New rules on royal succession come into force in Britain
London
New royal succession rules removing male bias have come into force in Britain which means that if Prince William and wife Kate Middleton have a daughter she can no longer be superseded by a younger brother. Royal succession rules in Britain and 15 other realms where the Queen is head of state were finally overhauled to give women equal rights. New rules on royal succession that have now come into force, remove male bias and discrimination against Roman Catholics. If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s new baby is a girl, she will follow Prince George and become fourth in line to the throne and will not be overtaken by any future younger brothers. The new rules also allow members of the Royal Family to marry a Roman Catholic and become king or queen.
Keeper dies after tiger attack at China zoo
Beijing
A tiger attacked and killed a zookeeper when he was cleaning the animal’s enclosure in China’s eastern Jiangxi province. The accident happened in Chuntai Park, Yichun City when a tiger pounced on the zookeeper, surnamed Gong, who was cleaning the tiger’s enclosure. Other zoo staff rushed to drive away the tiger and injected it with tranquilizers. Despite treatment, Gong, who suffered serious injures, died one hour after the attack.
Indian-origin woman creates landlord rating website in UK
London
An Indian-origin mother has set up a website for rating landlords after she and her family were subjected to a “nightmare” tenancy in Britain. Payal Bhavnani, an accountant by profession, launched her free-to-use website, AskTenants, in an attempt to help people make informed decisions before signing lengthy rental contracts. Bhavnani’s website allows renters to rate their accommodation and landlord responsiveness. “There are so many checks which tenants have to undergo and pay for via estate agents, whilst knowing nothing about the landlord,” she said.
Two astronauts set for longest NASA human mission to space
Washington
Two astronauts were on Friday ready for a 12-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS) in a longest human expedition to space so far and testing the limits of human research, space exploration and the human spirit. NASA’s Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will be part of research to help the US space agency and the international partners reduce risks and better understand how to ensure that astronauts will thrive on longer missions.
