Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face new criminal charges in ‌the US over the alleged torture of Americans held in the South American country, a US official said on Wednesday. The new charges could come as soon as Thursday, according to the official, who was briefed on the ⁠investigation. Maduro and Flores were captured by the US military from their ‌homes in Caracas on January 3 and brought to New York to face drug-trafficking charges....

Maricarmen ⁠Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose ⁠dramatic eviction last month sparked mass ⁠housing protests in Spain that ultimately led to an early election, has died, Madrid’s tenants’ union said on Wednesday, provoking an outpouring of grief and anger on the streets of the capital. Abascal had been in hospital since her eviction on ‌September 23 from her home of more than 70 years, when police and social workers removed her by stretcher. Since then, protests have included activists camping...

A US real estate firm announced on Wednesday it is buying the Chrysler Building and will undertake a vast makeover of the art deco landmark that dominates New York’s skyline. The Chrysler Building, which was opened in 1930 as a symbol of exuberance and modernity, had faced several years of uncertainty over its ownership. Tishman Speyer, a commercial landlord, said it and other investors will inject US$235 million into the property to refurbish its ageing interior and exterior. They will also pay...

The US Treasury on Wednesday announced its first penalty under rules governing American investment in sensitive Chinese technologies, revealing a US$200,000 fine against the parent of Plug and Play Tech Centre for failing to report an investment in a Shanghai robotics AI company. The Treasury said on Wednesday that Amidi, LLC failed to submit a required notification after its Chinese fund subsidiary invested around US$92,478 in Shanghai Qiongche Intelligent Technology Company Limited, known as...

Canada will not allow medically assisted suicide for people whose only condition is mental illness, the justice minister said on Wednesday, seeking to close debate on one of the country’s most controversial healthcare issues. Canada legalised assisted dying for those at the end of life in 2016. The right was extended to those suffering from serious and incurable illnesses in 2021, even if death was not “reasonably foreseeable”. Initially, Canada was to allow assisted death regardless of...

US President Donald Trump wants to turn his luxury Florida golf course into retreat for future American leaders modelled on the historic Camp David getaway, the White House said on Wednesday. The plan would make the Trump International Club in West Palm Beach – where the 80-year-old billionaire often spends weekends on the fairway – into an official sanctuary for his successors. “The United States government has asked to look into developing a presidential retreat at Trump International Golf...

The United States has proposed requiring universities and other certified schools to pay US$70,000 for each foreign student entering a post-graduation work programme, a measure that could sharply raise the cost for thousands of Chinese graduates seeking employment experience in the country. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that the proposed fee would apply to initial participation in Optional Practical Training, or OPT, with a further US$30,000 charge for subsequent...