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Guinness owner Diageo ups savings as US tariffs hit

Diageo, the maker of Guinness stout and Smirnoff Vodka, reported Tuesday a sharp drop in annual net profit and raised its cost-savings targets as US tariffs hit.

Flash flood washes out Himalayan town, killing 4

Rescue teams deployed Tuesday to India's Himalayan region after flash floods tore down a mountain valley, appearing to wipe away much of a town, where at least four people were killed.

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Global cocaine market hit new record highs: UNODC

Cocaine production, seizures and use all hit record highs in 2023, the UN drug agency said on Thursday, with the illicit drug's market the world's fastest-growing.

Global matcha 'obsession' drinks Japan tea farms dry

At a minimalist Los Angeles matcha bar, powdered Japanese tea is prepared with precision, despite a global shortage driven by the bright green drink's social media stardom.

Thailand makes new proposal to restrict cannabis sales

Thailand's government has announced a plan to tighten the rules on selling cannabis, the kingdom's latest attempt to restrict the drug, three years after it was decriminalised.

Ecuador's most-wanted gang leader 'Fito' captured

Ecuador's president announced Wednesday that the country's most-wanted fugitive, Los Choneros gang leader "Fito," had been recaptured over a year after his escape from prison triggered a wave of violence.

Trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs heads into closing arguments

After weeks of painstaking testimony in the high-profile trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, legal teams will enter a pivotal moment of the proceedings Thursday as they deliver closing arguments.

US Fed proposes easing key banking rule

The US Federal Reserve released plans Wednesday to relax a key capital rule for major banks, a move they say can help facilitate Treasury market trading.

Gunmen kill 11 in crime-hit Mexican city

Gunmen killed 11 people and injured at least 20 in an attack during a religious festival in a central Mexican city plagued by gang-related violence, authorities said Wednesday.

EU probes Mars takeover of Pringles maker Kellanova

The European Union on Thursday said it had launched an antitrust investigation into Mars' multibillion dollar acquisition of snack food business Kellanova over concerns it could lead to higher prices for consumers.

Gunmen kill 10 in crime-hit Mexican city

Gunmen killed 10 people including children in an attack on a house in a central Mexican city plagued by gang-related violence, authorities said Wednesday.

Relief, joy as Israel reopens after Iran war ceasefire

Relieved Israelis returned to work and school on Wednesday after the military lifted restrictions following a ceasefire with Iran, while some voiced lingering apprehension about the future.

Vietnam tycoon will not face death penalty over $27 bn fraud: lawyer

A Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death for fraud totalling $27 billion will no longer face execution, her lawyer said Wednesday, as the country abolished capital punishment for eight crimes, including property embezzlement.

At least 10 dead in Colombia landslide

A landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 10 people and injured eight others Tuesday near the Colombian city of Medellin, government officials said.

US judge backs using copyrighted books to train AI

A US federal judge has sided with Anthropic regarding training its artificial intelligence models on copyrighted books without authors' permission, a decision with the potential to set a major legal precedent in AI deployment.

US judge allows using pirated books to train AI

A federal judge has sided with the AI company Anthropic in its practice of training a chatbot on copyrighted books without permission from the authors.

French volunteers hand migrants water beyond the crowded beach

Many others had rushed to the beach to cool off in the heat, but French retiree Sylvie Baudelet and another volunteer were busy handing out water, tea and coffee to thirsty migrants.

France ordered to compensate family of jogger killed by toxic algae

A French court on Tuesday ordered the state to compensate the family of a 50-year-old man who died in 2016 during a run after inhaling poisonous gas emitted by rotting green algae piled along the country's western coast.

France charges Briton over staged Disneyland 'marriage' with child

France charged a British citizen with offences including money-laundering and identity theft after he allegedly organised a bizarre ceremony at Disneyland Paris where he played the role of the groom in a fake marriage with a nine-year-old girl, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Brazil records 62% jump in area burned by forest fires: monitor

Historic forest fires in Brazil last year scorched through an area larger than the size of Italy, recording a burned area some 60 percent higher than average of the last four decades, said a report released Tuesday.

Vietnam puts 41 on trial in $45 mn corruption case

A $45 million corruption trial against 41 people including state officials began in Vietnam on Tuesday, part of the communist state's wide-ranging anti-graft drive.

Trial of Sean Combs approaches final stretch

The high-profile trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs is approaching its final stretch, with both teams poised to rest their cases as soon as Tuesday.

Judge tells Australian mushroom murder jury to put emotion aside

Jury members in the trial of an Australian woman accused of murdering three relatives with a toxic mushroom-laced meal were warned Tuesday to cast aside any "prejudice and sympathy".

Glamour, gripes as celebs head to Venice for exclusive Bezos wedding

Celebrities in superyachts sail into Venice this week for the three-day wedding party of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, despite irate locals who say the UNESCO city is no billionaire's playground.

Pro-Palestinian protest leader details 104 days spent in US custody

Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses, recounted his experience surviving 104 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention after being targeted for deportation by the Trump administration.

US Supreme Court allows third country deportations to resume

A divided US Supreme Court paved the way on Monday for the Trump administration to resume deportations of undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own.

Top US court takes case of Rastafarian whose hair was cut in prison

The US Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear the case of a devout Rastafarian whose knee-length dreadlocks were forcibly shorn while he was in prison in the southern state of Louisiana.

Syria president vows those involved in church attack will face justice

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church would face justice, as he called for unity in the diverse, multi-faith country.

In Norway's Arctic, meteorologists have a first-row seat to climate change

In the cold of the Norwegian Arctic, meteorologist Trond Robertsen manually recorded precipitation levels for over two decades, witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change.

Suicide attack on Damascus church kills at least 22

A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack.

French police probe fake Disneyland 'marriage' with nine-year-old

French police were on Sunday probing the circumstances of a bizarre stunt at Disneyland outside of Paris, with a group of adults suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl.

Blood, destruction at Damascus church after suicide attack

At the blood-stained Saint Elias church in Damascus, Umm George wept as she desperately searched for her son, who was among the worshippers when a suicide bomber struck on Sunday.

Muslim countries urge end to Israel's 'aggression' against Iran

Foreign ministers from countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday urged Israel to end its "aggression" towards Iran, without mentioning the US strikes on the Islamic republic's nuclear sites.

Freed Belarus opposition figure urges Trump to help release all prisoners

Belarus opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was released following an appeal from the White House, said Sunday that US President Donald Trump could secure the freedom of all Belarusian political prisoners.

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