February 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

Alphabet – owner of Google – takes top spot from Apple –
Alphabet- Google’s parent company- has surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable company after its latest earnings report. The company made a profit of $4.9bn (£3.4bn) for the fourth quarter, an increase from $4.7bn a year ago. The announcement sent its share price up as much as 9% in after-hours trading.
That means that Alphabet is now worth around $568bn, compared with Apple, which has a value of $535bn. [BBC] Alphabet was launched in August 2015
Structure of Alphabet companies

Zika-linked condition: Rio Olympics ‘to go ahead’ despite virus –
There is no chance that the Rio Olympics will be cancelled because of a Zika virus outbreak, Brazil has said. The authorities said there was no risk to athletes and spectators – except pregnant women – at the August event. Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned a disease linked to Zika posed a global public health emergency requiring a united response. The infection has been linked to cases of microcephaly, in which babies are born with underdeveloped brains. Experts are worried that the mosquito-borne virus in Latin America is spreading far and fast, with devastating consequences. Meanwhile, WHO Director General Margaret Chan called Zika an “extraordinary event” that needed a co-ordinated response. The WHO alert puts Zika in the same category of concern as Ebola. It means research and aid will be fast-tracked to tackle the infection. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Flight Over Dwarf Planet Ceres
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FevereiroDetremuraSdv	#mondaymotivation	#HappyBirthdayHarryStyles
2	#لو_السعاده_بي�…	#hourlycomicday	#mondaymotivation
3	#زد_رصيدك80	#ShawnWorldTourPresale	#DeadlineDay
4	#FelizLunes	#IowaTODAY	#MakeAFilmScottish
5	#OhNoSimon	Frederick Douglass	#StormHenry
6	#BienvenidoFebrero	Jeff Hornacek	#GreaseLive
7	#DeadlineDay	#OhNoSimon	#NVRD
8	#JustinRainha1DNadinha	#HappyBirthdayHarryStyles	1st of February
9	#هل_تتزوجين_سع�…	#DeadlineDay	#ontopictalkshow
10	#ShawnWorldTourPresale	Infinite Jest	#emojinal

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

PKK Rebellion (2015–present)
- Two Turkish Army soldiers are killed in a Kurdistan Workers’ Party ambush in the southeast Diyarbakır Province. (Anadolu Post)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A Taliban suicide bomb attack outside a police office in central Kabul kills at least 9 people. (AFP via Times of India) (Sky News) (AFP via Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

February 2016 United States blizzard
- A snow storm in the United States is affecting multiple regions in Colorado, California and elsewhere, with more than 70,000 people in southern California losing power. (AccuWeather)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- The World Health Organization declares the spread of the Zika virus a global public health emergency requiring an urgent, united response. (BBC)
The United Kingdom Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority gives licensing rights to the Francis Crick Institute to genetically modify human embryos to study the early stages of embryo development though still needs the approval of a local research ethic board. (BBC) (Nature)

Law and crime

Chinese authorities arrest 21 people involved in the Ezubao online finance scheme accused of allegedly defrauding 900,000 people of 50bn yuan ($7.6bn; £5.3bn) in a Ponzi scheme. (BBC)
Two men are sentenced to death for the murder of Tibetan religious leader Akong Rinpoche, his nephew and his driver in 2013. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The Assembly of the Union for Myanmar meets with Aung San Suu Kyi‘s National League for Democracy having the majority for the first time. (Time)
United States presidential election in Iowa, 2016
- Voters in Iowa go to Democratic and Republican Party caucuses in the first formal stage of the U.S. elections. (Yahoo! politics)
- Republican candidate Mike Huckabee suspends his campaign. (ABC Go) (CNN)
- Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley suspends his campaign following a very poor performance in the caucuses. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a virtual tie with a majority of precincts reporting. (The Washington Post) (CNN)
- Ted Cruz wins the Republican caucus with 28% of the vote followed by Donald Trump with 24%, Marco Rubio with 23%, and Ben Carson at 9%.(CNN)

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February 2, 2016

Top News Stories –

LinkedIn: Slovenian club sign right-back after posting advert –
Not one for fax machines and agents’ fees, Slovenian club NK Domzale had a novel way of avoiding the madness of the January transfer window – using LinkedIn. The online networking service is best known for telling you an old colleague has a better job than yours and is mainly used in the UK by professionals such as lawyers and accountants. But after Domzale head coach Luka Elsner, 33, posted a message asking for an “offensive right-back” who “must have an EU passport”, the top-flight club received 150 applications and signed Spanish defender Alvaro Brachi, 30, just before transfer deadline day. [BBC]
DK Domzale LinkedIn ad

A-lister Naomi Watts links up with Anglesey football club –
A Hollywood A-lister has agreed to become the honorary president of a small Anglesey football club. Naomi Watts said she was “very excited” to take on the role for Glantraeth FC, based in Malltraeth, which has a population of 400 people. The English-born star of Mulholland Drive and King Kong spent time as a child on her grandparents’ farm nearby. Glantraeth FC play in the third tier Welsh Alliance football league division one and get crowds of 40 people. After former president Sir George Meyrick stood down last August, secretary Stan Strickland suggested Ms Watts as a replacement. He sent a letter to her agent who is based on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, and received a positive response on Monday night. [BBC]
Naomi Watts

Video of the Day –

Untamed from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#ツインテールの日	#TravelTuesday	#IowaCaucus
2	#TercaDetremuraSdv	#IowaCaucusresults	#TravelTuesday
3	#FelizMartes	#GroundhogDay	#GroundhogDay
4	#GroundhogDay	#SocialismChecklist	#PNLive
5	#ACupidoYoLePido	Kim and Amber	#WorldWetlandsDay
6	#ALDUBPanibagongLihim	#____SupportsDonaldTrump	#charitytuesday
7	#PangakoNgRebelasyon	Lego Star Wars	#FSB2016
8	#MiCuerpoPide	#WorldWetlandsDay	#gotogrow
9	#زد_رصيدك81	#VoteAustinAndAlly	#HREvent16
10	#YoConfieso	#TWUG	#SBLDN

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- U.S. airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan hit an ISIS radio station and kill 29 suspect militants. (CNN)

Arts and culture

In the United States, Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow which according to tradition signals an early spring. (CNN)

Business and economics

Negotiators for the European Commission and the United States agree on a pact protecting data transfers across the North Atlantic by companies such as Google and Amazon, imposing on such companies certain privacy shield obligations. (Reuters)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- The Government of Honduras declares a state of emergency with 3,649 suspected cases of the Zika virus in the past three months. (AP via Journal Star Online)

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February 3, 2016

Top News Stories –

Britain suffers ‘biscuit drought’ following McVities factory flood –
“The fact that you can’t have a ginger nut with your cup of tea at the end of the night … it’s the end of the world, isn’t it?” So said one disgruntled biscuit lover in a BBC report on the ongoing biscuit drought currently gripping the nation. Many of Britain’s best-loved biscuits remain absent from shop shelves after floods forced the closure of the United Biscuits factory in Carlisle in December. The factory produces numerous well-known brands of biscuit, including McVitie’s ginger nuts, Crawford’s custard creams and Carr’s water crackers. [Daily Telegraph]
McVitie’s chocolate digestive biscuit

Lord Lucan death certificate granted –
Lord Lucan is now presumed to be dead, a High Court judge has ruled. A death certificate has been issued 42 years after the peer vanished when his children’s nanny Sandra Rivett was bludgeoned to death in London. He was declared dead in 1999, despite dozens of unverified sightings, but the new ruling gives his son the right to inherit the family title. His son, Lord Bingham, said: “I am very happy with the judgment of the court in this matter.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Exercise vs Diet – ASAP Science

List of the Day –

Daily telegraph’s 28 Best Biscuits in the World

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#زد_رصيدك82	#NationalSigningDay	Jackson Martinez
2	恵方巻き	#Pit2Pub	#SarahReed
3	#FelizMiercoles	#MillennialBillOfRights	#BeforeFacebookI
4	#اوغلو_يدنس_قد�…	#NSD2016	#LT16uk
5	#ParaEl14DeFebrero	#RivalsNSD	#SAvsENG
6	#VoteKathrynFPP	#BetterWaysToElectPOTUS	#NZvAUS
7	豆まき	#NGWSD	#pmqs
8	#QuartaDetremuraSdv	#Trumpertantrum	George Shelley
9	D’Alessandro	#MosqueVisit	#obsessedwithmybody
10	#VotaLaliEsposito	#1linewed	#ArianaforLipsy

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- Three Palestinian assailants launch a shooting and stabbing attack near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, killing one policewoman and seriously injuring another, and lightly injuring a civilian, before being shot and killed by other security forces at the scene. Pipe bombs were discovered on their bodies. (The Times of Israel)
- Two Hamas militants die after a tunnel they were digging from the Gaza Strip into Israel collapses. (AP)
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, says that Russia‘s bombing campaign will continue until terrorist organisations like ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra are defeated; the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee has voiced outrage at an ongoing government offensive backed by Russian air power and called for a halt to air strikes against civilians, among other demands. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Syrian Civil War
- Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa
  - The Syrian Army and its allies break a three-year rebel siege of two Shi’ite towns in northwest Syria, Nubl and Al-Zahraa. (Reuters)
- At least 15 people are killed and 58 injured after rockets reportedly fired by rebels hit pro-government neighborhoods in the southern city of Daraa. (RT)

Business and economy

China‘s state owned ChemChina offers to buy Swiss pesticide and seed manufacturer Syngenta for $43 billion. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

Daallo Airlines Flight 159
- A Daallo Airlines operated commercial plane, bound for Djibouti, makes an emergency landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, following an unexplained explosion that left a gaping hole in its fuselage. (BBC)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- Japan puts its military on alert to shoot down any North Korean rocket that threatens it following an announcement by North Korea of a planned “Earth observation launch”. (Reuters)
- South Korea warns North Korea of “searing consequences” if it doesn’t abandon plans to launch a long-range rocket that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibits the country from engaging in any ballistic activities. (Fox News)

Law and crime

John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, wanted for murder since 1974, is officially declared dead so that his son can inherit the title. (BBC)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Kentucky Senator Rand Paul suspends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States. (Vox) (Politico)
- Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum withdraws from the race. (Washington Post)
Irish general election, 2016
- Voters in Ireland will go to the polls on February 26 after the President dissolves the current Dail or parliament. (AAP via News Limited), (BBC)

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February 4, 2016

Top News Stories –

Earth, Wind & Fire soul band founder Maurice White dies –
The founder of soul group Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White, has died in the US, his brother has said. White, 74, died in his sleep in Los Angeles on Thursday morning. He suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. His band had a series of hits including September, Boogie Wonderland, Shining Star and After the Love has Gone. The singer-songwriter was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1992 but his condition was reported to have got worse in recent months. [BBC]
Maruice White 1982

Black tarantula named after Johnny Cash –
A new species of black tarantula that lives near Folsom Prison, California, has been named after Johnny Cash. The famously black-clad country singer wrote a song about the prison, and also played a historic series of concerts for inmates there in the 1960s. Aphonopelma johnnycashi is among 14 new tarantula species from the southern US which have been described by biologists in the journal ZooKeys. As part of his PhD research at Auburn University in Alabama, Chris Hamilton carefully whittled that down to 29. He eliminated a lot of double-counting, but also defined 14 species that were entirely new to science. “It’s a perfect name. It fits the spider – it’s found around Folsom and the males are predominantly all black, so it fits his image. “I have a Johnny Cash tattoo so I was very happy that it worked out that way.” [BBC]
The cover art for the album At Folsom Prison by the artist Johnny Cash. Copyright Columbia Pictures

Video of the Day –

Our Changing Climate from Jack Harries on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#friendsday	#friendsday	#WorldCancerDay
2	#QuintaNoClubeSDV	#WorldCancerDay	#timetotalk
3	#StayStrongLauren	#KIMOJI	#scientistherdnames
4	#زد_رصيدك83	#INeverWantToExperience	#WhoWillSpeakForEngland
5	#FelizJueves	#scalepeacetech	#SupportSyrians
6	#あなたをダメダメ�…	Julian Assange	#friendsday
7	#DiaMundialContraElCancer	#NationalPrayerBreakfast	Julian Assange
8	#WorldCancerDay	Rosa Parks	#TrumpDonald
9	#من_قلبي_اقول	#timetotalk	#RAJAR
10	#4FRebelionChavista	#TrumpDonald	#WalkOutOn77

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- A drone strike in Yemen‘s Shabwah Governorate kills six suspected Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants. (Jerusalem Post)
Russian intervention in the Syrian Civil War, Battle of Aleppo (2012–present)
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports Russian airstrikes on several rebel-held neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo, kills at least 21 civilians. (AFP via Yahoo!)
- Russia‘s Ministry of Defence accuses Turkey of preparing a military incursion into northern Syria, saying it had registered “a growing number of signs of hidden preparation of the Turkish Armed Forces for active actions on the territory of Syria”. Tens of thousands of Turkish troops are active on the border of Syria involved in fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). (Reuters)

Business and economy

The U.S. President Barack Obama will within days propose a plan to tax crude oil $10 a barrel in order to fund infrastructure spending, according to a White House statement. (Reuters).

Health

Zika virus outbreak
- The Polynesian state of Tonga declares a Zika virus epidemic with two confirmed cases and 265 suspected cases. (Radio New Zealand)
- A pregnant woman is reported with the Zika virus in Spain – the first case in Europe. (BBC)

International relations

Julian Assange
- The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rules that Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained. (BBC) (Reuters) (The Guardian)
Trans-Pacific Partnership
- Twelve nations, including the United States, sign the deal at SkyCity Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. (BBC)(UPI)
European migrant crisis
- The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, in an address to the Finnish parliament (Eduskunta), says the current flow of migrants into Europe threatens the continent’s Western values and that the UN‘sConvention relating to the Status of Refugees is outdated, saying “All estimates predict that the flow of people will increase this year. This is challenging the ability of Western democracies to help and also challenging the very structures underlying the idea of Europe”. (Yle News)

Law and crime

The People’s Republic of China charges Zhao Liping, former Police Chief for Inner Mongolia with murder, bribery and possession of fire arms and explosives. (Reuters)
The suspect in the murder investigation of former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Els Borst admits to have assassinated her citing political motivations. (NOS) (RTL Nieuws)
Five adults and one child are found stabbed to death in the Chicago neighborhood of Gage Park in the U.S. (Chicago Tribune)
Terrorism in Germany
- German police arrest two Algerian men suspected of having links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and planning terror attacks in the country. One of the men detained, reported to be aged 35, had been living in a refugee shelter in the town of Attendorn, east of Cologne. Police say “investigations show that he has been trained militarily in Syria“. (BBC)

Politics

Tamil national anthem
- Sri Lanka lifts unofficial ban on Tamil national anthem on independence day. (New York Times) (Indian Express)

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February 5, 2016

Top News Stories –

X Games biker and BMX star Dave Mirra dies –
Police in the US say X Games biker Dave Mirra has died aged 41. Officers in North Carolina say his body was found early on Thursday with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Dave Mirra was a former BMX champion and one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history. He won a medal every year from 1995 to 2008, picking up 14 golds. His one-time record of 24 career medals was only broken in 2013 by Bob Burnquist. Only Shaun White has won more X Games gold medals than him. [BBC Newsbeat] See Top Twitter Trends (UK)
Dave Mirra in 2010

New York crane collapse kills at least one person –
A large construction crane has collapsed in lower Manhattan in New York City, killing one person and injuring at least two others. The Fire Department of New York confirmed the fatality and is on the scene responding to the accident. The collapse happened along West Broadway early on Friday morning in the Tribeca neighbourhood. The downed crane, which filled the street, fell onto numerous parked cars. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the victim was sitting in a parked car at the time of the accident, and that it was caused by high winds. Workers were in the process of lowering the crane due to the high winds when it collapsed. No workers were injured. [BBC] See Video of the Day

1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti breaks auction sale for racing car at $32 million –
A 1957 Ferrari driven by the great British motor racers of the 1950s broke the record for the world’s most expensive racing car sold at auction after fetching just over €32 million (£24.7 million) on Friday. Despite the stratospheric price at the Artcurial auction in Paris, the buyer cannot use the vehicle on the roads as it was designed purely for racing. Only four Ferrari 335 S Spider Scagliettis were ever produced, and this one had been in the hands of a private French collector for more than 40 years – hence the feverish excitement at the Rétromobile classic car show in Paris, where the auction took place. The 335S is purely a racing car, unlike the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which was a dual purpose vehicle also homologated for road use.[Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

Crane collapse in New York – original footage by Glenn Zito

Copyright Glenn Zito.

