Thai Resorts Rocked By Deadly Bomb Blasts

At least four people have been killed and more than 30 people injured in a series of blasts targeting tourist resorts in Thailand.

A wave of bombings were carried out in four main locations, with witnesses reporting at the site of one attack the devices had been hidden in plant pots.

They are believed to have been detonated remotely using mobile phones.

Popular tourist destinations have been targeted in the attacks

Investigators found ball-bearings at the scene which they think were put in the bombs to cause maximum injury.

Thai police said they had intelligence pointing to imminent attacks, but did not have details of when and where they would be carried out.

Following the blasts, the British embassy has updated its travel advice and warned holidaymakers there to "exercise extreme caution" and to avoid public places.

There are currently no indications that any Britons have been hurt in the explosions, although tourists from Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands are among the injured.

Police in Thailand have blamed the attacks on "local sabotage".

Among the locations targeted included the popular tourist destination of Hua Hin and on the island of Phuket.

Hua Hin is famous as a regular retreat of the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who lives there in the Klai Kangwon Royal Palace, which translates as "Far from Worries Palace".

is a popular among both Thai and foreign holidaymakers.

Less than a week ago, Thais voted in a referendum to adopt a military-backed constitution.

It is being seen as the first test at the ballot box for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a coup in May 2014.

For much of the past decade, Thailand has been plagued by political violence including bombings.

The latest blasts will come as a blow to the country's tourism industry, already hit by a bomb attack on a Bangkok shrine nearly a year ago.

Hua Hin Adventure Tours guide Natsupa Dechapanya said: "This ruins business. Hotels, restaurants, tours, we were already suffering, but this, it's going to ruin our lives."

She added: "This is the first time this has happened in Hua Hin. We think of this as a safe town, but now everyone is fearful. We feel like we're not safe."

Britons make more than one million visits to Thailand every year, according to the Foreign Office.

However, there are no current indications that any UK citizens were involved in the recent blasts.

Illegal Tattooists Are 'A Danger To Health'

Councils are calling for tougher sentences for illegal tattooists who they accuse of tempting children with "pocket money" prices.

The Local Government Association (LGA) claims illegal tattooists - also known as 'scratchers' - are putting people at risk of catching hepatitis and HIV.

It says they often use cheap equipment bought online and fail to sterilise their 'studios' - often kitchens or garden sheds.

The LGA is also urging online retailers to provide warnings to children on the dangers of using DIY tattoo kits, which can be bought for less than £25.

Although people have to be 18 to have a tattoo or tattoo someone else, there is nothing to stop anyone tattooing themselves.

Almost one in three people aged 25-34 in the UK are said to have at least one tattoo and there are more than 1,500 licensed tattoo parlours in the country.

Councillor Morris Bright, vice chairman of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: "Illegal tattooists operating under the radar pose a real danger to people's health.

They can use unsterilised equipment that seriously increases the risk of spreading diseases such as hepatitis or HIV, and causing permanent, ugly scarring.

"Unregulated tattooists are also associated with bad tattoos, which require expensive work to put right, and because they've been done illegally, you won't have normal customers' rights."

Cllr Bright added: "These unregistered tattooists are undermining legitimate businesses and are often willing to illegally tattoo children by tempting them with pocket money prices, which can cause damage that lasts a lifetime.

"This issue is becoming more rife as people set up businesses from home and tattoo equipment is becoming more widely available and cheaper on the internet."

The LGA says anyone having a tattoo should check if the parlour is registered with the local council and the artist has undergone recognised training.

They should also:

:: Ask to see examples of the person's work

:: Make sure tattoos are done with new needles

:: Check that a proper tattoo ink is being used and that it is sterile at the start of the treatment

The LGA says the tattoo artist should always wash their hands and put on a fresh pair of medical-type gloves before each new procedure.

London schoolgirl who travelled to Syria to join IS 'feared dead'

One of three schoolgirls who left east London last year to join so-called Islamic State (IS) is believed to have been killed in a Russian air strike in Syria, her family solicitor has said.

Kadiza Sultana was 16 when she left Bethnal Green along with two friends.

Her family's lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, told BBC Newsnight they heard a report of her death in Raqqa a few weeks ago.

But he said they had not been able to independently confirm it because of the nature of information from Syria.

Mr Akunjee said the teenager had grown disillusioned and wanted to leave IS and return to the UK - but had decided not to risk being captured and facing a "brutal" punishment from the terror group. 

He told the programme the family were "obviously devastated". 

Mr Akunjee added: "There's nothing worse than finding out your sibling or family member's been killed and by all accounts she was a young girl with a very promising future - and it's a great loss to us all really. 

"Every effort was made from the very beginning to try and avoid this fateful news and despite all efforts it's unfortunate that we find ourselves with the loss of a young life."

Kadiza Sultana and schoolfriends Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15 at the time, flew from Gatwick to Turkey on 17 February 2015 after telling their parents they were going out for the day. 

The Bethnal Green Academy pupils later entered Syria and were thought to be living in Raqqa, a stronghold for the so-called Islamic State.

