December 5, 2012

Top News Stories –

Royal pregnancy: Hoax call fools Duchess of Cambridge hospital –
The hospital treating the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge says it “deeply regrets” giving information about her to hoax callers from a radio station. Australian DJs posing as the Queen and Prince Charles got details from a nurse at King Edward VII hospital in central London. The hospital said confidentiality was taken seriously and telephone protocols are under review. 2Day FM said it was surprised to be put through but “sincerely apologises”. [BBC]
Duchess of Cambridge

Frankie Dettori banned for six months after failing drugs test –
Jockey Frankie Dettori has been given a six-month ban from racing after failing a drugs test in France. The 41-year-old, who has more than 3,000 career wins, tested positive for a banned substance on 16 September 2012. The suspension imposed by French racing authority France Galop will run until 19 May 2013, and will apply worldwide for the three-time champion jockey. [BBC]
Frankie Dettori

Video of the Day –

Guangzhou’2012/CHINA from zweizwei |timelapse&hyperlapse| on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Hungary closes its embassy in Damascus and pulls out all personnel. (Reuters)
2011–2012 conflict in Lebanon:
- The death toll from two days of clashes in the city of Tripoli reaches six, with dozens reported injured. (Al Jazeera)
2012 terrorist attacks in Kenya:
- A remote-controlled bomb explodes in a predominantly Somali neighborhood in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, injuring nine people. (Reuters)
2012 Egyptian protests:
- Violent clashes occur in Cairo between supporters and opponents of the President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi. (ABC News)

Arts and culture

American jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck dies in Connecticut at the age of 91. (BBC)
Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, best known for designing the main buildings of the capital Brasília, dies at the age of 104 in a Rio de Janeirohospital. (ABC News)

Business and economy

American bank Citigroup announces plans to cut 11,000 jobs worldwide. (AP)
The European Commission fines Philips, LG Electronics, Samsung SDI, Panasonic, Toshiba and Technicolor a total of €1.47 bn for fixing prices of TV cathode-ray tubes. (The Economic Times)

Disasters and accidents

Rescue crews head to areas of the Philippines severely affected by Typhoon Bopha. At least 283 are now believed to have died as a result of the storm, with 339 injured, hundreds more missing and over 87,000 evacuated. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (The Weather Channel) (New York Times)
At least 8 people are killed and 12 others injured after a 5.6 earthquake strikes Iran‘s South Khorasan Province. (BBC) (Reuters)
Vehicle carrier Baltic Ace sinks in the North Sea after collision with a container ship with at least four people dead and seven missing. (Reuters)(AP via The Australian)

Law and crime

American businessman John McAfee is arrested in Guatemala following an alleged illegal entry after leaving Belize where he is wanted for questioning over the death of fellow American Gregory Faull. (Reuters)
Mexico‘s Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation rules that a ban on same-sex marriage in Oaxaca state is illegal. (The Washington Post)

Media

London‘s King Edward VII’s Hospital says it is reviewing telephone protocol after two disc jockeys from a Sydney-based radio station, 2Day FMmade a prank call to the hospital in which they posed as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, and spoke with a member of nursing staff about the health of the Duchess of Cambridge. (BBC)

Politics and elections

The peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) resume in Havana, Cuba.(Chicago Tribune)

Sport

The New Orleans Hornets plan to change their nickname to the Pelicans (after the state bird of Louisiana) for the 2013–14 NBA season. (ESPN)
The draw for the elite qualification round of the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship is held by UEFA. Title holders Spain faceCroatia, Poland and last season‘s runners-up Greece. (UEFA)
Lionel Messi is carried off on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury as FC Barcelona are held to 0–0 by Benfica at Camp Nou in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. (Fox Sports)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

December 27, 2014

Top News Stories –

It’s snow fun –
After the worse start to the Europe ski season for over ten years due to very little snow, a large drop in temperature and a snowfall of over 12 inches (30 cm) in 12 hours causes chaos in the French Alps.

Fallen Fernando –
Once the world’s top striker Chelsea’s Fernando Torres is expected to be bought by Italy’s AC Milan in January but then loaned out to Atletico Madrid so ending up back in his native Spain.
Fernando Torres

Taxing issue –
The UK overtakes France as the fifth largest economy in the world after the money made from prostitution and drugs was counted in the GDP figure for the first time.
Britain’s economy is expected to be worth a total £1.86 trillion in 2014 – up from £1.63 trillion the previous year.

First manager sacked in EPL –
Neil Warnock is the first English Premier League manager to be sacked this season after Crystal Palace dispensed with his services for a second time. It is the latest a manager has been fired in the season since 1996 (January 2nd)

Video of the Day –

Color War “Shapeshifting” from crystal moselle on Vimeo.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

January 29, 2015

Top News Stories –

Russian planes buzz UK airspace –
Britain’s Foreign office have said that two Russian Tu-95 Bear H aircraft came within 25 miles of UK airspace in the last 24 hours. They travelled from the north, past the west coast of Ireland and to the English Channel before turning and going back the way they had come. British typhoon fighters were scrambled after the the bombers did not file a flight plan, did not have their transponders switched on and “weren’t talking to air traffic control”.

Taylor Swift trademarks lyrics –
Taylor Swift has trademarked phrases from her current album, 1989 in the United States. The phrases include “this sick beat” and “we never go out of style”, and the trademark ruling stops the use of the lyrics on merchandise. Rihanna successfully sued Topshop earlier this month for using her image on a t-shirt.

Murray’s girlfriend tells it like it is –
Tennis player Andy Murray’s fiancé Kim Sears is caught on camera apparently swearing about Murray’s semi-final opponent Tomas Berdych’s. Lip readers allege she said “Take that you flash Czech fucker”, when Murray won a crucial point. Murray later defended Sears, saying: “In the heat of the moment, you can say stuff that you regret.”

Video of the Day –

Taylor Swift – Shake it off

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

February 22, 2015

February 21, 2015

Top News Story –

Razzies 2015 Winners: Cameron Diaz and Kirk Cameron Get Bashed at the 35th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards
Cameron Diaz

Video of the Day –

The Torch Tower, Dubai on fire –

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

March 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

Terry Pratchett, author of Discworld novels dies –
Sir Terry Pratchett, fantasy author and creator of the Discworld series, has died aged 66, eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds,” said Larry Finlay of his publishers Transworld.The author died at home, surrounded by his family, “with his cat sleeping on his bed”, he added. Sir Terry wrote more than 70 books during his career and completed his final book last summer. His death was announced on his Twitter account with a tweet composed in capital letters – which was how the author portrayed the character of Death in his novels – read: “AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.” [BBC]

Terry Pratchett

Spider that can give men four-hour erections found in Tesco bananas –
A mother was scared stiff after opening a bunch of supermarket bananas and finding rare spiders whose bite can give a man a painful four-hour erection. Maria Layton, 43, spotted the arachnids after opening the bag of yellow fruit she bought from Tesco. She found the bananas, shipped from Costa Rica, were infested with eggs from the Brazilian Wandering Spider – the most deadly in the world. [Daily Telegraph]
The Brazilian Wandering Spider

Rumours are swirling in Moscow over the health of Vladimir Putin after the Russian president disappeared from view and put off a foreign visit.
Mr Putin has not been seen in public for a week and an official in Kazakhstan told reporters that he postponed a visit to the central Asian country on Wednesday because he had fallen ill. He will also not appear at an annual meeting of high-ranking officers from the Federal Security Service on Thursday, which he has attended in past years. Reporters last saw the president when he met Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, on March 5.
Vladimir Putin

Video of the Day –

Primordial from PeterClark on Vimeo.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

March 18, 2015

Top News Stories –

30 Years of Neighbours –

On 18 March 1985, Neighbours was first broadcast in Australia. Thirty years on it’s still going strong and broadcast to more than 50 countries around the world.
Kylie Minogue

Boris’ Dad bets on him being next PM –
Boris Johnson’s father has bet £20 on his son becoming the next prime minister. Stanley Johnson, 74, said his son is the “best man for the job” and predicted he would beat other rivals to become the next Tory leader. Bookies would have to pay out if the London Mayor entered Number 10 after Mr Cameron steps doing – potentially as early as 2017 – following an election victory next May. “Next Prime Minster After Cameron. Boris Johnson. 5/1,” read the betting slip seen by The Sun. [Daily Telegraph]
Boris Johnson

Video of the Day –

Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

March 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

Jeremy Clarkson dropped from Top Gear, BBC confirms –
Jeremy Clarkson’s contract will not be renewed after an “unprovoked physical attack” on a Top Gear producer, the BBC’s director general has confirmed. Tony Hall said he had “not taken this decision lightly” and recognised it would “divide opinion”. However, he added “a line has been crossed” and he “cannot condone what has happened on this occasion”. Clarkson was suspended on 10 March, following what was called a “fracas” with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon. The row, which took place in a Yorkshire hotel, was said to have occurred because no hot food was provided following a day’s filming. An internal investigation found that Mr Tymon took himself to hospital after he was subject to an “unprovoked physical and verbal attack”. [BBC]
Jeremy Clarkson changed his Twitter profile from “Presenter on the BBC2 motoring show,Top Gear” to “I used to be a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show,Top Gear”

Zayn Malik is leaving One Direction and group continues as four-piece –
Zayn Malik has left One Direction, the band said in a statement today. They will continue as a four-piece for their world tour and to record their fifth album later this year. Malik said: “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. “I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right.” Malik quit the band’s world tour last week after being signed off with stress. [BBC]
Zayn Malik

Video of the Day –

The Bucket Board

THE BUCKET BOARD from mac premo on Vimeo.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

April 26, 2015

Top News Stories –

Nepal earthquake: International aid effort increased –
The international aid effort for Nepal is gathering pace, with Saturday’s massive earthquake now known to have killed 3,726 people and injured 6,500. China, India, Pakistan and Britain are among the countries contributing to the effort, alongside major aid agencies. Nepal has asked for more help, saying it needs everything from helicopters and blankets to paramedics and drivers. At least 200 climbers have now been rescued around Mount Everest, after the quake triggered avalanches. Foreign climbers on Everest and their Nepalese guides were caught by the tremors and a huge avalanche that buried part of the camp (See Video of the Day). At least 18 were killed by avalanches. China has meanwhile announced a halt to all spring expeditions to Mount Everest from the north face of the mountain on its side of the border, state media reports.

