Bloomberg's $19 bn plan to guard NY against climate change
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled Tuesday a $19.5 billion plan to boost the city's defenses against climate change, seven months after superstorm Sandy devastated the US East Coast.
Immigration bill passes hurdles in US Senate
Bolstered by support from President Barack Obama, a landmark immigration bill passed a pair of crucial test votes Tuesday in the US Senate, kicking off weeks of debate on the comprehensive reform.
12 June 2013
Calls to decriminalise drugs at Elton John HIV conference
Former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski on Sunday called for drug decriminalisation at the opening of a global conference to curb the spread of HIV, with backing from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
11 June 2013
Nazarbayev returns pension reform draft to parliament
Executing the authority vested on me by the Constitutions, I am recommitting the draft to the parliament for revision of and voting on the timeframe of the raise of retirement age for women: President Nazarbayev.
08 June 2013
US drops plan to allow pocket knives on flights
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), bowing to a chorus of outrage led by flight attendants, abandoned Wednesday its plan to allow pocket knives in carry-on baggage.
06 June 2013
Swiss to vote on tightening of asylum law, again
The Swiss will vote Sunday on whether to approve an emergency tightening of the country's asylum law in a bid to stem the influx of refugees to the wealthy Alpine nation.
06 June 2013
French move to ban industrial food from 'restaurants'
Worried its gastronomic reputation is being damaged by substandard eateries, France is considering banning establishments from calling themselves restaurants if meals are not made from scratch by in-house chefs.
04 June 2013
Russia's ambitious smoking ban goes into effect
Russia's ambitious smoking ban, which aims to cut the number of smokers in half and improve public health, went into effect Saturday amid doubts that its measures can be fully enforced.
Japan parliament approves child abduction treaty
Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved an international treaty on child abductions after decades of pressure from the United States and other Western nations.
French president to sign gay marriage bill into law
French President Francois Hollande will sign a gay marriage and adoption bill into law Saturday, after the Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the right-wing opposition.
