Yearly Archives: 2017

January 1, 2017

Top News Stories –

Mariah Carey stormed out of 2016 with a technical meltdown –
Mariah Carey had a very public and very embarrassing end to 2016. She had a massive technical meltdown during her performance at a New Year’s Eve party. And it wasn’t exactly an intimate gig – it was the New Year’s Eve party in Times Square in New York. Thousands of people watched there, millions more saw it on American TV. She said: “We’re missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is. “We didn’t have a sound check, but it’s New Year’s baby. That’s ok.” It didn’t look ok though. She half-heartedly mimed a few bars and then decided not to bother. “I’m going to let the audience sing, OK?” she said. Her male dancers carried on, as she diva-strutted across the stage. At one stage she asked “I wanted a holiday too, can I not have one?” As the song ended, she said “That was…. amazing.” Finally, she told the audience: “It just don’t get any better”, and walked off stage. [BBC]
Mariah_CareyMariah Carey

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Armed conflicts and attacks
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
  • Campinas massacre
  • Spanish and Moroccan authorities clash with migrants on the Moroccan-Spanish border along Ceuta, as they attempt to climb and rush the border fence. (Express UK)
  • Police arrest Anthony K. Boisvert after a foot chase in Lebanon, New Hampshire, charging him in the setting a fire which destroyed an abandoned building on January 2016, and two other fires, one which destroyed the historic First Baptist Church on December 2016 and stabbing two at a condominium complex December 29. (The New Hampshire Union Leader)
  • Authorities seek three men after they rob $6 million on New Year’s Eve from the offices of high-end jewelry designer Gregg Ruth in New York City. (ABC NYC)
Politics and elections

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January 2, 2017

Top News Stories –

Argentina: Uproar as new year message omits disputed Falklands –
A new year’s message by Argentina’s social development ministry has caused uproar after it excluded the disputed Falkland Islands from the country’s map. Former combatants and social media users said the message was offensive to those who died in the 1982 war. The ministry has apologised, saying it was a mistake by the design team. The islands are a British territory in the Atlantic claimed by Argentina, where they are known as the Malvinas. President Mauricio Macri, who took office in December 2015, promised a “new kind of relationship” with the UK, a step seen as aimed at boosting Argentina’s flagging economy. [BBC]

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Armed conflicts and attacks
Disasters and accidents
Law and crime
  • 2017 Manaus prison riot
  • In New Haven Connecticut, two men are suspected of approaching a man claiming to have a gun, took his cellphone and wallet. Then they stole his SUV and apparently lost control as they were killed when their stolen SUV accidentally crashed into and seriously damaged a synagogue (Hartford Courant)
  • In Dearborn Michigan the driver and passenger of a minivan being pursued by police for missing plates were killed when they struck a car, lost control and hit several parked vehicles. (Huron Daily Tribune)
  • In Detroit, Michigan an African American man was shot in the head driving a car which crashed, police are searching for two men who ran from the car after the crash (WXYZ)
  • A first-year New Rochelle Police officer crashed his Jeep into a tree, killing passenger Isaac “Hooshie” Ward. He will be charged with vehicular manslaughter as his Blood Alcohol Content was above the legal limit (newrochelletalk)
  • Huzaifa Shafeeq was arraigned on burglary charges after police say the stole from a Long Island mosque charity box on Christmas and New Years Day. Islamic Center board member said the amount taken wasn’t large, but called police as the thief needed help. (ABC7NY)

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January 3, 2017

Top News Stories –

Anchor Megyn Kelly to join NBC after 12 years with Fox News –
Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly, who has worked at the channel for 12 years, is leaving the network to join NBC, her publicist has confirmed. Ms Kelly will host her own daytime news and discussion program at NBC, as well as presenting an in-depth Sunday night news show. The move deprives Fox News of its second most-popular host after Bill O’Reilly. Ms Kelly’s contract with Fox was due to end later this year.
She was pushed into the international spotlight in 2015 when she accused Donald Trump of misogyny during a Republican presidential debate. She later said that she would “not apologise for doing good journalism”, following criticism from Mr Trump’s supporters. [BBC]
Megyn Kelly

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January 4, 2017

Top News Stories –

French cyclist Robert Marchand sets new record aged 105 –
He may not be the fastest cyclist round a velodrome, but he is easily one of the oldest. Robert Marchand has clocked up 105 years and now a new record for the furthest distance cycled in one hour. The French cyclist managed 22.547km (14 miles) at the national velodrome, taking the top spot in a new category – for riders over 105. Mr Marchand already holds the record for those aged over 100 – 26.927km – set in 2012. He “could have done better”, he says, but missed a sign showing 10 minutes to go. “My legs didn’t hurt,” he told BFMTV. “My arms hurt but that’s because of rheumatism.” [BBC]
Robert_MarchandRobert Marchand (centre) in 2012