List of the Day –

Cars sold at auction for over $10 million (source Wikipedia]

Date	MY	Car	s/n	Auctioneer	Locale	Original price	Adjusted
August 14, 2014	1962	Ferrari 250 GTO	3851GT	Bonhams	Carmel, California, United States	US$38,115,000	$38,098,927
February 5, 2016	1957	Ferrari 335S	674	Artcurial	Paris, France	US$35,711,359	$35,711,359
July 12, 2013	1954	Mercedes-Benz W196	196 010 00006/54	Bonhams	Goodwood, West Sussex, United Kingdom	US$29,600,000	$30,069,371
December 10, 2015	1956	Ferrari 290 MM	626	RM Sotheby’s	New York City, New York, United States	US$28,050,000	$28,050,000
August 17, 2013	1967	Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider	10709	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$27,500,000	$27,936,071
August 16, 2014	1964	Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale	6701	RM Auctions	Monterrey, California, United States	US$26,400,000	$26,388,867
February 6, 2015	1961	Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider	2935GT	Artcurial	Paris, France	US$18,500,000	$18,500,000
June 27, 2014	1954	Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione	384	Bonhams	Goodwood, West Sussex, United Kingdom	US$18,400,177	$18,392,418
August 13, 2015	1964	Ferrari 250 LM	6105	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$17,600,000	$17,600,000
August 17, 2015	1961	Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider	3095GT	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$16,830,000	$16,830,000
August 17, 2015	1962	Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale	3269GT	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$16,500,000	$16,500,000
August 21, 2011	1957	Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa	0666TR	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$16,390,000	$17,241,019
August 16, 2014	1961	Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider	2903 GT	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$15,180,000	$15,173,599
November 21, 2013	1964	Ferrari 250 LM	6107	RM Auctions	New York City, New York, United States	US$14,300,000	$14,526,757
December 10, 2015	1962	Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato	DB4GT/0186/R	RM Auctions	New York City, New York, United States	US$14,300,000	$14,300,000
August 13, 2015	1998	McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’	SA9AB5AC4W1048073	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$13,750,000	$13,750,000
August 13, 2015	1956	Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’	0557GT	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$13,200,000	$13,200,000
August 14, 2015	1953	Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight	XKC 052	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$13,200,000	$13,200,000
May 25, 2013	1953	Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’	0320AM	RM Auctions	Tivoli, Lazio, Italy	US$12,812,800	$13,015,974
May 17, 2009	1957	Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa	0714TR	RM Auctions	Maranello, Emilia-Romagna, Italy	US$12,402,500	$13,679,879
August 19, 2012	1936	Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster	130949	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$11,770,000	$12,131,681
August 15, 2014	1964	Ferrari 250 LM	6045	RM Auctions	Monterrey, California, United States	US$11,550,000	$11,545,129
October 14, 2015	1960	Ferrari 250 GT SWB	1995GT	H&H Classics	Duxford, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom	US$11,440,968	$11,440,968
August 19, 2012	1960	Ferrari 250 GT California LWB Competizione Spyder	1639 GT	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$11,275,000	$11,621,471
August 17, 2012	1968	Ford GT40	P/1074	RM Auctions	Monterey, California, United States	US$11,000,000	$11,338,020
May 18, 2008	1961	Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider	2377GT	RM Auctions	Maranello, Emilia-Romagna, Italy	US$10,894,900	$11,974,287
May 18, 2008	1961	Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider	2377GT	Sotheby’s	Maranello, Emilia-Romagna, Italy	US$10,894,900	$11,974,287
August 21, 2011	1931	Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe	2478	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$10,340,000	$10,876,885
August 17, 2015	1982	Porsche 956	956-003	Gooding & Company	Pebble Beach, California, United States	US$10,120,000	$10,120,000
August 16, 2014	1967	Ferrari 275 GTB/4	10621	RM Auctions	Monterrey, California, United States	US$10,175,000	$10,170,709

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#UnaMujerNuncaPeroNunca	#FlashbackFriday	Dave Mirra
2	#VemSextaChegouClubeSDV	#WorldNutellaDay	#FridayFeeling
3	#WorldNutellaDay	#GoRedForWomen	Harry Harpham
4	#NoHayNadaPeorQue	#nationalweatherpersonsday	Maurice White
5	#BuenViernes	#NewMusicFriday	#WorldNutellaDay
6	#CarnavalChegouEeu	#FromTheGroundUp	#totp
7	#A35MesesDeTuSiembraComand…	#ImUp	#ImGoingTheVampsBIRMINGHAM
8	#ALDUBPangalawangPagsubok	#PTOGW	#CBBFinal
9	#ConfissoesDeIgreja	Ryan Leaf	#FlashbackFriday
10	#CizredeKatliamVar	#MakeAFilmHip	#AesopRFH

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army and its allies capture the town of Ataman, near the city of Daraa. (Reuters)
- Fifteen thousand Syrians mass at the border with Turkey as a result of the Syrian Government offensive in the Aleppo Governorate. (BBC)
Northern Mali conflict
- The United Nations mission in Mali confirms that the Malian armed forces had retaken a UN Police base in Timbuktu from unknown assailants that attacked it earlier in the day. (The Daily Star)
War in Somalia
- al Shabaab militants claim to have captured the port of Merca (Marka) after African Union and Somali Armed Forces withdraw. (AAP via News Limited)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Clashes between local tribal forces and Sudanese fighters in Libya‘s southeastern Cyrenaica region around the town of Kufra leaves around 30 dead. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

The President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe declares a state of disaster in most rural parts of the country due to a prolonged drought. (AAP via News Limited)
One person is killed, and two are seriously injured when a construction crane collapses in Lower Manhattan‘s Tribeca district. (NY Daily News)
Japan‘s Sakurajima volcano erupts prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a warning not to approach it. The volcano, located in the southern Kagoshima Prefecture, is situated 50km from theSendai Nuclear Power Plant. (RT)
At least 37 people die in the Indian state of Gujarat after a passenger bus plunges off a bridge over the Purna River. (Hindustan Times)
Three miners are missing but dozens have been rescued following a gold mine collapse in South Africa. (ABC)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- Three people die in Colombia after contracting the Zika virus and developing Guillain–Barré syndrome. (AFP via Daily Star)
- Puerto Rico declares a state of emergency due to the ongoing Zika virus outbreak. At least 22 people have been reported to have been infected with the Zika virus in the U.S. territory. (ABC News)

Law and crime

A shooting at a boxing match weigh-in between Jamie Kavanagh and Antonio João Bento in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, leaves one person dead and two others injured. The gunmen were reportedly dressed as police officers and armed with AK-47s. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Wei Hong is removed as the Governor of China‘s Sichuan province due to perceived disloyalty to the Communist Party. (AP via Las Vegas Sun)
White supremacists in the U.S. create a super PAC to support U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign. (CNN)

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February 6, 2016

Top News Stories –

How Facebook updated ‘six degrees of separation’ (it’s now 3.57) –
If you pick any two Facebook users, it’s been calculated there’s an average of 3.57 “degrees of separation” between them. The maths has been done using the social media giant’s handy data set of 1.6 billion people. Facebook wanted to test the age-old “six degrees of separation” theory to mark its 12th birthday. “This is a significant reflection of how closely connected the world has become,” the firm says. “When people connect, powerful things happen and lives are changed. “We see this on Facebook every day, whether it’s an exchange with an old friend that brings a smile to your face or a new connection that changes your life path, or even the world.” It means that each person in the world (at least among the 1.59 billion people active on Facebook) is connected to every other person by an average of three and a half other people. Find out your own degrees of separation at Facebook’s blog page. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

“NFL 2016: Part One” — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

Part 2 available here

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#RIPTwitter	#SixWordBernieStory	#SixNations
2	#FelizSabado	#RIPTwitter	#flowersofmanchester
3	#HappyBirthdayCrystalReed	#NationalLibrariesDay	#WalkOutOn77
4	#CarnavalComBDTSDV	#caturday	Taiwan
5	#Goya2016	#HDM2016	#Sydney7s
6	#سنحترم_حقوق_ا�…	#ShawnWorldTourOnsale	Edgar Mitchell
7	#PorTuAmorYo	Jay Electronica	#RIPTwitter
8	#IPLAuction	#NFLHonors	#CBBFinal
9	#MueroPor	George Karl	#B12hr
10	#ALDUBYouGoodbye	#Formation	#GrahamNorton

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

An al Qaeda affiliate has freed Jocelyn Elliott, an Australian woman kidnapped in Burkina Faso along with her husband. (ABC News Australia)
Syrian Civil War
- Northern Aleppo offensive (2016)
  - The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian Air Force, takes control of the town of Ratyan in the Aleppo Governorate, after defeating Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham fighters. (Xinhua)

Arts and culture

Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan gives birth to a son, the heir apparent of the Bhutanese throne. (Kuensel)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kaohsiung earthquake
- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan. Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that 14 people were killed and 484 injured. (CNN) (Metro) (AP) (AFP/Reuters via ABC News Australia)
- The earthquake toppled two high-rise buildings in the city of Tainan with at least 160 people rescued and many more trapped inside. (AP)
Five people are killed in an avalanche that buried 17 Czechs in Austria. (NBC News)

International relations

North Korea brings forward the date of a potential satellite launch to as early as tomorrow. (BBC)
Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
- Tunisia completes the construction of a 200km (125 mile) barrier along its border with Libya, intended to keep out terrorists trained in Libya. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Twitter claims to have closed down 125,000 accounts linked to ISIL. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)

Sports

In American football, eight people are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame including Oakland Raiders former quarterback Ken Stabler, Former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr., Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, Green Bay Packers former quarterback Brett Favre, Los Angeles Rams former linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, Indianapolis Colts former wide receiver Marvin Harrison, St. Louis Rams former offensive tackle Orlando Pace and Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins former guard Dick Stanfel. (CNN)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 7, 2016

Top News Stories –

Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos beat Carolina Panthers –
The Denver Broncos produced a defensive masterclass to upset the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and win Super Bowl 50. Carolina were heavy favourites, having lost only once all season and with the league’s Most Valuable Player of the season Cam Newton at quarterback. But Newton was smothered by the Broncos defence and gave up three turnovers, including one that led to a touchdown. That helped Denver, quarterbacked by veteran Peyton Manning, open a 10-0 lead early on and they never lost it. It had been rumoured the game would be 39-year-old Manning’s last, but he said afterwards he would “take time to reflect”. [BBC]

Coldplay and Beyonce star in half-time show –
British group Coldplay were the main performers at the half-time and they were joined by Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson. Coldplay opened the show by singing ‘Yellow’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ as children carrying multi-coloured umbrellas and violins streamed onto the pitch. Mars and Ronson performed their hit ‘Uptown Funk’, before Beyonce sang her new song ‘Formation’. The artists closed the show by performing a mash-up of Coldplay’s hit ‘Fix You’ and Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’. [BBC]

Twitter suspends 125,000 ‘terrorism’ accounts –
Twitter says it has suspended more than 125,000 accounts since mid-2015 “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts”. In a blog, the US-based firm said the accounts “primarily related to ISIS” (the so-called Islamic State group). “We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism,” it said, adding that it had increased its report reviewing teams to react faster. Twitter has more than 500 million users around the world. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

“NFL 2016: PART TWO” — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

Part One available here

List of the Day –

List of Superbowl Champions [from Wikipedia]

Game	Date	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Venue	City	Attendance
50	February 7, 2016	Denver Broncos†	24–10	Carolina Panthers*	Levi’s Stadium	Santa Clara, California (2)^{[note 1]}	71,088
		(8, 3–5)		(2, 0–2)
XLIX	February 1, 2015	New England Patriots†	28–24	Seattle Seahawks*	University of Phoenix Stadium (2)	Glendale, Arizona (3)[note 1]	70,288
		(8, 4–4)		(3, 1–2)
XLVIII	February 2, 2014	Seattle Seahawks*	43–8	Denver Broncos†	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, New Jersey	82,529
		(2, 1–1)		(7, 2–5)
XLVII	February 3, 2013	Baltimore Ravens†	34–31	San Francisco 49ers*	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (7)	New Orleans, Louisiana (10)	71,024
		(2, 2–0)		(6, 5–1)
XLVI	February 5, 2012	New York Giants*	21–17	New England Patriots†	Lucas Oil Stadium	Indianapolis, Indiana	68,658
		(5, 4–1)		(7, 3–4)
XLV	February 6, 2011	Green Bay Packers*	31–25	Pittsburgh Steelers†	Cowboys Stadium	Arlington, Texas	103,219
		(5, 4–1)		(8, 6–2)
XLIV	February 7, 2010	New Orleans Saints*	31–17	Indianapolis Colts†	Sun Life Stadium (5)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (10)[note 2]	74,059
		(1, 1–0)		(4, 2–2)
XLIII	February 1, 2009	Pittsburgh Steelers†	27–23	Arizona Cardinals*	Raymond James Stadium (2)	Tampa, Florida (4)	70,774
		(7, 6–1)		(1, 0–1)
XLII	February 3, 2008	New York Giants*	17–14	New England Patriots†	University of Phoenix Stadium	Glendale, Arizona (2)^{[note 1]}	71,101
		(4, 3–1)		(6, 3–3)
XLI	February 4, 2007	Indianapolis Colts†	29–17	Chicago Bears*	Dolphin Stadium (4)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (9)[note 2]	74,512
		(3, 2–1)		(2, 1–1)
XL	February 5, 2006	Pittsburgh Steelers†	21–10	Seattle Seahawks*	Ford Field	Detroit, Michigan (2)^{[note 1]}	68,206
		(6, 5–1)		(1, 0–1)
XXXIX	February 6, 2005	New England Patriots†	24–21	Philadelphia Eagles*	ALLTEL Stadium	Jacksonville, Florida	78,125
		(5, 3–2)		(2, 0–2)
XXXVIII	February 1, 2004	New England Patriots†	32–29	Carolina Panthers*	Reliant Stadium^{[note 3]}	Houston, Texas (2)	71,525
		(4, 2–2)		(1, 0–1)
XXXVII	January 26, 2003	Tampa Bay Buccaneers*	48–21	Oakland Raiders†	Qualcomm Stadium (3)[note 3]	San Diego, California (3)	67,603
		(1, 1–0)		(5, 3–2)
XXXVI	February 3, 2002	New England Patriots†	20–17	St. Louis Rams*	Louisiana Superdome (6)	New Orleans, Louisiana (9)	72,922
		(3, 1–2)		(3, 1–2)
XXXV	January 28, 2001	Baltimore Ravens†	34–7	New York Giants*	Raymond James Stadium	Tampa, Florida (3)	71,921
		(1, 1–0)		(3, 2–1)
XXXIV	January 30, 2000	St. Louis Rams*	23–16	Tennessee Titans†	Georgia Dome (2)	Atlanta, Georgia (2)	72,625
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
XXXIII	January 31, 1999	Denver Broncos†	34–19	Atlanta Falcons*	Pro Player Stadium (3)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (8)[note 2]	74,803
		(6, 2–4)		(1, 0–1)
XXXII	January 25, 1998	Denver Broncos†	31–24	Green Bay Packers*	Qualcomm Stadium (2)^{[note 3]}	San Diego, California (2)	68,912
		(5, 1–4)		(4, 3–1)
XXXI	January 26, 1997	Green Bay Packers*	35–21	New England Patriots†	Louisiana Superdome (5)	New Orleans, Louisiana (8)	72,301
		(3, 3–0)		(2, 0–2)
XXX	January 28, 1996	Dallas Cowboys*	27–17	Pittsburgh Steelers†	Sun Devil Stadium	Tempe, Arizona^{[note 1]}	76,347
		(8, 5–3)		(5, 4–1)
XXIX	January 29, 1995	San Francisco 49ers*	49–26	San Diego Chargers†	Joe Robbie Stadium (2)[note 3]	Miami Gardens, Florida (7)[note 2]	74,107
		(5, 5–0)		(1, 0–1)
XXVIII	January 30, 1994	Dallas Cowboys*	30–13	Buffalo Bills†	Georgia Dome	Atlanta, Georgia	72,817
		(7, 4–3)		(4, 0–4)
XXVII	January 31, 1993	Dallas Cowboys*	52–17	Buffalo Bills†	Rose Bowl (5)	Pasadena, California (7)[note 1]	98,374
		(6, 3–3)		(3, 0–3)
XXVI	January 26, 1992	Washington Redskins*	37–24	Buffalo Bills†	Metrodome	Minneapolis, Minnesota	63,130
		(5, 3–2)		(2, 0–2)
XXV	January 27, 1991	New York Giants*	20–19	Buffalo Bills†	Tampa Stadium (2)	Tampa, Florida (2)	73,813
		(2, 2–0)		(1, 0–1)
XXIV	January 28, 1990	San Francisco 49ers*	55–10	Denver Broncos†	Louisiana Superdome (4)	New Orleans, Louisiana (7)	72,919
		(4, 4–0)		(4, 0–4)
XXIII	January 22, 1989	San Francisco 49ers*	20–16	Cincinnati Bengals†	Joe Robbie Stadium^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (6)^{[note 2]}	75,129
		(3, 3–0)		(2, 0–2)
XXII	January 31, 1988	Washington Redskins*	42–10	Denver Broncos†	Jack Murphy Stadium^{[note 3]}	San Diego, California	73,302
		(4, 2–2)		(3, 0–3)
XXI	January 25, 1987	New York Giants*	39–20	Denver Broncos†	Rose Bowl (4)	Pasadena, California (6)[note 1]	101,063
		(1, 1–0)		(2, 0–2)
XX	January 26, 1986	Chicago Bears*	46–10	New England Patriots†	Louisiana Superdome (3)	New Orleans, Louisiana (6)	73,818
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
XIX	January 20, 1985	San Francisco 49ers*	38–16	Miami Dolphins†	Stanford Stadium	Stanford, California^{[note 1]}	84,059
		(2, 2–0)		(5, 2–3)
XVIII	January 22, 1984	Los Angeles Raiders†	38–9	Washington Redskins*	Tampa Stadium	Tampa, Florida	72,920
		(4, 3–1)		(3, 1–2)
XVII	January 30, 1983	Washington Redskins*	27–17	Miami Dolphins†	Rose Bowl (3)	Pasadena, California (5)[note 1]	103,667
		(2, 1–1)		(4, 2–2)
XVI	January 24, 1982	San Francisco 49ers*	26–21	Cincinnati Bengals†	Pontiac Silverdome	Pontiac, Michigan^{[note 1]}	81,270
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
XV	January 25, 1981	Oakland Raiders†	27–10	Philadelphia Eagles*	Louisiana Superdome (2)	New Orleans, Louisiana (5)	76,135
		(3, 2–1)		(1, 0–1)
XIV	January 20, 1980	Pittsburgh Steelers†	31–19	Los Angeles Rams*	Rose Bowl (2)	Pasadena, California (4)[note 1]	103,985
		(4, 4–0)		(1, 0–1)
XIII	January 21, 1979	Pittsburgh Steelers†	35–31	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (5)	Miami, Florida (5)[note 2]	79,484
		(3, 3–0)		(5, 2–3)
XII	January 15, 1978	Dallas Cowboys*	27–10	Denver Broncos†	Louisiana Superdome	New Orleans, Louisiana (4)	76,400
		(4, 2–2)		(1, 0–1)
XI	January 9, 1977	Oakland Raiders†	32–14	Minnesota Vikings*	Rose Bowl	Pasadena, California (3)^{[note 1]}	103,438
		(2, 1–1)		(4, 0–4)
X	January 18, 1976	Pittsburgh Steelers†	21–17	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (4)	Miami, Florida (4)[note 2]	80,187
		(2, 2–0)		(3, 1–2)
IX	January 12, 1975	Pittsburgh Steelers†	16–6	Minnesota Vikings*	Tulane Stadium (3)	New Orleans, Louisiana (3)	80,997
		(1, 1–0)		(3, 0–3)
VIII	January 13, 1974	Miami Dolphins†	24–7	Minnesota Vikings*	Rice Stadium	Houston, Texas	71,882
		(3, 2–1)		(2, 0–2)
VII	January 14, 1973	Miami Dolphins†	14–7	Washington Redskins*	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)	Los Angeles, California (2)[note 1]	90,182
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
VI	January 16, 1972	Dallas Cowboys*	24–3	Miami Dolphins†	Tulane Stadium (2)	New Orleans, Louisiana (2)	81,023
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
V	January 17, 1971	Baltimore Colts†	16–13	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (3)	Miami, Florida (3)[note 2]	79,204
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
IV	January 11, 1970	Kansas City Chiefs^	23–7	Minnesota Vikings‡	Tulane Stadium	New Orleans, Louisiana	80,562
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
III	January 12, 1969	New York Jets^	16–7	Baltimore Colts‡	Miami Orange Bowl (2)	Miami, Florida (2)[note 2]	75,389
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
II	January 14, 1968	Green Bay Packers‡	33–14	Oakland Raiders^	Miami Orange Bowl	Miami, Florida^{[note 2]}	75,546
		(2, 2–0)		(1, 0–1)
I	January 15, 1967	Green Bay Packers‡	35–10	Kansas City Chiefs^	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Los Angeles, California^{[note 1]}	61,946
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FelizDomingo	#1yearsinceOTRA	#StormImogen
2	#عنوان_كتابك_ا�…	#10YearsofAmazingPhil	#IREvWAL
3	#1yearsinceOTRA	Marshawn Lynch	#ImGoingTheVampsNewcastle
4	#DomingoDeMomoDeTreSdv	#TWDMarathon	#10YearsofAmazingPhil
5	#SePasaElTiempoYYo	#PepsiHalftime	#1yearsinceOTRA
6	#من_علامات_الج�…	#FootballASong	#Formation
7	UNION SELENATORS	#SB50	#VisitMyMosque
8	#LibertadDeExpresión	#Metallica	#B12hr
9	#UFCVegas	#SandraBland	#UFCVegas
10	#あなたの本名当て�…	Ashkelon	Beyoncé

