The British government has suffered a setback in its plans to begin the process for leaving the European Union, after the High Court in London ruled that it must get parliamentary approval before formally triggering the relevant clause.
Up to 240 migrants are feared dead in two ship wrecks off the coast of Libya. The U.N. Refugee Agency said twenty-nine people survived one of the ship wrecks, while about 120 also in the boat were missing. Two survivors of the second ship wreck told rescuers that about the same number were missing from their boat.
The wife of the Republican contender in the U.S. presidential election, Melania Trump, has made a rare campaign speech for her husband in the run-up to next Tuesday’s vote. Speaking in the state of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Trump highlighted her role as a mother and her own immigrant background. She said her husband loved America and promised he would make it great again.
Top U.N. officials in Myanmar have joined a group of ambassadors to call for an independent credible investigation into allegations of human rights abuse in Rakhine State. A Burmese government spokesman said they were considering the request.
A scientific study has found that smoking twenty cigarettes a day for a year creates up to 150 genetic mutations in every cell in the lungs. An international team of scientists analyzed DNA from more than 5,000 cancer tumors from smokers and non-smokers. It’s the first study to attempt to quantify the genetic damage inflicted by tobacco and the harms smoking causes to other organs.
A Syrian refugee has been jailed for fifteen years in Germany for throwing his three young children out of a first-floor window last February to spite his wife. The children survived, but are still suffering the psychological effects. The court heard that the man felt dishonored by his literate wife.
