoid the potential for deception, consumers should be able to easily distinguish a natural search result from advertising that a search engine delivers."
It says in the past year, the tendency for search engines to put adverts immediately above "natural" results – as Google and others do – has led more than half of users not to recognise them as adverts. In a survey, nearly half of searchers said the background shading for adverts was white – exactly the opposite of the correct answer, where paid ads above "natural" results are distinguished on almost all search engines by having a non-white background shading. Paid adverts on the right of natural search results have a white background on Google, Bing and Yahoo.
The FTC also says that general search engines which offer specialised services such as news, images, local business or shopping where companies pay to appear should make it clear that they are effectively advertising – and that failing to label them as such would constitute "deceptive practice".
According to the research company eMarketer, Google is the US's most-used search engine, and raked in 73.8% of the $17.3bn (£11.3bn) that was spent on search advertising in 2012 – leaving just $4.5bn for rivals, most of which would have been taken by Yahoo and Bing.
Last year, Google shifted its Shopping search so that it only includes paid listings. The Shopping listings are presented on a panel with a white background – the same as "natural" search results – and with grey text saying "sponsored" at the top right. Above that is a light-shaded panel with a paid ad.
Google said in a statement to the Reuters news agency that clear labelling and disclosure of paid search were important and "we've always strived to do that as our products have evolved."
The proposed budget for the HS2 railway has risen by nearly £10bn to more than £40bn, the transport minister has said.
Patrick McLoughlin told the Commons the new projected cost of £42.6bn, up from £33bn, would include a large "contingency" fund.
He said the final cost could be lower than the new estimate, but said revising the figure was "right".
Some Conservative MPs are expected to vote against the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill later.
The new high-speed railway line is intended to link London to Birmingham by 2026, with branches to Manchester and Leeds, via Sheffield, planned by 2032.
The first phase budget is now £21.4bn, with £21.2bn for phase two. These figures include a contingency fund of £14.4bn across the scheme.
Mr McLoughlin said contingency money was built into the London Olympics budget but the cost ended up "below the price that had been set by the government".
"While I expect the final costs to be lower than those I have just outlined... this is the right way to plan the project," he told MPs.
He also said the new budget took account of "design and environmental changes to improve the scheme", including alterations to the route such as a tunnel under the M6 near Birmingham.
How much will HS2 actually cost? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
The government has now put a new "ceiling" price on the completed project that is almost £10bn more than the previous "ceiling" price we had all been using.
The Department for Transport tells me they don't actually plan to spend £42.6bn - it just includes a huge contingency fund in case of problems.
The thing is, as anyone who has ever built an extension on their house will tell you, if you tell someone they've got a certain amount of money to spend, they tend to spend it, or even more.
So has the DfT made a rod for its own back by floating a bigger figure?
The headlines will probably now start calling HS2 a £43bn project (if you round it up).
In a few years time, will we all just assume that's the new price?
Mr McLoughlin said scrapping HS2 would be the "easiest thing in the world" for the government, but the long-term cost of that would be "huge".
He said building HS2 would "create and support" at least 100,000 jobs and "underpin" a further 400,000.
HS2 could add more than £4bn to the economy before opening and would provide "around £50bn worth of economic benefits once it is up and running", he added.
Mr McLoughlin said the coalition was considering various compensation schemes for residents affected by the planned rail line, including a possible "property bond".
The bill, which would give the transport secretary power to spend money developing the HS2 line, is being debated at its second reading in the House of Commons.
A group of mainly Conservatives have tabled a rebel amendment, urging MPs to reject the bill until budgets and the route are determined.
The rebellion is being led by former cabinet minister Cheryl Gillan, whose Amersham constituency will be affected by the plans.
She said the project was "30 years too late" and added: "Technology and the whole of the UK is moving in a different direction."
Mrs Gillan's motion has been backed by 27 other Conservative MPs, plus four Labour, one Green, one Plaid Cymru and one independent.
But Labour backs HS2, meaning the government is expected to easily win the vote.
Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said HS2 was "essential", but voiced concerns about delays to the project.
Robert Oxley from the Taxpayers' Alliance described the project as a "white elephant", which would not deliver the economic benefits ministers claim.
Seven players have been forced to pull out of Wimbledon on Wednesday in the most injury-hit second round in the competition's history.
Women's second seed Victoria Azarenka and men's sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were among those who withdrew.
Organisers rejected Azarenka's claims that the courts were of poor quality, describing them as "excellent".
But Maria Sharapova, who lost to Michelle Larcher De Brito on court two, referred to the surface as "dangerous".
Analysis
"Players these days are more reliant than ever before on traction, especially on hard courts.
"You need to be much gentler and lighter on grass and skip over the surface. You can't be so dependent on pushing off. I think the players are trying to do the same things they do on a hard court and they can't do that on grass.
"Because the bounce is higher these days some of them think, "I'm going to play this like a hard court," and I'm just not sure you can move like that.
"Grass makes you move in a different way to clay and players use completely different muscles and a different technique."