List of the Day –

Cycling hour record – Wikipedia

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January 5, 2017

Top News Stories –

Crash was economists’ ‘Michael Fish’ moment, says Andy Haldane –
The failure to predict the financial crisis was a “Michael Fish” moment for economists, the Bank of England’s chief economist has said. Andy Haldane compared financial forecasts to the famously inaccurate forecast by the BBC weatherman, ahead of the UK’s great storm of 1987. He said the profession was “to some degree in crisis” following the 2008-09 crash and the Brexit vote. The Bank denies claims it gave gloomy forecasts to support the Remain side. [BBC]
Andy_HaldaneAndy Haldane

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Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
  • Following a start-of-year hike to the price of gas, widespread riots and looting mostly targeting gas stations, supermarkets and department stores take place in several cities in Mexico. Over 250 people are said to have been arrested so far while blockades to PEMEX installations potentially lead to critical situations in some states. (Reuters)
  • Sears Holdings announces that 108 Kmart and 42 Sears stores will close in the United States in 2017, affecting retailers in 40 states. The company also announced it is selling its trademark Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker for $900 million. (USA Today), (Bloomberg)
Politics and elections
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January 6, 2017

Top News Stories –

Intel report says Putin ordered campaign to influence US election –
A declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering a campaign to influence the U.S. election and hurt Hillary Clinton’s candidacy – findings made public after officials briefed President-elect Donald Trump. The report said: “We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” [Fox News]
Vladimir-PutinVladimir Putin

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Assassins Creed hand drawn animation

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January 7, 2017

Top News Stories –

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi writes choral music for Birmingham Cathedral –
Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi has swapped his heavy metal roots for an ecclesiastical project by writing and producing a piece of choral music. The five-minute acoustic arrangement for Birmingham Cathedral was a huge departure for the musician once accused of being a Satanist. The 68-year-old said the song, How Good It Is, was to give something back to the city he hails from. He said the track was “just a little bit different to Sabbath”. The project was born out of his friendship with the Dean of Birmingham, the Very Reverend Catherine Ogle, which developed when he was battling cancer in 2012. The lyrics for the piece were inspired by Psalm 133 which talks about people living together in unity which “is what Birmingham is all about”, Dean Ogle said. [BBC]
Tony Iommi

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Everybody wants to kill Bruce 2 from Pierre-Alexandre Chauvat on Vimeo.

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Science and technology
  • Free University of Berlin chemists confirm that carbon can bond with more than four atoms, previously seen as its limit because carbon has only four shareable electrons. The researchers used X-rays to, for the first time, map the molecule — a carbon atom bonded to six other carbon atoms. (Science News), (ZME Science)

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January 8, 2017

Top News Stories –

Meryl Streep rallies Hollywood while ‘La La Land’ scores big at the 2017 Golden Globes –

The 74th Golden Globe Awards were held Sunday and “La La Land” was the top winner in the motion picture categories, while “The Night Manager,” “The Crown” and “Atlanta” claimed top awards on the television side. One of the evening’s most memorable moments was Meryl Streep rallying her colleagues during her very political speech when accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. “Take your broken heart, make it into art,” she said, quoting Carrie Fisher. [Los Angeles Times]
Meryl Streep

List of the Day –

Golden Globe winners [Daily Telegraph] –

Film

  • Best motion picture (drama) – Moonlight
  • Best motion picture – (musical or comedy) – La La Land
  • Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
  • Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – Isabelle Huppert – Elle
  • Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – (musical or comedy) – Ryan Gosling – La La Land
  • Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – (musical or comedy) – Emma Stone – La La Land
  • Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture – Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Nocturnal Animals
  • Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture – Viola Davis – Fences
  • Best director – Damien Chazelle – La La Land
  • Best original screenplay – La La Land
  • Best motion picture – foreign language – Elle – France
  • Best motion picture – animated – Zootopia
  • Best original song – City Of Stars – La La Land
  • Best original score – Justin Hurwitz – La La Land

