ABE HEADS TO IMPRESSIVE ELECTION WIN
TOKYO» Japan’s ruling coalition appeared headed to an impressive win in national elections Sunday, in what would represent an endorsement for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s nearly five-year leadership.
A victory would boost Abe’s chances of winning another three-year term next September as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. That could extend his premiership to 2021, giving him more time to try to win a reluctant public over to his longtime goal of revising Japan’s pacifist constitution.
World Health Organization revokes appointment of Mugabe.
JOHANNESBURG» The head of the World Health Organization revoked his appointment of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe as a “goodwill ambassador” on Sunday after the choice drew widespread outrage and criticism. Zimbabwe’s government said it respected the turnabout and that the U.N. health agency “benefited tremendously” from the attention.
Teen attacks, wounds several people with ax in Switzerland.
A 17-year-old attacked and wounded several people with an ax in a small town in northeastern Switzerland on Sunday evening, police said.
The teenager, a Latvian who lived locally, was arrested by officers who used firearms and wounded him in the process, police said. The incident in Flums started shortly after 8 p.m. Police believe the suspect attacked several people in a town square then fled with a stolen car, which later was involved in an accident. The suspect continued on foot before attacking more people at a gas station, where he was arrested, police said. There was no indication of any terrorist connection, police said.
38 accuse writer-director James Toback of sexual harassment.
Writer and director James Toback, who received an Oscar nomination for writing “Bugsy,” has been accused of sexual harassment by 38 women in a report published Sunday in the Los Angeles Times.
In the report, many of the women allege that Toback approached them on the streets of New York City and promised stardom. His meetings would often end with sexual questions, according to the accounts.
The 72-year-old denied the allegations to The Los Angeles Times, saying he never met any of the women, or if he had it “was for five minutes and (I) have no recollection.”
FBI couldn’t access nearly 7,000 devices because of encryption.
FBI Director Christopher Wray says federal agents haven’t been able to retrieve data from more than half of the mobile devices they’ve tried to access in a year. He said the FBI hasn’t been able to access more than 6,900 mobile devices in 11 months.
Law enforcement officials have long complained about being unable to unlock and recover evidence from cellphones seized from suspects even if they have a warrant. Technology companies have insisted they must protect customers’ digital privacy
A scary box office weekend, except for Tyler Perry.
Tyler Perry’s comedy sequel “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” scared up a healthy $21.7 million in its first weekend in theaters, but the waters were rough for other new openers including the disaster epic “Geostorm,” the firefighter drama “Only the Brave” and the crime thriller “The Snowman.”
Made for a reported $35 million, Perry’s film drew a mostly older and female audience.
The studio expects the film to hold well into next weekend because of increased interest because of Halloween, but it will face competition with the horror pic “Jigsaw.”