
France prepares for landmark presidential election as Macron and Le Pen fight for votes
CBSN
Voters in France are heading to the polls Sunday for the second and final round runoff to decide who will be the country's next president. The latest opinion polls suggest incumbent president Emmanuel Macron has a six- to 13-point lead over his rival, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Those polls changed little from before the two faced each other for the only candidates debate of the two-round race. They also suggest the race is still as tight as when pollsters asked the same question 10 months ago.
In an almost 3-hour long televised debate, the two candidates clashed over the cost of living, climate change, Europe, pension rights, the Muslim headscarf and Le Pen's links to Russian Vladimir Putin.

Johannesburg — President Trump doubled down Friday on his offer to grant U.S. citizenship to White Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, accusing their government of treating them "terribly." Mr. Trump said the U.S. would offer them "safety" and that they would be given a "rapid pathway to citizenship."

Toronto — Canada's Liberal Party has chosen veteran central bank leader Mark Carney as its new leader, meaning he will quickly replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the country's top office. The transition, and Trudeau's political downfall, comes amid the chaotic trade war with Canada's closest ally launched by President Trump.

The death toll from two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar Assad and revenge killings that followed has risen to more than 1,000, a war monitoring group said Saturday, making it one of the deadliest acts of violence since Syria's conflict began 14 years ago.

International Women's Day protests demand equal rights and an end to discrimination, sexual violence
Women across the world will call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice and decision-making jobs during demonstrations marking International Women's Day on Saturday.