Le Pen upstages Macron in his hometown
PARIS — France’s presidential contest moved on Wednesday to an unlikely arena: a tumble dryer factory in the country’s north where, if the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, did not quite humiliate her rival, Emmanuel Macron, she sure upstaged him.
Workers at the plant, run by Whirlpool in Mr. Macron’s hometown, Amiens, have been striking to prevent the factory from closing. Far from being welcomed as a favored son, Mr. Macron was jeered and booed by a hostile crowd as tires burned, while Ms. Le Pen paid a surprise visit and was greeted with hugs and selfies as activists with her National Front party distributed croissants.
Their separate visits, covered live on French television, showed how Ms. Le Pen’s anti-globalization message resonates in regions struggling with factory closings and the loss of jobs, as well as the hostility that many workers feel for Mr. Macron, a centrist former investment banker who wants to loosen labor rules.
Targeting gay soldiers
SEOUL, South Korea — At a time when South Korea is struggling to deter North Korea’s nuclear threats, human rights advocates say its military is targeting gay soldiers in its ranks.
In recent weeks, the army has focused on dozens of those soldiers in what rights groups say is a campaign against gay men in the 620,000-member military. At least 32 faced criminal charges of “sodomy or other disgraceful conduct,” according to the domestic news media and lawyers and rights advocates familiar with the cases.
On Tuesday night, the issue of gay rights became a focus in South Korea’s presidential race, when the candidate who leads in the polls, Moon Jae-in, joined some of the other contenders in saying that he opposed homosexuality. Critics said the statement was a stark tactic to win support among conservative voters.
Mr. Moon made the comment during a debate in which the issue of the military’s treatment of gays was raised. Under the conscript system, all eligible men are required to serve about two years.
Woman convicted in China
HOUSTON — An American woman detained during a business trip to China was convicted of spying and sentenced Tuesday to 3 ½ years in prison, raising the possibility that she may be allowed to return home soon.
Phan Phan-Gillis has faced an uncertain fate since March 2015, when she disappeared from her group traveling in southern China. She was later accused of espionage, which carries a possible death sentence. A United Nations panel has said her detention violated international norms, and the U.S. has long pressed China to resolve the case fairly.
Her Chinese lawyer Shang Baojun said Wednesday that a deportation order has been issued, and that she should be released “very soon.” He said authorities don’t usually inform the lawyer of the deportation date.
Collision in Kenya kills 27
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan police say 27 people have been killed in a collision between a passenger bus and a trailer truck.
Police say the accident took place along the major road linking two of Kenya’s biggest cities, capital Nairobi and the port of Mombasa.
Leornard Kimaiyo, the police chief in the Kambu area of Maukeni county, says the bus was heading to Mombasa and the trailer was going in the opposite direction when they collided on Tuesday.
Road accidents kill around 3,000 people in Kenya every year.
Deaths through road accidents have increased in recent years despite a crackdown on drunk driving, including tougher fines and breathalyzer tests at random police roadblocks.