Other News Stories –

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kaohsiung earthquake
- The death toll from yesterday’s earthquake in Taiwan rises to at least 29, with at least 120 trapped under collapsed buildings in Tainan, while 198 people have been rescued. (AP) (Taipei Times)
A man is killed and three other employees are injured following a suspected meteorite strike in a garden outside the Bharathidasan Engineering College in Tamil Nadu, India. Witnesses say they saw a mysterious object fall from the sky. If confirmed, this would be the first recorded fatality from a meteorite strike. (Metro) (The Indian Express)
One person is killed and six others injured in an explosion at JCG Farms, an American feed mill near Atlanta, Georgia. (AP)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea launches a long range rocket that critics claim is a test of banned technology for a long range missile that could hit the United States. South Korea’s military says the rocket released an object into orbit. (AP via Washington Post) (CNN) (Reuters)
- Japan‘s NHK news reports the rocket passed over the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, condemns the launch and says, “We absolutely cannot allow this. We will take action to totally protect the safety and well-being of our people”. The Japanese government says no rocket debris fell on Japanese territory and there are no reports of damage. The rocket reportedly falls into waters southwest of Jeju Island. (ABC News), (Yonhap)
- South Korea’s intelligence agency claims that North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test. (Yonhap)
- The United Nations Security Council condemns North Korea’s long-range missile launch, a violation of numerous U.N. resolutions. (CNN) (USA Today)
Syrian Civil War, Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says it is ready to deploy ground troops to Syria as part of an international coalition to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, if said coalition was led by theUnited States. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Two people are killed and ten others are injured in a shooting outside an Orlando, Florida nightclub. (Click Orlando)
One person is killed and seven others are injured in a shooting outside a Rochester, New York sports bar. (ABC News)
Hamas reports it has executed one of its commanders, Mahmoud Eshtewi, for “moral and behavioral violations.” Human Rights Watch, contacted by Eshtewi’s family, had been monitoring the case. (AP viaThe Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Politicians in Haiti agree to a process to select an interim President to replace Michel Martelly. Presidential elections will be held on April 14 with the winner to be sworn in on 14 May. (BBC)
- Haiti delays Carnival celebrations over concern that anti-government protests might turn violent. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
The Parliament of Algeria considers a new constitution imposing term limits for the President and recognising Amazigh as an official language. (AP)

Sport

In American football, the Denver Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50. Von Miller, an outside linebacker, is named as the game’s Most Valuable Player. (BBC), (ESPN)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 8, 2016

Top News Stories –

Power being restored after Storm Imogen hits England and Wales –
More than a thousand properties remain without power after Storm Imogen brought heavy rain and strong winds. South-west England and south and mid-Wales bore the brunt, with rail and ferry services disrupted and some schools closed. Waves of up to 19.1m (63ft) were measured off the Cornish coast, and winds of 70-80mph felt in many areas. Winds of more than 80mph were recorded in many areas, including 81mph on the Isles of Scilly, 84mph in Pembrey Sands, Carmarthenshire, and 96mph at The Needles, off the Isle of Wight. The Met Office said “phenomenal” sea conditions were also measured at several points offshore. Defined as waves of more than 14m (46ft), it is the highest level on the World Meteorological Scale. [BBC]

Thousands flock to ‘malware museum’ –
An online archive of old computer malware has attracted more than 100,000 visitors since it launched four days ago. Some of the software showed an animation or messages. Others invited the infected user to play a game. Many of the viruses were created by “happy hackers” rather than organised criminals, said cybersecurity expert and curator Mikko Hypponen. The malware all dates from the 1980s and 1990s. The versions online have all been stripped of their destructive capabilities, but show the messages they would have displayed within emulator windows. His personal favourite is a virus called Casino, which overwrote a crucial part of the computer’s file system but took a copy of personal files and then offered the user the opportunity to win them back in a game of Jackpot. “Casino was a real problem,” Mr Hypponen, who works at security firm F-Secure, told the BBC. “At the time the advice was, you lose nothing by playing. In the early 1990s very few people had back-ups so you had lost your files anyway.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

The All-New 2016 Toyota Prius | The Longest Chase #GoPriusGo | Toyota

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FelizLunes	#AfterAllTheMistakesIveMade	#ImGoingTheVampsLONDON
2	Pangako Ng Pagkabisto	#CRS2016	#SMEX16
3	#EsTiempoPara	#VoteTogether	#mondaymotivation
4	YOU ARE MY ANGEL SELENA	#ChineseNewYear	#StormImogen
5	#VemCarnavalNoClubeSDV	#BeingABlackGirlIsLit	#WarAndPeace
6	#RIPHABBO	#FelizLunes	#Gregathlon
7	#好きなアニメ当て�…	#anthemoftheseas	#emfec16
8	#DevletKatliamınıLanetli…	#IHelpOthersBy	American Football
9	#FelizCumplePresidente	#BadValentineIn5Words	#childrensmhw
10	READY FOR AG3	#HowToKeepHer2016	#PancakeDay

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- A Libyan Air Force MiG-23 fighter jet crashes due to a “mechanical failure”, while conducting airstrikes on Islamic State-controlled areas in the eastern city of Derna. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- United Nations investigators accuse the Government of Syria of “extermination” in its jails and detention centres. (Wires via ABC News Australia)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- A Scud missile fired from Yemen is intercepted over Saudi Arabia. The missile’s target is believed to have been the King Khalid Air Base, near the city of Khamis Mushait. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the Taiwan earthquake rises to 38 with more than 100 people missing. (Reuters via Yahoo! News) (AP via CBS News)
- Tainan mayor William Lai warns the death toll probably will exceed 100. “There are more fatalities than those pulled out,” he said. (USA Today)
2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- Storm Imogen is set to impact the British Isles with 80mph winds and heavy rain. The United Kingdom‘s Met Office issues warnings for South West England, particularly the Cornish coast due to large waves, and South Wales. (Sky News)
European migrant crisis
- At least 27 migrants die in a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea when a boat capsizes in the Turkish bay of Edremit, near the Greek island of Lesbos. (ANSAmed) (Leadership) (news.com.au) (BBC)

International relations

Korean border incidents
- The South Korean Navy fires warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat after it crossed the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea and entered South Korean-controlled waters. As of 2016, North Korea refuses to recognize the so-called Northern Limit Line, that was drawn up at the end of the Korean War. (Reuters)
Refugees of the Syrian Civil War
- New refugee camps go up near the Syria–Turkey border after Turkey blocks thousands of refugees from entering the country. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 9, 2016

Top News Stories –

‘Airbnb for sex’ – Entrepreneurs set up KinkBNB for lovers to book guiltless sexcapades –
People who own a Fifty Shades-esque red dungeon of pain, and want to find a use for it when they are on holiday, or who own a honeymoon-worthy castle could now find themselves a lucrative new source of income. KinkBNB is marketing itself as the sex-positive Airbnb – and tenants and renters alike know what they are getting into when they sign up for the site. The Airbnb-style homesharing website now lets lovers book sex-focused getaways without stressing about waking up the next door neighbours or being landed with a hefty damages charge. Its layout is similar to the traditional homesharing site – listing amenities such as washing machines, gardens and swimming pools.

Google boss becomes highest-paid in US –
The chief executive of Google, Sundar Pichai, has been awarded $199m (£138m) in shares, a regulatory filing has revealed. It makes him the highest-paid chief executive in the US.
Mr Pichai became chief executive of the search engine giant following the creation of its parent, Alphabet. The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have amassed fortunes of $34.6bn and $33.9bn, according to Forbes. Mr Pichai, 43, was awarded 273,328 Alphabet shares on 3 February, worth a total of $199m, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The new award of shares takes Mr Pichai’s total stock value to approximately $650m. [BBC]
Sundar Pichai

Video of the Day –

Tongue in a Mouse Trap – The Slow Mo Guys –

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TercaSemTedioClubeSDV	#NationalPizzaDay	#PancakeDay
2	#FelizMartes	#TLOP	#NationalPizzaDay
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4	Pangako Ng Hustisya	#SaferInternetDay	#BestFanArmy
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7	#FatTuesday	I Miss Barack Obama	#NestaHealthLab
8	#NationalPizzaDay	#TWUG	#DebateTech
9	肉の日	#SaaStrAnnual	#SID2016
10	#PancakeDay	#PancakeDay	Jamz

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- A suicide bomb attack in Syria‘s capital Damascus, kills at least 10 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility. (The New York Times) (AP)
- Doctors without Borders reports three people were killed and at least six others wounded in Friday’s airstrikes, source not identified, that hit the Tafas field hospital in Dara’a Governorate near the Jordanianborder. (UPI) (Médecins Sans Frontières)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- The United States sends more troops to Afghanistan‘s southern Helmand province to shore up security forces who are facing sustained attacks from the Taliban. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Iraqi Armed Forces announce the complete recapture of the city of Ramadi in western Iraq’s Anbar Province from the Islamic State, along with the reopening of the Ramadi-Baghdad road. (UPI) (Iraqi News)

Business and economy

Dubai says that it will continue with its Mall of the World project, despite the financial pressures created by falling oil prices. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in Taiwan rises to 41 with 109 people missing. (Focus Taiwan)
- Taiwan authorities arrest three construction company executives of the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building, which collapsed Saturday, on suspicion of negligent homicide. Almost all of those killed have been recovered from the rubble from this building; the 100-plus missing are likely buried in the debris. (Reuters) (AP via The Washington Post)
Bad Aibling rail accident
- Two passenger trains collide in the German town of Bad Aibling in the state of Bavaria. At least ten people are dead, one person is missing and presumed dead, about 80 are wounded, and 17 are seriously or critically injured. The rescue is difficult- resembling a mountain-type rescue- because of a nearby river and a steep incline and a curve in the tracks; rescue helicopters had to be used. It is one of Bavaria‘s and Germany‘s deadliest-ever railroad accidents. Human error is being examined as a possibility. (BBC) (CNN)
One Indian soldier, buried in the snow for six days, is rescued from last week’s Siachen Glacier avalanche, however the other nine soldiers from the army post in the Himalayan region of Kashmir didn’t survive. (AP via Appeal-Democrat)
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Ovalle in Chile’s central region. No injuries or damage have been reported. (AP via ABC News)

Law and crime

2016 Mong Kok civil unrest
- Clashes break out in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong as police try to close down illegal food vendors. (BBC)
The Maryland House of Delegates and Senate override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill extending felons’ voting rights to those who have not completed the terms of their probation or parole. The law goes into effect March 10, 2016. (UPI)
Warner/Chappell Music agrees to return $14 million collected in copyright fees for the song Happy Birthday to You which a federal judge ruled in September belongs in the public domain. (UPI)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The campaign period for the election begins in what international media dubs as a “cliffhanger” between five candidates: Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Rodrigo R. Duterte, Grace Poe, and Mar Roxas. (Deutsche Welle), (The Daily Mail)
United States presidential election, 2016, New Hampshire primary
- Voters in the state of New Hampshire go to the polls for the first primary election in this year’s presidential cycle. (BBC)
- New York businessman Donald Trump wins the Republican Party primary while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic Party. (NBC News)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 10, 2016

Top News Stories –

Gymnast Sophina DeJesus’s hip-hop routine wows the internet –
Video of an American student gymnast has gone viral after she threw in some hip-hop moves during a university competition. Sophina DeJesus’s floor routine has been watched millions of times online. The UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, undergraduate told Pac-12 Sports Report she had “no clue” it would get such a big reaction. “I wanted to think of something to end my senior year with a bang,” she said. Sophina was awarded 9.925 for her routine, despite the crowds cheering for the judges to give her a perfect 10. [BBC Newsbeat] See Video of the Day
Sophina DeJesus NY Times tweet

Video of the Day –

Sophina DeJesus UCLA Floor 2016 vs Utah 9.925

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
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10	オフ会前	#My5WordCampaignPromise	Benteke

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Northern Mali conflict
- Suspected Islamist militants attack a customs post in the town of Mopti, central Mali, killing two civilians and a customs officer. (Reuters)
A man shoots six people dead at an education centre in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia (BBC)
Four policemen are killed and another seven wounded when one of their colleagues opened fire on them in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Appeal Democrat)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake rises to 59 with 76 missing. (AAP via News Limited)
At least 52 inmates are killed in a riot and fire that broke out in a prison in Mexico. (FOX News) (CNN)

Health

A yellow fever outbreak has killed 37 people in Angola since December 2015. (AAP via News Limited)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea starts withdrawing its nationals from the Kaesong Industrial Region in protest to recent actions by North Korea. (Yonhap)
- North Korea says it will freeze all South Korean assets and equipment at the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Park. (AP)

Law and Crime

Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
- All four remaining occupiers leave the refuge and surrender. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Warren Truss, the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, announces his resignation as the leader of the National Party of Australia. Barnaby Joyce is elected as the new leader with Fiona Nash elected as the new deputy leader. (ABC News Australia), (ABC News)
Former Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault is named as the new Foreign Minister replacing Laurent Fabius who resigned earlier in the week. (BBC)

Sports

Sunderland A.F.C. terminate the contract of England international footballer Adam Johnson after he pleads guilty to two charges relating to child sexual abuse. (BBC)

Science

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration experiment announces the first direct observation of gravitational waves. (Nature), (Guardian), (New York Times) (APS Journals)

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February 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Einstein’s gravitational waves found at last –
One hundred years after Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, scientists have finally spotted these elusive ripples in space-time. In a highly anticipated announcement, physicists with the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) revealed on 11 February that their twin detectors have heard the gravitational ‘ringing’ produced by the collision of two black holes about 400 megaparsecs (1.3 billion light-years) from Earth.“Ladies and gentlemen, we have detected gravitational waves,” David Reitze, the executive director of the LIGO Laboratory, said at a Washington DC press conference. “We did it!” One black hole was about 36 times the mass of the Sun, and the other was about 29 solar masses. As they spiralled inexorably into one another, they merged into a single, more-massive gravitational sink in space-time that weighed 62 solar masses, the LIGO team estimates. [Nature] See Video of the Day

Star Wars prosecuted over Harrison Ford injury –
The production company behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens is being prosecuted over the incident in which Harrison Ford broke his leg. The actor was struck by a hydraulic metal door on the Pinewood set of the Millennium Falcon in June 2014. The Health And Safety Executive has brought four criminal charges against Foodles Production (UK) Ltd – a subsidiary of Disney. Foodles Production said it was “disappointed” by the HSE’s decision. Following the incident, Ford was airlifted to hospital for surgery. [BBC] Harrison Ford received more than £23 million for his role in the new Star Wars blockbuster and last year crashed his light aircraft for a third time.
Harrison Ford

Video of the Day –

LIGO Gravitational Wave Chirp

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#SONA2016	#ReasonWhyIDoNotHaveAValen…	#SONA2016
2	#QuintaDetremura200kSDV	#WomenInSTEM	The Life of Pablo
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4	#YaCasiEs14YYo	Meryl Streep	#Sprint16
5	OLHA ELAAAAAAAAA	OK Go	#FastFoodBooks
6	#WomenInSTEM	#LIGO	#WomenInSTEM
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9	#مالذي_لاتستطي…	#AAASmtg	#IAlwaysGetAnnoyedWhen
10	#TipicoDeSolteros	#TGIT	#IfIHadTrumpsMoney

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Northern Mali conflict
- Suspected Islamist militants attack a customs post in the town of Mopti, central Mali, killing two civilians and a customs officer. (Reuters)
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
- A man shoots six people dead at an education centre in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Four policemen are killed and another seven wounded when one of their colleagues opened fire on them in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Appeal Democrat)

Business and economics

Uber, in San Francisco, California (U.S.), federal court, says it will pay $28.5 million to settle two lawsuits over misleading background check information. Prosecutors settled a similar lawsuit with competitorLyft in 2014. (AP via ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake rises to 59 with 76 missing. (AAP via News Limited)
Aliso Canyon gas leak
- Southern California Gas Company caps, at least temporarily, the natural gas leak that started last October and has forced thousands to flee their homes. (UPI) (Los Angeles Times)

Health

A yellow fever outbreak has killed 37 people in Angola since December 2015. (AAP via News Limited)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea starts withdrawing its nationals from the Kaesong Industrial Region in protest to recent actions by North Korea. (Yonhap)
- North Korea says it will freeze all South Korean assets and equipment at the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Park. (AP)
- South Korea shuts off the supply of electricity and water to the Kaesong Industrial Region. (Reuters)

Law and Crime

Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
- All four remaining occupiers leave the refuge and surrender. (CNN)
Topo Chico prison riot
- At least 52 inmates are killed in a riot and fire at Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Mexico. (FOX News) (CNN)

Politics and elections

José Ignacio Peralta is sworn in as Governor of Colima.(El Diario de Coahuila)
Warren Truss, the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, announces his resignation as the leader of the National Party of Australia. Barnaby Joyce is elected as the new leader with Fiona Nash elected as the new deputy leader. (ABC News Australia), (ABC News)
The French president François Hollande reshuffles his cabinet, bringing in three ministers from two green parties, Europe Ecology – The Greens and Écologistes !; former Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault is named as the new Foreign Minister replacing Laurent Fabius who resigned earlier in the week. (The Guardian), (BBC)
Democratic Party presidential debates, 2016
- Protesters demanding a $15 minimum wage stormed the venue in front of local and national media prior to the start of the sixth debate, this one between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. (UPI) (Fox 6 News)

Science

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration experiment announces the first direct observation of gravitational waves. (Nature), (Guardian), (New York Times) (APS Journals)

Sports

Sunderland A.F.C. terminate the contract of England international footballer Adam Johnson after he pleads guilty to two charges relating to child sexual abuse. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 12, 2016

Top News Stories –

Sir Richard Branson ‘attacked’ by stingray and door on holiday –
Sir Richard Branson had a holiday to remember, for all the wrong reasons, after he was injured by a stingray and then a bullet-proof glass door. The Virgin billionaire said he had been “in the wars” in the Cayman Islands, admitting his holiday “didn’t quite go to plan”. “We were surrounded by stingray, as well as stunning coral reefs and tropical fish,” he wrote in a blog post. “But the rays were feeding all around, and they mistook yours truly for their food. Suddenly I felt a painful sensation on my wrist – they have one heck of a painful kiss! Rays are actually part of the shark family, so I’ve now been kissed by a shark. Getting stung by a ray is meant to bring seven years good luck but it didn’t bring much for Branson who then had an unfortunate run-in with a glass door. “As my anniversary was coming up, I popped into a local jewellery shop to look for a gift for Joan [his wife]. I strolled purposefully into the shop, not noticing there was a glass door in my way. Crash!” he explained. “I hit the glass head first and I got this painful cut above my left eye. It was bullet-proof glass! We quickly set up a makeshift operating theatre, where I was given three stitches. [Daily Telegraph]
Richard Branson tweet

