December 21, 2014

Top News Stories –

Future arrests –
A former trader at Royal Bank of Scotland becomes the first UK banker to be arrested on suspicion of rigging the £3.5 trillion a day foreign exchange market. Six banks, including RBS and HSBC, were fined a total of £2.6 billion by UK and US regulators last month for the role they played in fixing the futures market.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish marry –
Sir Elton John and David Furnish have married at a ceremony, 9 years to the day after they had a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor’s Guildhall. David and Victoria Beckham, musician Ed Sheeran and actor David Walliams were among the guests at the wedding at the couple’s house, also in Windsor.
Elton_JohnElton John

Billie Whitelaw dies –
Actress Billie Whitelaw has died aged 82. Her film career started in 1954 in The Sleeping Tiger and last appeared in 2007 in the iconic Hot Fuzz alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Sony hack an act of terrorism? –
President Barack Obama says the US is considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors after the hacking of Sony Pictures.

Video of the Day –

A Tax on Bunny Rabbits from Nathaniel Akin on Vimeo.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

February 17, 2015

Top News Stories –

Haitian carnival accident kills 16 –
At least 16 people are killed when a power-line connected with a carnival float in Haiti’s capital Port au Prince. Some died through electrocution, others in the panic that ensued. Around 78 others were injured.

Where there’s make-up, there’s brass –
YouTube beauty blogger Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella, buys a five-bedroom £1 million home in Hove, East Sussex, England, with her boyfriend Alfie Deyes. Zoella has seven million subscribers on her beauty blogs and charges advertisers £20,000 a month to place ads on her vlogs. She also features in the celebrity edition of The Great British Bake Off.
Zoe_SuggZoe Sugg A.K.A. Zoella

Sony start taking orders for SmartEyeglass –
Sony announce that their “augmented reality” smart glasses will go on sale in ten countries in March 2015 and pre-orders for the SmartEyeglass, costing $840 (£620), are now being taken in the UK and Germany. The glasses work with recent Android operating systems but also come with a software kit so developers can design apps for it. It includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, brightness sensor and two microphones.
Sony SmartEyeglassSony SmartEyeglass

Apple Watch not that exclusive –
Apple orders between 5 and 6 million Apple Watches to be produced in time for their release in April 2015. The Apple Watch is the first unique product Apple has launched since the iPad in 2010. There are 3 versions – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition.

Video of the Day –

The Apple Watch trailer

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

February 25, 2015

Top News Story –

The Brit Awards sees Madonna wardrobe malfunction
The Brit Awards sees Ed Sheeran take the awards for Best Male Solo Artist and Best British Album for “X”. Palomo Faith is Best Female Solo Artist and Mark Ronson (ft Bruno Mars) wins best British Song with Uptown Funk. But the biggest memory of the night was Madonna being dragged down a flight of steps by one of her dancers when the neck cord of her cape didn’t release. See video below.
Ed-Sheeran

Video of the Day –

Madonna pulled down steps at Brits

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

May 18, 2015

Top News Stories –

Obama launches personal Twitter account –
President Barack Obama reintroduced himself to the world, albeit in 140 characters or less. “Hello, Twitter!” he wrote. “It’s Barack. Really!” Mr Obama joked that “six years in” to his presidency, “they’re finally giving me my own account”. The name of the new account is @POTUS, short for President of the United States. It immediately attracted hundreds of thousands of followers.While there has been an @BarackObama account active since 2007, it is managed by the president’s staff. The new account is meant to be Mr Obama’s personal Twitter profile. He identifies himself on it as “dad, husband, and 44th president of the United States”. [Daily Telegraph]
© @POTUS/Twitter

Simon Cowell wants trap door and fire at next leaders’ debate –
Britain’s Got Talent boss Simon Cowell has offered his services for future party leaders’ debates, saying he would “love” to produce them. “I’d do it in a heartbeat! 100%. I’d have walk-ons, music, fire… and a trap door if people didn’t like what they said,” he said. “And I’d definitely have a clap-o-meter. I am deadly serious. I really would love a chance to do that!” Last month’s seven-way party leaders’ TV debate got seven million viewers. Cowell, whose TV talent show became the highest-rated entertainment programme on television last month, was keen to get audiences more involved in the debates. [BBC]
Simon_CowellSimon Cowell