Television

  • Best television series – drama – The Crown
  • Best television series – musical or comedy – Atlanta
  • Best performance by an actor in a television series – Billy Bob Thornton – Goliath
  • Best performance by an actress in a television series – Claire Foy – The Crown
  • Best performance by an actor in a television series – musical or comedy – Donald Glover – Atlanta
  • Best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy – Tracee Ellis-Ross – Black-ish
  • Best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television – Tom Hiddleston – The Night Manager
  • Best performance by an actress in a limited series or motion picture made for television – Sarah Paulson – The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
  • Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television – Olivia Colman – The Night Manager
  • Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television – Hugh Laurie – The Night Manager

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January 21, 2017

Top News Story –

Women’s March

Women’s March, demonstrations held throughout the world on January 21, 2017, to support gender equality, civil rights, and other issues that were expected to face challenges under newly inaugurated U.S. Pres. Donald Trump. The march was initially scheduled to be held only in Washington, D.C., but “sister marches” arose throughout the United States and numerous other countries. According to some estimates, as many as 4.6 million people attended the various events in the United States, and it was widely believed to be the largest single-day demonstration in that country’s history.

The demonstrations were held on January 21, 2017, the day after Trump’s inauguration. The turnout far exceeded expectations. According to organizers, more than 670 events were held on seven continents. Although estimates varied, it was believed that between 3.3 million and 4.6 million people attended the marches in the United States, while total worldwide participation was reported to be about 5 million. The central demonstration in Washington, D.C., swelled to approximately 500,000 people, which was thought to be double the attendance of the presidential inaugural celebration.

[Encyclopedia Britannica]

Twitter trends [from Trendinalia] – today from UK

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January 20, 2017

Top News Stories –

Donald Trump is sworn in as 45th President of the United States –
There is some dispute to the size of the inauguration crowd, starting an acrimonious war of words between the new president and the press.


The President and First Lady at the Liberty Ball on Inauguration Day

Video of the Day –

How did The Mall in Washington fill up in 2009 compared to 2017 – Daily Mirror

List of the Day –

US Presidents 1 – 45 – source Wikipedia

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February 26, 2017

Oscars 2017: Moonlight wins best picture after announcement mix-up –
Moonlight has won best picture at the Oscars – but only after an error saw La La Land initially declared the winner. The La La Land producers were in the middle of their acceptance speeches when the mistake was discovered. PriceWaterhouseCooper, the accountancy firm responsible for counting the ballots, apologised for the mix-up. La La Land still ended up the biggest winner of the night, taking home six Oscars including a best actress award for Emma Stone. [BBC]
Emma Stone (By Disney / ABC Television Group (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons)

 

List of the Day –

89th Academy Award Winners (Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (double-dagger))

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  • Millions of residents in the Chilean capital Santiago are left without access to running water after the Maipo River is contaminated by flooding and landslides. At least four people have died in the floods. (BBC)
  • 16 people dead in northern India after a truck carrying villagers to church overturned on a mountain road. (DW)
Politics and elections
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February 26, 2017

Top News Stories –

Oscars mistake: Moonlight wins best picture after announcement mix-up –
Moonlight has won best picture at the Oscars – but only after Faye Dunaway initially said La La Land had won. Warren Beatty was handed the previous winner’s envelope, containing a card saying “Emma Stone, La La Land”, resulting in the error. The team from La La Land was in the middle of its acceptance speeches when the mistake was discovered. Stone said backstage afterwards: “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool! It’s going to be history.” PriceWaterhouseCooper, the accountancy firm responsible for counting the ballots, said in a statement: “We sincerely apologise to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. “The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

La La Land as directed by David Lynch – Trailer Mix

List of the Day –

Winners of the 89th Academy Awards [BBC]

Best picture

  • Winner: Moonlight
  • Arrival
  • Fences
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Hell or High Water
  • Hidden Figures
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Manchester by the Sea

Best actress

  • Winner: Emma Stone – La La Land
  • Isabelle Huppert – Elle
  • Ruth Negga – Loving
  • Natalie Portman – Jackie
  • Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins

Best actor

  • Winner: Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
  • Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
  • Ryan Gosling – La La Land
  • Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
  • Denzel Washington – Fences

Best supporting actress

  • Winner: Viola Davis – Fences
  • Naomie Harris – Moonlight
  • Nicole Kidman – Lion
  • Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

Best supporting actor

  • Winner: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
  • Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
  • Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
  • Dev Patel – Lion
  • Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

Best director

  • Winner: La La Land – Damien Chazelle
  • Arrival – Denis Villeneuve
  • Hacksaw Ridge – Mel Gibson
  • Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
  • Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Best original screenplay

