RUSSIA – A nanny in Russia accused of murdering and then decapitating a little girl in her care has said that “Allah ordered” her to carry out the act. Gulchekhra Bobokulova, a 38-year-old mother of three, spoke to reporters on her way into a Moscow court. Bobokulova, a Muslim and a citizen of Uzbekistan, also replied “yes” when asked if she accepted her guilt.

CCTV appeared to show her, dressed in a hijab, walking near a metro station with a head in her hands. Russian media reported that she pulled the head out of a bag and began screaming that she would blow herself up after a police officer asked to see her identity documents. Amateur video posted online showed a black-clad woman shouting “I am a terrorist. I am your death”. Investigators told the Presnensky district court they had not found anyone else involved in the case. But prosecutors also said they believed that Bobokulova had been “incited” to commit the crime.(BBC)…[+]

USA – In the last six months, a 90-year-old woman has seen some of the most famous landmarks in the US, including Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon.

Norma, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, decided to take the epic road trip across the country rather than undergo treatment. Currently seeing the sights in Florida, Norma is travelling in a motor home with her son Tim, daughter-in-law Ramie and their pet poodle Ringo. Over Christmas, she fulfilled one of her dreams by taking a ride in a hot air balloon. Norma, from Michigan, told The Huffington Post: “People shouldn’t be afraid to travel. No matter your age.” She made the decision to go on the trip in August 2015 after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and was asked by a doctor about how she would like to proceed with her treatment.(Independent UK)…[+]

USA – Donald Trump has ordered dozens of black students to be removed from a campaign rally as a furor continues to rage over his failure to condemn the Ku Klux Klan on CNN.  The Republican Presidential candidate was speaking at Radford University in Virginia on Monday when the group started chanting: “No more hate! No more hate! Let’s be equal, let’s be great!”

“Get them out of here please, get them out…get them out,” Mr Trump ordered, before asking: “Are you from Mexico?” Footage showed the students leaving the packed auditorium in a long column while chanting and waving Black Lives Matters posters. Mr Trump paused his speech as the disruption continued, saying: “Get them out of here please…trouble, nothing but trouble.” As the rally settled back down, he told supporters: “Folks, you’re going to hear it once – all lives matter.(Independent UK)…[+]

CHINA – Regions have been ordered to clean up public venues as the weather is becoming warmer, which means mosquito-borne viruses, including Zika, and other infections may spread easier. The focus should be on bus stations, ports, markets, residential communities and urban-rural border areas, according to Li Bin, head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, at a meeting on Monday. Li also urged people to clean up their homes and workplaces to eradicate breeding ground for mosquitoes and other bugs. Supervision and analysis of infectious diseases must be heightened and border areas must be extra vigilant, Li said. Symptoms of the Zika virus, which is spread to humans through mosquito bites, include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain.(Xinhua)…[+]

Brazil’s foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, began his first visit to the Guyanas and Suriname on Tuesday and hold meetings with President Desi Bouterse and the foreign minister of Suriname, Niermala Badrising, in an effort to further advance South American integration within the framework of South-South cooperation. The two countries are looking to further cooperate in the areas of natural resources, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, public health and security by sharing information and expertise.(Caribbean News Now)…[+]

RUSSIA – Police in the Russian capital Moscow have arrested a woman on suspicion of murdering a child after she was found apparently carrying a severed head. The woman, believed to be the victim’s nanny, is suspected of killing the child before setting fire to its parents’ apartment. CCTV appears to show the woman, dressed in a hijab, walking near a metro station with a head in her hands. A police officer then intercepts her and wrestles her to the ground. The suspect has been placed in psychiatric care to determine whether she is capable of understanding her actions, the Moscow Investigative Committee said in a statement (in Russian).(BBC)…[+]

FRANCE – French demolition teams acting on an eviction order have begun dismantling huts with hammers in part of the Calais migrant camp known as the Jungle. They seem to be leaving inhabited huts intact as they move through the camp’s southern sector, with riot police standing by in support. Two bulldozers have appeared on the periphery and a water cannon has been deployed although not yet used. The government plans to relocate migrants to proper reception centers.

Those living in the camp, mainly from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa, hope to cross the Channel to reach the UK, often using people traffickers to try to enter illegally. The authorities believe some 1,000 migrants will be affected by the eviction plan while aid agencies say the number of people living there is much higher. (BBC)…[+]

MEXIO – Fans of international pop star Enrique Iglesias had an extra reason to celebrate during the singer’s concert in Mexico at the weekend. Guinness World Records was on site to honour the star with official certificates recognising his achievements for the Longest stay at No.1 of the Hot Latin Songs chart, and for the Most No.1 hits in the Hot Latin Songs chart.  Enrique achieved these records with his hit single Bailando which was at the top of the charts for 41 weeks and with a total of 26 no. 1 hits in the Hot Latin Songs charts, respectively.  The singer is one of the most renowned Latin pop artists of all time, having sold over 137 million albums worldwide in a career that has seen him win three Latin Grammys.(guinnessworldrecords)…[+]

IRAN-Allies of Iran’s reformist President Hassan Rouhani have won a landslide victory in Tehran, in the first parliamentary vote since Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers. With 90% of the votes counted, the pro-Rouhani List of Hope is set to take all 30 parliamentary seats in the capital. The leading conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad-Adel is in 31st place. Millions voted on Friday to elect the 290-seat parliament as well as members of the Assembly of Experts.(BBC)…[+]

SHANGHAI (Xinhua) — Financial policymakers from the world’s 20 major economies on Saturday pledged to use all policy tools, including monetary, fiscal and structural ones, to strengthen global recovery amid growing concerns of further downward risks.

“The global recovery continues, but it remains uneven and falls short of our ambition for strong, sustainable and balance growth,” noted a communique issued after the two-day G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Shanghai. The policymakers cited volatile capital flows, slumping commodity prices, escalated geopolitical tensions, a potential UK exit from the European Union and increasing refugees as major vulnerabilities of the global economy. The gathering came amid weak economic growth worldwide and increasing financial volatility that saw frequent and drastic falls in the stock markets across the world.(Xinhua)…[+]