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Thousands of New Zealand Maori meet to discuss response to government plans

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – More than 10,000 New Zealand Maori congregated in the central North Island on Saturday to discuss how to respond to government plans that are seen by many Indigenous groups as undermining their rights and status. Maori King Tuheitia, who hosted the event, told attendees their voices matter but it …

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Condemned Alabama prisoner asks US Supreme Court to stop rare second execution attempt

By Jonathan Allen (Reuters) – An Alabama death row prisoner who survived a botched execution attempt by lethal injection asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to halt the state’s planned second attempt next week, this time by the novel method of asphyxiation with nitrogen gas. Lawyers for Kenneth Smith, convicted for a murder-for-hire committed …

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Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

By Saurabh Sharma and Tanvi Mehta AYODHYA, India (Reuters) – The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism’s holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and …

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Army called in to rescue about 600 Spanish motorists stuck in snow

MADRID (Reuters) – Army units were mobilised to help about 600 drivers who were stuck on a motorway in heavy snow as Storm Juan blanketed many parts of Spain, authorities said on Friday. Snowfalls left motorists stranded for hours on the N-122 road between Soria and Agreda in northern Spain so authorites said they had …

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Ethnic killings in one Sudan city left up to 15,000 dead – UN report

By Michelle Nichols and Maggie Michael UNITED NATIONS/CAIRO (Reuters) -Between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed in one city in Sudan’s West Darfur region last year in ethnic violence by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militia, according to a United Nations report seen by Reuters on Friday. In the report to …

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Trump to stay on Washington state ballot; third-party group asks DOJ to probe Democrats

(This Jan. 18 story has been corrected to rectify the name of Washington’s capital city from Columbia to Olympia in paragraph 7) By Joseph Ax and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) – Donald Trump can remain on Washington state’s Republican presidential primary ballot, a judge ruled on Thursday, rejecting the latest effort to disqualify the former president …

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Fire in China school dorm kills 13 boys

BEIJING (Reuters) -A fire in a central China school dormitory killed 13 students and injured another，prompting the authorities to call for screening fire risks in crowded places, state media said on Saturday. The Friday night fire killed third graders in a boys’ dormitory of Yingcai School in Henan Province, according to China Newsweek, a weekly …

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Google to invest $1 billion in UK data centre

By Zaheer Kachwala (Reuters) -Google will invest $1 billion on building a data centre just outside of London, the U.S. technology giant said on Thursday, in its latest investment in Britain as it meets growing demand for internet services in the region. The data centre, located on a 33-acre (13-hectare) site bought by Google in …

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Amazon’s iRobot deal faces EU antitrust veto, sources say

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Amazon’s $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot will be blocked by EU antitrust regulators, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday, as enforcers beef up scrutiny of Big Tech deals. The U.S. online retail giant defied a European Commission’s warning that the deal could …

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Biden cancels nearly $5 billion more in student debt relief

By Andrea Shalal (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced student debt cancellation of nearly $5 billion for an additional 74,000 borrowers, including more than half who earned forgiveness after 10 years of public service as teachers, nurses and firefighters. The White House announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris administration …

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