  • Winner: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
  • 20th Century Women – Mike Mills
  • Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
  • La La Land – Damien Chazelle
  • The Lobster – Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou

Best adapted screenplay

  • Winner: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins and Alvin McCraney
  • Arrival – Eric Heisserer
  • Fences – August Wilson
  • Hidden Figures – Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
  • Lion – Luke Davies

Best original score

  • Winner: La La Land – Justin Hurwitz
  • Jackie – Mica Levi
  • Lion – Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
  • Moonlight – Nicholas Britell
  • Passengers – Thomas Newton

Best original song

  • Winner: La La Land – City of Stars by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • La La Land – Audition by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • Moana – How Far I’ll Go by Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Trolls – Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster
  • Jim: The James Foley Story – The Empty Chair by J Ralph and Sting

Best cinematography

  • Winner: La La Land – Linus Sandgren
  • Arrival – Bradford Young
  • Lion – Greig Fraser
  • Moonlight – James Laxton
  • Silence – Rodrigo Prieto

Best foreign language film

  • Winner: The Salesman – Iran
  • A Man Called Ove – Sweden
  • Land of Mine – Denmark
  • Tanna – Australia
  • Toni Erdmann – Germany

Best costume design

  • Winner: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Colleen Atwood
  • Allied – Joanna Johnston
  • Florence Foster Jenkins – Consolata Boyle
  • Jackie – Madeline Fontaine
  • La La Land – Mary Zophres

Best make-up and hairstyling

  • Winner: Suicide Squad – Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson
  • A Man Called Ove – Eva Von Bahr and Love Larson
  • Star Trek Beyond – Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo

Best documentary feature

  • Winner: OJ: Made in America
  • 13th
  • Fire At Sea
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • Life, Animated

Best sound editing

  • Winner: Arrival – Sylvain Bellemare
  • Deepwater Horizon – Wylie Stateman and Renee Tondelli
  • Hacksaw Ridge – Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright
  • La La Land – Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
  • Sully – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

Best sound mixing

  • Winner: Hacksaw Ridge – Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
  • 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – Gary Summers, Jeffrey J Haboush and Mac Ruth
  • Arrival – Bernard Gariepy Strobl and Claude La Haye
  • La La Land – Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A Morrow
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

Best animated short

  • Winner: Piper – Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer
  • Blind Vaysha – Theodore Ushev
  • Borrowed Time – Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
  • Pear Cider and Cigarettes – Robert Valley and Cara Speller
  • Pearl – Patrick Osborne

Best animated feature

  • Winner: Zootopia
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Moana
  • My Life as a Zucchini
  • The Red Turtle

Best production design

  • Winner: La La Land – David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
  • Arrival – Patrice Vermette and Paul Hotte
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig and Anna Pinnock
  • Hail, Caesar! – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh
  • Passengers – Guy Hendrix Dyas and Gene Serdena

Best visual effects

  • Winner: The Jungle Book – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R Jones and Dan Lemmon
  • Deepwater Horizon – Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton
  • Doctor Strange – Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
  • Kubo and the Two Strings – Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould

Best film editing

  • Winner: Hacksaw Ridge – John Gilbert
  • Arrival – Joe Walker
  • Hell or High Water – Jake Roberts
  • La La Land – Tom Cross
  • Moonlight – Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon

Best documentary short

  • Winner: The White Helmets – Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
  • 4.1 Miles – Daphne Matziaraki
  • Extremis – Dan Krauss
  • Joe’s Violin – Kahane Cooperman and Raphaela Neihausen
  • Watani: My Homeland – Marcel Mettelsiefen and Stephen Ellis

Best live action short

  • Winner: Sing – Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy
  • Ennemis Interieurs – Selim Azzazi
  • La Femme et le TGV – Timo Von Gunten and Giacun Caduff
  • Silent Nights – Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson
  • Timecode – Juanjo Gimenez

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  • Millions of residents in the Chilean capital Santiago are left without access to running water after the Maipo River is contaminated by flooding and landslides. At least four people have died in the floods. (BBC)
  • 16 people dead in northern India after a truck carrying villagers to church overturned on a mountain road. (DW)
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April 16, 2017

The wait is over for April the giraffe and her legions of fans. Before an online audience of more than a million viewers, April gave birth to a healthy male calf Saturday at the Animal Adventure Park in New York. The 15-year-old giraffe delivered her calf shortly before 10 a.m. EDT in an enclosed pen at the zoo in rural Harpursville. The newborn stood up on his wobbly legs about 45 minutes after he was born. He began nursing not long after. At least 1.2 million people watched the Adventure Park’s YouTube streaming of the event. Zoo owner Jordan Patch says both mom and calf are doing fine. [Business Insider]

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Animal Adventure Park’s April the Giraffe – Live Birth – Archive footage

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May 22, 2017

Top News Story –

At least 22 killed, 59 injured in suicide attack at Manchester Arena

At least 22 people, including children, have been killed and 59 injured in a suicide bombing at a crowded pop concert in Manchester, the most deadly attack in Britain in a decade.

