A 32-year-old Indian man has died in the UAE after sustaining severe burn injuries in his bid to save his wife from a fire at their home in Abu Dhabi last week, according to a media report. Anil Ninan, who hails from Kerala, sustained 90 per cent burn injuries in the fire. His wife Neenu also suffered injuries in the incident, however, her condition is said to be stable. "This is a difficult time for us. His wife Neenu is still recovering at the hospital. She is safe. But, all of us are shocked at his death," a close relative was quoted as saying. It is suspected a short circuit caused the fire at Ninan's home. "We do not know the exact details. But Neenu first caught fire while she was in the corridor. Anil, who was in the bedroom, ran to his wife and was trying to save her when the flames spread to him," a source said. The couple, who has a four-year-old son was shifted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi for critical care.
1st wife thrashes man at his third wedding in Pak
A Pakistani man was rescued by the police after his first wife gatecrashed his third wedding and brutally thrashed him and tore up his clothes in front of guests here, a media report said. Madiha and her relatives barged into the wedding reception venue of Asif Rafiq in Karachi's Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi area and claimed that was married to him in 2014. She claimed that Rafiq had married another woman, a Jinnah University employee, without her consent and apologised to her after she objected to his second marriage, promising to stay only with her, the report said. Madiha and her family brutally thrashed Rafiq during the reception and tore his clothes, the report said, adding that the police also beat him up after detaining him. Rafiq tried to escape from the police station but was chased by Madiha's family, forcing him to hide under a parked bus. He was caught and beaten up again before being rescued by some people, it said. According to Rafiq, he had divorced Madiha and therefore does not require anyone's permission to remarry, saying: "It is my right to marry four women at the same time".
Suicide blast kills 10 in Pak city of Quetta
At least 10 people were killed in a suicide blast that hit a police vehicle in southwestern Pakistan, officials said. Two police personnel were among those killed in the blast in the city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. “We have received 10 bodies so far and 35 injured in Civil Hospital,” a hospital official said. The suicide bomber wanted to target the rally of a religious group, but blew himself up when police stopped him. Last month, 13 people were killed in Quetta when blast ripped through a mosque during evening prayers. Mineral-rich Balochistan province is at the centre of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Violence in Balochistan has fuelled concerns about the security of projects such as a planned energy link from western China to Pakistan’s southern port of Gwadar.
Former Nepal speaker acquitted of rape charges
Former Nepal Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who was arrested in October after a parliament secretariat staffer accused him of attempting to rape her, was acquitted by a court due to lack of evidence. The first high profile politician to be tried for sexual assault allegation, Mahara was arrested on October 6 last year after the parliament secretariat staffer filed an FIR accusing him of attempting to rape her on September 29 at her rented apartment in Kathmandu, the Himalayan Times reported. Mahara, also a Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives when he faced the allegations and the ruling party asked for his resignation, which he tendered albeit initial hesitance. He was remanded into judicial custody on November 4. He denied the charge and moved the Patan High Court which rejected his plea. He again moved the Kathmandu District Court, which acquitted him on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
31 killed in Saudi-UAE-led air strike in Yemen
Thirty-one people were killed in airstrikes on Yemen, the United Nations said, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of its jets. The Tornado aircraft came in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels. The deadly violence follows an upsurge in fighting in northern Yemen between the warring parties that threatens to worsen the war-battered country's humanitarian crisis. "Preliminary field reports indicate that as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al- Hayjah area," the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said in a statement.
Man threatens to end life after virus cancels birthday
A man in southwest China doused himself with petrol and tied firecrackers around his waist because authorities cancelled his birthday banquet as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus. The Chongqing resident, a 59-year-old surnamed Wang, had planned to hold a banquet with 10 tables late last month, state news agency Xinhua reported. But with authorities across China restricting public gathering, officials told Wang to cancel the party. He showed up at a village committee office armed with firecrackers tied around his waist and poured gasoline on his chest and held out a lighter in an attempt to “scare and threaten the village committee into allowing the birthday party”.
Fires contained in Oz state, but now floods threaten
New South Wales, the state in Australia which was hard -hit by the blazes that claimed 33 lives nationwide have been contained, firefighters said. But heavy rains that helped extinguish the blazes that have raged along the east coast since September are causing flash floods in parts of the state, posing new problems. “Not all fires are out, there’s still some fire activity in the far south of the state but all fires are contained so we can really focus on helping people rebuild,” the state’s fire service deputy commissioner Rob Rogers tweeted. Bushfires scorched more than 10 million hectares in the country’s east and south, killing at least 33 people and an estimated one billion animals, while destroying more than 2,500 homes. The fires prompted mass evacuations of both locals and tourists during Australia's peak summer holiday period.
Man walks on frozen river as GPS says it is the shortest route
Google Maps has been blamed for one man’s near-death experience. The man, who has not been identified, attempted to walk across the frozen Mississippi River in US over the weekend, claiming that Google Maps told him it was the quickest route. However, the ice cracked beneath his feet, partially plunging him into the frozen water. The Minneapolis fire department responded to the man’s calls, and helped him. The man, CBS said, suffered a mild case of hypothermia.
