US AND CANADA

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has issued a forceful response to US President Donald Trump after Trump threatened to sever trade ties with Spain. Speaking in a televised address from the prime minister’s official residence in Madrid, Sánchez defended his government’s foreign policy stance and repeated a message that he said defines Spain’s position in the current global climate: “no to war.”

The address came a day after Trump declared he did not want “anything to do” with Spain and warned of a full trade embargo. The threat followed Spain’s refusal to allow the United States to use the jointly operated military bases at Morón and Rota for strikes against Iran. During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump described Spain as a “terrible partner” and criticized the country for not meeting NATO’s target of allocating 5 percent of its gross domestic product to defense spending.

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Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," the leader of Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was buried in a golden casket by his family on Monday. The 59-year-old drug lord died from wounds sustained in a firefight with Mexican special forces in late February while they attempted to apprehend him. El Mencho was Mexico's most-wanted man, with the US offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.

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Israel and the U.S. intensified their bombardment of Iran’s security forces and other symbols of power Wednesday, as Tehran vowed to completely destroy the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure — all indications that the war was nowhere near over and risks expanding further.

In addition to striking Tehran on the fifth day of the conflict, Israel hit the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, while Iran fired on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel. As

the conflict spiraled, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey’s airspace. And an Iranian warship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka, though it was not immediately clear what happened.

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The escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have directly impacted global digital infrastructure as Amazon's cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS) confirmed that three of its facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain were hit by drone strikes. The incidents occurred on Sunday morning, following weekend US and Israeli strikes against Iran. AWS initially reported "objects" hitting a UAE data center, causing "sparks and fire," and investigated power and connectivity issues at a Bahrain facility. The company confirmed on Monday that drone strikes caused the outages.

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A disgraced Louisiana mayor has been found guilty of having sex with her son’s 16-year-old best friend at a booze-filled pool party.

The jury at Misty Roberts’s trial reached a guilty verdict after deliberating for less than an hour, according to Upper Michigan Source.

Roberts, the 43-year-old former leader of DeRidder, La., was convicted on charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, the outlet reported.

The conviction comes after the boy she had s£x with at the 2024 party testified in front of jurors that he was drunk when the s£x crime unfolded, the outlet said.

Roberts will have to register as a s£x offender. Her sentencing is scheduled for April 17.

Carnal knowledge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, whereas indecent behavior carries a sentence of up to seven years, according to the report.

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President Trump’s physician, Sean Barbabella, has addressed concerns regarding red markings on the president’s neck, attributing them to a "preventative skin treatment." In a statement released Monday, Barbabella explained that the president is using a "very common cream" on the right side of his neck for one week. While the treatment is brief, the resulting redness is expected to persist for several weeks.

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President Donald Trump has threatened to halt all trade with Spain after the country barred the U.S. military from using its bases for operations in Iran. Speaking at the White House, Trump labeled Spain’s actions "terrible" and stated that the administration intended to "cut off all trade." It remains unclear how such a threat would be implemented given Spain’s membership in the European Union.

"We're going to cut off all trade". "We don't want anything to do with Spain," he told reporters.

Trump's comments add to existing tensions between the two countries, including over the Spanish government's resistance to Trump's demand for NATO allies to raise their defence spending.

"I could tomorrow - or today, even better - stop everything having to do with Spain, all business having to do with Spain," Trump said on Tuesday.

Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both claimed that the US can legally place an embargo on products imported from Spain. But US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was non-committal when asked by the president for his view on the plan.

"We're going to talk about it with you," Greer said.

"You have the strong power that the Supreme Court clarified - we know you can use it. And if you need to use it to assure national and economic security, we'll do it."

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Dave & Buster's is the latest US restaurant chain to face backlash over its tipping practices.

Customers are accusing the arcade and sports bar brand - known for its all-ages 'eatertainment' concept - of running a tipping 'scam.'

In a Reddit post, one diner said they visited the venue with their boyfriend, nephew, and sister, who planned to cover the bill.

When it came time to pay the $86.88 check, staff brought both a paper receipt and an Apple Pay terminal, since the sister didn't have her physical card. That's when things became confusing.

According to the post, the suggested tip amounts on the two receipts didn't match - even though both listed the same percentages: 18, 20, and 22 percent. The digital payment screen displayed higher dollar amounts for each option, despite the total bill remaining $86.88.

The discrepancy left the group questioning how the suggested tips were calculated - and whether the system was intentionally inflating gratuities.

Others noted the reason behind the price difference - tax. The digital receipt showed the suggested tip after tax, while the paper receipt showed the pre-tax tip amount.

This is standard for most Dave & Busters restaurants - over 170 locations globally. Typically, diners based their tips on pre-tax amounts, although the standard has changed as tipping culture evolved.

'My kids tip pre-tax which is ok for me,' one Reddit user noted. 'Goes to show they're financially aware.'

'Yeah the pre-tax thing is wild, they're definitely doing that on purpose,' another wrote. 'Most places do it that way but it's still kind of sneaky when you're not paying attention.'

Another customer claimed that they exclusively tip 'what they can' - they don't feel pressured to tip an unusual amount when they go out to eat.

This wouldn't be the first time Dave & Busters was caught with confusing tipping suggestions. TikTok user Opal (@stargirl3363) went viral after her math clashed with the New York location.

'So, the bill is $158, and this is 20 percent,' Opal said, showing the 20 percent tip listed as $44.38 on the payment terminal.

'But when we do it on our calculations,' she continued, and showed her tip total coming to $31.60 - over $12 less than the tip on the screen.

'Tipping culture is a travesty at this point,' a frustrated Reddit user wrote.

Tipping norms are constantly changing in the US, as some restaurants recently added a 30 percent tip suggestion for customers.