Brazil waters down pension reform as protests turn violent
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Michel Temer on Tuesday made new concessions to ease passage of an unpopular pension reform bill, leading police unions to try and invade Congress in the latest angry demonstration from a labor group.
South Sudan refugees release U.N. Congo mission staff
DAKAR (Reuters) – A hundred unarmed South Sudanese refugees in east Congo took 13 United Nations mission staff hostage on Tuesday, demanding to be moved to a third country before later releasing them unharmed.
Thousands of Slovaks protest corruption, demand ouster of PM Fico’s ally
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Thousands of Slovaks joined a rally on Tuesday to protest against corruption and demand the resignation of the interior minister, a close ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, over his ties with a developer under investigation for…
Zambian opposition leader charged with trying to overthrow government
LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, arrested last week on suspicion of treason, was charged in a magistrate’s court on Tuesday with trying to overthrow the government.
Saudi military helicopter crashes in Yemen, killing 12 officers
DUBAI (Reuters) – A Saudi helicopter came down during military operations in Yemen on Tuesday, killing 12 officers aboard, Saudi media reported, and a Yemeni defense ministry news website said the cause was friendly fire.
Germany’s Achim Steiner named to head U.N. Development Programme
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday named an environmental and politics expert, Achim Steiner of Germany, to head the U.N. Development Programme, replacing former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clar…
Ethiopia unrest killed 669 in three regions: report
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – A total of 669 people were killed in unrest that gripped Ethiopia for several months until authorities imposed a state of emergency last October, according to an investigation report presented to parliament on Tuesday.
EU urged to save more migrants at sea, not patrol ‘make-believe border’
ROME (Reuters) – EU patrol vessels in the Mediterranean are putting lives at risk by operating too far from the Libyan coast where migrants are embarking on the perilous voyage to Europe, the head of a rescue charity said on Tuesday.
Germany’s FDP, potential election kingmaker, plays hard to get
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) hopes to reclaim its traditional role as kingmaker after September’s national election, but its leader proved coy on Tuesday over which of the two main parties it might join in coalition….
Lower turnout equals higher uncertainty in French election arithmetic
PARIS (Reuters) – High noon on Sunday will bring the first hard sign of just how close France’s presidential race really is with the release of early turnout figures for the first round eight hours before expected results.
