Three Killed In Belgium Passenger Train Crash

A passenger train has collided with a freight train in eastern Belgium, killing three people and injuring nine others.

Belgian officials said the train slammed into the back of the goods train, as it was travelling at high speed on the same track.

The Belga news agency reported that several passengers had to be extracted from the wreckage following the "very violent" collision, which derailed two of the passenger train's six carriages.

Nine passengers were injured, with some described as being in a critical condition.

A further 27 people were being cared for. The number of injured was originally said to be 40 - roughly the total number on board.

Emergency services and reinforcements remain at the site of the crash, where a crisis centre has also been set up.

The train was travelling from the west to the east of Belgium on the Namur-Liege line when the accident occurred in the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse at 9pm (11pm local time).

Two of the train's six carriages were derailed

Local mayor Francis Dejon said: "The passenger train is really in a bad way, it's stunning.

"The front carriage is scrunched back up on itself. We were very lucky not to have more victims," he told the Belgian news agency Belga.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," Infrabel and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

Emergency services had to cut some passengers from the wreckage

A person who had been on board described the scene as "chaos" to the local daily newspaper L'Avenir, saying that the front two carriages had been destroyed.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear, with questions remaining over whether the passenger train was able to brake before the crash.

"The priority is to care for the victims," Infrabel and SNCB said, but added that information was already being analysed to determine how the crash took place.

In February 2010, 18 people were killed and 95 injured when two trains collided in a Brussels suburb in one of Europe's deadliest railway accidents of the past decade.

More recently, one person was killed and nearly 50 injured when a train carrying highly toxic chemicals derailed and exploded near the city of Ghent in May 2013.

Turkey's Erdogan says childless women are 'incomplete'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Turkish women to have at least three children, saying a woman's life is "incomplete" if she fails to have offspring.

Erdogan's comments were the latest in a series of controversial remarks aimed at encouraging women to help boost Turkey's population, which has already risen exponentially in the last years.

The president emphasised he was a strong supporter of women having careers, but said that this should not be an "obstacle" to having children.

"Rejecting motherhood means giving up on humanity," Erdogan said in a speech marking the opening of the new building of Turkey's Women's and Democracy Association (KADEM).

"I would recommend having at least three children," added the president.

"The fact that a woman is attached to her professional life should not prevent her from being a mother," he added, saying that Turkey had taken "important steps" to support working mothers.

Stance against contraception

Erdogan had on Monday said that family planning and contraception were not for Muslim families, prompting fury among activists.

In his speech on Sunday he went on to add: "A woman who says 'because I am working I will not be a mother' is actually denying her feminity."

"A women who rejects motherhood, who refrains from being around the house, however successful her working life is, is deficient, is incomplete," he added.

According to the statistics office, Turkey's population rose to 78.7 million last year, a growth rate of around 1.3 percent. The population in 2000 was less than 68 million.

However, Erdogan indicated he wanted more, saying Turkey is a country "with great goals" and to achieve them "every member of the nation should be mobilised".

"Strong families lead to strong nations," he said.

Erdogan has two daughters and two sons with his wife Emine.

His younger daughter Sumeyye, who last month married defence industrialist Selcuk Bayraktar in a high-profile wedding, is the deputy chairman of KADEM.

Erdogan has repeatedly annoyed feminists and women's activists with his comments on sex and family planning, once describing birth control as "treason".

'Gang Fight' Leaves Streets Like 'War Zone'

Three men have been taken to hospital after a fight in a Glasgow street which saw several vehicles torched.

Eyewitnesses described the scene of the fight as being like a "war zone", with the streets gridlocked by emergency service vehicles.

A towering fire was reported at the scene and one boy was seen "covered in blood" on Frankfield Road, off Cardowan Road, on Sunday afternoon.

Police Scotland said all three men taken to hospital are in a stable condition.

A police spokesman added that he thought the disorder was "likely to be rival gangs fighting".

Local resident Frank Kerr, 59, said: "I saw a boy sitting in a paramedic's van. He was covered in blood, but I didn't see what happened to him.

