December 17, 2014

Top News Stories –

US and Cuba talking again –
After 53 years of diplomatic estrangement, diplomatic relationships between the US and Cuba have been re-established. The deal was aided by a personal appeal from Pope Francis, who persuaded Cuba’s president, Raúl Castro, to agree to the freeing of the American aid worker Alan P. Gross. The pope, officials said, acted as a “guarantor” that both sides would live up to the terms of a deal reached in secret.
Alan P. Gross

Smelling the money –
Fragrances from stars such as Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Jay Z are outselling established fragrance brands such as Hugo Boss and Gucci in some UK stores. Britney’s perfumes outsell DKNY by three to one at UK store Superdrug, and Hugo Boss by two to one. Jay Z’s Gold is the best selling celebrity fragrance.
Britney Spears

Interview cancelled –
“The Interview” the film that is possibly the catalyst in the Sony Pictures hacking scandal has had its Christmas Day release cancelled after major cinema chains decided not to screen it in the US.

Michael Garcia resigns from FIFA –
Fifa’s independent ethics investigator Michael Garcia has quit in protest over the handling of his report into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Garcia said he lost confidence in the independence of judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, an ethics committee colleague after his report was summarised.

Video of the Day –

Seat 22 — Trans-Siberian Odyssey from Stanislas Giroux on Vimeo.

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December 18, 2014

Top News Stories –

Putin’s point –
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a message of defiance and ire towards the West at an annual news conference in Moscow in the face of the financial turmoil that has gripped the country. Mr. Putin put the blame on “external factors,” including Western sanctions and falling oil prices, for the collapse of the ruble.
Vladimir Putin

Closed lot –
Sony have cancelled tours of their Los Angeles studios after it was found pass codes were part of the hack recently discovered and blamed on North Korea.

Republican dig heels in on Cuba –
Republicans in Congress are trying to find a way to stop or at least slow President Barack Obama’s plan to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba. The biggest obstacle to normal ties with Cuba is the 1996 embargo and with Republicans due to take control of both houses of Congress in January, the chances of changing this look unlikely.

Mandy Rice-Davies dies
Mandy Rice-Davies the woman who was at the centre of the so-called Profumo spy/sex scandal (along with her friend Christine Keeler) that threatened to topple Harold Macmillan’s government has died at the age of 70. Rice-Davies lived with Keeler, whose affair with war minister John Profumo prompted his resignation in 1963. She also claimed to have an affair with Lord Astor, but he denied it in court to which Rice-Davies famously replied “Well he would, wouldn’t he.”

Video of the Day –

Snooze

SNOOZE from molly dickson 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.

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.

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.
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 17, 2015

January 16, 2015

Top News Stories –

Beagle 2 probe found on Mars –
Pictures taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted the missing Mars robot Beagle2, identified its landing location and it looks to be in one piece. The probe designed an promoted by the late Professor Colin Pillinger landed on Mars on 25th December 2003, but no radio contact was ever made with the probe. It was assumed to have crashed but it now seems that for some reason two of the solar panels did not deploy and the radio signal was consequently blocked.
Replica of Beagle 2 at the London Science Museum

Britain’s oldest person dies age 114 –
Ethel Lang has died at the age of 114. She was believed to be the last person living in the UK who was born in the reign of Queen Victoria. The oldest person in the world is thought to be Misao Okawa, a Japanese woman who celebrated her 116th birthday in March 2014.

Elon Musk proposes 700 mph test track in Texas –
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) the billionaire founder of PayPal tweets that he will build a test track for his “Hyperloop” transport system that could theoretically travel at speeds of up to 700 miles per hour. He tweets the most likely location for the test track that works in a partial vacuum using magnets is in Texas, USA.
Elon Musk in 2013

Video of the Day –

CNN explains Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

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September 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Novelist Jackie Collins dies aged 77 –
The novelist Jackie Collins has died of breast cancer at the age of 77, her family said in a statement. “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one-of-a-kind mother,” the statement said. The British-born writer, sister of actress Joan Collins, died in Los Angeles, her spokeswoman said. Collins’s raunchy novels of the rich and famous sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries.
In a career spanning four decades, all 32 of her novels appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. [BBC]
Jackie Collins

