Top News Story –

Libya’s Col Muammar Gaddafi killed, says NTC

Libya’s ex-leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has been killed after an assault on his birthplace of Sirte, officials say.

The circumstances of his death are not yet clear. Video has emerged purporting to show Col Gaddafi being captured alive and bundled on to a truck.

Fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council (NTC) said they found him hiding in a hole, and shot him when he tried to escape.

Col Gaddafi was toppled in August after 42 years in power.

Acting Justice Minister Mohammad al-Alagi told the AP news agency Saif al-Islam had been captured and taken to hospital with a leg wound.

A corpse that officials identified as that of Mutassim has been laid out in a house in the city of Misrata, where locals have been queuing to take pictures.

The body of Col Gaddafi has also reportedly been taken to Misrata.

Nato, which has been running a bombing campaign in Libya for months, said it had carried out an air strike earlier on Thursday.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said French jets had fired warning shots to halt a convoy carrying Col Gaddafi as it tried to flee Sirte.

He said Libyan fighters had then descended and taken the colonel.

Proof of Col Gaddafi’s fate came in grainy pieces of video, first circulated among fighters, and then broadcast by international news channels.

The first images showed a bloodied figure presumed to be Col Gaddafi.

Later, video emerged of the colonel being bundled on to the back of a pick-up truck after being captured alive.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syria says it will execute anyone who participates in “terrorist acts”, under a new law. (CNN)
• Chinese police beat protesters and fire tear gas after demonstrators storm government buildings in Haimen (70km NNW from Shanghai), in protest against a local ‘polluting’ coal-powered electricity generation plant. (AFP via Google)

Arts and culture

• Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna condemns a court case in Russia that could see the Bhagavad Gita As It Is holy book banned there. (BBC) (Hindustan Times) (The Economic Times)(The Statesman)

Disasters

• The death toll from Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines rises to nearly 1,000. (CBC)
• A Socata TBM-700 small plane crashes onto Interstate 287 in Northern New Jersey, killing 5. (New York Times)

International relations

• Diplomats from the European Union, Non-aligned Movement and the Arab States Group on the UN Security Council criticise Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

• Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan appears before the Leveson Inquiry via videolink from the United States to deny knowledge of hacking at the paper. (BBC)

Politics

• Death of Kim Jong-il:
  • The body of Kim Jong-il lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. (Al Jazeera)
• Villagers rebelling in village of Wukan in southern China, say they will hold talks with the government and demand concessions in return for calling off a march. (Reuters)
• Joseph Kabila is sworn in as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the presidency being contested by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. (ABC)
• Thousands of Egyptian women demonstrate against abuses by military police. (New York Times)

Science

• Worldwide controversy erupts over a plan by Dutch scientists to publish findings relating to the development of a mutated strain of H5N1, that could potentially cause a worldwide pandemic that could kill millions. Bioterrorism watchdogs also express immense concern over the development of the virus (which is presently stored in Erasmus MC, Rotterdam). (Russia Today) (FOX News)
• Two Earth-sized planets, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20d, are found orbiting a star 950 light-years away from Earth. (Wall Street Journal)

Sport

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association announces that it is penalizing the Ohio State Buckeyes football program with a one-year bowl game ban, among other penalties, as a result of a scandal at the program. Former head coach Jim Tressel is given a 5-year show-cause penalty as well. (ESPN)

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Lance Armstrong stripped of all seven Tour de France wins by UCI

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by cycling’s governing body.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has accepted the findings of the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) investigation into systematic doping.

UCI president Pat McQuaid said: “Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. He deserves to be forgotten.”

McQuaid added that Armstrong had been stripped of all results since 1 August, 1998 and banned for life.

Armstrong, 41, received a life ban from Usada for what the organisation called “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.

The American overcame cancer to return to professional cycling, before winning the Tour de France for a record seven times in successive years from 1999 to 2005.

He has always denied taking performance-enhancing drugs but chose not to fight Usada’s charges against him.

