January 31, 2015

Top News Stories –

Whitney Houston’s daughter accident –
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late American singer Whitney Houston is found unconscious in a bath in a house in Roswell, Georgia. She was taken to a hospital in Roswell where she was said to be breathing. Her mother was found dead in a bath on February 11th 2012 of accidental drowning due to the effects of cocaine use and heart disease.
Flickr Whitney Houston performing on GMA 2009 5
Bobbi Kristina Brown and Whitney Houston in 2009

Cumberbatch and Fry sign petition to pardon gays –
Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry sign an open letter requesting the government to pardon 49,000 men who were prosecuted for being gay. Family members of the World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing who was convicted of gross indecency in 1952 (and later committed suicide in 1954) also signed the petition. Cumberbatch played Turing in the film “The Imitation Game”.
Benedict Cumberbatch at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2014
Benedict Cumberbatch

Balloon flight record broken –
Balloon pilots American Troy Bradley and Russian Leonid Tiukhtyaev complete their crossing of the Pacific in a helium filled balloon with a sea landing off Mexico after 6 days flying from Japan. They claim to have beaten the world distance and duration records by flying for more than 137 hours and travelling more than 5,209 miles (8,383km).

Serena Williams wins 19th grand slam title –
Serena Williams beats fellow American Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open tennis title. Williams’ 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory gives here a 19th grand slam crown out of 23 finals – the best percentage performance in either the men’s or women’s game.
Serena Williams Australian Open 2015 (cropped)
Serena Williams

Video of the Day –

The Imitation Game trailer

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #EsAhora31E #HappyBirthdayHarryStyles #ReWriteAFilmIn5Words
2 #SaFebruary14 #RuinAFriendshipIn5Words London
3 #HappyBirthdayHarryStyles #ReWriteAFilmIn5Words #askJoeSugg
4 #MeVendriaReBien #EvilSitcoms #HowBabiesAreMade
5 #ReWriteAFilmIn5Words Bruce Jenner #NZvPAK
6 #WelcomeToManilaTheVamps #askJoeSugg Monty
7 Tomas Bulat Bobbi Kristina #KillMeImAShia
8 #RuinAFriendshipIn5Words Sharapova #RuinAFriendshipIn5Words
9 #DejenTodoPorLaAzulYOro Project Almanac Manchester
10 #DesafioDaTransa Waffle House Ted 2

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
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