NATION & WORLD WATCH

Deputies: Florida bride, caterer served marijuana-laced food

LONGWOOD, Fla. – A 42-year-old Florida bride and her 31-year-old caterer are accused of serving food laced with marijuana to unsuspecting guests at a wedding reception. The women were arrested Monday following an investigation by the Seminole County Sheriff ’s Office, according to court records. Both women were charged with tampering, culpable negligence, and delivery of marijuana and later bonded out of jail. A detective wrote in the report that guests said they had not been warned about the laced food.

Authorities say man bites, stabs K9 dog in California

FAIRFIELD, Calif. – A man allegedly bit and stabbed a police dog in Northern California as officers tried to take him into custody Wednesday, authorities said. The dog, named Cort, was taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment and recovering at home with its handler. When police and the K9 dog went inside the house, the dog “contacted” the man, authorities said. Then police and the K9 dog went inside the house, the man then allegedly bit the dog in the face and stabbed the animal on its left side with a knife, police said.

Pakistan leaders say no foreign plot in ex-pm Khan’s removal

ISLAMABAD – A committee of Pakistan’s top political and military leaders said Friday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claims that he was ousted from power by a foreign plot on April 10 are untrue. The statement issued by the National Security Committee aimed to put an official end to the claims by Khan, who has repeatedly said the United States conspired to oust him from power. The Committee said in a statement that an investigation had shown that the country’s security agencies “have found no evidence of any conspiracy.”

Indonesia to ban exports of cooking oil to reduce shortages

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia will ban exports of cooking oil and its raw materials to reduce domestic shortages and slow skyrocketing prices, President Joko Widodo announced Friday, a day after hundreds of people protested in the capital against rising food costs. The ban begins next Thursday and will continue for an undetermined length of time, he said. Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s largest exporters of palm oil, which plays an important role in their economies. They account for 85% of global palm oil production.