Man starts ‘eating phone’ on flight after getting drunk
A man who started “eating” his mobile phone after drinking gin onboard a flight is facing jail. Matthew Flaherty, 44, from England, was travelling on a flight from Manchester to Iceland in January 2019. A court heard how he drank straight from a bottle of gin, swore at cabin crew and threatened to kill them during the flight, which was forced to divert to Edinburgh. During the flight, Flaherty started chewing on the electrical parts of the phone. The phone battery began to smoulder, leading one crew member to put it in a glass of water. Upon landing, Flaherty was met by cops.
Bill tabled in Utah seeks to rid bigamy from felony list
A new bill introduced in the US state of Utah calls for polygamy to no longer be considered a felony but instead a simple infraction that would be on par with getting a traffic ticket. The bill, which was unanimously approved by a committee in the state senate, will now go before the full senate for consideration. Bigamy is currently considered a felony in Utah, where an about 30,000 people practice it. They risk up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000. The Utah branch of the American Civil Liberties Union supported the bill and said the practice should be decriminalised when consenting adults are involved.
Four survive 32 days adrift in Pacific Ocean
Four people who survived a month adrift in the Pacific were recovering in the Solomon Islands after an ordeal that claimed the lives of eight of their companions, reports said. The group, from Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville, said they survived by eating coconuts found floating in the sea and collected rainwater in a bowl during the ordeal.
Duo scams Japan hotels with fake reservations
Japanese police have arrested a mother-and-son duo for allegedly making 3,200 no-show hotel cancellations, costing the hotels $1million, while collecting reward points worth $22,000, reports said. Police arrested the duo for making fake reservations in November at three hotels, causing damage worth 95,000 yen ($864). But that was just the tip of an iceberg, the investigation found. The duo used an online booking service for making the fake reservations.
Porn movie shot at holy site outrages Myanmar
Outrage is growing in Myanmar after the emergence of a 12-minute porn video shot in Bagan, the country’s best known tourist destination and Unesco heritage site of thousands of hallowed Buddhist pagodas. The video was posted on PornHub by a 23-year-old Italian couple. According to the site, the pair boasts more than 81,000 subscribers and over 35 million video views since they joined 11 months ago. But the couple’s antics in one of Bagan’s ancient pagodas have been less than well-received in Myanmar.
Banksy painting to go under hammer for Oz bushfire
An original artwork by Banksy, the anonymous British street artist, will be auctioned in Australia to raise money for bushfire relief, media reported. Art collectors, Sandra Powell and Andrew King from Melbourne donated the Banksy piece from their private collection to go on sale, alongside close to 100 other works from some of the world’s most famous artists. The work by Banksy depicts a circular saw blade heading towards a frail-looking figure sitting on a bench as is titled “Weston Super Mare”.
Vatican, Chinese foreign ministers hold talks
The Vatican and Chinese foreign ministers met in the highest-level encounter between the two sides following the 2018 signing of a landmark accord on Catholic bishop nominations. The Vatican said Archbishop Paul Gallagher met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a security meeting in Munich. The Vatican and China haven't had diplomatic relations since the 1950s. The Vatican said the talks covered the 2018 accord, the life of Catholics in China and the country's efforts to combat the virus that has killed hundreds and sickened thousands in China and beyond. A Vatican statement said both sides hoped for “increased international cooperation to promote civil cohabitation and peace in the world." Human rights and intercultural dialogue were also discussed. The Vatican has been criticized by conservatives and the retired archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, for penning the accord, saying the Chinese government has continued to crack down on the underground Catholic faithful.
Video of man hitting plane seat sparks debate on reclining
Footage of a man repeatedly punching the back of a woman’s plane seat mid-flight has divided opinion. The incident occurred onboard an American Airlines flight from New Orleans to North Carolina, as passenger Wendi Williams reclined her seat. Video shot by another passenger shows the man, seated in the last row of the aircraft, banging the back of Williams’ chair while watching something on his mobile phone. As a result, her aisle seat can be seen shaking back and forth. Williams has claimed that the incident amounts to “assault”, although online commentators have disagreed – instead asking why she didn’t ask him to stop, or pull up her reclined seat. Williams added that the man asked her to pull her seat up while he ate; which she did. “When he finished eating, I reclined it again. Then the barrage of punches came.,” she said.
Naked couple protest in bed against Polish canal project
An activist couple spent Valentine’s day morning naked in bed on the site of a planned canal which Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party wants to cut across a narrow strip of land that separates its eastern coastline from the Baltic Sea. “Make love not canal,” said a banner held by other activists standing by the bed on the Vistula Spit, a heavily wooded sandbank, enclosing a coastal lagoon.
KLM sorry after crew’s virus note outrages S Koreans
KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France KLM, offered a public apology after a crew member sparked online outrage by posting a sign in Korean saying passengers on a recent flight were not allowed to use a toilet because of the new virus. Photos of the handwritten sign saying “lavatory for crew members only” went viral in South Korea this week after a passenger on a 10-hour flight from Amsterdam to Seoul's Incheon airport shared the images online.
