London: The Tunisian terror suspect from the holiday resort where 30 Britons were massacred, has received over tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to help fight his attempt to return to the UK. Facing terrorism charges in Italy, Habib Ignaoua was extradited from the UK and is now demanding his right to return. Despite being ruled as a national security risk by intelligence agencies, he has received over £100,000 legal aid to fund his court bid to return to his country.
Farmers told to erect EU billboards
London: Landowners have been told they must put up permanent billboards which can be seen by the public, or face financial penalties. Eurosceptic Conservative MP, Daniel Hannan said, “Brussels is effectively offering landowners money to advertise the EU. Then again, that's the reason that a lot of people in Britain agree to support the EU: NGOs, charities, big corporations and universities.” The new Country Stewardship scheme stresses that landowners receiving more than €500,000 (£388,000), must put up a 4ft by 6ft billboard. There are concerns that the billboards could blight rural areas and popular walks, as over 11,000 landowners could participate in the scheme.
Bus crash kills 41 pensioners from tiny French village
Paris: Considered the worst road accident in France since 1982, 41 pensioners on a coach trip collided with a lorry carrying the driver and his young son, and caught fire, in narrow road through vineyards near Bordeaux. Most of the victims were burnt to death after surviving the low-speed crash. Seven people escaped after the unhurt coach driver jumped out and rescued passengers before they were engulfed in the fire. The lorry driver's three year old son's body wasn't found until seven hours into the crash. Eight people were being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening burns, including driver of a car who stopped by to help. Nearly ten hours after the crash the remains of the passengers were still on board the burnt-out coach as police experts examined the scene.
British academics to boycott of Israeli universities
Jerusalem: Protesting against the “violations of international law,” hundreds of British academics have decided to boycott Israeli universities. Three hundred and forty three university lecturers in subjects like chemistry, mathematics and political science, have said that they would not accept invitations for academic visits to Israel or cooperate with their universities in any way.
Experts warn against eating processed meats
London: The World Health Organisation has warned that eating bacon, sausages or ham sandwich everyday could significantly increase the risk of bowel cancer. It said that processed meats were classed alongside cigarettes and asbestos after the expert advisory agency calculated that they led to tens of thousands of extra deaths every year. Red meat is also probably carcinogenic when eaten over time, the International Agency for Research on Cancer ruled.
Murdoch reportedly dating Mick Jagger's ex
California: It has been reported that the 84-year-old media mogul, Rupert Murdoch is currently dating a former supermodel and the ex-partner of Rolling Stones singer, Sir Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall. It has been claimed that the duo will be appearing at the rugby World Cup final together. Jerry Hall (59), had once dated Bryan Ferry, of Foxy Music, before being in a relationship with Mick Jagger. Hall and Jagger married in 1990 in Bali, however separated in 1999. They had four children together. Murdoch was known to be single after his marriage to Wendi Deng ended in 2013.
Men should bank sperm early as quality diminishes with age
California: US researchers from Stanford University and the New England Cryogenic Centre conducted a study on a group of nearly 500 men who donated sperm to a bank over 11 years, checking the condition of semen on each occasion. A significant decline in the quality and quantity of their sperm along with increasing problems, were found. Authors of the study said men who wanted to put off fatherhood until later life should bank their sperm early or risk not being able to get their partners pregnant. The average age of fatherhood in England and Wales has increased from 31 in the early 1990s to 33 now. But sperm becomes more prone to errors with age, increasing the risk of autism, schizophrenia and other disorders.
Avoid 'toxic June' when trying to conceive, say scientists
Indiana (US): Researchers at Indiana University looked at data from more than 270,000 pregnancies between 2004 and 2009 to find marked differences in the percentage of healthy babies born at different times of the year. Scientists have suggested women hoping to conceive, to avoid “toxic June”. The highest chance of having a healthy baby was in December with three extra babies surviving per every 200 pregnancies compared with in the summer months.
Gandhi's kin charged with $830,000 fraud in SA
Johannesburg: The 45 year old great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi has been accused of defrauding two businessmen of more than $830,000 in South Africa. Ashish Lata Ramgobind is alleged of defrauding two local businessmen of more than 11 million rands by claiming that she had secured a tender to import bedding from India for private hospital group Netcare. According to Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of Hawks, an elite fraud investigation unit, Ramgobind allegedly provided forged invoices and documents to convince the investors that three containers of linen were being shipped in from India. She later appeared in the Durban magistrates' court on charges of theft, fraud and forgery. She is the daughter of renowned human rights activist Ela Gandhi and Mewa Ramgobind.
At least 11 killed in Pak passenger bus explosion
Karachi: At least 11 people have been killed and 22 others injured in a passenger bus explosion in Pakistan’s Quetta Sariab Road. Police Surgeon Dr Noor Baloch said eight of the injured people are critical. IG Balochistan Almish Khan said the bomb, a time device, had been planted at the bus roof, adding that it weighed around four to five kgs. One of the victims said that most of the victims were people sitting at the back in the bus, when the bomb exploded, while the passengers in the front suffered minor injuries. No known terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan stalls power imports from India
Karachi: An official from Pakistan's Ministry of Water and Power has said they have stalled the plan to import 4,000 megawatts of electricity from India due to rising extreme anti-Pakistan sentiments. The official said that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only allegedly against peace talks, but is now encouraging extremist group to attack Pakistani visitors in the country. Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif, in a written statement to the Senate, said no progress has taken place even though M/s Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) had submitted a proposal of the export of 500-800 Mws, which would eventually scale up to 3500-4000 MWs.
White House visit over, `Clock boy' to shift to Qatar
Houston: The Muslim teenager who was arrested in the US for bringing to school a homemade clock and attracted global attention, is moving to Qatar for studies, his family said, a day after he met President Barack Obama. Ahmed Mohamed, a ninth grader, became an internet sensation after the incident, has accepted an offer from the Qatar Foundation to study at its Young Innovators Programme. “This means, that we, as a family, will relocate to Qatar where Ahmed will receive a full scholarship for secondary and undergraduate education,“ his family said in a statement. “I really enjoyed my time at Education City, where I met other kids like me who are part of the Young Innovators Programme,” Ahmed said about the time he spent in Qatar this month. “Qatar was a cool place to visit. I loved the city of Doha because it's so modern. I saw so many amazing schools there, many of them campuses of famous American universities. I think I will learn a lot and have fun, too.”
Indian dies in US car crash
New York: A suspected drunk woman driver rammed her car into a large crowd during a homecoming parade of a top university in Oklahoma, killing four people, including an Indian MBA student. Three adults were pronounced dead at the scene, while the fourth victim, a two year old boy, died succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, as per a Stillwater Police statement. Nikita Nakal, 23, originating from Mumbai was identified as among the victims of the accident. Authorities have identified the driver as 25 year old Adacia Avery Chambers, who was soon taken into custody on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Bangla Shia rally attacked, IS claims responsibility
Dhaka: The Islamic State again attacked a Shia procession in front of the community's main shring in Bangladesh's capital, killing a 12 year old boy among 90 others. The bombing comes just weeks after an Italian aid worker and a Japanese farmer were shot dead in attacks claimed by the IS. Police said three bombs were hurled at the procession of more than 20,000 people at Huseni Dalan. Hours after the attack, a US-based site intelligence group that monitors militant threat reported that the IS has claimed responsibility for the bombing on the Shia shrine. Defying security threat, Shias had gone ahead with their scheduled processions to mark Ashura, the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, marking martyrdom of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad. “One of the bombs directly hit a 12-year-old boy and he died instantly,” a police officialtold reporters.
