Tag Archives: AAP

December 13, 2014

Ben Haenow wins X Factor 2014 –
Ben Haenow has been named this year’s UK X Factor winner after going head-to-head with Fleur East in the 2014 final at Wembley Arena. The singer from Croydon, south London, was chosen by a public vote with over 10 million votes cast. Mel B the former Spice Girl and one of the four judges, missed the final due to illness. Tulisa Contostavlos stood in as her replacement.
Melanie_BMel B

FIFA dismiss complaints over report –
A complaint by US lawyer Michael Garcia who spent two years investigating World Cup corruption claims for Fifa has been dismissed by football’s governing body. Garcia’s findings were released as a 42-page summary by FIFA-appointed independent judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. Garcia said his summary was “incomplete and erroneous”. There have been calls to release the full report in the wake of Garcia’s complaint, but FIFA president Sepp Blater has said it cannot do so for legal reasons.
2014_FIFA_Announcement_(Joseph_Blatter)_Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Tournament Announcement in 2007

Indecent proposal –
A Dutchman’s attempt at a romantic wedding proposal using a mobile crane has resulted in the crane falling over and smashing into a neighbour’s roof. The man had rented a crane in the central town of Ijsselstein to descend in front of his girlfriend’s bedroom window, play her a song and ask her to marry him. Despite the disaster, in which no-one was hurt, his girlfriend accepted his offer.

Video of the Day –

Our Streets –

OUR STREETS from Jared Rosenthal on Vimeo.

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January 8, 2015

Top News Stories –

Who’s the daddy? –
A Cuban man convicted of spying in the US and committed to a double life sentence in 1998 has become a father a month after his release. Gerardo Hernandez, who was released last month by the US as part of a diplomatic thaw with Cuba, requested to have his wife artificially inseminated with his sperm while he was still in jail.
CubanFiveVaradero

Imran bowled over –
Sportsman-turned-politician Imran Khan has married his fiance, Reham, at a small wedding ceremony at his home in Islamabad, Pakistan. Khan was Pakistan’s most successful cricket captain, playing for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and leading them to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (8414079377)

Team Wiggo launched –
Former Tour de France champion and Sky Team member Sir Bradley Wiggins launches his own cycling team to help preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympics. The four-time Olympic champion will try to break the individual world hour record as part of his build-up to Rio2016. Team Wiggins will operate independently of British Cycling but the governing body has given its backing to the team.
Roubaix - Paris-Roubaix, le 13 avril 2014 (B16)Bradley Wiggins

App designers golden year –
Apple revealed today that app developers earned more than $10 billion in revenue in 2014, partly due to a 50 percent rise in billings. The App Store has grown to 1.4 million apps since launching in 2008, with 725,000 designed for the iPad.

Russia says drivers must not have ‘sex disorders’ –
The Russian government is tightening medical controls for drivers because the country “has too many road accidents”. Transsexual and transgender people are among those who will no longer qualify for driving licences and fetishism, exhibitionism and voyeurism are also included as “mental disorders” now barring people from driving.

Job for life but don’t turn up –
A.K. Verma, an executive engineer at the Central Public Works Department, India, was fired after last appearing for work in December 1990. Even after an inquiry found him guilty of “wilful absence from duty” in 1992, it took another 22 years and the intervention of a cabinet minister to remove him, the government said.

Video of the Day –

When you say you’re a swimmer –

“When You Say You’re a Swimmer” from Chris Shimojima on Vimeo.

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January 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

Paris gunmen killed after 2 sieges –
The 2 gunmen who carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre on January 7th 2015 have been killed by French police after a brief siege at a warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goele, 35km (22 miles) north of Paris. Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi were shot dead as they came out of a warehouse building firing at police. Two officers were injured. Simultaneously, Amedy Coulibaly, the man who killed a policewoman on 7th January, was shot dead at a kosher supermarket in Paris after he had killed 4 hostages – 15 hostages were rescued. Coulibaly knew one of the brothers and their respective partners had spoken on the phone more than 500 times. A total of 17 people plus the 3 gunmen have died in the 3 days.

Brand and Rascal to be studied –
The exam board Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts (OCR) plan to include evidence given by Russell Brand to a Commons select committee inquiring into drugs and an interview between Dizzee Rascal and Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman as part of the English A-level syllabus as from this September. The plans have been approved by exams regulator Ofqual amongst 37 new specifications for GCSEs and A-levels put forward by the exam board.
13-06-09 RaR Dizzee Rascal 10Dizzee Rascal

AirAsia tail section recovered –
The tail section of AirAsia flight QZ8501 that crashed while flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore has been recovered from the seabed using inflatable devices. Although the flight recorders are positioned in the tail it appears that the “black boxes” have been separated from it and the search continues.
The Indonesian navy has retrieved from the seabed the tail of the AirAsia plane that crashed two weeks ago.