Four-minute mile Roger Bannister stopwatch auctioned for £20,000 –
A stopwatch used to time Roger Bannister’s first sub-four-minute mile has sold for £20,000 at auction. Sir Roger, now 86, made his run at Oxford’s Iffley Road track on 6 May 1954, when he was 25. Used by timekeeper WJ Burfitt, the watch was expected to attract bids between £5,000 and £8,000. Auctioneer Graham Budd did not reveal the identity of the latest successful bidder, but said the Swiss-made watch was from “one of those remarkable, historic moments in British sporting history”. Sir Roger ran the mile in three minutes and fifty-nine seconds. [BBC]

Taylor Swift is big winner at 2015 Billboard music awards –
Taylor Swift was the big winner at this year’s Billboard music awards. Not only did the singer premiere her blockbuster video for Bad Blood – featuring the likes of Cindy Crawford, Kendrick Lamar and Lena Dunham – but the pop star also took home eight prizes including top artist, top female artist, top Billboard 200 Album, top Billboard 200 artist, top Hot 100 artist and top streaming song. [Guardian] See Video of the Day and List of The Day
Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

Video of the Day –

Taylor Swift – Bad Blood ft. Kendrick Lamar

List of the day –

Billboard Music Awards 2015 nominees and winners

TOP ARTIST
Ariana Grande
One Direction
Katy Perry
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift — WINNER

TOP COUNTRY ARTIST
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line — WINNER
Brantley Gilbert
Blake Shelton

BILLBOARD CHART ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG GALAXY (FAN-VOTED)
Iggy Azalea
Taylor Swift — WINNER
Meghan Trainor

TOP TOURING ARTIST
Lady Gaga
One Direction — WINNER
Katy Perry
The Rolling Stones
Justin Timberlake

TOP FEMALE ARTIST
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift — WINNER
Meghan Trainor

TOP RADIO SONG
John Legend, “All of Me” — WINNER
MAGIC!, “Rude”
Nico & Vinz, “Am I Wrong”
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
Pharrell Williams, “Happy

TOP MALE ARTIST
Drake
Pharrell Williams
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith — WINNER
​Justin Timberlake

TOP RAP SONG
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy” — WINNER
Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora, “Black Widow”
Big Sean feat. E-40, “I Don’t F— With You”
Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
Bobby Shmurda, “Hot Boy”

TOP BILLBOARD 200 ALBUM
Maroon 5, V
Pentatonix, That’s Christmas to Me
Ed Sheeran, x
Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
Taylor Swift, 1989  — WINNER

TOP DUO/GROUP
5 Seconds of Summer
Florida Georgia Line
MAGIC!
Maroon 5
One Direction  — WINNER

TOP NEW ARTIST
5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Hozier
Sam Smith — WINNER
Meghan Trainor

TOP BILLBOARD 200 ARTIST
One Direction
Pentatonix
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift — WINNER

TOP HOT 100 ARTIST
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift — WINNER
Meghan Trainor

TOP DIGITAL SONGS ARTIST
Iggy Azalea
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift — WINNER
Meghan Trainor

TOP RADIO SONGS ARTIST
John Legend
Maroon 5
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith — WINNER
Taylor Swift

TOP SOCIAL ARTIST
Justin Bieber — WINNER
Miley Cyrus
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift

TOP STREAMING ARTIST
Iggy Azalea — WINNER
Ariana Grande
Nicki Minaj
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

TOP R&B ARTIST
Beyoncé
Chris Brown
John Legend
Trey Songz
Pharrell Williams — WINNER

TOP RAP ARTIST
Iggy Azalea — WINNER
J. Cole
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Rae Sremmurd

