SYDNEY (Reuters) - James Yu, who runs the King of the Pack tobacconist in central Sydney, is indignant about Australia's stringent anti-tobacco laws making manufacturers package cigarettes in drab olive green packs with pictures of ill babies and diseased body parts. The packages, mandatory from Saturday when the laws take effect, make it hard to tell brands apart, complicating deliveries and adding to costs in his cramped, dark booth. The legislation, the most Draconian in the world, strips packs of all branding, bright colors and logos, leaving only the name printed in identical small font. ...

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(Reuters) - Shoppers opted for umbrellas instead of summer dresses, and preferred gadgets to gardening tools during Britain's wettest April on record. Last month's soggy weather heaped more misery on a recession-hit high street, which is grappling with rising costs and weak demand as disposable incomes are squeezed by rising prices, muted wage growth and government austerity. Retail sales volumes fell 2.3 percent in April from March, the biggest monthly drop in two years, government data published on Wednesday showed. ...

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