[BBC]

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• The Israeli air force strikes a rocket launching squad in the northern Gaza Strip, reportedly killing three, following rocket fire on southern Israel from Gaza and a mortar attack on an IDF patrol near the border. (Al Jazeera) (The Times of Israel)
• Riot police in Kuwait attack demonstrators with teargas, stun grenades and batons. (Al Jazeera)
• Syrian civil war: A Jordanian soldier dies during a gunfight between Jordanian troops and Islamic militants attempting to cross the border into Syria. (CTV News)
• 2011–2012 conflict in Lebanon: The Lebanese Army launches an operation to quell the sectarian violence in Beirut triggered by the assassination of Wissam al-Hassan. (Voice of America)
• Police authorities in South Africa admit the shooting of 34 miners by police “may have been disproportionate” to the danger faced by those in charge. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• A Kindle user from Norway has her account wiped and all her paid-for books deleted by the American multinational electronic commerce company Amazon.com. (The Guardian)

Business and economics

• A former Goldman Sachs employee blows the whistle on the investment bank having routinely taken advantage of charities and pension funds to increase its profits. (The Guardian)
• The chairman of the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve, likely will not stand for re-election to that post. Ben Bernanke has reportedly told friends he will leave when his term ends in January 2014 regardless of who wins the Presidential election campaign. (New York Times)

International relations

• The UK doubles its number of RAF armed “drones” operating in Afghanistan and, in a new development, drones are to be controlled from terminals and screens on British soil. (The Guardian)
• France plans to use drones in Mali. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Six Italian scientists and an ex-government official are convicted of multiple manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison over the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake after prosecutors accuse them of being “falsely reassuring” before the event. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
• Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are exiled to remote prison camps located in Perm and Mordovia, home to parts of the Soviet-era gulag system. Their exact locations are unknown, even to their lawyers and family members. They had petitioned to be held in Moscow which would have allowed them to watch their young children grow. (The Guardian)
• Peter Rippon, the BBC Newsnight editor responsible for dropping an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against Jimmy Savile, steps aside from his role with immediate effect. (The Independent) (BBC)
• The body of a female found late Monday in a recycling container in Clayton, New Jersey is preliminarily determined to be that of missing 12-year-old girl Autumn Pasquale according to police (NBC)

Politics and elections

• Okinawa‘s legislative assembly passes a resolution expressing “overwhelming indignation” at the alleged rape of a Japanese woman by two U.S. soldiers, the latest of 5,747 crimes on record allegedly involving U.S. personnel over the past 40 years, and condemns the worsening criminal activity of foreign troops on the island. (Al Jazeera)

Sport

• U.S. former professional road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong is stripped by the International Cycling Union of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from participating in UCI-sanctioned events. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• A football fan is jailed after an attack on former England international goalkeeper Chris Kirkland during a match last week. Twenty-one-year-old Aaron Cawley was filmed on live television jumping from the stand and striking Kirkland with both arms on the head following a goal during the league match at Hillsborough. Kirkland, who described the assault as like being “hit by a ton of bricks”, was thrown off balance, crashed to the ground against his goal area and required treatment for his injuries. (The Guardian) (The Daily Telegraph)

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Marijuana legalization passes in Colorado, Washington

Voters in Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives Tuesday to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the biggest victory ever for the legalization movement.

“The significance of these events cannot be overstated,” said NORML, a pro-legalization organization, in a news release. “Tonight, for the first time in history, two states have legalized and regulated the adult use and sale of cannabis.”

But in many ways, it’s just the beginning of the battle. Marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, which overrules states’ rights.

“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will,” said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, in a statement. “This is a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug, so don’t break out the Cheetos or goldfish too quickly.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration reiterated its stance that marijuana is an illegal drug and that possessing, using or selling it is a crime.

“The Drug Enforcement Administration’s enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged,” said the DEA in a press statement. “In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I control[ed] substance. The Department of Justice is reviewing the ballot initiatives and we have no additional comment at this time.”

The Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office released an identical statement, saying that its position on marijuana as an illegal drug is “unchanged.”

[CNN]

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejects an offer to safely leave Syria and vows to “live and die” in the country. (CBC)

Business and economy

• Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, confirms the overhaul of euro banknotes, beginning with the €5 note. (The Journal)

Law and crime

• Jared Lee Loughner, the perpetrator in the 2011 Tucson shooting, is given 7 consecutive life sentences. (Los Angeles Times)

Politics and elections

• Two days ahead of the Irish children’s referendum, the Supreme Court—ruling against the government’s distribution of information on the referendum—finds the government has breached the 1995 McKenna judgement requiring that referendums be explained to the public in an unbiased manner. The referendum’s website is immediately taken down. (Irish Independent)
• The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is opened in Beijing, during which current Paramount Leader Hu Jintao is expected to step down to make way for presumptive leader Xi Jinping. (BBC)
  • Tibetans launch protests in response to the congress. (Los Angeles Times)
• U.S. President Barack Obama announces his intention to visit Burma later this month, which would make him the first U.S. President to visit the country. (BBC)

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Connecticut school shooting: Children among 27 killed

A gunman has killed 20 children and six adults at a primary school in the US state of Connecticut, police say.

The gunman, who also died, has not been formally identified by police.

But officials told US media that the killer at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, was a 20-year-old son of a teacher. He is thought to have killed her before the attack.

It is one of the worst-ever US school shootings, with a toll close to the 32 who died at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Early reports named 24-year-old Ryan Lanza as the gunman, but anonymous officials later said his brother Adam, 20, was the suspect.

He is believed to have killed their mother, Nancy Lanza, at her home before heading to Sandy Hook school. Investigators say it is unclear whether she worked there.

Ryan Lanza of Hoboken, New Jersey, was being questioned by police, US media reported, but has not been named as a suspect.

[BBC]

UPDATE – The shooter was confirmed as Adam Lanza

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war:
  • American admiral James G. Stavridis, NATO‘s Supreme Allied Commander Europe claims that Scud missiles fired by Syria at rebel forces have landed “fairly close” to the border with Turkey. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Kenneth Kendall, who became the BBC‘s first in-vision television newsreader in 1955, dies aged 88. (BBC)
• Gene Wolfe wins the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy“. (The Guardian) (SFWA)

Disasters and accidents

• Cyclone Evan heads towards Fiji after causing at least three deaths and widespread damage in Samoa. (ABC Australia via Weatherzone) (TVNZ)
• Thirteen areas of south-west England and Wales have been warned of possible floods as the United Kingdom prepares for heavy rain. (ITV News)

Law and crime

• A shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, leaves 28 people dead, including 20 children, 6 teachers, the shooter, and his mother. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNN) (WABC) (The Boston Channel) (The Wall Street Journal) (The Washington Post)
• A 36-year-old man identified as Min Yingjun attacks an elderly woman with her own knife at her home, then stabs 22 children outside the nearby Chenpeng Village Primary School in Xinyang, Guangshan County, Henan, China. The attack on the children occurred as they were arriving for classes, and most of the victims are thought to be 6–11 years old. (Xinhua) (CBC News) (Sky News) (The Indian Express)
• The Crown Prosecution Service decides that computer hacker Gary McKinnon will face no charges in the United Kingdom over his activities. (BBC)
• Former British Labour Party MP Margaret Moran is given a two year supervision and treatment order after falsely claiming £53,000 in expenses. A judge had earlier ruled she was unfit to stand trial because of mental health issues. (BBC)

Politics and elections

• Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans celebrate the successful launch of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 satellite in Pyongyang‘s Kim Il-Sung Square. (AFP via SBS News)
• Avigdor Lieberman resigns as the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister and as Deputy Prime Minister following an indictment for fraud. (BBC)