Earlier, Steve Darcis, who beat Rafael Nadal in the first round,
pulled out with a shoulder problem, while both Marin Cilic and John Isner retired with knee injuries and a left hamstring problem ended Radek Stepanek's campaign.
Yaroslava Shvedova then also withdrew ahead of her second-round match with eighth seed Petra Kvitova, citing an injury to her right arm.
"There have been no changes in the preparation of the courts and as far as we are aware the grass court surface is in excellent condition," the All England Lawn Tennis And Croquet Club (AELTC) said in a statement.
"In fact we believe that it is drier than last year when the prevailing conditions were cold and wet.
Two-time semi-finalist Azarenka fell heavily during Monday's 6-1 6-2 first-round win over Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal and required lengthy treatment before continuing with heavy strapping on her knee.
"The court was not in a very good condition that day. My opponent fell twice and I fell badly," said Azarenka.
"I don't know if it's the court or the weather. I can't figure it out.
"There is nothing I've done wrong that cost me to just withdraw from Wimbledon."
The statement from AELTC continued: "A grass court is a natural surface and will generally be slightly more lush in the first couple of days.
"Although a number of players have withdrawn injured, only one player has attributed this to slipping over on court."
Tsonga also withdrew with a knee problem while trailing Ernests Gulbis 3-6 6-3 6-3. The number six seed required treatment at the end of the second set but he failed to recover and pulled out at the end of the third.
Darcis, who was scheduled to play Lukasz Kubot of Poland, pulled out before the game could get under way.
"The injury happened against Rafa in the middle of the first set when I fell down," he said.
"A few hours after the Nadal match, I start to feel so much pain, I couldn't sleep that night.
"I saw the physio and the doctor yesterday. They did a good job. It's a little bit better today. But no chance I can play."
Injury forces Isner to retire against Mannarino
Both Isner and Stepanek required treatment during their second-round matches but also failed to recover enough to continue.
American Isner had played just two games of his match against Adrian Mannarino of France when he was forced out with an injury to his left knee.
"I always serve and land on my left leg, like I have done 20 million times playing this game, and this is the first time I just felt this sharp pain," he said.
Stepanek soon followed, trailing one set to love and 5-3 to 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz, when he retired with a hamstring problem.
Cilic made it five withdrawals when he pulled out ahead of his second-round match with Frenchman Kenny De Schepper.
Moors Murderer Ian Brady is no longer mentally ill, his barrister has said on the final day of his tribunal.
Nathalie Lieven QC said Brady "had a period of severe mental illness in the 1980s", but this had resolved itself, meaning he could now return to prison from Ashworth hospital.
Hospital staff said Brady was mentally ill and should stay there.
The tribunal has finished hearing evidence and will make its decision "by the end of the week", its judge said.
Robert Atherton QC added that the full reasons for the ruling would be given at a later date.
Brady, now 75, and the late Myra Hindley tortured and murdered five children.
The pair buried some of their victims' bodies on Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District.
'Psychopathic country'
Summing up the case for Brady, Ms Lieven said he had a severe personality disorder but was not mentally ill and could be treated in prison rather than hospital.
Fidgeting with his glasses and writing notes, Ian Brady sat through the eighth day of his tribunal.
His lawyer said the experience had been long and exhausting for the 75-year-old, who spent much of yesterday giving evidence in his low Scottish drawl.
Today, other than the odd whisper to a legal advisor, he was silent. The lawyers made their closing speeches, and again the hearing was broadcast via video link from Ashworth to Manchester.
In the press annexe, we were able to watch Brady, in a black suit, on three big screens. The notoriety of the Moors Murderer, and the fact that he has been out of sight for half a century, made it fascinating viewing.
But the families of his victims found it uncomfortable and difficult. They said they were worried that this tribunal had given Brady a public platform, which he would thrive on.
"The evidence is that Brady had a period of severe mental illness in the 1980s, which resolved itself without medication," she said.
Ms Lieven said there was "no therapeutic benefit" in Brady staying at Ashworth, adding that he refuses medication and psychiatric treatment.
"Mr Brady is being treated as a special case," she added.
"Whether that's because Ashworth has lost perspective and has been drawn into a battle or because of misplaced maternalism, it is not clear."
Staff at Ashworth have argued that Brady remains a paranoid schizophrenic who should stay at the hospital.
Eleanor Grey QC, representing Ashworth, said Brady's evidence made it clear he holds "beliefs that are on the delusional end of the spectrum".
She added: "We say that the relative stability of the condition means that the very careful management he has received has served to prevent a deterioration and relapse."
He gave evidence at the tribunal, which sat at Ashworth high-security psychiatric hospital in Maghull, Merseyside, speaking for more than four hours on Tuesday.
He said he used "method acting" to trick doctors into classing him as insane so he could be transferred to the hospital, where he has been held since 1985.
Brady said he wanted to leave Ashworth because he hated it and "the regime has changed to a penal warehouse".
Brady also refused to answer a question from his own lawyer about whether he intended to take his own life if he was declared fit to return to prison.
