London: Burglars entered 83-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer Zallu Hassan's house and attacked her so badly that her family feared that she was dead. Zallu Hassan suffered severe facial injuries including a broken cheekbone and jaw and a fractured eye socket after the gang stormed her home in Ilford, Essex. Her daughter Tulay Ahmadi, 46, believes the intruders kicked her mother's head and stamped on her face during the attack. Ahmadi, who raised the alarm after arriving at her mother's house and finding her in a pool of blood, is now offering a £10,000 reward for anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the offenders. She said: “The people who did this are pure scum. They're so evil they'd probably do this to their own mothers.” Detectives have now launched an investigation to find those responsible for the incident.
Pound suffers biggest fall
London: Pound suffered a steep fall against dollar after a Bank of England's chief economist predicted the prospect of an interest rate cut. Andy Haldane warned that inflation may miss the Bank’s 2 per cent target and claimed that “the chances of a rate rise or cut are broadly evenly balanced.” He said his personal opinion was that “risks are skewed to the downside.”
Bank worker jailed for trying to kill girlfriend
London: Amish Kansagra, a former Barclays bank employee, was jailed for 15 years after he tried to kill his girlfriend Anna Imporowicz, 35, who is a single mother. Kansagra was a regular customer at Anna Imporowicz's massage parlour and fell in love with her and had sexual intercourse. He quit his job and joined her in the parlour. However, he knew that Anna's ex-boyfriend in Poland was still pursuing her and finally snapped after a man smiled at her during a night out at a Holborn salsa club. He felt betrayed when Anna flirted with other men. He became jealous and attacked her with a knife inflicting serious injuries on her.
Most women never take exercise seriously
London: A survey has found that only 17 per cent of the women have taken regular exercise since childhood compared to 36 per cent of men. Well over half of women said that they had never taken regular exercise (59 per cent), compared with just a third of men. On average, women who exercised regularly said that they did so 48 times a year, while for men the figure was 65 times a year. The poll, which questioned more than 2,000 adults in the UK, was commissioned by CBRE, a property company and principal partner of England Rugby’s all schools programme.
Travellers to France on ferry advised to leave home early
London: Those families who are planning to travel to France on ferry have been advised to leave homes early as there will be a five mile queue at Dover when new exit checks are imposed next month. James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, issued his advice after ferry companies warned that the checks could lead to the queues at Dover port as staff checked the passports of those leaving the country. He said it was “advisable” for people to set off early for their holidays on days when ports were particularly busy. His advice came after the UK Chamber of Shipping warned of travel chaos at Dover, with traffic blocking the A20 as far as Folkestone in Kent after exit checks are imposed on April 8.
Breastfed babies have more intelligence
Brasília: Brazilian researchers have found that babies breasted for a year will have more intelligence when they grew up which would help them earn more. They have an IQ about four points higher by the age of 30 and earned almost a third more than those nursed for less than a month. While previous research has found that breastfeeding improves a child’s brainpower, the latest study is the first to show that the effect lasts into the workplace. Experts urged the NHS to do more to help mothers breastfeed, saying that this would improve the productivity of society as a whole.
Tories have to find extra funds for defence spending
London: The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that the Conservatives will have to find an extra £8 billion if they want to meet Nato’s stipulated target of spending 2 per cent of national income on defence. The institute has warned that other government departments would face cuts of up to 16.3 per cent if David Cameron agrees with demands from Tory backbenchers to maintain defence spending.
75 pc rise number of people working in their 50s and 60s
London: Official figures show that millions more Britons are working in their 50s and 60s. A study shows that participation in the labour force since the early 1990s has risen five times as fast among those approaching pension age as in the working age population overall. The total number of people in their 50s and early 60s with a job surged by 3.4 million or 75 per cent at a time when economic activity rates among young adults fell sharply amid growing expectations that they will go to college or university before starting work.
30,000 men dying of prostate cancer
London: Experts say that more than 30,000 British men are living with prostrate cancer without much support. The figure is a third higher than the number of patients with advanced and incurable breast and bowel cancers. Charities predict the number of men with prostate cancer will continue to increase, but prostrate cancer is not high enough on the government’s agenda.
Judges sacked for watching pornography on court computers
London: Three judges have been sacked from office and a fourth has resigned after allegations that they viewed pornography on court computers. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office had investigated allegations against the men. They concluded that it was an "inexcusable" use of court equipment and condemned the judges' conduct as "wholly unacceptable". A statement from investigators said: "District Judge Timothy Bowles, Immigration Judge Warren Grant and Deputy District Judge and Recorder Peter Bullock have been removed from judicial office following an investigation into an allegation that they viewed pornographic material on judicial IT equipment in their offices. Another judge, Recorder Andrew Maw, who sat at Lincoln County Court, was also found to have viewed similar inappropriate material on his judicial IT account.
British Land, Tesco swap £733 mn worth of property
London: British Land and Tesco have swapped £733 million worth of property as the developer continues to reduce its exposure to superstores and the troubled retailer tries to avoid hefty rent rises. The developer behind the Cheesegrater skyscraper in the City of London said that it has sold its 50 per cent interest in a joint venture portfolio of 21 standalone stores to Tesco, giving the supermarket group freehold ownership. In return, British Land bought Tesco’s stake in three retail parks, three shopping centres and three stores.