"It's very rare for this neck of the woods. There was a fire at the end of the street, and I heard tyres blowing up.

A police officer carries bags of evidence as he investigates what happened

"There were police, fire brigade, ambulances, tow trucks, you name it, everything was here."

He added: "I didn't hear any gunshots, just tyres blowing up with the heat."

Another eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said he saw two vans on fire with flames "as high as a house".

"I was washing my car and I saw high flames and smoke, then the fire brigade came," he said.

Police Scotland said inquiries are ongoing, adding it could not comment on the nature or the cause of the victims' injuries.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "We got called out to a van on fire. The incident has been handed over to the police."

Muhammad Ali's Body Arrives Back In Hometown

Muhammad Ali's body has arrived in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where he will be laid to rest on Friday.

The boxing legend's coffin was flown to an airport in the city before being carried into a hearse and driven away.

His family have said a public memorial will be held at a sports arena in the city next week, with thousands of mourners expected to attend.

:: 'Daddy Is Free Now' - Daughter's Tribute To Ali

Louisville mayor Greg Fischer told Sky News he expects an "outpouring of love" for the three-time world heavyweight champion, who died on Friday aged 74.

Muhammad Ali's body has been flown back to his hometown of Louisville

"When a global icon is from your own home city, everybody has got a story, everybody has been touched by him - one way or multiple ways," he said.

"Our city, Louisville, is going to be sending him off with great class, dignity and respect. 

"We hope the world will be inspired to live up to the values of Ali, which were compassion and unity and bringing people together, lifting people up."

Former President Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal are among those delivering eulogies at the ceremony, which will be led by an imam in line with Muslim tradition.

:: Ali's Final Year: Family Photos Of Boxing Legend

Representatives of other faiths will also attend, and family spokesman Bob Gunnell said: "The celebration will reflect his devotion to people of all races, religions and backgrounds."

A private service will be held a day before the public memorial, which will be streamed online.

Flowers, cards and signs have been placed outside his childhood home in the city, and flags have been flying at half-mast.

Tributes have been paid to Ali from countless figures in sport, showbiz and politics, with President Barack Obama saying the boxing icon "fought for what was right" both inside and outside the ring.

:: From Underdog To Superstar: Muhammad Ali's Life

According to Mr Gunnell, Ali's official cause of death was septic shock "due to unspecified natural causes".

Earlier in the week he was admitted to hospital with respiratory issues linked to Parkinson's disease, which he had been diagnosed with in 1984.

Mr Gunnell said Ali's wife and nine children had been hopeful that his stay in hospital would be brief, but were called to his bedside when his condition became more serious.

"They had a full day to say farewell to Muhammad. All family members, all daughters and his son were in attendance, and his wife," the family spokesman told reporters.

Woman Hurt After Plane Hits Cars At Airfield

A woman has been airlifted to hospital after a light plane crashed and collided with parked cars.

The female spectator, who is in her 60s, was injured when the Tiger Moth biplane came down and hit a car she was in and at least one more vehicle during a charity event.

The former RAF aircraft had just taken-off from the runway at the private Brimpton Airfield near Reading, Berkshire, before it crashed around 3pm.

Two male pilots, also in their 60s, suffered minor injuries and were able to get out of the plane.

The collision happened at a charity event. Pic: Tadley Fire Station

The woman was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford by air ambulance - the charity which the event was raising money for.

Eugene Johnson, a member of the Brimpton Flying Club and retired fire officer, put on a fire-suit and helped tackle a small fuel leak from the plane.

He said: "A 2.55pm a silver Tiger Moth was leaving the airfield and crashed during take-off.

"The accident resulted in a spectator being injured and the two male occupants suffering minor injuries, but they evacuated the aircraft unaided.

"The Air Accident Investigation Branch were informed and the airfield was closed, pending an investigation."

Emergency services at the scene. Pic: Tadley Fire Station

Mr Johnson said about 100 spectators were at the event.

He added: "Everybody is really disappointed because we go to a lot of lengths to make it a pleasurable and fun event."

Thames Valley Police said officers "were called to an event at Brimpton airstrip at Wasing Lane, Aldermaston, just before 3pm today following a report of a collision between a light aircraft as it was taking off and an unoccupied parked car".

