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Australian penguin dies, ending famous 'same-sex power couple'

A celebrated Australian penguin famous for raising chicks as part of an unlikely same-sex couple has died, a Sydney aquarium said on Thursday.

Male gentoo penguins Sphen and Magic caught the attention of zookeepers, and then the world, when they built a nest of pebbles together in 2018.

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Skiing in a Madrid shopping center when it's 34C outside

They take off their flip flops and put on ski suits and gloves. Outside this Madrid mall, it's scorching, but at Snozone, customers are happy to ignore the summer heat -- and environmental issues.

An icy breeze in the lobby and a polar bear at the entrance plunge these summer visitors into another world at the Xanadu shopping centre 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Madrid.

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Climate change a mixed blessing for sun-starved Irish vintners

At a tiny outpost in the wine world, Ireland's handful of winemakers are cautiously eyeing long-term growth potential as climate change warms up its cool climate.

According to Ireland's meteorological service, typically rainy Irish summers are getting warmer and drier on average.

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Venezuela at a crossroads: democracy or dictatorship

Venezuela is at a crossroads, with the government of strongman Nicolas Maduro doubling down on his disputed reelection victory and the opposition vowing to resist "to the end."

The choice, say analysts, is between entrenching authoritarianism or democratic change.

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Strange produce: smugglers disguise meth as melons in U.S.

Smugglers disguised $5 million worth of methamphetamine as watermelons and tried to truck them across the border from Mexico, US border agents said.

More than 4,500 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of the addictive drug were wrapped in paper packages painted to look like the juicy fruit and hidden amongst other cargo.

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French court dismisses appeal in Agent Orange case

A Paris court Thursday rejected an appeal by a French-Vietnamese woman who has been trying to sue Monsanto and other makers of Agent Orange for the chemical's use in the Vietnam war.

Tran To Nga, who was born in what was then French Indochina, accused 14 agrochemicals firms of causing grievous harm to her and others by selling Agent Orange to the American military, which used the herbicide to devastating effect in Vietnam.

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'Fawning' Trump wrote thank-you note to Putin after secret poisoning plot: ex-adviser

Then-President Donald Trump sent a "fawning" thank you note to Vladmir Putin after the Russian president's agents orchestrated the poisoning of a double agent and his daughter, a new book reportedly reveals.

Trump's former national security adviser HR McMaster details this bizarre moment in his upcoming book "At War With Ourselves" about Putin's exploitation of the former president's "ego and insecurities," the Guardian reported Wednesday.

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'Abuse every day': Indian female medics speak out after brutal murder

Saving lives was the childhood dream for 28-year-old Indian doctor Radhika, but after the brutal rape and murder of a colleague her own safety has increasingly become a top concern.

Earlier this month, at the government-run hospital where Radhika works in the eastern city of Kolkata, the battered and bloodied body of a 31-year-old woman doctor was found, sparking outrage.

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U.S. sanctions ex-Haiti president Martelly for drug trafficking

The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled sanctions against former Haitian president Michel Martelly on Tuesday for trafficking drugs, including cocaine, destined for the United States.

The actions taken by Washington echo similar moves from the Canadian government, which imposed sanctions in 2022 against Martelly and two ex-prime ministers, accusing them of profiting from armed gangs.

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Brazil fishermen turn to mobile app to combat pollution scourge

Brazilian activist and fisherman Alexandre Anderson uses one hand to steer his boat, and the other to film an oil stain spreading over Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay.

He will upload the video to an app developed to expose environmental damage in the iconic bay crucial for tourism and the fishing industry, but plagued by spills of oil, chemicals and untreated wastewater.

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Pakistan's Sindh orders inquiry into monsoon child brides

A Pakistan provincial government has ordered an inquiry into child marriages in areas affected by floods in 2022 following an exclusive AFP story on the subject.

Pakistan's high rate of marriages for underage girls had been inching lower in recent years, but after unprecedented floods in 2022 rights workers warned that such weddings were on the rise due to climate-driven economic insecurity.

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U.S. says Iran responsible for Trump campaign hack

Iran was behind a recent hack targeting Donald Trump's presidential campaign, US security agencies said Monday, accusing Tehran of seeking to influence the 2024 election.

The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed the Trump campaign claim from earlier this month that it had been targeted, potentially by Iran.

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UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who was acquitted of an $11 billion fraud in a US court in June, was among six people missing after their chartered superyacht was hit by a freak storm Monday and sank off the coast of Sicily, near Palermo. Lynch’s wife was among the 15 people rescued after the yacht sank.

UK businessman Mike Lynch, who was recently acquitted in the United States of an $11 billion fraud, is among those missing Monday after a superyacht sank off southern Italy, according to the head of the Civil Protection Agency.

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