Sport

• FIFA announces Moscow‘s Luzhniki Stadium will stage both the opening match and the final at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Also FIFA chooses four cities for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup that will take place in the Russian cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi. (Reuters via Yahoo!) (RIA Novosti)
• The 2014 Tour de France will start in the northeastern English county of Yorkshire. A third stage will be held in southern England with a finish in London before the race moves into France. (ESPN) (AFP via Google) (Cycling News)
• Lionel Messi wins World Soccer‘s 2012 Player of the Year award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrés Iniesta. Vicente del Bosque is chosen as the Manager of the Year. (World Soccer) (Marca)
• Australian surfer Joel Parkinson wins the 2012 ASP World Tour at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Oahu, Hawaii. (Courier Mail)

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Andy Murray claims Wimbledon crown, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets

ANDY Murray ended Britain’s agonising 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men’s singles champion on Sunday when he destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the blistering heat of the All England Club.

The 26-year-old became the country’s first male winner since Fred Perry in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started, Jesse Owens defied Hitler at the Berlin Olympics and Gone With The Wind was published.

It was Murray’s second Grand Slam title to follow his breakthrough triumph at the US Open in 2012 which followed his Olympic gold medal as well as a heartbreaking, tearful loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.

However, Sunday’s title showdown, between two men who have now contested three of the last four Grand Slam finals, rarely lived up to expectations.

[News.com.au]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• A serial blast injures 5 people near Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya, in the Indian state of Bihar. (TOI)

Disasters and accidents,

• A De Havilland Otter air taxi crashes near the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, Alaska, killing all ten on board. (Associated Press via ABC News) (Peninsula Clarion)

Law and crime

• Abu Qatada, a Palestinian Muslim cleric allegedly affiliated with al-Qaeda, is deported from the United Kingdom to Jordan to face charges of terrorism. (BBC)
• Police in Sweden fatally shoot a knife-wielding man after he allegedly stabbed three people, an elderly woman fatally. (AP via News 24)

Politics and elections

• Opponents of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi call for demonstrations to be held today in the aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état (AAP via Herald Sun)

Sport

• Andy Murray of the United Kingdom wins the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets. Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. (News Limited)

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South Africa’s Nelson Mandela dies in Johannesburg

South Africa’s first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95.

Mr Mandela led South Africa’s transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison for his political activities.

He had been receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.

Announcing the news on South African national TV, President Jacob Zuma said Mr Mandela was at peace.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” Mr Zuma said.

Mr Zuma said Mr Mandela – who is known affectionately by his clan name, Madiba – had died shortly before 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT). He said he would receive a full state funeral, and flags would be flown at half-mast.

Crowds have gathered outside the house where Mr Mandela died, some flying South African flags and wearing the shirts of the governing African National Congress, which Mr Mandela once led.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was one of the world’s most revered statesmen after preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

[BBC]

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Armed conflict and attacks

• Unidentified militants attack a Defense Ministry compound in Sana’a, Yemen, killing at least 52 people and injuring 167 others. Most of the victims appear to be doctors and nurses, working at a hospital within the property. (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
• 2013 Central African Republic coup d’état:
  • The United Nations approves the creation of the MISCA peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, initially led by the African Union with French military support, to help quell the ongoing civil war, as reports emerge of more than 100 people killed during recent clashes in the capital Bangui. (Reuters)
• Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
  • Militants in Kirkuk, Iraq, attack a mall and police headquarters, killing 10 people and injuring another 70. (Xinhua)
• Post-civil war violence in Libya:
  • Unidentified gunmen shoot and kill a U.S. teacher at an international school in Benghazi, Libya. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Thalía is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Variety)

Disasters and accidents

• A major winter storm called Bodil hits the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, disrupting traffic and causing four people to be dead or missing and widespread damage amid fears of flooding along the North Sea coast. (BBC), (AFP via France 24)

International relations

• Australia and South Korea successfully negotiate a free trade agreement. (AAP via News Limited)
• Vice President of the United States Joe Biden criticizes the People’s Republic of China for a recent crackdown of foreign journalists in the country. (The Washington Post)
• United States Secretary of State John Kerry meets with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to talk about many topics including the nuclear program of Iran. (U.S. Department of State)
• Myanmar‘s Thein Sein and the Philippines‘ Benigno Aquino III ink trade agreements including those that involve renewable energy, mass media, and visa-free travel. (GMA News)

