British Airways resumes flights from London
Reuters, London
British Airways resumed some flights from Britain’s two biggest airports on Sunday after a global computer system failure created chaos, leaving planes grounded and thousands of passengers queuing for hours. BA said it aimed to operate the majority of services from London Heathrow on Sunday and a near normal schedule from Gatwick, the capital’s second busiest airport. Heathrow authorities, however, said they expected further delays and cancellations of BA flights.
Lanka steps up relief as flood toll exceeds 150
AFP, Colombo
Emergency teams rushed food and water on Sunday to half a million Sri Lankans displaced by the island’s worst flooding for more than a decade, as the death toll climbed to 151.
Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said relief operations had intensified following a break in the monsoon rains, with medical teams reinforcing hospitals in affected districts.
The official death toll had climbed to 151 with 111 people still listed as missing, Senaratne said. Another 95 were in hospital.
Thousands rally in Madrid for ‘job dignity’
AFP, Madrid
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Madrid on Saturday for a “march of dignity” to demand better wages and job security as Spain’s economy improves.
Demonstrators from all over the country marched down Madrid’s main avenue, the Gran Via, behind a banner reading “bread, work, homes and equality.” Dozens of trade unions and leftwing groups joined the protest.
Somali court sentences 5 insurgents to death
Reuters, Bosasso
A Somali court sentenced five men to death on Saturday after they were caught with a vehicle laden with explosives, a court official said, a rare successful prosecution in a country where bombings by the Islamist insurgency are increasing. The five said they were members of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab Islamist militia. They were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosasso, the capital of the northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland, on April 26.
