France has no plans to legalise cannabis for recreational use: minister

France will not legalise the recreational use of cannabis but could consider authorising its medical use, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Thursday. There is an ongoing discussion about a medical use," Borne told LCI television. Borne's comments follow publication of a report on

Activists in Hong Kong make pitch to extradition protesters: register to vote

Campaigners in Hong Kong have registered thousands of new voters during mass protests against controversial extradition law reform, pouncing on an opportunity to bolster the democratic opposition's prospects in upcoming elections. The city's pro-democracy camp needs a strong showing in city-wide

Renault-Nissan team up with Waymo for driverless mobility services

Renault and Nissan said Thursday they had teamed up with Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Google-parent company Alphabet, to explore the development of driverless mobility services in their home markets. Together with their third alliance partner Mitsubishi, Renault and Nissan make up the world

Philippe 'Zdar' of France's Cassius duo dies in fall from window

French DJ and producer Philippe Cerboneschi, a star of the electro duo Cassius, has died after falling from a window in Paris, his agent said. "He suffered an accidental fall, from the window of a high floor of a Paris building," said Sebastien Farran of the incident which occurred on Wednesday

Bank investments in technology not yet driving significant revenue growth: Accenture

The $1 trillion invested by traditional banks globally over the past three years to improve their technology has not yet delivered the revenue growth that had been expected, according to an Accenture report released on Thursday. The consultancy analyzed more than 160 of the largest retail and commercial

A fear of tasting new foods may increase risk of heart disease

A new study has shown that a healthy, balanced diet may protect against lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes. Over the course of seven years, the study monitored over 40,000 subjects aged 25 to 74 from Estonian and Finnish cohorts' behaviors relating to

Malaysia's Mahathir says Russia being made a scapegoat for downing of MH17

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Thursday Russia is being made a scapegoat for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and questioned the objectivity of the investigations into the 2014 disaster. The international investigative team set up to probe the crash said on Wednesday three

Freddie Mercury returns in release of stripped-back version of 'Time'

A stripped-back version of Freddie Mercury performing the song "Time" is released on Thursday, the result of a long search for the 1986 recording made at London's Abbey Road Studios. Accompanied by just a piano, the late Queen frontman sings a simpler version of the track he recorded as

UAW opposes Trump plan to freeze fuel rules at 2020 levels: testimony

The United Auto Workers (UAW) will tell Congress on Thursday the union opposes the Trump administration's proposal to freeze fuel efficiency requirements at 2020 levels through 2026, according to written testimony. The union represents workers at General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler

Human Rights Watch accuses Nicaragua of torture against protesters, urges sanctions

Pro-government forces in Nicaragua committed human rights abuses including torture in suppressing recent protests against President Daniel Ortega, and top officials should face sanctions, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday. After demonstrations against Ortega broke out in April 2018, more

Train derails in Nevada, spilling vegetable oil, closing major highway

The vegetable oil spilled out of one of the 22 derailed cars after the train went off the tracks shortly before 11 a.m. local time, the Elko County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook, citing Union Pacific Railroad officials. "We had some vegetable oil and some diesel spill. There was nothing

Carrie Underwood and NFL stole 'Sunday Night Football' theme: lawsuit

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood, the National Football League and NBC were sued on Wednesday for allegedly copying the "Game On" theme song used in 2018 for "Sunday Night Football" from an identically-titled song recorded two years earlier. In their complaint, Merrill and

Fall armyworm invades crops across Asia, smallholders worst hit

BAN NONG TOR, Thailand/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Looking out at his empty, red-earth field, Thai farmer Puang Timdon said his two-week-old maize crop didn't stand a chance against the fall armyworm pest. Fall armyworm, a caterpillar that got the name because it invades croplands in droves, much like

Renault, Nissan join Waymo in exploring driverless services in France, Japan

Vietnam calls in Russian experts to help preserve corpse of Ho Chi Minh

Vietnam has formed a special team of experts, including four Russian scientists, to help preserve the embalmed body of the Communist-ruled state's founding leader, Ho Chi Minh, according to a written copy of the official decision seen by Reuters. "The council is tasked with proposing plans

Former Interpol chief admits guilt in Chinese court hearing

Former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei admitted his guilt during a court hearing on Thursday after Chinese prosecutors accused him of taking 14.5 million yuan ($2.11 million) in bribes, state media said. Interpol, the global police coordination agency based in France, last October said Meng had resigned

New York to get one of world's most ambitious carbon reduction plans

New York state lawmakers on Wednesday passed one of the world's most ambitious laws aimed at countering climate change, under which fossil fuel power plants and gasoline cars will be phased out by 2050. New York's plan places it in the company of Great Britain, France, Sweden, New Zealand, and

Spain seeks ex-ETA boss' extradition from France: source

Spain has officially requested the extradition of Basque separatist group ETA's long-time leader Josu Ternera following his arrest in France last month, a French judicial source said. Spain wants to try Ternera over accusations that he ordered the bombing of a Civil Guard barracks in the city of

Canada becomes first G20 country to ban trade in shark fins

Canada passed a new law banning the import and export of shark fins, which also includes a requirement to rebuild depleted fish populations. The new Fisheries Act, approved late on Tuesday, was hailed by environmental and conservation groups as a win for the preservation of fish habitats and for the

Meat-loving Brazil joins the search for plant-based alternatives

Beef-crazy Brazil, with its all-you-can-eat steak houses, world-leading meatpackers and more cattle than people, is not the first place you might look for plant-based alternatives to meat. Such "plant-based meats" generally use a processed mix of protein from soybeans or peas, for example,

U.S. targets families for deportation to discourage migrants

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will target for deportation families that have received a removal order from a U.S. immigration court, said Mark Morgan, the acting director of ICE, in a call with reporters. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump formally launched his re-election bid