The serial killer called Britain a "psychopathic country", referring to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and described himself as a "comparable petty criminal".
When asked about his own crimes and what "value" he got out of killing, Brady responded: "Existential experience."
Brady's evidence was met with anger by the relatives of some of his victims.
Alan West, whose stepdaughter Lesley Ann Downey was killed aged just 10 by Brady and his partner in 1964, told ITV's Daybreak that Brady's description of the killings as "recreational" was sickening.
'Affront to moral justice'
"He should stay where he is because he'll get all the punishment he deserves rather than all the freedom of a prison," he said.
The brother of one of Brady's victims has called the mental health tribunal "a complete waste of taxpayers' money".
"To give him anything is an affront to moral justice," said Terry Kilbride, brother of John, who was snatched in November 1963 aged 12.
"He gave his victims nothing."
Mr Kilbride said the money should have gone towards finding the body of another victim, Keith Bennett.
David Kirwan, former solicitor of Keith Bennett's mother, who died last year, estimated the tribunal would cost £250,000 in total.
In 1966 Ian Brady was found guilty of three of murders and jailed for life. He and Hindley later confessed to another other two. Hindley died in prison in 2002, aged 60.
Kevin Rudd: "In 2007 the Australian people elected me to be their prime minister and that is a task I resume today with humility."
Kevin Rudd has ousted Prime Minister Julia Gillard as leader of Australia's Labor Party.
He won by 57 votes to 45, in a leadership ballot of Labor lawmakers.
The change comes ahead of a general election due in September, which polls suggest Labor is set to lose.
This is the latest twist in a long and bitter rivalry between the two politicians - but it could be the last as Ms Gillard has said she will now leave politics.
"I will not re-contest the federal electorate... at the forthcoming election," said Ms Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister.
"What I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that, and I'm proud of that," she added.
Kevin Rudd has exacted revenge on Julia Gillard, his one-time friend and deputy who ruthlessly deposed him in 2010. Ever since he was removed from the prime minister's office, he has sought to destabilise her leadership. This has been a very personal feud.
For Ms Gillard, it's a dramatic reversal. Three months ago, when she last called a leadership election, her rival could not muster enough support to mount a credible challenge.
In the meantime, the Labor government has slipped even further in the polls. Labor is not only one of the most brutal political parties in the world, but also one of the most calculating and pragmatic.
Its parliamentarians might not necessarily believe they can win the forthcoming election against the conservative opposition. Many already believe that's a lost cause. But many calculate Mr Rudd will at least prevent an electoral wipe-out, and maybe help save their own seats.
Despite their bitter rivalry, Mr Rudd praised his predecessor, describing her as a woman of extraordinary intelligence, with great strength and energy.
"Julia, as prime minister and prior to that as deputy prime minister, has achieved much under the difficult circumstances of a minority government," he told a news conference after his victory.
Mr Rudd is more popular with voters than Ms Gillard, and many believe Labor will perform better in the election under him.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Tony Abbott called on Mr Rudd to name an election date, arguing that it should be sooner than 14 September - the date set by Ms Gillard.
"The Australian people are yearning to make a choice. The Australian people are well and truly over this low and dishonourable parliament," he told a news conference.
Limiting losses?
Wednesday's leadership test was the third faced by Ms Gillard since she took office in 2010. She herself ousted Mr Rudd as prime minister in 2010.
The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says Mr Rudd has exacted his revenge, after three years of him and his supporters mounting a destabilisation campaign targeted very much at her.
The ballot followed months of speculation over the party's leadership, and came after a day of drama that saw Mr Rudd's supporters push for a vote.
Shortly before the vote, a key power-broker, Bill Shorten, switched his support to Mr Rudd, saying Labor stood a better chance in the polls with him.
Many people do not think Mr Rudd will win the election but he may mitigate the losses and shorten the time Labor could spend in opposition if the party loses, our correspondent says.
Julia Gillard thanked Australians for their support
A poll published earlier this month suggested that three cabinet ministers would lose their seats at the poll under Ms Gillard's leadership, but would retain their seats if Mr Rudd was leading the party.
The vote makes Mr Rudd the leader of the Labor Party, but not prime minister.
Ms Gillard must write to Governor General Quentin Bryce stating that she is resigning as prime minister before Mr Rudd can be sworn in.
A shake-up in the cabinet is expected following the leadership change.
Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan has already quit because of Mr Rudd's victory. He has been replaced by Rudd ally and transport minister Anthony Albanese.
Ecuador could take weeks to rule on an asylum bid by fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, officials say.
Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said it had taken Ecuador two months to grant asylum to Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblowing website Wikileaks.
The website has been lending legal support to Mr Snowden, who is in a transit zone at a Moscow airport.
A Wikileaks Tweet said the American was "well" and being accompanied by one of its legal advisers "at all times".
The website has not further elaborated on Mr Snowden's whereabouts.
Both Wikileaks and Russia have denied reports that the Russian secret police have questioned the American.
Mr Snowden first fled to Hong Kong before flying to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday.