Japan shocks the rugby world and Twitter erupts –
80-1 outsiders to beat South Africa, Japan’s win over the two-times world champions has sent Twitter into a frenzy. Japan’s utterly well-deserved conquering of the mighty Springboks [32-34] has, unsurprisingly, made Twitter’s rugby community quite excited.The bookmakers usually know a thing or two about these things, yet more than a few people would have thought this morning that even 40-1 for the Brave Blossoms to win against the Boks was rather generous. For those who don’t understand how big a shock this was, @Burgerboxx provided an interesting, and somewhat useful, analogy. [Daily Telegraph]

Guinness World Record judicator hit in head by robot at giant Belfast Meccano bridge opening –
Engineering students have set a new world record with a 100ft footbridge made from Meccano. The temporary structure – weighing in at approximately 1,300lbs – has been built 100 feet long across Belfast’s Clarendon Dock and was unveiled at an event on Saturday. Representatives from Guinness World Records were on site to confirm it had set a record for the world’s largest ever Meccano construction. However the event did not go quite as smoothly as organisers hoped, with a giant Meccano robot believed to have malfunctioned and swiped a Guinness World Record judicator round the head.Dr Danny McPolin from the school of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, who led the project, said: “If you count all the nuts and bolts and washers, there is approximately 70,000. “In terms of the longer pieces, if they’re all laid out end-to-end I think it would be about 3.8kms – approximately 10,000 or 11,000 pieces. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Inferno – Time Slice (Bullet Time) Camera Array from Mitch Martinez on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#ALDUBMostAwaitedDate	#TalkLikeAPirateDay	#WhatDidZoeySay
2	#WhatDidZoeySay	#ItDrivesMeCrazyWhen	Brian Sewell
3	#QueenNoMultishow	#THANKYOUZAYNFORCOMINGBACK	#TalkLikeAPirateDay
4	#الشيخ_راشد_بن_…	#iHeartRadio	#iHeartRadio
5	#THANKYOUZAYNFORCOMINGBACK	#GotCastInARealityShow	Japan
6	Diego Costa	#iHeartShawnMendes	#MakeAFilmConfused
7	Granada	Leonard Fournette	Costa
8	#TeGanasMiOdioSi	#2YearsOfWhereverYouAre	West Ham
9	VoteBieberOnEMA	#SGHastaSiempre	#DavisCup
10	貞ちゃん	Diego Costa	Obama is a Muslim

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Islamist rebels execute 56 Syrian Army personnel following the capture of the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the Idlib Governorate according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Telegraph), (The News Hub)
Turkey–PKK conflict
- At least 55 are killed when Turkish warplanes hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq, according Turkey’s security sources. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- A Saudi-led military coalition bombards government buildings and residential neighborhoods in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, killing about 30 people, including civilians. Rescuers continue searching for other possible victims buried under the rubble. (AP viaOrange County Register), (Xinhuanet)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis departs from Rome to begin his Apostolic Visit to Cuba, where he will visit Havana, Holguin, and Santiago de Cuba, and meet with Raul Castro. The visit is his first there, and the third to the country by a reigning Pope. Francis will then visit the US, also his first visit there as Pope. In the US, he will address a joint session of Congress (the first by an incumbent Pope), meet with President Obama, canonize Junipero Serra, tour a prison and the World Trade Center site, hold Masses in New York, Washington, and Philadelphia, and preside over the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. (Vatican), (USCCB), (The New York Times)
Sábado Gigante, the world’s longest running variety show in television history, ends after 53 years on air. (USA Today)

Disasters and accidents

Heavy rain triggers flash floods killing 10 people in Tehran and southern Iran with eight others missing. (AP via CP24)
Ten Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad ethanol tanker cars derail and two catch fire in southeast South Dakota between the towns of Scotland and Lesterville. No injuries are reported and no nearby structures are threatened by the fire. (AP via ABC News)

Health

2015 Dengue fever outbreaks
- Authorities in the Dominican Republic issue an alert as the number of deaths (57 this year) and cases of dengue fever continue to rise. (AP via ABC News)
- The Delhi government defers elective surgery to free up 1000 hospital beds to treat a dengue fever outbreak. (Times of India)

