Austria, backed by 159 nations, calls for ban on nuclear weapons
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Austria on Tuesday called for banning nuclear weapons because of their catastrophic humanitarian effects, an initiative it said now has the backing of 159 countries.
Indian minister disparages farmers for suicides, draws opposition ire
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An Indian state minister who heads the farmers’ wing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party has drawn flak from the opposition for branding as “cowards” some farmers who committed suicide after unseasonal rains destroyed their cr…
Sri Lanka parliament passes diluted reforms
(Story corrects paragraph 11 to say opposition’s attempt turned down)
Fewer than half Hong Kong residents back electoral reform: survey
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Fewer than half Hong Kong’s residents back electoral reforms which would see a pro-China nominating committee select candidates for the next leader in 2017, results of a survey suggested, after protests demanding open nominations …
Wife shields Greece’s Varoufakis from anarchist attack at restaurant
ATHENS (Reuters) – A group of self-styled anarchists threw glass objects at Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his wife Danae at an Athens restaurant late on Tuesday, but she hugged him to shield him from the attack, the finance ministry said….
U.S. military sends jets to northern Afghan city under siege
KABUL (Reuters) – The U.S. military has sent fighter jets to Afghanistan’s northern province of Kunduz, where Taliban insurgents have launched a major offensive and overrun government checkpoints close to the main city, U.S. and Afghan sources said.
Top U.S. diplomat on way to try to halt unrest in Burundi
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – A top U.S. diplomat was heading to Burundi on Wednesday, seeking to halt escalating unrest triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office, a move protesters say is unconstitutional.
Top U.S. diplomat on way to try to halt unrest in Burundi
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – A top U.S. diplomat was heading to Burundi on Wednesday, seeking to halt escalating unrest triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office, a move protesters say is unconstitutional.
U.S. military jet lands safely in England after in-flight emergency
LONDON (Reuters) – A U.S. Air Force refueling jet has landed safely at its base in England, RAF Mildenhall, after experiencing an in-flight emergency, the Air Force unit that operates the aircraft said in a statement on Wednesday.
Healthcare looms over Spanish vote as cuts hit hospitals
MADRID (Reuters) – Raul Robledo’s 82-year-old mother died on a stretcher in a corridor of the emergency unit of La Paz hospital in Madrid in February, after waiting nearly 48 hours for a room.