Lucky he was a Dolphin –
Former Miami Dolphins running back Rob Konrad swam nine miles to shore after falling off his boat while fishing and his boat, which was on auto pilot, drifted away from him off the South Florida coast. Konrad, who played 82 games for the Dolphins between 1999-2004, was treated for hypothermia after it took 12 hours to swim to shore.

Saturn centre pinpointed –
Scientists have located the centre of the planet Saturn to within just 2 miles using ten antennae, known as the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), spread over an area from Hawaii to the Virgin Islands. The antenna assembly uses signals sent by the Cassini probe to monitor the position of the gas giant. Previously estimates of the positions of Saturn and its satellites used data received by tracking Cassini’s radio signal during its communications with Earth but the new calculations are about 20 times more accurate.
Saturn PIA06077

Video of the Day –

Horsepower –

Horsepower | Brett Rheeder from Mind Spark Cinema on Vimeo.

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January 17, 2015

Fake US tweets of start of World War 3 –
The New York Post and United Press International (UPI) have had their Twitter accounts hacked and fake tweets on economic and military news posted. On UPI’s Twitter feed the Pope was quoted as saying that “World War III has begun” and the NY Post had a tweet that hostilities had broken out between the United States and China. The attacks follow the ones on US Central Command on 12th January 2015.

Stephen Fry gets married –
Comedian, actor and QI presenter Stephen Fry (57) marries his 27-year-old partner Elliot Spencer and announced it in a tweet:
copyright @StephenFry twitter account
His “A Bit of Fry and Laurie” comedy partner and star of House M.D. Hugh Laurie responded with his own tweet:
copyright @HughLaurie Twitter account
Plans for the wedding at Dereham Registration Office in Norfolk were revealed on January 6th 2015

New running on water record –
Shi Liliang, a monk from Quanzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province, has broken his own record for running on plywood sheets floating on water. He managed a distance of 120 meters in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan province breaking his previous best of 118 meters that he had kept.

Video of the Day –

A Guide to Cracks & Curbs: London from Stay Wild on Vimeo.
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March 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Top Gear France smashes channel ratings in first episode as critics give it the thumbs up –
Around a million viewers tuned in to Top Gear France – the best ever rating for the channel broadcasting the show, made by BBC Worldwide France reportedly for up to €400,000 per programme. The Gallic version features comic actor Philippe Lellouche, driving ace Bruce Jouanny and car expert Yann Larret-Menezo and The Stig. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day.
Philippe_LellouchePhilippe Lellouche

Zayn Malik leaves One Direction tour after being signed off with stress –
Zayn Malik has left One Direction’s tour of Asia and has returned to the UK after being signed off with stress. A statement said: “Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. “The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.” On Wednesday the singer declared his love for his fiancee, Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, after photos emerged of him with his arm around another woman. [BBC]
Zayn_Malik_November_2014Zayn Malik

Russia: Gold found in roadside socks lands man in court
A Russian man has been found guilty of illegally possessing more than a dozen pieces of gold he found in some socks by the roadside, it’s been reported. Bagaudin Estermirov, from the Amur Region in Russia’s Far East, found 18 ingots of gold worth 10.5 million rubles ($171,000; £116,184), wrapped in three black jersey socks in bushes in the town of Zeya last October. A Russian district court on 17 March handed down a two-year suspended sentence for “illegal possession of a precious metal” after Estermirov fully admitted his guilt. The gold, which weighed about 8kg, was handed over to the state. [BBC]

Charlie Sheen hurls racist Twitter rant at Barack Obama –
Charlie Sheen, once the highest paid actor on US television before his career unravelled because of his drug addiction, has launched an attack on Barack Obama. The son of Martin Sheen and former star of Two and a Half Men, posted a garbled attack on the US president in the early hours of the morning on Twitter. “Barry Satera Kenya u won’t attend a soldier’s funeral uhkros da street that u kild yet u hav time 4 brackets? s a d.” Sheen’s anger appeared to be a reference to the funeral of Major General Harold Greene, a two-star general killed in Afghanistan. [Daily Telegraph]