It took us more than two months to make a decision in the case of Assange, so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time"
End QuoteRicardo PatinoEcuadorean Foreign Minister
He was expected to board a flight to the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Monday but his seat remained vacant.
The 30-year-old IT expert has had his US passport revoked and applied for Ecuadorean asylum.
'Rights obligations'
On Wednesday, Mr Patino compared the case to that of Mr Assange, who has been living inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London for more than a year.
Mr Assange walked into the embassy when his appeal against extradition to Sweden for questioning on accusations of sex crimes was turned down last June.
"It took us more than two months to make a decision in the case of Assange, so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time," Mr Patino told reporters.
He said Ecuador had not yet decided whether to offer protection to Mr Snowden in the meantime.
Mystery surrounds Edward Snowden's exact whereabouts at Moscow airport
"If he goes to an embassy, then we will make a decision," the foreign minister said.
Ecuador said it would consider the American's application "responsibly" and would weigh "human rights obligations".
It added that the US would have to submit its position in writing regarding Mr Snowden.
Venezuela has also said it will consider an asylum application from Mr Snowden.
Mr Snowden's case has caused a diplomatic spat, with the US accusing Russia and China of assisting the fugitive. Both nations have rejected the charges.
'Groundless' accusations
Russia earlier confirmed that Mr Snowden was still in a transit zone at the Moscow airport.
Although the country has no extradition treaty with the US, Washington said it wanted Moscow to extradite Mr Snowden without delay.
But Russia said that the American was technically not yet under its jurisdiction because he had not passed through immigration.
Meanwhile China described accusations that it allowed Mr Snowden to leave Hong Kong despite an arrest warrant as "groundless and unacceptable".
The Chinese government has expressed deep concern about the leaker's allegations that the US had hacked into networks in China.
Mr Snowden is wanted by the US for leaking highly sensitive information to the media about a secret government surveillance programme, which he obtained while working as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.
His leaks have led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under an NSA programme known as Prism.
US officials have defended the practice of gathering telephone and internet data from private users around the world.
They say Prism cannot be used to target intentionally any Americans or anyone in the US, and stress that it is supervised by judges.
Hawaii
20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Moscow
23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.
Cuba
From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.
Venezuela
Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.
Ecuador
Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.
The US Supreme Court has struck down a law denying federal benefits to gay couples and cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.
The justices said that the Defense of Marriage Act, known as Doma, discriminated against same-sex couples.
They declined to rule on California's prohibition of gay marriage, known as Proposition 8, in effect allowing such unions to resume in the state.
Opinion polls indicate that most Americans support same-sex marriage.
Wednesday's decisions do not affect the bans on gay unions enshrined in the constitutions of more than 30 US states.
But the California decision means that 13 US states and the District of Columbia now recognise same-sex marriage.
'We are more free'
The Doma opinion grants legally married gay men and women access to the same federal entitlements available to opposite-sex married couples. These include tax, health and pension benefits and family hospital visits.
Narrow victories perhaps, but there was evident delight among the overwhelming majority of those gathered in the hot sun outside the Supreme Court. After today, public and legal opinion are more closely aligned. No consensus yet, but narrow majorities in favour of gay couples being allowed to marry and enjoy the same rights as their fellow, straight citizens.
The practical implications of today's rulings may be narrow (they only involve 13 states and the District of Columbia), but it was the symbolism of the moment that thrilled the crowd.
They know there will be lots of battles ahead. But for the first time, the Supreme Court has attempted to make sense of the rules around gay marriage. For most of those who gathered in the heat outside this great temple of law, today's results suggest the tide of history is with them.
The landmark 5-4 rulings prompted celebrations from gay rights advocates outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC and nationwide.
The legal challenge to Doma was brought by New York resident Edith Windsor, 83.
She was handed a tax bill of $363,000 (£236,000) when she inherited the estate of her spouse Thea Speyer - a levy she would not have had to pay if she had been married to a man.
"Under Doma, same-sex married couples have their lives burdened, by reason of government decree, in visible and public ways," the decision added.
"Doma's principal effect is to identify a subset of state-sanctioned marriages and make them unequal."
Lower courts had also decided in Ms Windsor's favour.
US President Barack Obama, who is on a state visit to the West African country of Senegal, said: "When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free."
'No authority'
Proposition 8 is a ban on gay marriage passed by California voters in November 2008, just months after the state's supreme court decided such unions were legal.
In Washington DC people talked to the BBC about the rulings
Two same-sex couples launched a legal challenge against Proposition 8. As the state of California refused to defend it, the group that sponsored the measure stepped up to do so.
But on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court said a private party did not have the right, or "standing", to defend the constitutionality of a law.
The court also said the party defending the ban could not demonstrate that they would suffer injury if the law were to be struck down.
Their opinion leaves in place a ruling by a lower court, in San Francisco, that struck down Proposition 8. California Governor Jerry Brown is ordering country officials statewide to comply.
The four dissenting Supreme Court justices said they believed they should have addressed the constitutional question of same-sex marriage before them in the Proposition 8 case.