The horror unfolded at about 10.30pm on Monday at the end of a concert by the American singer Ariana Grande, whose music is popular with children and teenagers.

The attack, which took place in the foyer, caused hundreds of people to flee in terror, with young people at the concert separated from their parents in the chaos. It left a scene of carnage inside the concert venue, where medics described treating wounds consistent with shrapnel injury.

Greater Manchester police have confirmed that they believe the bombing was the responsibility of one man armed with an improvised explosive device. The man, named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, is among the dead.

Police raided a number of properties in south Manchester in the wake of the attack, including one address in Fallowfield where a controlled explosion was used to gain entry.

The chief constable, Ian Hopkins, said: “We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that while the attack last night was conducted by one man, the priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network.”

The investigation into the attack involves the police counter-terrorism network and Britain’s domestic security service, MI5.

The death toll would make it the worst event of its kind in Britain since the 7/7 bombing in 2005, which hit London’s transport network, killing 52 people.

[The Guardian]

Floral tributes to the victims of the attack in St Ann’s Square in Manchester city centre

[Tomasz “odder” Kozlowski]

Twitter trends [from Trendinalia] – today from UK

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September 21, 2017

Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico may be months without power –
Hurricane Maria has knocked out power across the island of Puerto Rico, home to 3.5m people, officials have said. Flash flood warnings cover the entire island, which continues to be lashed by heavy rain in the storm’s wake. Meanwhile more pictures are emerging of widespread destruction on the small island of Dominica, hit on Monday. Maria, now a category three storm, is now lashing the Dominican Republic further west and heading towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the second devastating storm to hit the Caribbean this hurricane season – the first being category five Irma earlier in September. [BBC]

NASA

Facebook Russian ads that influenced election released to Congress –
Facebook has agreed to disclose ads to Congress that were purchased by Russians on the social media platform in that country’s effort to influence the 2016 election, the company announced Thursday. CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the brief announcement in a live video update on his Facebook page. “I care deeply about the democratic process and protecting its integrity,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy — that’s not what we stand for.” [CBS]

Top Video –

Zuckerberg says Facebook will work to protect election integrity

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October 3, 2017

Russian-bought Facebook ads ‘seen by 10 million in US’ –
An estimated 10 million people in the US saw Facebook adverts bought in Russia before and after the US presidential election. The company published the numbers in a blog post as it turned over 3,000 Russian-bought ads to federal investigators on Monday. It said most ads focused on “divisive social and political messages” on issues like immigration and gun rights. Russia has denied trying to influence the election. The ads violated Facebook’s policies because they came from inauthentic accounts. Facebook said that many did not violate its content policies. The tech giant used modelling to estimate the number of users who had seen the Russian-bought ads, which it said appear to have come from a Russian entity called the Internet Research Agency.
It said that 44% of the ads surfaced before the US election. [BBC]

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October 5, 2017

Harvey Weinstein: Film producer says ‘I have caused a lot of pain’ –
Film producer Harvey Weinstein has issued an apology as a newspaper reported a number of sexual harassment allegations against him. “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it,” said the movie mogul’s statement. But he later disputed a New York Times report that claimed he harassed female employees over nearly three decades. The newspaper reported he had reached at least eight settlements with women. Mr Weinstein, a married father-of-five, said he planned to take a leave of absence from his company and had hired therapists to deal with his issue. “My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons,” the 65-year-old’s statement on Thursday said. [BBC]

Harvey Weinstein in 2011

 

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October 10, 2017

Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades –
An investigation by The New York Times found previously undisclosed allegations against Mr. Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades, documented through interviews with current and former employees and film industry workers, as well as legal records, emails and internal documents from the businesses he has run, Miramax and the Weinstein Company. In a statement to The Times on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Weinstein said: “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.” He added that he was working with therapists and planning to take a leave of absence to “deal with this issue head on.” [NY Times]

Harvey Weinstein (By David Shankbone (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