Tag Heuer teams up with Google and Intel for Android watch –
Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer has announced it is to build an Android Wear-powered smartwatch. The firm – which is part of the luxury goods-maker LVMH Group – is forming a partnership with Google and the chipmaker Intel to create the device. Switzerland dominates the high-end watch sector. This marks the first of its companies to join Google’s wearable tech ecosystem. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Top Gear France Trailer

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May 1, 2015

Top News Stories –

Uptown Funk credits Oops Up Side Your Head writers –
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars have given The Gap Band a writing credit on their huge hit Uptown Funk, due to its similarities with their 1979 track Oops Up Side Your Head. Uptown Funk, which topped the UK chart for seven weeks and the US chart for 14, originally had six songwriters. The five writers of The Gap Band’s hit were added earlier this week, according to RCA documents seen by Billboard. It’s said to have followed a claim from publisher Minder Music on their behalf. The much-publicised Blurred Lines court case in March saw a jury order the track’s writers, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, to pay Marvin Gaye’s estate $7.4m (£4.8m) in damages because of its similarities with Gaye’s 1977 hit Got to Give It Up. [BBC] See Videos of the Day
Bruno-MarsBruno Mars

TV star Sofia Vergara in battle over frozen embryos –
Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara is in a legal battle with her former fiance, who wants to have children from the couple’s frozen embryos.
Nick Loeb said he wants a surrogate to carry and give birth to two embryos he and Vergara created through in vitro fertilisation before they split up. He said the actress, who plays Gloria in the ABC comedy, has refused. Vergara, who has been named the highest-earning actress on TV for the last three years, declined to comment. [BBC]
Sofía_VergaraSofia Vergara

Ben E King: R&B legend dies at 76 –
Ben E King, the soul and R&B singer best known for the classic song Stand By Me, has died aged 76. His publicist confirmed to The Telegraph that he died of natural causes on Thursday. The singer, loved around the world for the 1961 hit, rose to fame in the late 1950 with The Drifters, with songs including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me. The R&B singer went on to further success with Spanish Harlem, I (Who Have Nothing), and Don’t Play That Song (You Lied). [Daily Telegraph] (See List of The Day)
Ben-E-King-in-2012

Videos of the Day –

Uptown Funk compared with Oops Upside Your Head –
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

 

The Gap Band – Oops Upside Your Head

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May 10, 2015

Top News Stories –

Ant and Dec repeat Bafta success –
Ant and Dec have picked up two prizes at the Bafta Television Awards for the second year in a row. The duo won best entertainment show and best entertainment performance for their ITV show Saturday Night Takeaway. ITV’s Coronation Street also won best soap in the year it celebrated its 60th anniversary. [BBC] For full winners list see List of the Day below.

Scotland tops gay equality league –
Scotland has been rated the best country in Europe in terms of legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Scotland came top of the Rainbow Index after meeting 92% of ILGA-Europe’s criteria for equality and human rights, ahead of the UK as a whole. Equality campaigners said the ranking recognised the country’s progressive measures. But they said more needed to be done to achieve full equality. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

We Are The Faction Collective: #S02E03 from Faction Skis on Vimeo.

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June 7, 2015

Top News Stories –

Kate Moss escorted off flight ‘for being disruptive’ –
Supermodel Kate Moss has been escorted off a plane at Luton airport after reportedly being disruptive. The Easyjet flight had arrived from Bodrum in Turkey on Sunday afternoon. In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said they “were called to assist staff in escorting a passenger from a flight arriving into Luton airport this afternoon”. No formal complaints were made against her and she was not arrested. [BBC] In February 2010 Calvin Klein said of Moss – while “a great model,” she was a “difficult” person to work with.
Kate-Moss-with-Mario-TestinoKate Moss with photographer Mario Testino

Bradley Wiggins breaks UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark –
Sir Bradley Wiggins has broken the iconic hour record by completing a distance of 54.526km (33.88 miles). The 35-year-old smashed the record previously held by fellow Briton Alex Dowsett of 52.937km (32.89 miles), which was set in May. Roared on by a capacity crowd at Lee Valley VeloPark in London, Wiggins became the sixth rider to claim a Tour de France title and the hour record. “I’m just glad it’s done. It was torturous,” he said.
“That’s the closest I have ever come to what it’s like to a have a baby,” Wiggins, who becomes the fifth person in the past nine months to break the record, joked. The multiple Olympic and world champion on track and road surpassed Dowsett’s 212 laps, set in Manchester, with 1min 42secs to spare and eventually completed 219 laps.[BBC] In January 2015, Wiggins launched his own cycling team, Team Wiggins, to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Roubaix - Paris-Roubaix, le 13 avril 2014 (B16)Bradley Wiggins