Law and crime

• Indonesia jails 14 Rohingya asylum seekers for their role in a deadly brawl in a North Sumatra detention centre that claimed 8 lives. (AP via ABC News America)
• Pope Francis, in his first major action on the still very pressing issue, gives his assent during meetings on reform of the Roman Curia to the creation of a permanent expert-member Pontifical Commission which would advise the Catholic Church on how to deal with cases of the sin and crime of sex abuse of minors by those in Church ministries (as of now, it would not be able to take corrective action against lax Bishops; dioceses and then the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are in charge of laicizing abusive clerics). (Catholic News Service)

Politics and elections

• 2013 Thai protests:
  • The King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej calls for stability as he celebrates his 86th birthday. (AP via ABC News America)
• Nobel prize winner, anti-Apartheid activist, and former South African president, Nelson Mandela, dies at age 95. (World News) (BBC)

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Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin announce separation

Gwyneth Paltrow has announced her split from husband Chris Martin this morning in a statement posted to her Goop website (which has since crashed).

It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.

[Harpers Bazaar]

The statement coined a new phrase of “Consciously uncouple” [Ed]

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Arts and Culture

• A Girl Scout in Oklahoma City is reported as having sold 18,107 boxes of cookies, breaking the previous record of 18,000. (KRON)
• Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott restores Knights and Dames to the Australian Honours System through the Order of Australia. (ABC)

Business and economy

• The U.S. District Court in Manhattan finds that the trustee of MF Global may proceed with a lawsuit against former executives thereof, including former CEO Jon Corzine. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• A bus in Tak Province, Thailand, plunges into a ravine, killing 30 people and injuring 22. (BBC)
• 2014 Oso mudslide:
  • The death toll has risen to 16 with an additional 8 bodies located and scores missing. (AP via Washington Post)

Health

• The World Health Organisation estimates that air pollution contributed to seven million deaths in 2012. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

• Garda phone tapping scandal:
  • Martin Callinan resigns as Commissioner of Ireland’s Garda Síochána (national police) over his “disgusting” comment about whistleblowers made to a parliamentary committee. Callinan had also been involved in controversy over the recent surveillance/bugging of GSOC. (BBC) (The Journal)
  • As Callinan goes, details emerge that the national police have been involved in phone tapping since the 1980s: the Irish Government establishes an inquiry into the matter. (BBC)
  • A former Garda is found to have perverted the course of justice on two occasions and admits having cocaine for sale or supply. (RTÉ News)
  • A letter titled “Recordings of Telephone Conversations made and retained in Garda Stations” is leaked revealing that Callinan mentioned the telephone tapping to the Department of Justice more than two weeks ago and that the Attorney General knew on 11 November 2013. (The Journal)
• Post-coup unrest in Egypt:
  • Mohammed Badie, the guide of Egypt‘s Muslim Brotherhood, will appear in court with 680 others to face charges of incitement to kill. (BBC)
• Four men are arrested after BASE jumping from the top of the World Trade Center in New York City. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2014 Ukrainian revolution:
  • Oleksandr Muzychko, a prominent member of Ukraine’s Right Sector nationalistic party, is killed under unclear circumstances. (Moscow Times) (AP via CBC)
  • Ihor Tenyukh is discharged as Minister for Defence, to be replaced by Gen. Mykhaylo Koval following the loss of Crimea. (Washington Post)

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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian marry in Italian wedding

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have married at a fortress in the Italian city of Florence.

The E! network, which runs the Keeping Up With the Kardashians TV series, confirmed the news.

The rapper and reality TV star were joined by several hundred guests at the 16th-century Fort Belvedere.

It is the first marriage for West, and the third for Kardashian.

The rapper proposed to his wife in October on her birthday.

