1. Fillon clings to presidential candidacy

    With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop*, French conservative Francois Fillon clung tenaciously* to his presidential candidacy on Sunday, emboldened* by thousands of supporters at a high-stakes* rally aimed at quashing* pressure on him to step aside because of impending* corruption charges.

    Crowds of flag-waving voters chanting “Fillon, President!” appeared to give him the confidence he needed to keep up the fight. That support came despite a raft* of defections* by conservative allies in recent days that threatened to plunge France’s unpredictable presidential campaign into unprecedented disarray just seven weeks before its first-round election.

    2. Bus crash kills 18, injures 37 in Panama

    A bus carrying farm workers went off a highway and ended up in a stream on Sunday southwest of Panama’s capital, causing 18 deaths and injuring 37 others, authorities said.

    The crash happened on the Pan-American Highway in Anton, about 170 kilometers from Panama City. Officials gave no information on what caused the accident.

    All the dead and injured were aboard the bus, which was carrying more than 50 workers, authorities said.

    3. Malaysia expels DPRK ambassador

    Malaysia declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as “persona non grata*” and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man’s death.

    The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting after he was summoned by Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. Aman said the ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the DPRK embassy on Saturday evening to inform the DPRK Government that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours.

    4. Zimbabwe: 246 killed in flooding

    Record-breaking rains in Zimbabwe have left at least 246 people dead and more than 2,000 displaced* — they’ve also had a devastating effect on schools in several parts of the country.

    The death toll is cumulative* and covers all those who’ve drowned or been struck by lightning in Zimbabwe since the start of the rains in October last year, according to a written statement from Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere seen by News24 on Saturday.

    5. Abe may be Japan’s longest-serving leader

    Japan’s ruling party approved a change in party rules on Sunday that could pave the way for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to become the country’s longest-serving leader in the post-World War II era.

    It is a remarkable turnaround for Abe, who lasted only a year during an earlier stint* as prime minister, and in a country that had six prime ministers in the six years before Abe returned to office in December 2012.

    Analysts say that Abe learned from his first term in office, when he focused on divisive issues such as constitutional revision and patriotic education that contributed to his early downfall.

    6. Trump makes 1st address to Congress

    U.S. President Donald Trump sought to repackage* his hard-line campaign promises with a moderate sheen* in his first joint address to Congress on Tuesday night, ushering in what he termed “a new chapter of American greatness” of economic renewal and military might.

    Trump outlined a sweeping* agenda to rebuild a country he described as ravaged by crime and drugs, deteriorating infrastructure and failing bureaucracies.

    Trump’s speech touched on his plans to overhaul the nation’s health-care system and tax code, but was short on specifics. (SD-Agencies)