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Hope fades in search for missing after deadly Brazil rains

Hope fades in search for missing after deadly Brazil rains

Despair hung over two cities in southeastern Brazil on Wednesday as rescuers and residents searched for 33 people missing after torrential rains unleashed flooding and landslides that killed at least 36. A violent downpour on Monday in the state of Minas Gerais turned streets into raging rivers and led to

Germany's Merz meets Xi, announces Chinese Airbus order

Germany's Merz meets Xi, announces Chinese Airbus order

China will buy up to 120 aircraft from European aviation giant Airbus, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said following talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday. Merz's visit comes as Berlin and Beijing seek to build on their decades-old economic ties to weather global uncertainty sparked

Guinness maker Diageo cuts outlook on weak US, China demand

Guinness maker Diageo cuts outlook on weak US, China demand

Diageo, the maker of Guinness stout and Smirnoff vodka, cut its sales outlook and slashed shareholder payouts Wednesday, as its new chief executive seeks to revive the struggling drinks group. The British company said it expects full-year net sales to fall two to three percent in its fiscal year

Swiss-EU deals package to be signed next week

Swiss-EU deals package to be signed next week

After years of negotiations, Switzerland and the European Union will next week sign a package of agreements aimed at simplifying and harmonising their ties, Bern and Brussels said on Wednesday. The Swiss government said in a statement that it had been informed Wednesday that Swiss President Guy Parmelin and European

Starved of fuel, Cubans scramble to make ends meet

Starved of fuel, Cubans scramble to make ends meet

The US-imposed oil blockade on Cuba is upending the lives of everyday workers, who are switching jobs and ditching their cars to make do amid rolling blackouts and fuel shortages. Yixander Diaz jettisoned both his ride and his work when the father of two, a taxi driver, turned to

Ice melt threatens emperor penguins during annual moult: researchers

Ice melt threatens emperor penguins during annual moult: researchers

Emperor penguins shed all their feathers once a year, a precarious ritual that may have become deadly as climate change pushes them into shrinking patches of Antarctic sea ice, researchers said Wednesday. The flightless birds moult during summer, relying on stored fat to survive for several weeks until their waterproof

Turkey's Erdogan dismisses secular critics of Ramadan school plan

Turkey's Erdogan dismisses secular critics of Ramadan school plan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday defended a directive introducing Ramadan-related activities in public schools, rejecting criticism from opponents who said the move undermined Turkey's secular principles. Education Minister Yusuf Tekin issued a circular ordering schools from preschool to high school nationwide to organise religious activities during