At a glance

The dramatic new twist comes just days after British police revealed details of distinctive markings on the bullet which killed Dando in a single shot to the head outside her London home in April.

The name of the Russian gangster has been passed on to the British government by the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, the report said. It said the motive was revenge, after Dando snubbed amorous advances from the Russian while she was filming an episode of her Holiday programme in Cyprus, according to Israeli intelligence sources.

Mossad’s second-in-command Major-General Amiram Levine passed on the mafia chief’s identity to Britain’s MI6 intelligence service ten days ago, the report said.

Levine told his opposite number that the professional assassination was ordered afterDando publicly humiliated the Russian underworld baron by refusing to sleep with him. “This man was so besotted with Jill and would not take no for an answer,” the report quoted one unnamed senior security source as saying.

Libidinous tortoise pair cost neighbour his sleep

ROME: A pair of amorous tortoises have been reported to the Italian authorities by a disgruntled neighbour kept awake by their night-time love-making in the garden next door, police said.

But the magistrates ruled that the randy reptiles could not be prosecuted for committing an obscene act in a public place.

Nor could they be held responsible for the racket, though the public prosecutor’s office sent round an expert just to check the decibel level reached when they achieved their shell-clattering climax. Police reported on Saturday that both animals were in “excellent physical condition”. The plaintiff who reported them for disturbing the peace was not identified.

Queen is Britain’s first monarch eligible tovote

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II will have the right to vote at the next general election, making her the first British monarch able to take part in the ballot, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

She has previously been disqualified because she is also the Duke of Lancaster and, under England’s Common Law, no hereditary peer can take part in elections to the House of Commons.

But the Labour government’s plans to reform the House of Lords will change all that, the Telegraph said. Hereditary peers, including the Queen, will be eligible to vote and be eligible to stand for parliament. A royal commission on the reform is due to report in the autumn. Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen was aware of the imminent changes, but a spokesman said, “Neither the Queen nor other members of the royal family have any immediate plans to use the newly-acquired voting rights.”

A home office spokesman said, “It is possible that a special ballot box could be placed in the Buckingham Palace to allow the Queen tovote in safety and privacy, in line with the government’s plans to make voting easier”.

Woman arrested for air rage on BA flight

SYDNEY: A Scandanavian woman on a British Airways flight from Brisbane to Singapore has been arrested after a severe case of “air rage”, the airline said on Sunday.

The woman, in her 20s, was arrested by Singapore police after the incident last Thursday in which she allegedly punched another female passenger, swore and abused others and assaulted cabin crew.

British Airways spokeswoman Camilla Wrey said the airline was very concerned for other passengers during the six-hour flight. She said cabin crew overpowered the woman and handcuffed her to the seat. Air rage is a growing problem with incidents increasing worldwide by 400 percent last year. Officials blame it on drinking, domestic disputes and, particularly, smoking bans.

Son exhumes dead father to console grieving mother

SYDNEY: A widow whose husband died six months ago woke up one morning to findhim sitting in his favourite chair in front of the television, it was reported on Sunday.

The Australian Police Journal said the woman’s disturbed son exhumed the body in a bizarre attempt to comfort to his grieving mother. A retired forensic officer wrote that the son, armed with a pick and shovel, dug up the grave and removed the corpse in the dead of night. He then strapped the body into the passenger seat of his car and drove home where he put his father in an armchair before falling asleep. His horrified mother, fearful that her son might face charges, ordered him to return the corpse to the cemetery.

But by then it was daylight and the son, afraid he would be seen, instead placed the body on his mother’s bed, according to the report. When she returned and found it, she became hysterical and finally called the police, who described the case as tragic.