LYON (AFP) -- French far-right leader Marine Le Pen gave a major speech Sunday to formally launch her presidential bid with a programme featuring many of the themes that propelled Donald Trump to the White House.Le Pen, who leads the National Front, on Saturday published a list of 144 "commitments" built around putting France first, reclaiming sovereignty from the European Union, and clamping down on immigration.The 48-year-old is convinced that Trump and the Brexit vote in Britain point to the

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A federal appeals court denied early Sunday the Justice Department's request for an immediate reinstatement of President Donald Trump's ban on accepting certain travelers and all refugees.The Trump administration appealed a temporary order restraining the ban nationwide, saying late Saturday night that the federal judge in Seattle overreached by "second-guessing'' the president on a matter of national security.Now the higher court's denial of an immediate stay means the legal b

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Most of the thousands of killings of poor suspects under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown appear to be extrajudicial executions and may constitute crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said Wednesday.The London-based human rights group urged Duterte's government to adopt an approach that respects human rights in its fight against drugs and crime, and called on the police and judiciary to prosecute officers involved in unlawful killin

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan is not deliberately weakening the yen to boost its exports, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday when asked in parliament about President Donald Trump's accusations of currency manipulation. Abe is expected to meet with Trump in Washington on Feb. 10. He said Japan would again explain to the US side its unprecedented monetary easing policies, which have pulled the yen lower against the dollar in recent years. "The criticism that our policies are intended to direct the yen

AMONA, West Bank (AP) -- Israeli forces began an operation to evacuate settlers from a West Bank outpost on Wednesday whose slated destruction could rupture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's narrow coalition, dominated by ultranationalists who support settlements.Unarmed police in blue sweatshirts and black baseball caps made their way up the hill around midday Wednesday.  On the hilltop, youngsters erected makeshift barricades from smashed tiles, rusty metal bars and large rocks to slow their

(AP)--Mexicans are beginning to debate how to fight back against US President Donald Trump's aggressive stance on trade and immigration.Prominent political figures have suggested the country expel US law enforcement agents, stop detaining Central American migrants or no longer inspect northbound trucks for drug shipments. Some activist groups on Friday were calling for a boycott of American brands. Former President Felipe Calderon said Thursday that "we have to design a policy of retaliation'' f

(AP) -- Many citizens of Muslim-majority countries affected by President Donald Trump's curbs on travel to the United States say they were hardly surprised the restrictions rank among his first orders of business.The new commander-in-chief had, after all, once called for a ``complete and total shutdown'' of Muslim arrivals, and in his inaugural speech vowed to eradicate ``radical Islamic terrorism'' from the face of the earth.But that doesn't make news of the clampdown sting any less for those o

More than two million people flooded the streets of Washington and other US cities and demonstrators around the world joined in as women opposed to Donald Trump led a peaceful, stunning rebuke against the new US president.As a sea of protesters brought downtown Washington to a standstill, streaming past the White House in pink “pussyhats,” Trump launched a withering attack on the media, accusing it of downplaying or even lying about the attendance at his swearing-in a day earlier.The new preside

The launch of a website with messages of condolence and support from  Korean teenagers to Japan’s Kumamoto earthquake victims is sending ripples of goodwill across the sea and between the two neighboring countries.Min Byoung-chul, chairman of the Sunfull Movement that promotes a campaign to stem cyberbullying, visited the afflicted Kumamoto prefecture on Jan. 5 to present the website with its comments to Ono Taisuke, deputy governor of the region and the prefecture people. Min Byoung-chul, fourt

An association of Asian constitutional courts will open a permanent secretariat dedicated to research purposes in Seoul next month, the city government said Wednesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions Permanent Secretariat for Research and Development will open in central Seoul in January.The association, comprised of institutions from 16 countries, was launched in 2010 to increase the exchange of information and exp