Indonesia wants gay-themed emojis removed –

Indonesia wants social networking sites to remove any emojis representing same-sex couples, it’s reported. One popular messaging app, Line, has already dropped all LGBT-themed emojis, after saying it had received complaints from users. Now the Indonesian government is asking major players like Facebook and WhatsApp to follow suit and remove the icons for users within the country, the Republika newspaper reports. “No social media may show items that smack of LGBT. Because we have our own rules, like religious values and norms, which they must respect,” information ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu is quoted as saying. Homosexuality is legal in Indonesia, but prevailing conservative attitudes in the Muslim-majority country make open discussion of sexuality controversial. Mr Cawidu did not specify what would happen if companies refused to remove the emojis. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

The Speed of Life

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	Pangako Ng WagasNaPagIbig	#FlashbackFriday	#SingleLifeIn3Words
2	#SextaUpNoClubeSDV	#5YearsOfNeverSayNever	#5YearsOfNeverSayNever
3	#5YearsOfNeverSayNever	#ThingsLincolnDidntSay	#Valentinesweekend
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9	#نطالب_بالغاء_�…	#Valentinesweekend	#bbcqt
10	#ConRockYoTeDigoQue	#BlackForumMN	#ThingsLincolnDidntSay

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Northern Mali conflict
- An attack by suspected Islamist militants on a MINUSMA base in the town of Kidal, northern Mali, kills at least five United Nations peacekeepers and injures 30 others. (AFP via Al Arabiya) (Reuters)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- A Libyan Air Force MiG-23 is shot down over the city of Benghazi as it conducted airstrikes on Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries positions in the coastal city. A Tobruk-based military source said the pilot survived having parachuted to safety, but his whereabouts were not immediately clear. (AFP via Yahoo News)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- At least five policemen are killed in an attack on a police station in Aden. (Daily Times)

Business and economy

Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the British national newspaper, The Independent, announces that as of March 2016, the 29-year-old paper will only publish online with print editions coming to an end. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake rises to 94 with 550 people injured, and at least 30 more missing and believed buried in the apartment complex rubble in Tainan. (CNN)

International relations

Syrian Civil War
- John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State, says that a meeting of 17 ministers in Munich has agreed to a ceasefire within a week and delivery of humanitarian assistance beginning immediately.(Reuters via ABC News)
East–West Schism
- Pope Francis meets with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Havana, Cuba. It is the first time that the heads of the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church have ever met. (CNN)
North Korea–South Korea relations, North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- The discontinuance of electricity and water into the Kaesong area impacts area residents who lose their steady supply of water. The public received about 60 percent of the 17,000 tons of water South Korea pumped north each day. (AP via Fox News)
- China has announced it will back a United Nations resolution to make North Korea “pay the necessary price” for the recent rocket launch. (Reuters)
- The United States deploys an additional Patriot missile battery to South Korea in response to North Korea‘s recent rocket launch. (The Japan Times)

Law and crime

Pakistan arrests 97 people allegedly involved in terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who were allegedly plotting a variety of attacks including a plan to get Daniel Pearl‘s killer out of prison. (Reuters via Channel News Asia)
Two people are killed on the campus of Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The campus is on lockdown, but there is no active shooter situation any longer. (The Arizona Republic)

Politics and elections

Stuart Robert, Australia’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and for Human Services, resigns for breaching ministerial standards during his 2014 business trip to China while Assistant Minister for Defence. (AP)
South Sudanese Civil War
- Salva Kiir, the President of South Sudan, appoints rebel leader Riek Machar as Vice President in a bid to end a two year civil war. (Bloomberg)
2016 United States presidential election
- Jim Gilmore suspends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. (The Guardian)

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February 13, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bill Murray hurled fans phones of a rooftop –
Bill Murray is accused of going all Naomi Campbell on some fans who tried to take his photo in the tranquil seaside town of Carmel, CA … and now cops are investigating. Bill was hanging out at the Vesuvio rooftop lounge, a popular watering hole for celebs playing in the annual Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tourney. It’s going on now, and Bill is playing. The owner of the restaurant, Scott Pepe, tells us Bill wasn’t drinking … he just got really pissed when a few patrons got starstruck and took his pic. The fans were pretty obvious, with flashes going off only 10 feet away from Bill, according to Scott. He says Bill got so angry he got up and chucked their phones off the 2nd story rooftop. Police spoke to the star of Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day but decided not to press charges. Instead, the owners of the phones were happy to be compensated. [TMZ]
Bill Murray

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/12/bill-murray-throws-phones-carmel-restaurant/#ixzz40F2rItkn
This painting is ‘too obscene’ for Facebook –
This image is of the painting Ice Cream which was created in 1964 by one of the world’s first pop artists, Evelyne Axell. It was uploaded last week by the Philadelphia Museum of Art however censors removed it shortly afterwards. The museum says Facebook told them it shows “excessive amounts of skin or suggestive content”. Far from obscene, experts at the museum described the painting as “challenging typical standards by showing women…and their playful characteristics”. [BBC Newsbeat]
Phila Museum of Art tweet

Video of the Day –

InFrame – Zun Lee from InFrame on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

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9	#ALDUBValentinesDate	#TTLSummit	#TeamTylerAndKorey
10	#LittleMixMelhorQ5H	Michigan Legionnaires	#WorldRadioDay

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Saudi Arabia is sending troops and fighter jets to Turkey‘s Incirlik Air Base ahead of a planned ground invasion of Syria. Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu confirmed the deployment inAdana near the Syria–Turkey border, but said the numbers had not been confirmed. (The Independent)
- Turkey says its military shelled Kurdish PYD positions in Azaz, in northern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports the Menagh Military Airbase and a nearby village, recently captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces group, were also hit. (Reuters)
- Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, capture another rebel-held village near Aleppo, according to a Russian source. In the last two days, the Syrian Army captured positions at theHama and Raqqa provincial border, and is set to move against the Islamic State in the Raqqa Governorate, according to a Syrian military source. (Reuters) (AP via Observer–Reporter}
- Asked to assess the chances of the ceasefire deal succeeding, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says 49 percent while German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says 51 percent (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Several Sangin security force members are killed by Taliban suicide attacks, using captured military Humvee vehicles, in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. (Reuters)
Northern Mali conflict
- Ansar Dine, a militant Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims responsibility for yesterday’s attack on a United Nations base in Kidal, northern Mali, that killed six UN peacekeepers, all from neighboring Guinea. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake rises to 113 with four people still in the rubble of the Weiguan Golden Dragon high-rise tower in Tainan. (AP via Philly News)
A huge fire engulfs the under-construction Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana, Kazakhstan. (RT)
A dangerous cold snap hits the northeastern United States with the city of Boston, Massachusetts, to face its coldest Valentine’s Day in four decades. (Reuters)
At least three people are killed and more than 50 hospitalized from a 50-plus-car pileup amid strong winds and a whiteout along, the now closed, I-78 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the U.S. More than 70 people are in a shelter at Jonestown Fire Station. (NBC News) (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 5.1 earthquake strike in Oklahoma, the state’s third strongest quake, northwest of Oklahoma City. No damage or injuries are reported. Oklahoma has recently experienced a surge in seismic activity, leading to calls for the governor to make changes to oil- and gas-drilling regulations. (Reuters) (USGS)

International relations

Cold War II
- At the 52nd Munich Security Conference in Germany, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says that NATO and Russia are “not in a cold-war situation but also not in the partnership that we established at the end of the Cold War” while the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says tensions between Russia and NATO have sent the world spiralling into a “new Cold War“, blaming U.S. and European leaders for the souring of relations with Russia. He also rejected accusations that Russian warplanes have bombed civilians in Syria, saying it is “just not true”. (Sky News), (BBC)
India–United States relations
- India summons the U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma over the U.S. decision to sell more F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. (The Hindu)

Law and crime

United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at age 79. (The Guardian), (My San Antonio)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 14, 2016

Top News Stories –

Baftas 2016: The Revenant rules at Baftas –
Wilderness drama The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has dominated this year’s Baftas. It was named best film while DiCaprio won best actor and Alejandro G Inarritu best director. Apocalyptic action movie Mad Max: Fury Road took four awards: for make-up and hair, editing, costumes and production design. Brie Larson won the best leading actress award for her role as a kidnapped mother in Room. Director Lenny Abrahamson, who picked up the award on her behalf, called her “one of the best actors of her generation.” [BBC]
Leonardo_DiCaprio

Kanye West REALLY wants $1 billion from Mark Zuckerberg –
Kanye West has publicly asked Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1bn (£700m) into Kanye West ideas. He take his money, when he’s a need. Yeah, he’s a trifling friend indeed. In a series of tweets Kanye begs the co-founder of Facebook for help because he doesn’t have “enough resources” to create what he “really can”. It comes after he claimed to have a personal debt of $53m (£36m). Yes, that’s FIFTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS. It’s all because Kanye thinks he can make the world a better place. He also thinks tech companies in San Francisco should donate money to him rather than African school children. [BBC Newsbeat]

Kanye West begging tweets

Video of the Day –

Simon’s Cat Logic – Love

List of the Day –

Winners of the BAFTA Film Awards 2016

Best film

Winner: The Revenant

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Carol

Spotlight

Outstanding British film

Winner: Brooklyn

45 Years

Amy

The Danish Girl

Ex Machina

The Lobster

Actor

Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant

Bryan Cranston – Trumbo

Matt Damon – The Martian

Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

Actress

Winner: Brie Larson – Room

Cate Blanchett – Carol

Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn

Maggie Smith – The Lady in the Van

Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

Supporting actor

Winner: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies

Christian Bale – The Big Short

Benicio del Toro – Sicario

Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation

Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight

Supporting actress

Winner: Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara – Carol

Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina

Julie Walters – Brooklyn

Director

Winner: Alejandro G Inarritu – The Revenant

Todd Haynes – Carol

Adam McKay – The Big Short

Ridley Scott – The Martian

Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies

Adapted screenplay

Winner: The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

Room

Steve Jobs

Original screenplay

Winner: Spotlight

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

The Hateful Eight

Inside Out

Animated film

Winner: Inside Out

Minions

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Documentary

Winner: Amy

Cartel Land

He Named Me Malala

Listen to Me Marlon

Sherpa

Foreign film

Winner: Wild Tales

The Assassin

Force Majeure

Theeb

Timbuktu

Cinematography

Winner: The Revenant

Bridge of Spies

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

Sicario

Costume design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Brooklyn

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Editing

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

The Martian

The Revenant

Make-up and hair

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Brooklyn

Carol

The Danish Girl

The Revenant

Music

Winner: The Hateful Eight

Bridge of Spies

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Production design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Martian

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound

Winner: The Revenant

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Special effects

Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Ant-Man

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

British short animation

Winner: Edmond

Manoman

Prologue

British short film

Winner: Operator

Elephant

Mining Poems or Odes

Over

Samuel-613

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

Winner: Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director) & Rupert Lloyd (producer) – Theeb

Alex Garland (director) – Ex Machina

Debbie Tucker Green (writer/director) – Second Coming

Sean McAllister (director/producer) & Elhum Shakerifar (producer) – A Syrian Love Story

Stephen Fingleton (writer/director) – The Survivalist

Rising Star award

Winner: John Boyega

Taron Egerton

Dakota Johnson

Brie Larson

Bel Powley

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7	#للسعاده_عنوان…	#RockOfLove	#GRAMMYsAskConnor
8	#EuTeSigoTuMeSegue	#ScaliaDeath	#Trapped
9	#CampeãsRJ	#ThinkBIGSundayWithMarsha	#TheVoiceUK
10	#هل_تتزوج_فتاه_…	#HowMobstersShowLove	Sunderland

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- The United Nations reports that civilian casualties reached a record level in 2015; at least 3,545 non-combatants were killed and 7,457 injured. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Rojava conflict
  - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that Turkey has shelled areas held by the Kurdish YPG militia group in Syria‘s Aleppo Governorate for the second successive day with two YPG fighters reportedly killed. (Reuters)
  - Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu says Turkey will continue to target Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria near its border, despite mounting pressure to stop the attacks. (Voice of America)
  - Syria condemns Turkish military action against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, and demands, in letters to the United Nations Secretary General and the Security Council Chairman, UN action on these violations of Syrian sovereignty. (BBC) (Syrian Arab News Agency)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Saudi air defenses intercept a Scud missile fired from Yemen as it headed towards the city of Khamis Mushait, in the southwestern ‘Asir Region. (The Washington Post)
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says one of its soldiers was recently killed while fighting the Houthis in Yemen. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- Israel claims its forces shot dead five Palestinian attackers in three separate incidents. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The 69th British Academy Film Awards are held at the Royal Opera House in London. (AP via Yahoo! News)
- The Revenant wins best film with lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. (Deadline)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Christchurch earthquake
- The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes Christchurch in New Zealand. The St. John ambulance service says that several people suffered minor injuries from falls as they ran from the quake but there were no immediate reports of serious damage. (The Washington Post)
The cold snap continues in the northeastern United States with record lows forecast in major cities like New York City and Philadelphia. (CNN)
All four members of the British indie band Viola Beach and their manager die in a road accident in Stockholm, Sweden. (BBC)
2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The earthquake death toll rises to 116. Tainan’s disaster response office says search and rescue operations have ended. The last body was found yesterday. Ninety-six, of the 289 people rescued, remain in hospital. (Taipei Times)(CNN)
Crews rescue 48 people from two Cannon Mountain tram cars stuck this afternoon about 40 feet off the ground in New Hampshire sub-zero temperatures in the White Mountains. (AP via seattlepi.com)(WMUR)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Slovenia announces that it will be clamping down on the number of migrants that it will allow to enter the country. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Politics and elections

Central African general election, 2015–16
- Voters in the Central African Republic go to the polls for the second round of voting in the presidential election, a runoff between former prime ministers Anicet-Georges Dologuélé (1999–2001) andFaustin-Archange Touadéra (2008–13). (BBC)
Jocelerme Privert is elected as the interim President of Haiti pending elections later this year. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

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 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 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
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2	#SintoSaudadeDe	Mark Zuckerberg	#MentalHealthTaskforce
3	#علشان_الناس_ت�…	#GRAMMYs	#IThinkItWouldBeGreatIf
4	#FelizLunes	#PresidentsDay	#mondaymotivation
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6	#DolceAmoreSweetBeginning	Stephen Fry	#TheWalkingDead
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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

Syrian Civil War, Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- A Turkish soldier is killed following a clash on the Syria–Turkey border with an armed group trying to enter Turkey illegally. The Turkish military says the clash occurred in the Yayladağı district of the Hatay Province. (Reuters)
- Médecins Sans Frontières reports that an air strike has destroyed a hospital in the Idlib Governorate of northwest Syria, with seven people killed and at least eight people missing, presumed to be dead.(AFP via Yahoo News), (MSF)
- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu accuses Russia of acting as a “terrorist organization” in Syria, saying “If Russia continues behaving like a terrorist organization and forcing civilians to flee, we will deliver an extremely decisive response”. (Israel National News)
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces take control of Tell Rifaat in the Aleppo Governorate after pushing back mostly Islamist rebel fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.(AFP via Yahoo! News)
Kashmir conflict
- India imposes a curfew in some parts of Kashmir following a general strike being called by separatists to protest the death of two protesters. (The New York Times)
Insurgency in the North Caucasus
- A car bomb kills two policemen at a checkpoint in Russia‘s republic of Dagestan. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Cross-border shelling from Yemen kills a Saudi border guard in the Jizan Region. (AP via ABC News)

Arts and culture

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards are held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. (Entertainment Weekly)
- Ed Sheeran wins the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “Thinking Out Loud“. (ABC News Australia)
- 1989 by Taylor Swift wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Swift is the first female artist to win the award twice. (Huffington Post), (Courier Mail)
- Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars wins the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. (Huffington Post)

Disasters and accidents

The bodies of nine Indian Army soldiers killed in an avalanche on the Siachen Glacier will be transported to Delhi. (IBN Live)
Authorities in the Chinese city of Tianjin after an inquiry into the explosions last year found that the chemical plants were too close to residential areas. (AP)
Three South Korean Army soldiers die after a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter crashes in the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. (Town Hall)

International relations

Russia–Ukraine relations
- Ukraine bans Russian cargo trucks from transiting its territory after Russia’s Ministry of Transport barred Ukrainian cargo trucks because armed groups had been blocking some Russian trucks from entering Ukraine. (Reuters)
Enlargement of the European Union
- Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applies to join the European Union. (BBC)

Law and crime

Former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert starts a 19-month prison sentence for bribery and obstructing justice. In the last decade, he was found or admitted guilty in four different corruption investigations.(AP via Yahoo! News)
Two German intelligence officers are suspected of having given money to Al Qaeda in 2010. (Sputniknews) (Berliner Morgenpost)

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February 16, 2016

Top News Stories –

‘How VIP do we gotta get?’: Sir Paul McCartney turned away from Grammys after-party –
This is one for the ages … Paul McCartney turned away at a Grammy after-party … not once, but twice. Paul, Beck, and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins went to Argyle in Hollywood Monday night to hobnob at the bash hosted by Tyga. Security was not impressed and told them they were not welcome. You hear Paul say, “How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit.” After a second failed attempt, the trio bails and they make their way to Hyde for the Republic Records party. They had better luck there. UPDATE – A rep for Argyle says Paul was not denied at the door, but instead there was a mix up. The rep claims Paul was trying to go to Mark Ronson’s Republic Records party (which was at Hyde Lounge) … and once Paul figured that out he left. We’re told the club absolutely would have let in Sir McCartney if he wanted access. [TMZ]
Sir Paul McCartney

Women hit their ‘style peak’ at 30 – six years before men –
Women hit their ‘style peak’ at 30 when they feel most fashionable and confident, but men must wait until they’re 36. The study found women aged 30 now own an average of 212 clothes, shoes and accessories worth an eye-watering £7,658. This huge collection includes 166 items of clothing – including seven high-fashion outfits worth £2,399 and seven pairs of designer shoes, costing £2,086. Meanwhile, women aged 30, such as actress Keira Knightley, typically own 24 pieces of jewellery worth £2,800, the study, carried out by home insurer MORE TH>N, found. The study found men own an average of £8,868 worth of ‘stylish belongings’, including 182 items of clothing, designer shoes, watches, bags and jewellery. The research suggests that women aged 30 and men aged 36 are more confident in their style sensibilities as well as owning more valuable items. Just one year later, the value of a person’s style and their confidence decreases, the study of 2,000 UK adults found. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Intelligent Parking Chair | Inspired by NISSAN