Further litigation could lie ahead for the California ban, analysts say.
A military woman and her wife explain why Doma has made their life as a married couple difficult
About 18,000 same-sex couples were married in that state in the less than five months same-sex marriages were permitted there.
Doma was signed into law in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton after it was approved in Congress with bipartisan support.
But it was subsequently struck down by several lower courts.
In 2011, President Obama said that while he would continue to enforce Doma, his administration would not defend it in court. So Republicans from the House of Representatives argued in favour of the measure.
House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, said he was disappointed with Wednesday's ruling.
"A robust national debate over marriage will continue in the public square, and it is my hope that states will define marriage as the union between one man and one woman," he said.
The US and Afghan presidents have "reaffirmed" their support for holding talks with the Taliban, despite an attack in central Kabul on Tuesday.
Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai agreed in a video conference that a peace process was the surest way to end the violence, the White House said.
They also reiterated their backing for a Taliban office in Doha.
Three security guards and four militants died in the assault on the presidential palace and a CIA station.
The attackers used at least two vehicles similar to those used by international forces, along with fake badges and vehicle passes, which allowed them to get inside the capital's high security zone, police said.
Mr Karzai was inside the palace at the time, but the target appears to have been the nearby Ariana Hotel, which houses the CIA station.
The enemies of the people of Afghanistan once again proved with their failed attack that they are against peace, stability and progress"
End QuoteHamid KarzaiPresident of Afghanistan
The incident came just days after representatives of the Taliban opened an office in Qatar's capital, ostensibly for starting negotiations about a peace process. The US also announced it would begin formal talks to be followed by the direct Afghan talks.
Mr Karzai objected to the office, saying the Taliban flag and sign saying "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" which were initially erected there showed the Taliban were trying to portray themselves as a government-in-exile.
He warned that the High Peace Council, which he has empowered to negotiate for his government, would not take part in any peace talks unless the process was "Afghan-led".
The president relented after receiving reassurances from US Secretary of State John Kerry, who also persuaded the Qatari government to get the Taliban to take down the flag and sign.
'Futility'
Following Tuesday's attack in Kabul, Mr Karzai said the Taliban could not open an office for peace in Qatar and at the same time continue to kill people in Afghanistan.
"The enemies of the people of Afghanistan once again proved with their failed attack that they are against peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan," he said.
US ambassador James Cunningham said the attack had failed to achieve its goals and demonstrated "the futility of the Taliban's efforts to use violence and terror to achieve their aims".
White House spokesman Jay Carney later said that in their video conference Mr Obama and Mr Karzai had both "reaffirmed that an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region".
"And they reiterated their support for an office in Doha for the purpose of negotiations between the High Peace Council and authorized representatives of the Taliban."
The two leaders also discussed the handover of responsibility for security from Nato to Afghan forces last week, the importance of Afghan-led reconciliation efforts, preparations for Afghanistan's 2014 elections, and negotiations on the bilateral security agreement.
"The two presidents reaffirmed that free, fair, and credible elections would be critical to Afghanistan's future," Mr Carney said.
The BBC's Jane Little in Washington says Tuesday's attack highlights just how difficult the bridge-building process will be.
25 June 2013Last updated at 21:46 ETBy Helen BriggsBBC News
US scientists say they have made progress in repairing spinal cord injuries in paralysed rats.
Rats regained some bladder control after surgery to transplant nerve cells into the spinal cord, combined with injections of a cocktail of chemicals.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could raise hopes for one day treating paralysed patients.
But UK experts say it will take several years of research before human clinical trials can be considered.
Scientists have tried for decades to use transplants of nerve cells to restore function in paralysed animals by bridging the gap in the broken spinal cord.
However, coaxing the cells to grow and form new connections has proved elusive.
One problem is the growth of scar tissue as the body's responds to injury, which seems to block cell regeneration.
If we can show in a larger animal that our technique works and does no additional harm I see no reason why we couldn't move rapidly in humans"
End QuoteDr Jerry SilverCase Western Reserve Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio
US scientists carried out complex surgery to transplant nerves from the rodents' ribs into the gap in the middle of their spinal cord.
They also used a special "glue" that boosts cell growth together with a chemical that breaks down scar tissue in an attempt to encourage the nerve cells to regenerate and connect up.
The researchers found for the first time that injured nerve cells could re-grow for "remarkably long distances" (about 2cm).
They said that while the rats did not regain the ability to walk, they did recover some bladder function.
Lead author Dr Jerry Silver of Case Western Reserve Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, said: "Although animals did not regain the ability to walk, they did recover a remarkable measure of urinary control."
Co-author Dr Yu-Shang Lee of the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, added: "This is the first time that significant bladder function has been restored via nerve regeneration after a devastating cord injury."
The findings may help future efforts to restore other functions lost after spinal cord injury.
They also raise hope that similar strategies could one day be used to restore bladder function in people with severe spinal cord injuries.
Dr Silver said further animal experiments will be needed to see if the technique could work in humans.