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October 30, 2017

Kevin Spacey apologises over Anthony Rapp ‘sexual advance’ claim –
Hollywood star Kevin Spacey has made an apology after being accused of making a sexual advance toward a child actor. Anthony Rapp, who was 14, said Spacey invited him to a party and seemed drunk when the alleged incident happened. Spacey, who was 26, said: “I honestly do not remember the encounter… but if I did behave then as he describes I owe him the sincerest apology.” Spacey also revealed he was now living as a gay man after years of refusing to address rumours about his sexuality. The US broadcaster, Netflix, said it was ending its popular political drama, House of Cards, which stars Spacey, after the forthcoming sixth season. [BBC]
Kevin Spacey (By MARVEL (Original photo by Yvwv.) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

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November 3, 2017

German police find ‘WW2 bomb’ was big courgette –
A German man feared a monster courgette he found in his garden was an unexploded World War Two bomb and called the police. The 5kg (11-pound) courgette had probably been thrown over a hedge into the 81 year old’s garden, police said. Luckily no evacuation was required in Bretten, a town near Karlsruhe in south-west Germany. The 40cm (16-inch) vegetable – also called zucchini – “really did look like a bomb”, police said. Once police had reassured him following the early morning call-out, the pensioner disposed of the courgette himself. [BBC]

 

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November 6, 2017

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Paradise Papers: Tax haven secrets of ultra-rich exposed –

A huge new leak of financial documents has revealed how the powerful and ultra-wealthy, including the Queen’s private estate, secretly invest vast amounts of cash in offshore tax havens. Donald Trump’s commerce secretary is shown to have a stake in a firm dealing with Russians sanctioned by the US. The leak, dubbed the Paradise Papers, contains 13.4m documents, mostly from one leading firm in offshore finance. [BBC]

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November 7, 2017

Twitter is giving everyone longer tweets, but you probably won’t use them –
The test is over — 280-character tweets are here for good. Twitter announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out longer tweets to virtually* all of its users, doubling the traditional 140-character limit to 280 characters. Twitter has been testing longer tweets since September, and claims the test proved out the company’s theory — that giving more people room to tweet results in more engagement. Twitter has been thinking about longer tweets for years, but got cold feet the last time it considered expanding the limit in early 2016. When Twitter first announced that it was testing longer tweets this fall, the service’s users freaked out, worried that giving people more room to write would ruin the brevity that makes Twitter Twitter. Shockingly, it looks like that reaction was overblown. Twitter says that just 5 percent of tweets sent by users in the test group were longer than the traditional 140-character limit. Only 1 percent of those tweets actually used all 280 characters. [Recode]

Paddington swear? Marks & Spencer Christmas advert raises eyebrows –
Marks & Spencer has been forced to defend its Christmas advert starring Paddington Bear after complaints it contains bad language. In the 90-second ad, Paddington And The Christmas Visitor, the duffle coat-wearing bear unwittingly thwarts a burglar stealing presents on Christmas Eve. After forcing the thief to return the gifts, Paddington gives him a marmalade sandwich and receives a hug in return. But the response he gets from actor Mark Benton has been heard by some viewers as less than polite. Thirlwall 14 wrote on Instagram: “Something doesn’t sound right in this new M&S advert.” Rob Souza tweeted: “I swear the burglar says “F*** you little bear” to @paddingtonbear.” As festive adverts jostle for attention, both on the screen and on social media, it is unlikely to be the sort of reaction the family-friendly retailer was hoping for. But a Marks & Spencer spokesperson told Sky News: “He’s saying, ‘thank you little bear’. We think it’s really clear. We wouldn’t change the ad.” [Sky News]

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M&S Christmas TV Ad 2017 | Paddington & The Christmas Visitor #LoveTheBear

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2 #ElectionDay David Moyes
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November 27, 2017

Royal wedding planned as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle announce engagement –
One of the world’s most eligible bachelors is officially off the market. Britain’s Prince Harry is engaged to American actress Meghan Markle, royal officials announced Monday. After the announcement, Harry confessed he had long known he would propose to Markle. “When did I know she was the one?” Harry said in response to a reporter’s question during a photo op at Kensington Palace. “The very first time we met.” [NBC News]
Meghan Markle (By Genevieve [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

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December 12, 2017

Crypto-currency Bitcoin has hit a record high of $17,300 on the Bitstamp platform –
The decentralised currency has spiked since Chicago-based derivatives exchange Cboe Global Markets launched Bitcoin futures late on Sunday. This was the first time investors could get exposure to the bitcoin market via a large, regulated exchange. [BBC Business Live]

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