US AND CANADA

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued on Tuesday that the United States has successfully completed its military campaign against Iran.


Despite not yet securing Tehran's enriched uranium, Rubio stated that efforts to ensure safe passage for oil transit in the Strait of Hormuz now constitute a separate, smaller defensive operation.

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The collapse of the U.S.-based Spirit Airlines may mark the end of an era for travelers with a certain financial sensibility.

But if you’ve been snagged in their now-defunct flight schedule, here are some things to know on how to get home, and get whole.

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Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has sent a handwritten letter to the federal court for the Eastern District of New York requesting to be extradited to Mexico to face charges in his home country, in a move that legal experts consider almost unlikely to succeed. 

The document, dated April 23 and formally received by the court on May 1, was processed through the Pro Se office of the Brooklyn court, confirming that the drug trafficker acted on his own, without the support or signature of his defense attorneys. 

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Barry Christian has been found dead two days after he was reported missing, authorities have confirmed. He was 54.

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Fernando Mendoza is carefully considering how his decisions are perceived as he begins his NFL journey.

The rookie Las Vegas Raiders quarterback shared over the weekend that he is unlikely to attend the White House visit with his former college team, the Indiana Hoosiers, scheduled for next week. His reasoning is rooted in commitment to his new team and the expectations placed on him as a newcomer.

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President Donald Trump has announced the removal of all tariffs and restrictions on whisky imports to mark the state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the United States.

The President also stated he would lift barriers preventing Scotland and the state of Kentucky from collaborating on whisky and bourbon production. The UK government has confirmed that this policy applies to all whisky categories, including Irish whiskey

Industry representatives said distillers would be able to "breathe a little easier during a period of significant pressure on the sector".

Trump said the Royal visit "got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking".

The King and Queen spent four days in the US on a state visit hosted by Trump where they visited Washington DC, New York and Virginia before they left on Thursday.

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney called it "tremendous news for Scotland".

Swinney added: "Millions of pounds were being lost every month from the Scottish economy.” He said Scotland was grateful to the King for the key role he played.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the move was "in honour of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful country".

He said the tariffs and restrictions related to "Scotland's ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important industries within Scotland and Kentucky", and noted how the two areas were linked through the use of wooden barrels.

The main customer for Kentucky's used bourbon barrels is the Scotch industry, which has been importing around £200m-worth each year.

At a press conference later on Thursday, Trump added: "I just took all the restrictions off, so Scotland and Kentucky can start dealing again.

"And I did it in honour of the King and Queen who just left.”

The Scottish and UK governments had both lobbied for the current 10% tariff rate to be reduced or removed on the basis it would benefit both Scottish and US distillers.

Tariffs for exports to the US, introduced under the Trump administration and adding 10% to importers' costs, hit sales in Scotland's whisky industry's biggest export market.

Graeme Littlejohn, director of strategy for the Scotch Whisky Association, said they were "delighted".

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The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court’s ruling that would have restricted nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone. Justice Samuel Alito issued the orders on Monday, staying a decision from the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals until at least May 11. This provisional hold maintains the current availability of the medication while the high court reviews the emergency challenge.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for the return of the historic Koh i Noor diamond to India just hours before meeting King Charles III at an event in New York City. The meeting took place during a ceremony commemorating victims of the September 11 attacks.

Speaking at a press conference before the event, Mamdani said that if given the opportunity to speak privately with the King he would encourage him to return the