Reuters, Mexico City :
Two of Mexico’s four presidential hopefuls began their campaigns on Friday, as the country looks set to reject the party that has governed for most of the past century over corruption scandals and favor a leftist dissenter.
Opinion polls ahead of the July 1 election show Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with a large lead, with the mainstream opposition challenger second and the ruling party candidate far behind.
Taiwan President to visit old African ally
Reuters, Taipei :
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will visit one of the island’s oldest and most reliable diplomatic allies next month, amid growing pressure from China to whittle away the number of countries with which Taiwan has formal ties.
China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be a wayward province, ineligible for state-to-state relations, and has slowly managed to cut the dwindling number of countries which maintain ties with Taipei.
17 mainly migrants killed in Turkey road accident
AP, Ankara:
A senior official says 17 people, mostly migrants, were killed in a road accident in the eastern Turkish province of Igdir.
Another 36 were injured in the accident late Thursday.
Igdir Governor Enver Unlu said Friday that a minivan packed with migrants hit a light pole and caught fire. Some of the victims died in the crash while others were killed when they were hurled into oncoming traffic and hit by another minivan that was also carrying migrants.
Hungary’s PM polls April 8
AFP, Budapest:
Football stadiums and street lamps may seem unlikely obstacles for Hungary’s strongman Viktor Orban, who looks set to win a third consecutive term as prime minister in April 8 elections.
Some voters have clearly turned against the government over the issue with posters bearing the government’s slogan: “For us, Hungary comes first” being defaced to read “For us, money comes first”.
Quake in PNG triggers tsunami warning
Reuters, Sydney:
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the shallow quake close to the coast, around 100 miles (162 km) southwest of Rabaul.
Syria bomb kills 2 coalition troops
AP, Kobani:
The U.S. military said Friday that two coalition personnel have been killed and five were wounded by a roadside bombing in Syria in a rare such attack since the U.S-led coalition sent troops into the war-torn country.
The military did not say where the incident occurred but it came hours after a local Syrian official said that a roadside bomb has exploded in the tense, mixed Arab-Kurdish town of Manbij that is not far from the border with Turkey.