International relations

Japanese Self-Defense Forces
- Japan’s upper chamber of Parliament approves controversial legislation, which the lower chamber passed in July, that expands the role of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces overseas. (CNN), (Mainichi Daily News)
European migrant crisis, Croatia–Hungary relations
- Hungarian security forces confiscate a Croatian train carrying 1000 migrants and disarm 40 Croatian police officers accompanying the migrants. Hungarian authorities repatriate the officers. (Sky News)
- Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanović says Croatia will ‘force’ Hungary to accept migrants by sending them to the Hungarian border. Hungary responded angrily calling Milanović “pathetic” and accused Croatia of human smuggling. (BBC)
- Croatia allows some asylum seekers to move on past its borders into Hungary and Slovenia. (Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- Italy rescues thousands of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. (Al-Jazeera)
- A five-year-old Syrian girl dies and several other refugees are missing after their boat sinks in the Aegean Sea near the Greek island of Lesbos. The Greek Coast Guard says it rescued 11 people from the boat carrying 26 people. (AFP via Asian Age),(Reuters)
Egypt’s new Cabinet is sworn in before President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a week after the previous administration resigned following a corruption scandal, and a month before parliamentary elections. The 33-member body has 16 new ministers, including two women. Sherif Ismail, petroleum minister in the last cabinet, is the new prime minister. (Egyptian Streets), (Reuters)

Law and crime

1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation launches an investigation of money laundering associated with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund. (Wall Street Journal)

Sports

2015 Rugby World Cup
- In what media called “the greatest shock in rugby history”, Japan defeat two-time World Cup champion South Africa 34–32 in Brighton. (ESPN (UK))
- In another result viewed as a surprise, Georgia defeat Tonga 17–10 in Gloucester. In the match, Georgia’s 18-year-old Vasil Lobzhanidze becomes the youngest player ever to appear in a Rugby World Cup match. (PA via ESPN (UK))

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September 21, 2015

Top News Stories –

Apple ‘sets shipping date for electric car’ –
Apple has designated building an electric car as a “committed project” and has set a target shipping date for 2019, according to reports. The project has been codenamed Titan and its leaders have been given permission to triple the 600-person team, the Wall Street Journal claimed. For Apple, a “ship date” doesn’t necessarily mean the date that customers receive a new product; it can also mean the date that engineers sign off on the product’s main features. Reports in August revealed that Apple was developing a car and studying self-driving technology, but it was unclear if the iPhone maker was designing a vehicle that could drive itself. [Daily Telegraph]

Foo Fighters ‘kicked off’ performing at Emmys after disagreement with Fox –
Dave Grohl says Foo Fighters were “kicked off” performing at the Emmy’s after a disagreement with Fox. The singer said that the band had been approached to play at the ceremony. But he says their spot was pulled after they refused to play half of Sonic Highways and half of Learning To Fly. “The band and the Academy were extremely happy and excited to have Foo Fighters play as the first ever rock band on the Emmys,” the Foos said in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine. “Fox then refused to allow the band to play a full song from the Emmy-winning Sonic Highways. [BBC Newsbeat]
Dave Grohl

Video of the Day –

Movie Phone Super Call from Burger Fiction on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	Happy Dhanteras	#StopTheGOP	#ThingsLongerThanOscarsSen…
2	#ThingsLongerThanOscarsSen…	#PLLHalloweenSpecial	Renee Zellweger
3	#NoMeSale	Renee Zellweger	#HurricaneGonzalo
4	#ZaynMalikSexiest	#ZaynMalikSexiest	Mike Read
5	Christophe de Margerie	Monica Lewinsky	#WelcomeToNewYork
6	Gough Whitlam	Christmas	Orton
7	Renee Zellweger	#ExplainAnAnimePlotBadly	#HIAC
8	#RIPOscarDeLaRenta	#RIPOscarDeLaRenta	#RAWKansasCity
9	#KwentongJEEPNEY	#ImprovedBaseball	BMTH
10	#marry	RIP Oscar de la Renta	Halloween

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Russia’s role in the Syrian Civil War
- U.S. officials say Russia has begun flying drones on surveillance missions over Syria in what would be Russia’s first military air operations in the country since the recent military build-up at a Syrian airbase in Latakia. (Reuters)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- A car bomb in Somalia kills at least six people at the gates of the presidential palace in Mogadishu. (BBC)
Iraq War (2014–present)
- An Islamic State car bomb kills at least 12 people in Baghdad. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- A Saudi-led military coalition bombardment in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, kills at least 50 people. (Reuters)
Moro conflict
- Gunmen abduct a Norwegian resort manager, two Canadians, and a Filipino from a resort in the southern Philippines. (AP)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis, on the second day of his journey in Cuba, leaves Havana for Holguin. He says a Mass at Revolution Plaza, blesses Holguin from the Loma de la Cruz area, arrives in Santiago de Cuba, flies to Santiago de Cuba, meets with the Cuban Bishops at Saint Basil the Great Seminary, and says a prayer with them at the Minor Basilica of the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre (Shrine of Our Lady of del Cobre). (CNN)