12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and Will Smith’s son Jaden were among the celebrities spotted in Florence.

The celebrations included horses adorned with bright colours, riders wearing huge feathers in their hats, musketeers in wigs and drum rolls.

It’s thought the wedding could earn the couple up to $21 million (£12.5m) thanks to sponsors and through the sale of exclusive photos of the ceremony.

[BBC]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen:
  • At least 27 people are killed in an al-Qaeda raid on the town of Seyoun in Hadramout province. (Reuters via Trust)
• Somali Civil War (2009–present):
  • An al-Shabaab-led assault at the Parliament of Somalia in Mogadishu leaves at least 10 dead, including police and militants. (BBC) (IANS via Biharprabha)
• Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
  • Boko Haram militants rampage through three villages in northern Nigeria killing 28 people. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Turkish film Winter Sleep directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan wins the Palme d’Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. (France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey with reports of serious damage on the Turkish island of Gökçeada and the cities of Edirne and Çanakkale. (World Bulletin)

International relations

• Pope Francis arrives in Amman, Jordan, for the first day of a three day trip to the Middle East. (AP)

Law and crime

• Mahafarid Amir Khosravi is executed for masterminding the largest fraud case in Iran since the 1979 Revolution. (AP via USA Today)
• At least 3 people are killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, Belgium. (BBC)
• 2014 Isla Vista killings: The suspected gunman in the May 23 spree killing in Santa Barbara, California, is named as Elliot Rodger. (BBC)
• 2014 Thai coup d’état:
  • The Thai military arrests 35 more individuals, including prominent academics. (BBC)

Politics and elections

• European Parliament election:
  • Voters in the European Union go to the polls for a multi-day European Parliamentary election. Voters in Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic vote today. (Sofia Globe)
• Jacob Zuma is sworn in for a second term as President of South Africa following his recent election victory. (BBC)
• Malawian general election:
  • The President of Malawi Joyce Banda annuls the general elections in which she was a candidate because of claimed electoral irregularities. (BBC)
• 2014 Thai coup d’état:
  • The military leaders announce the dissolution of the Thai Senate. (Al Jazeera)

Science

• North America experiences a meteor shower. (WRIC-TV)

Sport

• In football, Real Madrid defeat Atlético Madrid by a score of 4-1 in extra time in the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final played at Lisbon‘s Estádio da Luz. (BBC), (AFP via Yahoo! sports)
• In rugby union, Toulon defeat Saracens 23–6 in the last-ever Heineken Cup final, successfully defending their title from last season. (ESPN Scrum)
• In mixed martial arts, T.J. Dillashaw defeats Renan Barão to become the Bantamweight champion. (ESPN)

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Top News Story –

Rachel Stevens is officially the sexiest woman of all time

Twenty years. Over 2,000 entrants. Millions of votes. But there could only ever be one winner. One woman who would rise above the rest like a glorious, sexy phoenix to be crowned the hottest woman in FHM 100 Sexiest’s 20-year history.

And that woman is… Rachel Stevens.

The former S Club 7 starlet and pin-up legend has fought off the likes of 100 Sexiest double-winners Jennifer Lopez and Cheryl Cole for the number one spot, without even topping the list before.

That being said, she’s been in the list 11 times, appeared on 8 FHM covers and has been the 100 Sexiest runner-up not once, not twice but thrice! And having a legitimate excuse to use the word ‘thrice’ in a sentence is already exciting enough…

So how do we celebrate such an outstanding achievement? Why, we put her on the cover of this very mag, of course!

And what did Rachel have to say about her big win?

“To win this award feels absolutely amazing. I’ve worked with FHM for the past decade and a half. I feel such a strong bond to the magazine and it’s so flattering to think that people think of me that way. It’s brilliant.”