He told BBC News: "If we can show in a larger animal that our technique works and does no additional harm I see no reason why we couldn't move rapidly in humans."
'Remarkable advance'
Commenting on the study, Dr Elizabeth Bradbury of King's College London said several challenges must be overcome before the therapy can be trialled in patients.
"There are a number of challenges before this therapy can be brought to the clinic," she said.
"Nevertheless this is a remarkable advance which offers great hope for the future of restoring bladder function to spinal injured patients and if these challenges can be met we could be reaching clinical trials within three to five years."
Dr John Williams, head of neuroscience and mental health at the Wellcome Trust, said the implications for people are not yet clear.
"This is one of a number of ways that one can approach restoration of bladder function in paralysed patients, but careful studies will be needed to optimise which of the technologies under investigation might be of most benefit to patients."
Chancellor George Osborne is to set out where a further £11.5bn of government cuts will come from, when he lays out his Spending Review later.
Most Whitehall departments face budget reductions of 8% to 10% in 2015-16, but health and schools in England and the overseas aid budget are ring-fenced.
The government says it has made good progress in cutting the budget deficit and that further savings are necessary.
But Labour says the coalition's economic plan has failed.
Mr Osborne will outline the Spending Review, covering the 2015-16 financial year, in the House of Commons from 12:30 BST.
Intelligence winners
BBC political editor Nick Robinson says there will be no fresh welfare cuts, but there will be more detail of a long-term plan to cap much of benefits spending and a move to limit the payment of winter fuel allowance to pensioners who live abroad.
This was a day that was not in the chancellor's original plan. The age of austerity was scheduled to end before the next election and, with it, cuts to public spending.
However, the failure of the economy to grow and the deficit to carry on shrinking has forced George Osborne to announce a new round of cuts, to begin a month before the next election in 2015.
After months of negotiations we will learn today which Whitehall departments - if not which precise programmes - are the losers, which are the heavier losers and which will simply stand still.
Spending on the NHS, schools and overseas aid will continue to be protected and the intelligence services will be the biggest winners of a spending increase, he adds.
The chancellor will also announce long-term plans to invest more in Britain's infrastructure in building roads, railways and housing.
The next general election is scheduled for May 2015 and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has to set out its budgetary plans for the final few weeks of its time in office, irrespective of the outcome of the poll.
Labour has said that it would match the coalition's current spending totals for the full one-year period.
On Sunday, Mr Osborne announced that the Ministry of Defence would have to shed civilian staff, but the UK's military capacity would not be affected.
The last department to reach a settlement on its budget was Vince Cable's Department for Business and Skills.
The agreements followed weeks of arguments with ministers.
The chancellor had initially hoped to eliminate the structural deficit - the portion of borrowing that is not affected by changes in the economic cycle - entirely by 2014-15.
But the timeframe for this has slipped to 2017-18 and Mr Osborne will have to borrow £275bn more than he expected in this parliament than at the time of his first Budget in 2010.
The government says it has cut overall borrowing by a quarter since coming to power and by a third as a share of GDP.
Revised official figures released on Friday showed that borrowing rose slightly to £118.8bn in 2012-13 from £118.5bn the year before.
'Out of intensive care'
Mr Osborne has indicated the coalition is determined to stick to its austerity plan, saying: "I'm confident we are coming out of intensive care and we can turn this country around. There's certainly a chance of a relapse if we abandon our plan."
But shadow financial secretary to the Treasury Chris Leslie said: "This Spending Review is happening because David Cameron and George Osborne's economic plan has failed.
"Three years of falling living standards and a flat-lining economy has led to billions more borrowing to pay for economic failure. Far from balancing the books by 2015, as the government promised, the chancellor is being forced to make even more cuts."
Ministers will also set out plans to invest billions of pounds in transport, science and other capital projects on Thursday.
Brazil's Congress has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that was a key grievance of protesters who took to streets across the country.
Demonstrators had argued PEC 37, which would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes, might open the way for more corruption.
On Tuesday, the measure was defeated by 430 votes to nine.
Earlier, the government modified its plan for political reform in order to speed up the process, officials said.
As a key part of her response to the recent unrest, President Dilma Rousseff proposed on Monday to hold a referendum to establish a constituent assembly to amend the constitution.
Ministers are now suggesting they will focus on a more straightforward referendum proposing political reform, reports BBC Brasil's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo.
It could address "concrete questions", such as campaign financing and political representation, and be voted on as soon as 7 September.
Education Minister Aloisio Mercadante said the government wanted political reform with "wide public participation".
"We want [the referendum] to happen as soon as possible," he said.
President Dilma Rousseff: ''Brazil is ready to advance''
A controversial measure to recruit more foreign doctors to address a shortfall in the health system is also going ahead despite the objections of organisations representing Brazilian medical practitioners.
The sudden burst of initiatives is not confined to the government, our correspondent says.
The President of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, has proposed free transport for all students.
Various city authorities have reversed increases in public transport fares that were a source of widespread public anger.
