Top News Stories –

Tony Abbott filmed downing a beer in only seven seconds –
Some may say it is behaviour unbecoming of a prime minister. Others have applauded it. Footage has emerged of the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, knocking back a large glass of beer in only seven seconds. But the incident is not a first in Australian politics – and is not all that unusual for Mr Abbott. The prime minister was at a bar in east Sydney on Saturday along with players from the UTS Bats Australian Rules football team. [BBC]
Tony Abbott

Kate Middleton’s friend holds orgies in sharia hotel –
Emma Sayle, owner of Killing Kittens, a members-only sex-club, said the Bermondsey Square hotel in London is one of her preferred destinations for the self-styled ‘sexual elite’. The Duchess of Cambridge’s friend has been staging sex parties in the country’s first sharia hotel. A friend of Kate Middleton’s, Miss Sayle, 36, who attended Downe House boarding school with Prince Michael’s daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, has used the four loft suites on the seventh floor of the hotel for her parties. According to Miss Sayle, who is a member of Kate’s rowing crew, The Sisterhood, the rules at Killing Kitten events state men can’t approach women at parties unless they know them, everyone wears a mask and single men aren’t allowed. [Daily Telegraph]
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Zayn Malik collects Asian Award and thanks bandmates –
Zayn Malik has taken a step in a new direction, showing off a new look for his first public appearance since quitting One Direction. He was in London for the fifth annual Asian Awards, where he picked a gong for his contribution to music and paid tribute to his former bandmates. Malik also thanked God and his parents, “for making me Asian”. [BBC] He also had a radical change of look with an almost shaved head compared to the long hair he used to sport.
Zayn Malik (image – thecount.com)

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A suicide bomber allegedly affiliated with ISIL strikes a bank in the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan, killing at least 33 and wounding 100. (RT)(CNN) (Reuters), (BBC)
• Yemeni Civil War (2015)
  • An Iranian Naval convoy is headed towards Yemen to potentially resupply Shia Houthi rebels. (The Hill)
  • At least 27 people are dead in fighting in the city of Taez. (AFP via Maktoob Yahoo!)
  • Iran proposes a four point peace plan which is rejected by the Hadi government of Yemen. (Reuters)
• Kashmir conflict
  • Indian Army soldiers fire on separatist protesters following unruly behaviour resulting in the death of a teenage protester. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
• Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
  • The Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi warns that thousands of Libyans will continue to risk their lives travelling to Europe unless the civil war ends. More than 2000 people have been rescued in the past week. (BBC)

Arts and culture

• List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
  • New inductees are welcomed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame including Lou Reed, Ringo Starr, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Green Day, Bill Withers, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the 5 Royales. (Los Angeles Times)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 19 people are killed as a gold mine collapses in Tanzania‘s Msalala district. (AFP via Daily Mail)
• Hundreds of people are feared dead after a boat carrying people from Libya to Italy capsizes in the Mediterranean Sea. Twenty-eight people have been rescued. (Times of Malta)

Health

• A mystery disease that kills patients within 24 hours has killed at least 18 people within the past week in the Nigerian town of Ode-Irele in Ondo State. (AFP via ABC Australia)

Law and crime

• Australian Federal Police foil an Islamic State inspired plot to carry out an attack at a World War One centenary event in Melbourne. (BBC)

Sports

• 2015 ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating
  • In figure skating, the United States team wins the World Team Trophy held in Japan while Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia wins the women’s individual free skate title. (AP)

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