Polls pointing to Macron landslide

PARIS - Centrist French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron extended his lead in the polls over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Friday, the final day of a tumultuous election campaign that has turned the country's politics upside down.

Bogus refugee case angers Germans

BERLIN - The bizarre case of a German soldier who registered as a Syrian refugee has exposed failings in Germany's handling of a mass influx of over a million asylum seekers while angering the public

Conservatives on a roll in UK local voting

LONDON - The United Kingdom's governing Conservative Party made strong gains in local elections on Friday, suggesting Prime Minister Theresa May's strategy to leave the European Union is winning over voters who should hand her an easy victory in a parliamentary election on June 8.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Peace-loving public might be Abe's greatest challenge

TOKYO - In a recent televised statement, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he hoped to see a revised version of the country's pacifist Constitution take effect from 2020.

South Korean media demands renunciation

SEOUL - South Korean media outlets have sharply criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempts to revise his nation's pacifist Constitution and are demanding a complete renunciation of war.

Delta 'sorry' for deplaning family

LOS ANGELES - Delta Air Lines apologized on Thursday after a couple said they were kicked off an overbooked flight with their two toddlers so their seats could be given to waiting passengers, the latest US airline to apologize over similar incidents.

Australia wins landmark tobacco packaging case

GENEVA - A landmark Australian law on restrictive tobacco packaging has been upheld at the World Trade Organization after a five-year legal battle, Bloomberg news reported on Thursday.

Protesters reject Constitution plan

TOKYO - About 55,000 people rallied on Wednesday to protest against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempts to amend Japan's pacifist Constitution as the nation marked its 70th Constitution Memorial Day.

Facebook tries to fix violent video issue with new employees

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc will hire 3,000 more people over the next year to speed up the removal of videos showing murder, suicide and other violent acts, in its most dramatic move yet to combat the biggest threat to its valuable public image.

ROK begins early voting to replace ousted president Park

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea began early voting on Thursday in the election to replace ousted president Park Geun-hye.

Mentally ill woman who killed eight children escapes charges

SYDNEY - An Australian mother who killed seven of her children and a niece in a brutal case that shocked the country will not stand trial after being deemed of "unsound mind", a court has ruled.