Business and economy

French regulator Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL) rejects Google, Inc.’s appeal of their order that the company remove ‘Right to be forgotten (RTBF)‘ search results worldwide. Failure to comply could subject Google to sanctions, from €300,000 (US$465,060) to 5 percent of global operating costs. The Guardian, (PC World)
Apple Inc announces that it will speed up work on an electric car to be ready by 2019. (Wall Street Journal), (VentureBeat)
Many Skype users are unable to access the service. The Microsoft-owned company acknowledges the problem. (Reuters), (Skype)

Disasters and accidents

The toll of homes destroyed by Northern California wildfires reaches 1,600. (AP)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Hungary‘s parliament passes a law allowing the Hungarian military to help handle the migrant crisis at its borders with Serbia and Croatia, including the right to use non-lethal force such as rubber bullets, pyrotechnical devices, tear gas grenades or net guns. (Reuters)
- The United States White House announces the U.S. will give $419 million more in humanitarian aid to assist Syrian refugees and the countries that are hosting them. (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

In Auckland, New Zealand, an extradition hearing for Kim Dotcom, former owner of a file sharing website, for alleged copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering begins, seeking to bring him to the U.S. (BBC)
At least eight people are killed and 45 wounded in shootings over the weekend across Chicago. (Fox Chicago)
A Denver, Colorado federal jury convicts Harold Henthorn of murder in the death of his wife Toni Henthorn, who fell off a cliff as they hiked in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park to celebrate their wedding anniversary. His previous wife had died in suspicious circumstances also. (AP)
Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell is sentenced to 28 years for Salmonella typhimurium-tainted peanut butter, the most severe punishment ever handed out to a producer in a foodborne illness case. In late 2008 and early 2009, nine people died and at least 714 people in 46 states, half of them children, fell ill. Parnell and his brother were convicted in September 2014 of 71 criminal counts. His brother Michael Parnell is sentenced to 20 years, and the plant’s former quality control manager Mary Wilkerson is sentenced to five years. (LA Times), (USA Today)

Politics and elections

Political parties in Northern Ireland hold talks to save a power-sharing agreement following claims that Irish nationalist militants were involved in the murder of a former operative. (Reuters)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker quits his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. (The New York Times)
2015 Burkinabe coup d’état
- The coup leader General Gilbert Diendéré says that he is ready to hand over power to transitional authorities as the army marches on the capital Ouagadougou. (BBC)

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September 22, 2015

Top News Stories –

Robert Lewandowski scores fastest five goals in Budesliga history –
Robert Lewandowski scored five goals in nine minutes after coming on as a substitute for Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga victory against Wolfsburg. Bayern trailed 1-0 at half-time, when Lewandowski came on for Thiago. Six minutes later, the Poland international netted his first goal of the night from close range. Lewandowski added four more in quick succession to record the fastest five goals scored by one player in Bundesliga history. [BBC]
Robert Lewandowski

Volkswagen CEO: ‘We have totally screwed up’ –
The President and CEO of Volkswagen’s US group has admitted that the company “totally screwed up” in using software to rig emissions tests. Michael Horn told an audience in New York that Volkswagen had been “dishonest” and that their actions went against their own “values”. Last Friday, US regulators said VW diesel cars had much higher emissions than tests had suggested. Some other governments have announced they will also investigate. [BBC]

Heist havoc: US bank robber shot by customer –
A US bank robber has ended up in hospital after his heist went spectacularly wrong and he was shot by a customer of the bank he was trying to hold up. The drama unfolded in the Michigan city of Warren. The robber was in the middle of holding up the bank and was about to be given money by the teller when he was shot in both arms and a leg by a bank customer, according to the Local 4 news station. The robber fled the bank but was later found by police lying on the street, bleeding. The bank robber is now in hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The customer, who had a concealed weapon licence, is co-operating with police. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

