June 1, 2015

Top News Stories –

Caitlyn Jenner breaks Twitter record, gaining more than 1m followers –
After gaining more than a million followers in four hours, Caitlyn Jenner has broken a new Twitter record, Guinness World Records has confirmed. She’s beaten Barack Obama, who held the title for two weeks. The US president reached the one million mark in five hours. Caitlyn launched her Twitter account at the same time as a Vanity Fair magazine cover was released, showing her as a transgender woman and revealing the name she will now be using. See Video of the Day. [BBC]

Vanity-Fair-July-2015

Front cover of Vanity Fair July 2015 featuring an Annie Leibovitz photograph of Caitlyn Jenner.

British tank crushes learner driver’s car in Germany –
There’s a lot to remember when you’re a learner driver but a pretty good rule is: don’t pull out in front of tanks. That’s what happened to an 18-year-old driving this Toyota Yaris in the Lippe district of Germany today. According to local police she pulled out in front of a column of British military vehicles travelling on a ring road around the town, often used by British forces stationed nearby to transport tanks and other armoured vehicles. The driver of the tank, a 24-year-old British serviceman, wasn’t able to bring his Challenger 2 tank to a stop in time.
Inevitably, in a battle between 62-tonnes of armour and a one-tonne hatchback, there was only going to be one winner. Luckily the driver of the car was completely unharmed in the incident, and the tank crew pulled her free. The car, however, suffered 12,000 euros (£8,600) worth of damage.
The tank, not entirely surprisingly – was unscathed. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Caitlyn Jenner Is Finally “Free” on Vanity Fair’s Cover

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #WelcomeBackTo1DZayn #WelcomeBackTo1DZayn 1st of June
2 #BuenLunes #MondayMotivation #MondayMotivation
3 Windows 10 #MakeAMoviePregnant #WWEChamber
4 #GameofThrones Caitlyn Jenner #volunteersweek
5 Caitlyn Jenner Drake Bell #MakeAMoviePregnant
6 #TheVoiceChile Vince Vaughn The 1975
7 Louis e Lauren Lindsey Graham #AskLevi
8 Querétaro Louis and Lauren Caitlyn Jenner
9 #WWEChamber Big Trouble in Little China Pete Price
10 Tania Sánchez #SorryToBringItUpBut #WelcomeBackTo1DZayn

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June 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

Fifa’s Sepp Blatter resigns Fifa presidency and is ‘under investigation in US’ –
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is being investigated by US officials as part of their inquiry into corruption at the world football body, US media say.
The news came hours after Mr Blatter announced that he was stepping down from his role. US prosecutors launched a criminal inquiry last week, with seven Fifa officials arrested in Switzerland, part of a group of 14 people indicted. Two days after the arrests, Mr Blatter was re-elected president of Fifa. However, he said on Tuesday that it appeared the mandate he had been given “does not seem to be supported by everyone in the world”. [BBC]
2014_FIFA_Announcement_(Joseph_Blatter)_Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Tournament Announcement in 2007

Kim Kardashian catches fire at awards dinner –
Kim Kardashian has already got enough on her plate, what with her expecting her second child and all. So it probably didn’t help when her first outing since announcing her happy news ended in flames. Not actual Kim Kardashian, but her dress at the CFDA Awards. The feathers on her see-through embellished dress brushed against a candle, and she needed some A-list emergency help to put her out. Luckily Pharrell (sans big hat) and his wife Helen were nearby to “jump” on her to pat Kim out. [BBC] See List of the Day
Kim-Kardashian-Instagram-June-2Kim Kardashian Instagram

Four teenagers air-lifted to hospital with serious injuries on roller-coaster crash at Alton Towers –
Five people were hospitalised and a further eleven required medical attention yesterday following a crash on an Alton Towers roller-coaster that the theme park described as the worst in its 35-year history. Two men aged 27 and 18 and two women aged 19 and 17, were airlifted to hospital after suffering serious leg injuries and another man aged 20 was treated for neck and abdominal injury before being taken to hospital by land ambulance. A dozen riders were released one at a time over four hours after being stranded 25ft in the air at an angle of 45 degrees when a carriage carrying 16 people crashed into an empty carriage on The Smiler ride, which has a top speed of 50mph. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Winners of the 2015 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards

Semi-Permanent 2015 Opening Titles. from Raoul Marks – MARXº on Vimeo.

List of the day –

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row

Menswear Designer of the Year: Tom Ford

Accessories Designer of the Year: Tabitha Simmons

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Rosie Assoulin

Swarovski Award for Menswear: Shayne Oliver for Hood by Air

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavrielfor Mansur Gavriel

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Betsey Johnson

The Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Instagram

The Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert: Millard “Mickey” Drexler, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of J.Crew Group, Inc.

International Award: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 MC Dinero #WearingOrange #BeatlesRecipes
2 Charles Kennedy Nick Young #CharityTuesday
3 #EstoyHartoDe Mike Huckabee Charles Kennedy
4 #FelizMartes #BeatlesRecipes Big Trouble in Little China
5 #QueBroncaCuando #SummerOfAnswers Alton Towers
6 #MiEstrategiaEnTuiterEs Charles Kennedy #nusnec
7 #bringbackmagcon #BadTeamBuildingActivities Jeremy Hunt
8 Drake Bell Fallout 4 #bringbackmagcon
9 Fallout 4 #ImNotHappyIf #CFDAAwards
10 Flor de la V Swaggy P Fallout 4

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June 3, 2015

Top News Stories –

Fifa crisis: Ex-official Chuck Blazer details bribe-taking –
Former top Fifa official Chuck Blazer has admitted that he and others on the executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the choice of South Africa as 2010 World Cup host. The American said he also helped to arrange bribes over the 1998 event. The admissions come in a newly released transcript from a 2013 US hearing in which he pleads guilty to 10 charges. [BBC]

Godzilla appointed Tokyo tourism ambassador –
He’s a lizard, he’s 120 metres high, and he smashes cities for fun. He’s also now a resident of Shinjuku, Tokyo. And a tourism ambassador for the district, following an official ceremony. The fictional monster blockbuster was issued a special certificate of residency by officials in the district, for services to tourism and bringing visitors to Japan. [BBC] See List of The Day

Video of the Day –

The Good Dinosaur Trailer UK – Official Disney Pixar

List of the day –

Godzilla’s Shinjuku residency papers –

Name: Godzilla

Address: Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho, 1-19-1

Date of birth: November 3, 1954 (this is the year the first Godzilla film was released)

Date of Shinjuku residency: April 9, 2015

Reason for special residency: Promoting the entertainment of and watching over the Kabuki-cho neighborhood and drawing visitors from around the globe in the form of the Godzilla head built atop the Shinjuku TOHO Building.

Previous visits to Shinjuku Ward: 3 times; Godzilla (1984), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #TengoAmorEternoA #NationalRunningDay #NationalRunningDay
2 #OdioTotalmenteQue #FreshmanAdvice #keepitgoing
3 Nadal #ComplimentYourselfIn4Words #HumpDay
4 #WeCameBackWithAllDirectio… #EroticBroadway #PMQs
5 #NationalRunningDay Kidd Kidd Andy Coulson
6 Rafa Benítez #ProsOfDatingMe #confed2015
7 #MasterChefBR #MistakeAMovie Jeremy Corbyn
8 #PSYAngPananagutan #HumpDay #ROWYSONewcastle
9 #keepitgoing Lincoln Chafee Rafa Benitez
10 #NiUnaMenos Fernando Rodney Ali Smith

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Armed conflicts and attacks
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • The Grozny Chechnya office of the Committee Against Torture NGO is attacked by masked men who came out of a crowd of protesters. They broke down the door and trashed the office. National Leader Ramzan Kadyrov speculated the attack could have been carried out by relatives of Dzhambulat Dadayev upset that the NGO which investigates torture did not lead protests of the shooting of Dadayev by law enforcement officers from another region. Moscow Times
  • War in Donbass
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June 4, 2015

Top News Stories –

Millions of US government workers hit by data breach –
Chinese hackers are suspected of carrying out a “massive breach” affecting the data of millions of US government workers, officials said. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) confirmed on Thursday that almost four million current and past employees have been affected. The breach could potentially affect every federal agency, officials said. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it was thought to have originated in China. The Chinese embassy in Washington warned against “jumping to conclusions”. [BBC]

Sam Smith can speak again after vocal cord operation and reschedules gigs –
Sam Smith says he can now speak again and is ready to go back on tour after his vocal cord operation. The singer posted on Instagram: “I CAN SPEAK AGAIN!!!!!!!!” with a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. He also shared a photo of the doctor who helped him to reclaim his voice and publicly thanked him. Four performances that he had to postpone in April after having problems with his voice have now been announced in Australia. [BBC]
Sam-Smith-with-Doctor-Zeitels  © Samsmithworld/InstagramSam Smith with Doctor Zeitels © Samsmithworld/Instagram
Sam Smith Instagram message

Tricky GCSE maths exam sees pupils take to Twitter –

A tricky GCSE maths question stumped thousands of students – but inspired them to take to Twitter to vent their anger and frustration. The equation in Thursday’s Edexcel exam was on the probability of taking two orange sweets from a bag. By the afternoon the topic was trending on Twitter and online petitions were set up calling on the board to lower the grade boundaries when marking. Edexcel’s owner Pearson said it aimed to “test the full range” of abilities. But it said it would ensure students were “treated fairly” when the papers are marked. [BBC]  See Top Twitter Trends (UK)

Video of the Day –

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Trailer 2

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #PSYAngBatasNgApi Rick Perry #EdexcelMaths
2 #MeSobranGanasDe #CheeseFilms #ProsOfDatingMe
3 #SiempreMePasaQue #PitMad #GeekPickUpLines
4 メンタルヘルス Hannah Montana #CheeseFilms
5 Rick Perry #ProsOfDatingMe #ComplimentYourselfIn4Words
6 #FelizJueves #GeekPickUpLines #OrangeFestBands
7 #KeferaNoEncontro #NBAFinals Charlotte Church
8 #SeriaRePiolaQue #HugYourCatDay Royal Mail
9 #GeekPickUpLines #DuggarInterview Skrtel
10 #شعورك_الان_بت�… Michael Ealy Chuck Blazer

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  • Officials of the ruling Syriza party in Greece say that they cannot accept a last-minute deal proposed by the country’s creditors: default deadline looms. (AP)
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June 5, 2015

Top News Stories –

Southampton footballers set new world record for longest match –
A new world record for the longest football match has been set at St Mary’s, the home of Southampton FC, after a 102 hour-long charity game. The 36 players, from the Testlands Support Project, a Southampton charity, played on until 00:30 BST on Friday to break the previous record, of 101 hours. The players took turns to take breaks to eat, get physiotherapy and sleep. They began the 11-a-side match at 18:30 on Sunday, scoring over 1,600 goals. The Reds went on to beat the Whites 910-725. [BBC]

Surprising pop star facts revealed by YouTube –
YouTube reveals statistics, usually only visible to those behind the scenes, showing some bizarre trends about the world’s biggest stars. They show that Taylor Swift is twice as popular in Bangkok in Thailand than New York, for example. Or that One Direction are huge in Quezon City, the Philippines, as well as Mexico City. The Artist Insights service was unveiled on Wednesday. Google says it means musicians will be able to see the cities where they have the largest number of fans. The records go back to September 2014 and include original versions of the artist’s videos as well as fan shares and re-uploads. [BBC Newsbeat] See List of the Day

Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

‘Female Viagra’ to boost women’s libido one step closer –
The development of a pill to boost women’s libido is one step closer after an American panel recommended the approval of the female equivalent of Viagra. A panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers has voted in favour of recommending flibanserin, a daily pill nicknamed the “female Viagra”. The recommendation will be seen as a major coup for campaigners who have fought for women’s sex drives to receive the same level of medical attention as men’s. The decision will now be passed to the FDA itself, which will rule on whether the pill will be officially approved for public use later this year. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Trick Meter from Simeon Duncombe on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Taylor Swift’s YouTube fanbase by country (September 2014 – June 5, 2015) – Data from YouTube Artist Insights

1

United States
678,418,914 total views
2

United Kingdom
204,980,705 total views
3

Mexico
190,668,351 total views
4

Philippines
158,830,256 total views
5

Brazil
145,212,778 total views
6

Thailand
116,673,111 total views
7

Canada
100,100,885 total views
8

Japan
77,336,118 total views
9

France
67,362,320 total views
10

Republic of Indonesia
66,044,140 total views

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #PSYYnaAtAngelo #NationalDonutDay #FirstYearAdvice
2 #ComoDiceUnaCancion #WorldEnvironmentDay #FridayFeeling
3 #DiaMundialdelMedioAmbiente #RubioCrimeSpree #WorldEnvironmentDay
4 #NBAFinals #NBASongs #BBCMusicDay
5 #NationalDonutDay #FlashbackFriday Jerry Collins
6 Warriors #USMNT #NBAFinals
7 #الهلال_النصر Chris Brown #NationalDonutDay
8 #WorldEnvironmentDay Ferris Bueller #NationalFishandChipDay
9 Jerry Collins Pat Venditte #bbcqt
10 Chris Brown Jerry Collins #aqabiology

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June 6, 2015

Top News Stories –

Xavi departs from Barcelona by winning the Champions League again –
After playing his last game at the Nu Camp last month Xavi Hernandez played his 397th and final game for Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Barcelona beat Juventus 3-0 to secure a treble of victories following the La Liga and Copa del Rey successes. It is the fourth time Xavi has one the Champions League Title and was celebrated by his club in a tweet. See List of the Day
Barcelona FC final tweet on Xavi @FCBarcelona
XaviXavi Hernández

Frankie Dettori wins Epsom Derby on favourite Golden Horn –
Frankie Dettori capped his renaissance with a thrilling victory on favourite Golden Horn to win the 236th running of the Derby at Epsom. Dettori produced an ice-cool ride on the 13-8 favourite to beat his John Gosden-trained stablemate Jack Hobbs by three-and-a-half lengths, with Storm The Stars third. The 44-year-old jockey punched the air as he passed the line and did a trademark flying dismount in the winner’s enclosure. “It was unbelievable. The horse was brilliant,” said Dettori, riding for the first time in the race since returning from a six-month drugs ban two years ago. [BBC]
Frankie-Dettori Frakie Dettori

Video of the Day –


IKE INTERVIEWS GOD from Eli Shapiro on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Xavi Hernandez honours

Barcelona

International

Individual

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #5HatCapitalSTB #UCLfinal #CapitalSTB
2 #Appreciate5YearsOfZayn SATs #AddACharacterChangeAFilmT…
3 #EstaIndirectaEsParaVos #EdibleBands #fabsummer
4 ジブリ悪役診断 #DDay #UCLfinal
5 #NiallTheBadBoy #Appreciate5YearsOfZayn #EdibleBands
6 #FrasesDeBorracho #AddACharacterChangeAFilmT… Murray
7 総選挙速報 #TripleCrown #ROWYSOBirmingham
8 #UCLfinal Cheetah Girls Juve
9 5 Seconds Of Summer #IfIWereGodICould #TorySongs
10 カノ嘘 Pirlo Dark Souls 3

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June 7, 2015

Top News Stories –

Kate Moss escorted off flight ‘for being disruptive’ –
Supermodel Kate Moss has been escorted off a plane at Luton airport after reportedly being disruptive. The Easyjet flight had arrived from Bodrum in Turkey on Sunday afternoon. In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said they “were called to assist staff in escorting a passenger from a flight arriving into Luton airport this afternoon”. No formal complaints were made against her and she was not arrested. [BBC] In February 2010 Calvin Klein said of Moss – while “a great model,” she was a “difficult” person to work with.
Kate-Moss-with-Mario-TestinoKate Moss with photographer Mario Testino

Bradley Wiggins breaks UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark –
Sir Bradley Wiggins has broken the iconic hour record by completing a distance of 54.526km (33.88 miles). The 35-year-old smashed the record previously held by fellow Briton Alex Dowsett of 52.937km (32.89 miles), which was set in May. Roared on by a capacity crowd at Lee Valley VeloPark in London, Wiggins became the sixth rider to claim a Tour de France title and the hour record. “I’m just glad it’s done. It was torturous,” he said.
“That’s the closest I have ever come to what it’s like to a have a baby,” Wiggins, who becomes the fifth person in the past nine months to break the record, joked. The multiple Olympic and world champion on track and road surpassed Dowsett’s 212 laps, set in Manchester, with 1min 42secs to spare and eventually completed 219 laps.[BBC] In January 2015, Wiggins launched his own cycling team, Team Wiggins, to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Roubaix - Paris-Roubaix, le 13 avril 2014 (B16)Bradley Wiggins

Dame Helen Mirren reigns at Tony theatre awards –
Dame Helen Mirren has been named best actress in a play at the Tony theatre awards in New York. She took home the prize for her portrayal of the Queen in The Audience. Dame Helen, a previous Oscar-winner for The Queen, accepted the award saying: “Your Majesty, you did it again.” Other wins included Alex Sharp for best actor and Marianne Elliott for best directing of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which was also named best play. [BBC] See List of the Day
Helen-Mirren

Actor, Sir Christopher Lee dies, aged 93 –
See full story on June 11, 2015 when his death was announced.
Sir-Christopher-Lee-in-2013Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

Video of the Day –

My Homemade 40W LASER SHOTGUN!!!!!

List of the Day –

Tony Awards 2015 Winners –

Best musical

An American in Paris
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Best play

WINNER: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best play revival

WINNER: Skylight
The Elephant Man
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It With You

Best musical revival

WINNER: The King and I
On the Twentieth Century
On the Town

Best leading actor in a musical

WINNER: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best leading actress in a musical

WINNER: Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best leading actor in a play

WINNER: Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight

Best leading actress in a play

WINNER: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best featured actor in a musical

WINNER: Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best featured actress in a musical

WINNER: Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best featured actor in a play

WINNER: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play

Best featured actress in a play

WINNER: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best book of a musical

WINNER: Fun Home, Lisa Kron
An American in Paris, Craig Lucas
Something Rotten!, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
The Visit, Terrence McNally

Best original score (music and/or lyrics) for the theatre

WINNER: Fun Home, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron
The Last Ship, Music & Lyrics: Sting
Something Rotten!, Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit, Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best director of a play

WINNER: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best director of a musical

WINNER: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best scenic design of a play

WINNER: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It With You

Best scenic design of a musical

WINNER: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #SandığınaSahipCık #TonyAwards #internetbestfriendday
2 #GreenHairDontCare #McKinney #HorseAroundWithAMovie
3 #FELIZDIADELPERIODISTA #internetbestfriendday #IREvENG
4 #MeLaReJuegoPostaSi #RejectedTVShowSpinoffs #GreenHairDontCare
5 #TripleCrown Hope Solo #MyHour
6 刀剣男士 #WorstBirthdayGifts Barca
7 Booba #WouldPreferForgetting #FIFAWWC
8 Cotto Cheetah Girls 2 #FrenchOpenFinal
9 Wawrinka #earthquake Suarez
10 #Secim2015 Gardena #UFCNOLA

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June 8, 2015

Top News Stories –

Apple reveals new Music app to rival Spotify –
Apple has announced [at their Worldwide Developers Conference (#WWDC15 – see Top Twitter Trends)] a new app that combines a streaming song and music video library, an internet radio station and a way for artists to share unreleased tracks and other material. It includes a recommendation system that uses both human curators and computer algorithms to suggest songs. The [Apple Music] service is set to challenge Spotify, Tidal and other music apps. Apple also announced several new features that will appear in the next version of its Mac operating system, called OS X El Capitan. [BBC]

Fifa film flops at the box office –
A vanity film about the history of Fifa has flopped in the US, taking just $607 (£397) in its opening weekend. United Passions was funded by about £17m of Fifa cash, and was completed before corruption charges were made against 14 of its officials in May. Starring Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter and Gerard Depardieu as Jules Rimet, the hagiography of football’s governing body has had damning reviews. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the FilmBar cinema in Phoenix reported takings of just $9, meaning only one person bought a ticket. [BBC] See List of the Day
Tim-RothTim Roth

Video of the Day –

Ares 3: Farewell

List of the Day –

Biggest film losses adjusted for inflation (according to Wikipedia)

Biggest box office bombs adjusted for inflation
Rank Title Estimated losses
(constant $)
Year
1 The 13th Warrior $97,896,514—182,838,584 1999
2 47 Ronin $151,923,973 2013
3 Cutthroat Island $137,346,554 1995
4 Mars Needs Moms $136,816,444 2011
5 The Adventures of Pluto Nash $126,461,993 2002
6 The Fall of the Roman Empire $126,417,784 1964
7 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within $125,776,050 2001
8 The Lone Ranger $95,926,537—121,237,251 2013
9 Sahara $121,194,169 2005
10 Heaven’s Gate $120,953,664 1980

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #confessionnight #NationalBestFriendsDay #MondayMotivation
2 #NationalBestFriendsDay #WorldOceansDay #WorldOceansDay
3 PREP #WWDC15 #CarersWeek
4 #BuSeçiminSonucu #MondayMotivation Kate Moss
5 #TonyAwards #USWNT Sol Campbell
6 El FMI #DADDYDALLASLAX #McKinney
7 #WWDC15 Alex Morgan #NationalBestFriendsDay
8 #اين_كنت_الساع�… #HAPPYBIRTHDAYMAMAWHITESIDES #WWDC15
9 #BuenLunes #confessionnight #confessionnight
10 iOS 9 #YoureNotInvitedBecause Ten Walls

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June 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

One Direction to meet Leah Washington after Alton Towers crash –
The stars of One Direction have filmed a video message and offered to meet a teenage girl whose leg was amputated following a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers. Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was one of five people who suffered severe injuries on the Smiler ride on 2 June. A Twitter campaign – #Get1DToLeah – called for the pop band to contact her. Friends said Ms Washington would be “elated” at the news. [BBC]
Louis_Tomlonson tweet to Leah_Washington @Louis_Tomlinson/Twitter

Naked rambler Stephen Gough appears nude via video link from prison –
A man known as the naked rambler made legal history after appearing nude via prison video link at the Court of Appeal. Stephen Gough lost an appeal against a conviction for the breach of an Asbo. He appeared from Winchester Prison where he is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for breaching the order banning him from being naked in public. His counsel Matthew Scott argued Gough should have been allowed to appear naked at the original trial. Lady Justice Rafferty refused Gough’s appeal. Clive Coleman, the BBC’s legal affairs correspondent, said Gough, 56, almost certainly made legal history by appearing in his natural state.