TOP ROCK ARTIST
Bastille
Coldplay
Fall Out Boy
Hozier — WINNER
Lorde

TOP LATIN ARTIST
J Balvin
Juan Gabriel
Enrique Iglesias
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos — WINNER

TOP DANCE/ELECTRONIC ARTIST
Avicii
Clean Bandit
Disclosure
Calvin Harris — WINNER
Lindsey Stirling

TOP CHRISTIAN ARTIST
Casting Crowns
Hillsong United — WINNER
Lecrae
MercyMe
Newsboys

TOP SOUNDTRACK
The Fault in Our Stars
Fifty Shades of Grey

Frozen — WINNER
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix: Vol. 1
Into the Woods

TOP R&B ALBUM
Beyoncé, Beyoncé
Chris Brown, X
Michael Jackson, Xscape
John Legend, Love in the Future
Pharrell Williams, G I R L — WINNER

TOP RAP ALBUM
J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive — WINNER
Drake, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint
Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2

TOP COUNTRY ALBUM
Jason Aldean, Old Boots, New Dirt — WINNER
Garth Brooks, Man Against Machine
Luke Bryan, Crash My Party
Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
Miranda Lambert, Platinum

TOP ROCK ALBUM
AC/DC, Rock or Bust
The Black Keys, Turn Blue
Coldplay, Ghost Stories — WINNER
Hozier, Hozier
Lorde, Pure Heroine

TOP LATIN ALBUM
Juan Gabriel, Los Dúo
Enrique Iglesias, Sex and Love — WINNER
Romeo Santos, Formula: Vol. 2
Santana, Corazon
Marc Anthony, 3.0

TOP DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
Avicii, True
Disclosure, Settle
Calvin Harris, Motion
Skrillex, Recess
Lindsey Stirling, Shatter Me — WINNER

TOP CHRISTIAN ALBUM
Lecrae, Anomaly — WINNER
Casting Crowns, Thrive
MercyMe, Welcome to the New
NEEDTOBREATHE, Rivers in the Wasteland
Chris Tomlin, Love Ran Red

TOP HOT 100 SONG
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy”
John Legend, “All of Me”
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass” — WINNER

TOP DIGITAL SONG
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk!”
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass” — WINNER
Pharrell Williams, “Happy

TOP STREAMING SONG (AUDIO)
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy”
Hozier, “Take Me to Church”
John Legend, “All of Me” — WINNER
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
Tove Lo, “Habits (Stay High)”

TOP STREAMING SONG (VIDEO)
Idina Menzel, “Let It Go”
Bobby Shmurda, “Hot Boy”
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off” — WINNER
Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass”

TOP R&B SONG
Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne, French Montana, Too $hort & Tyga, “Loyal”
Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz, “Talk Dirty”
Jeremih feat. YG, “Don’t Tell ‘Em”
John Legend, “All of Me”
Pharrell Williams, “Happy” — WINNER

TOP COUNTRY SONG
Jason Aldean, “Burnin’ It Down” — WINNER
Luke Bryan, “Play It Again”
Sam Hunt, “Leave the Night On”
Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan, “This Is How We Roll”
Florida Georgia Line, “Dirt”

TOP ROCK SONG
Bastille, “Pompeii”
Coldplay, “A Sky Full of Stars”
Fall Out Boy, “Centuries”
Hozier, “Take Me to Church” — WINNER
Paramore, “Ain’t It Fun”

TOP LATIN SONG
J Balvin feat. Farruko, “6 AM”
Enrique Iglesias feat. Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona, “Bailando” — WINNER
Romeo Santos, “Eres Mía”
Romeo Santos feat. Drake, “Odio”
Romeo Santos, “Propuesta Indecente”

TOP DANCE/ELECTRONIC SONG
Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne, “Rather Be”
Disclosure feat. Sam Smith, “Latch”
DJ Snake & Lil Jon, “Turn Down For What” — WINNER
Ariana Grande feat. Zedd, “Break Free”
Calvin Harris, “Summer”