Rich List 2015: Super rich’s wealth soars as new money floods in from abroad –
he combined wealth of the 1,000 richest men and women in Britain has more than doubled in the last ten years, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. (See List of the Day) The wealthiest 1,000 individuals and families now have a combined fortune of £547.126 billion, up from £249.615 billion in 2005, despite the world economy being gripped by a punishing recession over much of the last decade. Plain old millionaires increasingly struggle to count themselves among the mega-rich, with a fortune of £100 million now required to make it into the top 1,000. That is £15 million higher than last year’s minimum, while in 1997 it took a personal wealth of ‘just’ £15 million to make the grade. The list includes 117 billionaires, up from 104 last year. They account for a total wealth of £325.131 billion and 80 of them are based in London. It means the capital has more sterling billionaires than any other city in the world. [Daily Telegraph]
Roman Abramovich – Owner of Chelsea FC and 10th richest man in Britain

Paula Radcliffe runs the London Marathon for the last time –
Briton Radcliffe, 41, ran the 26.2-mile course in two hours 36 minutes 55 seconds, less than three years after surgery on a serious foot injury.
“It was just amazing the whole way round,” the world-record holder said. “I wore the sunglasses to keep a lid on my emotions and they definitely hid some tears along the way,” she added. Radcliffe won the London Marathon in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and her 2003 winning time of 2:15:25 remains the world record.
Paula Radcliffe

Video of the Day –

Hit by Avalanche in Everest Basecamp 25.04.2015 –

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

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.

CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

June 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

Cambridge University professor of Lego proposed –
A professor of Lego could soon be in post at Cambridge University. The Lego Foundation has provided the university with £2.5m to fund a Lego Professorship of Play in Education, Development and Learning. It has also provided £1.5m to support a play research centre in the education faculty, which will be led by the Lego professor. The Lego professorship post would be “open to all those whose work falls within the general field of the title of the office”, the university said. [BBC]

Texan wrestling star Dusty Rhodes dies at 69 –
One of wrestling’s most colourful stars, Dusty Rhodes, the self-styled “American Dream”, has died aged 69. The death of Virgil Runnels, which was his real name, was announced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). His long and glittering career, which began in the late 1960s, earned him a place in the WWE Hall of Fame. “Runnels became a hero to fans around the world thanks to his work ethic, his impassioned interviews and his indomitable spirit,” said WWE. [BBC]
Dusty Rhodes

Spain Princess Cristina loses title amid fraud inquiry –
King Felipe VI of Spain has removed the title “Duchess of Palma” from his sister, Princess Cristina, who is to go on trial charged with tax evasion. She was granted the title in 1997 when she married Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player who is also accused of tax evasion. Princess Cristina had asked the king to remove her title, her lawyer said. But the royal palace said the king made the decision before seeing her request. She denies the tax fraud charges. [BBC]
Princess Cristina

White woman ‘posed as black civil right leader’ in years-long deception –
The name of a local civil rights leader in the US northwest is trending worldwide after her parents told the media that she is a white woman who has been passing herself off as black for years. [BBC Trending] See Top Twitter Trends.
Rachel Dolezal, 37, has been the head of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, or NAACP, in Spokane, Washington, since January. But her parents said Ms Dolezal is of German, Czech, and Swedish descent with a smattering of Native American ancestry. Mr and Mrs Dolezal said their daughter had black siblings who were adopted and that she went to school in Mississippi, where the family were part of a mainly black community. But they said she only began to claim African descent after divorcing her husband, who was also black, in 2004. Her mother, Ruthanne, said Ms Dolezal began to “disguise herself” in 2006 or 2007. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dave Grohl, Lead singer of the Foo Fighters breaks his leg in a fall on stage in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	OITNB	#NationalExDay	Richard Desmond
2	#BuenViernes	#WriteThe11thCommandment	#FridayFeeling
3	#RachelDolezal	#AskRachel	#RachelDolezal
4	#NamoraMas	#WrongSkin	#TEDxGlasgow2015
5	Jurassic World	Dave Grohl	#WriteThe11thCommandment
6	#TeQueresReMorirCuando	#transracial	Memphis Depay
7	#AskRachel	#USAvSWE	#TFIFriday
8	#NationalExDay	#RachelDolezal	#AskAston
9	Sümer Tilmaç	Happy Friday Everyone	#ROWYSOLondon
10	Mステ	Joyce Mitchell	Oval

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- Boko Haram militants raid five different villages around Maiduguri, Nigeria killing 37 people. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- The Saudi-led coalition bombs the World Heritage Listed old quarter of Sana’a destroying three houses and killing five people. (AFP via Daily Mail)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- An armed group storms the Tunisian embassy in Libya taking ten hostages. (al-Arabiyah)
Operation Protective Edge
- The Israel Defense Forces Advocate General has announced criminal investigations into three more incidents from Operation Protective Edge. Of the 190 incidents reported to the IDF, investigations have been completed on 105, with seven leading to criminal investigations.(YNet)

Business and economy

Residents of the Galapagos Islands conduct a strike and protest over decisions by the Ecuador National Assembly to axe cost of living subsidies causing cancellation of flights to and from the islands. (AP via ABC News)
Public school teachers in the Brazilian state of São Paulo vote to return to work after three months of strike action. (BBC)|

Disasters and accidents

Japan approves a thirty-to-forty year plan to clean up the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (AP)
Heavy rain hampers the search for dozens of missing people from the landslides in Nepal‘s Taplejung district which have resulted in at least 24 deaths in six villages. (AP via US News and World Report)
2012–15 North American drought
- California orders the biggest cuts to water allocations in the state’s history because of the worst drought in the state’s history. (BBC)

Health

2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea
- The death toll from the South Korean MERS outbreak rises to 11 with 126 people now diagnosed with the disease but the number of people inquarantine falls slightly to 3,680. Two hospitals have closed as a result of the outbreak and the Bank of Korea has lowered interest rates due to concerns about effects of the outbreak on the economy. (Yonhap), (CNN)

International relations

The Pacific Ocean nation of Palau burns four Vietnamese fishing boats caught poaching sea cucumbers and other marine life in its waters. (AP via The Republic)
Pakistan orders the Save the Children NGO to leave the country claiming it supports “anti-Pakistan” activity. (BBC)
Germany doubles its funding to states and cities for asylum seekers as 450,000 are expected to enter the country during 2015. (Deutsche Welle)
Two Russian citizens are arrested for entering a Latvian military base as the Baltic nation was participating in US-led military exercises. (Reuters via Daily Mail)
Associated Press reports that hackers linked to the People’s Republic of China appear to have gained access to sensitive background material about those people seeking security clearances from the United States government. (AP)

Law and crime

Former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is acquitted of pimping charges in France. (The Guardian)
Sudanese police use tear gas to break up Khartoum protests against government land policy. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Chiril Gaburici resigns as the Prime Minister of Moldova after questions arise over his education qualifications. (AP via Washington Post)
The United States House of Representatives votes down key supporting legislation that would support the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11Pacific Rim nations. (Washington Post)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

June 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

National Kissing Day –
It’s got it’s own website (kissingday.co.uk) and has been going for 10 years. Every year it storms up the Twitter and Instagram feeds. David Beckham and Holly Willoughby are woted the most kissable men and women in the UK.
Holly Willoughby

Heinz ketchup customers directed to porn website –
Heinz has apologised after a QR code on a tomato ketchup bottle directed customers to a pornography website. The error was caused because the QR code had hosted a competition that ended and expired, allowing an adult entertainment firm to buy it. The fault was spotted by Daniel Korell, from Germany, who flagged up the error to Heinz. “I happened to scan it during lunch and I was a bit surprised where I got redirected to,” Mr Korell told the BBC. “I found it rather funny and thought it was worth [sharing] on Heinz’s Facebook page.” “We really regret the incident,” a Heinz representative said on Facebook. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Kung Fu Panda 3 | Official Trailer #1

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#NationalKissingDay	#NationalKissingDay	#fridayfeeling
2	Jon Stewart	Jon Stewart	#NationalKissingDay
3	#TodasLasMujeresTienen	#Juneteenth	#IfTheBeatlesHadBeenFat
4	Hayırlı Cumalar	#WarriorsParade	Jon Stewart
5	#MumbaiRains	#MyDreamDadIs	#britmumslive
6	#NadaMejorQue	Rick Perry	Tiger Woods
7	#AsVezesSóQueria	#5HonKimmel	UK Muslims
8	#TuPuedesMiVinotinto	Caucasian Heritage Night	#bbcqt
9	#HepimizPYDliyiz	Ralph Roberts	Kerry Dixon
10	#YoTeDejoEnVistoPorque	Beyond Scared Straight	#1GottaGo

Other News Stories –

Attacks and armed conflicts

A Palestinian cell affiliated with Hamas and named after the perpetrators of the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers claims responsibility for an ambush style attack in which one Israeli was killed and another seriously injured. (Times of Israel)

Business and economy

The European Central Bank increased the cap on cash available to Greek banks through emergency liquidity assistance, as those banks continue to experience steady withdrawals. Greek citizens have withdrawn over 3 billion Euros in the last month. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The centre-right opposition bloc led by Venstre wins the 2015 Danish general election, even though the Social Democrat party remains Denmark’s largest. The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party will be the second-largest in parliament. (BBC) (U.S. News & World Report)
Hawaii becomes the first U.S. state to raise smoking age from 18 to 21, effective January 1, 2016, and will also outlaw sales, purchases, or uses of electronic cigarettes for those under 21. (Reuters)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 1, 2015

Top News Stories –

Katy Perry plans to buy former convent scuppered by nuns –
Katy Perry’s plans to buy a former convent in Los Angeles are being held up by a group of nuns. The sisters, who used to live on the site in the San Gabriel Mountains, say they’ve already sold it to a local restaurateur, Dana Hollister. But the local archbishop says the convent isn’t theirs to sell and has started legal action to stop it. Perry, the daughter of two Pentecostal preachers, reportedly met with the nuns in May to plead her case. “I found Katy Perry and I found her videos and… if it’s all right to say, I wasn’t happy with any of it,” Sister Rita Callanan told the Los Angeles Times. [BBC Newsbeat]
Katy Perry

