Playboy Mansion Sold To Billionaire Neighbour

Playboy fans everywhere are mourning the end of an era as Hugh Hefner's iconic Los Angeles mansion is sold to the billionaire businessman who lives next door.

Private equity boss, Daren Metropoulos, 32, is to become the new owner of the vast 29-room property, representatives for Playboy Enterprises and Mr Metropoulos have confirmed.

Both sides have refused to reveal the sale price until the deal is completed.

As part of the sale, Hugh Hefner must remain at the mansion

However, some reports suggest it went for roughly $110m (£76.1m), significantly less than the $200m it was originally listed at.

Mr Metropoulos, who is the co-owner of the Hostess Brands, maker of the American snack Twinkies, bought the house next door from Mr Hefner in 2009 for £18m.

He reportedly plans to merge the two 1920s-era properties, creating an enormous 7.3 acre compound.

But the development will have to wait as, under the terms of the sale, Playboy Magazine's 90-year-old founder will remain in the mansion for the rest of his life.

"If the purchase closes and at some point after Mr Hefner's tenancy ends, Mr Metropoulos intends to reconnect the two estates ..." Metropoulos' business, Metropoulos & Co, said in a statement.

"In the meantime, he is pleased to continue to have Mr Hefner as his neighbour and feels fortunate and privileged for the opportunity to serve as a steward of this historic property."

The Playboy mansion, once the scene of countless debauched celebrity-filled parties, sits on five acres in LA's Holmby Hills.

It is home to a game house, home theatre, wine cellar, gym, tennis court, swimming pool, four-bedroom guest house and the infamous Playboy grotto.

The property was originally bought by Playboy Enterprises in 1971 for $1.05m.

At that time, the purchase was the largest real estate transaction in Los Angeles history.

Turkey Sinks Airbus In Aegean To Boost Tourism

An Airbus A300 has been sent to the bottom of the Aegean Sea in the hope it will become a diving reef and revive the Turkish tourism industry.

The 47-ton plane, which was bought from a private company for about £64,295 was submerged on Saturday off the coast of Kusadasi, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

Its journey began in Istanbul in April, where the 54m aircraft was divided into parts and taken by truck to the seaside resort town in western Turkey.

Divers and cranes then lowered the 36-year-old plane into the sea, as people and passing ships stopped to watch.

Two-and-a-half hours later, the plane was 75ft underneath the surface, where it is hoped it will lure fish and tourists in droves.

It comes as Turkey's tourism industry suffers due to security concerns and its worsening relationship with Russia, which forms a key part of the market.

There have been a series of deadly suicide bombings during recent months, a renewed conflict with Kurdish fighters in the southeast and the continuing war across its southern border in Syria.

Officials say the number of foreign visitors to the country was down by nearly 30% in April.

Turkish authorities recently sunk three other planes off the coast and other artificial reefs include the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier which lies in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida.

Another example is The Cedar Pride, a Lebanese merchant vessel that was damaged by fire in 1982 while in Jordan.

In 1985, Jordan's king took charge of the abandoned - but still floating - ship, had its oil and hazards removed and then scuttled it.

It now sits 82ft deep in the Red Sea.

Nigeria's ex-leader 'investigated for corruption'

Nigeria's ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has said he has been investigated for corruption by his successor Muhammadu Buhari's government.

"Of course, obviously, they investigated and I’ve been investigated,” he said in a Bloomberg Television interview. 

He declined to say what the investigations might reveal, saying he wanted to leave Mr Buhari's government to do its job. 

Mr Buhari has accused former government officials of stealing billions of dollars, but Mr Jonathan said his administration had done "very well" in curbing corruption.  

Mr Jonathan denied Mr Buhari's claim that he left behind a "virtually empty treasury" when he left office last year. 

“There’s no way he would have inherited an empty treasury. It’s not possible,” he said.  

Mr Jonathan was succeeded by Mr Buhari last May. He was the first president to hand power voluntarily after losing elections. 

Ambulances Destroyed In Surrey Hospital Fire

Three ambulances have been destroyed by fire at a hospital in Surrey.