They had been studying for their GCSEs at the school in Tower Hamlets, east London - where they have been described as "straight-A students".

Mr Akunjee said of Kadiza Sultana: "She had expressed a desire to come back. The problem with that was the risk factors around leaving are quite terminal also, in that if ISIS [IS] were able to detect and capture you then their punishment is quite brutal for trying to leave. 

"In the week where she was thinking of these issues a young Austrian girl had been caught trying to leave ISIS territory and was by all reports beaten to death publicly, so - given that that was circulated in the region as well as outside - I think Kadiza took that as a bad omen and decided not to take the risk."

Asked why she had wanted to leave, Mr Akunjee added: "I think she found out pretty quickly that the propaganda doesn't match up with the reality." 

A fourth girl from the school is believed to have travelled to Syria in December 2014.

Last year, a solicitor for the families said two of the girls had got married, without identifying which ones.

The Bethnal Green schoolgirls were among more than 800 Britons who are believed to have left the UK to join IS or other militant groups in Syria and Iraq,

Fugitive Edward Snowden Makes 'Thousands' From Speaking Fees

Edward Snowden leaked classified information

Edward Snowden has reportedly earned $200,000 (£155,000) in speaking fees over the past year, despite being holed up in an undisclosed Russian location.

American investigative journalist Michael Isikoff says he earned the six figure sum for speeches via video link, which were arranged by a US major speaker bureau.

At least three of the speeches were hosted by public American universities, the report said.

Mr Snowden is an international fugitive who is currently hiding out in Russia, to evade espionage charges in the US.

The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor leaked classified information in 2013 - exposing numerous global surveillance programmes.

He found sanctuary in Russia, which gave him temporary asylum.

Writing for Yahoo News Mr Isikoff said: "In the last five months, a larger-than-life Snowden has appeared on giant screens to a sold-out audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, northern Europe's largest music festival, a symposium on surveillance and civil rights in Tokyo, and Comic-Con in San Diego.

"In all of these cases, as with most of his appearances, sympathetic crowds greeted him with thunderous applause and praise for his decision to leak classified documents to journalists about US surveillance programmes."

He cited a source familiar with Mr Snowden's financial affairs, who said he had earned a total of $200,000.

But he added: "The spectacle of Snowden, who stole hundreds of thousands of classified government documents, profiting from his celebrity has irked some US intelligence officials."

His lawyer Ben Wizner said there is "nothing remotely improper about Edward Snowden making a living by speaking to global audiences about surveillance and democracy".

He added that Mr Snowden lives a "modest and frugal" lifestyle.

Tsunami Warning After 7.2-Magnitude Quake

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake has stuck off the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, triggering a local tsunami warning.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was measured at a depth of about six miles (10km).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for areas close to the quake, which was later cancelled.

The Hawaii-based centre added that there was no Pacific-wide threat of a tsunami.

The quake initially registered with a magnitude of 7.6 but was later downgraded.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Experts Baffled As Microbes Cover US Monument

One of America's most revered memorials has been covered by a microbial film that is proving a monumental headache for officials.

Conservationists are at a loss for how to stop the organisms covering the once gleaming dome of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.

The black biofilm became noticeable less than a decade ago, National Mall and Memorial Parks spokesperson Catherine Dewey told the Washington Post.

She said it had grown "immensely" in recent years.

The biofilm became noticeable less than a decade ago, say officials

One microbiologist told the newspaper she does not know whether the microbes are damaging the surface.

The Park Service is trying out different cleaning solutions to remove the bacteria.

But officials are unsure whether they can even stop the organisms coming back.

The white neoclassical structure was built 73 years ago to honour the nation's third president, the principal author of its Declaration of Independence.

Getting Ill Overseas Can Cost More Than A House

The price of falling ill abroad can exceed the average cost of a house in the UK, according to the Association of British Insurers.

New figures released by the body show that more than 3,000 travellers a week are making claims for emergency medical care while travelling abroad.

Most travel insurance claims come in at just over £700, but should patients require repatriation costs can soar.

Some treatments can cost more than an average UK house - £211,000.

One person faced a bill for more than £500,000 to treat a multiple fracture of the leg and artery tear in the USA with an air ambulance back to the UK.

But, despite this, one in five Britons travel without insurance.

Mark Shepherd, the ABI's manager of general insurance, says insurance is often the last thing travellers think of.

"People don't want to think about the bad things that can happen.

"It is really important to because it is basically not worth the risk to fall ill abroad and be saddled with what we are seeing as astronomical medical treatment bills, particularly in countries outside Europe.

"Anyone travelling overseas should always take out appropriate travel insurance for the duration of their trip and declare medical conditions when they take out their policy.

"A valid European Health Insurance Card when travelling in Europe is also strongly recommended."

The EHIC is free and provides access to state-provided healthcare on the same basis as a resident but won't cover some extra medical expenses and should not be seen as a substitute for insurance.

The ABI says an annual travel insurance policy costs an average of just £33.

Consumers should shop around for the best deal and consider the coverage carefully to ensure all activities, methods of travel and destinations are included in the policy.