Baltimore set for 'victory rally' as officers charged
Thousands expected to attend march, celebrating charges against six police officers over custodial death of a black man.
A march planned by activists to protest the death of a black man in police custody is now being dubbed as a "victory rally" after criminal charges were slapped against the officers involved.
The march on Saturday follows a decision by Baltimore's top prosecutor to file criminal charges against the six police officers involved in Freddie Gray's death.
The officers turned themselves in at the city jail on Friday afternoon. All were later released on bonds of between $250,000 and $350,000.
Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said on Friday that Gray's arrest was illegal and unjustified, and that his neck was broken because he was handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van.
Marine Le Pen loses control of May Day to topless activists and elderly father
National Front leader’s attempts to legitimse party are an uphill battle
Lara Marlowe
Half-naked feminists, her embarrassing old father, financial scandal, the socialist mayor of Paris and crowd-thinning rain all conspired to wreck Marine Le Pen’s May Day.
The leader of the right-wing National Front (FN) had called for a “triumphant” May Day rally to celebrate the fact that the FN boasts more elected officials than ever before. She flanked herself with 62 new departmental councillors, using them as an excuse to keep her 86-year-old father off the stage.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the FN, began the traditional May Day homage to Joan of Arc and the march up the avenue de l’Opera in 1988. The annual fete has rarely, if ever, been so tense.
Strait of Hormuz again at centre of US-Iran strife
May 2, 2015 - 1:29PM
Rick Gladstone
The Strait of Hormuz, the slender waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world and is a critical conduit in the global oil supply chain, has again become a flash point for Iran and the United States - just as they are trying to reach a nuclear accord.
Responding to Iran's seizure at gunpoint of a cargo ship that was traversing the strait this week, the U.S. Navy on Thursday began deploying about a dozen warships there to protect U.S. vessels from possible seizure or harassment. The seized vessel was owned by the Danish company Maersk and registered in the Marshall Islands.
The decision was seen as a signal to Iran, which historically has regarded the strait, an international waterway, as part of its sphere of influence. Recently, Iranian gunboats operated by the Revolutionary Guard have harassed foreign shipping in the strait in the name of national security. Iran's military has also used the area as a backdrop for bellicose propaganda.
Nigerian Army steps up efforts to find kidnapped girls. Why now?
Rescuing even some of the Chibok girls seized last year would boost President Goodluck Jonathan's battered legacy before he leaves office this month.
Each time the Nigerian Army has announced the rescue of women and children this week, the world has held its breath in anticipation of news of the girls from Chibok.
The 260 girls kidnapped last year in the northeastern town of Chibok have become a symbol of Nigeria’s failure to protect its citizens from Boko Haram militants. The kidnappings aroused international outrage and brought the Islamist extremist group to the world's attention with the hashtag campaign #BringBackOurGirls. Officials say 219 of them are still missing.
But despite the steady progress of the Nigerian military (flanked by South African mercenaries) and a multinational force charged with pushing back Boko Haram, evidence that the tides have turned will be measured by whether the Army can rescue the girls.
China eyes growing Japanese influence
- 2 May 2015
- Asia
It was springtime in Washington for the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week.
His visit included trips to the Lincoln Memorial, the Arlington Cemetery and an address to both Houses of Congress - the first time this honour has been afforded to a Japanese leader.
And no wonder. The visit heralded a significant reinforcement of the alliance between Washington and Tokyo.
Given the continuing dramas in the Middle East, the Obama administration's signature policy shift - its pivot to Asia - is being pursued in more of a minor rather than a major key.
But regardless of the old business in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, the pivot is continuing; preparing Washington for its role in what it set to be the Pacific century.
At least 30 graves found in southern Thailand, and a lone survivor
Updated 0550 GMT (1250 HKT) May 2, 2015
At least 30 graves containing human remains have been found in a "detention camp" in southern Thailand, along with a lone male survivor, Thai authorities said.
The survivor is "very sick" and has been hospitalized, said Thai police spokesman Lt. General Prawut Thavornsiri. Police have not been able to interview the survivor yet and aren't sure of his nationality, but they believe he is Burmese.
Thai authorities learned about the camp from a suspect who tipped them off, Thavornsiri said. He would not say whether that suspect was linked with human trafficking.
"It is still under investigation," Thavornsiri said. "I can't reveal much information yet."
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