Video of the Day –

The Martian – Official Trailer – 20th Century FOX

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 Pedro Zerolo #MakeMarriageBetterIn4Words #MakeMarriageBetterIn4Words
2 #MartesDeParo #4BestWordsEver #ChildrensLaureate
3 #HappyBirthdayJohnnyDepp Vincent Bugliosi #HSBC
4 #YoTodoElTiempo #MyWorkOutRoutineIsMostly #IAD15
5 #عبر_عن_نفسيتك_… #MyBestFriendsAre Rik Mayall
6 #KoalisyonTahminim Texas A& #4BestWordsEver
7 #MockingjayPart2 TCAs #ENGvNZ
8 Alex Morgan #MockingjayPart2 #USAvAUS
9 #NationalBestFriendsDay #ItBugsMeWhen Slaven Bilic
10 Teen Choice Awards Robert Gibbs John Carver

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  • HSBC announces plans to cut 8,000 jobs in the United Kingdom, one-sixth of its U.K. workforce, via “natural attrition” as it restructures its banking business. A total of 25,000 jobs could be axed globally. (BBC)
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June 10, 2015

Top News Stories –

The genius behind ‘Headless Body in Topless Bar’ headline dies at 74 –
Vincent A. Musetto, who wrote the greatest headline in New York newspaper history, died Tuesday at 74 from cancer. “Headless Body in Topless Bar” ran on The Post’s front page on April 15, 1983. As witty as it was horrific, it expressed with unflinching precision the city’s ­accelerating tailspin into an abyss of atrocious crime and chaos. Post editor- in-chief Col ­Allan said, “V.A. Musetto was one of the legends of our business, and he became famous for a truly classic headline. But for those who worked with him and mourn him today, V.A. offered so much more: Humor. A sharp critical eye. A personal warmth with his colleagues, and deep love for The Post and its readers. All will miss him.” [Daily Post]
Headless body in a topless bar headline - NY Post New York Post headline April 15, 1083

Chinese actress Zhao Wei sued for ‘staring’ at man through his TV set –
A Chinese actress is being sued after a man claims she “stared at him too intensely” through his TV set. The lawsuit was filed by a man in Shanghai after he watched Zhao Wei in a series called Tiger Mom, which debuted last month. A new law making it harder for courts in China to reject lawsuits has led to concerns of a rise in the number of frivolous claims being made. The rules came into force on 1 May with a 29% rise in cases reported in China. The Supreme People’s Court says there were just over a million cases filed compared with same period last year. [BBC Newsbeat]
Zhao-WeiZhao Wei

Video of the Day –

Trailer For ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’

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June 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Sir Christopher Lee death announced –
In one of his final interviews, Sir Christopher Lee declared his intention never to retire. “When I die, I want to die with my boots on,” he said.
The actor remained true to his word. He was preparing for his latest film role – a drama called The 11th, co-starring Uma Thurman – when he died on Sunday morning [June 7, 2015] at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Sir Christopher was one of the greats of the 20th century, but his career hit new heights in the last 15 years of his life. He will be best remembered by those of a certain age for playing Count Dracula in his Hammer Horror days, but to younger film fans he was a star of two of the biggest franchises ever made: Saruman in Lord of the Rings and Count Dooku in Star Wars. [Daily Telegraph] He appeared in over 200 films (See List of the Day)
Sir-Christopher-Lee-in-2013Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

Female scientists post ‘distractingly sexy’ photos –
Female scientists have been sharing “distractingly sexy” photos of themselves after a feminist website encouraged them to respond to comments by a Nobel laureate. Nobel Prize winner Tim Hunt was roundly criticised when he detailed his thoughts about the “trouble with girls” at a conference of science journalists. “Three things happen when they are in the lab,” he said, “you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry.” He said his comments were meant to be “light-hearted, ironic comment”, but whatever the intention, it went over like a heavy metallic dirigible in a field with some widely acknowledged gender issues. Hunt has now resigned from his position at University College London. On Thursday the hashtag #DistractinglySexy began taking off, with more than 10,000 tweets in a matter of hours. [BBC Trending] See Top Twitter Trends (UK)

Video of the Day –

Saruman the White – from Lord of the Rings [from Youtube]

List of the Day –

Sir Christopher Lee film appearances (including voiceovers) [List from Wikipedia]

 

# Year Film Role Notes
1 1948 Corridor of Mirrors Charles
2 1948 One Night with You Pirelli’s Assistant
3 1948 Hamlet Spear Carrier Uncredited
4 1948 Penny and the Pownall Case Jonathan Blair
5 1948 A Song for Tomorrow Auguste
6 1948 My Brother’s Keeper Second Constable Deleted scenes
7 1948 Saraband for Dead Lovers Bit Part Uncredited
8 1948 Scott of the Antarctic Bernard Day
9 1949 Trottie True Bongo
10 1950 They Were Not Divided Chris Lewis
11 1950 Prelude to Fame Newsman
12 1951 Valley of Eagles Det. Holt
13 1951 Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. Spanish Captain
14 1951 Quo Vadis Chariot Driver Uncredited[1]
15 1952 The Crimson Pirate Joseph (attache)
16 1952 Top Secret Russian Agent Uncredited
17 1952 Paul Temple Returns Sir Felix Raybourne
18 1952 Babes in Bagdad Slave Dealer
19 1952 Moulin Rouge Georges Seurat
20 1953 Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot Voice Uncredited
21 1953 Innocents in Paris Lieutenant Whitlock Uncredited
22 1954 Destination Milan Svenson
23 1955 Man in Demand
24 1955 Crossroads Harry Cooper
25 1955 Final Column
26 1955 That Lady Captain
27 1955 Police Dog Johnny, a constable
28 1955 The Dark Avenger French Patrol Captain at Tavern Uncredited
29 1955 The Cockleshell Heroes Submarine Commander
30 1955 Storm Over the Nile Karaga Pasha
31 1956 Alias John Preston John Preston
32 1956 Private’s Progress Gen. von Linbeck’s aide Uncredited
33 1956 Port Afrique Franz Vermes
34 1956 Beyond Mombasa Gil Rossi
35 1956 The Battle of the River Plate Manolo
36 1957 Ill Met by Moonlight German Officer at Dentists
37 1957 Fortune Is a Woman Charles Highbury
38 1957 The Traitor Dr. Neumann
39 1957 The Curse of Frankenstein The Creature
40 1957 Manuela Voice Uncredited
41 1957 Bitter Victory Sgt. Barney
42 1957 The Truth About Women François
43 1958 A Tale of Two Cities Marquis St. Evremonde
44 1958 Dracula Count Dracula Alternative title: Horror of Dracula
45 1958 Battle of the V-1 Labor Camp Captain, Men’s Section
46 1958 Corridors of Blood Resurrection Joe
47 1959 The Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Henry Baskerville
48 1959 The Man Who Could Cheat Death Dr. Pierre Gerard
49 1959 The Treasure of San Teresa Jaeger
50 1959 The Mummy Kharis, the Mummy
51 1959 Uncle Was a Vampire Baron Roderico da Frankurten
52 1960 Too Hot to Handle Novak
53 1960 Beat Girl Kenny
54 1960 The City of the Dead Prof. Alan Driscoll Alternative title: Horror Hotel
55 1960 The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Paul Allen
56 1960 The Hands of Orlac Nero the magician
57 1961 The Terror of the Tongs Chung King
58 1961 Taste of Fear Doctor Pierre Gerrard
59 1961 The Devil’s Daffodil Ling Chu
60 1961 Ercole al centro della terra King Lico (Licos) Alternative title: Hercules in the Haunted World
61 1962 Stranglehold
62 1962 The Puzzle of the Red Orchid Captain Allerman
63 1962 The Pirates of Blood River Captain LaRoche
64 1962 The Devil’s Agent Baron von Staub
65 1962 Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace Sherlock Holmes
66 1963 Katarsis Mephistoles
67 1963 La vergine di Norimberga Erich Aka Castle of Terror and Virgin of Nuremberg
68 1963 La frusta e il corpo Kurt Menliff Aka The Whip and the Body and Night Is the Phantom
69 1964 Il castello dei morti vivi Count Drago Alternative title: Castle of the Living Dead
70 1964 La cripta e l’incubo Count Ludwig Karnstein Aka Crypt of the Vampire and Crypt of Horror
71 1964 The Devil-Ship Pirates Captain Robeles
72 1964 The Gorgon Prof. Karl Meister
73 1965 Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors Franklyn Marsh
74 1965 She Billali
75 1965 The Skull Sir Matthew Phillips
76 1965 Ten Little Indians Voice of “Mr. Owen” Uncredited
77 1965 The Face of Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu / Lee Tao
78 1966 Theatre of Death Philippe Darvas
79 1966 Dracula: Prince of Darkness Count Dracula
80 1966 Rasputin, the Mad Monk Grigori Rasputin
81 1966 Circus of Fear Gregor Alternative title: Psycho Circus
82 1966 The Brides of Fu Manchu Fu Manchu
83 1967 The Vengeance of Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu
84 1967 Night of the Big Heat Godfrey Hanson
85 1967 Five Golden Dragons Dragon #4
86 1967 The Blood Demon Count Frederic Regula, Graf von Andomai Aka The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism and Castle of the Walking Dead
87 1968 Curse of the Crimson Altar Morley
88 1968 The Devil Rides Out Duc de Richleau
89 1968 Eve Colonel Stuart Alternative title: The Face of Eve
90 1968 The Blood of Fu Manchu Fu Manchu
91 1968 Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Count Dracula
92 1969 The Castle of Fu Manchu Fu Manchu
93 1969 The Oblong Box Dr. J. Neuhart
94 1969 The Magic Christian Ship’s vampire
95 1970 Scream and Scream Again Fremont
96 1970 Umbracle The Man
97 1970 The Bloody Judge (es) Lord George Jeffreys Alternative title: Night of the Blood Monster
98 1970 Count Dracula Count Dracula
99 1970 Taste the Blood of Dracula Count Dracula
100 1970 One More Time Count Dracula
101 1970 Julius Caesar Artemidorus
102 1970 Eugenie Dolmance Aka Eugenie – The Story of Her Journey into Perversion
103 1970 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Mycroft Holmes
104 1970 Scars of Dracula Count Dracula
105 1971 The House That Dripped Blood John Reid Segment: “Sweets to the Sweet”
105 1971 Cuadecuc, vampir Count Dracula/Himself
106 1971 I, Monster Dr. Charles Marlowe/Edward Blake
107 1971 Hannie Caulder Bailey
108 1972 Death Line Stratton-Villiers, MI5 Alternative title: Raw Meat
109 1972 Nothing But the Night Col. Charles Bingham
110 1972 Dracula A.D. 1972 Count Dracula
111 1973 Dark Places Dr. Mandeville
112 1973 The Creeping Flesh James Hildern
113 1973 The Satanic Rites of Dracula Count Dracula
114 1973 Horror Express Sir Alexander Saxton
115 1973 The Three Musketeers Rochefort
116 1973 The Wicker Man Lord Summerisle
117 1974 The Four Musketeers Rochefort
118 1974 The Man with the Golden Gun Francisco Scaramanga
119 1975 Diagnosis: Murder Dr. Stephen Hayward
120 1975 Le boucher, la star et l’orpheline Van Krig/Himself
121 1976 The Keeper The Keeper
122 1976 Killer Force Major Chilton Alternative title: The Diamond Mercenaries
123 1976 To the Devil, A Daughter Father Michael Rayner
124 1976 Dracula père et fils Prince of Darkness Alternative title: Dracula and Son
125 1976 Albino Bill Aka Whispering Death and Death in the Sun
126 1977 Airport ’77 Martin Wallace
127 1977 Meatcleaver Massacre On-screen narrator Aka Evil Force and Revenge of the Dead
128 1977 End of the World Father Pergado / Zindar
129 1977 Starship Invasions Captain Rameses
130 1978 Return from Witch Mountain Dr. Victor Gannon
131 1978 Caravans Sardar Khan
132 1978 Circle of Iron Zetan Alternative title: The Silent Flute
133 1979 The Passage Gypsy
134 1979 Arabian Adventure Alquazar
135 1979 Nutcracker Fantasy Uncle Drosselmeyer / Street Singer / Watchmaker Voice
136 1979 Jaguar Lives! Adam Caine
137 1979 Bear Island Lechinski
138 1979 1941 Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt
139 1979 Captain America II: Death Too Soon Miguel
140 1980 Serial Luckman Skull
141 1981 The Salamander Prince Baldasar, the Director of Counterintelligence
142 1981 Desperate Moves Dr. Carl Boxer
143 1981 An Eye for an Eye Morgan Canfield
144 1982 Safari 3000 Count Borgia
145 1982 The Last Unicorn King Haggard Voice; also in German language version
146 1983 New Magic Mr. Kellar
147 1983 The Return of Captain Invincible Mr. Midnight
148 1983 House of the Long Shadows Corrigan
149 1984 The Rosebud Beach Hotel Mr. Clifford King
150 1985 Mask of Murder Chief Supt. Jonathan Rich
151 1985 Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf Stefan Crosscoe
152 1986 The Girl Peter Storm
153 1987 Jocks President White
154 1987 Mio min Mio Kato
155 1988 Dark Mission Luis Morel
156 1989 Murder Story Willard Hope
157 1989 La chute des aigles Walter Strauss
158 1989 The Return of the Musketeers Rochefort
159 1990 The Rainbow Thief Uncle Rudolf
160 1990 L’avaro Cardinale Spinosi
161 1990 Honeymoon Academy Lazos
162 1990 Panga
163 1990 Gremlins 2: The New Batch Doctor Catheter
164 1991 Curse III: Blood Sacrifice Doctor Pearson
165 1992 Jackpot Cedric
166 1992 Kabuto King Philip
167 1994 Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Cmndt. Alexandrei Nikolaivich Rakov
168 1994 Funny Man Callum Chance
169 1994 Flesh and Blood Narrator/Self Last collaboration with Peter Cushing
170 1995 A Feast at Midnight V. E. Longfellow, a.k.a. Raptor
171 1996 Welcome to the Discworld Death
172 1996 The Stupids Evil Sender
173 1998 Tale of the Mummy Sir Richard Turkel
174 1998 Jinnah Mohammed Ali Jinnah Lee considers this to be his favourite role/most significant[2]
175 1999 Sleepy Hollow Burgomaster
176 2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Saruman
177 2002 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus
178 2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Saruman
179 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Saruman Extended Edition only
180 2004 Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse Heinrich von Garten
181 2005 The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby The Lord Provost
182 2005 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus
183 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Dr. Wilbur Wonka
184 2005 Corpse Bride Pastor Galswells Voice
185 2007 The Golden Compass First High Councillor
186 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus Voice
187 2009 Boogie Woogie Alfred Rhinegold
188 2009 Triage Joaquín Morales
189 2009 Glorious 39 Walter
190 2010 Alice in Wonderland Jabberwocky Voice
191 2010 Burke & Hare Joseph
192 2010 The Heavy Mr. Mason
193 2011 Season of the Witch Cardinal D’Ambroise
194 2011 The Resident August
195 2011 The Wicker Tree Old Gentleman
196 2011 Grave Tales Himself Original version only
197 2011 Hugo Monsieur Labisse
198 2012 The Hunting of the Snark Narrator Voice
199 2012 Dark Shadows Silas Clarney
200 2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Saruman
201 2013 Night Train to Lisbon Father Bartolomeu
202 2013 Necessary Evil Narrator Voice
203 2013 The Girl from Nagasaki Old Officer Pinkerton
204 2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Saruman
205 2014 Extraordinary Tales Voice
206 2015 Angels in Notting Hill The Boss, Mr. President

