Diana’s car auctioned as 25th anniversary of her death nears
A car driven by Princess Diana in the 1980s sold for 650,000 pounds ($764,000) at auction Saturday, just days before the 25th anniversary of her death, Associated Press reported.
Silverstone Auctions said there was “fierce bidding” for the black Ford Escort RS Turbo before the sale closed. The U.K. buyer, whose name was not disclosed, paid a 12.5% buyer’s premium on top of the selling price, according to the classic car auction house.
Britain and Diana’s admirers worldwide are preparing to mark a quarter century since her death. She died in a high-speed car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997.
Diana drove the Escort from 1985 to 1988. She was photographed with it outside boutique shops in Chelsea and restaurants in Kensington. She preferred to drive her own car, with a member of her security team in the passenger seat.
The RS Turbo Series 1 was typically manufactured in white, but she got it in black to be more discreet. Ford also added features for her security, such as a second rear-view mirror for the protection officer, according to Associated Press.
The car has just under 25,000 miles on it.
Last year, another Ford Escort that Diana used sold at auction for 52,000 pounds ($61,100).
Three off-duty Dutch commandos shot outside hotel in Indianapolis
Three Dutch commandos, who were in the US for training, have been shot and wounded outside a hotel in the city of Indianapolis while off duty, BBC reported.
The incident occurred at around 03:30 on Saturday local time in the city's entertainment district.
Indianapolis police say officers found the three men with gunshot wounds and they were taken to nearby hospitals.
The Dutch defence ministry said one of the men was in a critical condition and that the other two were conscious.
It said all three were members of the Commando Corps, one of the special operations units in the Netherlands armed forces.
The shooting occurred during their free time in front of the hotel where they were staying, the ministry added.
Speaking to FOX59, an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said: "Right now the information we're willing to disclose is that it was not something that occurred inside the hotel, according to BBC.
"It was a previous altercation we believe at another location."
No arrests have been made.
Pakistan appeals to world for flood help amid devastation
Pakistan is appealing for further international assistance after floods wreaked havoc across the country, BBC reported.
The US, UK, United Arab Emirates and others have contributed to a monsoon disaster appeal but much more funds are needed, an interior ministry official told the BBC.
More than 1,000 people have died and millions have been displaced since June, Salman Sufi said.
He said Pakistan's government was doing everything in its power to help people. In the north-west of the country, thousands of people fled their homes after rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province burst their banks, causing powerful flash floods.
"The house which we built with years of hard work started sinking in front of our eyes," Junaid Khan, 23, told AFP news agency. "We sat on the side of the road and watched our dream house sinking."
The province of Sindh in the south-east of the country has also been badly affected, with thousands displaced from their homes.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Sufi said the country was in desperate need of more international support, according to BBC.
Funding from a lot of development projects had been rerouted to the affected people, he added.
Nepal logs 324 new Covid-19 cases, one death on Friday
Nepal reported 324 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Friday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 673 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 163 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 842 people underwent antigen tests, of which 161 were tested positive. The ministry said that 11, 999 people lost their lives to the virus so far. At least 418 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. As of today, there are 3, 943 active cases in the country.