TOP CHRISTIAN SONG
Francesca Battistelli, “He Knows My Name”
Hillsong United, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”
MercyMe, “Greater”
Newsboys, “We Believe”
Carrie Underwood, “Something in the Water” — WINNER

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #1YearOfDontStop Haitian #1YearOfDontStop
2 #ElMundoSeriaMejorSi #1YearOfDontStop #MondayMotivation
3 #BBMAs #MondayMotivation #AstonArtwork
4 #OhNoLiam #RejectedBikerGangNames #WWEPayback
5 Ian Curtis Feeling Myself Ian Curtis
6 Salgar #YoureNotFunToBeWithIf #BBMAs
7 #MadMenFinale Lindsey Graham #TakeASongFishing
8 #TengoQueDecirteQue Dan Jennings #ChelseaFlowerShow
9 Tori Kelly #OhNoLiam Qatar
10 Ed Sheeran Dave Hakstol #DAW2015

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 21, 2015

Top News Stories –

F1’s Ecclestone in legal challenge over £1bn tax move –
Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone has gone to court to challenge the basis of assessments that have left him facing a UK tax claim of more than £1bn. The 84-year-old, at the F1 helm for 40 years, wants the assessments quashed, and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) held to an earlier April 2008 agreement. The new figure is believed to cover the period from the tax year ended 5 April 1996 to tax year ending 5 April 2006. The case revolves around the Ecclestone family’s Bambino trust which was set up in Liechtenstein in 1997 for the benefit of Mr Ecclestone’s now ex-wife, Slavica, and daughters Tamara and Petra. The UK tax authorities re-opened their investigation of Bambino after a high-profile bribery case in Germany last year, said the judge. [BBC]
Bernie_EcclestoneBernie Ecclestone

Black Sabbath celebrate at Ivor Novello awards –
Black Sabbath have received a lifetime achievement prize at the Ivor Novello songwriting awards. Guitarist Tony Iommi picked up the trophy, confirming the heavy metal band would embark on their “final tour” next year. Ed Sheeran was named songwriter of the year, while Boy George picked up an outstanding contribution award. Clean Bandit beat Sam Smith and George Ezra to win the prize for most performed song for Rather Be. The Ivor Novello awards are voted for by songwriters, with judges this year including Gary Barlow, Guy Chambers, Nik Kershaw, Shaznay Lewis and Kim Appleby of ’80s pop group Mel & Kim.[BBC]
Tony-IommiTony Iommi of Black Sabbath

Video of the Day –

List of the day –

Ivor Novello Award winners and nominees –
Best song musically and lyrically

  • Take Me to Church – Hozier
  • Above the Clouds of Pompeii – Bear’s Den
  • I Forget Where We Were – Ben Howard

Best contemporary song

  • Rather Be – Clean Bandit, featuring Jess Glynne
  • Every Other Freckle – alt-J
  • Two Weeks – FKA Twigs

Best album

  • So Long, See You Tomorrow – Bombay Bicycle Club
  • Royal Blood – Royal Blood
  • Present Tense – Wild Beasts

PRS for Music most performed work

  • Rather Be – Clean Bandit, featuring Jess Glynne
  • Stay With Me – Sam Smith
  • Budapest – George Ezra

Best original film score

  • ’71 – David Holmes
  • Mr Turner – Gary Yershon
  • The Boxtrolls – Dario Marianelli

Best television soundtrack

  • The Honourable Woman – Natalie Holt and Martin Phipps
  • The Mill (Series 2) – Samuel Sim
  • The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Beyond the Pale – Edmund Butt