Aerial footage shows the burnt-out remains of the vehicles outside East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.

It is understood that the fire started in one vehicle at around 2.15pm, before spreading to the other two, which were carrying gas canisters.

Fire crews could be seen spraying the wreckage using water hoses, with other ambulances stationed nearby.

Motorist Jeni Comeau told the Surrey Mirror at the time: "I can see lots of thick, black smoke.

Three ambulances have been destroyed by fire at the hospital

"I pulled over to call my friend because she has gone to the hospital with her son.

"She's in the paediatrics unit and I didn't know if she needs to get out.

"There are so many police cars, ambulances and fire engines going into the hospital right now.

"Some lady just said it was a gas explosion - gas canisters - but I don't know what's going on."

The fire has forced the hospital to close its doors to emergency cases, diverting seriously ill people to nearby accident and emergency units.

Michael Wilson, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust, which runs the hospital, said: "There were no patients involved and all patients and staff are safe.

"The police, fire and ambulance services were on site within a few minutes and the fire is now under control.

"Currently the hospital is closed to emergencies and patients are being diverted through South East Ambulance Service."

African Union troops in Somalia arrested for selling military supplies

Five soldiers with the African Union mission in Somalia (Amisom) and 10 Somalis have been arrested for selling military equipment, police say.

They were found with improvised detonators, fuel, sandbags and empty ammunition boxes.

Amisom confirmed the arrests saying it would not accept "unprofessional conduct among its personnel". 

The mission is fighting alongside Somali government forces against al-Shabab Islamist militants.

Africa Live: BBC news updates

This is the first time African Union troops have been arrested in Somalia since Amisom was established nine years ago, our correspondent says.

The authorities say the five AU soldiers are from Uganda, which has the largest number of troops in the 22,000-strong mission.

The police said they caught the men as they were trying to sell the equipment to civilians.

Surveillance

Somalia's police chief Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud told reporters that the Amisom troops had been under surveillance for a while after allegations that they were involved in the illegal trade. 

''The Somali police have been investigating repeated claims that equipment and other resources meant for the Amisom forces were ending up in the hands of people who were misusing them," he said.

Somalia's Interior Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said the sale of equipment may "explain why insecurity is increasing in Somalia". 

The 15 men are expected to appear in court in Mogadishu soon.

British Gran Killed By Shark 'Bigger Than Boat'

old British woman described as a "devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife" has been killed in a shark attack off the coast of Australia.

University lecturer Doreen Collyer was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, on Sunday morning when she was attacked.

She and her husband David, originally from Chester in Cheshire, moved to Australia around five years ago, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Mr Collyer said in a statement: "Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife."

Mrs Collyer had been diving with a friend who, police said, felt "something go past him" in the water.

"When he surfaced he saw a commotion in the water and then another boat (a fishing boat) arrived to pull him out of the water, and then it was noticed that the lady had suffered some severe and fatal injuries," Inspector Danny Mulligan told ABC.

Three fishermen, who also tried to help Mrs Collyer, described the shark as being longer than their 5.3m (17ft) boat.

Ms Collyer, a nursing lecturer at Edith Cowan University (ECU), was reportedly a keen diver and held an advanced open water qualification.

he university's acting vice chancellor Arshad Omari described her as "a much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher" in an email to staff.

Students paid tribute to her on social media.

One, Elle Louise, wrote on Facebook: "RIP Doreen, all of us ECU nursing/midwifery students were so lucky to have you share your wealth of knowledge as our lecturer and tutor, my condolences go out to your family x."

Lukas Birch said: "Was in shock when I saw who was killed in the shark attack yesterday! What a lovely soul she was. My favourite lecturer....RIP Doreen :(."

The Department of Fisheries in Australia has deployed a boat to Mindarie, where Mrs Collyer was diving, to investigate and to prepare to trap the shark.

Nigeria's ex-President Babangida 'not dead'

An aide of Nigeria's former ruler Ibrahim Babangida has dismissed rumours that he was dead.  

Nma Kolo told me that Mr Babangida was in Germany for a routine medical check-up.

Earlier, the rumour was published on Twitter: