Plus-size model confronts man over 'fat-shaming' during flight

A plus-size US model has been widely praised for confronting a passenger accused of sending "mean and ugly" messages about her during a flight.

Natalie Hage, who was travelling to Los Angeles for a photo shoot, said that in one of the texts, he wrote to a friend that the flight would not take off because of her weight.

In another, he said: "I think she ate a Mexican."

The man later apologised, saying he had had a few drinks before boarding.

Ms Hage shared the incident, which happened on Thursday, on social media. A video of the exchange has been watched more than a million times.

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Ms Hage, who described herself as being "extremely flight anxious", said she had paid $70 (£54) for additional space "because I know I need a little extra leg room" but that there were only middle seats available.

"As soon as I sat down, the gentleman on my left began LOUDLY huffing, sighing, and readjusting himself in his seat," she wrote on a post on Instagram.

Then, Ms Hage said, she noticed that he was sending text messages to a friend about her.

"[The recipient] says 'Hopefully she didn't have any Mexican food' and his response is 'I think she ate a Mexican'. Then he proceeds to say he's leaving a 'neck mark on the window' because he's so smashed against the wall."

She said she asked the man on her right to change seats, telling him what had happened, but that he laughed and refused.

"This is a fat person's daily reality and not just on a plane. This is on a bus, standing in line at the grocery store, at a concert, on the internet. You can be completely in your own space, not bothering anyone, and people will still f*** with you and try to hurt you.

"All you can do is know you haven't done anything wrong just by existing and to move on."

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Later, she confronted the passenger, and posted a video of it on Facebook, and the post has been liked by more than 7,000 people. In the video, he apologised. But later said she should not sit on the emergency row as she would be unfit to help people out.

When she cited one of the messages he allegedly sent, he laughed. "Don't ever treat somebody like that again," she told him.

On Facebook, Ms Hage has been widely praised for her "courage" and for being a "brave woman".

BBC NEWS

Singapore PM Lee 'prefers not to sue siblings' over feud

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong says he would prefer not to sue his siblings over claims he abused his power, despite calls to settle a family feud.

Mr Lee spoke in parliament following weeks of a fierce public dispute between him and his brother and sister.

The prime minister's siblings have accused him of misusing his influence in a dispute over their father's house.

Mr Lee has repeatedly denied the allegations, most recently in Monday's parliamentary sitting.

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Mr Lee and his father, the late leader Lee Kuan Yew, were known for suing critics and opponents for defamation.

He acknowledged that many had asked why he had not taken legal action, and admitted that in "any other imaginable circumstance but this, I would surely sue".

"But suing my own brother and sister in court would further besmirch my parents' names," he said, adding that the lawsuit would cause "more distraction and distress" to the public.

"Therefore, fighting this out in court cannot be my preferred choice."

But de-facto opposition leader Low Thia Khiang said not taking the matter to court gave the impression the government "was afraid of what the Lee siblings will say or reveal".

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Mesmerised, but now fatigued - Tessa Wong, BBC News, Singapore

The row is a rare public spectacle of acrimony within Singapore's tightly disciplined First Family.

For the last three weeks, Mr Lee's siblings Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling have lobbed accusations at him on Facebook.

At first Singaporeans were mesmerised but now the saga is tiring them out. Many are confused about the case, and wondering why Mr Lee and his siblings have not resolved the matter through legal action or otherwise.

Singapore is used to swift resolution of public conflicts, and if this does not end soon, questions may be raised about Mr Lee's handling of the feud.

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The dispute centres on whether the late Lee Kuan Yew truly wanted his house, known as 38 Oxley Road, to be demolished.

The prime minister's siblings have accused him of wanting to preserve it for his own personal political gain.

In parliament, Mr Lee flatly denied this suggestion. "Regarding the house, and how its continued existence enhances my aura as PM, if I needed such magic properties to bolster my authority even after being your PM for 13 years, I must be in a pretty sad state," he said.

He also denied charges of nepotism involving one of his sons and his wife, and that he had interfered in government decisions on the house.

BBC NEWS

IS suicide bomber dressed as woman kills 14 at Iraq camp

A suicide bomber disguised in women's clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced Iraqis on Sunday evening, security and medical sources say.

The bomber struck Kilo 60 camp, near the town of al-Wafa, which is housing civilians from areas of Anbar province held by so-called Islamic State.

Most of the victims were children and women, but two policemen also died.

An IS statement said it had carried out the attack, which it claimed had targeted an Iraqi army position.

Iraqi forces have driven the jihadist group out of much of Anbar, including the cities of Ramadi and Falluja. But it still controls territory near the border with Syria.

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The attack on Kilo 60 took place at dusk on Sunday.

Provincial councillor Taha Abdul Ghani told the Associated Press on Monday morning that the bomber approached the site wearing a woman's robe that covered his head and body.

But the disguise raised the suspicions of a police colonel, who walked up the attacker and embraced him before the explosive vest was detonated, in an apparent attempt to shield others from the blast.

The UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, condemned the attack.

"This is terrible," she said in a statement. "The people who were attacked had fled to Kilo 60 for their safety. Many have travelled huge distances seeking help."

In recent weeks, the number of civilians fleeing IS-controlled areas in western Anbar has increased significantly, according to the UN.

As many as 900 people arrived at the al-Nadhira checkpoint south of al-Qaim between 25 and 28 June, while Kilo 60 was almost at full capacity.

"We know that fighting is likely to intensify in these areas in the weeks ahead and we worry deeply that civilians will be at extreme risk," Ms Grande said.

The head of the local council in al-Wafa said Kilo 60 would now be closed.

"All the displaced people in the camp will be brought to the Kilo 18 camp, west of Ramadi," Adnan Fayhan told AFP news agency, explaining that it was "safer and receives more aid".

There are more than 3.3 million internally displaced people in Iraq, 30% of whom originate from Anbar, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

As of March, 355,000 displaced people were living at camps or with relatives in the province, while some 494,000 others had returned to their homes.

Also on Monday, an Iraqi soldier was reportedly killed when two women suicide bombers blew themselves up inside the Old City of Mosul.

The district is the only part of the former IS urban stronghold that has not been recaptured since pro-government forces launched a major offensive last October.

BBC NEWS

Etihad flights to and from US avoid laptop ban

Passengers on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to the US will be able to use larger gadgets, such as laptops, during their journey.

Regulations requiring passengers to put laptops and other gadgets in baggage in the hold were introduced in March.

The airline said its plan to conduct "enhanced inspections" of passengers had convinced the US to lift its restrictions.

The airline runs 45 flights per week from Abu Dhabi to six US airports.

Closer look

The US-imposed restrictions affected flights to and from 10 airports in eight majority-Muslim countries, and were prompted by fears that larger devices could be used to conceal bombs.

The ban said any device larger than 16cm by 9.3cm by 1.5cm (6.3in by 3.7in by 0.6in) had to be put into checked baggage.

Smartphones and medical devices are exempt from the US-imposed ban.

The extra checks carried out at Abu Dhabi international airport effectively mean passengers go through US customs and border screening before they take off rather than after they touch down on American soil.

The extra screening and checking would make "minimal" difference to the time passengers spent going through security, a spokesman for Abu Dhabi airport told Reuters.

A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it hoped other airlines and airports covered by the restrictions would follow suit.

The Dubai airports authority is believed to be working with the DHS to replicate the system set up in Abu Dhabi.

Late last month, the US demanded authorities in 105 other nations carry out more thorough checks on passengers and devices but stopped short of extending the laptop ban.

BBC NEWS

Emmanuel Macron: Man charged with plotting to kill French president

A suspected far-right extremist has been charged with plotting to kill French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bastille Day parade later this month.

The 23-year-old was arrested in a Paris suburb last Wednesday after police were alerted by users of a videogame chat room where he allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun.

He also said he wanted to attack minorities, a judicial source told AFP.

Mr Macron has been giving a state-of-the-nation-style address in Versailles.

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He has been outlining his priorities in the speech, taking place during a special session of both houses of parliament at the Palace of Versailles.

However the French president is facing criticism over the address, with far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélénchon accusing him of behaving like a "pharoah".

'Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals'

Investigators found three kitchen knives in the plot suspect's vehicle and analysis of his computer revealed he had conducted internet searches on possible targets.

After his arrest, he told police he wanted to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals", AFP said.

The suspect was convicted last year of condoning terrorism after praising Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in July 2011.

He was jailed for three years with half the sentence suspended

The Bastille Day parade on 14 July commemorates the start of the French Revolution and takes place on the Champs-Elysées avenue in Paris.

In 2002, then-President Jacques Chirac was the subject of a Bastille Day assassination attempt when a man with far-right links took out a rifle and fired a shot before being overpowered.

This year the Champs-Elysées has seen two attacks on police.

Last month a man rammed a vehicle containing guns and gas canisters into a police van. In April a gunman shot dead police officer Xavier Jugelé using a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

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Chris Christie, New Jersey governor, enjoys beach he closed to public

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is facing heavy criticism after he was photographed relaxing on a state beach he had ordered closed to the public.

The Republican gave the go-ahead for non-essential services to be shut down - including the Island State Beach Park - over the 4 July holiday weekend because of a budget impasse.

"I didn't get any sun today," he said, before the aerial photos emerged.

The pictures show Mr Christie and his family on an otherwise empty beach.

Other visitors were turned away by police.

Mr Christie said his family was spending the weekend at the governor's residence there and he was commuting to work by state helicopter.

"That's just the way it goes. Run for governor, and you have can have a residence there," he said at a news conference on Sunday.

"I didn't get any sun today," he added.

After being told of the photographs, his spokesman Brian Murray admitted Mr Christie had "briefly" been on the beach "talking to his wife and family before heading into the office", NJ.com reported.

"He did not get any sun. He had a baseball hat on," Mr Murray added, NJ.com said.

The partial government shutdown in New Jersey arose because state legislators had not passed a health insurance bill that Mr Christie said had to be passed alongside the state's budget.

The shutdown included the closure of Island State Beach Park, one of New Jersey's few free public beaches, and all other state parks.

Mr Christie had been trying to get the state's largest health insurer, Horizon Cross Blue Shield, to hand over $300m (£230m), some of which Mr Christie wanted to use to battle drug addiction in the state, the New York Times reported.

New Jersey is one of at least nine states that were unable to meet their budget deadlines at the beginning of the month.

BBC NEWS

German bus inferno killed 18 in Bavaria, police say

Eighteen people are believed to have died when their tour bus crashed and burst into flames on the A9 motorway in southern Germany, police say.

The bus was in a collision with a lorry near Stammbach in north Bavaria.

Thirty people escaped the fire, two of whom are critically hurt. The bus was carrying German pensioners from Saxony.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said rescuers were delayed by "gawpers" driving slowly and by the intensity of the blaze.

It is not clear why the bus crashed - traffic was reportedly moving slowly at the time. Nor is it clear why flames engulfed the whole bus so quickly.

The lorry's trailer was also incinerated and the burnt-out wreck ended up a short distance ahead of the bus. The German news website Frankenpost reports that it was carrying mattresses and pillows.

The lorry driver was unharmed and told police the bus had crashed into his vehicle and burst into flames, it said.

There were 46 passengers and two drivers on the bus. One driver was among those killed. The passengers were men and women aged 41 to 81, from the Dresden area, heading to Lake Garda in Italy for a holiday.

Forensic teams have recovered the charred remains of 11 people so far

Five rescue helicopters joined emergency workers at the scene.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was distressed by the accident and expressed sympathy for the injured and bereaved relatives.

She thanked the rescuers for looking after people "in an appalling situation".

A police spokesman told German news channel n-tv that there were good medical facilities in Bayreuth, not far from the scene.

BBC NEWS