Lifetime Achievement: Black Sabbath

Outstanding Song Collection: Albert Hammond

PRS for Music Outstanding Contribution to British Music: Boy George

PRS for Music Special International Award: Paul Williams

Songwriter of the Year: Ed Sheeran

The Ivors Classical Music Award: Judith Weir

The Ivors Inspiration Award: Manic Street Preachers

The Ivors Special Anniversary Award: Midge Ure and Bob Geldof, Band Aid

BASCA Fellowship: Annie Lennox

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #MeDanGanasDe #RedNoseDay Sunderland
2 Santa Fé #TakeAMovieToBreakfast #ENGvNZ
3 황교안 #RejectedUniversityClasses #NXTTakeOver
4 #TypeYourNameWithYourNose #ThanksDave #PPAFestival
5 JR Smith Josh Duggar Jamie Vardy
6 #えっちからの予測�… Maggie Gyllenhaal Aidy Ward
7 #ElSecretoDeLaFelicidad #CultProblems #SelfieForJames
8 #ThanksDave #TylerOnEllen #AstonGetStupid
9 #حصه_ال_الشيخ_ت… #BuyBlackMagicOniTunes Scrabble
10 #BuyBlackMagicOniTunes Boy Scouts #TakeAMovieToBreakfast

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
  • Robert Gates, the President of the Boy Scouts of America, calls on the movement to end the ban on gay adult leaders and says the movement will no longer revoke the charters of chapters that accept gay male leaders. (Yahoo News)
Health
Law and crime
Sports

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Surfer Mick Fanning escapes shark attack in South Africa –
An Australian surfer has made an incredible escape after encountering two sharks during a major competition in South Africa. Mick Fanning was competing in Jeffreys Bay, on the eastern Cape, when one of the sharks approached his surfboard. The final of the J-Bay Open had only just started when Fanning was knocked off his surfboard and into the sea. Fanning, the defending champion, escaped injury. The tournament was called off soon afterwards. “I was just sitting there and I felt something just get stuck in my leg rope, and I was kicking trying to get it away,” Fanning told Fox Sports. “I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth.” Fanning, a three-time world champion, said he was able to “get a punch into its back” and startle it. [BBC] See Video of the Day
Mick-FanningMick Fanning

Little Mix’s Jesy gets engaged to Rixton’s Jake on stage with Ed Sheeran –
Jesy from Little Mix has got engaged to Jake from Rixton. It happened on stage with Ed Sheeran and it seems that Ed helped out as a favour to Jake. Jake tweeted to Ed: “Travelled 5 hours to sing our favourite song on his day off. I will never ever be able to repay you. Love you pal.” It seems that Ed gave up one of his rest days to play an acoustic version of Tenerife Sea at a Little Mix sound check. During the song Jake went down on one knee to pop the question.
Jesy-Nelson Jesy Nelson

Video of the Day –

Shark Attacks Mick Fanning at J-Bay Open

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #louisappreciationday #NationalIceCreamDay #GrowingUpWithSiblings
2 #SophiamIsEngaged #growingupwithmyname #LouisAppreciationDay
3 #GrowingUpWithMyName #MyUnpopularBlackOpinion #GrowingUpWithMyName
4 #TengoGanasDe #SophiamIsEngaged Frampton
5 Mick Fanning Alex Rocco James McClean
6 UCAB Mick Fanning #SophiamIsEngaged
7 梅雨明け #BernieSoBlack Paul Dunne
8 #FeelBetterJustin #LouisAppreciationDay mick fanning
9 花火綺麗 #FeelBetterJustin #bbcsp
10 #GrowingUpWithSiblings #johnsonmatters Crolla

Other News Stories –

Disasters and accidents
Arts and culture
International relations

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

October 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween –
An asteroid is due to pass by Earth on Halloween and miss us by a whisker, according to Nasa. Well, if whiskers were 499,000km long, at any rate. The asteroid was spotted by Nasa a fortnight ago and is set to fly past the Earth on Halloween at over 78,000mph. It will cross by Earth at the closest it’s been since 2006. The space agency explained why they spotted it at such short notice, despite constantly monitoring the size. They said: “The asteroid is on an extremely eccentric and a high inclination orbit.” We won’t be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye, but anyone with access to a telescope will be able to see it as it passes by. “This is the closest approach by a known object this large until 1999 AN10 approaches within 1 lunar distance in August 2027,” said Nasa. [Daily Telegraph]