Congress is also discussing an existing proposal to use all the royalties from newly discovered oil fields to education, which is supported by President Rousseff. This is also expected to pass.
'Pressure from the streets'
Our correspondent says the flurry of political activity is taking place ahead of a series of demonstrations in various Brazilian cities on Wednesday.
One protester in Sao Paulo told Sarah Rainsford: "We will achieve victory"
One of the largest is due to take place in the city of Belo Horizonte where Brazil's football team will play Uruguay in the semi-final of the Confederations Cup.
There is a public holiday in the city, and tens of thousands of protesters are expected. A protest group has promised to start the day demonstrating in front of the national team's hotel.
The cost of the World Cup, for which the Confederations Cup is a dress rehearsal, has been a key issue in recent protests.
Security will be tight with thousands of police on duty and other special forces on standby.
There were violent clashes in Belo Horizonte on Saturday during another protest.
The nature of the demonstration is likely to be seen as an early test of whether the rash of political concessions is having an impact, our correspondent adds.
One national newspaper described the defeat of PEC 37 as a direct result of "pressure from the streets".
PEC 37, which was proposed by a special Congressional committee, would have assigned the power to conduct criminal investigations exclusively to the police, thus removing the role of federal prosecution service from the evaluation of criminal charges.
Critics said the amendment would have affected the ability of prosecutors to conduct effective, fair and impartial criminal investigations, including those into organised crime and corruption.
The wave of rallies in more than 100 cities began in Sao Paulo, where residents were unhappy at planned rises in public-transport fares.
Those increases have since been shelved, but the protests spread across Brazil, and the protesters' demands have become more wide-ranging.
Brazilians have been demanding better health and education, saying they are fed up with paying relatively high taxes and feel that they do not get enough back from the state.
The high cost of staging next year's football World Cup and the 2016 Olympics has also become a recurring grievance.
Protesters are also angry about corruption and frustrated with politicians and political parties.
Laura Robson stunned Russian 10th seed Maria Kirilenko to reach the second round of Wimbledon and raise British spirits.
The 19-year-old, ranked 38 in the world, played superbly to win 6-3 6-4 and ensure Andy Murray will not be the
only Briton in round two.
Heather Watson was earlier beaten by American teenager Madison Keys, and Tara Moore lost a dramatic match against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi to become the eighth home player to lose in the first round.
Match stats
Robson gave further evidence on Court One that she can compete with the top players, restricting world number 10 Kirilenko to a single break as her sometimes unreliable serve worked well.
"I think it was a big one for me because, although I really like grass and I seem to play well on it, I've never actually done overly well here," said Robson.
"I've only made the second round once, so it was a big win for me. I think it was good that I managed to tough it out after I got so nervous in the second set."
With her heavy forehand controlling things from the baseline, Robson broke at 4-3 with two blistering returns before serving out the set.
A thumping backhand down the line gave the Briton a break early in the second set, and a forehand return put her within sight of the finishing line at 4-1.
Robson was in complete control, but her ball toss deserted her as she was broken for the first time in a nervous game.
"That's nothing new, unfortunately," she said afterwards. "It's something that I'm working on."
The pressure was on when the time came to serve again at 4-3 but, with new coach Miles Maclagan looking on, Robson took a close game with a forehand winner and closed out the match with another impressive hold.
Kirilenko joins Kim Clijsters, Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams among the big names Robson has beaten in the last year.
Robson's serve was so difficult to return because she was able to utilise her 'leftie' serve to devastating effect. She was able to hit both corners of the service box with the same ball toss, and combined with the slice she was able to impart on the ball, Kirilenko had to cover a significant amount of court when returning (nearly 7 metres).
The Londoner will hope to maintain her form against the lower profile Marina Duque-Marino, Colombia's world number 117, in round two on Thursday.
"I think you have to treat every match the same," Robson added. "Just go out there, stay focused the whole time, just believe that you can pull through."
Watson, the British number two, had earlier gone down 6-3 7-5 in the opening match on Court Two.
The 21-year-old from Guernsey reached the third round last year and qualified by right this time, but was short of matches after a two-month
absence with glandular fever.
She also ran into one of the game's rising stars in fine form.
Keys, 18, was reported to have been unwell over the weekend but there were no signs of that when she cracked forehand and backhand winners to break serve in game three.
Another break gave the American the set, before Watson stepped up the aggression at the start of the second to move ahead at 2-1.
Analysis
"I'd say Laura Robson will go on to be a top-10 player for sure, maybe top five.
"She has got all the goods. It's just a matter of whether she can take it to the next level. You never know whether a player will plateau out or not but it looks to me like she has the potential."
However, Keys - ranked four places above the Briton at a career-high of 52 - always had the edge in power.
She hit back to level at 4-4, fired down two aces to get out of trouble in the next game, and benefited from two net cords as she broke again to wrap up a deserved win after one hour and 16 minutes.
"Some outsiders might look at my draw and think, 'She hasn't got a seeded player, she's got a good draw,'" said Watson.
"But I know Madison is a good player. She's going to be top 30 soon and maybe even higher. It is very tough to get up there."