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8 #RetoTelehit NOT AVAILABLE #distractinglysexy
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June 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

Cambridge University professor of Lego proposed –
A professor of Lego could soon be in post at Cambridge University. The Lego Foundation has provided the university with £2.5m to fund a Lego Professorship of Play in Education, Development and Learning. It has also provided £1.5m to support a play research centre in the education faculty, which will be led by the Lego professor. The Lego professorship post would be “open to all those whose work falls within the general field of the title of the office”, the university said. [BBC]

Texan wrestling star Dusty Rhodes dies at 69 –
One of wrestling’s most colourful stars, Dusty Rhodes, the self-styled “American Dream”, has died aged 69. The death of Virgil Runnels, which was his real name, was announced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). His long and glittering career, which began in the late 1960s, earned him a place in the WWE Hall of Fame. “Runnels became a hero to fans around the world thanks to his work ethic, his impassioned interviews and his indomitable spirit,” said WWE. [BBC]
Dusty-RhodesDusty Rhodes

Spain Princess Cristina loses title amid fraud inquiry –
King Felipe VI of Spain has removed the title “Duchess of Palma” from his sister, Princess Cristina, who is to go on trial charged with tax evasion. She was granted the title in 1997 when she married Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player who is also accused of tax evasion. Princess Cristina had asked the king to remove her title, her lawyer said. But the royal palace said the king made the decision before seeing her request. She denies the tax fraud charges. [BBC]
Infanta_Cristina,_Duchess_of_Palma_de_Mallorca Princess Cristina

White woman ‘posed as black civil right leader’ in years-long deception –
The name of a local civil rights leader in the US northwest is trending worldwide after her parents told the media that she is a white woman who has been passing herself off as black for years. [BBC Trending] See Top Twitter Trends.
Rachel Dolezal, 37, has been the head of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, or NAACP, in Spokane, Washington, since January. But her parents said Ms Dolezal is of German, Czech, and Swedish descent with a smattering of Native American ancestry. Mr and Mrs Dolezal said their daughter had black siblings who were adopted and that she went to school in Mississippi, where the family were part of a mainly black community. But they said she only began to claim African descent after divorcing her husband, who was also black, in 2004. Her mother, Ruthanne, said Ms Dolezal began to “disguise herself” in 2006 or 2007. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dave Grohl, Lead singer of the Foo Fighters breaks his leg in a fall on stage in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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2 #BuenViernes #WriteThe11thCommandment #FridayFeeling
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5 Jurassic World Dave Grohl #WriteThe11thCommandment
6 #TeQueresReMorirCuando #transracial Memphis Depay
7 #AskRachel #USAvSWE #TFIFriday
8 #NationalExDay #RachelDolezal #AskAston
9 Sümer Tilmaç Happy Friday Everyone #ROWYSOLondon
10 Mステ Joyce Mitchell Oval

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June 13, 2015

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Sweden royal wedding: Prince Carl Philip marries ex-reality star –
Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip has married a former reality-TV star and glamour model in a lavish ceremony in the chapel at Stockholm’s Royal Palace.
Sofia Hellqvist, 30, also worked as a topless model and a yoga instructor before helping to set up a charity. Her new husband, 36-year-old Carl Philip, is third in line to the throne. Thousands of well-wishers lined the streets for the event, despite polls suggesting the Swedish royal family’s popularity is waning. They cheered as Miss Hellqvist, a 30-year-old commoner, became a princess. [BBC]
Sofia-HellqvistSofia Hellqvist

Gunman killed by police snipers after attack on Dallas police headquarters –
A police sniper has shot and killed an armed suspect in Texas hours after the gunman opened fire on Dallas police headquarters before fleeing in an armoured van. The getaway vehicle was pursued by police to a fast food restaurant parking lot in the nearby city of Hutchin, where officers disabled the vehicle, in the incident early on Saturday morning. Some hours later, police said the suspect was killed. Two explosive devices, including one described as a pipe bomb, were found earlier on outside the Dallas police building. They have both been cleared. One detonated when a bomb disposal robot attempted to move it, but nobody was injured. [Daily Telegraph]

Queen’s birthday honours list: knights outnumber dames five to one –
Men outnumber women by almost five to one in the highest honours announced for the Queen’s birthday, which sees knighthoods for comedian Lenny Henry, trade unionist Paul Kenny and singer-songwriter Van “the Man” Morrison. For only the second time in honours history, more women received awards – 51% of all recipients – but just seven are made dames, compared with 33 knighthoods for men, reflecting a gender imbalance at the highest levels of industry, business, politics and academia. [Guardian] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

BEAT DOWN from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015 – [For full list click here from the Metro]

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Henry Angest. National Treasurer Conservative Party. For political service. (London)

Professor Harshad Kumar Dharamshi Bhadeshia F. R.S., Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. For services to Science and Technology. (Cambridgeshire)

The Rt Hon Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns. Member of Parliament for Chelmsford. For parliamentary and political service. (Essex)

Dr Philip Henry Montgomery Campbell. Editor in chief Nature. For services to Science. (London)

Dr Kevan Arthur Collins. Chief executive Education Endowment Foundation. For services to Education. (London)

Naim Eliahou Dangoor, CBE. Philanthropist. For charitable services. (London)

Michael Lawrence Davis. Chair Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission. For services to Holocaust Commemoration and Education.

Ciaran Gearoid Devane. Chief executive Macmillan Cancer Support. For services to Cancer Patients. (London)

Professor Charles Peter Downes, OBE, FRSE. Principal and vice-Chancellor, University of Dundee. For services to Higher Education and Life Sciences. (Newport-on-Tay, Fife)

Gareth Owen Edwards, CBE. For services to Sport and for charitable services. (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan)

Bernard Peter Gray. Chief of Defence Materiel Ministry of Defence. For public service, particularly to Defence. (Oxfordshire)

Patrick Head. Director Williams Hybrid Power Ltd. For services to Motorsport. (London)

Lenworth George Henry, CBE. Actor and Comedian. For services to Drama and Charity. (London)

The Rt Hon Simon Henry Ward Hughes. Member of Parliament for Bermondsey and Old Southwark. For public and political service. (London)

Thomas Baird Jeffery, CB. Director general, Department for Education, Children’s Services and Departmental Strategy Directorate. For services to the Department for Education. (Lewes, East Sussex)

Dr Karl William Pamp Jenkins, CBE. Composer. For services to Composing and Crossing Musical Genres. (London)

Paul Stephen Kenny. General secretary GMB Union. For services to Trade Unions. (London)

Dr James Loy Macmillan, CBE. Composer and conductor. For services to Music. (Glasgow)

Francis McLoughlin, CBE. Principal, City and Islington College and Chair, Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning. For services to Further Education. (London)

Iain Macleod McMillan, CBE. For services to the Scottish Economy. (Falkirk, Stirling and Falkirk)

George Ivan Morrison, OBE. For services to the Music Industry and to Tourism in Northern Ireland. (Down)

Professor Stephen John Nickell, CBE, FBA. Economist. For services to Economics. (Banbury, Oxfordshire)

Dr Nicholas Beaver Penny, FBA. Director general, National Gallery. For services to the Arts. (London)

Professor Hussein Munir Pirmohamed. David Weatherall Chair of Medicine University of Liverpool. For services to Medicine. (West Kirby, Merseyside)

Andreas Whittam Smith, CBE. For public service particularly to the Church of England. (London)

Gary Keith Verity. Chief executive Welcome to Yorkshire. For services to Tourism and the Tour De France Grand Depart 2014. (North Yorkshire)

Professor Ian Vincent Derrick Weller. Emeritus Professor of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Department of Infection and Population Health, University College, London.

For services to HIV Research. (Grantham, Lincolnshire)

Nicholas John Weller. Executive Principal Dixons Academies, Bradford. For services to Education. (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Adrian Edwin White, CBE, DL. For services to International Trade and Investment. (Dorking, Surrey)

 

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June 14, 2015

Top News Stories –

Philae comet lander wakes up, says European Space Agency –
The European Space Agency (Esa) says its comet lander, Philae, has woken up and contacted Earth. Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by its mothership, Rosetta, last November. It worked for 60 hours before its solar-powered battery ran flat. The comet has since moved nearer to the Sun and Philae has enough power to work again, says the BBC’s science correspondent Jonathan Amos. An account linked to the probe tweeted the message, “Hello Earth! Can you hear me?” On its blog, Esa said Philae had contacted Earth, via Rosetta, for 85 seconds on Saturday in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.
@Philae2014/Twitter
Artist's impression of the Philae landerArtist’s impression of the Philae lander

Jurassic World takes $511m in record opening weekend –
The fourth instalment in the Jurassic Park series has become the first film to take more than $500m at the box office on its opening weekend. Jurassic World was the most popular screening in all 66 countries where it was released. The film made $204.6m (£131.4m) in the US, according to the firm Exhibitor Relations. It took $100m in China and $29.6m (£19m) in the UK and Ireland as part of the record global total of $511.8m. The Universal Pictures release had the second-highest grossing opening weekend in the US. The record is held by Marvel’s The Avengers, which took $207.4m in 2012. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

Jurassic World – Official Global Trailer

List of the Day –

Biggest Worldwide film openings since 2002 [from Wikipedia]

Rank Film Year Opening (USD)[1]
1 Jurassic World 2015 $511,800,000
2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011 $483,189,427
3 Furious 7 2015 $397,627,459
4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 $394,022,354
5 Marvel’s The Avengers 2012 $392,538,708
6 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 $392,471,109
7 Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 $382,425,000
8 Spider-Man 3 2007 $381,660,892
9 Iron Man 3 2013 $372,553,677
10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011 $350,653,677
11 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 2007 $343,972,864
12 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 2012 $340,667,634
13 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 $332,715,157
14 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2010 $330,017,372
15 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 2005 $303,949,700
16 Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014 $302,138,390
17 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 2011 $291,022,261
18 The Twilight Saga: New Moon 2009 $274,939,137
19 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 2014 $273,897,634
20 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008 $272,150,927
21 X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014 $262,866,321
22 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 $250,000,534
23 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $248,887,295
24 Avatar 2009 $241,571,046
25 The Da Vinci Code 2006 $232,074,037
26 2012 2009 $230,470,474
27 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse 2010 $228,893,465
28 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012 $222,617,303
29 Iron Man 2 2010 $220,766,270
30 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2009 $219,921,171
31 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 2009 $218,430,064
32 The Hunger Games 2012 $211,785,747
33 Alice in Wonderland 2010 $210,101,023
34 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013 $209,845,197
35 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 $207,197,367
36 War of the Worlds 2005 $203,061,125
37 Man of Steel 2013 $201,981,486
38 The Matrix Revolutions 2003 $201,390,000
39 Iron Man 2008 $201,174,140

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6 Jurassic World #RedFlags #UFC188
7 Dave Grohl #MITB #SLOvENG
8 #GoodForYou Tbilisi Michael
9 #AssistamTeuOlharFLY Good Sunday #HappyBirthdayJesy
10 Vuoso #GETWELLSOONCALUM Townsend

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June 15, 2015

Top News Stories –

Magna Carta changed the world, David Cameron tells 800 year anniversary event –
Magna Carta went on to change the world, Prime Minister David Cameron has said, at an ceremony in Surrey marking the 800th anniversary of the document that heralded modern democracy. The event at Runnymede, where King John sealed the original accord in 1215, was attended by the Queen and other royals. The Duke of Cambridge unveiled a commemorative art work at the site. Princess Anne rededicated the US memorial, saying Magna Carta “provides us with one of our most basic doctrines – that no person is above the law. “In recent history and even today we see in many parts of the world that power without the rule of law can lead to human suffering of terrible proportions. But it takes all of us to stand up for these principles.” [BBC]
Magna_Carta_(British_Library_Cotton_MS_Augustus_II.106)The Magna Carta (originally known as the Charter of Liberties) of 1215

Jess Glynne to have vocal surgery after pulling out of Isle of Wight Festival –
Jess Glynne has revealed she will undergo vocal cord surgery next week. The singer was forced to pull out of the weekend’s Isle of Wight Festival after consulting a doctor. She tweeted: “I am so so sad to tell you that I’m having to have vocal surgery next week” “I’m so sorry and it kills me but I have to cancel some forthcoming shows and festivals. I’m a little scared but I will be back singing better than ever very soon! Love hugs and kisses Jess.” Sam Smith had to pull out half way through his Australian tour in April after suffering haemorrhages on his vocal cords. [BBC Newsbeat]

Chicago Blackhawks take Stanley Cup in front of jubilant home crowd –
The Chicago Blackhaws defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 Monday night to win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons. Chicago are the only team since the National Hockey League lockout in the 2004-05 season to win three Stanley Cups, tempting the modern ‘dynasty’ label. That will be left to history to decide for certain, but there was little question Monday night where the Cup belonged. It all amounted to the first Chicago Stanley Cup win on home ice since 1938, when the Cup itself wasn’t even present for the victory, as the league at that time didn’t think the Blackhawks could win. Despite a weather delay, the Cup finally made it to the United Center this time around, and was hoisted once again by captain Jonathan Toews.
Jonathan_Toews_-_Chicago_BlackhawksJonathan Toews

Video of the Day –

WORLD RECORD Basketball Shot 126.5m (415 ft) – How Ridiculous

List of the Day –

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 Bolivia #liamdefensesquad #MondayMotivation
2 #ARGENTINARMY #MondayMotivation #WorldMeatFreeDay
3 #ComoOdioAEsosQue #XboxE3 #MITB
4 Jurassic World #RachelDolezalMemoirTitles Fallout 4
5 #GoodForYou Lance Stephenson #liamdefensesquad
6 Dave Grohl #FirstDateQuestions #GameofThronesFinale
7 Fede Bal Magna Carta #MagnaCarta
8 Barbie Velez #WorldMeatFreeDay #AstonDmSpree
9 #AskRachel #EdibleWordstoLiveBy Steph Curry
10 #TeQueresReMorirCuando #EAE3 Jack Grealish

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June 16, 2015

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Chris Evans to be new Top Gear presenter –
TV and radio personality Chris Evans will replace Jeremy Clarkson as the lead presenter of an all-new Top Gear line-up, the BBC has announced. Evans said he was “thrilled” to get the job, describing the motoring show as his “favourite programme of all time”. “I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward,” he added. Clarkson was dropped in March after punching a producer while on location.
Chris_EvansChris Evans (L) with Joss Stone

Foo Fighters cancel Glastonbury gig –
Rock group Foo Fighters have cancelled their headline slot at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. The announcement comes four days after frontman Dave Grohl fell off stage at a concert in Sweden, fracturing his leg. June dates in Belgium, and at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium and London’s Wembley Stadium have also been cancelled. Grohl apologised to fans, saying it was “just not physically possible” for him to perform at the moment.

Video of the Day –

Chris Pratt Dinosaurs Prank

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 Bolivia #ThreeWordsSheWantsToHear Shenmue 3
2 #ARGENTINARMY #MakeAMovieUnderwhelming #ThreeWordsSheWantsToHear
3 #ComoOdioAEsosQue #WeCantDateIf #RoyalAscot
4 Dave Grohl Donald Trump #xfactor
5 Jurassic World Tupac Donald Trump
6 #GoodForYou #MyCampaignIn3Words Michelle Obama
7 Fede Bal Cardinals #MakeAMovieUnderwhelming
8 #AskRachel Happy Birthday Tupac #SonyE3
9 #TeQueresReMorirCuando #HonestyHour Falcao
10 Barbie Velez #USAvNGA #Bloomsday

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June 17, 2015

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Angolan capital remains ‘most expensive city’ for expats –
The Angolan capital, Luanda, remains the world’s most expensive city for expatriates, according to an annual survey by consultancy Mercer. The city has held the number one spot for the past three years because of the high cost of rent, imported goods and security in the oil-rich nation. However, the rest of the cost of living rankings saw significant shifts due to exchange rate fluctuations. Asian cities now account for half of the top 10 costliest destinations. Hong Kong rose to second place and Singapore remained in fourth because of their expensive property and rental markets. Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul also made the top 10. [BBC] See List of the Day

Madonna premieres star-studded ‘Bitch I’m Madonna’ video on Tidal –
Madonna has unveiled her new video – complete with cameo appearances by Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry – on the new streaming service [launched in March] she runs with stars including Jay Z and Kanye West. The video for Bitch I’m Madonna, from her well-received Rebel Heart album, will be shown exclusively on the Tidal service for 24 hours before being released to the wider public. The line-up on the video, which was filmed in New York, also includes Nicki Minaj, new X Factor judge Rita Ora, Chris Rock and Madonna’s sons Rocco and David. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day
MadonnaMadonna

South Carolina church shooting: Nine die in Charleston ‘hate crime’ –
Nine people have died in a shooting at a historic African-American church in Charleston in the US state of South Carolina, officials say. City police chief Gregory Mullen said eight of the victims were killed inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday evening, while another person died shortly afterwards. Police are now searching for a white male suspect in his 20s. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

TIDAL | Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj | Bitch I’m Madonna Behind the scenes

