London / AFP Soft drinks giant A.G. Barr, maker of Scotland’s famous Irn-Bru fizzy drink, slammed the British government Tuesday over its proposed sugar tax against obesity, as it reported falling sales. Barr — whose brands include carbonated drink Tizer and Rubicon juices — said there had been a move towards sugar-free drinks in the face of “negative media …

  Berlin / AFP German data protection authorities on Tuesday said they had blocked Facebook from collecting subscriber data from its subsidiary WhatsApp, citing privacy concerns. Facebook and WhatsApp promised in the wake of the Silicon Valley giant’s 2014 acquisition of the messaging app that they would not share data, Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Johannes …

  London /AFP A stocks rally triggered by Hillary Clinton’s upbeat performance in the first US presidential debate over Republican rival Donald Trump slid away on Tuesday on a dim outlook for an oil deal. In Asia, indices closed with solid gains as a confident Clinton bested her rival in the 90-minute showdown, but in Europe the gains were short-lived …