Wimbledon debutant Moore, ranked 194, battled hard against Kanepi in the early evening on Court 17, but the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist came through 7-5 5-7 7-5.
"Obviously disappointment is the first emotion when you lose a tight three-setter," said the 20-year-old Moore.
"But, from where I've come from over the last six months, I am taking the positives. Hopefully next year I can come back and win these matches.
"I am out there working my butt off every day just to play these big tournaments."
Moore had earlier used Twitter to defend compatriots Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong - who also exited at the first round stage - by claiming people did not recognise the work they were putting in.
"Bally and Anne are people I look up to and people I've seen training every day," said Moore.
"I know how hard they work and I work just as hard, so I want people to see that."
Wimbledon 2013: Defeated Heather Watson admits I'm not fully fit
The activists who gathered at Georgetown University saw a president finally living up to campaign promises first made years ago.
For Barack Obama, pausing frequently to wipe the sweat from his brow - surely the White House didn't choose one of the hottest days of the year to make a point? - this was a chance to lay down a gauntlet.
It's certainly his boldest statement of intent yet on the difficult ground of climate change.
But it's been abundantly clear throughout his more than four years in office that Congress is not simply going to do his bidding. The president may think the debate over climate science is over, but there are still plenty of sceptics ready and willing to say otherwise.
Bypassing Congress may help the president to realise some of his proposals, but Mr Obama knows that tough political and legal battles lie ahead.
Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington DC, President Obama said: "As a president, as a father and as an American, I am here to say we need to act."
President Obama mocked critics who contend climate change is not a threat.
"I don't have much patience for anyone who denies that this challenge is real," he said. "We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society."
The president said climate change posed an immediate threat, with the 12 hottest years on record all occurring in the past 15 years.
He added: "While we may not live to see the full realisation of our ambition, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that the world we leave to our children will be better off for what we did."
Most of the president's agenda can be executed without congressional approval, but some issues are likely to face opposition.
The top Republican in the House of Representatives, House Speaker John Boehner, has called the plans "absolutely crazy".
Finally, 16 years after the global agreement to tackle climate change in the Kyoto Protocol, the world can see how the US intends to play its part. It may be cutting CO2 only 4% on 1990 levels by 2020 - less than a fifth of the amount achieved in the EU - but this is at least a plan, and some of the US green think-tanks are grateful for it.
But this is part of what the White House calls an "all of the above" strategy which includes new efficiency standards on trucks, electrical appliances and government buildings - a change that will lift the US out of the 1950s design age; a reduction in short-lived greenhouse gases like methane and soot; a further doubling of wind power, especially on public land; future-proofing infrastructure against climate damages and more.
There are things to upset environmentalists, like the absence of any commitment to drop Keystone XL and the continuing support for biofuels. Nor is the plan as precisely quantified as the UK's climate policy, for instance, which commits to methodically cutting emissions through to 2050. But if the president has the stomach for a legal fight over bypassing Congress on coal, if he's willing to impose extra measures in a few years and if his policies don't get overturned, today's announcement could help the US achieve its international carbon pledges up to 2020. That would be a start.
On Tuesday, the president reaffirmed his 2009 commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade.
Critics say these reductions are too modest, and less aggressive than European Union targets.
The plan includes the first-ever limits on carbon emissions from new and existing power plants. These are the single biggest source of carbon pollution, accounting for a third of US greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of its carbon output.
But it remains unclear how strict these limits will be.
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulating emissions from new power plants, but that plan was delayed.
Seven US governors have asked President Obama to abandon this proposal, which they say would "effectively shutter" coal-fired power plants and prevent the construction of new ones.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said imposing carbon rules on power plants amounted to a "war on coal".
"This is a huge step in the wrong direction, particularly in the middle of the most tepid recovery after a deep recession in anyone's memory," Mr McConnell said.
President Obama also called for the US to stop supporting new coal-fired plants abroad.
His plan would exempt plants in the poorest nations if the cleanest technology available in those countries is being used.
Pipeline challenge
Obama: "We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society"
President Obama called for more solar and wind energy projects on public lands, with the aim of powering the equivalent of six million homes by 2020. He also set higher goals for renewable energy at federal housing projects.
In addition, he announced $8bn (£5bn) in federal loan guarantees to spur investment in green technologies.
President Obama also broached the subject of the $7bn, 1,700 mile (2,700km) Keystone XL pipeline, meant to bring heavy crude from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the refineries of Texas, saying it should only proceed if it was in the nation's interest.
"The net effects of the pipeline's impact on the climate will be absolutely critical to deciding whether this project goes forward," he said.
Backed by industry and labour unions but staunchly opposed by green campaigners, Keystone XL has turned into one of the biggest environmental challenges of the president's time in office.
Saleemul Huq, senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said the plan was "too little too late".
"While it is good to see a leader of the world's richest country and biggest cumulative polluter finally promise to take actions," he said, "after over a decade of refusal to do so, the problem has become much bigger while the US was ignoring it."
