Top News Stories –

Jay Z says Tidal is ‘doing just fine’ with 770k subscribers –
Jay Z is not one for writing a lot of tweets – but he’s just put out a “stream of consciousness” defending his music streaming service, Tidal. Launched last month with some very high profile backers, critics have said that the company has been a bit of a flop, with low subscriber numbers. But Jay Z says: “Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. “We are here for the long haul.” Jay Z bought Tidal from a Swedish company, Aspiro, earlier this year, for $56m (£37m). There was a spike in interest when he re-launched it on 30 March but then dropped out of the top 50 for downloaded music apps on the US iTunes store. The company also got rid of its CEO and announced redundancies earlier this month but also said it was looking for new staff. [BBC]
Jay Z

Catch of the day: Fisherman reels in 76lb cod in biggest-ever catch by British angler –
A fisherman is celebrating after catching what is believed to be the largest cod ever caught by a British angler using rod and line. Matthew Lowery, a pharmacist from Newcastle, was on a fishing trip to Norway when the cod weighing 76lb 1oz went for his bait. The 39-year-old spent 10 minutes reeling it up through 40 metres of water before hauling it on board his boat half a mile off the island of Soroya. It was still 27lbs off the world record for a cod caught two years ago by German angler Michael Eisele. [Daily Telegraph]

George Clooney set to run London Marathon 2016 after losing bet –
George Clooney, the Hollywood actor, is poised to run next year’s London Marathon after losing a bet with a celebrity friend. The heart-throb reportedly promised Christy Turlington he would take part in the 2016 race if she finished in under four hours. Miss Turlington, a Calvin Klein model, completed the 26.2-mile course on Sunday for her charity Every Mother Counts in three hours and 45 minutes. Clooney is said to have claimed he will run next year while wearing one of her organisation’s T-shirts. [Daily Telegraph] In March Clooney applied for permission to build a 12-seater home cinema and luxurious swimming pool to his 17th century country estate in Sonning-on-Thames, England.
George Clooney

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Boko Haram
  • Hundreds of people have been found dead in the northern Nigerian town of Damasak, probably killed by Boko Haram. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Business and economy

• Fitch Ratings downgrades Japan‘s credit rating to A over mounting debts. (Reuters via CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• 2015 Nepal earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquakes in Nepal rises to more than 3,700 with reports that tens of thousands of people are homeless. There are fears that the death toll could rise to over 5,000. (AP), (Reuters via Daily Mail)

International relations

• Philippines President Benigno Aquino III asks Indonesian President Joko Widodo to spare the life of Mary Jane Veloso, a migrant domestic workersentenced to death for drug trafficking. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Law and crime

• Opposition activists protest for a second day over President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza‘s decision to run for a third term in office. At least two people were killed yesterday in protests. (BBC)
• Death of Freddie Gray, 2015 Baltimore riots
  • Violent rioting and protests including looting occur near the Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore after the funeral of Freddie Gray with fifteenBaltimorean police officers being injured. (Reuters), (USA Today)
  • Larry Hogan, the Governor of Maryland, puts the National Guard on alert in response to the riots. The Mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake declares a curfew from Tuesday. (AP via ABC News), (ABC News Baltimore)

Politics and elections

• Kazakhstani presidential election, 2015
  • The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe reports that the voters in the presidential elections in Kazakhstan had a limited choice due to the lack of opposition and restrictions on free political expression. Kazakhstan’s freshly re-elected president has been ruling the country since the time of the Soviet Union. (Reuters via Daily Mail)
• Sudanese general election, 2015
  • Sudan‘s Electoral Commission declares that incumbent President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir won re-election with 94.4 per cent of the vote extending his 25 year rule. He has been indicted multiple times by the International Criminal Court for being personally responsible for war crimes committed in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan. (AP)

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