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WTO talks extended in bid to seal elusive deals
The World Trade Organization's ministerial conference will run over into a fifth day Thursday in the hope of striking thus-far elusive deals on fishing subsidies, food security and combating Covid-19.
Thailand takes step towards same-sex marriage with parliament vote
Thailand took a step towards marriage equality Wednesday as lawmakers gave initial approval to legalising same-sex unions, prompting celebrations outside the parliament building.
Tanzania targets internet giants with new tax
Tanzania will introduce a digital tax this year, the country's finance minister said, in a move targeting global internet giants offering services in the East African nation.
China Covid pass system allegedly used to block protest
Authorities in central China allegedly used the country's powerful Covid tracking system to stop an anticipated protest, state media reported, sparking furious condemnation online on Wednesday.
ECB calls surprise meeting as borrowing costs rise
European Central Bank policymakers called an emergency meeting on Wednesday, as more indebted eurozone states have come under pressure from rising borrowing costs.
Indigenous team scours remote Amazon for missing Phillips and Pereira
Wooden canoes slice soundlessly through the flooded jungles of Javari Valley in Brazil's Amazon region, steered by a team of Indigenous people scouring for clues to the whereabouts of British journalist Dom Phillips and his colleague Bruno Pereira.
Flights resume after computer glitch shuts Swiss airspace
Swiss airspace reopened Wednesday morning after a computer glitch grounded flights across the Alpine nation for several hours, officials said.
Lacking tourism workers, Croatia recruits abroad
Tourists are flocking back to Croatia after the pandemic decimated its vital travel industry, except the Adriatic nation has a problem: it lacks workers to cater to the legions of visitors.
South Korean truckers end week-long strike
South Korean truck drivers will return to work Wednesday after reaching an agreement with Seoul to end an eight-day protest over wages and fuel costs that had snarled global supply chains.
China factory output, retail sales weak as Covid shadow persists
China's factory output and retail sales remained weak in May, official data showed Wednesday, with tepid demand and lingering Covid restrictions putting a damper on growth in the world's second-largest economy.
Ultra-fast delivery firms face post-pandemic hangover
Prathamesh Jathar is one of many brightly dressed riders zipping through the streets of Berlin, dropping off groceries just minutes after the orders come in.
Shanghai lockdown sees quarter of US firms cut investment plans: poll
Shanghai's lengthy Covid-19 lockdown pushed a quarter of US firms in the city to cut investment plans and nearly all to drop revenue forecasts, a business group said Wednesday.
The two black women bidding to make VP history in Colombia
For the first time, Colombia will have a black woman vice president, as voters decide Sunday between a pair of rival candidates aiming to make history in the South American nation.
Canada businesses hire young teenagers to fill labor shortage
Sofia-Rose Adams skillfully scoops ice cream onto cones and manages the cash register at Les Gourmandes cafe and ice cream parlor in Canada's Montreal region.
US central bank ponders huge rate hike to combat price surge
The US Federal Reserve is poised to raise borrowing costs Wednesday amid the troubling acceleration of inflation, with the only question being whether officials will opt for the biggest hike in nearly three decades or a smaller step up.
It's (not) alive! Google row exposes AI troubles
An internal fight over whether Google built technology with human-like consciousness has spilled into the open, exposing the ambitions and risks inherent in artificial intelligence that can feel all too real.
Tampon shortage latest sign of supply chain woes in US stores
Tampons are the latest product disappearing from store shelves in the United States, another illustration of supply chain problems that are complicating daily life, following the troubling shortage of baby formula.
Growing numbers avoiding news as 'too depressing': report
The depressing state of the world is leading people to switch off from the news, the Reuters Institute reported on Wednesday.
Brazil 'confident' VW will pay damages in slave-labor case
Volkswagen appeared Tuesday before a hearing with Brazilian prosecutors to answer to allegations of human-rights violations at a farm the German auto giant ran during Brazil's military dictatorship, including slave labor, rapes and torture.