List of the Day –

The 25 costliest cities for living abroad

2015 2014 Change City Country
1 1 Luanda Angola
2 3 +1 Hong Kong Hong Kong
3 5 +2 Zurich Switzerland
4 4 Singapore Singapore
5 6 +1 Geneva Switzerland
6 10 +4 Shanghai China
7 11 +4 Beijing China
8 14 +6 Seoul South Korea
9 8 -1 Bern Switzerland
10 2 -8 N’Djamena Chad
11 7 -4 Tokyo Japan
12 12 London United Kingdom
13 20 +7 Kinshasa Congo
14 17 +3 Shenzhen China
15 24 +9 Guangzhou China
16 16 New York City United States
17 13 -4 Victoria Seychelles
18 18 Tel Aviv Israel
19 86 +67 Buenos Aires Argentina
20 25 +5 Lagos Nigeria
21 54 +33 Shenyang China
22 34 +12 Conakry Guinea
23 67 +44 Dubai United Arab Emirates
24 15 -9 Copenhagen Denmark
25 48 +24 Qingdao China

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 Süleyman Demirel #ExplainParadiseIn4Words #fortheloveof
2 #3PalabrasAntesDelSexo #putchocolateinasong #FixtureReleaseDay
3 #MeAcaboDeDarCuentaQue #Trumplebrags #WeCantDateIf
4 Ramadan Mubarak Madonna #RuinAFineBook
5 #ARGENTINAESFUERTE Hump Day #PMQs
6 #OruçTutmuyorumÇünkü #IfMyDadWasPresident Boxing Day
7 #QuedasteReMalCuando #StatueofLiberty Man City
8 #Vidal #BuyNotTheOnlyOne Florence
9 Aritana #SlowJamAMovie Stoke
10 Salam Ramadhan #JunkFoodAMovie #labourdebate

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June 18, 2015

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Eton launches online lessons for China –
Eton College is going to launch online lessons for schools in China. From this autumn, the leading UK independent school is going to provide classes in leadership to Chinese students, using live online tuition. The school has formed a partnership with a technology firm to create a company called EtonX. The school, in Berkshire, says any income raised by the international project will be used for bursaries to cover pupils’ fees. Percy Harrison, director of information technology at Eton College, says the school would be able to reach a wider number of pupils, without setting up an overseas campus. [BBC]
Eton-College-CrestThe Eton College Coat of Arms

Star Wars: The Force Awakens second trailer sets YouTube world record –
The second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially the most viewed film trailer on YouTube in a 24-hour period. Guinness World Records says the clip, released in April, was watched more than 30 million views in a day. The trailer sees the return of Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford again, alongside co-pilot Chewbacca. The Force Awakens, the first instalment of the franchise’s new trilogy, will be set 30 years after Return of the Jedi. [BBC Newsbeat] See Video of the Day and List of the Day

Video of the Day –

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2

List of the Day –

Fictional Old Etonians (from Wikipedia) –

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #CharlestonShooting #CharlestonShooting #CharlestonShooting
2 #NoTeEnvioUnWhatsAppPorque Confederate #Grey
3 #FelizJueves #ReplyToASong #Waterloo200
4 #NadaMejorQue #LaudatoSi #EducationFest
5 #MeRePodesSi #TheNew10 #ReplyToASong
6 Confederate #Blackhawksrally Mo Farah
7 Bacca #BadYearbookMessages Ramadan Mubarak
8 非リア充orリア充度… #PresCandidatesBetterThanT… Fajr
9 #comohacerfelizaunamujer Lizzie McGuire Ryan Moore
10 Firmino #AskOrange #AskOrange

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June 19, 2015

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National Kissing Day –
It’s got it’s own website (kissingday.co.uk) and has been going for 10 years. Every year it storms up the Twitter and Instagram feeds. David Beckham and Holly Willoughby are woted the most kissable men and women in the UK.
Holly_WilloughbyHolly Willoughby

Heinz ketchup customers directed to porn website –
Heinz has apologised after a QR code on a tomato ketchup bottle directed customers to a pornography website. The error was caused because the QR code had hosted a competition that ended and expired, allowing an adult entertainment firm to buy it. The fault was spotted by Daniel Korell, from Germany, who flagged up the error to Heinz. “I happened to scan it during lunch and I was a bit surprised where I got redirected to,” Mr Korell told the BBC. “I found it rather funny and thought it was worth [sharing] on Heinz’s Facebook page.” “We really regret the incident,” a Heinz representative said on Facebook. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Kung Fu Panda 3 | Official Trailer #1

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #NationalKissingDay #NationalKissingDay #fridayfeeling
2 Jon Stewart Jon Stewart #NationalKissingDay
3 #TodasLasMujeresTienen #Juneteenth #IfTheBeatlesHadBeenFat
4 Hayırlı Cumalar #WarriorsParade Jon Stewart
5 #MumbaiRains #MyDreamDadIs #britmumslive
6 #NadaMejorQue Rick Perry Tiger Woods
7 #AsVezesSóQueria #5HonKimmel UK Muslims
8 #TuPuedesMiVinotinto Caucasian Heritage Night #bbcqt
9 #HepimizPYDliyiz Ralph Roberts Kerry Dixon
10 #YoTeDejoEnVistoPorque Beyond Scared Straight #1GottaGo

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June 20, 2015

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Dylann Roof: The Charleston killer’s racist manifesto –
The white supremacist accused of massacring nine black people in a Charleston church is believed to have written a hate-filled manifesto shortly before the killings and posed with a gun as he spat on and burned the American flag. Describing himself as the “Last Rhodesian”, 21-year-old Dylann Roof gave a chilling account of the racist anger that allegedly led him to open fire on unarmed worshippers in the Mother Emanuel church. He posted it on a website called The Last Rhodesian along with dozens of bizarre photographs of himself, posing with a handgun and a Confederate flag and, in another, spitting on the American flag. [Daily Telegraph]

Shane Warne: Women don’t believe it’s me on Tinder –
He has been named one of the cricketers of the century and Elizabeth Hurley was his sometime fiancée, but Shane Warne still appears to be on a sticky wicket when it comes to romance.T he 45-year-old former Australian international has downloaded Tinder, a dating app popular among twentysomethings, but most women he messages do not believe he is really the famous cricketer. He said he was not “trying to find the love of his life” through the app, but spoke of his loneliness at being “very, very single”. He has now been on two dates organised through the app, one of which was “OK”. “One was horrific,” he said. “It was just bad. Bad.” [Daily Telegraph]
Shane-WarneShane Warne

The Simpsons say divorce rumours are ‘baseless’ –
They are one of TV’s longest married couples, but of late there have been rumours that it’s divorce-ville for Homer and Marge Simpson. Not true, says the animated couple. In a video posted online, called Together Forever, Marge says: “Homie and I are here to address baseless rumours that we are going to split up.” The rumour-mill kicked in after Al Jean, one of the original writers of the show, said that there could be a legal separation for the pair. He made the comments in an interview with Variety magazine, which discussed various future storylines. Marge and Homer have been married for 26 series of the cult TV show. See Video of the Day [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

THE SIMPSONS | Homer And Marge, Together Forever | ANIMATION on FOX

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 #7YearsOfCampRock #7YearsOfCampRock #EndAusterityNow
2 #MeEnamorasCuando #ROWYSOSydney #WestEndLIVE
3 #NiallWeLoveYourVoice #GoodBandNameBadFirstDate Claude
4 #SabadoDeGanarSeguidores Jack Hemmings #7YearsOfCampRock
5 フォロワーA Mitt Romney #ROWYSOSydney
6 #EndAusterityNow #thankyouNash #NiallWeLoveYourVoice
7 Anitta Nós Te Amamos #birdafilm #birdafilm
8 #ExijoYAQue #UFCBerlin John Eustace
9 Boechat Max Scherzer Dolapo
10 #لو_بتالف_لنا_ك… #AgeAMovie James Salter

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June 21, 2015

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India yoga: PM Narendra Modi leads thousands in celebration –
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led thousands in a mass yoga programme in the capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day. Mr Modi did stretches, bends and breathing exercises with 35,000 school children, bureaucrats and soldiers. Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning’s event. Millions of others are expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns. Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practises the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day. Authorities said 35,000 people attended the 35-minute yoga session on Rajpath, aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga class at a single venue.
Narendra-ModiIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Taylor Swift pulls 1989 album from Apple Music –
Taylor Swift has pulled her hit album 1989 from Apple’s new streaming music service and criticised the company. In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. “I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months,” she wrote. She said the plan was “unfair”, arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost. “I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” the 25-year-old said, describing Apple as one of her “best partners in selling music”. “These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much,” she continued. “We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period – even if it is free for the fans trying it out. “Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing.” She ended her letter by calling on Apple to change its policy, suggesting she would reinstate her album on the service if the company changed its mind. “We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” Apple has yet to comment on the issue.
Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

Video of the Day –

Remnants from Nate Atwater on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 FRASE DO MEU TÚMULO #GoHomeDeray Katie Hopkins
2 #FelizDiaDelPadre #MyDadIn4Words Broner
3 #HappyBirthdayLanaDelRey Dads #JamesBrokeTheDoor
4 #UnaVezEnPedo Happy Fathers Ramos
5 #NoEsTuPapaSi #HappyBirthdayLanaDelRey #FathersDay
6 레바 와카루 Chuck Todd Daddy
7 파쿠리 #AndThenIWasAskedToLeave #SummerSolstice
8 Dads Father’s Day #GetLoveMeSo
9 Jamaica #FelizDiaDelPadre #MyDadIn4Words
10 #BugünBabalarGünü #SummerSolstice #InternationalDayofYoga

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  • Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras makes a new offer for reforms which could signal a late deal in the country’s debt talks. (ITV News)
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June 22, 2015

Top News Stories –

Apple Music changes policy after Taylor Swift stand –
Apple Music has reversed its payment policy, a day after the singer Taylor Swift said she was refusing to allow the company to stream her album 1989. In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. Now Apple says it will pay artists for music streamed during trial periods. “We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple,” tweeted executive Eddy Cue. Mr Cue said he did not know if the Shake It Off singer would now make her album available on Apple Music – but he praised her for taking a stand. “When I woke up this morning and I saw Taylor’s note that she had written, it really solidified that we needed to make a change,” he told Associated Press. [BBC]
Eddie-Cue/@Cue/TwitterEddie Cue Tweet

Skinny jeans given health warning –
A 35-year-old woman had to be cut out of a pair after her calves ballooned in size, they described in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. She had spent hours squatting to empty cupboards for a house move in Australia. By evening, her feet were numb and she found it hard to walk. Doctors believe the woman developed a condition called compartment syndrome, made worse by her skinny jeans. Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles – in this case, the calves. The condition caused the woman to trip and fall and, unable to get up, she then spent several hours lying on the ground. [BBC]

Vine’s Carter Reynolds pressures his ex for oral sex in leaked video –
An x-rated video of Vine star Carter Reynolds leaked Sunday that purportedly shows him pressuring his ex-girlfriend for oral sex, raising issues of consent and spurring Internet backlash. The video is filmed from Reynolds’ point of view, with his pants pulled down and his erect penis exposed. His ex-girlfriend, Instagram celeb Maggie Lindemann, tells him “I don’t think I can” and repeatedly stresses “I am really uncomfortable.” Reynolds tells her to “do it,” and “just pretend (the camera) isn’t there.” Lindemann eventually curls up and stops looking at the camera. It ends with Reynolds saying, “Oh my gosh, Maggie.” Lindemann is 16 years old, and Reynolds recently turned 19, leaving issues of consent and statutory rape on the table depending when and where the clip was filmed, as well as child pornography issues depending on how old Reynolds is in the video. [Daily Dot] “Carter” tops Twitter trends Worldwide –  See Top Twitter Trends below
@Carterreynolds/TwitterCarter Reynolds Tweet @Carterreynolds

