Top News Stories –

US tycoon murder suspect Durst says he ‘killed them all’ –
US tycoon Robert Durst has been arrested on a murder charge just before the finale of a TV show investigating the alleged crime. He was detained in New Orleans after a warrant was issued by Los Angeles police investigating the murder of mobster’s daughter Susan Berman. Mr Durst has always maintained his innocence in the murder in 2000. But HBO’s The Jinx catches him on tape apparently confessing to three killings, saying “[I] killed them all”. The show suggested in a previous episode that Mr Durst had written a letter only Ms Berman’s killer could have sent. [BBC]

Sir Elton John boycotts Dolce & Gabbana after row over same-sex families –
Sir Elton John has called for a boycott of fashion label Dolce & Gabbana after the legendary designers criticised same-sex families. In a scathing post on picture sharing site Instagram, the furious singer branded Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana “judgmental” and “archaic”. It followed an interview with the designers in Italy’s Panorama magazine in which the pair said: “We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed.”
In response to their latest comments, Sir Elton, who married his long-term civil partner David Furnish in December 2014, wrote: “How dare you refer to my beautiful children as ‘synthetic’. “And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children. [Daily Telegraph]
Sir Elton John

British Airways flight to Dubai forced to return to Heathrow due to ‘smelly poo in toilet’ –
A British Airways flight to Dubai was forced to return to Heathrow Airport when a “smelly poo in the toilet” became unbearable for passengers.
The pilot announced that the long haul flight had to be aborted, after cabin crew were unable to prevent the pungent odour emanating from an overflowing toilet. Around 30 minutes in the seven-hour flight, the plane returned to London amid health and safety concerns.
Hertsmere councillor Abhishek Sachdev, who represents Potters Bar Parkfield was on the plane and said it was “insane” that passengers had to wait 15 hours for another flight due to a “smelly poo in the toilet”.

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INSANE Toilet Paper PRANK!! by Roman Atwood

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
  • Fighting rages near the western Libyan city of Sirte between Islamic State affiliated militants and a local militia alliance. (BBC)
• The United States embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia close for Sunday and Monday due to heightened security concerns.(Fox News)
• Two suicide bombers belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar blow themselves up intwin bomb attacks on two churches in the Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least fourteen people with 70 more injured.(The News Pakistan)(Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• A fire breaks out in the bell tower of Moscow’s famous Novodevichy Convent. (Guardian)
• Cyclone Pam
  • The government of the island nation of Vanuatu declares a state of emergency for Shefa Province containing the capital Port Vila as authorities struggle to assess the full impact of the category 5 storm. Once assessments of the damage have been done in other provinces, authorities are likely to widen the declared area in a state of emergency.(The Guardian), (ABC via Weatherzone)
  • Enele Sopoaga, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, estimates that 45% of the population has been displaced by the cyclone. (Radio New Zealand)
• A car crash kills South African Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane. (News 24)
• Rainstorms hit northern India, resulting in fourteen deaths and widespread damage to crops. (Times of India)

International relations

• Myanmar denies claims by the People’s Republic of China that one of its aircraft crossed the Chinese border and dropped a bomb killing four people. (AP via ABC News America)

Politics and elections

• The National Assembly of Venezuela grants President Nicolás Maduro the power to legislate by decree for nine months.(AP)

Sports

• The field for the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament is announced. Undefeated Kentucky is the tournament’s top overall seed, with Duke, Villanova, and Wisconsin earning the other three #1 seeds. (ESPN)

Weather

• The U.S. city of Boston sets an all time snow record, with 108.6 inches of snow for the season. (USA Today)

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