Wellington: A passenger plane flying from Auckland to Shanghai was forced to turn back after some five hours in the air because it did not have permission to land, officials said. Passengers said the captain informed them mid-flight the Air New Zealand plane was not allowed to land in China and would have to go back. After returning to Auckland, the airline said the flight had been rescheduled and would depart on Sunday night. AfP
Indian historian wins Israel’s Dan David Prize
Jerusalem: Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam has won Israel’s prestigious Dan David Prize for this year for his work on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, Europeans and people of North and South America during the early modern era. Subrahmanyam, son of strategic analyst K Subrahmanyam and brother of former foreign secretary S Jaishankar, won the award in the category of ‘past time dimension’ for his work in macro history. He shares the $1 million award with Prof Kenneth Pomeranz of University of Chicago. AfP
Five Hitler ‘paintings’ go unsold at German auction
Berlin: Five watercolors attributed to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler from his early days as a struggling artist have failed to sell at auction in the southern German city of Nuremberg, possibly over fears they could be fakes. The Nuremberger Nachrichten newspaper reported that no bids were received on the paintings, which had starting prices of between $21,500 and $50,900. Three days before Saturday's auction, prosecutors seized 63 other paintings attributed to Hitler from the auction house to investigate allegations they were fakes. In Berlin last month, prosecutors seized three other Hitler watercolors after receiving a complaint questioning their authenticity. ap
Prince Philip gives up driving licence after crash
London: Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, weeks after the Duke miraculously escaped unhurt in a terrifying accident that injured two women in another car. At present, there is no upper age limit for driving in the UK. However, the driving licence expires once a person reaches the age of 70. If they fail to renew it, they legally are not allowed to drive. Pti