Media Watchdog Urges India to Protect Journalists

A media watch group has expressed serious concern at “an alarming deterioration in the working environment of journalists in India” and demanded that the government ensure the safety of journalists who are feeling threatened. Reporters Without Borders said in a report Wednesday that that at least three journalists were killed in India in 2017 and …

Volcanic Complex Could Erupt Soon, Chile Says

A cluster of volcanoes known as the Nevados de Chillan in southern Chile could erupt within “days or weeks,” according to the country’s national emergency office. The office, Onemi, issued an orange alert for risk of eruption, the second most serious alert for volcanoes, in an advisory late Monday. The agency had previously warned that …

Bangladesh Cities Join UN Drive to Build Defenses Against Disasters

Bangladeshi cities have signed up en masse to a U.N. campaign to develop local action plans and improve infrastructure to prepare for disasters, officials said Tuesday. Low-lying, densely-populated Bangladesh is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, hit every year by cyclones that are becoming more frequent due to climate change. About 60 percent of …

Poland Braces for Protests as Government’s Judicial Reforms Kick In

Poland braced for protests on Tuesday against the conservative government’s makeover of the judiciary that takes effect at midnight despite strong opposition at home and legal action against the changes by the European Union. Through legislation and personnel changes, the Law and Justice (PiS) party has taken de facto control of the entire judicial system, …

African Leaders Talk Security With French President

African heads of state have pledged to coordinate efforts to improve the continent’s security and defeat jihadist organizations, particularly in Nigeria and the Sahel region, during talks Monday at the 31st African Union summit held in Mauritania’s capital.   French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Nouakchott Monday to discuss the battle against Islamic extremism and …

Top US Business Group Assails Trump’s Handling of Trade Dispute

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday denounced President Donald Trump’s handling of global trade disputes, issuing a report that argued tariffs imposed by Washington and retaliation by its partners would boomerang badly on the American economy. The Chamber, the nation’s largest business lobbying group and a traditional ally of Trump’s Republican Party, said the …

Thailand’s Political Tough-Guy Back in the Fray to Support Military as Vote Nears

The last time most Thais saw politician Suthep Thaugsuban was in 2015 when he entered the Buddhist monkhood and announced his retirement after spearheading protests that culminated in a military coup against a government he detested. The military, after taking power, clamped a tight lid on politics, and the rivalry between the military-royalist establishment and …

Exit Polls: First Woman Elected Mexico City Mayor

Mexico City has elected a woman mayor for the first time in history, local politician and scientist Claudia Sheinbaum, according to exit polls. Sheinbaum, 56, won the election to lead North America’s largest city with between 47.5 and 55.5 percent of the vote, according to an estimate by polling firm Mitofsky. A woman had previously …

Protesters, Police Clash at Iranian Demonstration Over Water

Iranian state media reported clashes late Sunday between police and people protesting water shortages and pollution in southwestern Iran. The IRNA news agency said protesters in the city of Abadan threw stones and other objects at police, and that officers had brought the situation under control. A night earlier, there were similar clashes at a …

African Leaders in Mauritania for Summit against Corruption

Thirty African heads of state are meeting in Mauritania Sunday and have opened the 31st African Union summit, which is aimed at finding ways to stamp out the continent’s corruption and discussing efforts to improve peace and security. The summit, on Sunday and Monday in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, is focused on ending the diversion of …

France Honors Holocaust Survivor Simone Veil at Pantheon

Holocaust survivor Simone Veil, one of France’s most revered politicians, is getting the rare honor of being buried at the Pantheon, where French heroes are interred, one year after her death.   Veil was being inhumed Sunday at the Paris monument with her husband Antoine, who died in 2013, in a symbolic ceremony with her …