Campaign launches to elect first female U.N. Secretary-General
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Since its founding 70 years ago, the United Nations has been led by men, a tradition that some women’s rights advocates are determined to break when the global body elects a new secretary-general next year.
Puerto Rico officials warn government shutdown imminent
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Puerto Rico’s top finance officials said the government of the U.S. territory will likely shutdown in three months because of a looming liquidity crisis and warned of a devastating impact on the island’s economy.
U.S. says Russia air defense systems inside Ukraine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday accused Russia of building up air defense systems inside eastern Ukraine and of involvement in training exercises of pro-Russian rebels in breach of a European-brokered truce.
Drug cartel violence flares again in Northern Mexico state
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Drug cartel violence in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state flared up for the second time in a week on Wednesday, with gun battles and arson attacks erupting in the street after police captured four alleged drug gang members.
Volcano erupts in southern Chile, belching ash, smoke into sky
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Volcano Calbuco in southern Chile erupted for the first time in at least four decades on Wednesday, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke several kilometers (miles) into the sky, local television images showed.
Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen despite calling off air campaign
CAIRO/ADEN (Reuters) – Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Yemen on Wednesday despite an announcement by Riyadh that it was ending its campaign of air strikes, while renewed fighting erupted on the ground between rebels and forces loyal to the exiled …
EU leaders to restore rescue operations after migrant boat disaster
BRUSSELS/ROME (Reuters) – European Union leaders who decided last year to halt the rescue of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean will reverse their decision on Thursday at a summit hastily convened after nearly 2,000 people died at sea.
Nigerian forces invade last known stronghold of Boko Haram
BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian forces backed by warplanes invaded Islamist group Boko Haram’s last known stronghold, the Sambisa forest, on Wednesday, in an effort to finally defeat their six-year-old insurgency, two military sources said.
Proposed U.S., UK, French visit to Darfur was ‘odd’: Sudan
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Sudan’s U.N. mission on Wednesday criticized a proposed visit to its conflict-torn Darfur region earlier this year by senior U.S., British and French diplomats, describing the plan that Khartoum never approved as “odd.”
Active online, foreign women become Islamic State widows
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – At least 15 young Western women who joined Islamic State and married jihadi fighters are now widows after the militant group suffered losses in clashes in Syria and Iraq, according to researchers who closely monitor Islamist radi…