The Making of the Nissan self-parking chair video

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#QueLindoSeria	#BlackPanthersPBS	#TravelTuesday
2	#TercaDetremuraSdv	Manny Pacquiao	#1DRoast
3	#FelizMartes	#PapaEnMich	Eagles of Death Metal
4	#AmnistiaEsImpunidad	#AdviceFromMyPet	Meghan Trainor
5	#عطنا_عمرك_خل_ن…	#SomethingYouMayNotKnow	#CharityTuesday
6	#ArtvindeMadenCinayettir	#CaratSelcaDay	Kendrick
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8	#ToQuerendo	Paul McCartney	#bristollive
9	#PapaEnMich	#TWUG	#PSGCHE
10	#1DROAST	#ElFaro	Ben Nevis

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Three Americans abducted last month in Baghdad are freed by the Iraqi Intelligence Service. (AP via Orange County Register)

Arts and culture

The jewels of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos are to be auctioned. Valued at $21 million (USD), they were seized by the government when her husband Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown.(CNN), (BBC)
After more than 200 years, Mozart’s and Salieri’s lost cantata Per la Ricuperata Salute di Ofelia is discovered in Prague. (Reuters), (The Independent), (BBC)

International relations

Cuba–United States relations
- The United States and Cuba sign an agreement restoring commercial air traffic between the two countries for the first time in 50 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation immediately opened bidding for as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights per day to Havana and nine other destinations. Travel from the U.S. is permitted in 12 authorized categories, which does not include tourism. (AP) (AFP via The Jamaica Observer)
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- China has placed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel chain in the South China Sea, according Taiwanese and American officials. The island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.(CNN) (Time)

Law and crime

Four American journalists are charged by Bahrain for “unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings.” The state-run Bahrain News Agency said all were released “pending further investigations.” Freelance reporter Anna Day and a film crew, who were covering the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings, are scheduled to fly to Dubai tonight. (NBC News) (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

Philippine Senate election, 2016
- Filipino Senate candidate and boxer Manny Pacquiao calls LGBT people “less than animals” when asked about his opposition to same-sex marriage, prompting condemnation from prominent Filipino LGBT figures such as Aiza Seguerra, John Lapus and Vice Ganda. Pacquiao later apologizes. (NPR) (The New York Times) (Rappler)

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February 17, 2016

Top News Stories –

DON’T set your iPhone to 1 January 1970 or you’ll break it –
Apple is warning iPhone users not to fall for an internet hoax that leaves handsets useless and irreparable. A fake advertisement claims that changing the date on your iPhone to 1 January 1970 will give you a retro Apple design – it doesn’t. And the date change will cause your phone to become permanently stuck while rebooting if it’s switched off or runs out of battery. The bug affects the likes of the iPad Air, Mini 2 and any iPhone 5s onwards. The glitch was discovered last week, but a fake photo has been circulating on social media encouraging people to switch the date on iPhones 5s and upwards. Users were meant to be able to discover an Easter egg in the form of a 1970s-style multicoloured Apple logo and design. Unfortunately, going retro on your iPhone won’t change the design. Instead, when the phone is turned off and turned on again, it refuses to reboot, displaying the Apple home screen and going no further. [BBC Newsbeat]

Apple ordered to help FBI break into San Bernardino gunman’s phone –
An American judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation break into a phone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the killers in the December shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California. Sheri Pym of the US District Court in Los Angeles ruled Apple must provide “reasonable technical assistance” to investigators seeking to unlock the data on Farook’s iPhone 5C. This includes bypassing its auto-erase function and passcode protection so investigators can try an unlimited number of passcode guesses. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling. The company has five business days to contest the order if it believes compliance would be “unreasonably burdensome,” Ms Pym said in her decision. [Daily Telegraph]

World’s largest lottery winners come forward to claim share of $1.58bn jackpot –
The winners of the world’s largest ever lottery have finally come forward to claim their ticket, more than a month after the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot sent America into a frenzy. David Kaltschmidt, 55, and his wife Maureen Smith, 70, won a $528.7 million (£370m) share of the jackpot – splitting their winnings with John and Lisa Robinson, who purchased their winning ticket in Tennessee, and a California winner who has yet to come forward. But the Florida pair, who announced their win at a press conference on Wednesday, said they did not even tell their children at first. “That was hard,” said Ms Smith. Her husband said they were determined the win wouldn’t change them. They decided to take the $327.8m lump sum rather than receiving the $528m sum in instalments. The odds of winning the $1.58 billion jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

The Chicken Test

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#HappyBirthdayEdSheeran	#RandomActsOfKindnessDay	#RandomActsOfKindnessDay
2	#QuartaDetremuraSDV	#HappyBirthdayEdSheeran	#HappyBirthdayEdSheeran
3	#RandomActsOfKindnessDay	#DukevsUNC	#KendallAndKylieGame
4	#FelizMiércoles	#PapaenCDJ	#YoungMindsMatter
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8	#عطنا_لون_بشرت�…	#TrumpSCTownHall	#ExOnTheBeach
9	#كلمه_توجهها_ا�…	#ZaynOnFallon	#newsnight
10	#ALDUBStronger	#YoungMindsMatter	#NMEAwards

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Three Americans abducted last month in Baghdad are freed by the Iraqi National Intelligence Service. (AP via Orange County Register)

Arts and culture

The jewels of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos are to be auctioned. Valued at $21 million (USD), they were seized by the government when her husband Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown.(CNN), (BBC)
After more than 200 years, Mozart’s and Salieri’s lost cantata Per la ricuperata salute di Ofelia is discovered in Prague. (Reuters), (The Independent), (BBC)

International relations

Cuba–United States relations
- The United States and Cuba sign an agreement restoring commercial air traffic between the two countries for the first time in 50 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation immediately opened bidding for as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights per day to Havana and nine other destinations. Travel from the U.S. is permitted in 12 authorized categories, which does not include tourism. (AP) (AFP via The Jamaica Observer)

Law and crime

Four American journalists are charged by Bahrain for “unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings.” The state-run Bahrain News Agency said all were released “pending further investigations.” Freelance reporter Anna Day and a film crew, who were covering the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings, are scheduled to fly to Dubai tonight. (NBC News) (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

Philippine Senate election, 2016
- Filipino Senate candidate and boxer Manny Pacquiao calls LGBT people “less than animals” when asked about his opposition to same-sex marriage, prompting condemnation from prominent Filipino LGBT figures such as Aiza Seguerra, John Lapus and Vice Ganda. Pacquiao later apologizes. (NPR) (The New York Times) (Rappler)

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]

‘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
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9	#あなたの緑川光は�…	#CanAmDuel	#NolanLive
10	#SiTeAmaEntonces	#SFin6words	Tim Montgomerie

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kurdish–Turkish conflict
- 2016 Diyarbakır bombing
  - A roadside bomb hits a military convoy, killing six Turkish Army soldiers in the southeast Diyarbakır Province. (ABC News) (Reuters)
- Turkish Air Force jets bomb Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in Iraqi Kurdistan just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed Kurdish militants for the 2016 Ankara bombing.(Haaretz)
Ethnic violence in South Sudan
- Fighting occurs between Shilluk and Dinka youths at a United Nations peacekeeping compound in the city of Malakal which lasts around three hours. Médecins Sans Frontières reports at least 18 people are killed, including two MSF South Sudanese staff members, and dozens wounded. (Reuters) (Trend News Agency)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian Air Force, says it has captured the town of Kinsabba in the northwest Latakia Governorate. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Venezuela, facing an economic crisis, raises the price of gasoline for the first time in 20 years. (BBC)

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

Zika virus outbreak
- Pope Francis indicates that contraceptives could be allowed, as the “lesser of two evils” vis-à-vis the sin of abortion, in addressing the life-threatening problem the Zika virus presents. He noted that Pope Paul VI, “in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use contraceptives in cases of rape”. (CNN) (The Washington Post) (AP)(Katholiek Nieuwsblad)(Patheos)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea‘s National Intelligence Service warns that North Korea is currently planning a “terrorist attack” on South Korea, saying Kim Jong-un himself gave the order to North Korea’s State Security Department to make preparations for attacks. The NIS warning covered a large number of possible targets, including “subways, shopping malls, exhibition centers, power plants” as well as possible cyber attacks. (CNN)
Cuba–United States relations
- The President of the United States Barack Obama announces that he will visit Cuba next month becoming the first American president to visit Cuba since 1928. (Yahoo!)

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

Philippine Senate election, 2016
- Nike, Inc. drops Manny Pacquiao as an endorser after his remarks about LGBT people. (BBC), (Forbes)
Ugandan general election, 2016
- Voters in Uganda go to the polls for a general election to elect a new President of Uganda as well as for parliamentary and local elections. The Presidential race with eight candidates including incumbentYoweri Museveni and seven challengers is tipped to be the closest in the nation’s history. (BBC)
- The government shuts down social media at the request of the electoral commission which says it is a security matter. Many Ugandans access Twitter and Facebook via a Virtual private network (VPN) which masks a user’s location. (Daily Times) (Quartz)
- Kizza Besigye, the main opposition presidential candidate, is “briefly” arrested after the polls close in Naguru, trying to get into a police command center in the capital Kampala. Besigye, who’s challenged President Musveni in the last three elections, has been repeatedly arrested, roughed up, or confined to house arrest during that time. (AP via Sky News Australia) (The Globe and Mail) (The New York Times)
Łukasz Kamiński, head of the Institute of National Remembrance says a newly found document, seized this week from the house of Poland‘s last communist-era interior minister, Czesław Kiszczak, suggests that former Polish President Lech Wałęsa was an informant for the Polish People’s Republic‘s secret security service during the 1970-1976 period. (NBC News) (BBC)

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February 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

EU deal gives UK special status, says David Cameron –
David Cameron says a deal struck with EU leaders will give the UK “special status” and he will campaign with his “heart and soul” to stay in the union. The agreement, reached late on Friday after two days of talks in Brussels, gives the UK power to limit some EU migrants’ benefits. It also includes a treaty change so the UK is not bound to “ever closer union” with other EU member states, he said. EU exit campaigners said the “hollow” deal offered only “very minor changes”. [BBC]
David Cameron

John McAfee offers to unlock killer’s iPhone for FBI –
Anti-virus software creator John McAfee has said he will break the encryption on an iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino killer Syed Farook. Mr McAfee made the offer to the FBI in an article published by Business Insider. Apple has refused to comply with a court order asking it to unlock the device, dividing opinion over whether the firm should be compelled to do so. Mr McAfee said he and his team would take on the task “free of charge”. The offer came as Mr McAfee continues his campaign as a US presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. “It will take us three weeks,” he claimed in his article. Security expert Graham Cluley cast doubts on Mr McAfee’s idea that he could use “social engineering” to work out the pass-code of Farook’s locked iPhone. This is a process by which hackers try to find out login credentials by tricking people into giving them away. “In a nutshell, dead men tell no tales,” said Mr Cluley. “Good luck to Mr McAfee trying to socially engineer a corpse into revealing its pass-code.” “The FBI isn’t interested anyway, they want to set a precedent that there shouldn’t be locks they can’t break,” he added. [BBC]
John McAfee

Video of the Day –

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TypeOfPeopleIAvoid	#FlashbackFriday	#EUSummit
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9	#FacebookMelhorQueTwitter	#BlackMenGreetings	#askjessica
10	#DeMexicanoEs	Tila Tequila	#SLFLNagoya

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present), Military intervention against ISIL
- United States Air Force warplanes carry out airstrikes on ISIL in western Libya, near the Tunisian border, reportedly killing at least 38 people. (BBC)
Boko Haram insurgency
- Two suicide bombers kill at least 19 people and injure 50 others at a market in northern Cameroon. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- Three Palestinian assailants are shot dead in separate attacks on Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank. (Channel News Asia)
Syrian Civil War
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) take control of Al-Shaddadah and a nearby oilfield in Syria‘s north-east Al-Hasakah Governorate following heavy clashes with ISIL militants. (The Independent)
- Adel Al-Jubair, Saudi Arabia‘s foreign minister, foresees to supply surface-to-air missiles to the “moderate opposition”, so changing the power balance “like they did in Afghanistan“. (Der Spiegel)

Business and economy

Yahoo Inc. says that it has created a committee of independent directors that will explore strategic alternatives, notably the sale of its core internet business. (Reuters)
William C. Dudley is reappointed as the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for another five years. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston heads towards Fiji at Category 5 strength. It is expected to make landfall on Saturday. (ABC News)

Health

Zika virus outbreak
- The first case of the Zika virus has been diagnosed in South Africa. (Times Live)
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission orders manufacturers of self-balancing scooters (hoverboards) to ensure their products meet safety standards or face recall, or seizure at ports. CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye tells NBC News no hoverboard currently on the market meets these standards. (NBC News)

International relations

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says his country is willing to accept some asylum seekers from the Middle East and Asia, currently in detention camps on impoverished Pacific island nations. Presently, 267 refugees in Australia for medical treatment, some accompanied by a relative, are set to be returned to Nauru’s detention camp. Australia is hesitant about the offer, concerned that it could encouragepeople smugglers. (AP via The Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- Serbia closes its southern border with Macedonia to migrants from countries not affected by war as part of measures to prevent illegal immigration. (RT)
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
- European Union leaders unanimously agree on reforms aimed at keeping the United Kingdom in the 28-nation bloc before the country’s scheduled June 23, 2016, referendum on continuing EU membership. (Reuters) (USA Today)
Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, announces she will resign in July when her appointment ends. (BBC)

Law and crime

The United States Department of Justice files a motion to compel Apple Inc. to comply with a court order to help the FBI hack a phone used by an attacker in the 2015 San Bernardino attack. (CNBC)
John McAfee, creator of the anti-virus software McAfee, Inc. and former CEO, offers to unlock an iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook for the FBI for free after Apple Inc. refused to comply with a court order asking it to unlock the device. McAfee said “It will take us three weeks,” with access to a super-computer in an article published by the Business Insider. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Ugandan general election, 2016
- Opposition leader Kizza Besigye is arrested again just before a planned press conference. Police raid Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change party headquarters and fire tear gas at the FDC supporters. Partial results from the electoral commission show a lead for incumbent president Yoweri Museveni. (BBC)
Kosovo opposition lawmakers twice disrupt today’s session of parliament by tossing tear gas into the chamber to protest recent changes giving the country’s Serb minority greater powers, and demanding the government’s resignation and snap elections. (Arab News) (AFP via GlobalPost)
According to Indian Police, at least one person is killed and up to 20 people injured during, what became violent, protests by the Jat agricultural community in Rohtak, India, for a 10 percent increase in the number of their caste quota (affirmative action). (AP via The Washington Post)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 20, 2016

Top News Stories –

Brendon McCullum: New Zealand captain breaks fastest Test century record –
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum scored the fastest ever Test century in a majestic display against Australia on the first day of the second Test. The 34-year-old needed just 54 balls to reach his 12th century in his 101st and final Test before retiring. It beat the mark of 56 balls set by West Indies great Sir Viv Richards against England in 1986, and equalled by Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014. “I was trying to hit every ball for four or six,” said McCullum. “Viv was my idol growing up, he was an incredible cricketer. I’m almost a little bit of embarrassed to go past him, to be honest.” He went on to score 145 off of 79 balls. [BBC] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

Every Best Visual Effects Winner. Ever. from Burger Fiction on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Fastest Test Centuries [from Wikipedia]

**Fastest Test centuries**
No. of balls	Player	Opponent	Venue	Season
54	Brendon McCullum†	Australia	Hagley Oval, Christchurch	2015–16
56	Viv Richards	England	Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John’s	1985–86
56	Misbah-ul-Haq	Australia	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi	2014
57	Adam Gilchrist	England	WACA Ground, Perth	2006–07
67	Jack Gregory	South Africa	Old Wanderers, Johannesburg	1921–22
Last updated: 20 February 2016^[

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Two Serbian embassy staff abducted in Libya in November 2015 are believed to have been among dozens killed in yesterday’s U.S. airstrike on a ISIL camp in Sabratha, according to Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić. (Reuters)
- At least 14 people are killed and 32 wounded in battles in the eastern city of Benghazi, most in the Boatni neighborhood, between the Libyan National Army and Islamist militants. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Al-Qaeda militants take control of the southern Yemeni town of Ahwar in the Abyan Governorate. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A United States Air Force operated MQ-9 Reaper drone crashes at the Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan. (RT)

Arts and culture

Italian refugee documentary Fire at Sea, directed by Gianfranco Rosi, wins the 66th Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear award for best film. (Variety)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - Hundreds of evacuation centres are activated in Fiji as Cyclone Winston makes landfall in Fiji‘s outer islands and heads towards islands with higher population. (ABC News Australia)
  - A curfew of 6pm is introduced with power out in many areas of Fiji. (ABC)
  - A “state of natural disaster” is declared for the next 30 days with Cyclone Winston classified as the strongest storm on record in the Southern Hemisphere. (Slate)

International relations

Syrian Civil War peace process
- The main Syrian opposition group says a temporary truce is possible if the Syrian government’s allies, including Russia, “halt all fighting” in the war-torn country. A pause in Russian bombardments appears unlikely. (Reuters) (Voice of America)

Law and crime

Jat protesters shut down 70% of Delhi‘s water supply meaning the Indian city could run out of water by the end of the weekend. At least nine people are killed in fighting. (The Times of India), (BBX)
Calais migrant crisis
- French authorities give up to 1000 migrants, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, until 8pm local time on 23 February to leave the Calais jungle camp. Those who refuse to leave will be forcibly removed by police.(Sky News)
2016 Kalamazoo shootings
- Seven people are killed and another injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County in the American state of Michigan. A 45-year-old man was later arrested in the city of Kalamazoo (RT),(Press Association via Irish Independent)
A planned refugee shelter is set on fire in Bautzen, eastern Germany. (Deutsche Welle)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016.
- Voters in the American state of Nevada take part in Democratic Party caucuses, with Hillary Clinton winning against Bernie Sanders. (Fox News) (NBC News)
- Voters in the American state of South Carolina go to the polls for the South Carolina primary for the Republican Party with Donald Trump winning and Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in a close race for second.(2016 Election Central), (CNN), (AP via Boston Globe)
- Former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush suspends his campaign following a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary. (NBC News)
China’s State Council announces that Liu Shiyu, who had been chairman of the Agricultural Bank of China Limited, will replace Xiao Gang as head of the China’s Securities Regulatory Commission.(Reuters) (China Daily)
Ugandan general election, 2016
- The President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni is declared the winner of the Presidential election with 60% of the vote. European Union observers state that the election was held in an “intimidating atmosphere”. (NPR)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 21, 2016

