MOSCOW – Russian authorities want to use prison labor to drive down the costs of holding the 2018 World Cup. The Russian prison service is backing a bid by Alexander Khinshtein, a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, to allow prisoners to be taken from their camps to work …

SAO PAULO – Police say a radio journalist known for denouncing drug traffickers and organized crime groups has been murdered in northeastern Brazil. They say three men armed with machine guns and pistols killed Djalma Santos da Conceicao Saturday night in the small town of Conceicao da Feira in the …

TORONTO – Canada has enabled measures to revoke citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism, treason or spying for foreign governments. The government said Friday that Canadian citizenship can now also be revoked from dual citizens for taking up arms against Canada and its military. This can be either as …

CHICAGO – Federal records indicate the judge overseeing the hush-money case of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert donated $1,500 to the then-Illinois congressman’s re-election campaigns. Federal Election Commission records show Thomas M. Durkin gave $500 to the “Hastert for Congress” campaign in 2002, and $1,000 in 2004. Durkin was …

So if the Democrats win it all this year, you can bet the first thing they’re going to do is gloat. Then, of course, they’re going to get high and bang hookers. Then, finally, they will try to resuscitate the corpse that is the Fairness Doctrine. If you don’t know …

Right now, in the press, rage is all the rage. At The New York Times, Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich, who may be the same person since they both wear dresses, have columns on the anger-inducing McCain campaign. Dowd calls it “seamy,” and whenever someone mentions Bill Ayers’ name, Rich …

A multi-year recession. Maybe a depression. A president who seemed clueless. And history would prove witless. Investment houses sinking, most likely dying. Investors so burned on the year, they wouldn’t return for many years. Ring a bell? It should. But I’m not talking the view now, in the fall of …

First Review of ‘Australia’ | Kate Winslet Brings Sexy Back — And Reading | Kate and Leo Are Titanic in ‘Revolutionary’ War | Jacko’s Nanny in Hiding | Katie in The Closet; End of ‘Days’; ‘Dreamgirls’ Comes Home; The Climates Are Here; Travis’s Ode First Review of ‘Australia’ The first …

LOS ANGELES – Stunner from Down Under Isabel Lucas seems to be caught in a Hollywood love triangle as both Shia LaBeouf and Adrian Grenier are said to be vying for her affection. Lucas was the “mystery passenger” when her “Transformers” co-star flipped his car in the early hours of …

LOS ANGELES – For years, Scarlett Johansson has been dubbed Woody Allen’s, muse and while the veteran director greatly admires his “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” starlet, he made it quite clear to Pop Tarts that Johansson is not his central source of inspiration. “It is silly — she’s in no way …