Dame Helen Mirren reigns at Tony theatre awards –
Dame Helen Mirren has been named best actress in a play at the Tony theatre awards in New York. She took home the prize for her portrayal of the Queen in The Audience. Dame Helen, a previous Oscar-winner for The Queen, accepted the award saying: “Your Majesty, you did it again.” Other wins included Alex Sharp for best actor and Marianne Elliott for best directing of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which was also named best play. [BBC] See List of the Day
Helen-Mirren

Actor, Sir Christopher Lee dies, aged 93 –
See full story on June 11, 2015 when his death was announced.
Sir-Christopher-Lee-in-2013Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

Video of the Day –

My Homemade 40W LASER SHOTGUN!!!!!

List of the Day –

Tony Awards 2015 Winners –

Best musical

An American in Paris
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Best play

WINNER: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best play revival

WINNER: Skylight
The Elephant Man
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It With You

Best musical revival

WINNER: The King and I
On the Twentieth Century
On the Town

Best leading actor in a musical

WINNER: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best leading actress in a musical

WINNER: Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best leading actor in a play

WINNER: Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight

Best leading actress in a play

WINNER: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best featured actor in a musical

WINNER: Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best featured actress in a musical

WINNER: Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best featured actor in a play

WINNER: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play

Best featured actress in a play

WINNER: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best book of a musical

WINNER: Fun Home, Lisa Kron
An American in Paris, Craig Lucas
Something Rotten!, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
The Visit, Terrence McNally

Best original score (music and/or lyrics) for the theatre

WINNER: Fun Home, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron
The Last Ship, Music & Lyrics: Sting
Something Rotten!, Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit, Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best director of a play

WINNER: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best director of a musical

WINNER: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best scenic design of a play

WINNER: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It With You

Best scenic design of a musical

WINNER: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

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June 13, 2015

Top News Stories –

Sweden royal wedding: Prince Carl Philip marries ex-reality star –
Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip has married a former reality-TV star and glamour model in a lavish ceremony in the chapel at Stockholm’s Royal Palace.
Sofia Hellqvist, 30, also worked as a topless model and a yoga instructor before helping to set up a charity. Her new husband, 36-year-old Carl Philip, is third in line to the throne. Thousands of well-wishers lined the streets for the event, despite polls suggesting the Swedish royal family’s popularity is waning. They cheered as Miss Hellqvist, a 30-year-old commoner, became a princess. [BBC]
Sofia-HellqvistSofia Hellqvist

Gunman killed by police snipers after attack on Dallas police headquarters –
A police sniper has shot and killed an armed suspect in Texas hours after the gunman opened fire on Dallas police headquarters before fleeing in an armoured van. The getaway vehicle was pursued by police to a fast food restaurant parking lot in the nearby city of Hutchin, where officers disabled the vehicle, in the incident early on Saturday morning. Some hours later, police said the suspect was killed. Two explosive devices, including one described as a pipe bomb, were found earlier on outside the Dallas police building. They have both been cleared. One detonated when a bomb disposal robot attempted to move it, but nobody was injured. [Daily Telegraph]

Queen’s birthday honours list: knights outnumber dames five to one –
Men outnumber women by almost five to one in the highest honours announced for the Queen’s birthday, which sees knighthoods for comedian Lenny Henry, trade unionist Paul Kenny and singer-songwriter Van “the Man” Morrison. For only the second time in honours history, more women received awards – 51% of all recipients – but just seven are made dames, compared with 33 knighthoods for men, reflecting a gender imbalance at the highest levels of industry, business, politics and academia. [Guardian] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

BEAT DOWN from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015 – [For full list click here from the Metro]

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Henry Angest. National Treasurer Conservative Party. For political service. (London)

Professor Harshad Kumar Dharamshi Bhadeshia F. R.S., Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. For services to Science and Technology. (Cambridgeshire)

The Rt Hon Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns. Member of Parliament for Chelmsford. For parliamentary and political service. (Essex)

Dr Philip Henry Montgomery Campbell. Editor in chief Nature. For services to Science. (London)

Dr Kevan Arthur Collins. Chief executive Education Endowment Foundation. For services to Education. (London)

Naim Eliahou Dangoor, CBE. Philanthropist. For charitable services. (London)

Michael Lawrence Davis. Chair Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission. For services to Holocaust Commemoration and Education.