Top News Stories –

Salesmen warned not to knock on George Clooney’s door –
Doorstep traders have been ordered to stay away from the luxury country mansion home of Hollywood star George Clooney. Residents in the River Thames-side village of Sonning have decided to put a stop to unwanted door-to-door salesmen by becoming a No Cold Calling Zone. Sonning-on-Thames is the first village in Berkshire to be declared a designated No Cold Calling Zone after families living there joined forces with Wokingham and West Berkshire Trading Standards officers and Thames Valley Police. Clooney, 54, and his human rights lawyer wife Amal paid £10 million for the 17th Century Grade II-listed Georgian mansion 15 months ago and workmen have been busy adapting it to their specifications. [Daily Telegraph]
Clooney is set to run the London Marathon 2016 after losing bet with model Christy Turlington.
George Clooney

Samsung brings back water resistance and microSD with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge –
As expected (thanks to numerous leaks in the weeks leading up to Mobile World Congress), Samsung revealed the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge today in Barcelona. This time around, though, the standard and curved screen variants of Samsung’s flagships are two different sizes. The Galaxy S7, like last year’s GS6, has a 5.1-inch Quad HD screen. The Galaxy S7 edge, though, is at least as much of a sequel to the Galaxy S6 edge+ phablet as it is to the smaller Galaxy S6 edge. The S7 edge has a 5.5-inch QHD display – the same screen size as (but with sharper resolution than) Apple’s iPhone 6s Plus. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge go up for pre-order on February 23, ahead of a March 11 US release date. Early orders will get a free Gear VR along with a six-game bundle, along with the phone purchase. [Gizmag]

Denny Hamlin beats Martin Truex Jr. in closest Daytona 500 finish ever –
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin made a daring late-race pass, moving from fourth to first in the final two turns to beat Martin Truex Jr. to the checkered flag by 0.010 seconds (or about a foot) to win the Daytona 500. It’s the closest finish in the 58-year history of the historic race. The four Joe Gibbs Racing cars, plus the affiliate car of Truex, were the class of the field throughout Sunday’s race. Hamlin led the most laps, but had ceded the lead to teammate Matt Kenseth, who led the field for 40-straight laps. He paced the field down the backstretch on the final lap. That’s when Hamlin made his move. After sitting in line as the laps ticked off, Hamlin moved to the outside in front of Kevin Harvick. Hamlin passed teammate Kyle Busch for third as the field entered Turn 3. As Kenseth went up to block, Hamlin darted to the middle. Kenseth’s car started to slide but he saved it, leaving Hamlin and Truex to battle for the win. Truex looked to have the advantage as the two headed to the tri-oval but Hamlin inched ahead at the finish line. [Yahoo News]
Denny Hamlin

Video of the Day –

Samsung S7 and S7 Edge launch

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- February 2016 Homs bombings
  - Twin bomb blasts hit the Syrian city of Homs with at least 57 people reportedly killed and more than 100 injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility. (Reuters) (AFP viaDaily Mail) (BBC)
- February 2016 Sayyidah Zaynab bombings
  - At least 83 people are killed and 178 injured in a series of bombings in the Damascus suburb Sayyidah Zaynab, Rif Dimashq Governorate. ISIL again claims responsibility. (AFP via Yahoo! News)(CNN)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The Libyan National Army says it has taken control of the town of Ajdabiya and several areas of Benghazi following heavy clashes with Islamist militant groups. (Reuters)
2016 Pampore stand-off
- A group of Islamic terrorists exchange fire with Indian Armed Forces troops for the second consecutive day in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, India. At least five soldiers and one civilian have been killed.(ABC News) (UPI)
A Hindu priest is hacked to death and two devotees, who tried to intercede, are wounded in a temple in the Panchagarh District in northern Bangladesh. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility. (BBC) (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - At least five people are reported dead and entire villages have been flattened after Cyclone Winston hits Fiji. (New Zealand Herald)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Greece claims that Macedonia has closed its borders to migrants from Afghanistan. (AP via New York Times)
Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
- Germany is considering sending troops to Tunisia to help train the Tunisian Army in the fight against Islamist militants, particularly ISIL who control territory in neighboring Libya. (FRANCE 24)
Syrian Civil War peace process
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a tentative ceasefire agreement reached with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is now being presented to the opposing forces. (CBS News) (Reuters viaThe Australian Financial Review)
Japan–United States relations
- Thousands protest outside the Japanese parliament in Tokyo against the relocation of a U.S. military base on Okinawa Island. Residents cite noise, pollution, and crime as reasons for not wanting a new base built. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2016 Kalamazoo shootings
- Kalamazoo County, Michigan authorities say last evening’s shooting spree resulted in six deaths with two others seriously wounded. Each victim was shot multiple times. Police acknowledge that an earlier report that a 14-year-old girl died is incorrect; she is alive, but “severely, gravely” injured. The suspect, a 45-year-old man who is a Uber driver without a prior criminal record, was taken into custody without a struggle. (USA Today) (CNN)
Terrorism in Malaysia
- Australia issues a security alert, warning that terrorists may be planning attacks in and around the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. It also recommended that Australians avoid travel to the coastal region of eastern Sabah, where the beaches and islands are popular with foreign tourists. (Reuters via Daily Mail)
Pope Francis calls for a worldwide ban on the death penalty and urges Christian leaders to work to stop executions as part of the church’s Holy Year of Mercy. (UPI)

Politics and elections

Comorian presidential election, 2016
- Voters in Comoros go to the polls for a presidential election with 25 candidates standing. (Mail and Guardian)
Nigerien general election, 2016
- Voters in Niger go to the polls for a general election. (France 24)
North Korean state media confirms that Ri Myong-su is the new chief of the General Staff Department of the Korean People’s Army replacing Ri Yong-gil who was executed. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- In what is seen as a major boost for the “Vote Leave” campaign, Mayor of London Boris Johnson announces he will be campaigning for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. (Sky News)
Ashraf Rifi resigns as the Minister for Justice for Lebanon in protest at Hezbollah domination of the government which he claims is harming relations with Arab nations. (AP)
Macedonian parliamentary election, 2016
- The European Union and the United States advise interim Macedonian Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev to postpone elections scheduled for April 24, 2016. (Balkan Insight)
Bolivian constitutional referendum, 2016
- According to exit polls, Bolivian voters reject a constitutional amendment that would have permitted President Evo Morales to stand for a fourth term in office. His current term expires in 2020. (BBC)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The debate series, PiliPinas Debates 2016, kicks off in Cagayan de Oro. (Nikkei Asian Review)

Sports

Denny Hamlin wins the 2016 Daytona 500 by 0.011 seconds, the closest margin in the history of the race, and the 13th-closest in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. (Yahoo! News)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 22, 2016

Top News Stories –

Taylor Swift donates $250,000 to Kesha after her failed lawsuit against Dr Luke and Sony –
Taylor Swift has donated $250,000 (£176,099.74) to Kesha after her failed lawsuit. Kesha on Friday lost her bid to end her contract with Sony. A New York judge denied Kesha a court injunction that would have allowed her to record new music outside of her record label. The ‘Tik Tok’ singer has been unable to record any new music for two years, as she refuses to work with her producer, Dr Luke, who she claims sexually assaulted her. According to the New York Daily News, Kesha will have to record six more albums under Kemosabe Records, Dr. Luke’s Sony imprint. In October 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke, accusing him of drugging, raping and abusing her a decade ago; Dr. Luke has denied all charges. [Daily Telegraph]
Kesha

Jeb Bush drops out of presidential race –
A crestfallen Jeb Bush bowed to the inevitable on Saturday night and pulled out of the fight to win the Republican nomination. With the latest projections showing that Mr Bush was locked in a battle to win a distant fourth place in the South Carolina primary, the announcement was hardly a surprise. Fighting back tears he said: “Tonight, I am suspending my campaign, “I’m proud of the campaign that we have run to unify our country.” [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

7 MYTHS You Still Believe About “Healthy Eating”

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- 2016 Pampore stand-off
  - Loud explosions and gunfire are heard in a building where Kashmiri forces are fighting Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front militants in a standoff that has claimed the lives of five soldiers and one civilian.(AP via Washington Post)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bomber kills at least 13 people and injures 19 in Afghanistan‘s Parwan province. The Taliban claims responsibility. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe assigns all diamond mining operations to the newly formed, government-run Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company, and orders eight foreign diamond mining companies from the country. (UPI)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - The death toll in Fiji rises to at least 17 as authorities continue to assess the damage. All schools in the country are closed for the week. A nationwide curfew remains in effect. (Weatherzone) (CNN)

International relations

Russia–United States relations
- Russia has announced that it will ask permission to fly unarmed surveillance planes over the United States citing the Open Skies Treaty. (CBS)
European migrant crisis, Austria–Germany relations
- German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière strongly criticizes Austria‘s decision to put a daily cap on the number of refugees the country can accept. Austria has set a limit of dealing with 80 asylum applications a day, while letting thousands of others transit to Germany. Maiziere said this sends “the wrong signal” and is “unacceptable”. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Iran–Russia relations
- Iran holds talks with Russia over buying an upgraded version of the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- The United States and Russia broker a truce which is due to come into effect on midnight 27 February. (BBC)

Law and crime

2016 Kalamazoo shootings
- Jason Dalton is charged with six counts of murder in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. (CNN)
The Maryland Court of Appeals rules the state’s Public Information Act does not apply to abortion clinic license applicants’ names, denying the Maryland Coalition for Life’s appeal which had noted that courts in Illinois, Kansas and Minnesota have ordered these names released. The ruling can not be appealed to federal courts. (AP via ABC News)

Politics and elections

Philippine Senate election, 2016
- Walden Bello, a socialist candidate for the Philippine Senate, files a petition that may disqualify boxer Manny Pacquiao for violating election rules regarding publicity. Based on the commission’s rules, Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee Pacquiao, may substitute. (Rappler), (The New York Times), (Fox Sports)
Ugandan general election, 2016
- Opposition leader Kizza Besigye is arrested while trying to obtain copies of the official election results. (AAP via News Limited)
Jat reservation agitation
- Jat protesters reach an agreement with the Indian government on increased reservations similar to those authorized for economically disadvantaged lower castes. Authorities say at least 19 people have been killed in the three-day demonstrations. Protest leaders call for reopening blockaded roads in the northern state of Haryana. Water restrictions, implemented after protesters damaged the water station’s New Dehli feed, remain in effect while engineers repair the equipment. (The Indian Express)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Republican candidate Ted Cruz fires campaign spokesman Rick Tyler who posted incorrect information on Twitter about candidate Marco Rubio. (Fox News) (The Washington Post)
Comorian presidential election, 2016
- Comoros authorities are counting ballots from Sunday’s incident-free, presidential primary on Grande Comore island. The presidency rotates between the nation’s three semi-autonomous islands, which also held gubernatorial elections. Provisional results are due Wednesday. Then, on April 10, 2016, the three leading candidates will vie in a runoff. (Bloomberg)

Science and technology

A new study by scientists from 14 research institutions, that is published in the March 2016 Global Change Biology Journal, finds all U.S. forests are threatened by drought and climate change. (Global Change Biology) (Eureka Alert) (Nature World News)

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February 23, 2016

Top News Stories –

London’s Crossrail to be called the Elizabeth Line –
Crossrail, the new railway which will run beneath London, is to be named the Elizabeth Line in honour of the Queen, Boris Johnson has announced. London’s mayor revealed the line’s name and purple logo as he visited Bond Street station with the monarch. Trains on the railway will travel under the centre of the city, linking parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to Essex when it opens in December 2018. Mr Johnson said it was “wonderful” the line had “such a significant name”. “The Elizabeth Line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest-serving monarch”, the mayor said. [BBC]
Elizabeth Line Roundel

Thai princess leaves $40,000 custom toilet ‘unused’ –
A toilet that cost an estimated $40,000 (£28,300) to custom-build for a Thai princess visiting Cambodia was left unused, officials say. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn reportedly just took photos of the toilet’s building during her visit to Yeak Lom Lake, in north-east Cambodia. The toilet has now been removed and the hut will serve as a tourist office.
The story made headlines in Cambodia, where fewer than 40% of people in rural areas have access to toilets. The toilet, housed in a specially constructed air-conditioned hut, was set up for Ms Sirindhorn two-hour visit to the north-eastern lake on Monday, reportedly at her request. [BBC]
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

Video of the Day –

Bass Pro Edition | Dude Perfect

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Aleppo (2012–present)
  - ISIL militants cut off the Syrian Army‘s main supply route to the city of Aleppo and capture the village of Khanasir, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - The death toll from Cyclone Winston in Fiji rises to 29. (BBC)
Water supply is restored to the Indian city of Delhi as repairs are made to the vital Munak canal after the Jat reservation agitation is resolved. (BBC)
2015–16 Australian bushfire season
- Emergency warnings are issued after bushfires threaten the Victorian towns of Mount Bolton and Addington northwest of Ballarat as well as the town of Somerville, Victoria, on the Mornington Peninsula.(ABC News Australia)
Dalfsen train crash
- A train derails near the Dutch town of Dalfsen with reports of at least one death and several injured. (BBC), (AAP via News Limited)
At least one person has been killed and three people remain missing following the partial collapse of a decommissioned turbine hall at Didcot A Power Station in Oxfordshire, England. (BBC)
Tornadoes of 2016
- At least two people are dead and 30 injured after a suspected tornado hits a trailer park near the village of Convent, Louisiana. At least one other person has died in the Deep South of the United States.(WWL TV), (Fox News)
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake strikes near Wasco, California, about 25 miles northwest of Bakersfield. There are no reports of damage or injuries. (Los Angeles Times)

Health

Zika virus outbreak (2015–present)
- The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 14 cases where the Zika virus may have been sexually transmitted. (NBC News)

International relations

Foreign relations of Lebanon
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) bans its citizens from traveling to Lebanon, just hours after Saudi Arabia issued a warning to its citizens to leave Lebanon in retaliation for Lebanon choosing to side withIran in the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict and Hezbollah‘s influence on the Lebanese government. (Middle East Eye)
South China Sea disputes
- China reportedly deploys several J-11 and Xian JH-7 fighter jets to the disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea. (Fox News)

Law and crime

The President of the United States Barack Obama announces plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. Obama made similar statements during his first presidential campaign in 2007 and had previously stated that the camp would be closed by 2010. (CNN)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Republican Party voters, in precinct gatherings, hold the Nevada caucuses with Donald Trump projected as the winner. There are widespread reports of chaos and allegations of potential fraud. (ABC 7),(Washington Examiner), Oregon Live)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 24, 2016

Top News Stories –

Jeremy Clarkson apologises to Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon –
Jeremy Clarkson has apologised to the Top Gear producer he punched after settling a £100,000 racial discrimination and injury claim. Oisin Tymon launched the action against the presenter and the BBC after a “fracas” last March that left Mr Tymon with a bloody lip. “I would like to say sorry, once again, to Oisin Tymon for the incident and its regrettable aftermath,” Clarkson said. The presenter was dropped by the BBC following the assault. Clarkson, 55, added: “I want to reiterate that none of this was in any way his fault. Mr Tymon’s lawyers said the case had been settled but did not give details of the settlement. It is understood to be in excess of £100,000 ($140,000), an amount to which both Clarkson and the BBC contributed. [BBC]
In October 2015 Clarkson was threatened with three years in jail as Argentina reopened Falklands row probe.
Jeremy Clarkson

Brit Awards 2016: Adele dominates with four awards –
Adele has been crowned Queen of the Brits, winning four prizes including best British female and best album. “To come back after so long away and be so warmly received means so much,” she said. One Direction’s victory in the fan-voted best video category robbed Adele of the opportunity to become the most-garlanded artist in a single Brits ceremony. As it stands, her total of four awards is equalled only by Blur, who won the same number in 1995 for their album Parklife. Adele became more emotional as the ceremony continued, bursting into tears after accepting the global success prize – which recognises success overseas. “I got really lost for a while and I didn’t know if I’d ever come back,” she said, referencing the writer’s block that delayed her much-anticipated third album. [BBC] See List of the Day

Sepp Blatter & Michel Platini lose Fifa appeals but bans reduced –
Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter and suspended Uefa boss Michel Platini have had bans from all football-related activities upheld. But the suspensions have been reduced from eight to six years by Fifa’s appeals committee. Both were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) “disloyal payment” to Platini. They both deny any wrongdoing and have said they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Blatter and Platini said the payment honoured a verbal or gentleman’s agreement made in 1998 for work carried out by the Frenchman when he was a technical advisor for Blatter. Blatter, 79, added in a statement that he was “very disappointed by the appeal committee of Fifa”. Platini, 60, said it was “insulting and shameful” and a “political decision”. The committee said “activities and services rendered to Fifa, Uefa and football” was a mitigating factor. [BBC]
In September 2015, the Swiss Police launched an investigation into Blatter over criminal mismanagement or misappropriation over a TV rights deal.
Michel Platini

Video of the Day –

70MM of Hateful from Andrew Walker on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Brits Awards Winners

British male solo artist
James Bay
Aphex Twin
Calvin Harris
Jamie xx
Mark Ronson

British female solo artist
Adele
Amy Winehouse
Florence + the Machine
Jess Glynne
Laura Marling

British group
Coldplay
Blur
Foals
One Direction
Years & Years

British breakthrough act
Catfish and the Bottlemen
James Bay
Jess Glynne
Wolf Alice
Years & Years
Critics’ choice
Jack Garratt
Izzy Bizu
Frances

Brits global success award
Adele

British single
Adele – Hello
Calvin Harris & Disciples – How Deep Is Your Love
Ed Sheeran & Rudimental- Bloodstream
Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do
James Bay – Hold Back The River
Jess Glynne – Hold My Hand
Little Mix – Black Magic
Olly Murs ft Demi Lovato – Up
Philip George – Wish You Were Mine
Years & Years – King

British album of the year
Adele – 25
Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams
Florence + the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
James Bay – Chaos and the Calm
Jamie xx – In Colour
British producer of the year
Charlie Andrew – winner
Mark Ronson
Mike Crossey
Tom Dalgety

British artist video of the year
One Direction – Drag Me Down
Calvin Harris & Disciples – How Deep Is Your Love
Ed Sheeran – Photograph
Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do
Jessie J – Flashlight
Little Mix – Black Magic
Naughty Boy ft Beyonce & Arrow Benjamin – Runnin’ (Lose It All)
Adele – Hello
Sam Smith – Writing’s On The Wall
Years & Years – King

International male solo artist
Justin Bieber
Father John Misty
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
The Weeknd

International female solo artist
Bjork
Ariana Grande
Courtney Barnett
Lana Del Rey
Meghan Trainor

International group
Tame Impala
Eagles of Death Metal
Major Lazer
Alabama Shakes
U2

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
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9	#فتاه_تغتصب_شاب	#WRAD16	Boston Dynamics
10	#AcuerdoPSOECsARV	Librarian of Congress	#kfpharmacy