Hottest July day ever recorded in UK –
The UK has seen the hottest July day on record, with temperatures hitting 36.7C (98F). The Met Office said the reading had been registered at Heathrow – breaking the previous record set in 2006. 38.5C (101.3F) is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK in Faversham, Kent in August 2003. A level 3 “heatwave action” heat-health alert has been declared for all parts of England. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends

Billy Joel Bests Elton John, Sets New Record at MSG –
Billy Joel set a record for most performances by a single artist at Madison Square Garden with his 65th show Wednesday night, besting Elton John. “I didn’t know I’d be here 65 times, amazing,” Joel said. “I want to thank you very much for making this possible.” A banner rose to the top of the stage in honor of Joel’s 65th show. Actor-comedian Kevin James came onstage to help the veteran musician celebrate. [Elton] John, 68, previously had the MSG record with 64 performances. Joel sang John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” as yellow lights beamed from the stage.
Billy Joel

Video of the Day –

Steve Jobs – Official Trailer

List of the Day –

Billy Joel studio albums

Cold Spring Harbor (1971)
Piano Man (1973)
Streetlife Serenade (1974)
Turnstiles (1976)
The Stranger (1977)
52nd Street (1978)
Glass Houses (1980)
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
An Innocent Man (1983)
The Bridge (1986)
Storm Front (1989)
River of Dreams (1993)
Fantasies & Delusions (2001)

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#BuyCoolForTheSummerOniTunes	#LiesIveToldMyParents	#hottestdayoftheyear
2	#hottestdayoftheyear	#CanadaDay	#InternationalJokeDay
3	#LiesIveToldMyParents	#InternationalJokeDay	1st of July
4	#BienvenidoJulio	#AddGoatRuinAQuote	#AddGoatRuinAQuote
5	#الوليد_بن_طلا�…	#AskPOTUS	#CanadaDay
6	#MasterChefBR	Anthony Davis	Sir Nicholas Winton
7	#CanadaDay	Kevin Love	#BuyCoolForTheSummerOniTunes
8	#AddGoatRuinAQuote	Dukes of Hazzard	Debbie Harry
9	SASUKE	Aminu	Heathrow
10	Tiembla Chile	#BuyCoolForTheSummerOniTunes	#USAGER

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015)
- Shells fired by Houthi forces have killed at least 18 people near the southern port city of Aden, meanwhile United Nations officials have warned that a deadly dengue fever outbreak is rapidly gaining pace in the war-torn country. (Reuters)
Sinai insurgency
- Militants launch attacks on Egyptian Armed Forces checkpoints in North Sinai, leaving dozens of security personnel and insurgents killed. TheIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the assaults. (Times of India)(AP)
Egypt‘s security forces kill nine ‘terrorists’ during a raid in a Western Cairo suburb. The group were among “the most dangerous terrorists” wanted in Egypt according to Giza deputy security director Magdy Abd El-Aal. It has also been reported that Nasser El-Hafi, a former MP and a leading lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood was among those killed. (Ahram)

Arts and culture

The Episcopal Church in the United States adopts its liturgy for same sex marriages. (General Convention), (NBC News)

Business and economy

Greek government-debt crisis
- Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF, unwinding decades of precedent and affecting consequences for the fund’s future rescues. (Financial Times) (IMF)
- The Prime Minister of Greece Alex Tsipras has written to creditors claiming he will accept a bailout but with conditions. (Daily Telegraph)
- Moody’s Investors Service downgrades Greek bonds further to caa3 saying that it expects the country to default further without further support from official creditors. (Reuters)
The World Bank urges the People’s Republic of China to undertake financial reforms to keep economic growth on track. (AP)
The United Kingdom Airports Commission issues its report recommending a new runway at Heathrow. (BBC), (ITV)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Indonesia Hercules C-130 crash
- The death toll from yesterday’s crash in the Indonesian city of Medan rises to 141. (The Guardian)

International relations

The Russian gas company Gazprom suspends shipments of gas to Ukraine following a payment dispute. (BBC)
The United States and Cuba officially announce that embassies will be reopened in each other’s countries for the first time since 1961. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Thousands of people are expected at a pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong on a holiday to mark the transfer from British to Chinese rule.(AP)
Burundian legislative election, 2015
- The President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza claims victory for his National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy coalition despite the fact that opposition parties did not contest the election. (African Media Agency via Mail and Guardian)
The Constitutional Court of Russia rules that it is constitutional to hold the 2016 legislative election in September rather than early December. (AP via Fox News)

Science and technology

The black hole in the Milky Way galaxy‘s V404 Cygni system wakes up (becomes energized, with a flow of gamma rays and very brief intense flashes of light) after 26 years, as determined by a telescope and other instruments. (MSN)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 27, 2015

Top News Stories –

Vladimir Putin says Sepp Blatter deserves Nobel Prize –
Vladimir Putin has said that Sepp Blatter deserves to win the Nobel Prize and does not believe a word of the corruption allegations against the Fifa president. In an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS, the Russian president gave his full support to the Fifa president just days after Mr Blatter had assured him that Russia had Fifa’s “complete trust” as hosts of the next World Cup finals in 2018. Mr Putin added that he believed that bribery scandal being investigated by US, Swiss and other law enforcement agencies was as a result of the failure of England and the US to win the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. [Daily Telegraph]
Vladimir Putin

Norwegian court orders bank to cover man’s £23k lap-dance and drinks bill –
A Norwegian court has ordered a bank to cover a £23,400 drink and lap-dance bill run up by one man during a night at a Polish strip club. The court made the decision after it concluded he had been drugged and could not be held responsible for his actions. Sparebank 1 will now have to make up for its client’s losses even though an investigation by Polish police into the incident at the club in the up-market seaside town of Sopot has been discontinued. The court rejected Sparebank’s argument that the man was responsible for how he spent his money, saying all the evidence suggested he was doped, and therefore a victim. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

The High Voltage Ejector Bed

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#3YearsOfFifthHarmony	#DirtyWorkMusicVideo	Sergio Romero
2	#OTRAMinneapolis	#WhenTrumpIsElected	#3YearsOfFifthHarmony
3	#LaPeliQueMeHizoLlorar	WWGTM	#mondaymotivation
4	Martinoli	#3YearsOfFifthHarmony	#BobbiKristina
5	Sergio Romero	#BuyBEAToniTunes	Conley Thompson
6	#dirtyworkmusicvideo	#mondaymotivation	Khloe Kardashian
7	Bugs Bunny	#ImStrongestWhen	#OTRAMinneapolis
8	#CiteCoisasQueOdeiaNoFacebook	#IWasSoHighOneDay	#ImHardLeft
9	Gago	Bugs Bunny	#jaiappreciationday
10	#MexicanPartyCopaOro	Google+	Lord Sewel

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least 7 people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab. (The Hindu)
Syrian Civil War, Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015)
- YPG led forces capture the town Sarrin from ISIL after a month-long offensive. (The Daily Star)

Business and economy

2015 Chinese stock market crash
- The Shanghai Composite Index drops 8.5%, the largest one-day decline in the index since 2007. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

The Turkish National Police warns of possible bomb attacks on crowded places in central Istanbul, including metro stations and bus stops, following the escalation of Turkey–ISIL conflict. (Hürriyet Daily News)

Politics and elections

Philippines President Benigno Aquino III holds his final State of the Nation Address before stepping down in 2016. He advocates the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and an anti-dynasty bill. (CNN Philippines), GMA News Online
French farmers protesting low prices within the country turn back hundreds of trucks suspected of carrying foreign agricultural products at the country’s border with Germany. (AP)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson makes emergency landing as plane runs low on fuel –
Bruce Dickinson, the Iron Maiden frontman, was forced to make an emergency landing at a Royal Air Force airfield when his replica war plane started to run low on fuel. The heavy metal star pilot made an unexpected appearance in his Fokker triplane at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Dickinson took advantage of the Strasser Scheme, set up thanks to the work of Charles Strasser, the vice president of the Aircraft Operators and Pilots Association. It was established so that aircraft in can divert with no extra charge in the event of an emergency. All Ministry of Defence airfields, as well as 99 per cent of the UK’s civilian airfields, are signed up to the scheme. [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce Dickinson

Google unveils Alphabet… but that’s already trademarked by BMW –
The general reaction to Google’s announcement that it would create a new holding company called Alphabet, of which Google would be a subsidiary, was one of surprise and approval.
But perhaps the most surprised recipient of the news was BMW, which already runs a registered business called Alphabet. The German carmaker told WirtschaftsWoche, the German business magazine, that it will be “necessary to examine the legal trademark implications” of the name of Google’s new parent company. BMW also said it had not been contacted by Google before the surprise restructuring on Monday. In his announcement, Google co-founder Larry Page said Alphabet’s website would be http://abc.xyz, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that alphabet.com is owned by BMW’s subsidiary, which operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FAceToFace	#FAceToFace	#FAceToFace
2	#MiFraseFavorita	Oath Keepers	Alphabet
3	#DeNoSerPorTwitter	#RobinWilliams	Robin Williams
4	Fran Rivera	#WhyIWouldMakeAGreatPresident	#TravelTuesday
5	Mehmet Topal	Geno Smith	#CharityTuesday
6	#SabesQueEsTuAmigoCuando	#RedneckScentedCandles	#TownNameUpAMovie
7	Alphabet	#BadWeddingVows	#BadWeddingVows
8	쿠키런	Kim K	Orton
9	#اكثر_كلمه_تسم�…	Sevilla	#tubestrikes
10	Geno Smith	Top Secret	Seth Rollins

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- A bomb attack consistent with Boko Haram kills 50 people in Nigeria‘s Borno State. (BBC)
In Puyallup, Washington, a gunman on a mass shooting spree shot and killed a man, then fired at homes and people before driving a stolen SUV through the garage door, crashing into several cars and shooting at police until stopped when his SUV was rammed by a police car. (KIRO)