"The plane also made contact with another vehicle, causing a female occupant to be injured.

"The pilot and his male passenger suffered minor injuries which were treated at the scene while the woman was airlifted to hospital."

Plane Passengers And Crew Injured By Turbulence

Up to 34 passengers and six crew members on a Malaysia Airlines flight from London have been hurt after a plane was hit by turbulence, according to reports.

The aircraft had 378 passengers on board at the time but managed to land safely at Kuala Lumpur.

The airline released a statement saying "some passengers suffered minor injuries".

But a number of passengers affected said on social media they had gone to hospital as a result of what happened.

Images showed debris littering the aisle of the cabin, food trolleys upturned and seat fittings broken in the wake of the incident.

The Malaysia Airlines statement said: "Malaysia Airlines flight MH1 from London-Heathrow landed on time in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 5 June.

"During the flight over the Bay of Bengal the passenger seatbelt light was switched on due to air turbulence. Due to a brief moment of severe turbulence some passengers suffered minor injuries.

"Medical crew and Malaysia Airlines senior management met the aircraft on arrival in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). A small number of affected passengers and crew have been treated by medical officers.

"Malaysia Airlines has assisted the 378 passengers and crew onboard MH1 and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by this weather event which was entirely beyond our control."

Harith Azman posted on Facebook: "I was one of the passenger in the plane and I think the pilot did the best they could to take us all home safely.

"My parents were in the toilet at that time and my father hit his head on the ceiling of the plane.

"The plane went into a very bad weather and cause the plane to free fall. The food were'nt served because the trolley was damaged."

One of those who tweeted about what happened, Shafiq Shahril, said he was in hospital in Ampang, near Kuala Lumpur airport, more than four hours after the plane touched down.

Other tweeters and news sites, including Metro TV, said that the flight had requested medical assistance on arrival as 34 passengers and six crew had been injured.

New Straits Times reported that some people were claiming that four passengers and six crew were hurt.

BH Online carried a picture of what appeared to be a passenger on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.

The plane is believed to have been an Airbus A380, the biggest commercial airliner in use.

John Major Savages 'Court Jester' Boris Johnson

John Major has warned "court jester" Boris Johnson would not have the loyalty of Tory MPs if he becomes party leader because of the "squalid" Brexit campaign.

The Conservative former prime minister ramped up his criticism of the Leave camp, accusing it of making "deceitful" claims and "misleading" the public.

:: Farage: Staying In EU Risks More Sex Attacks

He also claimed the NHS would be "about as safe" in the hands of Mr Johnson, the Justice Secretary and former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith as a "pet hamster would be with a hungry python".

Mr Johnson dismissed Sir John's attack and rejected his accusation the Leave campaign was "squalid".

The former London mayor argued there was "too much of this blue on blue action" and insisted people wanted to hear the arguments.

Sir John told the BBC: "Firstly on the economy and what would happen if we actually left - the Leave campaign have said absolutely nothing to the British people and what they have said about leaving is fundamentally dishonest and it's dishonest about the cost of Europe.

"And on the subject that they have veered towards, having lost the economic argument, of immigration, I think their campaign is verging on the squalid."

He added: "I am angry at the way the British people are being misled.

"This is much more important than a general election. This is going to affect people, their livelihoods, their future, for a very long time to come and if they are given honest straightforward facts and they decide to leave, then that is the decision the British people take.

"But if they decide to leave on the basis of inaccurate information, inaccurate information known to be inaccurate, then I regard that as deceitful."

Mr Johnson said it was "absolute nonsense" he was backing Brexit because of personal leadership ambitions.

He said: "Obviously there is going to be a temptation by one side or the other to try to turn it into a personality driven conversation.

"My view about the EU has changed but that is because the EU has changed out of all recognition."

He said it was "frustrating" the Government had failed to meet its pledge to reduce migration to the tens of thousands and argued the Prime Minister "didn't get a sausage" from his renegotiations on Britain's relationship with Brussels.

Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott accused Sir John of looking "slightly mad".