Ciaran Gearoid Devane. Chief executive Macmillan Cancer Support. For services to Cancer Patients. (London)

Professor Charles Peter Downes, OBE, FRSE. Principal and vice-Chancellor, University of Dundee. For services to Higher Education and Life Sciences. (Newport-on-Tay, Fife)

Gareth Owen Edwards, CBE. For services to Sport and for charitable services. (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan)

Bernard Peter Gray. Chief of Defence Materiel Ministry of Defence. For public service, particularly to Defence. (Oxfordshire)

Patrick Head. Director Williams Hybrid Power Ltd. For services to Motorsport. (London)

Lenworth George Henry, CBE. Actor and Comedian. For services to Drama and Charity. (London)

The Rt Hon Simon Henry Ward Hughes. Member of Parliament for Bermondsey and Old Southwark. For public and political service. (London)

Thomas Baird Jeffery, CB. Director general, Department for Education, Children’s Services and Departmental Strategy Directorate. For services to the Department for Education. (Lewes, East Sussex)

Dr Karl William Pamp Jenkins, CBE. Composer. For services to Composing and Crossing Musical Genres. (London)

Paul Stephen Kenny. General secretary GMB Union. For services to Trade Unions. (London)

Dr James Loy Macmillan, CBE. Composer and conductor. For services to Music. (Glasgow)

Francis McLoughlin, CBE. Principal, City and Islington College and Chair, Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning. For services to Further Education. (London)

Iain Macleod McMillan, CBE. For services to the Scottish Economy. (Falkirk, Stirling and Falkirk)

George Ivan Morrison, OBE. For services to the Music Industry and to Tourism in Northern Ireland. (Down)

Professor Stephen John Nickell, CBE, FBA. Economist. For services to Economics. (Banbury, Oxfordshire)

Dr Nicholas Beaver Penny, FBA. Director general, National Gallery. For services to the Arts. (London)

Professor Hussein Munir Pirmohamed. David Weatherall Chair of Medicine University of Liverpool. For services to Medicine. (West Kirby, Merseyside)

Andreas Whittam Smith, CBE. For public service particularly to the Church of England. (London)

Gary Keith Verity. Chief executive Welcome to Yorkshire. For services to Tourism and the Tour De France Grand Depart 2014. (North Yorkshire)

Professor Ian Vincent Derrick Weller. Emeritus Professor of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Department of Infection and Population Health, University College, London.

For services to HIV Research. (Grantham, Lincolnshire)

Nicholas John Weller. Executive Principal Dixons Academies, Bradford. For services to Education. (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Adrian Edwin White, CBE, DL. For services to International Trade and Investment. (Dorking, Surrey)

 

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June 14, 2015

Top News Stories –

Philae comet lander wakes up, says European Space Agency –
The European Space Agency (Esa) says its comet lander, Philae, has woken up and contacted Earth. Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by its mothership, Rosetta, last November. It worked for 60 hours before its solar-powered battery ran flat. The comet has since moved nearer to the Sun and Philae has enough power to work again, says the BBC’s science correspondent Jonathan Amos. An account linked to the probe tweeted the message, “Hello Earth! Can you hear me?” On its blog, Esa said Philae had contacted Earth, via Rosetta, for 85 seconds on Saturday in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.
@Philae2014/Twitter
Artist's impression of the Philae landerArtist’s impression of the Philae lander

Jurassic World takes $511m in record opening weekend –
The fourth instalment in the Jurassic Park series has become the first film to take more than $500m at the box office on its opening weekend. Jurassic World was the most popular screening in all 66 countries where it was released. The film made $204.6m (£131.4m) in the US, according to the firm Exhibitor Relations. It took $100m in China and $29.6m (£19m) in the UK and Ireland as part of the record global total of $511.8m. The Universal Pictures release had the second-highest grossing opening weekend in the US. The record is held by Marvel’s The Avengers, which took $207.4m in 2012. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

Jurassic World – Official Global Trailer

List of the Day –

Biggest Worldwide film openings since 2002 [from Wikipedia]