Business and economy

The People’s Bank of China devalues the Chinese yuan by two percent in an attempt to boost its economy, a move which could spark a currency war. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Debris from a Buk surface-to-air missile is found at an unspecified location in eastern Ukraine. According to the Dutch Safety Board and the Dutch prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation, it may have come from a Buk (possibly of Russian origin) fired by rebel fighters, accidentally or purposefully, in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The investigation remains classified. (AFP, via MSN)
A heatwave in Egypt has killed at least 42 people. (AP)
Flooding in Argentina kills at least three people and 11,000 are made homeless. (AFP via ABC News)
Japan’s Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture on Kyushu restarts reactor no. 1. This is the first of 50-plus shut-down nuclear reactors to go back online since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The problems discovered in the reactor model after the disaster have not been fixed. (UPI) (CNN)

International relations

In talks held regarding the course of the Syrian Civil War, Russia and Saudi Arabia fail to reach agreement over cooperation in the fight against ISIL, with the Saudi representative refusing any common struggle with Assad‘s regime. (The News Hub)
Georgia accuses Russia of cutting off its citizens from their farmland by installing border signposts demarcating the breakaway South Ossetia region, calling on Moscow to refrain from “escalation”. (The Daily Star)

Politics and elections

The Parliament of Iraq approves a package of measures proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to tackle corruption and to abolish senior posts. (Radio Free Europe)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

China blasts: Shipment explodes in Tianjin port –
Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin, reportedly injuring many people. According to Chinese state media, the blasts occurred when a shipment of explosives blew up at about 23:30 (16:30 GMT). Pictures and video shared on social media showed flames lighting up the sky and damage to nearby buildings. Latest reports in state media suggest that hundreds of people have been taken to hospital. The first explosion was followed by another 30 seconds later. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Twitter takes the chains off Direct Messages by removing 140-character limit –
Twitter is fairly conspicuous by its absence among the big messaging players. The service has allowed its users to send private messages back and forth for years, but for a long time, the feature seemed like an afterthought, with bugs such as unreliable notifications. This is slowly changing. On Wednesday, Twitter finally removed a 140-character limit on Direct Messages (DMs), meaning users can send up to 10,000 characters (which roughly allows space for 2,000 words). Sachin Agarwal, Twitter’s DM product manager, said this had been one of Twitter users’ most commonly-requested features. [Daily Telegraph]

RIP to LOL – the history of laughing out loud –
A Facebook study suggests that people are choosing to use “haha” and emojis over “LOL” to express laughter. The research claims more than half (51.4%) opt for “haha”, while just 1.9% are LOLers, although it didn’t look at direct messages. LOL was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2011, but the origin of the phrase can be traced back to the 1980s. The Facebook study suggests a third of people use emojis for laughter. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

直击天津滨海新区爆炸瞬间现场响声震天

Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#SonrioCuando	#WorldElephantDay	#WorldElephantDay
2	#NecesitariaYaMismo	The Artist	#YouthDay
3	#AlDubMaybeThisTime	Jimmy Carter	#CeCeIsA
4	#WorldElephantDay	#MyMemoirWouldBeCalled	#MyMemoirWouldBeCalled
5	바퀴벌레	#ShoutOutDay	Simon Danczuk
6	#MasterChefBR	Hump Day	#BiscuitsInAMovie
7	#الهلال_النصر	#SoundsGoodFeelsGood	The Artist
8	#FAceToFace	#YouthDay	#FAceToFace
9	#ايش_بتسمي_اول_…	Rex Ryan	Paulo Wanchope
10	鳩山元首相	The Hateful Eight	#Inglorious12th

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- At least 40 people are killed and more than 180 wounded in artillery strikes in Damascus during a visit by the Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif. (The News Hub)

Arts and culture

New Zealand flag debate
- A government appointed panel chooses 40 finalist flag designs out of more than 10,000 submitted. (Miami Herald) (New York Post)

Business and economy

Pearson PLC agrees to sell its share in the Economist Group to Exor controlled by the Agnelli family for £469m. (BBC)
2015 Chinese stock market crash
- The People’s Republic of China devalues the yuan (Renminbi) by 1.62 per cent after devaluing by 1.92 per cent yesterday. This comes in the wake of a 30% drop of Chinese stocks last month. (BBC)(USA Today) (The Australian)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Tianjin explosion
- A massive explosion in the Chinese city of Tianjin results in at least 17 deaths, 11 people seriously injured and hundreds of people being hospitalised. (BBC)(NBC News) (CCTV)
- A CNN reporter is interrupted from reporting by upset friends and relatives of victims outside a Tianjin hospital. (CNN)
A U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashes while landing on a U.S. Navy cargo vessel near the Japanese island of Okinawa, with seven people injured. (AP, via MSN)
The death toll from a heat wave in Egypt this week rises to 60. (AP)

Law and crime

Kasur child sexual abuse scandal
- In a two years period, 280 to 300 children have been sexually abused and filmed doing forced sex acts in Pakistan by a gang consisting of 20 to 25 culprits. (CNN) (Anadolu Agency) (BBC)

Politics and elections

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, aged 90, announces that recent liver surgery revealed that he is suffering from an as-yet unspecified form of cancer which has spread to other parts of his body. (Reuters, via MSN)
North Korea‘s vice premier Choe Yong-gon is believed to have been executed by firing squad this year for voicing frustration at the policies of leader Kim Jong-Un. (Reuters) (AFP)
A South Korean man is seriously injured after setting himself on fire during a protest against Japan‘s use of South Korean women as sex slaves during World War II. (New York Times)
Desi Bouterse is sworn in for a second term as President of Suriname. (AP via StarTribune)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 18, 2015

Top News Stories –

Heidi Klum hits back at Donald Trump after he said she was ‘no longer a 10’ –
Heidi Klum has ridiculed Donald Trump after the presidential candidate said she was “sadly no longer a 10” in a sexist remark about her looks. The billionaire Republican, who has made a string of offensive comments since declaring his bid for the White House in June, claimed the German supermodel was no longer as attractive as previously.“Sometimes I do go a little bit far,” he said in an interview with the New York Times, in which he insisted he was not a misogynist. “Heidi Klum. Sadly, she’s no longer a 10.” In response, the German supermodel, who is a mother of four and regularly voted one of the most attractive women in the world, posted an amusing video on Twitter in which she poses for a photoshoot with a “10” on her t-shirt. [Daily Telegraph]
Heidi Klum on Twitter

Museum brings in security for Nicki Minaj waxwork –
Madame Tussauds has brought in extra security to monitor a waxwork of Nicki Minaj. The figure is based on the rapper’s iconic pose in her Anaconda video – where she’s posing in heels on her hands and knees. Since the Las Vegas museum unveiled it earlier this month, fans have been rushing to be photographed with it. Some visitors have been getting a bit too excited and taking “inappropriate” pics. [BBC Newsbeat]
Nicki Minaj

Video of the Day –

Los Angeles

Los Angeles from Ian Wood on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#MakeLifeBetterIn3Words	#MakeLifeBetterIn3Words	#ThingsJesusNeverSaid
2	#ComoMeGustariaQue	George Zimmerman	#MakeLifeBetterIn3Words
3	#WorthItVMA	#WorthItVMA	#fakeDWPstories
4	#ShesKindaHotVMA	#ShesKindaHotVMA	#ShesKindaHotVMA
5	#WhereAreUNowVMA	#WhereAreUNowVMA	Andre Gray
6	#GoodForYouVMA	Jared Fogle	#traveltuesday
7	#XuxaNaRecord	#RealTeenAwards	#WhereAreUNowVMA
8	#CoolForTheSummerVMA	Ronan	Flight of the Conchords
9	George Zimmerman	#favpichayes	#WorthItVMA
10	Federico García Lorca	Victor Frankenstein	Victor Frankenstein

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- Fighting has intensified near the ceasefire line in eastern Ukraine with both the Government of Ukraine and the rebels blaming each other. The separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Horlivka were bombed with hundreds of shells and rockets in the last 72 hours. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

Two women pass the United States Army’s Ranger School becoming the first to do so, and earning Ranger tabs on their uniforms. (AP, via MSN)

Business and economy

The Obama administration, through the United States Environmental Protection Agency announces new regulations on emissions of the greenhouse gas methane.(New York Times) (WSJ) (NPR) (The Atlantic) (EPA)

Disasters and accidents

Trigana Air Service Flight 257
- Indonesian crews locate bodies of all 54 people aboard the wreckage of Trigana Air Service Flight 257 in a remote area of Papua. (New York Times) (CNN via Twitter)

Health

The US Food and Drug Administration approves the use of Flibanserin to help women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. (Washington Post)

Politics and elections

The Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu returns his mandate to form a government to the President after failing to form a coalition government. This means that a new election is likely. (BBC) (The News Hub)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Oscar Pistorius’ early release blocked by minister –
South Africa’s justice minister has blocked the early release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison on Friday. He said the decision by the parole board to free the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence was premature and without legal basis. It could now take months for the board to review its decision, legal sources told the BBC. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The Olympic athlete insists he mistook her for an intruder. [BBC]
Oscar Pistorius competing

Athletics: Sebastian Coe elected IAAF president –
Former Olympic 1500m champion Lord Coe is the new president of the IAAF, the body that governs world athletics. The 58-year-old Briton beat rival Sergey Bubka, a former Olympic pole vault champion, by 115 votes to 92. Following his election, Coe tweeted that, after the birth of his children, this was the most “momentous moment” of his life. The former chairman of London 2012, Coe replaces 82-year-old Senegalese Lamine Diack, who has been in charge for 16 years. [BBC] See List of the Day
Sebastian Coe and Oscar Pistorius in 2011

Video of the Day –

The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

List of the Day –

Sebastian Coe medal record [Wikipedia]

Olympic Games
	1980 Moscow	1500 m
	1984 Los Angeles	1500 m
	1980 Moscow	800 m
	1984 Los Angeles	800 m
European Athletics Championships
	1986 Stuttgart	800 m
	1982 Athens	800 m
	1986 Stuttgart	1500 m
	1978 Prague	800 m

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	Ashley Madison	Deez Nuts	Ashley Madison
2	援交募集	Yvonne Craig	#WorldHumanitarianDay
3	#WeLoveYouLiam	#WorldPhotographyDay	#WorldPhotographyDay
4	#4YearsOfLittleMix	#4YearsOfLittleMix	#4YearsOfLittleMix
5	#WorldPhotographyDay	#WeLoveYouLiam	#WeLoveYouLiam
6	#SacaLoPeorDeMiCuando	Shaun King	Mane
7	#MasterChefBR	Kelvin Benjamin	#ILookGoodOnYou
8	#Siirtte8ŞehidimizVar	#CollegeIn3Words	#OTRAColumbus
9	Yvonne Craig	#JaredFogle	Shaun King
10	Ramiro	#ashleymadisonhack	Let Charlotte Live

