News in Brief(2023-08-03)

Public Prosecutor's Office investigates Costa
Rica president for 'influence peddling'
SAN JOSÉ, Aug 02: The Costa Rican Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an "influence peddling" investigation into President Rodrigo Chaves and several members of his government, the agency told AFP on Tuesday. The probe follows a criminal complaint lodged July 25 by businessman Leonel Baruch, who accused Chaves of interfering in his divorce and child custody proceedings. The Public Prosecutor's Office said in a short statement that it had opened the investigation "as a result of the complaint filed by Mr Baruch," president of Costa Rican bank BCT Corporation and a board member of CR Hoy, a media outlet critical of Chaves. — AFP
Canada puts warning on each cigarette
OTTAWA, Aug 02: Each cigarette sold in Canada effective Tuesday now comes with an individual health warning that "cigarettes cause impotence" and cancer, and that there is "poison in every puff." The labelling rule announced in May aims to further crack down on smoking and is a world first. Canada's then-addictions minister, Carolyn Bennett, had said the new warning labels would be "virtually unavoidable and, together with updated graphic images displayed on the package, will provide a real and startling reminder of the health consequences of smoking." — AFP
MFP excluded from Thai coalition
BANGKOK, Aug 02: The reformist party that won Thailand's general election was excluded Wednesday from a coalition trying to form a government, as lawmakers seek a way around resistance from military and pro-royalist senators. The Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May's election, riding a wave of support from young and urban Thais weary of almost a decade of army-backed rule, but it fell well short of a majority. — AFP