Stocks mostly fall as markets await aggressive Fed action
Global equity markets mostly fell on Tuesday as markets awaited a key Federal Reserve decision amid rising expectations for an even tougher rate hike than previously telegraphed.
US extends sanctions exemption for energy payments to Russia
Washington said Tuesday it will continue to allow payments to Russia for energy products through December 5, to give European countries time to prepare for a near-total oil embargo in retaliation for Moscow's war on Ukraine.
Tampon shortage latest sign of supply chain issues in US stores
Tampons are the latest product disappearing from store shelves in the United States, another illustration of supply chain problems that are complicating daily life, following the troubling shortage of baby formula.
India all but sinks WTO sustainable fishing deal
India all but sunk the WTO's bid to net a long-sought deal on curbing harmful fishing subsidies when it insisted Tuesday it would only sign up if it is given a 25-year exemption from the restrictions.
More crew of grounded plane prevented from leaving Argentina
The Venezuelan crew of a cargo plane grounded outside Buenos Aires since last week may not leave Argentina, a judge ruled Tuesday after their hotel was raided in a probe into possible Iran terror links.
UK scraps subsidies for electric plug-in cars
Britain on Tuesday axed its £1,500 ($1,800) subsidy for buyers of new plug-in cars as it focuses on other types of electric vehicles, but the news drew anger from the auto sector.
Fed begins meeting with massive hike possible amid price surge
US central bankers opened their two-day policy meeting Tuesday amid a blistering inflation surge that has ignited predictions the Federal Reserve will approve the biggest interest rate hike in more than 27 years.
Heard stands by 'every word' of defamation trial testimony
Amber Heard stands by "every word" of her testimony during the defamation trial against former husband Johnny Depp, she said in an interview released Tuesday.
Musk to face Twitter employees at meeting
Billionaire Elon Musk will address Twitter employees at a meeting this week, the company confirmed Tuesday, in a first since launching his troubled $44 billion bid for the social media platform.
Media giants buy IPL cricket rights for $6.2 billion
India's cricket board said Tuesday it has sold the broadcast rights of the IPL tournament for the next five seasons to global media giants for an eye-popping $6.2 billion.
'Minions' return with hopes of more box office gold
Completely stupid but terribly endearing, the Minions have become one of the most profitable bunch of characters in animation.
Take holiday to grow food, Sri Lanka tells civil servants
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka is asking civil servants to take an extra day off each week to grow crops in their backyards in a bid to forestall a looming food shortage.
Famed Hong Kong floating restaurant towed away after half a century
Hong Kong's Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a famed but ageing tourist attraction that featured in multiple Cantonese and Hollywood films, was towed out of the city Tuesday after years of revitalisation efforts went nowhere.
Families of overdose victims demand action from social media platforms
Families of teens who died after overdosing on drugs they bought through Snapchat and other social media platforms called Monday for tech firms to do more to address the problem.
Keeping China fed as inflation surges brings risk for commodity prices
Bedevilled by high fuel and fertiliser costs, along with a labour crisis driven by Covid-19 restrictions, China risks a smaller autumn harvest that could supercharge demand for commodities just as the world can afford it least.
Lithuania to buy howitzers from France
Lithuania has agreed to buy 18 howitzers from France, both sides' defence ministers announced Monday, as the Baltic country bolsters its arsenal due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
VW faces Brazil hearing over dictatorship-era slavery claims
German carmaker Volkswagen faces an audience with Brazilian prosecutors Tuesday over allegations of human-rights violations at a farm it ran during Brazil's military dictatorship, including slave labor, rapes and beatings.
You can't always get what you want: Jagger gets Covid
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger on Monday said he had caught Covid, forcing the band to cancel its latest gig in Amsterdam.
'Bear' market: Inflation fears pummel global stocks
Equity markets dove again Monday, with Wall Street officially entering a bear market as investors bet on more aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes to address runaway inflation.
Scientists map brain network linked to addiction
Researchers said on Monday they had mapped the network in the brain linked to addiction by studying long-time smokers who abruptly quit after suffering brain lesions.