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- At least 151 were killed in a Boko Haram attack last week on a northeastern Nigerian village, Yadin Kukuwa. News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants destroyed telecom masts around the village. (Independent) (AFP via Times Live)
Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL, Syrian Civil War
- Islamic State militants behead 82-year-old antiquities scholar Khaled Asaad, who worked for over 50 years as head of antiquities in Palmyra. (Reuters) (BBC)
Iraq War (2014–present)
- A suicide bomber kills at least 20 Iraqi Army troops in the city of Baiji. (Al-Arabiyah)
South Sudanese Civil War
- Fighting resumes in South Sudan after the failure to reach a deal between tribes loyal to the president and tribes loyal to the former vice-president. (AP via Fox News)
Turkey-PKK Conflict
- At least eight soldiers were killed in a bomb detonated by Kurdish militants. (NY Times) (Independent)

Business and economy

Greek government-debt crisis
- The Bundestag votes to approve a third bailout for Greece. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

A brush fire burning near the American town of Twisp, Washington, kills three firefighters, injures as many as four others and forces the evacuation of the towns of Twisp and Winthrop. (KREM), (Seattle Times)

International relation

Estonian-Russian relations
- A court in Russia has sentenced Estonian security official Eston Kohver to 15 years in prison for espionage. (BBC)
South Sudan–United States relations
- United States announces that it is proposing sanctions against those connected to the South Sudan conflict, unless a ceasefire is reached promptly. (Al Jazeera English Online)

Law and crime

Following a July 15 hacking, user data of the infidelity-promoting dating website Ashley Madison is leaked with over 30 million users having their information compromised. (BBC)
Police in the American city of St. Louis, Missouri, make nine arrests and use tear gas to disperse protesters after a killing of an armed man allegedly aiming a gun at police officers earlier in the day. (CNN)

Politics and elections

The United States Navy SEALS announce a plan to allow women to register, the first time in history. (Navy Times)

Sport

The International Association of Athletics Federations elects former British Olympic champion runner Lord Sebastian Coe as its new President, replacing Lamine Diack of Senegal. Ukrainian pole vaultchampion Sergey Bubka was the other contender for the position. (BBC) (Al Jazeera English Online)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

October 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween –
An asteroid is due to pass by Earth on Halloween and miss us by a whisker, according to Nasa. Well, if whiskers were 499,000km long, at any rate. The asteroid was spotted by Nasa a fortnight ago and is set to fly past the Earth on Halloween at over 78,000mph. It will cross by Earth at the closest it’s been since 2006. The space agency explained why they spotted it at such short notice, despite constantly monitoring the size. They said: “The asteroid is on an extremely eccentric and a high inclination orbit.” We won’t be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye, but anyone with access to a telescope will be able to see it as it passes by. “This is the closest approach by a known object this large until 1999 AN10 approaches within 1 lunar distance in August 2027,” said Nasa. [Daily Telegraph]

Q Awards 2015: Foals beat Ed Sheeran and Blur to win Best Act In the World Today –
The Oxford band Foals confirmed their elevation to music’s biggest stages after being voted Best Act In the World Today at the Q magazine awards. Foals, who combine indie rock with electronic beats and African-inspired rhythms, beat Blur, Noel Gallagher and Ed Sheeran to the award, previously won by the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay. Ed Sheeran beat Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith to the Solo Artist award, capping a year in which the strummer sold out three nights at Wembley Stadium, performing with just his guitar and a loops pedal. However Sheeran lost out to the Brighton drums and bass rock duo Royal Blood for the Best Live Act prize. [The Independent] See List of the Day
The Foals

Hundreds Of Apps Banned From App Store For Accessing Users’ Personal Information –
Hundreds of iOS applications have been pulled out of the App Store, following a report from analytics service SourceDNA, which uncovered a group of applications that were extracting users’ personally identifiable information, including email addresses associated with their Apple IDs, devices and peripheral serial numbers, as well as a list of apps installed on their phone. The applications in question had been using an SDK from a Chinese advertising company called Youmi which was accessing this information by way of private APIs, the report found. Nearly all of the developers were located in China so, for now, this appears to be an isolated incident. However, the larger concern here has to do with how long this activity had been taking place – and what that means in terms of Apple’s App Store review process, given that it hadn’t caught this suspect activity until being alerted to it by a third party. [Tech Crunch]

Video of the Day –

DRIVING from Nate Theis on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Q Awards 2015 Winners

Q Best New Act

James Bay

Best Track

The Libertines – Gunga Din (Winner)

Q Best Album

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday

Q Best Video

Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck

Q Hero

Mark Ronson

Q Best Live Act

Royal Blood

Q Classic Album

Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One

Q Best Solo Artist

Ed Sheeran

Q Innovation in Sound

Gary Numan

Q Best Act In The World

Foals

Gibson Les Paul Award

Tony Iommi

Q Outstanding Contribution to Music

New Order

Q Classic Single

Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Q Icon

Duran Duran

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#DiaContraelCancerdeMama	#mondaymotivation	#FourWordsToLiveBy
2	#FelizLunes	#FourWordsToLiveBy	#mondaymotivation
3	Colts	Anthony Mackie	Foreign Office
4	#ALDUBRoadToForever	#MotivationMonday	#TheOuijaBoardSaid
5	#MeGustaMuchoQue	#MakeLifeBetterInAWord	Jamie Oliver
6	#DemiNoBrasil	#MyResumeDoesntMention	#lufc
7	Boca	#BoycottStarWarsVII	Seahawks
8	LuanetesSupportBeliebers	Weight Watchers	Leeds United
9	#FourWordsToLiveBy	Jay Carney	Colts
10	#MasterChefMX	Barry Zito	Star Wars

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015)
- 19-year-old soldier Omri Levy was killed and nearly a dozen injured in a shooting and stabbing attack in the central bus station in the southern city of Beersheba carried out by an Israeli Bedouin Arab, 21-year old Mohind al-Okbi, who was killed after a gun battle. (Washington Post) (NBC News)
- Israeli hospital officials announce an Eritrean migrant, Haptom Zerhom, mistakenly shot by an Israeli security guard and then attacked by bystanders who thought he was involved in the Beersheva bus station attack, has died of his wounds. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahsho said this latest incident seemed to capture the current climate of ratcheted-up tensions. Police are looking to identify and locate members of the crowd who beat and fatally wounded the man; the security officer whose shot incapacitated the victim will not be investigated. (AP) (Yediot Ahronot – Ynet)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present): Kunduz hospital airstrike
- Afghanistan’s acting defense minister has stated that the Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz bombed on 3 October by U.S. forces was being used as a safe haven by insurgents. MSF has repeatedly denied the allegation, stating “Every staff member in Kunduz working for MSF has repeatedly reported to us that there were no armed people in the hospital at the time of the bombing”. (AP)

Business and economics

China’s economy expanded 6.9% in third quarter over last year’s growth, just slightly better than forecast. (New York Times)
Shareholders from both companies overwhelmingly approve Aetna’s acquisition of Humana for $37 billion. (Louisville Courier-Journal) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Rising floodwaters are causing problems in the northern Philippines as Typhoon Koppu (Lando in the Philippines) is set to linger over the island of Luzon until Wednesday. Eleven people have died so far. (BBC) (AP via Fox News)
Seven hikers are killed by a raging forest fire while climbing Indonesia‘s Mount Lawu. (The Telegraph)

International relations

The United States Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force held a triennial fleet review off Tokyo Bay. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first sitting Japanese leader to board a U.S. aircraft carrier when he visited the USS Ronald Reagan.(USA Today) (Japan Times)
Pope Francis encourages bishops from around the world to sign an appeal to world leaders, meeting in Paris next month, for crucial climate change talks. In a major teaching document in June, the encyclical Laudato Si’ (Latin: Praised be), Francis denounced what he called the “structurally perverse” fossil fuel-based world economy that exploits the poor and destroys the habitability of the Earth for humans. (AP via Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- Croatia reopens its border with Serbia allowing thousands of refugees to cross. (Irish Times)
Elements from the maritime forces of India, Japan, and the United States engage in joint military exercises in the Bay of Bengal. (Military Times)
South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov announces South Ossetia intends on holding a referendum on joining the Russian Federation. Tibilov said reuniting with Russia “is a century-long dream of the South Ossetian people”. (Radio Free Europe)

Law and crime

Spencer Stone, primarily responsible for thwarting an August terrorist attack on a train en route to Paris from Amsterdam and later stabbed in downtown Sacramento has undergone open heart surgery. The wounds from the most recent altercation were more serious than previously reported. (Air Force Times)
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence for culpable homicide of Reeva Steenkamp under house arrest. (The Guardian)
Following 21 days of deliberation the deadlocked jury in Manhattan declared a mistrial in the case against three former senior attorneys from the “once large and prominent law firm” Dewey & LeBoeuf. The three had been charged with “plotting to manipulate financial records in an attempt to defraud bank lenders and insurance companies during the financial crisis.” (New York Times)

Politics and elections

Canadian federal election, 2015
- Voters in Canada go to the polls, to elect the 42nd Canadian Parliament. (CBC) (AP) In the United States, C-SPAN 2 aired complete CBC coverage of the event. [1]
- The Liberal Party of Canada performs very strongly in Atlantic Canada achieving over 60% of the vote and leading in all of the 33 seats. (The Guardian)
- Projections show that the Liberal Party of Canada led by Justin Trudeau is poised to form a majority government. (The Star)
- The Canadian Liberal party has won the federal election with 184 seats. (CBC)
The Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits, Allison Hickey, at the beleaguered United States Department of Veterans Affairs resigned. She held the post since June 2011. (Military Times)
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced that all unmanned aircraft, i.e. drones, will be required to be registered with the government just as manned aircraft are. DOT is forming a task force of government leaders and diverse stakeholderswho will determine the specifics of which drones will be covered and how the registration process will work. (Forbes) (Reuters) (NBC News) (DOT)
War in Donbass
- Portraits of former dictator Joseph Stalin go up in the city of Donetsk as the Donetsk People’s Republic adopts more Soviet era policies. (The Guardian)
Eric Chu, KMT party chairman, has replaced Hung Hsiu-chu as Taiwan’s ruling party candidate just months ahead of elections. (The Diplomat)