Rank Film Year Opening (USD)[1]
1 Jurassic World 2015 $511,800,000
2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011 $483,189,427
3 Furious 7 2015 $397,627,459
4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 $394,022,354
5 Marvel’s The Avengers 2012 $392,538,708
6 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 $392,471,109
7 Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 $382,425,000
8 Spider-Man 3 2007 $381,660,892
9 Iron Man 3 2013 $372,553,677
10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011 $350,653,677
11 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 2007 $343,972,864
12 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 2012 $340,667,634
13 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 $332,715,157
14 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2010 $330,017,372
15 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 2005 $303,949,700
16 Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014 $302,138,390
17 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 2011 $291,022,261
18 The Twilight Saga: New Moon 2009 $274,939,137
19 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 2014 $273,897,634
20 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008 $272,150,927
21 X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014 $262,866,321
22 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 $250,000,534
23 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $248,887,295
24 Avatar 2009 $241,571,046
25 The Da Vinci Code 2006 $232,074,037
26 2012 2009 $230,470,474
27 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse 2010 $228,893,465
28 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012 $222,617,303
29 Iron Man 2 2010 $220,766,270
30 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2009 $219,921,171
31 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 2009 $218,430,064
32 The Hunger Games 2012 $211,785,747
33 Alice in Wonderland 2010 $210,101,023
34 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013 $209,845,197
35 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 $207,197,367
36 War of the Worlds 2005 $203,061,125
37 Man of Steel 2013 $201,981,486
38 The Matrix Revolutions 2003 $201,390,000
39 Iron Man 2008 $201,174,140

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August 10, 2015

Top News Stories –

Google unveils surprise restructuring under Alphabet –
Google has unveiled a surprise restructuring, creating a new parent company called Alphabet Inc. Under the rebranding, Google will retain its best-known businesses, such as search, apps, YouTube and Android. Some of the newer entities, such as the investment and research divisions, the “smart-home” unit Nest, and the drone arm will be run under Alphabet. Google founder Larry Page said it would create a simpler structure for what had become a diverse group of businesses. The name Alphabet was chosen for two reasons, Mr Page said. It represents language, “the core of how we index with Google search”, and because Alpha-bet means “investment return above benchmark, which we strive to do”. [BBC]

Tom Davies, 19, becomes ‘youngest person to cycle the world’ –
A British teenager is thought to have become the youngest person to cycle around the world. Tom Davies, 19, from Battersea, England, finished an 18,000-mile journey on Sunday raising more than £50,000 for several charities. Around 100 of his family and friends welcomed him home. During the six months he was away, he had to run away from a group of monkeys, was chased by dogs in Albania and raced an emu in Australia.

Video of the Day –

PATAGONIA 8K from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.

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September 18, 2015

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Rugby World Cup 2015 Opening Day celebrated with Google Doodle –
Google has marked the start of the 2015 Rugby World Cup with a special doodle. In the doodle, the “G” of Google is transformed into an animated rugby player running through the rain with a rugby ball under his arm.
According to Matt Cruickshank, who designed the doodle, it is intended to celebrate “the girth and gracefulness of the 2015 World Cup players”. “Having grown up playing rugby in England, I can still feel the muddy squelch in my boots lining up on the pitch for lessons,” he said. “After a few concepts I concentrated on the vice like grip of an arm around the ball and how this could be used as a ‘G’. I even added rain for the full effect.” [Daily Telegraph]
Google Rugby World Cup logo

Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army –
President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services. Fanning, 47, has been a specialist on national security issues for more than two decades and has played a key role overseeing some of the Pentagon’s biggest shipbuilding and fighter jet programs. Fanning’s nomination, which must go to the Senate for confirmation, reflects a major shift for the Pentagon, which only four years ago prevented openly gay troops from serving in the military. The policy didn’t extend to civilian leaders, such as Fanning. [Washington Post]
Eric_K_FanningEric Fanning

Video of the Day –

1 Question That Reveals a Narcissist: “The Science of Us” Episode 9

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November 18, 2015

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Jonah Lomu: New Zealand rugby union great dies aged 40 –
New Zealand rugby union great Jonah Lomu has died aged 40. Lomu, who scored 37 tries in 63 matches for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002, had been diagnosed with a rare and serious kidney condition by 1996. It forced him to quit the game and he had a kidney transplant in 2004, but the organ stopped functioning in 2011. Despite never winning the World Cup, he is the joint top try-scorer in its history – alongside South Africa wing Bryan Habana, scoring 15 tries in 11 games. He was at his best at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, terrifying defensive lines with his speed and size – 192 cm tall (6 feet 4 inches) and weighing about 119 kilograms (18 stone 10 pounds). [BBC]
Jonah_LomuJonah Lomu in 2014

Australian police search for men on park-bench vehicles –
Australian police are looking to identify a group of men filmed riding motorised park benches on public roads in Perth. Footage of the nine men casually rolling through an intersection in Scarborough on Sunday has gone viral. While witnesses said they were amused by the spectacle, police said there were real dangers involved. They said the men could face several charges, including driving an unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicle. “Police are concerned for the safety of those riding on the tables with no protective clothing, especially when on roads alongside motor vehicles,” Western Australian police said in a Facebook post. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Can You Survive Only Eating Bacon?

