January 26, 2016

Top News Stories –

Australians choose alternative flag which removes the Union flag in new survey –
Australians have chosen a favourite alternative national flag amid calls to remove the Union flag from the current “outdated” design which has been flown since 1901. The preferred design, labelled the Southern Horizon, was the most popular of six options and captured 31 per cent of the vote in a survey conducted by the University of Western Sydney. The second most popular option, the Reconciliation Flag, received 28 per cent of the vote. The competition was prompted by the New Zealand government’s decision to hold a referendum on changing the flag – a process which is due to be completed in March. [Daily Telegraph]
Southern-Horizon_FlagSouthern Horizon flag

Video of the Day –

What If You Only Drank Soda?

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #GossipGirlDay #LetsMakeTodayBetterBy #AustraliaDay
2 #TercaNoClubeSDV #TravelTuesday #RepublicDay
3 #FelizMartes #NationalSpousesDay #LetsMakeTodayBetterBy
4 #شخصيه_عامه_مص�… #WordsThatDontDescribeHillary #TravelTuesday
5 #زواج_للشواذ_ب�… Blake Griffin #CharityTuesday
6 #زد_رصيدك74 Doomsday Clock Kristen Stewart
7 #ALDUBLihimNgKahapon #MyAwkwardSuperpower #Sepsis
8 #LetsMakeTodayBetterBy #RearrangeAWordChangeAFilm #StateOfEmergencyIn5Words
9 #멘션온_첫경험이나… Detective Pikachu Beatrix Potter
10 #5MillonesAlGallinero #1DHistoryVideo #Benidorm

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
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  • Moldova–Romania relations
    • Romania offers neighboring Moldova a $65 million (60 million euros) loan to help stave off economic collapse and keep the former Soviet Republic on a pro-European course, provided the Moldovan government implements major reforms. Government funds were needed to cover more than $1 billion that “disappeared” from three Moldovan banks in November 2014. In the frigid capital Chișinău, 15,000 people from both the pro-European and pro-Russian sides of the political divide, protested on Sunday against the current government and demanded new elections. Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who took office last week, is the country’s sixth PM in a year. (AP) (Reuters) (The New York Times)
Law and crime
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February 29, 2016

Leap Day – one of only two in this decade.

Top News Stories –

Peter Rabbit to feature on 50p coin to mark Beatrix Potter anniversary, Royal Mint announces –
Beatrix Potter’s mischievous Peter Rabbit is to become the first children’s literary character to appear on a UK coin. In a move certain to infuriate Mr McGregor, the anthropomorphic vegetable thief will feature on a silver 50p released to mark the 150th anniversary of the author’s birth in 1866. The Royal Mint said three more Potter characters will feature on special edition coins released later in the year to complete a four-piece set. [Daily Telegraph]
Peter Rabbit 50pPeter Rabbit 50p

Blossom fans break into Chinese prison grounds –
A Chinese prison compound has been attracting hordes of visitors keen to see the site’s blossoming trees in full bloom – with some scaling walls in order to get in, it’s reported.
Members of the public had previously been allowed onto the site, in the southern city of Guilin, to wander among a huge grove of peach trees planted in an area housing jail staff. Guards say in past years they’ve only seen a trickle of visitors, but this year’s spectacular display means thousands have turned up, forcing prison authorities to limit access to people visiting inmates or staff, the local Nanguo Zaobao newspaper reports. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

How leap year works

List of the Day –

Leap Day Events [from Wikipedia]

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain
2 #SegundaDetremuraSdv #LeapDay #LeapDay
3 #FelizSemGlobo #NotYourMule #UnifiedResponse
4 #منشن_شخص_يستا�… #RareDiseaseDay #RareDiseaseDay
5 #LeapDay #DayItForward #ScotMAWeek16
6 #FelizLunes #NHLTradeDeadline Raspberry Pi 3
7 #شيرين_عبدالوه… #Budget2016 #Oscars
8 #BugünBeşiktaşınMaçıVar #HappyBirthdayJustinBieber #OlivierAwards
9 #QuedaChavismoPaRato #OneNationOneTeam #WGT16
10 #29deFebrero George Kennedy #bondconf

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
  • China says it expects to lay off 1.8 million state workers in the coal and steel sectors, or about 15 percent of the industries’ workforce, as part of efforts to reduce industrial overcapacity. (Reuters)
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