A 24-year-old Vadodara girl living in New Jersey City of US has reportedly gone missing sometime between April 29 and May 1. Mayushi Bhagat had gone to the US in 2016 to pursue post-graduation in electronics engineering. Her father Vikas Bhagat approached New Jersey City police stating that he last spoke with his daughter on April 29. Bhagat told the cops that his daughter told him that she was okay, but said she won’t return home till May 3. He added that she asked him not to bother about her. Bhagat said his wife also went to live with their daughter in the US since December last year. Their son also went to the US last month. Bhagat said that he called up his daughter on her mobile phone and also left a voice mail asking her to contact the New Jersey police. New Jersey police have been searching for the missing girl but are yet to trace her whereabouts.
British Airways resumes flights to Pak after 11 years
British Airways has resumed flights to Pakistan, over a decade after they were suspended in the wake of a truck bombing of a hotel in the capital, which killed dozens, reports said. Flights three times a week between London and Islamabad began on Monday. State-run Pakistan Television says Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar and other officials greeted passengers on their arrival at the airport. Thomas Drew, Britain's top diplomat in Pakistan, was also present. British Airways suspended its operations shortly after the Sept 20, 2008, terrorist bombing devastated the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 54 people and wounding 270.
Israel heads to election as Netanyahu fails to form govt
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition before the deadline end, Israel's parliament voted to dissolve itself, sending the country to an unprecedented second snap election this year. The dramatic vote, less than two months after parliamentary elections, marked a setback for Netanyahu and sent the longtime leader's future into turmoil. Netanyahu, who has led Israel for the past decade, had appeared to capture a fourth consecutive term in the April 9 election. But infighting among his allies, and disagreements over proposed bills to protect Netanyahu from prosecution stymied his efforts to put together a majority coalition. Rather than concede that task to one of his rivals, Netanyahu's Likud party advanced a bill to dissolve parliament and send the country to the polls for a second time this year.
3 Thai men sentenced to death for killing British expatriate
A court in Thailand has sentenced three Thai men to death in the murder of a British expatriate and his Thai wife whose brother allegedly ordered the killings. The Phrae Provincial Court issued its verdict in the case of 64-year-old retired petroleum engineer Alan Hogg and his 61-year-old wife, Nhot Suddaen, whose bodies were found buried on their property in northern Thailand last September. Police say the killers were traced after they stole the victims' pickup truck, and that they had confessed to being hired by Nhot's brother to kill the couple for financial gain. A fourth defendant had his sentence commuted to 25 years in prison for cooperating with the investigation.
Driverless train goes wrong way, injures 14
Fourteen passengers were injured after a driverless five-car train in Tokyo went in the wrong direction and crashed into a buffer stop, Japanese police said. Local media reported that some injuries - the first resulting from an accident involving an automated train in 30 years - appeared to be serious but non-life-threatening. The train hit the buffer stop at Shin-Sugita station after travelling the wrong way for about 20 metres, Akihiko Mikami, president of the train operator, said in a statement.
In Philippines, pupils must plant trees to graduate
On top of throwing hats in the air and going out for post-celebration food, planting trees is officially becoming a part of the Filipino graduation tradition. This has happened since a bill was passed by the House of Representatives requiring elementary, high school and college students to plant 10 trees before being able to graduate, the CNN reports. The “Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act,” was passed on May 15th by Gay Alejano, MADGALO representative. “With over 12 million students graduating from elementary and nearly five million students graduating from high school and almost 5,00,000 graduating from college each year, this initiative will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would be planted each year,” said Alejano.
‘Guardian angel’ pigeon protected speeder: Police
Police in Germany say divine intervention saved a speeding driver from getting a ticket, after a pigeon photobombed a traffic enforcement camera. Police said “the Holy Ghost must have had a plan” to help the driver. Just as the radar clocked the driver at 54 km/h in a 30km/h zone and the camera flashed, the pigeon flew in front of the car, obscuring the face of the driver with its spread wings. Police say “thanks to the feathered guardian angel,” the driver was spared a €105 (approx Rs 8,166) fine.
Ethiopia sorry for map that erased Somalia
Ethiopia’s foreign affairs ministry has apologised for a map of Africa that erased neighbouring Somalia. Spokesman Nebiat Getachew said a probe had begun into how the map was posted on the ministry’s website.
Malaysia to return plastic waste to foreign nations
Malaysia will send back some 3,000 metric tonnes of non-recyclable plastic waste to countries such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia in a move to avoid becoming a dumping ground for rich nations, environment minister Yeo Bee Yin said.
Mystery bidder to pay $4.5m for lunch with Warren Buffett
An anonymous bidder has agreed to pay a record $4,567,888 at an annual charity auction to have a private lunch with Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The winning bid, which was submitted during a five-day online auction on eBay, was nearly one-third higher than the previous record $3,456,789 bids in both the 2012 and 2016 auctions. Proceeds benefit the Glide Foundation, a charity in San Francisco that serves the poor, homeless or those battling substance abuse. Buffett, 88, has raised about $34.2 million for Glide in 20 annual auctions, which began in 2000 and moved to eBay in 2003.
Chinese netizens ‘spot UFO’ amid naval drills
Chinese social media is abuzz with netizens claiming to have spotted an unidentified flying object (UFO) across multiple provinces of China when the Navy was conducting military exercises, official media reported. Amid the naval exercises, people across several provinces took to social media claiming that they have spotted an UFO with a glowing fiery tail streak across the sky, the Global Times reported.
Italy’s Mount Etna spews lava in new eruption
Mount Etna in Italy has burst into life, spitting molten lava high into the sky, though cloud cover ruined the view for those brave enough to venture up the flanks of Europe’s highest volcano. The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology said there was “lively spattering” as fire and hot ash spewed high into the sky in an eruption which began on Thursday and had slowed slightly by Saturday but still posed a risk to climbers. The volcano in Sicily previously erupted in December.
