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Western brands under pressure as 'pre-owned' luxury booms in China

With China's economy still struggling to recover from the pandemic, even global fashion icons are beginning to feel the pinch as consumers turn instead to the second-hand market or buy upstart new homegrown brands.

Smiling pope returns to Vatican after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV left hospital to enthusiastic cheers and applause from well-wishers and returned home to the Vatican on Saturday, four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

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Battling drug crisis, Iraq searches for cure

Mohammed has been taking nearly a dozen captagon pills daily for seven years. Now, as Iraq grapples with a major drug crisis, the 23-year-old hopes for a fresh start.

Bolivia says huge manhunt closing in on accused drug lord

Bolivia has mobilized more than 2,250 security agents in a massive operation closing in on an alleged cocaine trafficker who has ricocheted around the world to elude capture, a senior official said on Sunday.

Senegalese opponent vows hunger strike as lawyers lambast arrest

Firebrand Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko said Sunday he had started a hunger strike from custody after being arrested this week, as his lawyers condemned his arrest.

Tens of thousands evacuated as northern China hit by torrential rain

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Beijing as Typhoon Doksuri lashed China's capital with heavy rain on Sunday and residents were urged to stay indoors.

Death toll rises to at least 10 in Thai warehouse explosion

The death toll from a powerful explosion that levelled an unlicensed fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand rose to at least 10 on Sunday, the local governor said as police sought the owner on charges of negligence.

Sex abuse report casts shadow over pope's Portugal visit

Pope Francis heads to Portugal next week for a global gathering of young Catholics as the country grapples with a report into decades of sexual abuse of children by members of the Church.

Pope heads to Lisbon youth event weeks after surgery

Almost two months after undergoing hernia surgery, Pope Francis heads to Lisbon Wednesday for a five-day trip for World Youth Day, a major Catholic event expected to draw a million pilgrims.

Greek ecosystems face increasing fire risk, experts say

Two weeks of sweltering heat and wildfires have confirmed fears that Greece's ecosystem is under increasing risk, experts say.

France releases pair detained over suspected rape of Paris tourist

French police have released two men who had been detained on suspicion of taking part in an alleged gang rape of a Mexican tourist in the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in central Paris, prosecutors said Saturday.

Debris found from downed Australian military helicopter

Australian police said Saturday that debris had been found from an Australian military helicopter that crashed into the Pacific Ocean, but there was still no sign of four missing crew members after a night and day's search.

Trump vows to fight on in 2024 White House race if sentenced

Former US president Donald Trump said Friday he would not end his run for the White House if convicted and sentenced in any of the criminal investigations threatening to derail his tumultuous comeback bid.

Court green lights expanding London's road pollution charge

The High Court in London ruled Friday that contentious plans by the city's mayor to extend a scheme requiring more polluting vehicles to pay a daily charge when driven can go ahead next month.

Singapore executes first woman convict in nearly 20 years

Singapore on Friday hanged a 45-year-old citizen for drug trafficking, the city-state's first execution of a woman in nearly 20 years, officials said.

Mexico's Copper Canyon train lures intrepid travelers

From the heartland of a notorious drug cartel to rugged mountains home to remote Indigenous communities, Mexico's "El Chepe" train takes adventure-seeking travelers on a spectacular journey through the Copper Canyon.

In Costa Rica, saving seeds to feed future generations

In the tropical mountains of Costa Rica, scientists guard a treasure trove of seeds collected over decades as a bulwark against food insecurity and climate change.

Trump faces fresh charges in documents case as legal woes grow

Former US president Donald Trump faced fresh charges Thursday alleging that he attempted to obstruct the investigation into the mishandling of top-secret documents by conspiring to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

'Miracle in the Andes' crash survivor dies half century later

Uruguayan Jose Luis Inciarte, one of 16 survivors of a 1972 Andean plane crash immortalized in the film "Alive," died in his home city of Montevideo Thursday aged 75, a friend told AFP.

23 dead, six missing as boat capsizes in Philippine lake

A small passenger boat capsized in a lake near the Philippine capital on Thursday, killing 23 people on board and leaving six missing, rescuers said.

Dutch race to put out blaze on car ship

Authorities were racing Thursday to prevent a possible ecological disaster off the Dutch coast where a blaze raged aboard a car carrier ship for a second day.

Tunisia says 900 migrants drowned off its coast this year

More than 900 migrants have drowned off Tunisia's coast so far this year as they tried to reach Europe by boat, the North African country's government said Thursday.

Ship fire still rages off Dutch coast

Dutch firefighters Thursday battled for a second day to douse a blaze on a cargo ship off the Netherlands coast suspected to have been started by electric cars.

In the Arctic, Russians keep the free press flame alive

Exiled to a place far above the Arctic Circle, a group of Russian journalists are working with Norwegians to break through the strict state controls that have gripped the media in their homeland.

Norwegian woman, Nepali guide set record for summit of 14 'super peaks'

A Norwegian woman and her Nepali guide set the record Thursday for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre (26,000-feet) mountains, their team said in a statement.

Yemen speciality coffee 'wave' sweeps war-hit capital

Tucked amid shell-pocked buildings and roadside tributes to fallen fighters, a less obvious byproduct of wartime is spreading across Yemen's capital: speciality coffee houses serving steaming cups of top-rated pour-over.

Ecuador counts the cost of days-long riot as guards freed

Seventeen Ecuador corrections officials held hostage by prison inmates were freed Wednesday, authorities said, as they struggled to compile a death toll from the dismembered body parts left over from days of fighting between rival gangs.

'We are dying': Migrants' plea from Libya-Tunisia border

African migrants pleaded to be saved from a desert zone between Libya and Tunisia on Wednesday, weeks after Tunisian authorities allegedly dumped dozens of them there with nothing.

Mattel reports profit dip despite glow from 'Barbie' blockbuster

Mattel reported a drop in profits Wednesday on lower sales, including a decline in Barbie products in the second quarter.

Spurs owner Lewis pleads not guilty to US insider trading charges

The British billionaire owner of Premier League side Tottenham, Joe Lewis, pleaded not guilty to insider trading charges Wednesday in a US federal court.

New fires in heat-hit Greece force evacuations

Greece ordered evacuations on Wednesday for areas near two central cities after new blazes broke out during a punishing heatwave and as deadly fires hit the Mediterranean.

Electric car suspected in ship fire off Netherlands

An electric car was suspected in the blaze raging aboard a cargo ship off the Netherlands on Wednesday, which authorities fear could burn for days and threaten nearby natural sites.

US actor Kevin Spacey cleared of UK sex offences

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey was found not guilty in Britain Wednesday of nine alleged sex offences against men, which follows the Oscar winner's being cleared in a US case.

What's next for Israel's divisive judicial reforms?

Mass protests and strikes rocked Israel this week in the face of the hard-right government's decision to push through a controversial legal reform weakening the powers of the Supreme Court.

The China Mail - Boulevard (English)