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wednesday

United Nations pledges to fight drug-resistant superbugs

United Nations member countries pledged for the first time on Wednesday to take steps to tackle the threat posed by drug-resistant superbugs in a coordinated effort to curb the spread of infections by pathogens that defy antimicrobial medicines. The pledge during the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York followed years of warnings by global health officials about the rise of drug-resistant infections, which threaten to wipe out all effective antibiotics and antifungal medicines, leaving the world vulnerable to simple infections that once could be easily cured.

Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly associated with Zika

ASUNCION (Reuters) – Paraguay’s health ministry reported the country’s first two cases of microcephaly on Wednesday, associated with the Zika virus that is present in much of South America. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. (Reporting by Daniela Desantis, writing by Hugh Bronstein)

Humanitarian evacuations under way from besieged Syrian towns

By Lisa Barrington BEIRUT (Reuters) – The humanitarian evacuation of 250 people from two Syrian towns besieged by pro-government forces and another 250 from two towns blocked off by rebels began on Wednesday, coordinated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The towns blockaded by pro-government forces are Zabadani and Madaya, near the Lebanese border. Jan Egeland, chairman of a U.N. humanitarian task force on Syria, said last week he was disappointed by a slowdown in aid access, largely due to blockages by government-backed forces.

Cyclone-hit remote Fiji islands begin to receive aid, death toll 42

By Jane Wardell and Jarni Blakkarly SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Fijian government and international aid agencies began delivering much needed aid on Wednesday to the Pacific nation's remote islands and coastal villages devastated by a powerful cyclone that killed 42 people. The death toll has crept up in the days since Cyclone Winston struck Fiji late on Saturday as communication has gradually been restored with the outer reaches of the archipelago that is home to some 900,000 people. Thousands of people are still sheltering in evacuation centers, their homes destroyed by winds or flooded by the most powerful storm to ever strike a Pacific nation.

FTC sues DeVry, alleging school deceived students about job prospects

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against DeVry University, run by DeVry Education Group Inc, on Wednesday alleging the company deceived students about the prospect that they would find work. Share of DeVry were down 17.43 percent at $19.60 following the announcement of the FTC lawsuit around midday on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Education, which has been cracking down on for-profit schools, said on Wednesday it had ordered DeVry to stop making certain claims about its graduates' employment.

In first court appearance, Cosby cuts a feeble figure

(Reuters) – The sight of 78-year-old Bill Cosby walking with a cane into a Pennsylvania courthouse as he held the hands of his lawyers on Wednesday was in stark contrast to the spry, wisecracking 1980s TV dad most Americans remember. Cosby’s appearance on Wednesday included a stumble as he walked into the courthouse in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia. While Cosby is not reported to have any serious medical conditions, paparazzi photos of him in November leaving his New York townhome with his wife, Camille, supporting him, and looking weak sparked a flurry of rumors on social media that he was dying.

British school in Budapest evacuated after bomb threat

The British International School in Budapest evacuated all staff and students safely after receiving a bomb threat from an unidentified caller on Wednesday, a school statement said. The school, where over 700 pupils study according to information on its website, received a phone call at 0730 GMT (0230 ET) informing it of a bomb threat, it said.

France ending ban on gay male blood donors

PARIS (AP) — France will end its ban on blood donations by gay men, its health minister said Wednesday, calling the move the end “of a taboo and discrimination.”