The Big Short Trailer

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#ReContraDaPara	#IfICouldTimeTravel	#ThingsLongerThanOscarsSen…
2	#IfICouldTimeTravel	#ExplainAnAnimePlotBadly	Renee Zellweger
3	Renee Zellweger	Ben Bradlee	S Club 7
4	#OttawaShooting	Halloween	#IfICouldTimeTravel
5	Happy Deepavali	#OttawaShooting	Halloween
6	S Club 7	Renee Zellweger	London
7	Ben Bradlee	Christmas	#ExplainAnAnimePlotBadly
8	#ExplainAnAnimePlotBadly	#BryantAndNashNewVideo	#StillLoveYouNoMatterWhat
9	Parliament Hill	#WorldSeriesGame2	Christmas
10	#DahilSembreakNa	#PrayForOttawa	#artRAVEManchester

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Burkinabé coup d’état
- The army of Burkina Faso arrives in Ouagadougou to seek the surrender of the Presidential Guard that staged the coup. (BBC)
- The coup leaders free President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida after the army entered the capital, Ouagadougou. Negotiations, seeking a peaceful resolution, between the chief of the army and the leader of presidential guardcontinue. (DW Akademie)
Moro conflict
- Filipino troops stage raids to attempt to capture six overseas-born hostages held by Abu Sayyaf militants. (AP)
Syrian Civil War, Russia’s role in the Syrian Civil War
- IHS Jane’s reports satellite photos, taken in mid-September, show Russian forces developing two additional military facilities near Syria’s Mediterranean coast. (Reuters)
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the type of Russian aircraft in Syria is consistent with that needed to protect their own forces. However, it is still not clear what Russia’s long-term intentions are. (Voice of America), (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. from his last stop in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, at Joint Base Andrews (formerly, Andrews Air Force Base), near Washington D.C., to start his first tour of the United States. He is received by U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia and Sasha Obama, Marian Lois Robinson, U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, his wife, U.S. Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, two Biden granddaughters, the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, military and base leaders, and Washington’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl. He will be received tomorrow morning in a second arrival ceremony, at the White House, and will meet with the President there. (The Guardian)
U.S. District Judge of California George H. King rules that Warner/Chappell Music does not hold the copyright to the song Happy Birthday to You. (Hollywood Reporter), (NBC News)

Business and economy

Volkswagen emissions violations
- Volkswagen says that 11 million vehicles could have suspect emission control software and it has set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.2 billion US dollars) for possible fines, repairs, and litigation. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Southeast Asian haze
- The haze from Indonesian forest fires worsens leaving Singapore and parts of Indonesia covered in smog. (Bloomberg via Business Times)
2015 California wildfires
- The President of the United States Barack Obama signs a disaster declaration for the Valley Fire which has claimed three lives in Lake County, California. (KCRA)

International relations

The President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos agree to gradually reopen their common border which had been closed following a Venezuelan crackdown on smuggling. (BBC)
European migrant crisis
- European Union ministers meet in Brussels and reach agreement on a plan to distribute asylum seekers. (The New York Times), (AP via Fox News)
Two Cabinet ministers from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey’s interim government resign over the increased violence in Kurdish areas of the country. Their exit leaves no opposition figures in the government. (Reuters), (Al Arabiya)

Law and crime

1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal
- The United States Justice Department launches an investigation of money laundering associated with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund, as well as the purchase of luxury properties in New York involving shell companies linked toMalaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s step-son Riza Aziz and businessman Jho Low. (Economic Times-India)
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announces a new anti-drug plan involving the substitution of legal crops for coca plantations. In July, the National Narcotics Council suspended the United States-backed aerial spraying of the crop after the World Health Organization reclassified glyphosate, the herbicide used, as a probable carcinogen. (AP via ABC News), (EFE via Fox News Latino), (COHA)

Sports

American Major League Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, manager, and coach Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, who played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–65) for the New York Yankees, dies at the age of 90. (NBC News)

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March 26, 2016

Top News Stories –

Rolling Stones treat Cuba to spectacular and historic gig –
Hundreds of thousands thronged to the Ciudad Deportiva stadium to see the British rockers, who follow hard on the heels of a visit by Barack Obama, in a week that few on this island are ever likely to forget. Amid growing hopes of reform and further opening, the Stones frontman emphasised how far the country has already come in cultural opening from the 1960s, when their songs were considered ideologically divergent. “We know that years ago, it was difficult to listen to our music in Cuba, but now here we are in your beautiful land,” Jagger said in Spanish. “I think that, finally, the times are changing. That’s true, no?” The crowd roared their agreement. [The Guardian]
Mick Jagger in 2014