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January 11, 2016

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Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or over Ronaldo & Neymar –
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player for the fifth time. The 28-year-old Argentine had 41.33% of the vote, with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76%) second and Barca’s Neymar (7.86%) third. Either Messi or Ronaldo, who became a three-time winner last year, have won the past eight awards. United States midfielder Carli Lloyd, who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, won the women’s award. England coach Mark Sampson was beaten to the women’s football coach of the year award by USA boss Jill Ellis. [BBC] See List of the Day
Lionel MessiLionel Messi

Video of the Day –

EHANG184, world’s first Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

List of the Day –

Past Ballon d’Or winners

2014: Cristiano Ronaldo 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo 2007: Kaka
2012: Lionel Messi 2006: Fabio Cannavaro
2011: Lionel Messi 2005: Ronaldinho
2010: Lionel Messi 2004: Ronaldinho
2009: Lionel Messi 2003: Zinedine Zidane

Messi’s 2015 in numbers

  • 61 games, 52 goals and 26 assists.
  • A goal every 101 minutes and an assist every 202 minutes.
  • Best minutes-per-goal rate – 80 – of anyone scoring a minimum of 10 goals across Europe’s top five leagues during 2015.
  • Directly involved in 49 goals in La Liga – 34 scored and 15 assists – which was the joint-most with Ronaldo in 2015 across the top five European leagues.
  • Scored in all six club tournaments in 2015, as Barcelona won five of them.

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6 David Bowie #NAIAS #BringSnacksToAMovie
7 #من_علامات_الج�… #alayma David Bowie
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10 #VHMCensurado #WorkTogether Davey Cameron

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  • New Year’s Eve sexual assaults in Germany
    • Thousands of protesters in Leipzig demonstrate against a record refugee influx they blame for mass sexual violence at New Year’s Eve events in Cologne and other German cities. Many chanted ‘We are the people’, ‘Resistance!’ and ‘Deport them!’. The rally was organized by a local chapter of PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident). Six Pakistani men and one Syrian man were also attacked by so-called vigilantes in Cologne, following calls on social media for “revenge” in the wake of the New Year’s Eve assaults. (Daily Mail)
Sport

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February 5, 2016

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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_2010Dave 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
Sotheby’s
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

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February 10, 2016

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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 tweetSophina DeJesus NY Times tweet

Video of the Day –

Sophina DeJesus UCLA Floor 2016 vs Utah 9.925

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February 11, 2016

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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
Nature tweet

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 Harrison Ford

Video of the Day –

LIGO Gravitational Wave Chirp

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February 22, 2016

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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]
KeshaKesha

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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February 27, 2016

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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

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March 6, 2016

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Nancy Reagan dies –
Nancy Reagan, the former first lady, died on Sunday at home in Los Angeles at the age of 94. A much-loved figure in America, Mrs Reagan – who like her husband moved from being a Hollywood star to living in the White House – died from congestive heart failure. Born in New York, Mrs Reagan grew up in Chicago before moving to California to pursue an acting career. She met her future husband in Hollywood, when she was blacklisted for suspected Communist sympathies and she turned to Reagan, then president of the Screen Actor’s Guild, for advice. The couple married in 1952. [Daily Telegraph]
Nancy_Reagan_in_1983Nancy Reagan in 1983

Leicester City fan cashes out £72,000 on Premier League bet –
A Leicester City fan, who stood to win £250,000 from a £50 bet on his team winning the Premier League, has cashed out for £72,000. The Warwickshire man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bowed out of the 5,000-1 wager on Saturday. Hours later his stake would have been worth £91,000 after the Foxes beat Watford 1-0, said Ladbrokes. The winner said: “It will mean so much if we win, so there’s no point in being greedy.” [BBC]

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YETI Presents “Malloy Brothers” from Farm League on Vimeo.

