Author: Worldman

Polls have opened in France, culminating a presidential election campaign that many French say is the country’s most acrimonious and contentious in its modern history, one that could decide whether it stays the course of globalization or adopts a new, separate path outside of the European Union. In a race dominated by the issues of …

Read more “Polls Open in Bitter, Key French Election”

Indonesian authorities said about 200 inmates remained at large two days after a mass escape from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island.   The prison break Friday occurred when prisoners were let out of their cells at Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, to perform prayers. They broke through a prison …

Read more “Indonesia: Two Days After Prison Break, 200 Inmates at Large”

Seventy-nine people in St. George in the U.S. state of Georgia’s southernmost county have been evacuated after a wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp began encroaching onto private property.   The unincorporated community has about 2,000 people. Saturday’s evacuation initially included a sparsely populated rural area of Charleton County. County Administrator Shawn Boatright couldn’t immediately say …

Read more “Blaze Escapes Wildlife Refuge, Prompts Scores to Flee in Georgia”

Iraqi forces have advanced to the northern edge of west Mosul, freeing and evacuating dozens of civilians who had been under the control of Islamic State (IS) extremists, military commanders say. …

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says a delayed new airport in the capital of Islamabad will operational on August 14. …

The semiofficial ILNA news agency says Iran’s state TV censored portions of a campaign film released by President Hassan Rohani, two weeks ahead of the May 19 presidential election. …

France’s election campaign commission says “a significant amount of data” has been leaked on social networks following a hacking attack allegedly suffered by centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, 36 hours before the nation votes Sunday in the crucial runoff against Marine Le Pen. The commission said Saturday that leaked data apparently came from Macron’s “information …

Read more “French Watchdog: Large Amount of Macron Data Leaked”

Wide parts of Syria have enjoyed relative calm despite sporadic clashes after a deal to set up “de-escalation zones” mostly within opposition-controlled areas went into effect, opposition activists and government media outlets said. …

Several national U.S. television news outlets – ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN – have refused to air advertisements from President Donald Trump touting the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office. The paid ads feature nationally recognized television anchors with a “fake news” graphic superimposed on their faces. Trump has used the term “fake …

Read more “US TV Outlets Refuse to Air Trump Ad”

French investigators have ruled out terrorism as the cause of an EgyptAir plane crash last year, saying they found no traces of explosives on the remains of French victims, French media reported on May 5. …

Relative calm prevailed Saturday in wide parts of Syria despite sporadic violations and clashes in the country’s center after a deal by Russia, Turkey and Iran to set up “de-escalation zones” in mostly opposition-held areas went into effect, opposition activists and government media outlets said.   There were no immediate reports of casualties after the …

Read more “Sporadic Violations Reported in Syria’s ‘De-escalation Zones’”

An ambitious plan to raze aging Soviet-era housing and resettle 1.6 million Muscovites in new homes was seen as a shrewd political maneuver to boost Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings. But if that was the intention, it isn’t going well. The plan has proved controversial — and is sowing anger and confusion ahead of local and …

Read more “Moscow’s Plan To Raze ‘Khrushchyovki’ Sparks Anger, Confusion Ahead Of Elections”

Relatives and lawyers of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez want the Red Cross to verify his health and are seeking to bring President Nicolas Maduro’s government before a Spanish court for alleged terrorism crimes. Spain’s laws allow judges to take on cases for crimes committed outside of the country as long as the victims …

Read more “Relatives of Jailed Venezuelan Dissident Seek Global Action”

A Wisconsin-based atheist group has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to strike down President Donald Trump’s order aimed at easing an Internal Revenue Service rule limiting religious organizations’ political activity. A 1954 law prohibits tax-exempt charitable organizations, such as churches, from participating in political campaigns. Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the …

Read more “Trump Order on Religious Groups’ Political Activity Brings Lawsuit”

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari attended weekly prayers Friday, a development that eased but did not eliminate concerns about his poor health and its impact on the country. This was the first time in three weeks that Buhari came to worship in the mosque, located inside the presidential villa in Abuja.The president had earlier missed three …

Read more “Nigeria’s Buhari Reappears Amid Continuing Health Concerns”

Iran’s President Hassan Rohani came under criticism from his main conservative rivals during a live televised presidential election debate on May 5 — a debate focusing on politics and culture. …