Russian plane crash: UK suspects bomb was placed in hold
UK investigators looking at what caused a Russian airliner to crash in Egypt believe a bomb was put in the hold prior to take-off, the BBC has learned.
The UK government suspended all flights to and from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh two days ago.
The move came after it said the incident was likely to be have been caused by terrorism.
It had received intelligence based on intercepted communications between militants in the Sinai Peninsula.
However, both Egypt and Russia have said it is too early to draw conclusions.
The Metrojet Airbus A321 was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg when it came down in Sinai on Saturday, killing all 224 people on board. Most of the victims were Russian.
Russia’s last independent English newspaper ends daily edition
Weekly version of The Moscow Times adopts magazine-style format amid fears over loss of important news source
Alec Luhn in Moscow
Friday 6 November 2015 08.00 GMT
Russia’s only independent English-language newspaper, The Moscow Times, has stopped publishing daily issues in favour of a new weekly format.
The new owner says the move will allow him to save the loss-making publication, but some correspondents fear it spells the end of an important independent news source and training ground for correspondents.
Founded by Dutch publisher Derk Sauer in 1992 and distributed in cafes, hotels and airplanes, The Moscow Times often covered Russian news and issues in more depth than western publications. Former correspondents have gone on to success at other publications, including Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent Ellen Barry.
As the Russian economy has slowed down and expats have begun to leave the country, other English-language publications such as the entertainment newspaper The Element have shut down.
The Pharaoh’s Dream: Sisi Wants a New Capital City for Egypt
By Nicola Abé
Cairo is an unruly urban sprawl that has spun out of control. Now, officials want to build a new capital in the desert — a potent symbol of President Sisi’s regime. But will it ever happen?
The road ends abruptly. The search for Egypt’s new capital city leads into the desert, primrose beneath the hazy sky. Workers speed past a white container in the midday heat, a crane rises into the air, and tire marks can be seen in the sand. “You can’t get any closer,” says Sayyad al Sabagh, pointing into the distance. “From here it’s about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) to the right.” A dune swells on the horizon.
Sabagh is 60 and has worked as a civil servant with Egypt’s Building Ministry for the past 24 years. He is sitting inside a red pickup truck, map in hand, and says the highway leading to the new Cairo will eventually have four lanes. “Inshallah,” God willing. For now, the asphalt covering the ground will have to suffice as proof. But it is clear the dream has begun. Getting out of the vehicle is forbidden, as is photography.
Okinawa snubs state recommendation over landfill approval revocation
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga on Friday snubbed a central government recommendation that his local government retract its revocation of a landfill work approval given earlier for a facility to relocate a U.S. military air base within the island prefecture.
The recommendation from land minister Keiichi Ishii had been made as part of the central government’s bid to overrule the governor and formally retract the revocation.
At a news conference in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Onaga said he “can’t comply with the recommendation” because the original decision by his predecessor to approve the landfill work was “faulty” and that his action to revoke it was therefore legal.
Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai: ‘The definition of feminism is equality’
Sharing a moment, Malala Yousafzai told Emma Watson that she inspired her to embrace the label ‘feminist.’ How did the word become so stigmatized in the first place?
It turns out Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai have a lot in common – especially their view on feminism.
The Harry Potter actress and Nobel Prize laureate, respectively, sat down for an interview Tuesday at the premiere of “He Named Me Malala,” a documentary about the 18-year-old Pakistani education activist. The 23-minute video was posted on Ms. Watson’s Facebook page, and has now been viewed nearly 3 million times.
Watson, a UN ambassador for women, played the role of interviewer, and the two ended up bonding over an array of topics: their brothers, Hillary Clinton, their love for the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” and most importantly, the definition of feminism.
“This word ‘feminist’ has been a very tricky word,” the 18-year-old Malala says, to which Watson gasped in delight. But it gets better.
Dakotaraptor: Dinosaur with feathers, large claws and wings was ‘utterly lethal’
They were among the largest raptors in the world at around 17ft long
Archaeologists have found one of the biggest raptors yet, with feathers, large claws and wings, according to a study published by the University of Kansas Paleontological Institute.
Dakotaraptors were carnivores with sickle-like claws of nearly 10 inches that walked the Earth about 66m years ago.
At around 17ft long, they were among the largest raptors in the world, with wings that stretched about 3ft. Despite having wings, the dinosaurs could not fly because of their size.
The only known raptor larger than the Dakotaraptor was the Utahraptor, which was 23ft long, but died about approximately 60m years before the Dakotaraptor.
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