Theresa May warns radical Islamists
London: Home secretary Theresa May has told radical Islamists that they were no longer tolerated in Britain as she sets out Tory plans for a crackdown on extremism. The Home Secretary is expected to say that a future Conservative government target Sharia law, change the rules on granting citizenship to ensure people embrace British values and introduce "banning orders" for extremist groups. Radicals will also be barred from working unsupervised with children amid fears that young people are being brainwashed.
Al-Muhajiroun group is behind most UK terror plots
London: A new study has shown that radical al-Muhajiroun network was behind most of the big terror attacks and plots in Britain over the past 20 years. The network which targets young Muslims has been so successful in radicalising jihadists that its influence can be seen in about half of atrocities committed or planned by Britons at home and abroad. The group has been banned but gets around the law by changing its name.
Rustlers have stolen 8 most expensive sheep
London: Rustlers have stolen eight most expensive sheep in the world, which can sell for more than £150,000 each. The flock of pedigree Texels was stolen from a farm near Lydney in Gloucestershire. The most expensive Texel in the world was sold for £232,000, by a farmer in Scotland, in August 2009. Police have warned that the meat of the stolen sheep must not be eaten because they have been given life-long worming pills.
Terrorists kill 17 western tourists in Tunis museum
Tunis (Tunisia): At least 23 people, including 17 westerners, were killed when gunmen clad in military uniform and brandishing Kalashnikovs stormed the Bardo museum next to the Tunisian parliament. They rounded up hostages, holding them for two hours before security forces stormed the building, killing two men believed to be sympathisers of Islamic State, the Syria-based terrorist group. Polish, Italian, French and Spanish tourists were among the dead, said Habib Essid, the prime minister of Tunisia. Another 42 people were injured in the attack.
Londoners fear online crime than burglary
London: A survey of Londoners found that they were more worried about online crime than burglary and theft of personal possessions. According to a report, some 85 per cent of all fraud and online crimes - representing a £12 billion loss to the economy - were not reported to police last year. Official crime figures for England and Wales would have been more than 1.1 million higher if all fraud and cyber crime had been included.
Crowd urge suicidal man to jump to death
London: A crowd urged a suicidal man to jump, filmed him and took selfies at the scene before he fell to his death from a multi-storey car park. Police are investigating the “disgraceful” conduct at a shopping centre in Shropshire after photos and video from mobile phones were posted online. The man, in his 40s, fell to his death from the top of the Southwater centre in Telford despite the efforts of police negotiators to dissuade him.
Woman told to pay £100,000 for deception over son
London: A woman was told to pay her former husband £100,000 for deception over a son born out of fertility treatment. The sperm was taken from the woman's former boyfriend. The woman deceived her former husband to believe that he was the father of the child. But when he came to know that he was not the father, he broke down as he was awarded £100,000 in repaid maintenance and costs.
Indian wins Stockholm Water Prize
Stockholm: Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist, has been conferred the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize this year for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages. Singh, who is widely popular as the `Water Man', was named the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize laureate for improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need, a statement said. Born in 1959, Rajasthan-based Singh for several decades has dedicated himself to defeating drought and empowering communities. Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Patron of the Stockholm Water Prize, will honour Singh at a Royal ceremony during 2015 World Water Week on August 26. “He has literally brought villages back to life. We need to take his lessons and actions to heart if we are to achieve sustainable water use,” the committee said.
Lanka arrests 54 Indian fishermen before talks
Colombo: Fifty-four Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly fishing in its waters. Sri Lankan naval spokesman Commander Indika Silva said 21 fishermen were arrested and five boats seized at Kankesanturai, while 33 others on five boats were held at Talaimannar. The arrests came days before a Lankan delegation's visit to India for discussions on the contentious and longstanding issue emanating from the alleged violation of the maritime boundary by Indian fishermen. Indian and Lankan fishermen's associations will meet this week to thrash out a solution.
Sarath Fonseka becomes Lanka's first field marshal
Colombo: Sri Lankan government conferred the country's highest military rank of field marshal to former army chief Sarath Fonseka, who was jailed on alleged treason charges by the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, for “achieving the victory over terrorism.” President Maithripala Sirisena awarded the honorary title to retired Gen Fonseka at an official ceremony in the capital. He said ensuring justice for the 64-year-old former army chief was a “responsibility undertaken by the government in our quest for justice for the whole of the army.” Fonseka, who became the first Sri Lankan to receive the title, was stripped of his rank, pension and medal he received during his 40-year career, and jailed after he unsuccessfully tried to challenge Rajapksa's re-election bid in 2010. But, the new government used its executive powers to drop all charges against Fonseka. Fonseka led Sri Lankan troops to victory over the Tamil Tigers in 2009. But, he and Rajapaksa fell out over who deserved the credit for guiding the country to the victory.
NZ Sikh MP calls for law to allow kirpans
Melbourne: New Zealand's first Sikh MP has called for new legislation to enable Sikhs to wear ceremonial daggers freely in the country, saying they are “sensible” people who would not use the `kirpan' inappropriately. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi's statement comes three days after seven Sikhs were barred from entering the ground to watch the India vs Zimbabwe cricket World Cup match. He said a legislation around ceremonial daggers is needed so, it is clear they are not weapons and safe to be worn, The Dominion Post reported.
Indian-American named dean of top US engineering school
Washington: Vijay Kumar, an Indian-American expert on robotics and cyber physical systems, has been named dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science effective July 1. Kumar is recognized around the world for his ground breaking work on the development of autonomous robots and on biologically inspired algorithms for collective behaviour, the school said announcing his appointment.
