BRATTLEBORO, Vt (Reuters) – Federal prosecutors have charged two men with transporting several Hispanic women from New York to Vermont to have sex with farm workers.

Alejandro Enrique Young-Hernandez, 53, of Hyde Park, Vermont, appeared Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington on a conspiracy charge of intent to have the women, most in their early to mid-twenties, engage in prostitution at various farms, Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Ross said on Thursday.

According to the criminal complaint, Young-Hernandez, also known as Alex Young, met a Mexican man in October named Jose Tomas Flores-Rocha, also 53, who prosecutors said was in the country unlawfully.

Read the whole hot breaking news

OTTAWA (AFP) – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wowed screaming Canadian crowds Thursday as she and Prince William began their first official overseas trip as Britain’s royal golden couple.

Canadians turned out en masse for a glimpse or a handshake as Princess Catherine, wearing a navy lace dress by Montreal-born designer Erdem Moraliaoglu, put in a consummate debut performance in the capital Ottawa.

Packed with pomp and pageantry, the North American tour comes just two months after a radiant Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in a fairytale royal wedding watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide.

Read the whole hot breaking news

ROME – The Italian government approved a euro47 billion ($ 68 billion) austerity sweep Thursday to show financial markets and the European Union it is serious about balancing its budget.

The decree drafted by Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti was approved during a Cabinet meeting and now passes to Parliament for a vote.

The three-year-plan aims to bring the government’s budget deficit of 3.9 percent this year to near balance by 2014.

Read the whole hot breaking news