Britain's oldest pet dies as tortoise that survived two world wars passes away aged 130 after being bitten on the leg by a rat

Thomas, born in 1882, bitten on leg by rat and wound became infected

Tortoise outlived five monarchs and survived both World Wars

Survived Blitz attack and was pulled from rubble of bomb-hit house in Essex

He survived the Blitz, five monarchs and both World Wars.

But Thomas, who was Britain's oldest resident, has died aged 130 - after being bitten by a rat.

He was born in 1882 and was pulled out of the rubble of a bomb-hit house in Essex in 1945.

The reptile had to be put down by owner June Le Gallez after being attacked by a rat in the back garden of her home in Guernsey.

Moscow holds talks with US ambassador over spy scandal

The US ambassador to Russia met foreign ministry officials in Moscow to discuss the case of a US diplomat accused of trying to recruit a Russian agent.

Michael McFaul was summoned after Russia said on Tuesday it had detained Ryan Fogle for "provocative actions".

Mr Fogle was declared "persona non grata" and told to leave the country.

The incident did not contribute to "strengthening mutual trust between Russia and the US", a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said.

However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he did not bring the matter up with US Secretary of State John Kerry, when they met at a conference in Sweden on Tuesday.

"I decided that talking about it would be superfluous, since it is already made public and everyone already understands everything," he said in comments published on the foreign ministry's website.

Mumbai: How an MBA and his friend kidnapped, burnt cousin to death

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has revealed shocking details of how an MBA hatched a plot to kidnap his 13-year-old cousin after losing money in an IPL bet and then got him hacked and burned to death by his friend when the police got to know of the case. "The 13-year-old was attacked on his head. He was taken in a car, which the police have recovered," Mumbai Police Additional Commissioner Krishna Prakash said.

Thirteen-year-old Aditya Ranka from South Mumbai was allegedly kidnapped by his cousin Himanshu and then brutally murdered by his friend. The cousin had reportedly lost Rs 10 lakh over betting on IPL matches.

He and a friend, Vijay Singhavi, then allegedly hatched the plot to kidnap the young boy and made a Rs 30 lakh ransom call. But when Aditya's family discovered Himanshu's hand in the kidnapping, the 13-year-old boy's wrist was slashed and he was later set ablaze in a secluded area in Panvel. 

"Since Friday, when Himanshu was in Rajasthan, the planning was on. They had Rs 10 lakh pending over the betting. They had decided that they would kidnap someone and seek ransom to pay for the betting loss. When the accused came to know that his uncle was expecting Rs 30 lakh, he decided to kidnap the 13-year-old," Prakash said.

"When he realised that the police was in action and the case is being taken up by crime branch, local police, they got nervous and then brought weapons and match box to kill Aditya," Prakash added.

Aditya's father came to know of Himanshu's involvement after he saw Aditya's slippers in his car, the police said. "The complainant was called in at the police station when we did not get any update on the boy. The complainant came in the same car that was used in the crime. One of the slippers of the boy was found in the car," Prakash said.

Both the accused were arrested by the police and have confessed to the crime. "The accused later revealed the details of the crime based on which Himanshu and his friend were arrested. Himanshu took the child out of the house. The calls at home were made by Vijay, the friend, and later on carried the crime. The two MBA graduates gave shape to the crime," Prakash added.

Apple makes iPhone, iPad more secure: Report

WASHINGTON: Tech giant Apple has added a new level of security to iCloud and for Apple ID users. The new two-step-verification will require users to verify their identity when they sign into account from a new device.

Verification will be done using another one of users' devices, such as iPhone, Mashable reports.

For example, if you buy a new computer and sign into iCloud on it, Apple will send a numerical code to your iPhone to verify that it is in fact you trying to access your account.

The extra level of security makes it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your account, the report said. If your password falls into the wrong hands, the new system is a roadblock preventing that person from signing in and accessing your data, it added.

Egypt: Balloon crashes near Luxor killing 18 tourists

British, French, Hong Kong and Japanese nationals are among at least 18 tourists killed in a hot air balloon crash near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The balloon was at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and plunged onto fields west of Luxor, officials said.

At least two people, including the balloon's pilot, survived, reportedly by jumping out of the balloon before it crashed.

Luxor is home to some of Egypt's most famous pharaonic-era ruins.

It lies on the banks of the River Nile in the south of the country, and has long been a popular tourist destination.

British tour operator Thomas Cook confirmed that four of its clients were on board the balloon - two had died and two were in hospital.

"We have a very experienced team in resort with the two guests in the local hospital, and we're providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time," Peter Fankhauser, CEO of Thomas Cook UK and Europe, said.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt has confirmed that nine Hong Kong tourists died in the balloon crash.

Egyptian police have said the other tourists include four from Japan and two from France. At least one Egyptian also died.

Earlier reports suggested 19 people had been killed.

Oscars 2013: 'Argo' wins best film award, Ang Lee best director

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo" took home the Oscar for best picture, in a unique presentation done by Jack Nicholson in Hollywood and First Lady Michelle Obama by videolink.

"Argo" bested eight rivals for the top prize: "Amour," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," " Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

On Nicholson's cue, Obama -- in a glittering silvery gown as stunning as any worn by the stars inside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood -- opened the envelope at the White House and declared "Argo" the winner.

"I want to thank Canada. I want to thank our friends in Iran, who live under terrible circumstances," said Affleck, a co-producer of the film, speaking at top speed in the very last minutes of the live prime-time Oscar broadcast.

"Argo" recounts how a group of US diplomats who took refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis were spirited out of the Islamic republic as members of a bogus movie crew.

Putting all speculations to rest, director Ang Lee has won the best director award second time at the 85th Academy Awards. His 'Life of Pi', a fantasy adventure drama widely shot in India, has also won four Oscars, including best cinematography, best visual effects and best original score.

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Bhandara rape case: School headmaster failed to alert family about missing girls, suspended

Bhandara: Eight days after the shocking incident of rape and murder of three minor girls in Bhandara district in Maharashtra, the government finally acted and suspended the headmaster of the school where two of the sisters studied.

The school headmaster was suspended as he failed to alert the family and police when the girls went missing on February 14. The two girls were not present at the time when the mid-day meal was being served, though their bags were in the class.

Three sisters, all minors were allegedly raped and murdered in Bhandara and their bodies were dumped in a well. Preliminary post-mortem report had confirmed that the girls were raped before being murdered.

Enraged villagers demanding a swift probe blocked the National Highway 6 for over four hours on Wednesday, while a bandh was called in the district. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and senior police officials have been rushed in to oversee the investigation.