Science and technology

Apple pulls hundreds of iOS mobile applications from its App Store which, the company discovered, includes software that was secretly sending users’ personal information to an advertising firm in China. (NBC News) (TechCrunch)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

January 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

North Korea claims to invent ‘alcohol which doesn’t give you hangover’ –
They already claim to have cured cancer, Aids and Ebola with a miracle drug produced from ginseng root.
Now North Korean scientists seem to have scaled new heights of greatness with their latest invention – a special blend of liquor which doesn’t give you a hangover. According to the state-controlled newspaper Pyongyang Times, the drink also relies on ginseng root for its medicinal qualities and has been hailed as a “national scientific and technological hit.” The recipe replaces sugar with burnt rice, supposedly eliminating the liquor’s bitter taste along with any risks of a hangover. The drink “is suave and causes no hangovers”, claimed the Pyongyang Times piece, which was entitled: “Liquor wins quality medal for preserving national smack.” It is the latest in a string of outlandish claims made by North Korea’s state media, which once congratulated its supreme commander for learning to drive at the age of three. [Daily Telegraph]

Twitter down in global outage –
Twitter went offline on Tuesday morning for users of both its website and mobile apps. Visitors to the social network were met with a “Something is technically wrong” message on a blue background. Twitter’s status page said: “Some users are currently experiencing problems accessing Twitter. We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution.” “Something is technically wrong,” a notice on the Twitter website said. “Thanks for noticing – we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.” At around 10am service resumed as usual, although was down again shortly before midday and at various times over Tuesday afternoon. [Daily Telegraph] The social network later said an “internal code change” had led to the problem, which lasted six hours 10 minutes. “We reverted the change, which fixed the issue,” it added.
Twitter error page

Video of the Day –

NYC Gifathon from James Curran on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TercaDetremuraSdv	#NationalPopcornDay	#LHHNY
2	#FelizMartes	Sarah Palin	#NationalPopcornDay
3	#زد_رصيدك67	#TravelTuesday	#CharityTuesday
4	#ALDUBFirstCondition	#HowIStaySaneInMyWorkspace	#ThingsThatShouldBeIllegal
5	#كلمه_تعور_قلبي	#BeliebersDay	#universitychallenge
6	조경태	#1YearOfWorthIt	#BlueMonday
7	#CorridaMalucaNoClubeSDV	#twitterdown	#TheUndateables
8	#HrantDink	Edgar Allan Poe	Aunt Viv
9	#BeliebersDay	#MISOTS16	Angie
10	#NationalPopcornDay	#InequalityIs	Glenn Frey

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- At least 9 people are killed and 35 injured after a suicide bomber strikes near a security checkpoint near Peshawar, Pakistan. (Geo TV), (AFP via RTE)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that scores of Syrian Army troops have been killed in fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant over the past few days with the fiercest battles near the city of Deir ez-Zor. (Jerusalem Post)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- The United Nations Commission on Human Rights releases a report stating that at least 18,802 civilians have been killed and another 36,245 wounded between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015 with approximately half the deaths occuring in Baghdad. (United Nations)

Arts and culture

Pakistan lifts a three year ban on YouTube after Google launches a local version that allows the government to demand removal of material it considers to be offensive. (Reuters via Youtube)

Business and economy

The price of oil drops below $28 a barrel, the lowest since 2003. (The Huffington Post via MSN)

Disasters and accidents

The roof of the renovated Hôtel Ritz in Paris is damaged by fire just weeks before the planned re-opening. (BBC) (Reuters)

International relations

OIC and Iran-Saudi relations
- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister has left Tehran for Saudi Arabia for participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ministerial meeting in Jeddah which was called for by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss the consequence of attack at Saudi Embassy in Tehran following the execution of Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr. (IRIB World Service) (OIC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

January 29, 2016

Top News Stories –

Italian town welcomes first baby for 28 years –
A small town in northern Italy is celebrating the arrival of its first baby since the 1980s. The mayor of Ostana, which lies in the mountains of the Piedmont region, says the new arrival is a “dream come true” for the tiny community, which has seen its population plummet over the past 100 years. Baby Pablo, who was born in a Turin hospital last week, takes the number of inhabitants to 85, although only about half live there permanently, La Stampa newspaper reports. Mayor Giacomo Lombardo says that while 1,000 people called Ostana home in the early 1900s, a steady drop in the birth rate began after World War Two. “The real decline started in 1975, with 17 babies between 1976 and 1987, when the last boy was born – until little Pablo,” he says. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

All 24 Types Of Males Explained

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#VemSextaChegouClubeSDV	#FlashbackFriday	#FridayFeeling
2	#EuAmoMeuSignoPorque	#KanyeAnalPlaylist	#StormGertrude
3	#زد_رصيدك77	#HPCelebration	#KanyeAnalPlaylist
4	#KanyeAnalPlaylist	#PanthersPride	#FlashbackFriday
5	#LuisMarizNossoJustinBR	Bank of Japan	#PillowTalk
6	#BuenViernes	LA Confidential	#CatSongs
7	#TipicaFraseDeAbuela	Mac Dre	#bbcqt
8	#ALDUBTurnBackTime	#NewMusicFriday	#IllNeverBeTooOldTo
9	#AmbulanceToCizre	#EqualPay	#FirstDates
10	#MeSientoMasIgnoradoQue	#SoNotMeh	#GOPDebate

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
- At least 3 people are killed and 7 wounded in an attack on a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia‘s Eastern Province. (The News Hub)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A pipeline used to generate around half the electricity in Iraqi Kurdistan is blown up, knocking out power across the region. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Mexico launches a wholesale telecoms network tender today. (Reuters via Yahoo! Finance)
The Bank of Japan adopts a negative interest rate policy to support the economy. (Bloomberg)
U.S. corporation Xerox announces it will split into two companies, separating its business process outsourcing line from its legacy business, document technology. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian region cyclone season
- Tropical Cyclone Stan gathers strength as it heads towards the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. (ABC News Australia)
2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- Storm Gertrude impacts the British Isles with 90mph winds knocking out power lines and causing travel disruption. (The Telegraph)
An avalanche near McBride in the Canadian province of British Columbia kills five people. (CBC)

International relations

Japan–North Korea relations
- Japan places its military on alert over a possible North Korean ballistic-missile launch after detecting “increased activity” at a North Korean missile site. Japan’s Minister of Defense, Gen Nakatani, has ordered Kongō-class destroyers stationed in the Sea of Japan, equipped with Aegis combat systems to target any North Korean projectiles heading for Japan. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Human rights in China
- Human rights activists claim that three pro-democracy advocates have been sentenced up to five years imprisonment on charges of attempting to overthrow the Communist Party government inGuangzhou. (AP via Star Tribune)
Hillary Clinton email controversy
- The Government of the United States rules that 22 emails on Hillary Clinton‘s home server contained closely guarded information rated as “Top Secret”. (AP)

Science

Scientists from the University of California conclude that study of the geology of the Earth and Moon indicate that both consist of a mixture of rocks from the original Earth and a hypothesized planetary-mass object called Theia after a collision. (The Telegraph)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 11, 2016

May 12, 2016

Top News Stories –

High heels row: Firm accused of sexism changes policy –
A firm that sent home a temp without pay for refusing to wear high heels has changed its policy. London receptionist Nicola Thorp, 27, says she was told to wear shoes with a “2in to 4in heel” when she arrived at finance company PwC in December. When she refused and was sent home she set up a petition calling for the law on dress code to be changed. Outsourcing firm Portico said “with immediate effect all our female colleagues can wear plain flat shoes”. The company initially said Ms Thorp, from Hackney, had signed its “appearance guidelines” but said it would review them. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Nightmare in the Morning from Yonatan Tal on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- Al Qaeda militants kill at least 13 Yemeni government troops near the city of Mukalla. (AFP via Daily Mail)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A twin suicide bombing attack at a police station in Baghdad kills five people. Yesterday 93 people had been killed and 165 injured in the deadliest day of attacks in Iraq this year. (AP via Fox News)

Business and economy

Nissan announces that it will buy 34% of fellow Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors for 237.4 billion yen ($2.2 billion). (The Independent)
The Bank of England issues an unusually sharp warning about the possible economic consequences of an “Out” vote in the upcoming Brexit referendum. (Reuters)

Disasters

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The Government of Malaysia confirms that two more pieces of debris found in South Africa and Rodrigues Island off the coast of Mauritius are “almost certainly” from Malaysia Airlines 370 that disappeared two years ago. (AP via New York Times)

International relations

Syrian Civil War
- Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens unilateral action against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria inside Syria. (Hurriyet Daily) (WSJ)

Law and crime

A criminal investigation is launched by the New Hampshire attorney general against law enforcement officials after news footage showed Massachusetts/New Hampshire police appear to beat a man who was surrendering at the end of a bi-state car chase. (Washington Post via MSN)

Politics and elections

Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- The Brazilian Senate votes (55-22) to begin the impeachment process against the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff and suspend her from office while the trial takes place. (BBC)
Baltimore, Maryland, primary election, 2016
- Maryland state elections officials decertify the results of Baltimore’s April 26, 2016, primary election because, for example, the number of ballots cast was hundreds more than the number of voters who checked in at polling places. (The Washington Post)

Science

Longevity claims
- A 120-year old woman is found living in the Astrakhan Oblast of Russia, which would make her the world’s oldest living person. However, her birth year remains internationally unverified. Thus, 116-year old Italian Emma Morano is still listed as the oldest verified living person. (TASS)
- The world’s oldest person, American Susannah Mushatt Jones, dies at the age of 116. (Wave 3)
Researchers from Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary, reveal that (225088) 2007 OR10 is the third largest dwarf planet in the solar system. (Gizmodo)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 16, 2016

Top News Stories –

First penis transplant in U.S. performed in Boston –
Surgeons in Boston have performed the first penile transplant in the United States, a procedure that soon could help severely wounded troops, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital said Monday. Thomas Manning, 64, whose penis was removed in 2012 due to penile cancer, is recovering well and showing no signs of rejecting the transplant, his surgeons said. [USA Today]