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kurdish–Turkish conflict
- Turkish Air Force helicopters struck a group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in southeast Turkey, killing nine militants, according to security sources. (Yahoo! News)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Senior Libyan military officials say French special forces are on the ground in Benghazi helping Libyan National Army troops fight ISIL militants. They said that the French forces, along with American andBritish teams, are setting up an operations room inside Benina International Airport in Benina. The French defense ministry declined to comment, citing a policy not to comment on special forces’ activities.(The New York Times)
Gunmen attack a Malian military checkpoint in the town of Léré, near the Mauritanian border with Mali, killing at least three soldiers and wounding two others. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  - The United Arab Emirates pulls its troops out of Yemen amid mounting casualties among its forces battling Shia Houthi militants and rising tensions with local fighters in Aden, southern Yemen, which escalated yesterday when Aden International Airport was stormed by local pro-government gunmen. The airport has now been closed. (Fox News) (Middle East Eye)
Metrojet Flight 9268
- Two months after Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry ruled out terrorism in Flight 9268‘s crash, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi admits an ISIS bomb downed the Russian passenger jet. The terrorist group’s Sinai Peninsula Branch claimed responsibility shortly after the incident. (Forbes)

Arts and culture

2016 Brit Awards
- The 2016 Brit Awards are held at The O2 in London with James Bay, Adele, Tame Impala, Justin Bieber, Bjork, and Coldplay all winning their respective categories. Adele won four awards in total. (The Guardian), (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - The death toll in Fiji rises to 42 and is expected to rise further as relief teams reach remote islands. (ABC Australia)
Tara Air Flight 193 crashes in western Nepal, killing all 23 people on board. (BBC) (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service state that the three people missing since a decommissioned turbine hall partially collapsed at Didcot A power station in Oxfordshire, England, yesterday are unlikely to still be alive. If confirmed, this would raise the death toll to four. (BBC News)
Tornadoes of 2016
- Three people die after a tornado hits the town of Waverly, Virginia. (NBC 12)
Australian icebreaker, Aurora Australis, runs aground in Antarctica with 68 people on board. There are no reports of injuries. The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) said blizzard conditions are hampering attempts to assess damage. (BBC)

International relations

Foreign relations of Lebanon
- Qatar and Kuwait join Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in asking its citizens to leave or avoid travel to Lebanon. (Al Arabiya)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- A report by two Israeli human rights groups, B’Tselem and HaMoked, states dozens of Palestinian detainees at the Shin Bet’s Shikma interrogation facility in Ashkelon have been subjected to mistreatment, and in some cases torture. The report examined affidavits and personal accounts from 116 Palestinians held for security reasons at the facility between August 2013 and March 2014. (AP via San Francisco Chronicle) (Jurist)
2016 North Korean nuclear test
- United States National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agree on a draft resolution that would expand United Nations Security Council sanctions following North Korea’slatest nuclear test. U.S. President Barack Obama participated in the meeting. The draft is now headed to the full 15-member council. (Reuters) (AFP via Bangkok Post)

Law and crime

2016 Phoenix murders
- A family of five falls victim to a murder-suicide in Phoenix, Arizona. 26-year-old Alex Buckner is identified by Phoenix police as the shooter, who was killed in a gunfight with police. (AZCentral)
Former California state senator Leland Yee is sentenced to five years imprisonment in a U.S. Federal prison after being convicted of corruption. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Politics and elections

European migrant crisis
- Hungary is to hold a referendum on whether to accept mandatory EU quotas for relocating migrants. (BBC)
South Korea’s opposition holds a parliamentary filibuster, the first in the National Assembly since 1969, to block the current anti-terrorism bill that would expand National Intelligence Service powers. The opposition plans to continue until March 11, when the session is scheduled to end. (Los Angeles Times) {Daily Mail)

Sport

2015 FIFA corruption case
- Former President of FIFA Sepp Blatter and suspended President of UEFA boss Michel Platini lose their appeals against being banned from all football related activities but the period of the ban is reduced from eight to six years. (BBC)
- FIFA’s Court of Arbitration for Sport denies presidential candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan’s request to postpone Friday’s presidential election. Ali’s request for transparent booths was rejected last week. (Reuters)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 25, 2016

Top News Stories –

Queen’s pigeon rescued after fleeing royal loft –
Animal welfare officers who rescued a lost pigeon in East Lothian were surprised to discover it had a royal owner – the Queen. The Scottish SPCA was called when the exhausted bird was spotted at Traprain Terrace in Haddington on February 2. Staff traced it back to its owner and the racing pigeon has now been returned to the royal loft 407 miles away at Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The charity’s animal rescue officer Connie O’Neill said: “I’ve rescued many pigeons during my career with the Scottish SPCA but this was certainly a first for me. “We were able to identity where the pigeon had come from using the ring number on its leg and arrangements were made for it to be collected.” [Daily Telegraph]

Islamic State hackers take aim at Facebook’s Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Dorsey –
Islamic State has released a new video featuring photographs of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg riddled with digitally added bullet holes and mocking the social media websites’ attempts to block terrorist content from their platforms. Hackers known as the Sons Caliphate Army, the self-styled hacking division of Islamic State, uploaded a video on Tuesday entitled “Flames of the Supporters” in which the group challenges the efforts of Facebook and Twitter to shut down its digital operations. The video begins displays screen grabs of some of the 10,000 Facebook accounts, 150 Facebook groups and 5,000 Twitter profiles the terrorist group claims to control. It takes aim at the recent campaigns by the two social media websites to take down accounts controlled or connected to the terrorist group and used to spread their message. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

How to Win an Election from The New York Times – Video on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

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9	#ميول_ابوك_في_ك…	#EddieWouldGo	Leicester Square
10	#RailBudget2016	David Duke	#MFW

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- The Ukrainian military retakes control of the strategic village of Shyrokyne. (Ukraine Today)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Two ISIL suicide bombers attack a Shiite mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 15 people. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army, backed by Russian airstrikes, recaptures the town of Khanasir from ISIL militants in the Aleppo Governorate. (AP via ABC News)

Arts and culture

Celebrations are held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines that led to the downfall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ 21-year reign, and the rise of President Corazon Aquino. (The Philippine Star)

Business and economy

Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian asset manager, agrees to buy the U.S. REIT Rouse Properties for about $2.8 billion. (Reuters)
The Nikkei reports that Japan‘s Sharp Corporation has accepted a 700 billion Japanese yen ($6.2 billion) takeover bid from Taiwan‘s Foxconn Technology Group. (Bloomberg)
Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith, placed in administration by creditors in January, will close 301 stores in Australia and 62 in New Zealand with nearly 3000 people to lose their jobs. (News Limited)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Winston
  - Fiji’s known casualties are 42 dead, one missing, and more than 100 injured. Authorities say five percent of the country (45,245 people) is staying in evacuation centers and about 80 schools have been damaged. UNICEF reports at least 120,000 of Fiji’s children have been affected. The current identified destruction is more than $1 billion. About 80 percent of the plantations were damaged, especiallysugar fields. However, tourism’s infrastructure has escaped serious damage. (La Prensa de San Antonio) (Daily Mail) (Fijivillage.com)

International relations

2016 North Korean nuclear test
- The United States will present the draft resolution, resulting from yesterday’s meeting with China, to the United Nations Security Council expanding sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program.(Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
China–United States relations
- At an event hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies, Foreign Minister Wang Yi expresses China‘s concerns that the planned deployment of the THAAD missile defense system and the X band radar for which the South Korea and the United States have started talks to secure its approval in order to counter the growing threat of North Korea’s weapons capabilities could jeopardize the country’s “legitimate national security interests.” At the Pentagon, Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said that if China wanted to prevent consideration of the THAAD system’s deployment, it should lean on Pyongyang saying, “If China wanted to exert a lot of influence on somebody to prevent THAAD from being considered going into Korea, then they should exert that influence on North Korea.” (Reuters) (Bloomberg)
Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia, Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- The European Parliament adopts a resolution calling for the introduction of an arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying the United Kingdom, France and other EU governments should no longer sell weapons to a country accused of targeting civilians in Yemen. (Reuters)
Austria–Greece relations
- Greece recalls its ambassador to Austria in response to Austria’s hosting of a meeting with Balkan states, to which Greece was not invited, about European migrant crisis policies that would make it harder for migrants to head north across Europe. Greece’s foreign ministry called the move an “unfriendly act.” More than 100,000 migrants have entered the EU illegally so far in 2016, nearly all of them arriving in Greece. (BBC) (Reuters)
Morocco–European Union relations
- Morocco suspends contact with the European Union over a European court ruling that invalidates the bloc’s farm trade deal with Rabat, and saying it should exclude the disputed Moroccan-controlled territory of Western Sahara. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal
- A report by Dame Janet Smith finds that management at the BBC staff knew of complaints against Jimmy Savile but did not advise senior management due to a “culture of fear“. (BBC)
2016 Hesston shooting
- A series of shootings in and near the American town of Hesston, Kansas, results in at least four deaths, including the shooter, at an Excel Industries building, with up to 20 people injured. The shooter is Cedric Ford, a convicted felon. (KWCH) (USA Today), (KAKE)

Politics and elections

Jamaican general election, 2016
- Voters in Jamaica go to the polls for a general election, with the Jamaican Labour Party, led by Andrew Holness, winning a narrow victory. (Bloomberg) (Reuters)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 26, 2016

Top News Stories –

Fifa presidential election: Gianni Infantino succeeds Sepp Blatter –
Gianni Infantino has succeeded fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter as president of world football’s governing body Fifa. The Uefa secretary general polled 115 votes, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa. Prince Ali bin al-Hussein (four votes) and Jerome Champagne (0) were third and fourth respectively. Blatter, who had led Fifa since 1998, stood down last year and was later suspended from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines. Infantino is a 45-year-old lawyer from Brig in the Valais region of Switzerland, less than six miles from Blatter’s home town of Visp. He entered the presidential race when it became clear that Michel Platini, boss of European football’s governing body Uefa, could not stand. “I will work tirelessly to bring football back to Fifa and Fifa back to football,” he said. “This is what we want to do.” [BBC]
Gianni Infantino

Video of the Day –

Terraforming from Studio Swine on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#OTWOLTheLastFlight	#FlashbackFriday	#WorkFromHomeTODAY
2	#WorkFromHomeTODAY	#FullerHouse	#FridayFeeling
3	#FullerHouse	#NewMusicFriday	#WALvFRA
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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Moro Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines
- Philippine security forces kill as many as 42 ISIL-linked militants, and captures their stronghold in the predominantly Muslim Lanao del Sur province. Three Philippine Army soldiers were also killed during the fighting. (Reuters)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- Al-Shabaab militants storm a Somali Youth League hotel in Mogadishu. At least 14 are reportedly killed.(The Independent) (NY Times)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Seven Libyan National Army soldiers are killed fighting ISIL militants in Benghazi. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Dow Chemical agrees to pay $835 million to settle a decade-long, price-fixing, class-action dispute. Dow states that the uncertainty about the U.S. Supreme Court makeup following Justice Anton Scalia’sdeath means there is an “increased likelihood for unfavorable outcomes for business involved in class action suits.” The urethane chemicals case, from 2005, was against a number of companies; Dow had been the only defendant not to settle. (Reuters) (Reuters via Winnipeg Sun)

Disasters and accidents

Air Kasthamandap Flight 9N-AJB, from Nepalgunj headed to the Jumla District, crashes in a field in the Kalikot District mountains in northern Nepal, killing the two pilots and injuring all nine passengers, one seriously. (CNN) (The Kathmandu Post)

Health and medicine

Because of the risk of Zika virus infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends pregnant women consider not traveling to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics in August, and/or for the 2016 Summer Paralympics the following month. (Reuters) (CDC)

International Relations

Syrian Civil War peace process
- The Syrian cessation of hostilities truce is in effect, as of midnight, Saturday, local Syrian time (10:00 p.m. UTC Friday/5:00 p.m. EST Friday). (Reuters)
- The United Nations Security Council, via resolution 2268, endorses the truce which has been agreed to by nearly 100 rebel factions. The ceasefire does not apply to military actions against terrorist organizations, such as ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria). (RT) (text via U.S. State Dept.)
- United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura says, assuming the ceasefire holds, he will reconvene formal peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, March 7. (The Daily Telegraph)

Law and crime

Eleven prison inmates are killed in Papua New Guinea while trying to break out of Buimo jail in Lae as part of a 90 person jail break. (BBC)
Following yesterday’s Constitutional Court of Turkey ruling that their rights had been violated, two Turkish journalists, jailed on terrorism charges, are released after 92 days in prison. (AFP via GlobalPost)(Journal of Turkish Weekly)
A gunman from a rural area near Belfair, Washington (U.S.), kills four members of his family, including two children, and, after a multi-hour standoff with police, also kills himself. A 12-year old girl, who was not shot, is alive. (The Seattle Times)
University of California, Berkeley, alerts 80,000 people of a cyber attack on a system that stores Social Security and bank account numbers. There is no evidence the hacker(s) took any personal information.(Reuters)

Politics and election

Iranian elections, 2016
- Voters in Iran go to the polls for a Islamic Consultative Assembly and Assembly of Experts elections. (New York Times)
Irish general election, 2016
- Voters in Ireland go to the polls for a general election. Exit polls indicate that the ruling coalition of Fine Gael party led by Enda Kenny and the Labour Party will fall short of re-election with 34% of the vote between them. (BBC), (AAP via News Limited)
Hashim Thaçi is elected the President of Kosovo by the Parliament amid violent protests. (BBC)

Science and technology

The United States Air Force unveils the Northrop Grumman B-21 long-range strategic bomber at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. The B-21 is designed to replace the aging fleet of B-1 Lancer and B-52 bombers. (The Washington Post)

Sport

Officials of FIFA meet in Zurich for the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress to select a new President of FIFA to replace Sepp Blatter. Gianni Infantino is elected with a majority of votes in the second round of voting. (BBC) (Los Angeles Times)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 27, 2016

Top News Stories –

Oregon scraps goat landscaping scheme due to cost and smell –
It seemed like an environmentally good idea at the time: Set 75 rented goats loose on 9.1 acres of [Salem] city park to chomp and chew invasive plants such as Armenian blackberry and English ivy that were choking native flora out of Minto-Brown Island Park. So the city, responding to community interest, launched a pilot project last October, contracting with Yoder Goat Rentals out of Molalla to remove the invasive species. But in a report submitted this week to the Salem City Council, the public works department revealed that the six-week project cost the city almost five times what it would normally have spent had it removed the vegetation using more conventional, and less odoriferous, methods. According to the report presented Monday, the total cost to the city for using the nannies and billies, which were “universally welcomed by park users as a pleasant pastoral addition to the scenery,” was $20,719. Ruminate on that, if you will. [Statesman Journal]

Russian troops ‘lose’ field gun after holiday salute –
Russian soldiers have been left red-faced after losing a large artillery piece in the middle of the city of Volgograd, it’s reported. Surprised locals called the police after finding the weapon – a World War Two-era ZiS-3 76mm mobile field gun – blocking the pavement of a major thoroughfare near the centre on Tuesday evening, the LifeNews TV channel reports. It turns out the gun went Awol as it was being towed back to the barracks in a column of military vehicles from the city’s Volga embankment, where it had been used in a gun salute to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day – an annual official holiday celebrating the armed forces. One eyewitness reports seeing it uncouple itself from a turning lorry and trundle backwards onto the roadside, coming to rest only 1m (3ft) from a parked car. “Only a bit more, and it would have ended up in the front passenger seat,” he says. It’s not clear whether the troops noticed the loss, as the witness says they “carried on as if nothing had happened”. A military spokesman, however, insists the servicemen did spot the gun’s departure, but were unable to stop as they were in an “organised column”. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

8 Mind-Blowing Ways To Use Your Hair Dryer

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#SabadoNoClubeSDV	#TheTeddyBearCamDance	#ENGvIRE
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10	#NeverTrump	#ImSooooSingleThat	#townsongs

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- A truce is in effect, as of midnight. Russian Air Force attacks on opposition positions were reported to have been intensified before the truce took effect. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bomber kills at least 26 and injures nearly 50 in Afghanistan‘s eastern Kunar Province near the border with Pakistan. (AAP via News Limited) (NY Times)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  - At least 30 people are killed in an airstrike on a market near the Yemeni capital Sana’a. (BBC)

Law and crime

Three people are stabbed, including one person critically wounded, and several people are arrested after a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rally in Anaheim, California turns violent. (Los Angeles Times)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in South Carolina go to the polls for the Democratic Party primary. Hillary Clinton won. (ABC) (AL.com) (The Guardian)
Irish general election, 2016
- Counting begins of the votes cast yesterday with exit polls indicating that the existing coalition will not gain enough votes to govern without reaching a deal with other parties. (BBC)
Elections in Iran
- Counting of votes begins in Iran after polling hours in yesterday’s election were extended by six hours due to a heavy turnout. Reports indicate that reformist candidates are doing well in the early count.(Reuters via Swiss, info), (AP)
- Preliminary results shows that Pervasive Coalition of Reformists has won a majority in Tehran district and some other big cities, as Principlists Coalition won seats in smaller cities. (Reuters)
- Early Assembly of Experts results show that Principlists won the majority, as Reformists won 14 out of 16 seats in Tehran, although some of them also had the support of conservatives. (Reuters via Yahoo)
Thousands, including some from Australia, protest in London, England, against the renewal of the United Kingdom’s Trident nuclear deterrent system, the largest anti-nuclear rally since 1983. Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish National Party leader and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, the Welsh Plaid Cymru Party, and the Green Party participated in the march. A parliamentary vote on renewing Trident is expected this year. (International Business Times) (The Guardian)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

February 28, 2016

Top News Stories –

Oscars 2016: Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins Academy Award –
Leonardo DiCaprio has finally won his first Oscar for survival epic The Revenant, after six nominations. He was named best actor at the 88th Academy Awards, with Brie Larson named best actress for Room. Spotlight took home the best picture Oscar with Mad Max: Fury Road picking up the most awards of the night, with six accolades. Mark Rylance won the best supporting actor Oscar, with fellow Briton Sam Smith winning best original song. The ceremony had been boycotted by some Hollywood figures protesting about the lack of ethnic diversity among this year’s nominees, as all 20 nominees in the best acting or supporting acting categories are white. Host Chris Rock addressed the controversy head on as he launched the ceremony, and it was a theme that was returned to several times during the night. Rock commented he had “counted at least 15 black people” in the montage that opened the ceremony, before welcoming people to the “white People’s Choice awards”. Among the winners for Mad Max: Fury Road – nominated for 10 Oscars including best director for George Miller – was British designer Jenny Beavan, for best costume design. The Revenant won three of the 12 awards for which it was nominated. Alejandro Inarritu also won best director and Emmanuel Lubezki won his third Oscar for cinematography in a row, having won in 2015 for Birdman and 2014 for Gravity. [BBC] See List of the Day
Leonardo_DiCaprio

