World population to touch 12.3 bn by 2100
London: According to latest predictions world’s population will keep growing and by 2100 it could reach 12.3 billion from the current 7 billion. The experts behind the new findings warned that population should be put back on the world’s agenda after previous forecasts put the total at the end of the century at about two billion fewer.
Temperatures to drop across Britain
London: The Met Office has warned that a cold spell is due to hit Britain and night temperatures will drop below freezing point this week. While the warm weather enjoyed so far this month will continue by day, with highs of around 68F (20C), the temperature will plummet by as much as 59F (15C) in some areas of England and Scotland. A Met Office forecaster said: “There will be a significant change in the weather, with temperatures in some parts of the UK dropping to 30F (-1C).
Universities still recruiting students
London: More than a month after the publication of A-level results, a vast majority of universities – including many leading institutions – are still recruiting students. Universities are advertising clearing vacancies on almost 22,000 degree courses even though the academic year has already started for large numbers of undergraduates. Figures show that a quarter of members of the elite Russell Group, including Southampton and Queen Mary, University of London, had availability for British and European students at the end of last week.
Bangladesh top court commutes Islamist leader's death sentence
Dhaka: Bangladesh's Supreme Court has commuted to life imprisonment a death sentence of a top Islamist leader convicted of war crimes during the country's war of liberation in 1971. The decision against Delawar Hossain Sayedee, a leader of the main Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, prompted strike calls by his party, and provoked scattered violence in the capital, Dhaka, and the northern district of Rajshahi. Sayedee, 73, had appealed against the decision by a war crimes tribunal over crimes of arson, looting, murder and rape, and the top court ordered that he spend the rest of his life in prison.
Court clarification over flight delay compensation
London: New figures show that nearly 10,000 passengers who inquired about compensation for delayed flights have been wrongly advised that their claim was invalid. Under European law, passengers delayed for more than three hours can claim compensation of up to €600 (£472) unless the airline can claim the hold-up was due to an “extraordinary circumstance” such as terrorism or a strike. But amid confusion about which precise situations qualify as “extraordinary”, the Civil Aviation Authority had also included aircraft technical problems on an unofficial list of disqualifying circumstances which was issued to thousands of passengers. Its guidance was found to be wrong in May when Court of Appeal judges ruled that most technical problems should not disqualify passengers from receiving compensation, following a legal challenge brought by a passenger against Jet2.