Q Awards 2015: Foals beat Ed Sheeran and Blur to win Best Act In the World Today –
The Oxford band Foals confirmed their elevation to music’s biggest stages after being voted Best Act In the World Today at the Q magazine awards. Foals, who combine indie rock with electronic beats and African-inspired rhythms, beat Blur, Noel Gallagher and Ed Sheeran to the award, previously won by the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay. Ed Sheeran beat Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith to the Solo Artist award, capping a year in which the strummer sold out three nights at Wembley Stadium, performing with just his guitar and a loops pedal. However Sheeran lost out to the Brighton drums and bass rock duo Royal Blood for the Best Live Act prize. [The Independent] See List of the Day
The-FoalsThe Foals

Hundreds Of Apps Banned From App Store For Accessing Users’ Personal Information –
Hundreds of iOS applications have been pulled out of the App Store, following a report from analytics service SourceDNA, which uncovered a group of applications that were extracting users’ personally identifiable information, including email addresses associated with their Apple IDs, devices and peripheral serial numbers, as well as a list of apps installed on their phone. The applications in question had been using an SDK from a Chinese advertising company called Youmi which was accessing this information by way of private APIs, the report found. Nearly all of the developers were located in China so, for now, this appears to be an isolated incident. However, the larger concern here has to do with how long this activity had been taking place – and what that means in terms of Apple’s App Store review process, given that it hadn’t caught this suspect activity until being alerted to it by a third party. [Tech Crunch]

Video of the Day –

DRIVING from Nate Theis on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Q Awards 2015 Winners

Q Best New Act 

James Bay

Best Track 

The Libertines – Gunga Din (Winner)

Q Best Album

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday 

Q Best Video

Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck

Q Hero

Mark Ronson

Q Best Live Act 

Royal Blood

Q Classic Album

Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One

Q Best Solo Artist 

Ed Sheeran

Q Innovation in Sound 

Gary Numan

Q Best Act In The World 

Foals

Gibson Les Paul Award

Tony Iommi

Q Outstanding Contribution to Music

New Order

Q Classic Single

Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ 

Q Icon

Duran Duran

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #DiaContraelCancerdeMama #mondaymotivation #FourWordsToLiveBy
2 #FelizLunes #FourWordsToLiveBy #mondaymotivation
3 Colts Anthony Mackie Foreign Office
4 #ALDUBRoadToForever #MotivationMonday #TheOuijaBoardSaid
5 #MeGustaMuchoQue #MakeLifeBetterInAWord Jamie Oliver
6 #DemiNoBrasil #MyResumeDoesntMention #lufc
7 Boca #BoycottStarWarsVII Seahawks
8 LuanetesSupportBeliebers Weight Watchers Leeds United
9 #FourWordsToLiveBy Jay Carney Colts
10 #MasterChefMX Barry Zito Star Wars

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economics
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections
Science and technology

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

January 7, 2016

Top News Stories –

Igloo built in middle of downtown Chicago road stumps the internet –
An igloo built in the middle of a busy road in downtown Chicago has captivated the internet and left people passing by a little confused. Internet users speculated the 5ft-tall igloo home built under a streetlight near a busy intersection had been constructed by a homeless person. However the person who created the home from slabs of ice has been identified as local resident David Sudler. He built the chilly fort over two nights using the ice blocks and a milk crate to stack the slabs and create the roof. [Daily Telegraph]
Igloo in ChicagoAdam Robinson Tweet

Facebook wants to kill off your phone number –
The days of the phone number are, quite literally numbered, thanks to the inexhorable rise of the company’s Messenger app, according to David Marcus, Facebook’s vice president of messaging products. “Think about it: SMS and texting came to the fore in the time of flip phones. Now, many of us can do so much more on our phones; we went from just making phone calls and sending basic text-only messages to having computers in our pockets,” Marcus wrote in a blog post. “With Messenger, we offer all the things that made texting so popular, but also so much more,” he said. “Yes, you can send text messages, but you can also send stickers, photos, videos, voice clips, GIFs, your location, and money to people. You can make video and voice calls while at the same time not needing to know someone’s phone number.” [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dillon Francis – Not Butter from Brandon Dermer on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