Video of the Day –

Helios – Embrace from Sean Pecknold on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FelizSabado	#HolySaturday	#BirdieSanders
2	#TeGanasMiCoraSi	#10YearsOfAmazingPhil	Gazza
3	#AklımaGelmişken	#AIRMAXDAY	#AIRMAXDAY
4	#CambioDeHora	#WAcaucus	#clocksgoforward
5	#SabadoAleluiaTremuraSdv	#HowIKnowItsALie	#wcocr2016
6	#زوج_يغطي_زوجت�…	#HistoriaTristeEn3Palabras	#ENGvSL
7	#لن_ترهبوني_ان�…	#BirdieSanders	#PrayForIraq
8	#مايوجع_الراس_�…	Marcus Paige	#GERENG
9	#MafiaSemUnfSdv	#SpeedDatingPickupLines	#gogglebox
10	GO HARMONIZERS	#DCRebirth	#MorganTrump

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
  - Syrian troops advance into Palmyra on multiple fronts with the help of Russian airstrikes and take several neighbourhoods, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. However they were unable to encircle the city. (BBC)

Arts and culture

British rock band The Rolling Stones performs in Havana, Cuba, the first Western band to play an open-air free concert in the country, in what has been called a “historic moment.” Western music used to be banned in Cuba as being “ideologically divergent.” (The Guardian)
Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro announces the film, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, will not be screened at the 2016 Festival as previously announced. “Grace [Hightower] and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined,” Mr. De Niro said. “… (our) Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community … do not believe (this film) contributes to or furthers the discussion (about autism) I hoped for,” the actor/producer said. (USA Today)

Business and economics

British newspaper The Independent publishes its last print edition. (Sky News)

Health and medicine

Zika virus outbreak
- Chile confirms its first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus. The case involves a 46-year-old woman whose partner was infected while in Haiti. (Reuters)
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises women exposed to Zika, which means traveling to South American (or other) countries where the disease is rampant, have protected sex for at least two months before attempting to get pregnant. Men exposed should not have unprotected sex for at least six months. (UPI)

International relations

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford makes a proposal to President Barack Obama to increase the number of American troops in Iraq, so as to help the Iraqi Army with advisors closer to the front lines and to recapture Mosul, which fell to ISIL in June 2014. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016, Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington gather for Democratic Party caucuses. (Washington Times)
- Senator Bernie Sanders is the projected winner in Alaska and Washington. (U.S. News & World Report)

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October 9, 2016

October 2, 2016

Top News Stories –

Americans finally break through to end Ryder Cup frustration –
This was not eight years in the making. It was two decades. Two decades worth of frustration was pent up inside the American team room when it arrived to Hazeltine National this week for the 41st Ryder Cup. And two decades worth of relief was released with the force of popping champagne corks when the Americans put the finishing touches on a 17-11 rout of the Europeans Sunday, capturing the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008 and only the third time since 1999. After eight losses in the last 10 Ryder Cups, including the last three, the Americans decided enough was enough. [New York Post] [See list of the day]

