Author: News Desk

Veteran Sri Lanka MP who fought for Tamil rights dies Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, a prominent Sri Lankan politician and advocate for the Tamil minority, has died at 91. Sampanthan, a lawyer and one of the longest-serving MPs, passed away in Colombo on Sunday night. For 23 years, he led the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main political group representing Tamils in Sri Lanka’s north and east. After the defeat of Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009, he continued to fight for equal rights for his marginalised ethnic group. TNA leader MA Sumanthiran confirmed Sampanthan’s death on X (formerly Twitter). In 2015, Sampanthan…

Caribbean braces as Hurricane Beryl strengthens Caribbean nations are urging residents to prepare for a powerful and potentially deadly hurricane which is rapidly intensifying as it approaches the islands. Beryl, the first named hurricane of the season, is expected to hit several islands late on Sunday. Forecasters warn it could become a category four storm, with winds up to 155mph (250km/h) and storm surges between 6-10ft (1.8-3m). The storm is anticipated to strengthen further, threatening islands such as Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and Martinique. AccuWeather’s Lead Hurricane Forecaster, Alex DaSilva, noted the storm’s unusual and dangerous rapid intensification. Residents are boarding…

Suspected female suicide bombers kill at least 18 in Nigeria At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured in a series of explosions in Nigeria, likely caused by female suicide bombers. One of the blasts occurred at a wedding in Borno state, killing six people and injuring others. The coordinated attacks targeted a wedding, the victims’ funeral, and a hospital in the town of Gwoza, near the Cameroon border, according to the state’s emergency management agency. President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks, calling them “desperate acts of terror” and promised strong action against those responsible. He assured that these…

France’s far right celebrates lead and seeks majority France’s far-right party, the National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, has taken the lead in the first round of parliamentary elections. Le Pen’s supporters celebrated as she declared that President Macron’s party had been nearly eliminated.  RN secured 33.1% of the vote, followed by a left-wing alliance with 28%, and Macron’s party with 20.76%. It’s the first time the far right has led in a French parliamentary election. Le Pen and Jordan Bardella – the 28-year-old party leader are aiming for an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-seat…

Rush hour disruption hits Central line and other TfL services | UK News Commuters have been warned of severe disruption to their morning journeys across the London transport network. Passengers this Monday morning were warned off major disruption after a fire alert stopped trains on Central line.

Bunny ‘so terrifying’ that owner is forced to give it up | UK News A woman who bought an ‘aggressive’ dwarf rabbit on Gumtree was forced to give it away because she became terrified of the animal. She bought the 14-month-old Netherland Dwarf rabbit – one of the smallest breeds – after seeing an advert on the popular website. The woman had the rabbit, called Midge, for six months but eventually got in touch with Croydon Animal Samaritans to say she was ‘scared to interact’ with him because he was ‘very aggressive’. Rachel Parsons, who works at the South London…

Crowd gasps in horror as cricket fan plummets from London tube sign A cricket fan plummeted more than 20ft from a London Underground sign while celebrating India’s T20 World Cup win, prompting gasps of horror from onlookers. There were outbreaks of celebrations among the UK’s Indian community after the country won their first World Cup trophy since 2011. One fan climbed a pole outside Queensbury tube station in northwest London in an attempt to tie an India flag but lost his grip before plummeting towards the ground. Onlookers, who gathered to celebrate India’s World Cup triumph, gasped in horror and…

Gareth Southgate admits Ivan Toney was ‘disgusted’ with his decision to wait until injury time before bringing in him on during England’s comeback against Slovakia at Euro 2024. England scraped past Slovakia with a 2-1 win after Jude Bellingham scored an overhead kick in the 94th minute to force extra time before Harry Keane’s header sealed the victory for the Three Lions. Toney, meanwhile, was handed his first minutes of the tournament as he was thrown on as a substitute in injury time with England chasing a last-gasp equaliser. The Brentford striker then went on to provide the header to…

Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona has revealed that Declan Rice apologised after their bust-up in the aftermath of England’s extra-time win at Euro 2024 on Sunday. England were on the brink of a surprise exit at Euro 2024 as Slovakia were on course to secure a 1-0 victory before Jude Bellingham forced extra time with an overhead-kick equaliser in the 94th minute. Harry Kane then popped up with a header in the first minute of extra time to put England 2-1 ahead and Gareth Southgate’s side were able to hang on for the victory, which sets up a quarter-final tie against…

Ed Sheeran has definitely got his priorities straight, as he opted for the football over Glastonbury Festival this weekend. Swapping Worthy Farm in Somerset for Gelsenkirchen Stadium in Germany, the Shape Of You hitmaker experienced every possible emotion as he watched England take on Slovakia for the UEFA Euro 2024 last-16 tie. Thankfully, the night ended on a high and Ed was able to leave the venue to celebrate in his England shirt as his home team progressed through to the next round of the competition after a victory in extra time. Ed, 33, is known for his love of footie…