Call for government unity as Australian PM faces critical budget, election
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s deputy leader called for government unity on Thursday as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s polls plummet amid party divisions and ahead of a critical budget and looming election later this year.
U.N. official says at least 50,000 dead in South Sudan war
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – At least 50,000 people have been killed in South Sudan’s two-year civil war, a senior United Nations official said on Wednesday, a five-fold increase in the death toll given by humanitarian agencies in the early months of the…
EU launches emergency refugee aid scheme for Greece
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union, faced with a growing refugee crisis in Greece, launched a new aid program on Wednesday worth an initial 700 million euros that mirrors the kind of disaster relief it offers developing nations.
India’s female scavengers enslaved by caste, gender discrimination
MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – New legislation in India to crack down on the practice of forcing mainly the poorest women to clear other people’s excreta will have little impact unless deeply entrenched sexism and caste bias are changed, activis…
U.N. mulls new measures to combat peacekeeper crimes
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations is considering new measures to crack down on sexual abuse by peacekeepers, including local prosecutions and registering personal details on blue helmets to make it easier to identify perpetrators, a U.N. of…
Syrian opposition casts doubt on U.N. peace talk plan
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they were under fierce government attack near the Turkish border despite a cessation of hostilities agreement and a representative cast doubt on whether U.N.-backed peace talks would go ahead on March …
Security forces raid Islamic State hideout in Libya’s Sabratha: official
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Security forces in the western Libyan city of Sabratha said they had killed seven suspected Islamic State fighters in a raid on a militant hideout on Wednesday.
Brazil Supreme Court votes to indict lower house speaker on graft charges
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A majority of Brazil’s Supreme Court voted to accept corruption charges against lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha on Wednesday, putting him on trial for allegedly accepting bribes on contracts for two drill ships leased by state o…
U.S. forces capture Islamic State operative in Iraq: NYT
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Special Operations Forces captured a significant Islamic State operative in Iraq, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, the first suspected raid by a new force sent in recent weeks to target the jihadist group’s fighters and …
Tunisian forces kill five militants crossing from Libya
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces killed five Islamist militants after they infiltrated across the border from neighboring Libya, authorities said on Wednesday.
