Spanish police capture Europe’s first narco submarine, carrying three tonnes of cocaine from Colombia
Spanish police have intercepted what is believed to be the first submarine used to smuggle drugs into Europe and seized a reported three tonnes of Colombian cocaine. Police sources say that the 20-metre-long submarine, thought to be similar to those used by drug traffickers to transport cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and the US, was detected…
Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska ‘stripped of Cyprus citizenship’ in clampdown on cash-for-visa scheme
Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has had his Cypriot citizenship revoked as the island nation clamps down on abuse of its passport-for-investment programme, according to local media. Cyprus has stripped 26 wealthy people of their citizenship rights as part of a review of the 2013 policy that granted a passport…
Hungary withdraws from ‘homosexual flotilla’ Eurovision Song Contest
Hungary has pulled out of next year’s Eurovision song contest amid speculation the decision was triggered by a backlash to the competition’s LGBT-positive messaging. While no official reason has been given for the withdrawal, sources within Hungary’s public broadcaster reportedly believe it is due to a rise in homophobic rhetoric within the country around the…
Indian coffee chain in hot water over facial recognition technology
One of India’s largest cafe chains has sparked a privacy furore after installing facial recognition technology that signs customers up for a loyalty account without their knowledge. Chaayos – which aims to open over 300 outlets nationwide by 2023 – is trialling a new system in its New Delhi stores where a camera takes a…
Indian businessman wore pilot disguise to get upgrades and special treatment
An Indian businessman who posed as a Lufthansa pilot to jump airport queues, impress women and get flight upgrades, has been held by police. Rajan Mahbubani admitted to taking at least 15 flights dressed as a pilot and often getting preferential treatment. The businessman from Delhi was caught on Monday trying to board an AirAsia…
Vietnamese families mourn the 39 truck migrants as funds are raised to help with funeral payments
Mourning families on Wednesday received 16 bodies of the 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex last month, amid crowdfunding campaigns to help debt-laden relatives bring their remains home. Relatives have waited weeks for the bodies to come home, after they were discovered in a refrigerated container in Essex in…
South Korean board games professional retires after saying humans can never beat Artificial Intelligence
A Go master famed as the only human to defeat Google’s AI player has retired from competition, saying there is no point any more as even the best contestants pale in comparison to the machine. Lee Se-Dol, 36, won 50 international and domestic Go titles over a legendary career in the Chinese boardgame, which involves…
German military posts Nazi uniform as ‘retro fashion’ on Instagram
The German defence ministry was forced to apologise on Wednesday after the military posted an image of Nazi-era uniform on social media as an example of “retro fashion”. The uniform, complete with three swastikas, was posted on the armed forces’ Instagram account with a flashing colourful banner that read: “Retro”. A second more detailed caption read:…
Chinese spy says he tried to infiltrate Hong Kong universities
A Chinese spy believed to be the first operative from the country to blow his cover has revealed unprecedented details about how he says Beijing’s spies are infiltrating Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Wang “William” Liqiang, is seeking asylum in Australia after where he has offered a trove of confidential information about alleged Chinese political interference operations…
Boris Johnson says Government ‘should help’ return British children of Isil suspects – as Cabinet split over repatriation plan
Boris Johnson on Friday appeared open to the return of more children of British Islamic state suspects from Syria, saying the Government “should help” where it was possible. The Prime Minister, speaking ahead of a Question Time election special, said that the logistics were extremely complicated and it was unlikely all the stranded children would…