[FHM]

Twitter trends [from Trendinalia] – today from USA

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine:
  • Separatists capture two Ukrainian Military bases in Luhansk Oblast as fighting continues near the rebel-held town of Sloviansk. (BBC)
• A suicide car bomber detonates his vehicle at the residence of Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi, Libya, killing 4 of his guards and injuring another 3. (Washington Post)
• A suicide bomber detonates his explosives near a military vehicle in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 5 people. (Voice of America)
• Iraqi Civil War begins.

Arts and culture

• The master stylist John Banville wins this year’s Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, announced in Oviedo, Spain. (euronews) (The Irish Times)
• Eimear McBride wins the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction with A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing, beating the American Donna Tartt‘s 771-page opus The Goldfinch. (The Guardian)

Business and economics

• Japanese life insurance company Dai-ichi Life purchases financial service holding company Protective Life for $5.7 billion. (Bloomberg)
• American multinational private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts purchases American new media company Internet Brands for $1.1 billion. (Los Angeles Times)

Law and crime

• Mexico passes a law that increases the minimal sentence for kidnappers from 20 to 40, and the maximum from 50 to 140. (InSight Crime)
• Authorities in China crack down on dissidents on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. (Human Rights Watch)
• 35 people, including Giorgio Orsoni, the Mayor of Venice, are arrested in Italy on corruption charges in connection with the MOSE Project. (BBC)
• The Attorney General of Germany, Harald Range, opens an investigation into the alleged NSA surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. (BBC)
• The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague urges China to respond to Philippines v. China, the case filed by the Philippines regarding the Nine-dotted line. (Voice of America)
• Moncton shooting
  • In the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, an armed gunman shoots five RCMP officers, killing three. (CBC)

Sports

• In basketball, the attorney for banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling tells ESPN that Sterling will drop his lawsuit against the NBA and will allow the sale of the team to Steve Ballmer to go through. (ESPN)

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Top News Story –

More than 100 celebrities hacked, nude photos leaked

Celebrities including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence were the target of what appears to be one of the biggest celebrity hackings.

Dozens of private, nude photographs were said to be accessed from phones and leaked online, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. The pictures were allegedly taken from a cloud-based Internet data storage system.

Posts on the websites 4chan and Reddit said the celebrities were exposed when a hacker broke into their cloud-based storage.

Online posts claim more than 100 celebrities are part of the illicit cache and that more photos will be released.

Explicit images of the “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence appeared online, showing the 24-year-old in various stages of undress.

A spokesperson for Lawrence told CBS News the posts are “a flagrant violation of privacy” and said “the authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.”

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead was also exposed online.

The 29-year-old tweeted about the hack Sunday and said she took the photos with her husband years ago in the privacy of her home and shamed the hackers saying, “Hope you feel great about yourselves.”

Nickelodeon actress and singer Victoria Justice, 21, took to Twitter and wrote, “These so called nudes of me are FAKE people,” reports CBS Los Angeles.

CBS Los Angeles also reported singer Ariana Grande’s rep said nude photos of Grande are also fakes.

Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton was also hacked and confirmed through a rep that the photos of her were legitimate.

[CBS News]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Pakistan unrest
  • Pakistani protesters armed with sticks and stones clash with police in the centre of Islamabad after protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif turn violent. All schools in the capital have been closed as a result of the clashes. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
  • The Pakistan Television Corporation goes off air after protesters storm its headquarters. (BBC)
• 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
  • Ukrainian forces battle pro-Russian rebels near Luhansk International Airport. The area is encircled by the pro-Russian forces for over 3 weeks. (BBC)
  • Valeriy Heletey, Ukraine‘s Defence Minister, accuses Russia of launching a “great war”. (BBC)
• Four people are arrested after an attempted bombing in Manila‘s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (CNN)

Law and crime

• A gunman shoots dead two people and injures a third at the Work and Income office in Ashburton, New Zealand, before fleeing on a bicycle. The town is locked down for seven hours while police search for and apprehend the suspected gunman. (NZ Herald)
• Mohammad Reza Rahimi, former Iranian vice president, is convicted to a prison term for his role in the 2011 embezzlement scandal. (Al Jazeera)

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