Crimeans told to stop stealing sand from beaches –
Officials in Crimea are warning people to stop stealing sand from tourist beaches, or else face a prison sentence. The peninsula’s beaches are being targeted by people who remove the sand for use as free building material, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reports. At more remote beaches it’s being taken away by the lorry-load, the paper says. Sand theft can hit local authorities finances hard. In February, a group of builders were charged with illegally removing more than 1bn roubles-worth ($15.4m; £10.6m) near Moscow. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

World Record Edition | Dude Perfect

Other News Stories –

Arts and culture

The Vegetarian, written by Han Kang and translated by Deborah Smith, wins the Man Booker International Prize. (BBC News), (The Independent), (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

Pfizer Inc. announces plans to buy Anacor for $5.2 billion. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 15 students are killed and 6 are missing after heavy rains and flash flooding trigger a landslide at a popular tourist resort in Deli Serdang Regency, Indonesia. (The Star Online)

Law and crime

Colombian conflict (1964–present)
- Colombian police announce the seizure of about 8 tonnes (18,000 lb) of cocaine in an operation targeting the Clan Úsuga gang. This would make it the biggest seizure of drugs in the history of Colombia.(UPI) (BBC) (NBC News)
Rwandan genocide
- A Swedish court sentences Claver Berinkindi, a 61-year-old Swedish citizen originally from Rwanda, to life in prison for participation in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. (Reuters) (THE LOCAL)

Politics and elections

The Afghan capital Kabul is locked down as members of the Hazara community protest the proposed route of a power line. (AP)

Science and technology

The first penis transplant in the United States is performed successfully at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts. Doctors call the operation “a surgical milestone”. The patient, 64-year-old Thomas Manning from Halifax, Massachusetts, is the third man worldwide to have had the experimental surgery performed. (USA Today) (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 18, 2016

Top News Stories –

Sevilla beat Liverpool 3-1 to win the Europa League for fifth time –
Liverpool suffered a dramatic second-half collapse as Sevilla claimed the Europa League for the third season in succession with a superb comeback. Jurgen Klopp’s side looked on course to secure the prize of Champions League football – on offer to the winners of the competition – when Daniel Sturridge’s magnificent strike with the outside of his left foot gave them the interval lead. The good work was wrecked in the first 17 seconds of the second half when Kevin Gameiro turned in Mariano Ferreira’s cross to put Sevilla level. Coke’s fine 64th-minute finish confirmed Sevilla’s superiority and he added a contentious third from close range, which was initially disallowed but was then given as Liverpool slumped to their second final defeat this season after losing to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup. [BBC]
Coke

Google’s conversation-based Assistant takes on Amazon –
Google has announced a conversation-based tool to control smartphones, smartwatches and other devices. Google Assistant can be used to find information, play media and carry out tasks – such as booking cinema tickets – via a back-and-forth chat between the user and the software. The firm also announced a voice-activated device with a built-in speaker called Google Home to deliver the tech to living rooms. It will compete with Amazon’s Echo. Amazon launched its own dialogue-based smart home device in 2014, which is powered by the firm’s proprietary virtual assistant Alexa. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Google App: Ok, Google…

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- Twin bombings kill a police officer and wound nine people in Peshawar, Pakistan. (FOX News)
Use of chemical weapons in the Iraqi civil war
- Iraqi police claim ISIL militants fired chemical weapons, suspected to be mustard gas or chlorine, in the May 8 attacks on Bashir near Kirkuk, Iraq. (Time)
Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping
- One of the girls kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram in Nigeria is found and reunited with her family. (BBC) (CNN)

Business and economy

Suzuki says it used improper fuel economy tests for Japan in a widening of a scandal that hit Mitsubishi Motors. (Reuters)

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, met with a group of prominent U.S. conservatives, over allegations that the company censors conservative content. (Reuters).

Disasters and accidents

More than 150 people are feared dead by two landslides triggered by more than three days of heavy rain in central Sri Lanka. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Ecuador near the town of Muisne, one person is killed. (Reuters) (AP)
A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. All seven aircrew members escaped. No injuries have been reported. (Pacific Daily News)

International relations

Cross-Strait relations
- China stages joint war games featuring mock beach landing, helicopter assaults and tank battles along its east coast, just days before the inauguration of Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen. (AP via Daily Mail)

Law and crime

Michelle Lodzinski is convicted of murdering her five-year-old son Timothy Wiltsey 25 years ago in New Jersey. (AP via Chicago Tribune), (USA Today), (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

2014–16 Venezuelan protests
- Amid a state of emergency, Venezuelan police clash and fire tear gas at protesters calling for the downfall of socialist president Nicolás Maduro in central Caracas. The protests come a day after Maduro warned that the opposition-controlled National Assembly may soon “disappear”. (The Guardian)

Sport

2016 UEFA Europa League Final
- Spanish side Sevilla FC beats English opponent Liverpool F.C., 3-1, at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, to win the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. It is their third straight UEFA Europa League title win. (Radio New Zealand)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 25, 2016

Top News Stories –

‘Beauty and the Beast’ Teaser Tops ‘Star Wars: Force Awakens’ in First Day –
The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast was viewed a record 91.8 million times in its first 24 hours — besting previous champ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron (each of them Disney films as well). The second teaser trailer for Force Awakens garnered 88 million views, followed by 61 million views for Captain America: Civil War, 55 million views for the second teaser for Force Awakens, and 34 million views for Avengers: Age of Ultron, according to Disney. [Hollywood Reporter] See Video of the Day

Norway consumer body stages live app terms reading –
Norwegians have spent more than 30 hours reading out terms and conditions from smartphone apps in a campaign by the country’s consumer agency. The average Norwegian has 33 apps, the Norwegian Consumer Council says, whose terms and conditions together run longer than the New Testament. To prove the “absurd” length, the council got Norwegians to read each of them out in real time on their website. The reading finished on Wednesday, clocking in at 31:49:11. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Beauty and the Beast Official US Teaser Trailer

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- The Afghan Taliban announces that Haibatullah Akhundzada will be its new leader replacing Akhtar Mansour who died recently in a drone strike. Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob are named as deputy leaders. (Al-Jazeera)
- A suicide bomb attack kills at least 10 people and injures four people travelling on a bus for appeals court staff travelling west of Kabul. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Business and economy

Greek financial crisis
- The Eurozone agrees to a €10.3 billion ($11.48 billion) bailout package for Greece. (The Guardian)

International relations

Russia–Ukraine relations, War in Donbass
- Ukrainian pilot and parliamentarian Nadiya Savchenko, who has been detained in Russia since 2014, arrives home following a dramatic prisoner swap with Russia. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

In the United States, Hillary Clinton is criticized by the State Department’s inspector general for her usage of a private email server while she was secretary of state. The finding also concluded though that former secretary of state Colin Powell also had a private email server, as did former ambassador to Kenya Scott Gration. The inspector referred to the email server usage as “longstanding systemic weaknesses”. (New York Times)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 16, 2016

Top News Stories –

Chinese drivers fashion rat-proof car ‘skirts’ –
Residents of a city in southern China have been attaching “skirts” to their cars to protect them from rats. Locals in Nanning, in the Guangxi autonomous region, came up with the unusual solution after rodents were found to be clambering inside the vehicles and gnawing through the wiring. Parked cars have been spotted around the city sporting the makeshift, wraparound shields – dubbed “car maxi skirts” in the Chinese media – some fashioned from fabric and chicken wire, others using bamboo. Many social media users are amused by the curious sight, with one person writing on the popular NetEase web portal: “I like this elevated Guangxi humour.” Some share the locals’ frustrations, but others think they’re overreacting. “Are they preparing against a large-scale rodent invasion?” one user asks. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Procrastination

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

The Russian Air Force uses an Iranian airbase near Hamadan to launch attacks against Syrian regime opponents. (BBC)
Houthi shelling kills seven in Saudi Arabia; nine Yemenis from one family die from an airstrike by the Saudi-led alliance. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The Westfield World Trade Center opens on schedule, part of the World Trade Center Ground Zero redevelopment in New York City. (CBS NY)

Business and economy

João Havelange, President of FIFA from 1974 to 1998, dies at the age of 100. (BBC Sport)
Barnes & Noble fires CEO Ronald Boire after less than a year in the job. Executive Chairman and company founder Leonard Riggio, who is postponing his September retirement, will assume Boire’s duties.(Reuters) (USA Today)
China launches the first communication satellite that uses photon beam communication. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2016 California wildfires
- The town of Wrightwood, California, is evacuated due to threats from the Bluecut Fire burning in the Cajon Pass. (KTLA)
- The Governor of California declares a state of emergency in San Bernardino County due to the Bluecut Fire. (ABC 7)

Law and crime

California wildfires
- California authorities charge a Clearlake resident with 17 counts of arson in connection with the wildfires over the last two years. (The Los Angeles Times)
Medical marijuana
- A United States Court of Appeals rules that the Department of Justice, per the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, cannot spend money to prosecute federal marijuana cases if the defendants comply with state medical marijuana laws. (Washington Post) (Reuters)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 17, 2016

Top News Stories –

US ready to ‘hand over’ the internet’s naming system –
The US has confirmed it is finally ready to cede power of the internet’s naming system, ending the almost 20-year process to hand over a crucial part of the internet’s governance. The Domain Naming System, DNS, is one of the internet’s most important components. It pairs the easy-to-remember web addresses – like bbc.com – with their relevant servers. Without DNS, you’d only be able to access websites by typing in its IP address, a series of numbers such as “194.66.82.10”. More by circumstance than intention, the US has always had ultimate say over how the DNS is controlled – but not for much longer. It will give up its power fully to Icann – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – a non-profit organisation. The terms of the change were agreed upon in 2014, but it wasn’t until now that the US said it was finally satisfied that Icann was ready to make the change. Icann will get the “keys to the kingdom”, as one expert put it, on 1st October 2016. From that date, the US will lose its dominant voice – although Icann will remain in Los Angeles. Icann was created in 1998 to take over the task of assigning web addresses. Until that point, that job was handled by one man – Jon Postel. He was known to many as the “god of the internet”, a nod to his power over the internet, as well as his research work in creating some of the systems that underpin networking. [BBC]
Jon Postel in 2008