Video of the Day –

OFFICIAL “PANTSUIT POWER” FLASH MOB FOR HILLARY from Celia & Mia for HRC on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Ryder Cup matches
Year	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Host country	Venue	GBI/Europe captain	United States captain
1927	United States	9½–2½	Great Britain	United States	Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts	Ted Ray	Walter Hagen
1929	Great Britain	7–5	United States	England	Moortown Golf Club, Yorkshire	George Duncan	Walter Hagen
1931	United States	9–3	Great Britain	United States	Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio	Charles Whitcombe	Walter Hagen
1933	Great Britain	6½–5½	United States	England	Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Lancashire	John Henry Taylor	Walter Hagen
1935	United States	9–3	Great Britain	United States	Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey	Charles Whitcombe	Walter Hagen
1937	United States	8–4	Great Britain	England	Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Lancashire	Charles Whitcombe	Walter Hagen
1947	United States	11–1	Great Britain	United States	Portland Golf Club, Portland, Oregon	Henry Cotton	Ben Hogan
1949	United States	7–5	Great Britain	England	Ganton Golf Club, Scarborough, Yorkshire	Charles Whitcombe	Ben Hogan
1951	United States	9½–2½	Great Britain	United States	Pinehurst Resort Course No. 2, North Carolina	Arthur Lacey	Sam Snead
1953	United States	6½–5½	Great Britain	England	Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey	Henry Cotton	Lloyd Mangrum
1955	United States	8–4	Great Britain	United States	Thunderbird Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California	Dai Rees	Chick Harbert
1957	Great Britain	7½–4½	United States	England	Lindrick Golf Club, West Riding of Yorkshire	Dai Rees	Jack Burke, Jr.
1959	United States	8½–3½	Great Britain	United States	Eldorado Golf Club, Indian Wells, California	Dai Rees	Sam Snead
1961	United States	14½–9½	Great Britain	England	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire	Dai Rees	Jerry Barber
1963	United States	23–9	Great Britain	United States	East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia	John Fallon	Arnold Palmer
1965	United States	19½–12½	Great Britain	England	Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Lancashire	Harry Weetman	Byron Nelson
1967	United States	23½–8½	Great Britain	United States	Champions Golf Club, Houston, Texas	Dai Rees	Ben Hogan
1969	United States ^[A]	16–16	Great Britain	England	Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Lancashire	Eric Brown	Sam Snead
1971	United States	18½–13½	Great Britain	United States	Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri	Eric Brown	Jay Hebert
1973	United States	19–13	Great Britain & Ireland	Scotland	Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian	Bernard Hunt	Jack Burke, Jr.
1975	United States	21–11	Great Britain & Ireland	United States	Laurel Valley Golf Club, Ligonier, Pennsylvania	Bernard Hunt	Arnold Palmer
1977	United States	12½–7½	Great Britain & Ireland	England	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire	Brian Huggett	Dow Finsterwald
1979	United States	17–11	Europe	United States	The Greenbrier, The Greenbrier Course, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia	John Jacobs	Billy Casper
1981	United States	18½–9½	Europe	England	Walton Heath Golf Club, Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey	John Jacobs	Dave Marr
1983	United States	14½–13½	Europe	United States	PGA National Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida	Tony Jacklin	Jack Nicklaus
1985	Europe	16½–11½	United States	England	The Belfry, Brabazon Course, Wishaw, Warwickshire	Tony Jacklin	Lee Trevino
1987	Europe	15–13	United States	United States	Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio	Tony Jacklin	Jack Nicklaus
1989	Europe^[A]	14–14	United States	England	The Belfry, Brabazon Course, Wishaw, Warwickshire	Tony Jacklin	Raymond Floyd
1991	United States	14½–13½	Europe	United States	Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina	Bernard Gallacher	Dave Stockton
1993	United States	15–13	Europe	England	The Belfry, Brabazon Course, Wishaw, Warwickshire	Bernard Gallacher	Tom Watson
1995	Europe	14½–13½	United States	United States	Oak Hill Country Club, East Course, Rochester, New York	Bernard Gallacher	Lanny Wadkins
1997	Europe	14½–13½	United States	Spain	Valderrama Golf Club, Sotogrande, Andalusia	Seve Ballesteros	Tom Kite
1999	United States	14½–13½	Europe	United States	The Country Club, Composite Course, Brookline, Massachusetts	Mark James	Ben Crenshaw
2002	Europe	15½–12½	United States	England	The Belfry, Brabazon Course, Wishaw, Warwickshire	Sam Torrance	Curtis Strange
2004	Europe	18½–9½	United States	United States	Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan	Bernhard Langer	Hal Sutton
2006	Europe	18½–9½	United States	Republic of Ireland	K Club, Palmer Course, Straffan, County Kildare	Ian Woosnam	Tom Lehman
2008	United States	16½–11½	Europe	United States	Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky	Nick Faldo	Paul Azinger
2010	Europe	14½–13½	United States	Wales	Celtic Manor Resort, Twenty Ten Course, Newport	Colin Montgomerie	Corey Pavin
2012	Europe	14½–13½	United States	United States	Medinah Country Club, Course 3, Medinah, Illinois	José María Olazábal	Davis Love III
2014	Europe	16½–11½	United States	Scotland	Gleneagles, PGA Centenary Course, Perth & Kinross	Paul McGinley	Tom Watson
2016	United States	17–11	Europe	United States	Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minnesota	Darren Clarke	Davis Love III

