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Reuters – Steam-driven projects to extract crude from Canada’s oil sands, often held up as more environmentally friendly than mining, have major drawbacks of their own that require more stringent regulation to fix, an environmental think tank said on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters vowed to continue their push to oust the government, threatening to pour more than 2,000 pints of blood drawn from their ranks at Government House, the seat of government, if their renewed dissolution demand is rejected.

AP – This sprawling metropolis is built atop one of the richest oil basins in the world. Wells dot the city landscape, some hidden behind hollow building facades much like a Hollywood movie set, or, in the case of Beverly Hills High School, encased in a tower painted with flowers.

AP – An oil and gas drilling technique that is becoming more widespread is drawing scrutiny from lawmakers concerned that it may pose a hazard to human health by tainting drinking water and harming the environment.

AP – The Energy Department will likely report a 1.65 million-barrel build in crude oil reserves on Thursday for the week ended Feb. 12, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

AP – Swiss bank UBS AG posted a fourth-quarter profit of 1.205 billion Swiss francs ($1.12 billion) Tuesday, beating analysts’ expectations partly thanks to a tax credit, but said rich clients’ withdrawals had continued.

Reuters – Brazil’s Camargo Correa Group must present a counterbid to take over cement maker Cimpor or withdraw its merger proposal, Portugal’s stock market regulator (CMVM) told the company on Saturday.

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready gene inoculates plants against a herbicide that kills everything but the crop. Monsanto’s critics claim that the company has used this technology to gain a monopolistic grip on the seed industry. The company has drawn lawsuits from competitors and investigations from state attorneys general and the Justice Department.

Reuters – Toyota Motor Co (7203.T), seeking to draw a line under a dire 2009, is ramping up in India with the launch of a new low-cost compact car to tap the fast-growing market.

Reuters – A former senior IBM Corp executive denied being involved in a sprawling hedge fund insider trading case and asked a court on Wednesday to dismiss civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.