 

Video of the Day –

Remove cat before flight –

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 Carter Carter Carter
2 #YoYMisSarpadasGanasDe #MondayMotivation #MondayMotivation
3 #WhenIJoinedTwitter #WhenIJoinedTwitter #WhenIJoinedTwitter
4 Léo Moura N-word Dustin Johnson
5 #MiProblemaEs #HappyBirthdayDinahJane Partick Thistle
6 #asklesbian Pete Rose Taylor Swift
7 #Superstar #ItsWorthMentioning #HappyBirthdayDinahJane
8 #GoodForYouAvailableNOW #CannesLions #CKG15
9 #妊娠からの予測変換 Diddy #CannesLions
10 舞台化 #LHHATL Cech

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June 23, 2015

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Tom Holland is announced as the new Marvel Spider-Man –
Tom Holland, who was in Wolf Hall and the stage musical Billy Elliot, has grabbed the lead in the franchise reboot. Marvel and Sony confirmed the news in a statement on their website. The 19-year-old takes over from Andrew Garfield for the new film which is due out July 2017. In a statement posted on their website, Marvel said: “Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios are proud to announce that after a full worldwide casting search, Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film.” The statement also said: “The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall, and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea, and by a series of complex screen tests.” [BBC Newsbeat] He celebrated with some acrobatic videos on his Instagram account
Tom-Holland ©tomholland2013/InstagramTom Holland

Titanic composer James Horner dies in plane crash –
The composer James Horner, who won Oscars for the theme song and score for the film Titanic, has died in a plane crash in California. He was 61. His credits included numerous other high-profile films, among them Avatar, Braveheart and Aliens. He was alone in his two-seater plane when the accident happened. [BBC]

Formula 1: US-Qatari investors ‘to bid for sport’ –
The Miami Dolphins American football team owner Stephen Ross is reportedly working with investors from Qatar to buy a stake in Formula 1 racing. RSE Ventures and Qatar Sports Investments plan a bid for CVC Capital Partners’ 35.5% stake in the holding company that owns F1. The Financial Times and Reuters said the deal could be worth up to $8bn, and help build F1’s presence in the US. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

7 Days in Hell: Trailer (HBO)

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #EnLaPrimaria George Karl James Horner
2 James Horner Undo Send #NWED
3 #FelizMartes #RejectedPrezCampaignSlogans #skinnyjeans
4 #PudimosSerTodoPero #filmprequels #charitytuesday
5 #UnaTrompadaAEsosQue #LameSuperGroups Calais
6 Ylenia James Horner #filmprequels
7 #DecimeQueGanasCon Spider-Man Spider-Man
8 #LameSuperGroups #Smallzys5SOSCakeBake Auschwitz
9 #MiProblemaEs #O2LFOREVER #Lionesses
10 Diddy Dick Van Patten #Smallzys5SOSCakeBake

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June 24, 2015

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Canada helicopter sex chat heard by Winnipeg public –
Canadian police have apologised after an explicit conversation was inadvertently broadcast from one of its helicopters. Whilst on patrol over Winnipeg, the chopper’s crew accidentally turned on its loudspeaker allowing members of the public below to hear them. Those listening say they heard pilots swearing and discussing oral sex. The officers were unaware that the loudspeaker was on due to the noise from the helicopter’s engine. Winnipeg Police Service say some of the “conversation was inappropriate” and have promised an internal review. [BBC]

5 Seconds of Summer fans go wild for ‘Doge Family’ hashtag after band change their Twitter profiles –
5SOS have changed their Twitter names and profile and the most bizarre hashtag is now trending. Fans have been tweeting #DogeFamily after the stars put up a photograph of a dog as their main images and changed their names, leaving us all asking: “WHAT IS GOING ON?!?” Well, we did some digging and found that ‘Doge’ is a internet meme based upon pictures of a Shiba Inus, and a slang word for dog. [Daily Mirror] See Top Twitter Trends below.
© @SOS/Twitter @SOS Twitter

An end to email shame? Gmail’s ‘Undo Send’ comes to the masses –
“Today we’re adding ‘Undo Send’ as a formal setting in Gmail on the web,”explained Google in a blog post as the change went live. The feature, which can prevent massive social embarrassment and help avoid long chats with the HR department about what you just mistakenly sent to a colleague, is to be a standard part of Google’s webmail. It can be turned on from within Gmail’s settings menu and enables people to set a “cancellation period” of five, 10, 20 or 30 seconds after sending any email, during which they can call it back. The feature has been available in Gmail’s experimental Labs settings for some time, and was recently added to the company’s Inbox mobile email app – so many of Gmail’s more tech-savvy users will have set it up already. [The Guardian]

Reddit celebrates its 10th birthday with a ton of wacky stats –
It’s been 10 years since Reddit first launched – basically an eternity in Web time – and it’s celebrating its birthday by looking back at its history, as well as some statistics on where the platform is today. In the ten years since its inception, Reddit has garnered over 16 billion upvotes, compared to ‘just’ 2.6 billion downvotes. It’s kind of nice to know that in a platform often infamous for its trolls, more feedback has been positive than negative. There have also been 190 millions posts, 64 percent of which are links. On these posts, there have been 1.7 billion comments, of which 0.36 percent have mentioned cats. That’s over 6 million cat comments. [The Next Web] See List of the Day

 

Video of the Day –

Lexus has created a real, rideable hoverboard

List of the Day –

Statistics from the first 10 years of Reddit [Reddit]

  • 10 years, 0 months, 0 days
    • (ok, fine, technically it’s 9 years, 11 months, 30 days, 22 hours, and 16 minutes at time of posting this at 10 am PDT)
    • (also 5,258,776 minutes, 87,646 hours, 3651 days, or 521 weeks)
  • 16,063,942,290 upvotes
    • (and 2,563,574,752 downvotes)
  • 1,715,454,785 comments
    • (.36% of which mention cats)
  • 334,626,161 monthly page views per Reddit engineer
  • 190,227,552 posts
    • (36% self posts vs link)
  • 36,136,190 user accounts
    • (26,222 of which include some variation of “pm me” or “don’t pm me” requests)
  • $29,559,467.54 spent on 877,218 presents for RedditGifts exchanges
    • (in 201 gift exchanges)
  • 1,867,184 months of Reddit Gold purchased
    • (804,952 of which you’ve gifted to someone)
  • 853,824 subreddits created
    • (9,601 of which were active yesterday)
  • 213,078 lines of code total
    • (1,081,873 lines of code added and 868,795 removed in 10,128 commits since Jan. 23, 2007, the second complete rewrite of Reddit)
  • and 1 genderless, raceless, time-traveling alien from the future named Snoo.

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 Cristiano Araújo Bobby Jindal #LARRYISCOMINGBACK
2 #LARRYISCOMINGBACK #dogefamily Buckingham Palace
3 #dogefamily Rick Ross #dogefamily
4 Titanic #1Dfragrance #NationalUpcyclingDay
5 #MasterChefBR #WatchNewStitchesVideo Dapper Laughs
6 #1Dfragrance Scott Storch Firmino
7 たま駅長 #RegretfulSubjectLines #saveILF
8 #FelizMiercoles #WeLoveYouCarter Frank Gehry
9 #MaskotaMaltrataAnimales #LiberalsNextBan #ToughEnough
10 #SosReFracaSi Kevin Love #FirminoLFC

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June 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

Avengers star Patrick Macnee dies –
Actor Patrick Macnee, star of The Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93. The Briton, best known for playing John Steed in the 1960s television spy series, died at home with his family at his bedside, his son Rupert said. Macnee also played roles in theatre, appearing on Broadway, and served in the Royal Navy during World War Two. A statement on the actor’s website read: “Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories.” He died peacefully at his home in California’s Rancho Mirage. [BBC] See List of the Day below
Patrick_Macnee_in_Lobster_man_from_MarsPatrick Macnee in Lobster man from Mars

Clint Dempsey gets two-year US cup ban for outburst –
Clint Dempsey has been banned from the US Open Cup for two years after ripping up a referee’s notebook during a game. The Seattle Sounders forward, 33, flicked the notebook out of Daniel Radford’s hand, picked it up off the pitch and then tore it into pieces after a team-mate had been sent off. The ex-Fulham and Spurs man was duly sent off, as Seattle ended with seven men in a 3-1 loss to Portland Timbers. The US captain is banned for six games or two years – whichever is longer. [BBC]
Clint_Dempsey_Seattle_SoundersClint Dempsey

France cracks down on Uber service after protests –
France’s interior minister has ordered a ban on the low-cost car-sharing service UberPOP after a day of nationwide protests by taxi drivers. Bernard Cazeneuve said the service was “illegal” and ordered police and prosecutors to enforce its closure. His announcement followed a day of sometimes violent protests by French taxi drivers, who say the US-based firm Uber is stealing their livelihoods. [BBC]

US spy chief James Clapper says China lead suspect in cyber hack –
China is the “leading suspect” in the massive hack of a US government agency holding the personnel records of millions of Americans, US intelligence chief James Clapper has said. He is the highest-ranking US official to publicly implicate Beijing since news of the data breach emerged. China always dismissed suggestions that it was behind the hacking. The statement comes after three days of high-level talks in which China and the US agreed to a “code of conduct”. “China remains the leading suspects,” said Mr Clapper at a conference in Washington DC, but “the US government continues to investigate” he added, according to his office.
James_R._ClapperJames_R._Clapper, US intelligence Chief

Video of the Day –

Legacy from MURAT SAYGINER on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Patrick Macnee Filmography [from Wikipedia]

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June 26, 2015

Top News Stories –

Same-sex marriage is now legal across the U.S. –
Same-sex marriage is now legal in the United States. The Supreme Court handed down a historic 5-4 ruling that state-level bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional. The court agreed to hear cases filed by gay and lesbian couples from Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan in January, setting the stage for the decision that has been highly anticipated by gay rights groups ever since. The Obama administration supported the cause. After the ruling came down, the White House changed its official Facebook photo to a rainbow variation. [The Daily Dot]
White House facebook logo Rainbow The White House Facebook Page official photo today

Whitehouse Facebook likes

Hilary Clinton made a similar change to her logo when the Supreme Court was earlier ruling in April.
Hilary Clinton Twitter Page April 28 2015Hilary Clinton Twitter (April 28 2015)

British And Irish Tourists Die In Beach Horror –
A gunman disguised as a holidaymaker has killed at least 37 people, including five Britons, in an attack on a popular tourist resort. Terrified sunbathers ran for their lives as the attacker, dressed in shorts and hiding his Kalashnikov inside an umbrella, opened fire on the beach in Port el Kantaoui on the outskirts of Sousse, Tunisia. He then entered the Imperial Marhaba hotel through the swimming pool area, shooting people as he went and also threw an explosive, witnesses said. The gunman in Tunisia was a young student from the city of Kairouan who was reportedly unknown to authorities. He was later shot dead by police. [Sky News]