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- An ISIL sniper in Sirte, Libya, shoots dead Dutch photographer and war correspondent Jeroen Oerlemans. (The Independent)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Matthew, at Category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), temporarily stalls as it heads towards Jamaica and Haiti. Weather forecasters expect tropical storm conditions today with landfall tomorrow. Further, they expect rainfall of 20 inches, with up to 40 inches in some parts of southern Haiti. (BBC), (NBC News), (The National Hurricane Center)
- Weather forecasters issue hurricane warnings for eastern Cuba, from Las Tunas to Guantánamo provinces. (The Los Angeles Times), (The National Hurricane Center)
2016 Ethiopian protests
- Police allegedly attack Oromo protestors at a religious festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia causing a stampede which kills dozens of people. (BBC)
A Ravn Alaska Cessna 208B crashes near Togiak, Alaska killing three people. (The Alaska Dispatch News)

International relations

Aftermath of the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announces March 2017 as the deadline for triggering Article 50 and says that her government will introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” that will repeal theEuropean Communities Act 1972 once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. (BBC)

Law and crime

Authorities arrest a Japanese man for killing as many as 48 elderly patients at the Oguchi Hospital in Yokohama. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

Hungarian migrant quota referendum, 2016
- Voters in Hungary go to the polls for a referendum on whether to accept mandatory European Union quotas on relocating migrants. While an overwhelming majority of voters reject the EU’s migrant quotas, turnout was too low to make the poll valid. (BBC), (Reuters)
Brazil municipal elections, 2016
- Brazilian voters cast ballots in the nationwide election of mayors and city councils in 5,568 municipalities. Pollsters predict that the Workers’ Party will fair poorly. This is the country’s first election since theimpeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff. (Reuters), (Bloomberg)
Colombian peace agreement referendum, 2016
- Referendum voters in Colombia narrowly fail to ratify a peace deal between the Government of Colombia and FARC. (Reuters), (Deutsche Welle), (BBC)
Marino Riccardi and Fabio Berardi take office as the Captains Regent of San Marino. (San Marino RTV)

Sports

2016 Ryder Cup
- In golf, the United States wins the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. (The New York Post)
2016 NRL Grand Final
- In Australian rugby league, the Cronulla Sharks defeat the Melbourne Storm 14–12 to win their first premiership after 50 years in the competition. (ABC News Australia)
Major League Baseball
- Vin Scully, broadcaster for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers since 1950, calls his final game. (Major League Baseball)
- The Atlanta Braves play their final game at Turner Field. They now move to the new SunTrust Park for the 2017 season. (AP via ESPN)

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November 10, 2016

Top News Stories –

Cuba announces military exercises following Trump’s win –
The Cuban government has announced it will hold five days of nationwide military exercises to prepare for “a range of enemy action”. Cuba did not link the exercises to the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US presidential election. But analysts say such exercises have in the past been held at times of tension or to send a signal to the US. During his campaign, Mr Trump said he would reverse the recent thaw in relations between Cuba and the US. Cuba’s Ministry of Defence announced the move in the government-run newspaper Granma. [BBC]

Stolen statue of beloved Istanbul cat returned –
A statue honouring one of Istanbul’s most famous felines which went missing earlier this week has been returned after a social media outcry. The bronze sculpture is of Tombili, a tubby cat who became the subject of countless internet memes when a photo of him reclining on the pavement went viral. The statue immortalising his famous pose vanished on Monday night, only a month after being unveiled. Perhaps the guilt was too much for whoever took it, as on Thursday the statue reappeared. Sculptor Seval Sahin shared a photo of herself with it, thanking everyone on social media and the press and TV coverage which she says helped bring about the happy ending. [BBC]
The Tombili cat sculpture

Video of the Day –

GoPro: Epic Lines: Speedflying with Jamie Lee — Line 1

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif attack
  - At least two people have been killed and 90 injured in an attack on the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif. The Taliban has claimed responsibility. (The New York Times)

Arts and culture

Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen dies at the age of 82. (Rolling Stone)

Business and economy

Siemens AG announces that it plans to spin off its US$15 billion health care division, making it its own independent company. (Bloomberg)

Politics and elections

Anti-Trump protests continue across the United States and abroad. (USA Today) (Los Angeles Daily News)
Presidential transition of Donald Trump
- President-elect of the United States Donald Trump meets with President Barack Obama for the first time at the White House. (BBC)

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The 2010s

The story of a decade

Tag Archives: Cuba

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