Video of the Day –

FURTHER – Seth Shostak from Stuart Langfield on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Business and economy

Cisco announces a cut of 5,500 jobs in their shift from switches to software. (Reuters)

International relations

The governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia confirm that the Manus Regional Processing Centre will close following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea. (ABC News)
North Korean defectors
- North Korea‘s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, Thae Yong Ho, defects with his family to South Korea. (Reuters), (BBC)

Law and crime

A Malaysian oil tanker, MT Vier Harmoni, is hijacked off the coast of Malaysia and is believed to have been taken to Indonesian waters near the island of Batam, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The identity of the hijackers is not yet known. (BBC)
Judge Keyla Blanc, of Brazil‘s Special Tribunal for Fans and Major Events, orders Brazil police to question U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte over inconsistencies describing the armed robbery of himself and three other US Olympians. Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger are later removed from a plane returning to the United States. (Reuters), (Daily Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

Eight people are seriously injured when a passenger train collides with a tree that had fallen across the railway line at Saint-Aunès, Hérault, France. (BBC News Online)
All 512 passengers and crew are evacuated from the ferry Caribbean Fantasy which caught fire off San Juan, Puerto Rico.(World Maritime News)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 20, 2016

Top News Stories –

Glass bridge: China opens world’s highest and longest –
The much-heralded “world’s highest and longest” glass-bottomed bridge has opened to visitors in central China. It connects two mountain cliffs in what are known as the Avatar mountains (the film was shot here) in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. Completed in December, the 430m-long bridge cost $3.4m (£2.6m) to build and stands 300m above ground, state news agency Xinhua reported. It has been paved with 99 panes of three-layered transparent glass. And according to officials, the 6m-wide bridge – designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan – has already set world records for its architecture and construction. [BBC]

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaziantep bombing
- A suicide bomber targets a Kurdish wedding celebration in the Turkish city of Gaziantep killing at least 22 people and wounding 94. (Reuters), (Reuters via New York Times)

2016 Citronelle, Alabama, homicide
- Six people, including an unborn baby, were killed in Citronelle, Alabama. A 27-year-old man was arrested as a suspect in the case. (CNN)

Business and economy

India announces the new governor of its central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, is Urjit Patel, formerly the RBI’s deputy governor for monetary policy. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Derrick Dearman a 27-year-old Mississippi man kills five people in the U.S. town of Citronelle, Alabama then kidnaps his pregnant ex-girlfriend from among the victims. Nearby, the Greene County, MississippiSheriff’s office takes the surrender and confession of the suspect. (Reuters)

Sports

2016 Summer Olympics
- Mo Farah of Great Britain wins the men’s 5,000 metres to go along with his earlier gold medal in the 10,000 metres. By successfully defending his golds from the 2012 Games in both events, he becomes only the second man to win these two events at consecutive Olympics, alongside Lasse Virén of Finland (1972 and 1976). (BBC)
- Matthew Centrowitz wins the men’s 1,500 metres for the first American gold in the event since 1908. (BBC)
- In men’s football, Brazil defeats Germany 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw to claim their first-ever gold medal in the sport. (BBC)
- In women’s golf, Inbee Park of South Korea wins the gold medal. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

November 8, 2016

Top News Stories –

Toblerone triangle change upsets fans –
A decision to space out the distinctive triangular chocolate chunks in two Toblerone bars sold in the UK has upset fans who say that they do mind the gap. The product’s makers, US-based Mondelez International, said it had changed the design to reduce the weight of what were 400g and 170g bars. Some consumers have described the move as “the wrong decision” and said the bigger spaces looked “stupid”. Mondelez said the move was down to a rise in the cost of ingredients. In a statement on the Toblerone Facebook page, the company said it had to make a decision between changing the look of the bars or raising the price. [BBC]
The old shaped Toblerone

Video of the Day –

The Flying Frenchies Surf and BASE Jump From a Zipline

List of the Day –

How many peaks in a bar of Toblerone?
According to Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany the sizes and number of peaks for Toblerones are as follows:

Size	Tiny	Mini	35 g	50 g	75 g	100 g	200 g	400 g	750 g	4.5 kg
Peaks	3	3	8	11	11	12	15	15	17	12

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Six Al Qaeda insurgents are killed by the Arab coalition in Yemen. (Reuters)
Gunmen kill at least 30 people in an attack on a gold mine in a remote area of Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria. (Reuters)

Business and economy

India abolishes larger banknotes in a bold and unexpected move to curb circulation of counterfeit notes and to fight black money. (BBC)(NDTV)

Politics and elections

United States elections, 2016
- Voters in the United States go to the polls for a range of federal, state and local elections, including the highly publicized presidential election between major party nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. (ABC)
- Results from several of New Hampshire‘s small midnight voting towns are released, showing marginal victories for Clinton in Dixville Notch and Hart’s Location, while Trump won significantly more votes in Millsfield. (News.com.au) (IB Times)
- The Republican Party is forecast to retain control of the United States House of Representatives. (ABC News)
- Donald Trump is forecast to win the United States presidential election as a result of victories of battleground states. (The Telegraph)
- The New York Times forecasts that it is highly likely that the Republican Party will retain control of the United States Senate. (The New York Times)
2016 South Korean political scandal
- South Korean prosecutors raid the offices of Samsung Electronics as part of a ongoing probe into President Park Geun-hye‘s controversial association with Choi Soon-sil. Yonhap News Agency reports prosecutors are investigating whether Samsung improperly provided financial assistance to Choi’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra. (BBC) (Reuters)
European migrant crisis
- The National Assembly rejects Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán‘s bill to block the settlement of refugees in Hungary. The far-right Jobbik party abstained from the vote, arguing the immigration ban should apply to all foreigners, and not just refugees. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

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)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

December 25, 2016

Top News Stories –

Ex-Wham! singer George Michael dies –
Singer George Michael has died aged 53, his publicist has said. The star, who launched his career with Wham! in the 1980s and later continued his success as a solo performer, is said to have “passed away peacefully at home”. Thames Valley Police said South Central Ambulance Service attended a property in Goring in Oxfordshire at 13:42 GMT. Police say there were no suspicious circumstances. Michael, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in north London, sold more than 100m albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades. Earlier this month it was announced that producer and songwriter Naughty Boy was working with Michael on a new album. In a statement, the star’s publicist said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period. [BBC]
Michael performing on stage on the Faith World Tour in 1988.

Other News Stories –

Arts and culture

Pope Francis pleads for peace in a Christmas Mass in the Vatican. (Voice of America)

Business and economy

Bezeq, an Israeli telecoms company, says that it has received word from the country’s telecoms regulator that it will be allowed to end the “structural separation” of its business operations by product (i.e. mobile phone, internet, land lines). (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Chiloé earthquake
- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Chile spurs tsunami warnings. (BBC)
2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash
- A Russian Tu-154 military passenger airplane carrying 92 people including the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff from Sochi. The airplane was headed towards Khmeimim, Syria. The Russian Armed Forces are actively involved in the Syrian Civil War. (The Telegraph) (Al Jazeera) (FOX News)
2016 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Nock-ten (Nina) strikes the Philippines. (BBC)
The German city of Augsburg is evacuated after a World War II-era explosive is discovered in the town. Explosive experts later defused the bomb. (The New York Times)

Health

Medical research reveals shrinkage in women’s brains as a result of pregnancy. Loss of gray matter in certain regions of the brain may make the brain more efficient and specialized for child-rearing. There is also evidence of links to long-term changes in brain. (ScienceNews) (Nature)

International relations

Afghanistan‘s first female Air Force pilot Niloofar Rahmani files for asylum in the United States. (Reuters)
Pakistan releases Indian fishermen caught in its territory as a gesture of goodwill. (Deutsche Welle)

Law and crime

2016 Turkish purges
- Turkey probes around 10,000 social media users for allegedly insulting government officials or supporting “terror-related activity.” (BBC)
A producer of Al Jazeera is arrested in Egypt. (Reuters)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

January 3, 2017

Top News Stories –

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

Other News Stories –

Business and economy

Ford announces that it has cancelled plans to build a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico, long criticized by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and will invest $700 million in its Michigan plant in Flat Rock, potentially creating 700 new jobs from the investment and expansion of the plant. (CNN), (Fox News)
The U.S. Commerce Department announces that construction spending increased 0.9 percent to $1.18 trillion in November 2016, the highest level since April 2006. (CNBC)

Law and crime

Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, who is on trial for corruption, pleads not guilty to three charges of bribery and misconduct relating to a penthouse he leased in Shenzhen. (AFP, Reuters viaThe Straits Times), (BBC News), (South China Morning Post)
2017 Kidapawan jail siege
- More than 100 prisoners escape in the Philippines after armed suspected Muslim rebels storm a prison in Kidapawan. A prison guard dies. (ABC Australia), (Aljazeera)

Politics and elections

Presidential transition of Donald Trump
- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Robert Lighthizer will be the country’s chief trade negotiator. (Reuters)
115th United States Congress
- The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives cancels plans approved on Monday, following widespread criticism, including a tweet by President-elect Trump, that would have weakened the House’s independent ethics watchdog, the Office of Congressional Ethics. (CNN) (Washington Post)
- The House GOP caucus overwhelmingly re-elects Paul Ryan to another term as House Speaker. (AP via KYTV) (Politico)
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey votes to extend a state of emergency imposed after last year’s attempted coup for another three months. (AP)

Sports

The English rugby league club the Bradford Bulls goes into liquidation after years of financial problems. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

The 2010s

The story of a decade

Tag Archives: economy

December 5, 2012

December 27, 2014

January 29, 2015

February 21, 2015

March 12, 2015

March 18, 2015

March 25, 2015

April 26, 2015

May 10, 2015

June 12, 2015

July 1, 2015

July 27, 2015

August 11, 2015

August 12, 2015

August 18, 2015

August 19, 2015

October 19, 2015

January 19, 2016

January 29, 2016

May 12, 2016

May 16, 2016

May 18, 2016

May 25, 2016

August 16, 2016

August 17, 2016

August 20, 2016

November 8, 2016

November 10, 2016

December 25, 2016

January 3, 2017