February 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Costa Concordia captain convicted of manslaughter –
The captain of the Costa Cordordia cruise ship that ran aground and capsized on January 13th 2012 off the island of Giglio has been convicted of manslaughter and given a 16-year jail sentance. Francesco Schettino was accused of taking the ship too close to the shore to impress his lover, Domnica Cemortan, who was with him at the helm. He then abandoned the ship with passengers and crew still on board. 32 people died in the accident but Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, avoided possible criminal charges by agreeing to pay a $1.3m (€1.1m; £860,000) fine in 2013.
Collision_of_Costa_ConcordiaThe Costa Concordia after the accident

Korean Air nut rage ends with jail sentence –
A South Korean court finds Cho Hyun-ah (aka Heather Cho) a former executive of Korean Air guilty of breaking aviation law. She forced her Seoul-bound plane to turn back to the gate at JFK airport in New York and offload a steward because she did not like the way she had been served nuts. Cho, the daughter of Korean Air president, was found guilty of obstructing aviation safety and jailed for one year, much less than the possible maximum sentence of 10-years.

Smoking in private cars with child passengers banned in England –
The British government votes 342 to 74 to ban smoking in cars when there are children in the vehicle in England and Wales, but doesn’t apply to convertibles with the roof down. Anyone stopped for breaking the law can be fined £50 on the spot when it becomes law in October 2015 but Scotland is not included. Bans on smoking in cars when children are present already exist in some US states as well as in parts of Canada and Australia.

Video of the Day –

Raising the Costa Concordia: A Time Lapse

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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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March 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bruce Springsteen signs late note for schoolboy –
As excuse notes go, it is a step up from the “dog ate my homework”. But not all teachers would be impressed with a letter explaining a nine-year-old’s late arrival in class was down to being at a rock concert the night before. So Xabi Glovsky had it signed by Bruce Springsteen. He went to the concert in Los Angeles with his father, Scott, a life-long fan of the Boss. They went armed with a homemade sign. “Bruce, I will be late to school tomorrow. Please sign my note :-)” it said. At the end of the three-and-a-half-hour show, and well after Xabi’s bedtime, Springsteen sent a security guard into the crowd at the Los Angeles Sports Centre to invite father and son backstage. He asked Xabi for the name and spelling of his teacher, before whipping out pen and paper for the note. It read: “Dear Ms. Jackson, Xabi has been out very late rocking & rolling. Please excuse him if he is tardy.” [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce_SpringsteenBruce Springsteen

Six Nations 2016: England win Grand Slam with France victory –
England have their first Grand Slam in 13 years after holding out to secure a historic victory in Paris. First-half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given them a five-point half-time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of Maxime Machenaud to keep France within touching distance. But a third try in three matches from Anthony Watson calmed rising nerves before a brace of late penalties from Owen Farrell allowed the travelling support to sing their heroes home. It marks a remarkable turnaround for new head coach Eddie Jones, coming just six months after the humiliation of a home World Cup exit at the group stages before he took control. [BBC] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

2084 from Taz Goldstein on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Winners of Grand Slams in the Five Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France) and Six Nations (Italy added in 2000) Championship

Nation Grand Slams Grand Slam winning seasons
 England 13 1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2016
 Wales 11 1908*, 1909*, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2012
 France 9 1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010
 Scotland 3 1925, 1984, 1990
 Ireland 2 1948, 2009
 Italy 0

 

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #IndvsPak #IndvsPak #ScotLab16
2 #FlyDubai #GetMillennialsToVoteIn5Words #IndvsPak
3 #SabadoDetremuraSdv #CrushTrump #CheapKnockOffSongs
4 #ALDUBBagongYugto #AshtonWeAppreciateYou #TEDxNorwichED
5 #KATHNIELinCebu #PrayForTurkey #WALvITA
6 #PrayForTurkey #FlyDubai #EFCvAFC
7 #Em2006Eu #Caturday #PrimaryRocks
8 #GetMillennialsToVoteIn5Words #JackandJackEuropeDoc Hulk Hogan
9 #MeGustasPero #bindercon #PrayForTurkey
10 #SabadoDeGanarSeguidores Northern Iowa #74MM

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May 1, 2016

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Malia Obama: US president’s daughter to go to Harvard –
US President Barack Obama’s eldest daughter Malia will attend Harvard University in 2017, after taking a year off following her high school graduation, the White House says. “Malia will take a gap year before beginning school,” a White House statement said. The 17-year-old will be following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom went to Harvard Law School. Her choice of university has been a subject of much speculation. Malia is the eldest of the Obamas’ two daughters. She and her sister Sasha, 15, attend the Sidwell Friends, a prestigious local private school. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Homemade Hoverbike

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#SuaMãeSabe #LastRelationshipTaughtMe
#FelizDiaDelTrabajador #MayDay
#MayDay Happy Easter
#اسباب_الطلاق #WWEPayback
#LastRelationshipTaughtMe Christos Anesti
#كل_ما_لمحتك_قلت #ewa16
#ALDUBKiligSaSweetDay #BroadStreetRun
#احمد_الشقيري_�… Malia Obama
#شخص_ودك_تفطر_م… #TheBibleHasTaughtMe
#WHCD #FelizDiaDelTrabajador

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