A Good Week for ... , June 30, 2013

Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd savoured sweet revenge as he was sworn in as Australian prime minister, three years after being ousted from the top job by Julia Gillard in a Labor Party showdown. Gillard resigned as prime minister on Wednesday night after losing a ballot of ruling lawmakers to Rudd by 57 votes to 45 amid a dismal showing by the party in opinion polls. Rudd now faces a tough general election.

Gay Americans

In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court in Washington quashed a law denying federal benefits to gay couples and cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California. The judges ruled that the Defence of Marriage Act discriminated against same-sex couples. They also declined to rule on Proposition 8, California's prohibition of gay marriage, in effect allowing same-sex unions to resume in the state. The first lesbian and gay couples married in ceremonies in San Francisco and Los Angeles yesterday.

Li Yong

The 62-year-old vice-finance minister became the first mainlander to head a United Nations agency when he was elected as director general of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (Unido). Li, who will serve a four-year term, ran against five other candidates and secured the required two-thirds of the vote from Unido's 53-member board in Vienna. Unido, which has 172 member states, works to help developing countries achieve sustainable industrial development.