French cleaners scrub off street art –
Citizens of Reims in northern France have lost a brand new artwork commissioned for the town, after the anti-graffiti squad scrubbed it off. The town hall commissioned a street art mural by the country’s top graffiti artist, C215, showing a sulking boy slumped against a wall. But there was a slight hitch – the town’s cleaning department were not told not to remove it. C215, whose real name is Christian Guemy, seemed quite relaxed about it. The artist told AFP news agency what surprised him was that it was cleaned up by the same city that commissioned him. The town hall had apologised, he said. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Fastest robot to solve a Rubik’s Cube – Guinness World Records

List of the Day –

Full list of winners at the 88th Academy Awards

Best picture

Winner: Spotlight

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Best actor

Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant

Bryan Cranston – Trumbo

Matt Damon – The Martian

Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

Best actress

Winner: Brie Larson – Room

Cate Blanchett – Carol

Jennifer Lawrence – Joy

Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn

Best supporting actor

Winner: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies

Christian Bale – The Big Short

Tom Hardy – The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight

Sylvester Stallone – Creed

Best supporting actress

Winner: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara – Carol

Rachel McAdams – Spotlight

Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

Best director

Winner: Alejandro Inarritu – The Revenant

Lenny Abrahamson – Room

Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

Adam McKay – The Big Short

George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road

Best adapted screenplay

Winner: The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

Best original screenplay

Winner: Spotlight

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Straight Outta Compton

Best animated film

Winner: Inside Out

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

Best foreign language film

Winner: Son of Saul – Hungary

Embrace of the Serpent – Colombia

Mustang – France

Theeb – Jordan

A War – Denmark

Best animated short

Winner: Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay’s Super Team

We Can’t Live without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

Best cinematography

Winner: The Revenant

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

Sicario

Best costume design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

The Revenant

Best documentary feature

Winner: Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Best documentary short

Winner: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Body Team 12

Chau, Beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

Last Day of Freedom

Best editing

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Big Short

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best live action short

Winner: Stutterer

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)

Shok

Best make-up and hair

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

Best original score

Winner: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone

Bridge of Spies

Carol

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best original song

Winner: Writing’s on the Wall, Sam Smith – Spectre

Earned It, The Weeknd – Fifty Shades of Grey

Manta Ray, J Ralph & Antony – Racing Extinction

Simple Song #3, Sumi Jo – Youth

Til It Happens To You, Lady Gaga – The Hunting Ground

Best production design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

The Martian

The Revenant

Best sound editing

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best sound mixing

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Bridge of Spies

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best visual effects

Winner: Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TerminaFebreroYYo	#Oscars	#CapitalOneCupFinal
2	#FelizDomingo	#OurThreeBoys	Steph Curry
3	#OTWOLReelToReal	#CapitalOneCupFinal	#Oscars
4	#لكل_شخص_بديل_ا…	#JB22	#YL16
5	#JB22	#FoHQT500	#FramptonQuigg
6	#جمله_حق_اللي_ي…	#RIPKeith	#takemeout
7	Kenan Işık	#MafiaATVShowOrMovie	#SaturdayNightTakeaway
8	#محمد_نور	#RejectedBroadwayPlays	#DJEZ24HourSet
9	#TagueirosUnidosNoSDV	#ShakespeareSunday	#MOTD
10	#28Subat1997	#JusticeForFlint	#SocialMediaPeopleTheseDays

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Two police officers are killed after a bomb explodes in Helmand Province. (Khaama Province)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Two suicide bombers kill 70 people and injure more than 100 others at a crowded market in Sadr City, Iraq. ISIL claims responsibility for the attack. (Reuters) (RT)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- Two al-Shabaab suicide bombers kill at least 40 people in the Somali town of Baidoa. (CNN) (Reuters) (Reuters via Daily Mail)

Arts and culture

The 88th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. (US Weekly)

Disasters and accidents

Thirty-six people are believed to have died at a coal mine where a methane gas leak triggered three explosions and the collapse of the mine in Vorkuta, Russia. (NDTV)

Law and crime

2016 Thane stabbing

A man fatally stabs 14 family members before taking his own life in the Indian city of Thane. (India Today)

A Virginia police officer is killed during her first day on the job (and another two are wounded) in a domestic related shooting in Lake Ridge, Prince William County. (CNN)
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
- Cardinal George Pell, the third most senior person in the Roman Catholic Church, gives evidence to the Royal Commission in Rome dealing with his time as a priest in the Australian cities of Ballarat andMelbourne. (News Limited)

Politics and elections

South Korean opposition lawmakers’ anti-terrorism bill filibuster, which stops all other legislative business, extends its world record to 115 hours Sunday afternoon, easily besting Canada’s 58-hour session in 2011. The major issue is giving South Korea’s intelligence agency powers to monitor private communications. This parliamentary session is set to end March 11, with elections on April 13. (Reuters)
Swiss referendums, 2016
- Swiss citizens vote on four referenda, including one, proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, that would automatically expel foreigners who commit two minor crimes. Current law calls for deportation of non-citizens convicted of murder or sexual violence. (BBC) (AFP via The Guardian)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Tulsi Gabbard resigns as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee and endorses Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. (Reuters)

Sport

2016 Football League Cup Final
- Manchester City F.C. beat Liverpool F.C. 3-1 on penalties at Wembley Stadium to win the 2015–16 Football League Cup. (Mirror)

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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 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]

1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
1644 – Abel Tasman‘s second Pacific voyage began.
1704 – Queen Anne’s War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.
1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Old style.
1720 – Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on 24 March.
1752 – King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy.
1768 – Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.
1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
1864 – American Civil War: Kilpatrick–Dahlgren Raid fails: Plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.
1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
1912 – The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.
1916 – Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.
1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
1920 – Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution.
1936 – Baby Snooks, played by Fanny Brice, debuts on the radio program The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.
1936 – February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
1940 – For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.
1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, because of the war, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden’s Consul General in San Francisco.
1944 – World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
1952 – The island of Heligoland is restored to German authority.
1960 – The 5.7 Mw Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
1964 – In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).
1972 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.
1980 – Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.
1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.
1992 – First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.
1996 – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died.
1996 – Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.
2000 – Second Chechen War: Eighty-four Russian paratroopers are killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert.
2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.
2008 – The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence decides to withdraw Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan “immediately” after a leak led to his deployment being reported by foreign media.
2008 – Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.
2012 – Tokyo Skytree construction completed. Now it is the tallest tower in the world, 634 meters high, and second tallest (man-made) structure on Earth, next to Burj Khalifa.

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

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- At least 27 are people are killed and 55 others wounded following a suicide bombing at a Shi’ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala Governorate. (Reuters)

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)

Disasters and accidents

One person has died and hundreds of people have been evacuated after heavy rain in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. (Jakarta Post)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Macedonian police use tear gas after hundreds of migrants frustrated with long delays broke a gate on the border with Greece and temporarily cross the border. (Press Association via Irish Independent)
- Immigration Minister John McCallum says Canada has reached its target of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees under its program started in November 2015. (Time)

Law and crime

Pakistani authorities hang Mumtaz Qadri for his role in the murder of reformist Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer in 2011. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Calais migrant crisis
- Clashes break out inside the Calais jungle camp in the port city of Calais between migrants and riot police as officials attempted to evict hundreds of migrants from the southern section of the camp. Several tents and wooden shacks were set on fire by migrants. (The Telegraph)
School shootings
- In the United States, a 14-year-old shoots two students, who were hospitalized in stable condition, in the Madison Local School cafeteria. Two other teenagers are injured, none seriously. The southwesternOhio school, which had practiced for such an event, immediately went into lockdown; Tuesday classes are cancelled. (AP via The Citizen) (UPI) (School website)

Politics and elections

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad quits the ruling United Malays National Organisation due to concerns over “corruption” under current PM Najib Razak. (Reuters via The Age)
Hillary Clinton email controversy
- The United States Department of State releases the final batch of emails recovered from the private server of former Secretary of State and Democratic Party front runner in the race for the nomination for the 2016 presidential election. (NBC News)

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March 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

It’s Kylie Minogue versus Kylie Jenner in a battle for who owns their name –
Kylie Minogue is trying to stop Kylie Jenner from using “Kylie” as a trademark in America. And the singer’s lawyers aren’t pulling any punches. They’ve filed documents describing the Keeping up with the Kardashians star as a “secondary reality television personality” who participates in “photo exhibitionism”. They also say giving Kylie J the trademark could damage Kylie M and her other trademarks. The legal papers from KDB refer to her as a “home-schooled graduate,” saying her “photographic exhibitionism and controversial posts have drawn criticism from, for example, the disability rights and African-American communities”. [BBC Newsbeat]
Kylie Minogue (L) and Kylie Jenner (R)

Sam Smith ‘taking a break from Twitter’ after Oscars row with Dustin Lance Black –
Sam Smith says he’s taking a break from social media. It’s after Dustin Lance Black criticised him on Twitter for claiming that he was the first openly gay man to win a prize at the Oscars. Sam Smith made the comment during his acceptance speech after winning the Academy Award for best song for the theme tune to James Bond movie Spectre. “I read an article… by Sir Ian McKellen and he said no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar,” he said. “I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world. “I stand here tonight as a proud gay man and I hope we can all stand together as equals one day.” But the comments didn’t go down well with director Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar in 2009 for his film Milk. After all the online drama, the British singer said it was time to “log off for a while”.
Sam Smith tweet

Video of the Day –

Son Lux: Change Is Everything from Nathan Johnson on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#MarçoDaDetremuraSdv	#WomensHistoryMonth	#WhatItsLikeToBeADesiGirl
2	#FelizMartes	#HappyBirthdayJustinBieber	#HappyBirthdayJustinBieber
3	#YoTePropongo	#NationalPigDay	#SuperTuesday
4	#كلمه_للي_سابك	Troy Ave	#FutureTalentConf
5	#МартовскийНа�…	#MorningsWouldBeBetterIf	Happy New Month
6	#HappyBirthdayJensenAckles	Legends of the Hidden Temple	#IPBill
7	#OtegiFree	#StDavidsDay	#StDavidsDay
8	#ParecoNormalMas	#SuperTuesday	#LawsonMoneyBundle
9	#HappyBirthdayJustinBieber	#RIPHarmonizerMandy	#GIMS
10	#ماهي_قاعدتك_ب�…	#MyMotherAlwaysSaid	Freedom of Information Act

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- Three soldiers are killed and two others are injured after a Ukrainian military truck was blown up in the eastern part of Luhansk Oblast. (Ukraine Today)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- The United States Army‘s elite Delta Force captures their first suspected ISIL operative during a raid in northern Iraq. The detainee is being interrogated by the U.S. and is expected to be turned over to Iraqi officials in the coming days. (CNN)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Faulty readings from a GPS system apparently resulted in two Israeli soldiers driving into the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces sent in on a rescue mission, engaged armedPalestinians. One 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed with 10 others wounded, one seriously, in the ensuing gun battle. At least 10 Israeli soldiers were wounded. (The Washington Post) (The Daily Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

At least 18 people are killed and 16 others injured in a multi-vehicle accident involving a bus near Nahdah in northwestern Oman. Six of the dead were from Oman, four from Saudi Arabia, two from Pakistan, and one from Yemen. Five others are unidentified. (AP via ABC News)
The Peruvian Army is deployed on the country’s northern and southern coasts to help cope with El Niño-related floods that have killed at least two people and left thousands homeless. (Euronews)

Health

Zika virus outbreak (2015–present)
- The first Zika virus case is confirmed in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. (WMUR)

International relations

2016 North Korean nuclear test
- The United Nations Security Council vote on the United States–China draft resolution on North Korea is rescheduled to 10:00 a.m. EST Wednesday. Russia requests more time to review the text. (Reuters)
Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
- The United Kingdom is to send troops to Tunisia to help the Tunisian Army prevent ISIL militants from moving into the country from Libya. (Reuters)
European migrant crisis
- United Nations refugee agency spokesperson Adrian Edwards warns that Europe is on the verge, “… of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisis, …” if the rapid build-up of migrants continues at thenorthern borders of an already over-stretched Greece. There are at least 24,000 there now, including 8,500 at Idomeni, the site of yesterday’s incident. (Business Standard) (Kathimerini)
South China Sea disputes
- Filipino fishermen say China has deployed up to five ships around the disputed Quirino Atoll, also known as Jackson Atoll, in the South China Sea, preventing them from accessing traditional fishing grounds. (Reuters via Channel News Asia)

Law and crime

A grand jury in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania reports that hundreds of children were sexually abused by about 50 priests in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese over four decades. (Reuters)
Ukraine bans government officials from publicly criticizing the work of state institutions and their colleagues, after damaging disclosures last month that highlighted slow progress in fighting corruption.(Reuters)
Transgender and schools, LGBT rights in South Dakota
- In the United States, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard vetoes House Bill 1008 that would have required transgender students use bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on their gender at birth in state public schools. The bill would have been law at midnight if the governor had not acted. (Chicago Sun-Times) (NPR)
- The primary sponsor of the legislation asks fellow lawmakers not to override the governor’s veto. (The Washington Post)
Two current and one former San Francisco, California, sheriff deputies, are charged with organizing an inmate “fight club” on the seventh floor of the city’s Hall of Justice jail. (Los Angeles Times) (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and the overseas territory of American Samoa go to the polls to vote on Super Tuesday. (CNN) (BBC)
- The results show Hillary Clinton winning the Democratic Party races in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, American Samoa. Massachusetts and Virginia while Bernie Sanders has won Vermont, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Colorado. (Oregon Live), (New York Post), New York Times), (New York Times)
- Voting returns show that Donald Trump wins the Republican Party races in Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont, Arkansas and Tennessee while Ted Cruz wins Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma and Marco Rubio wins Minnesota. (New York Times) (The Washington Post), [(Vox), (Alaska)
Corruption in South Africa
- President Jacob Zuma survives a no-confidence vote in the South African Parliament in response to corruption allegations against him. (BBC)
Irish general election, 2016
- Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who rejected suggestions he should resign, says he will “fully and inclusively” engage with other parties, groups and Independents, including Fianna Fáil, as he forms the country’s government. Sinn Féin says it is not interested in forming a coalition government with Kenny’s Fine Gael party. (Irish Independent) (Irish Examiner)

Science and technology

ISS year long mission
- U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko return to Earth after 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). (BBC)

Sport

Cuba–United States relations
- MLB announces the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team will play an exhibition game with the Cuban National Team on March 22, 2016, in Havana. United States President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit the island nation then, is expected to attend. (ESPN) (Tampa Bay Times)

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March 3, 2016

March 2, 2016

Top News Stories –

Kanye West appears to have torrent site Pirate Bay open in a photo he’s tweeted –
Kanye West is in trouble over his tweets – again – after the background to a photo he posted made it look like he was illegally downloading files. He sent out a picture on Twitter showing him listening to a Sufjan Stevens track on YouTube, but fans quickly spotted other tabs he had open. One of them says “Xfer Records Serum”, but is next to others saying “Pirate Bay Torrent Xfe” and “MediaDownloader”. Deadmau5 hit out at Kanye, saying: “@kanyewest – can’t afford Serum?” Kanye’s original tweet simply said “Day 3” alongside the photo. [BBC Newsbeat]
In September 2015 West announced he will be running for US President in 2020.
Kanye West

Emirates A380 makes longest non-stop flight as airlines launch long-haul battle –
An Emirates superjumbo touched down in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday, after spending more than 17 hours in the air from Dubai – making it the world’s longest commercial scheduled flight. The Emirates A380 covered a route of about 8825 miles, before turning around and doing it all again on the way home. It beat the previous record – Qantas’s Dallas to Sydney route – by about 250 miles. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

STREET SWEEPER from Rupert Walker on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#QuartaFeiraNoClubeSDV	#TwoWordTrump	High School Musical 4
2	#FelizMiercoles	#WCH2016	#WednesdayWisdom
3	#HaydiSURaAblukayıKaldır…	#TexasIndependenceDay	#HappyValley
4	#QuienMeConoceSabe	Sports Authority	#BackInTimeForTheWeekend
5	#ALDUBMysteryBox	#WednesdayWisdom	#DolanTwinsNewVideo
6	#PrendeOCunhaSTF	#TroyeOnHits1	#MorningsWouldBeBetterIf
7	#WednesdayWisdom	#StopTheSham	European Super League
8	#كفايات_المعلم…	#1linewed	#borntobedifferent
9	#حلوه_الحياه_لما	#ICON16	#digifest16
10	High School Musical 4	#ReadAcrossAmerica	#ExOnTheBeach

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

One Chinese national is killed and three others injured in a possible militant attack on a Chinese-invested company in Laos, the official Xinhua News Agency reports. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Palestinian teenagers, from the nearby village of Qaryout, got into a Jewish settlement and stabbed an Israeli settler at his home in the Eli settlement near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. They were stopped and killed by the army. The injured settler was taken to a hospital. (Reuters)(AFP via i24news)
Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- Jordan says an overnight raid on an ISIL cell in the city of Irbid has left seven militants and one security officer dead, with five others injured. Those killed were planning to blow up civilian and military targets in the country, according to the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Nine people are killed in an attack on the Indian consulate In Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (NDTV)
Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
- The Tunisian Army kills five suspected ISIL militants near the town of Ben Gardane after they infiltrated across the border from neighboring Libya. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Mining company Samarco agrees to pay $4.4bn reais (£804m) in compensation to victims of the Bento Rodrigues dam disaster in Brazil. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Iraqi engineers warn that the Mosul Dam could collapse at anytime, resulting in a catastrophic flash flood that could kill up to one million people along the Tigris, with the major Iraqi cites of Mosul, Tikrit,Samarra and Baghdad all at risk. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad has urged American citizens to leave the area. (The Guardian)
2016 Sumatra earthquake
- The Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia (BMKG) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issue tsunami warnings, after an undersea 7.9 magnitude earthquakestrikes southwest of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean. (RT) (BOM)

International relations

South China Sea disputes
- Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario says Chinese coast guard ships that were sighted two weeks ago near the disputed Jackson Atoll in the northeast Dangerous Ground are no longer there today. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said ships were dispatched to the area in late 2015 to salvage a fishing vessel that posed a risk to navigation. Chinese ships, “… persuaded fishing boats to leave the waters in an effort to ensure safety conditions for normal navigation,” Hong said. In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei also lay claim to theSpratly Islands waters. (AP via The Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- The European Union launches a new aid program worth an initial 700 million euros (US$760 million) to address the growing refugee crisis in Greece. EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides says the so-called Emergency Assistance Instrument will be used to help migrants trapped in Greece and, if needed, in other countries on the migration route front lines. Approval by a majority of EU members is required. The next EU meeting is scheduled for Monday. (The New York Times) (Reuters) (Kathimerini)
The Gulf Cooperation Council formally designates Lebanon‘s Hezbollah militia a terrorist organization. The GCC member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.(The Washington Post)
The United Nations Security Council adopts the toughest sanctions on North Korea in twenty years due to continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program. (Fox News)

Politics and elections

Spanish general election, 2015
- The conservative People’s Party (PP) and the left-wing Podemos party, which together hold 192 seats in Spain’s 350-seat parliament following December’s election, confirm they will vote against Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez’s candidacy to form a new government. (AP via The Washington Post)

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