France attack: Man decapitated at factory near Lyon –
A van driver who was investigated for links to Islamist radicals has attacked a gas factory near the south-eastern city of Lyon, a French prosecutor says. Yassin Sali, 35, caused an explosion by ramming his car into an area containing flammable liquids and was arrested at the scene, Francois Molins said. Mr Sali’s boss, the owner of a delivery firm, was found beheaded alongside flags containing Arabic inscriptions. The attack put France back on to its highest terror alert. An investigation has been launched by French anti-terror police. [BBC]

Bobbi Kristina Brown: Legal action filed against boyfriend –
The boyfriend of Bobbi Kristina Brown has been accused of assault and theft, on the same day her family announced she was being moved into hospice care. Brown, the only child of Whitney Houston, was discovered face down in a bath at her Atlanta home in January. She has never regained consciousness. Her boyfriend Nick Gordon has now been accused of causing her “substantial bodily harm” in a $10m civil case. [BBC]
Flickr Whitney Houston performing on GMA 2009 5
Bobbi Kristina Brown and Whitney Houston in 2009

 

Video of the Day –

#ProudToLove – Celebrating Marriage Equality and LGBT Pride Month [The Top YouTube video of the day]

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June 27, 2015

Top News Stories –

Taiwan Water Park Blast Leaves Hundreds Injured –
Hundreds of people were injured at a water park in Taiwan on Saturday when a cloud of colored powder ignited in the air over a crowd during an event, erupting into a huge fireball. No deaths were reported, but at least 516 people were injured, 194 seriously, including eight with life-threatening injuries, the island’s official Central News Agency reported. The injured, many suffering burns, were overwhelmingly young, in their 20s or younger, according to a roster posted on the news agency’s website. Color Play Asia bills itself as Asia’s biggest color party, an event where people dance to music while spraying each other with colored powder. A promotional video for the event on its Facebook page shows employees on a stage blasting colored powder onto the crowd. [NY Times]

Thousands attend London Pride march –
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of London for the annual Pride parade. More than 250 groups took part in the parade, which started in Baker Street at 13:00 BST. Police said there was extra security on the route following terror attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait on Friday. The United States flag joined Ireland and Mozambique’s at the front of the march, recognising recent gay rights progress in the three countries. [BBC] See List of the Day below
BBC London Pride Tweet

2 Charged in Confederate Flag Removal at South Carolina Capitol –
A protester climbed a 30-foot flagpole and removed the Confederate battle flag from its perch outside the South Carolina State House early Saturday, before she was arrested and the flag replaced, the police said. The protester, an African-American woman, was nearly halfway up the pole when a State Capitol police officer on routine patrol ordered her to come down. The authorities said the woman, who was wearing climbing gear, had ignored the command. She continued her climb to the top of the flagpole and unhooked and removed the flag before descending. An officer from the Bureau of Protective Services arrested her and a white male who had aided her. [NY Times] See Video of the Day

 

Video of the Day –

#KeepItDown Confederate Flag Takedown

List of the Day –

Legal status of same-sex marriage [from Wikipedia]

Performed
Argentina
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
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· Denmark proper
· Greenland*
Finland*
France
Iceland
Ireland*
Luxembourg
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· CH, CA, QR,
· DF
Netherlands:
· Netherlands proper1
New Zealand:
· New Zealand proper
Norway
Portugal
Slovenia*
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom:
· England and Wales
· Scotland
· Pitcairn Islands
United States**
Uruguay
Recognized

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June 28, 2015

Top News Stories –

Sam Smith best new artist at BET Awards as Nicki Minaj wins rap prize –
Sam Smith has won best new artist at this year’s BET Awards in LA. He wasn’t at the Black Entertainment Television ceremony, so the prize was picked up for him by actor Anthony Anderson. Nicki Minaj, who won her sixth best female hip-hop artist award in a row, brought her mum onstage. Rapping on top of a police car with a large American flag waving behind him, hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar kicked off the BET Awards. He later won best male hip-hop artist. Janet Jackson was honoured with the ultimate icon award as she made a rare public appearance. [BBC Newsbeat] See List of the Day below
Nicki_MinajNicki Minaj

SpaceX Rocket Falls Apart on Way to Space Station –
An unmanned cargo ship destined for the International Space Station disintegrated minutes after being launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sunday morning, NASA said, raising questions about how the agency and its partners will continue keeping the station supplied. It was the third loss of a cargo ship headed to the space station in the past eight months. However, NASA officials said they had prepared for such a mishap, and do not anticipate any major disruptions to the operations of the space station. The countdown had proceeded without a hitch or worries about weather, and the 208-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket, built by Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, lifted off at 10:21 a.m. But 2 minutes, 19 seconds later, just as George Diller, the commentator during a NASA television broadcast said, “Data coming back shows vehicle on course, on track,” a white cloud emerged from the rocket’s midsection. Moments later, a rain of debris started falling toward the Atlantic Ocean more than 20 miles below. [NY Times] See Video of the Day

Greek debt crisis: Banks to remain shut all week –
The Greek government has confirmed that banks will be closed all week, after a decision by the European Central Bank not to extend emergency funding. In a decree, it cited the “extremely urgent” need to protect the financial system due to the lack of liquidity. Cash withdrawals will be limited to €60 (£42; $66) a day for this period, the decree says. Talks between Greece and the eurozone countries over bailout terms ended without an agreement on Saturday, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras then called a surprise referendum on the issue to be held on 5 July. Greece risks default and moving closer to a possible exit from the 19-member eurozone. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

SpaceX Falcon 9 Explosion – June 28th 2015

List of the Day –

Black Entertainment Television Awards 2015 winners

Ultimate Icon, Music Dance Visual Award: Janet Jackson
Humanitarian Award: Tom Joyner
Best New Artist: Sam Smith
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyoncé
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Chris Brown
Best International Act UK: Stormzy
Best International Act Africa: Stonebwoy
Best Group: Rae Sremmurd
Best Collaboration: Common & John Legend, “Glory”
Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor: Terrence Howard
Youngstars Award: Mo’ne Davis
Best Movie: Selma
Best Gospel Artist: Lecrae
Video of the Year: Beyoncé, “7/11”
Video Director of the Year: Beyoncé, Ed Burke & Todd Tourso
Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams
Sportsman of the Year: Stephen Curry
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award: Nicki Minaj f/ Drake, Lil’ Wayne & Chris Brown, “Only”
Centric Award: The Weeknd, “Earned It”
Fandemonium Award: Chris Brown
Lifetime Achievement Award: Smokey Robinson

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June 29, 2015

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Floyd Mayweather tops the 2015 Forbes Celebrity Rich List –
Since 1999 Forbes have been ranking the wealth and influence of the world’s biggest stars. Factors taken into account include income, Google hits, fan base, press clips and magazine covers. But for the the first time, this year’s list has ranked the world’s top earning entertainers by annual income only. Mayweather’s $300 million year shatters the record for athlete earnings, which was previously held by Tiger Woods who banked $115 million in 2008. Mayweather earned an estimated $180m from his fight with Manny Pacquiao on May 2, 2015. Katy Perry has been crowned the highest earning female celebrity. [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day below
Floyd_Mayweather_JrFloyd Mayweather

Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris top highest paid couple list –
Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris have become the highest paid celebrity couple, overtaking Beyonce and Jay Z. The relatively new romance of Swift with her superstar DJ boyfriend see them top this year’s Forbes list; with a combined income of $146m (£92m). It means Queen Bey and her rapper husband slip down to second place with earnings of $100m (£70m). The power couple have been number one on the list since 2013. [BBC]
Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

Video of the Day –

Avril Lavigne says having Lyme disease has been the ‘worst time’ of her life –
Avril Lavigne has opened up about her struggle with Lyme disease, calling it the “worst time” of her life. The 30-year-old singer contracted the disease, spread by infected ticks, whilst touring last year. The Canadian says she became “bedridden” in October but is now expected to make a full recovery. She told Good Morning America: “I was seeing every specialist and every doctor. They’d say ‘chronic fatigue syndrome?’ or ‘are you depressed?’ “I woke up and had night sweats and felt like I had the flu. She says it took took months for someone to finally figure out that she had Lyme Disease. [BBC Newsbeat]
Avril_Lavigne Avril Lavigne

Video of the Day –

Do We Have to Get Old and Die? – Minute Earth

List of the Day –

The World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities 2015 according to Forbes Magazine

Rank Name Age Earnings Category
#1 Floyd Mayweather 38 $300 M Athletes
#2 Manny Pacquiao 36 $160 M Athletes
#3 Katy Perry 30 $135 M Musicians
#4 One Direction $130 M Musicians
#5 Howard Stern 61 $95 M Personalities
#6 Garth Brooks 53 $90 M Musicians
#7 James Patterson 68 $89 M Authors
#8 Robert Downey Jr. 50 $80 M Actors
#8 Taylor Swift 25 $80 M Musicians
#10 Cristiano Ronaldo 30 $79.5 M Athletes

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June 30th 2015

Top News Stories –

1 second lie-in tonight –
At 11:59:59pm today, the clock struck 11:59:60pm a ‘leap second’ to compensate for the slowing of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The last time the world added a leap second, in 2012, major websites including Reddit, Foursquare, Yelp and LinkedIn were not being programmed to deal with an unexpected extra second and crashed. To avoid this Google have added fractions of a second to programmes over the last year, a technique known as a “leap smear”. Scientists at the the International Earth Rotation Service and Paris Observatory say this allows “Earth time” to catch up to “atomic time” and will be the 26th leap second since 1972. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends

Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner to divorce –
Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner say they have made “the difficult decision to divorce”. The couple have been married since 2005 and have three children between the ages of three and nine. In a statement they said: “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children”. [BBC]
Ben_AffleckBen Affleck

Apple Music Makes Debut With D.J. Carrying the Flag –
“Into the unknown we go,” the D. J. Zane Lowe said just after noon on Tuesday, as he began his first show on Beats 1, the Internet radio station that is a big feature of Apple’s new music service. As Apple Music opened on Tuesday — most listeners found it as part of an update of Apple’s mobile operating system — much of the attention turned to Beats 1, a live radio feed that in some ways functions as marketing for the entire service. Led by Mr. Lowe, who was born in New Zealand and became a top announcer on the BBC station Radio 1, Beats 1 is in some ways an old-fashioned radio station, with D. J.s, promotional recordings — “carts,” as they are in industry parlance, after the tape cartridges they used to fit on — and teases about new songs.
Zane Lowe tweetZane Lowe tweet [@zanelowe]

Donna Karan Steps Down as Head of Iconic Brand –
In a major shift for American fashion, Donna Karan, the 66-year-old founder and chief designer of Donna Karan International, a brand that defined the way American working women dressed for decades, announced on Tuesday that she was leaving the helm of the house that bears her name. Ms. Karan will remain as an adviser to Donna Karan International, but devote more time to her Urban Zen line, which centers on wellness and artisanal goods, and its foundation. [NY Times]

Video of the Day –

Asking Siri 0 divided by 0 [See Top Twitter Trends – “Siri”]

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