Sara Sharif’s father says stepmother was ‘true villain’ as he denies murder

Jury heard that Urfan Sharif tried to call an ambulance for his daughter but was told to ‘leave it'

The father of Sara Sharif denied killing his daughter as he claimed the 10-year-old’s stepmother was the “true villain of the piece”, a court was told.

Urfan Sharif tried to save his “limp” daughter and begged for an ambulance, only to be told: “Leave it; she’s dead,” jurors heard.

Sharif wept as he described Sara as a “beautiful angel” and denied abusing her, saying: “I did slap her; I never beat her … I have lot of flaws. I’m not even an average father. I never beat her any of the time. Never.”

Continue reading...

Shetland man’s bond with otter becomes subject of award-winning film

Documentary about Billy Mail’s connection with orphaned pup Molly airs on National Geographic next week

National Geographic will be streaming a new documentary about an unlikely bond between a man and an otter in Shetland.

Billy Mail met Molly, a starving pup, in 2021 when he saw her jumping off a pontoon into the sea near his Shetland home. Mail wanted to see how close he could get to her before she fled. But it turned out that Molly had no intention of running away.

Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story will be available from 14 November on Disney+, and will air on 15 November on National Geographic

Continue reading...

Senior Tories urge Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick to settle differences

Leader names rival in shadow cabinet but announcement marred by leaks suggesting Jenrick wanted bigger job

Senior Conservatives have urged Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick to rapidly settle any differences after the unveiling of the full shadow cabinet was marred by briefings and concern over lingering rivalries.

Badenoch, who became leader after defeating Jenrick in a vote of Tory members, held her first shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday, having named a team including three rival candidates, Jenrick among them, and a series of party centrists.

Continue reading...

Endangered pygmy hippo calf Haggis born at Edinburgh zoo – BBC.com

  1. Endangered pygmy hippo calf Haggis born at Edinburgh zoo  BBC.com
  2. ‘Moo Deng? Who Deng?’ Meet Haggis the Baby Pygmy Hippo.  The New York Times
  3. 2 adorable pygmy hippos pitted against each other in cuteness contest  The Associated Press
  4. Is Haggis, The Pygmy Hippo Born In Scotland, The New Moo Deng?  TODAY
  5. Baby Haggis is the new Moo Deng: A pygmy hippo is born in Edinburgh  NPR
Posted in Uncategorized

Mystery cargo-plane fires linked to Russian plot to plant bombs on aircrafts: officials – New York Post

  1. Mystery cargo-plane fires linked to Russian plot to plant bombs on aircrafts: officials  New York Post
  2. Russian Plot Placed Incendiary Devices on Cargo Planes in Europe, Officials Say  The New York Times
  3. Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports  CNN
  4. Exploding parcels in Europe part of plot to target US flights, officials say  Reuters
  5. Western officials suspect Russia was behind a plot to put incendiary packages on cargo planes  The Associated Press
Posted in Uncategorized

Iran claims German-Iranian dissident died before he could be executed

Top Iranian officials previously referred to an execution when reacting to Jamshid Sharmahd’s death on 28 October

Iran has claimed that an Iranian-German duel national who had been sentenced to death died last week before his execution could be carried out.

“Jamshid Sharmahd was sentenced to death, his execution was imminent, but he died before it could be carried out,” the judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters without elaborating. It is understood Tehran claims he suffered a stroke.

Continue reading...

Barry Keoghan hits out at ‘disgusting’ online trolls using his son against him

Saltburn actor tells Louis Theroux podcast about his difficult childhood and decision to keep his child offline

Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan has hit back at “disgusting” online trolls who he claimed use his relationship with his son as “ammunition” against him.

The 32-year-old Irish actor, who is dating US singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter, has a two-year-old son, Brando, with his former partner.

Continue reading...

AstraZeneca shares tumble after reports China unit is linked to insurance fraud

Pharmaceutical’s weight loss pill described as ‘underwhelming’, also piling pressure on share price

AstraZeneca shares tumbled on Tuesday wiping £14bn off the value of Britain’s biggest drug maker, after a report that dozens of senior executives at its China unit could be implicated in an insurance fraud case in the country’s pharmaceutical sector.

Also putting pressure on the share price, early data on AstraZeneca’s experimental weight loss pill published on Monday was described as “somewhat underwhelming” by analysts at Deutsche Bank, who reiterated their “sell” rating on the stock.

Continue reading...

An Israeli strike kills 20 in north Gaza, where Palestinians say they’ve had little food for weeks – The Associated Press

  1. An Israeli strike kills 20 in north Gaza, where Palestinians say they've had little food for weeks  The Associated Press
  2. Updates: Israel’s north Gaza siege kills 1,300; Lebanon toll passes 3,000  Al Jazeera English
  3. Israeli strikes kill at least 16 people in Gaza, keep up pressure on north  Reuters
  4. War grinds on as peace talks continue to falter  NBC News
  5. Israeli strikes reportedly kill at least 30 in north Gaza as fleeing Palestinians describe dire conditions  CBS News
Posted in Uncategorized

China’s J-35A Stealth Fighter to be Officially Unveiled at Zhuhai Air Show – The Aviationist

  1. China’s J-35A Stealth Fighter to be Officially Unveiled at Zhuhai Air Show  The Aviationist
  2. China to unveil J-35A stealth fighter jet as air force aims to match US aerial power  CNN
  3. Russia Sends Latest Su-57 Fighter Jet to China  Newsweek
  4. Experience peaceful development and win-win cooperation at Airshow China: Global Times editorial  Global Times
  5. J-35A: China’s 2nd Stealth Fighter Ready For Official Unveiling At Zhuhai Airshow; PLA Catching-Up With USA?  EurAsian Times
Posted in Uncategorized