People’s Choice Music Award winners:
Favourite male artist: Ed Sheeran
Favourite female artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite group: Fifth Harmony
Favourite breakout artist: Shawn Mendes
Favourite male country artist: Blake Shelton
Favourite female country artist: Carrie Underwood
Favourite country group: Lady Antebellum
Favourite pop artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
Favourite R&B artist: The Weeknd
Favourite album: Title by Meghan Trainor
Favourite song: What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber
Favourite music icon: Madonna

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 unavailable #UnpopularMusicOpinionhour #CharlieHebdo
2 unavailable #NationalBobbleheadDay Tom Allin
3 unavailable $675 Million #BirdCelebs
4 unavailable Tila Tequila #WasteHisTime2016
5 unavailable #ZaynOnBillboard #PeoplesChoiceAwards
6 unavailable #IdolPremiere Craig David
7 unavailable #okquake #bodyshockers
8 unavailable Zora Neale Hurston #PCAs
9 unavailable #DirectionersShazam #selfieforseb
10 unavailable #BirdCelebs #GreatBarrierReef

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 15, 2016

Top News Stories –

Taylor Swift disses Kanye West at the Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech –
Taylor Swift’s 1989 has won the coveted album of the year award at this year’s Grammys in Los Angeles. The singer – who is the first woman to win the award twice – also won best pop vocal album and best music video for her track Bad Blood. Swift dissed Kanye [West] during her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards. She’s the first woman to win album of the year twice and said it was for “all the young women out there”. She said: “There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.” Her speech appears to be in response to Kanye West’s lyric from his new album where he claims to have made Taylor Swift famous. [BBC]

In January 2016 Swift won the Peoples Choice Award for best female artist. In November 2015 she was sued for allegedly stealing the lyrics for her song “Shake it off”. Also see List of the Day.
Taylor_SwiftTaylor Swift

Stephen Fry quits Twitter, saying ‘fun is over’ after Bafta spat –
Bafta show host Stephen Fry has confirmed he has left Twitter declaring “the fun is over”. He faced criticism online after comparing costume designer Jenny Beavan to a “bag lady” when she picked up her Bafta for Mad Max: Fury Road. The presenter later insisted Beavan was a “dear friend” and had “got” the joke. Fry said he has not “slammed the door” on Twitter but said the site had become a “stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous”. Writing on his official website, he said people needed to “grieve” for what Twitter had become, writing: “I like to believe I haven’t slammed the door, much less stalked off in a huff throwing my toys out of the pram as I go or however one should phrase it. “It’s quite simple really: the room had started to smell. Really quite bad.” [BBC]

In January 2015 Fry married his 27 year old partner Elliot Spencer
Stephen_FryStephen Fry

Hollywood hospital held to ransom by hackers –
Ransomware is a growing menace for computer users – but when a hospital is targeted, it makes the disruption far more serious. Computer systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center have been offline for more than a week following a ransomware attack. According to local news sources, hackers were said to have demanded $3.4m (£2.4m) to provide the codes to unlock the stolen data. The hospital has confirmed the attack took place, but has not commented on the ransom. A voicemail message at the hospital reassures patients that medical records had not been accessed by the hackers. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Indoor Snowstorm Prank!!

List of the Day –

Grammy Award winners 2016

Album of the year
Winner: 1989 – Taylor Swift

Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes
To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
Traveller – Chris Stapleton
Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

Best new artist
Winner: Meghan Trainor

Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly

Best rock album
Winner: Drones – Muse

Chaos And The Calm – James Bay
Kintsugi – Death Cab For Cutie
Mister Asylum – Highly Suspect
.5: The Gray Chapter – Slipknot

Best rock performance
Winner: Don’t Wanna Fight – Alabama Shakes

What Kind Of Man – Florence & The Machine
Something From Nothing – Foo Fighters
Ex’s & Oh’s – Elle King
Moaning Lisa Smile – Wolf Alice

