Sconty empire

Iranian court orders US to pay $245m to victims of chemical attacks in Iran-Iraq war        An Iranian court ordered the U.S. administration to pay $245 million to the victims of chemical attacks carried out by Saddam Hussein’s forces during the Iran-Iraqi war of 1980 to 1988. Iran’s Judiciary spokesman, Gholam Eje’I, told the Fars news agency: “a number of people who have been harmed during the chemical bombing have filed lawsuits. “A court has issued decrees for 18 of them who have been harmed or died and estimated their ransom.” In September 1980, Hussein started the invasion of Iran. The devastating war that followed ended in 1988. An estimated 1.5 million people died in the conflict. During the war, Washington supported Iraq with monetary assistance, weaponry, intelligence, technology. The U.S. also provided materials found by UN experts in the fragments of chemical weapons used by the Iraqi army in Iran.

Sussex man held in Turkey for smuggling ancient coins Toby Robyns was stopped as he prepared to board a flight home with his family  A British man is facing up to three years in a Turkish prison for trying to take home some ancient coins found on the seabed during a family holiday. Toby Robyns, 52, an ambulance driver from Southwick, in West Sussex, was arrested as he made his way through security at Bodrum airport on Saturday. Airport security staff reportedly found 12 coins, which were later classed as historical artefacts, in his luggage. Mr Robyns told them his children found them while they were swimming. He is reportedly being detained at Milas prison on suspicion of smuggling historical artefacts http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-sussex-41016340 Mr Robyns' family returned to the UK without him on Saturday and the Foreign Office said it was liaising with the Turkish authorities Tim Loughton, the family's local Conservative MP, said he was

Brazil boat sinks killing at least seven in Amazon region At least seven people were killed when a boat carrying about 70 passengers sank in Brazil's Amazon region, local authorities say. At least 25 people have reportedly been rescued but dozens are still missing. Police are investigating what may have caused the vessel to sink and whether it may have been carrying more passengers than it should. The boat was travelling overnight from the city of Santarém to Vitória do Xingu in the state of Para.

Thailand charges dropped against BBC reporter Jonathan Head arrives at court on Wednesday to fight the defamation charges Jonathan Head faced up to five years in jail if he had been convicted. He and a co-defendant appeared in court in Phuket at the start of the trial on Wednesday. Both pleaded not guilty. "The plaintiff has withdrawn his case against BBC journalist Jonathan Head, but as the trial of his co-defendant is continuing, we cannot comment further at present," a BBC statement said.

        Yemen war: Air strike on hotel outside Sanaa 'leaves 30 dead' The roof of the two-storey hotel in the Arhab area collapsed following the air strike At least 30 people have been killed in a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the outskirts of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, local medics and an aid group say. Witnesses said warplanes had bombed a hotel in the Arhab district, about 20km (13 miles) north of the city. Other strikes reportedly targeted rebel positions to the south-east. There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which is backing President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's government in a war with the rebel Houthi movement. More than 8,167 people have been killed and 46,335 injured in air strikes and fighting on the ground in Yemen since March 2015, according to the UN. The conflict has also left 20.7 million people in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance, created the largest food security emergency in the world, and led to a chol

                    Kim Wall: Headless body identified as missing journalist A headless torso found in waters off Denmark has been identified as missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Danish police say. DNA from the torso matched that from Ms Wall's hairbrush and toothbrush. Chief investigator Jens Moller Jensen said that the torso had been weighted down with metal in an apparent attempt to stop it floating. Ms Wall was last seen alive on 10 August as she departed on a submarine trip with inventor Peter Madsen. The submarine sank hours after the search for Ms Wall began, after her partner reported that she had not returned from the trip. Mr Madsen, who designed and built the submarine, was charged with negligent manslaughter. He initially said he had dropped her off safely near Copenhagen, but has since said she died in an accident and that he had "buried" her at sea. Pint-sized journalist who packed a punch What we know Who is DIY submariner Peter M

Stray dogs in Mumbai turned bright blue by contaminated river .         The dogs have turned a bright shade of blue. Pic: Arati Chauhan    Residents living near India's financial capital Mumbai were shocked to see a number of stray dogs had turned a bright shade of blue. It emerged the animals had been wading through water as they searched for food in the Kasadi river where untreated industrial waste from nearby factories had been dumped. There are claims at least one of the dogs had gone blind and other animals, including birds, had also been affected by the pollution in Navi Mumbai. Arati Chauhan, who runs the Navi Mumbai animal protection shelter, was the first to highlight the issue. She told Sky News: "It's just not dogs. All other animals are being affected by the environment pollution. I witnessed five such dogs. In fact, one of the dogs has gone blind." Ms Chauhan said she when she went to survey the area her eyes started bu

      Buhari backs Western Sahara agitation,                but rejects Biafra – IPOB By Skunty empire                             The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for Western Sahara agitation to break away from Morocco and the self-determination demand of Palestinians and his rejection of Igbo demand to secede from Nigeria has shown the President as a hypocrite. The group also called on the President to stop saying that a private discussion he had with the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu had foreclosed the issue of Nigeria’s indivisibility. IPOB said Buhari should face the present reality and stop delving into what the group called unsubstantiated history and name calling. IPOB’s attack came barely 48 hours after the President’s nationwide broadcast where he said that in his meeting with Ojukwu in 2003 that the late Igbo sage had said he (Ojukwu) would want Nigeria to remain indivisible. In a Tue