Pope says hand-kiss recoil was 'question of hygiene'

Pope Francis has addressed the mystery of why he withdrew his hand from worshippers' kisses, explaining it was a "simple question of hygiene".
Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said the Pope was worried about germs when meeting Catholics last Wednesday.
Video showing Pope Francis pulling away his hand from people attempting to kiss him went viral.
Watch the video after the cut

World first as living HIV patient donates kidney in US

In a world first, US doctors have transplanted a kidney from one HIV-positive patient to another. The operation took place at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, with both patients said to be doing well.
"This is the first time someone living with HIV has been allowed to donate a kidney, ever, in the world," Dr Dorry Segev said in a release.
It was previously thought that HIV carried too great a risk factor for kidney disease in the donor. But new types of anti-retroviral drugs used to treat the disease are seen as safe for the kidney.

Boeing introduces 737 Max software overhaul

Boeing unveiled an overhaul Wednesday to a software system and the pilot training of its signature 737 MAX plane, marking its most direct attempt to fix an element of the plane's original design that investigators believe led to two recent crashes.

Bayern Munich signs Lucas Hernandez for $90 million

Dumped out of the Champions League by Liverpool, Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has accelerated the task of revamping its squad by signing defender Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid for $90 million. The 23-year-old Hernandez, who was part of France's World Cup winning team last year, will join Bayern on July 1.

Baby dies as mum loses balance on escalator & drops 4-month-old over side

A four-month-old baby has plunged to its death after its mother accidentally dropped it over the edge of an escalator. The mum, who was also with her toddler son, was holding the baby in one arm as the trio got on to a shopping centre escalator on the third floor. Tragically the mother lost her balance and stumbled, losing her grip on the infant who plummeted over the side.
The desperate mum can be seen running down the escalator with the young baby's elder brother in tow. They reach the ground floor and both drop to their knees crying in shock at the tragic tot. CCTV footage from inside the shopping centre shows the baby falling from its mother's arms.
Paramedics and doctors arrived in a desperate bid to save the young child but they were unable to revive him.

Outrage as Amazon is caught selling s3x doll which comes tied up and gagged

There has been a massive outrage from customers after a "nauseating sex doll" of a woman tied up and gagged was put up for sale on Amazon.  The online shopping giant has been forced to remove the doll, priced at £61, from the site amid the backlash. Critics criticized the sale of the doll and said it promotes "male sexual abuse".

Burundi bans BBC, indefinitely suspends VOA

Burundi has banned the BBC and indefinitely suspended Voice of America, moves that campaigners and the international broadcasters described as a blow to press freedom. The central African nation’s media regulator revoked the BBC’s licence and accused it of airing a documentary that it said was false and damaged the country’s reputation. It extended an existing suspension on VOA, accusing it of employing a reporter who opposed the government.

Muslim group sues Facebook, YouTube after New Zealand attack video

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said Monday it was suing internet giants Facebook and YouTube for allowing the public broadcast of a live video by the man who carried out the New Zealand mosque massacre this month.
The council said it was suing the French branches of the two tech giants for "broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism, or of a nature likely to seriously violate human dignity and liable to be seen by a minor," according to the complaint, a copy of which was seen by AFP.

US rapper, Nipsey Hussle shot dead at 33

Nipsey Hussle has died after being shot multiple times while outside his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles. NBC reports he was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital. Two other people were hospitalized as a result of the shooting. He was 33 years old.

College admissions scandal: Ex-Yale football coach pleads guilty to fraud

A former Yale University football coach has pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges for allegedly accepting bribes to help students get into the college. Women's football coach Rudy Meredith accepted a $400,000 (£306,000) bribe to fraudulently mark a non-athletic student as a recruit, prosecutors say.

Kash Ali’s boxing licence suspended after biting David Price during heavyweight fight

Kash Ali has had his boxing licence suspended for biting David Price during their heavyweight fight.
Ali has also had his £20,000 purse withheld and now faces a lenghty ban for his disgraceful actions.
His case will be heard by the British Boxing Board of Control's Central Area Council at a later date.
Price was in control of the bout in Liverpool on Saturday night as it entered the fifth round.   Ali then grappled his opponent to the canvas and bit him as they tumbled.

'Lionel Messi is very good, but he isn't God' - Pope Francis cautions his fans

Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis has called for calm in comparing his Argentine compatriot, Lionel Messi, to God because of his special talent football. The clergyman made the statement while being interviewed by Jordi Evole in La Sexta and the conversation is detailed below.

Algeria: Hundreds of thousands march for President Bouteflika's removal

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Algeria to demand the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.  Estimates say crowds in the capital, Algiers, reached a million. It is the sixth successive Friday of mass anti-government protests in the country.

Plane crash leaves three people dead in Germany

On Sunday, a small plane crashed in western Germany killing the pilot and two passengers believed to be Russian, police said, as a Russian airline identified one of the victims as its co-owner. 
 A police statement said the six-seater aircraft travelling from France to the town of Egelsbach south of Frankfurt went down in a field at around 1330 GMT.  The cause of the accident was still unclear. “After impact, the aircraft was completely burnt out,” police said.

Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president

Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Caputova has won Slovakia's presidential election, making her the country's first female head of state. Ms Caputova, who has almost no political experience, defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic, nominated by the governing party, in a second round run-off vote on Saturday.

Trump threatens to shut Mexico border amid migration surge

President Donald Trump has said he is likely to close the US border if Mexico does not do more to stop migrants reaching the United States. The closure would disrupt border crossings, threatening trade worth billions of dollars. Mr Trump's threat follows a surge in migrants travelling through Mexico to seek asylum in the US.
Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would not be drawn into confrontation on the issue.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a tweet that Mexico was a "great neighbour" to the US and would "not act on the basis of threats".

Jussie Smollett ordered to pay $130,000 to Police for cost of Investigation

Empire star, Jussie Smollett, has been ordered to pay Police  $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation for the alleged street attack authorities said was staged to promote his career.
 A letter from the city’s legal department to Smollett and his attorneys said that rhe figure covers overtime worked by more than two dozen detectives and officers who spent weeks looking into Smollett’s claim, including reviewing video and physical evidence and conducting interviews.

English boxer shows off gruesome black eyes after defeating his bitter rival in a fierce boxing clash

English boxer, Scott Fitzgerald, who secured the biggest win of his professional career on Saturday, has shown off the battle scars he suffered during the boxing clash.
Taking to his Instagram on Monday, the Preston fighter who defeated former GB team-mate Anthony Fowlerin a fierce battle of Britain in Liverpool to achieve his 13th uninterrupted win shared photo of his two nasty black eyes he suffered in the 10-round war.

George Clooney pens plea for boycott of Sultan of Brunei's hotels over anti-gay stoning law

Hollywood actor and director, George Clooney, has called on the public to boycott nine hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei following the nation's cruel anti-gay laws that would see any Muslims engaging in adultery and gay sex, stoned to death. On Wednesday, it was revealed that that homosexuality will now become a capital offense in the nation of Brunei and anyone caught in the act will be stoned to death, beginning on April 3. The law only applies to Muslims.

Brunei announces plan to punish gay sex and adultery with death by stoning

A new law which comes into effect from next week will punish homosexual sex and adultery with death in the small southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei. 
 Beginning on April 3, any individuals found guilty of the offenses will be stoned to death. The punishment will be "witnessed by a group of Muslims." The country's strict new laws were announced in 2014, and have been rolled out gradually.