Record of the year
Winner: Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars

Really Love – D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd

Song of the year
Winner: Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge

Alright – Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams (Kendrick Lamar)
Blank Space – Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift
Girl Crush – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose (Little Big Town)
See You Again – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa)

Best pop vocal album
Winner: 1989 – Taylor Swift

Piece By Piece – Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence & The Machine
Uptown Special – Mark Ronson
Before This World – James Taylor

Best pop solo performance
Winner: Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd

Best traditional pop vocal album
Winner: The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern – Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap

Shadows In The Night – Bob Dylan
Stages – Josh Groban
No One Ever Tells You – Seth MacFarlane
My Dream Duets – Barry Manilow

Best music video
Winner: Bad Blood – Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar

LSD – ASAP Rocky
I Feel Love (Every Million Miles) – The Dead Weather
Alright – Kendrick Lamar
Freedom – Pharrell Williams

Best dance recording
Winner: Where Are U Now – Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

We’re All We Need – Above & Beyond Featuring Zoe Johnston
Go – The Chemical Brothers Featuring Q-Tip
Never Catch Me – Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
Runaway (U & I) – Galantis

Best R&B performance
Winner: Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – The Weeknd

If I Don’t Have You – Tamar Braxton
Rise Up – Andra Day
Breathing Underwater – Hiatus Kaiyote
Planes – Jeremih Featuring J. Cole

Best R&B album
Winner: Black Messiah – D’Angelo And The Vanguard

Coming Home – Leon Bridges
Cheers To The Fall – Andra Day
Reality Show – Jazmine Sullivan
Forever Charlie – Charlie Wilson

Best urban contemporary album
Winner: Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

Ego Death – The Internet
You Should Be Here – Kehlani
Blood – Lianne La Havas
Wildheart – Miguel

Best country album
Winner: Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Montevallo – Sam Hunt
Pain Killer – Little Big Town
The Blade – Ashley Monroe
Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves

Best country song
Winner: Girl Crush – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

Chances Are – Hayes Carll (Lee Ann Womack)
Diamond Rings And Old Barstools – Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton (Tim McGraw)
Hold My Hand – Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones
Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Best metal performance
Winner: Cirice – Ghost

Identity – August Burns Red
512 – Lamb Of God
Thank You – Sevendust
Custer – Slipknot

Best rap album
Winner: To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

2014 Forest Hills Drive – J. Cole
Compton – Dr. Dre
If You’re Reading This Its Too Late – Drake
The Pinkprint – Nicki Minaj

Best music film
Winner: Amy – Amy Winehouse

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown – James Brown
Sonic Highways – Foo Fighters
What Happened, Miss Simone? – Nina Simone
The Wall – Roger Waters

Best song written for visual media
Winner: Glory – Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens (Common and John Legend)

Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – Ahmad Balshe, Stephan Moccio, Jason Quenneville & Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd)
Love Me Like You Do – Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Tove Nilsson, Ali Payami & Ilya Salmanzadeh (Ellie Goulding)
See You Again – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
Til It Happens To You – Lady Gaga & Diane Warren

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #VoltaAsAulasNoClubeSDV #MondayMotivation #HSBC
2 #SintoSaudadeDe Mark Zuckerberg #MentalHealthTaskforce
3 #علشان_الناس_ت�… #GRAMMYs #IThinkItWouldBeGreatIf
4 #FelizLunes #PresidentsDay #mondaymotivation
5 #النصر_الاهلي Louis and Danielle Mark Zuckerberg
6 #DolceAmoreSweetBeginning Stephen Fry #TheWalkingDead
7 #PresidentsDay #IThinkItWouldBeGreatIf #MyFirstLoveIn4Words
8 #ALDUBSigawNgPuso How America Was Lost Joel Matip
9 #ŞudaBirGerçekKi #IConstantlyStruggleWith #Deutschland83
10 #ايقاف_حساب_دا�… #Daredevil #AddINGtoAMovie

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource