WORLD

Ottawa, Canada | AFP |  Canada announced a pilot test Thursday that would see names removed from applications to work in its civil service, hoping this will eliminate any biases in the hiring process. The aim would be to have a more diverse and inclusive civil service, the government said …

Ahmadinejad barred as Iran Guardians pick vote candidates Tehran, Iran | AFP |  Former Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was barred from running in next month’s election Thursday while President Hassan Rouhani was among six candidates approved by Iran’s conservative-controlled Guardian Council, state media reported. The other candidates selected were hardliners …

  New Delhi, India | AFP |  India said Wednesday it will ban ministers and senior officials from using red beacons on their cars to cut through traffic, a longstanding privilege that has caused resentment and accusations of elitism. From May 1 only emergency services will be allowed to use …

Jalalabad, Afghanistan | AFP |  Security forceswere still blocking accessWednesday to the site in eastern Afghanistan where the US dropped a massive bomb on an Islamic State group stronghold six days ago. The US military dropped its GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, dubbed the “Mother of All Bombs”, in combat …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization on Wednesday hailed “unprecedented progress” in the fight against 18 neglected tropical diseases — including dengue fever and sleeping sickness — which kill 170,000 people and disable millions each year. The UN’s health agency, pharmaceutical companies and civil society groups led …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP |  Workaholic Japan has unveiled its first-ever plan to limit overtime, but critics want to give it the boot, saying an “outrageous” 100-hour-a-month cap will do nothing to tackle karoshi, or death from overwork. Tokyo’s bid to ease a national health crisis comes after the top …

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP |  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for winning a referendum on enhancing his powers, the Kremlin and Turkish state media said. Putin telephoned Erdogan to congratulate him over the win of the ‘Yes’ vote in Sunday’s poll, the state-run …

Facebook murder suspect committed suicide after brief chase: police Washington, United States | AFP | The US man wanted for killing an elderly man in Ohio and posting a video of the murder on Facebook fatally shot himself Tuesday after a brief pursuit in neighboring Pennsylvania, police said. Steve Stephens, 37, …

May calls for June 8 election before Brexit talks London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Britain’s Theresa May on Tuesday called for snap elections on June 8, catching the country by surprise in a bid to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the European Union. “We need a …

  The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | An informal people’s tribunal headed by five professional international judges Tuesday accused US seeds firm Monsanto of harming the environment and possible “ecocide”. Monsanto, which produces genetically-modified seeds as well as controversial pesticides, however said the event was “staged by a select group …