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July 10, 2016

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Andy Murray wins Wimbledon by beating Milos Raonic –
Britain’s Andy Murray became Wimbledon champion for the second time with a superb performance against Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic in the final. The Scot, 29, dismantled the Raonic serve in a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) victory to repeat his triumph of 2013 and claim a third Grand Slam title. Murray is the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1935. “I’m proud to have my hands on the trophy again,” said Murray. [BBC]
Andy_MurrayAndy Murray

Euro 2016: Portugal beats France 1-0 in extra-time through Eder wondergoal to claim first title –
A dramatic wondergoal from striker Eder has won Portugal its first European championship, breaking French hearts with a 1-0 win at the Stade de France. After a goalless 90 minutes, most notable for an early injury to Cristiano Ronaldo and the influx of moths that took over the stadium, Portugal began to take over the match in extra-time and substitute Eder proved the match-winner. After cutting inside past two French defenders, the Lille striker unleashed on his right boot past Hugo Lloris, stunning the vocal home crowd and sending the Portugal bench into euphoria.

Eder Eder (R)

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NB Underground from New Balance Numeric on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Wimbledon Mens Champions in Open Era

Year Country Champion Country Runner-up Score in the final
1968  AUS Rod Laver  AUS Tony Roche 6–3, 6-4, 6–2
1969  AUS Rod Laver  AUS John Newcombe 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4
1970  AUS John Newcombe  AUS Ken Rosewall 5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
1971  AUS John Newcombe  USA Stan Smith 6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4
1972  USA Stan Smith  ROU Ilie Năstase 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
1973  TCH Jan Kodeš  URS Alex Metreveli 6–1, 9–8(7–5), 6–3
1974  USA Jimmy Connors  AUS Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
1975  USA Arthur Ashe  USA Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
1976  SWE Björn Borg  ROU Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–2, 9–7
1977  SWE Björn Borg  USA Jimmy Connors 3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
1978  SWE Björn Borg  USA Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
1979  SWE Björn Borg  USA Roscoe Tanner 6–7(4–7), 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
1980  SWE Björn Borg  USA John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7(16–18), 8–6
1981  USA John McEnroe  SWE Björn Borg 4–6, 7–6(7–1), 7–6(7–4), 6–4
1982  USA Jimmy Connors  USA John McEnroe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4
1983  USA John McEnroe  NZL Chris Lewis 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1984  USA John McEnroe  USA Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 6–2
1985  FRG Boris Becker  ZAF Kevin Curren 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–4
1986  FRG Boris Becker  TCH Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
1987  AUS Pat Cash  TCH Ivan Lendl 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–5
1988  SWE Stefan Edberg  FRG Boris Becker 4–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–2
1989  FRG Boris Becker  SWE Stefan Edberg 6–0, 7–6(7–1), 6–4
1990  SWE Stefan Edberg  FRG Boris Becker 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4
1991  GER Michael Stich  GER Boris Becker 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
1992  USA Andre Agassi  CRO Goran Ivanišević 6–7(8–10), 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4
1993  USA Pete Sampras  USA Jim Courier 7–6(7–3), 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–3
1994  USA Pete Sampras  CRO Goran Ivanišević 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 6–0
1995  USA Pete Sampras  GER Boris Becker 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 6–4, 6–2
1996  NED Richard Krajicek  USA MaliVai Washington 6–3, 6–4, 6–3
1997  USA Pete Sampras  FRA Cédric Pioline 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
1998  USA Pete Sampras  CRO Goran Ivanišević 6–7(2–7), 7–6(11–9), 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1999  USA Pete Sampras  USA Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
2000  USA Pete Sampras  AUS Patrick Rafter 6–7(10–12), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–2
2001  CRO Goran Ivanišević  AUS Patrick Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7
2002  AUS Lleyton Hewitt  ARG David Nalbandian 6–1, 6–3, 6–2
2003   SUI Roger Federer  AUS Mark Philippoussis 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
2004   SUI Roger Federer  USA Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
2005   SUI Roger Federer  USA Andy Roddick 6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4
2006   SUI Roger Federer  ESP Rafael Nadal 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3
2007   SUI Roger Federer  ESP Rafael Nadal 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2
2008  ESP Rafael Nadal   SUI Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7
2009   SUI Roger Federer  USA Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14
2010  ESP Rafael Nadal  CZE Tomáš Berdych 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
2011  SRB Novak Djokovic  ESP Rafael Nadal 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3
2012   SUI Roger Federer  GBR Andy Murray 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
2013  GBR Andy Murray  SRB Novak Djokovic 6–4, 7–5, 6–4
2014  SRB Novak Djokovic   SUI Roger Federer 6–7(7–9), 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 5–7, 6–4
2015  SRB Novak Djokovic   SUI Roger Federer 7–6(7–1), 6–7(10–12), 6–4, 6–3
2016  GBR Andy Murray  CAN Milos Raonic 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–2)

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January 2, 2017

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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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  • 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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