February 5, 2010

Top News Stories –

Australian banker caught ogling pictures of semi-naked model on TV keeps job –
Macquarie Group broker David Kiely, who was seen live on television opening an email carrying pictures of model Miranda Kerr, will remain at the investment bank. After initial speculation that he had been sacked, it emerged that he had been holed up in his Sydney home on suspension while Macquarie Bank, known locally as the “millionaire’s factory’, undertook an investigation into the embarrassing incident. The subject of the semi-naked photos – model Miranda Kerr – backed a campaign to save Mr Kiely’s job. [Daily Telegraph]
Miranda-KerrMiranda Kerr

Honda recalls thousands of cars amid fire fears
Honda has become the latest car manufacturer to recall thousands of vehicles amid fears that one of its models could catch fire. The Japanese motor company has recalled 171,372 of its Jazz models in Britain, as part of a larger worldwide recall, after several accidents including one in which a South African child died. Honda’s recall comes after Toyota called in at least 180,000 cars amid concerns over faulty accelerator pedals and means that more than 350,000 cars have now been recalled in Britain due to safety fears in less than a week. [Daily Telegraph]

Scientists invent wafer-thin plastic that can store electricity –
The battery, which has powered our lives for generations, may soon be consigned to the dustbin of history. British scientists say they have created a plastic that can store and release electricity, revolutionising the way we use phones, drive cars – and even wear clothes. It means the cases of mobiles and iPods could soon double up as their power source – leading to gadgets as thin as credit cards. Dr Emile Greenhalgh, from Imperial College London’s Department of Aeronautics, said the material is not really a battery, but a supercapacitor – similar to those found in typical electrical circuits. His team’s prototype – which is around five inches square and wafer-thin – takes five seconds to charge from a normal power supply and can light an LED for 20 minutes. [Daily Mail]

Video of the Day –

Los Angeles: in motion from Michael Marantz on Vimeo.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

January 21, 2016

Top News Stories –

President Putin ‘probably’ approved Litvinenko murder –
The murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 in the UK was ‘probably’ approved by President Vladimir Putin, an inquiry has found. Mr Putin is likely to have signed off the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko with polonium-210 in part due to personal “antagonism” between the pair, it said. Home Secretary Theresa May said the murder was a “blatant and unacceptable” breach of international law. But the Russian Foreign Ministry said the public inquiry was “politicised”. Litvinenko aged 43 in London in 2006, days after drinking tea poisoned with the radioactive substance. The former Russian spy – who is believed to have later worked for MI6 – had been a fierce critic of the Kremlin. [BBC]

Norwegian in underwear clings to car roof to stop thief –
A man clad only in boxer shorts stopped a thief from stealing his car in southern Norway – by clinging on to the roof in a hair-raising ride at -17C. Police say the owner was left “pretty bloody” after the car crashed into a safety barrier on a bridge. A suspect has been taken into police custody. The owner, 25, woke up in Kristiansand in the early hours of Wednesday when he heard his car engine firing up. He raced out, grabbed a car door-handle and refused to let go. The thief drove the car at up to 90km/h (56 mph), he said, but the owner managed to smash the back window with his knee and grappled with the thief before the car hit the safety barrier. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

SEAN PETTIT | Full Part 2015 from SUPER PROOF on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #MeGustaCuando #NationalHugDay #SquirrelAppreciationDay
2 #quintaupcomoclubesdv #SquirrelAppreciationDay #NationalHugDay
3 #NationalHugDay #BeAnEngineer #specialtiesin6words
4 #FelizJueves #DanielHoltzclaw #Litvinenko
5 #زد_رصيدك69 #RIPBelieberLinda #RIPBelieberLinda
6 the 100 today #ToTheGirls2016 #hsm10
7 #تويتر_بلا_بنات #DumbWaysIHurtMyself #FishHipHop
8 #nosvanadarperobien #CitizensUnited #NTAs
9 #aldub27thweeksary #BlizzardWatch kevin nolan
10 #Lauren4KODE #favoritethrowbackcouple #thevampstruthordare

Other News Stories

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Health
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 18, 2016

Top News Stories –

Hairy panic sets in as homes are swallowed in masses of tumbleweeds –
Bizarre images have emerged of houses inundated with tumbleweeds in rural Victoria after extreme dry conditions cover homes in clouds of ‘hairy panic’. Residents have been left frustrated and exhausted trying to rid their properties of the ghost-like weed, which has engulfed front and back yards, gardens and garages. Named hairy panic, the weeds of Wangaratta are world-class, holding their own against Texas tumblers. Locals say the tumbleweed has been around for a couple of years but, with dry conditions, this summer is by far the worst. They suspect it’s coming from a nearby paddock that a farmer has failed to maintain. The council can’t help because the situation is not considered a fire risk, which has left homeowners to clean up indefinitely. [Yahoo News Australia]
Hairy panic tweet

‘Unauthorised trousers’ kill Canadian zoo’s otter –
A Canadian zoo is under scrutiny following the death of an otter which had been given a pair of trousers to play with in its enclosure. Logan, a 12-year-old American river otter, drowned at Calgary Zoo after being given the article of clothing as an “unauthorised enrichment item”, the Calgary Sun newspaper reports. The zoo’s general curator, Colleen Baird, says Logan got trapped in one of the trouser legs, and two employees have subsequently been disciplined following an investigation into the incident. “It was human error and we take animal deaths very seriously,” she tells the paper, but refuses to be drawn on who was responsible. “It’s irrelevant how exactly the pants got in there, it’s more that the pants got in there in the first place.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Skylight

Skylight from Chris Pritchard on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #OhNoBriana #NationalDrinkWineDay Oli Sykes
2 #QuintaDetremuraSdv #OhNoBriana Big Ang
3 #NationalDrinkWineDay #UgandaDecides #NationalDrinkWineDay
4 #FelizJueves #IfTechnologyNeverAdvanced #ZAYNOnFallon
5 #DigaUmaFraseLegal #4CCTaipeiCity #OhNoBriana
6 #ZAYNOnFallon #DayWithoutLatinos #jointenterprise
7 #Freedom251 #FamousAF #DebbieDownerAMovie
8 #ALDUB31stWeeksary #RIPBigAng #10000BC
9 #あなたの緑川光は�… #CanAmDuel #NolanLive
10 #SiTeAmaEntonces #SFin6words Tim Montgomerie

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
  • At least 71 people are killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Ghana. (Sky News) (BBC)
Health
International relations
Law and crime
  • A man sues an Oklahoma gun range after he is told to leave after identifying himself as a Muslim. The gun range owners though claim that the man was acting belligerent. (Associated Press via MSN)
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Queen filmed calling Chinese officials ‘very rude’ –
The Queen has been filmed saying Chinese officials were “very rude” during last year’s state visit by President Xi Jinping. She was discussing their treatment of Britain’s ambassador to China with a senior police officer at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday. It came after David Cameron was overheard saying Afghanistan and Nigeria were “fantastically corrupt“. The Queen’s remarks were filmed as she was introduced to Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who the monarch is told had overseen security during President Xi’s visit to the UK in October. [BBC]
Queen_Elizabeth_II_March_2015 The Queen

Video of the Day –

Nightlife from Wriggles & Robins on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource