Top News Stories –

Prince Harry does the Haka in New Zealand –
Prince Harry has taken part in a traditional Maori Haka during his tour of New Zealand. It was part of a day of activities at Linton Military Camp, the largest army base in the country. [BBC] In December 2013 Prince Harry led his Sandringham workers team to a 7-2 victory in a football (soccer) match against local villagers in Scotland.
Prince Harry

China imposes smartwatch and wearable tech army ban –
China has forbidden its armed forces from wearing internet-connected wearable tech, according to reports. The People’s Liberation Army Daily, the Chinese military’s official newspaper, said security concerns had been raised after one recruit had received a smartwatch as a birthday gift. News site NBC said its sources had confirmed a ban was now in place. [BBC]

Prince Charles’s private letters published –
Private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers a decade ago have been published after a lengthy legal battle. Clarence House said the move would “only inhibit” the prince’s ability to express concerns. In one letter to the prime minister, the prince said the armed forces were being asked to do a challenging job “without the necessary resources”. Release of the letters follows a decade-long campaign by the Guardian. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends
Prince Charles

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Why Do We Wrinkle When Wet?

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gunmen open fire on a bus containing members of the Ismaili Shia Muslim community in the Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least 44 people and injuring a dozen. (Pakistan Tribune), (BBC)
• The Government of Iraq claims that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant second-in-command Abdul Rahman Mustafa Mohammed has been killed in an airstrike in northern Iraq. (BBC)
• War in Afghanistan: Gunmen attack a Kabul guesthouse used by both foreigners and locals sparking a gun battle with police. At least eight people including the three gunmen are killed with 16 rescued and 100 still inside. (Thomson Reuters Foundatiion), (NBC News)
• Yemen crisis: A five day truce begins in Yemen as aid groups seek to gain access. (BBC)
• A military reservist opens fire at a South Korean military base killing 2 and injuring 3. (Yonhap)

Business and economy

• Japanese carmakers Toyota and Nissan recall 6.5 million vehicles due to fears over exploding airbags. (AFP via Yahoo! )
• The United States Department of Agriculture reports that more than 40% of honey bee colonies died in the preceding year. Growers rely on honey bees to pollinate more than $15 billion of crops annually. (Wall Street Journal)
• International conglomerate Danaher announces plans to acquire water filtration company Pall for US$13.8 billion and to split off its industrial businesses into a new company. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

• Rescue efforts resume in Nepal after yesterday’s earthquake which killed at least 63 in Nepal and 17 in northern India. (BBC), (CNN)
• 2015 Philadelphia train derailment
  • The death toll from the derailment rises to seven with over 200 people injured. (WCAU), (US News and World Report)
  • Search teams recover the black box. (AFP via News24)
  • Report that train believed to have been traveling in excess of 100 mph, about twice the speed limit for the curve.(CNN)
• Thirty-one people die and dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a fire engulfs a rubber sandal factory in Manila, capital of the Philippines. (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters via News24)
• Rescue workers attempt to rescue at least 15 gold miners trapped by floods in a mine in Colombia‘s Caldas Department. (BBC)

International relations

• The Vatican concludes a treaty to recognize the Palestinian state. (New York Times)

Law and crime

• 2015 Burundian protests
  • Major General Godefroid Niyombare has declared a coup in Burundi and the establishment of a “national salvation committee”. PresidentPierre Nkurunziza is attempting to return home from Tanzania. (BBC)
  • Police in Burundi fire on protesters in Bujumbura opposing the bid by President Pierre Nkurunziza for a third term. (BBC)
  • Bujumbura International Airport and all land borders are ordered closed by Major General Godefroid Niyombare. (AFP via News24)
• The small nation of Nauru temporarily bans Facebook, purportedly to protect young people. (ABC Australia)
• Shooting of Tony Robinson: Demonstrators peacefully protest Wisconsin prosecutor’s decision, announced yesterday, not to pursue charges against the officer who shot and killed 19-year-old. (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)

Politics and elections

• South Korea claims that North Korea has executed its defense chief Hyon Yong-chol with an Anti-aircraft gun. (Yonhap) (CNN)
• The United States House of Representatives votes overwhelmingly to end the mass collection of Americans phone data with the USA Freedom Act passing 338-88. Its passage through the Senate is less certain. (The Guardian)

Sports

• Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics
  • In athletics, the U.S. men’s 4×100 metres relay that won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is stripped of the medal due to a positive test result by Tyson Gay. (Reuters via Yahoo 7)

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