World Bank wants to stop anonymous firms winning contracts
WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The World Bank wants all corporate bidders on bank-funded projects to publicly reveal their true owners as a way of tackling fraud and cronyism in government contracts, a senior official said.
G7 misses opportunity to help world’s poor and hungry: charities
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have failed the world’s poor and missed an opportunity to stand up for the most vulnerable children, global charities said on Monday.
Burundi’s electoral commission proposes dates for delayed vote
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – Burundi’s electoral commission on Monday proposed possible dates for upcoming elections, though the move is unlikely to satisfy government opponents who have held weeks of protests calling the president’s bid for a third term unla…
Iraqis make progress against Islamic State in Baiji: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes have opened supply lines into Baiji town and its nearby oil refinery, making progress at last against Islamic State rebels in a seesaw battle that has gone on for months, the …
Nepal parties resolve disputes over constitution after quake
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Feuding political parties said on Monday they had agreed to split Nepal into eight federal provinces, ending years of stalemate over the new constitution intended to stabilize the country after civil war and the abolition of its m…
Mexico’s ruling party close to keeping majority despite violence, graft
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was close to retaining a slim majority in the lower house of Congress on Monday despite losing support in mid-term elections marked by anger over corruption, gang violence and weak economic g…
Belgium raids suspected Islamists, fails to confirm attack plot
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian police raided suspected Islamist militants, mostly of Chechen origin, on Monday but found no evidence to confirm suspicions that they were planning an attack, prosecutors said.
U.N. finds Eritrea may have committed crimes against humanity
GENEVA (Reuters) – Eritrea may have committed crimes against humanity, a year-long U.N. human rights inquiry said in a report published on Monday describing extrajudicial killings, widespread torture, sexual slavery and enforced labor.
Gambia’s Jammeh wants ICC to investigate migrant deaths
BANJUL (Reuters) – Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the deaths of African migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean by boat to Europe.
Russia orders quicker build-up of military facilities in Kurile Islands
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday ordered the speeding up of construction of military and civilian infrastructure on a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean where Moscow and Tokyo have rival territorial claims.
