February 6, 2015

Top News Stories –

One underscores the other doesn’t score –
Father Michael Duffy a New York priest has been receiving Twitter messages congratulating him on signing for Celtic Football Club. In fact another Michael Duffy who was transferred to the Scottish football champions from Derry City club has the same twitter handle as the priest, but the footballer has an underscore at the end. Father Duffy has gained many new followers and today tweeted:
copyright @michaelduffy twitter

Painting sells for $300m, a world record –
One of French artist Paul Gauguin’s most famous paintings showing to Tahitian ladies is sold for $300m (£197m), making it the most expensive work of art ever sold. Entitled Nafea Faa Ipoipo, or When Will You Marry?, was painted in 1892 by the French Post-Impressionist and has apparently been sold to a museum in Qatar.
256px-Paul_Gauguin_138

Phantom of the Opera apprehended –
Austrian police arrest a 63-year-old man who has become known as the Phantom of the Opera at the Vienna State Opera House. Security guards have been trying to catch the man, who buys a cheap ticket and then sits in expensive seats, for months. When he was seen in the best seat in the house, the police were called, but he made a run for it and then punched one of the police officers after he was cornered in the Gustav Mahler Hall. He was arrested and given a ban from all future performances at the State Opera.
By Morgaledh at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Left shark designer hit with cease and desist order –
Fernando Sosa who is selling the design for a 3D-printer model of the “Left Shark” dancer from Katy Perry’s Super Bowl half-time show has received a letter from Perry’s lawyers saying, “Your unauthorised display and sale of this product infringes our client’s exclusive rights.” Left Shark became a viral hit after forgetting its steps during the performance of Teenage Dream and California Gurls.
CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…

April 16, 2016

Top News Stories –

Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills dozens –
A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Ecuador has killed at least 77 people and injured more than 500, Vice-President Jorge Glas says. The quake, Ecuador’s largest since 1979, hit at 18:58 on Saturday (23:58 GMT) near the northern town of Muisne. Widespread severe damage is reported, with a bridge destroyed as far south as Guayaquil about 300km (190 miles) away. President Rafael Correa, who is flying back from a trip to Italy, has decreed a state of emergency. He said: “This is a very painful test. I ask the country to be calm and united… Let’s be strong; we will overcome this.” He added: “Roads and hospitals can be rebuilt; you cannot recover lost lives. That’s what hurts the most.” [BBC]

Army approves 22 women as infantry, armor officers –
The Army approved requests from 22 women to become the first female infantry and armor unit officers, opening leadership and ground combat positions previously only available to men. The Army said throughout the coming weeks 13 women will enter the armor branch and nine others will enter infantry as second lieutenants. They will be the first females to serve in the traditionally all-male front-line combat branches since the U.S. Department of Defense opened all combat roles in the U.S. Armed Forces to women. [UPI]

Prince rushed to hospital after emergency plane landing –
Prince has been rushed to hospital after his plane made an emergency landing.According to TMZ, the singer’s private jet was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Illinois.It happened just hours after he’d performed on stage in Atlanta. Prince was immediately taken from the plane in an ambulance and treated at a nearby hospital.He was released after a few hours. [BBC]
Prince_at_CoachellaPrince in 2008

Video of the Day –

Stephen Hawking’s Starshot, explained

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#IrritateMeIn4Words #IrritateMeIn4Words
#SabadoJuntosNoClubeSDV #93KDay
#FelizSabado #NPE16NC
#وفاه_الشيخ_مح�… Monica Lewinsky
#ALDUB9thMonthsary #TitleOfMyBreakupSong
#CalaBocaVcEFaDoJustinBieber #StarWars10k
#Coachella2016 #imwither
#مثل_مصري_عجبني #5WordNewYorkValues
#4Demands #CaratSelcaDay
#اكثر_شي_معقدن�… #DevRelCon

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 17, 2016

Top News Stories –

Messi scores 500th career goal –
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has scored his 500th career goal. The Argentine forward netted in the 63rd minute of Sunday’s Liga clash with Valencia to bring up the landmark. Messi, who was making his 525th appearance for Barca, has now scored an incredible 450 goals for the Liga champions, while he has a total of 50 for Argentina from his 107 caps for the national team. [Goal.com] In January Messi won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player for the fifth time.
Lionel MessiLionel Messi

Apple recovered one tonne of gold by recycling iPhones last year –
Apple has revealed it reclaimed almost one metric tonne of gold by recycling its own products in 2015. At current prices, that’s equivalent to around £28 million worth of gold. The figure was revealed in Apple’s recently-released Environmental Responsibility Report, which details the results of the company’s eco-friendly efforts in the last financial year. As well as the gold, Apple recovered three tonnes of silver (worth around £1.1 million at current prices), and over 1,300 tonnes of copper. These valuable materials were reclaimed through the Apple Renew scheme, which lets customers hand in their worn-out Apple devices in exchange for money off future Apple purchases. [The Independent]

Video of the Day –

How To Hide You’re Out Of Shape

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#ImpeachmentDay Axl Rose
#lluviasantiago #2YearsSinceMagconBrokeUp
#2YearsSinceMagconBrokeUp #StarWarsHalf
Axl Rose #FoodCity500
#FelizDomingo #NotAMeeting
#الابتعاث_افسد… #EcuadorEarthquake
#BattiQuorum #BuyLetMeLoveYouOniTunes
#DomingoDetremuraSdv Ecuador
#TagueirosPelaInternetJust… #IWillCallYouDaddyIf
Ecuador #SundayFunday

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 18, 2016

Top News Stories –

Depp’s wife Amber Heard avoids Australia dog-smuggling conviction –
Actress Amber Heard has avoided a conviction for illegally taking her dogs into Australia. Ms Heard, married to actor Johnny Depp, had pleaded guilty in court to making a false statement on her immigration card about the couple’s Yorkshire terriers. But the Queensland judge gave her a one-month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded. If she breaks the bond she must pay A$1,000 ($770; £540). The authorities also released an unusual video apology from the couple. In the video, which was shown in court and made public by the Department of Agriculture, the couple expressed remorse and advised travellers to respect Australian quarantine laws. [BBC] See Video of the Day
Amber_Heard_2011Amber Heard

Three-day working week ‘optimal for over-40s’ –
Workers aged over 40 perform at their best if they work three days a week, according to economic researchers. Their research analysed the work habits and brain test results of about 3,000 men and 3,500 women aged over 40 in Australia. Their calculations suggest a part-time job keeps the brain stimulated, while avoiding exhaustion and stress. The researchers said this needed to be taken into consideration as many countries raise their retirement age. [BBC]

YouTube live-streams in virtual reality and adds 3D sound –
YouTube is introducing live-streamed 360-degree videos on its service. The Google-owned platform said select concerts from California’s Coachella festival would be the first to use the virtual reality facility. In addition, it announced videos on its service could now be enhanced with “spatial audio”, which simulates the effect of sounds coming from different directions and distances. One expert said the innovation could greatly enhance VR experiences. The announcements were timed to coincide with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Las Vegas, where several new virtual reality products are being launched. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: Australian biosecurity

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#SegundaDetremuraSdv #HappyBirthdayIvoryElla
#الشوري_يناقش_�… Pulitzer
#AlutaComeçou #houstonflood
#WorldHeritageDay #WorldHeritageDay
#بعزيمه_الرجال… #ILookAtMyLifeAnd
#NoEsPorIntrigarPero #BostonMarathon
#AliİsmailKorkmaz #IFeelOldWhen
#houstonflood #RAWLondon
#BostonMarathon #asugsvsummit
#NoALaDroga #FightForFamilies

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Business and economics
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections
Sports

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

Liking mornings linked to being stupid –
People who are upbeat in the morning have extremely low intelligence, it has been confirmed. Researchers at the Institute for Studies found that self-styled ‘morning people’ have IQ levels below that of most people and even some animals. Professor Henry Brubaker said: “People who jump eagerly out of bed to begin their ‘morning rituals’ have the simplistic upbeat mentality that comes from a general lack of awareness. Labradors are also like that. “Their only evolutionary purpose is to clatter around in the kitchen making smoothies, annoying the more intelligent humans so much that they are forced to crawl grudgingly out of bed and start doing the things that are truly necessary to society. “‘Morning people’ love poor quality cheerful art like ‘beach grooves’ compilation CDs and films about street dancers succeeding against the odds. They’re nice. They just aren’t very bright.” [Daily Mash]

Video of the Day –

Giant Pictionary Team Battle | Dude Perfect

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#DanielPadillaBenteUno #DanielPadillaBenteUno
#TerçaComOClubeSDV #TerçaComOClubeSDV
#DiaMundialDeLaBicicleta #DiaMundialDeLaBicicleta
#PrimaryDay #PrimaryDay
#WhenIWas #WhenIWas
#LaPatriaNoSeRinde #LaPatriaNoSeRinde
#AklımdaykenSöyleyeyim #AklımdaykenSöyleyeyim
#ForaInternetLimitada #ForaInternetLimitada
#이글을_본사람_모��… #이글을_본사람_모��…
#RecuerdoQue #RecuerdoQue

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 20, 2016

Top News Stories –

Harriet Tubman to be first African-American on U.S. currency –
Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will become the first African-American on the face of U.S. paper currency, and the first woman in more than a century, when she replaces former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday that Tubman, who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and went on to help hundreds of slaves escape, would take the center spot on the bill, while Jackson, a slave owner, would move to the back. Introduced alongside a slew of changes to the $5 and $10 notes as well, the redesign gives the Treasury “a chance to open the aperture to reflect more of America’s history,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said. A new $10 bill will add images of five female leaders of the women’s suffrage movement, including Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to the back, while keeping founding father Alexander Hamilton on the front. The reverse of a new $5 note will show former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., officials said. Former President Abraham Lincoln will remain on the front. [Reuters]

Victoria Wood dies aged 62 after cancer battle –
Comedian, singer and writer Victoria Wood has died after “a short but brave” battle with cancer aged 62. Her publicist said the star “died peacefully at her north London home with family” on Wednesday. Wood’s long-time comedy partner Julie Walters said she was “too heart sore to comment – the loss of her is incalculable”. Wood found fame in the 1980s and was best known for her BBC sketch Acorn Antiques and comedy Dinnerladies. She won five Baftas including two for her one-off ITV drama Housewife, 49. [BBC]
Victoria_WoodVictoria Wood in 2012

Video of the Day –

Clockwork | A Time-Lapse & Hyper-Lapse Reel – In 4K from Tyler Fairbank on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Victoria Wood’s best One-liners [The Independent]

“Sexual harassment at work. . . is it a problem for the self-employed?”

“My children won’t even eat chips because some know-all bastard at school told them a potato was a vegetable.”

“My boyfriend had a sex manual but he was dyslexic. I was lying there and he was looking for my vinegar.”

“Jogging is for people who aren’t intelligent enough to watch television.”

“People think I hate sex. I don’t. I just don’t like things that stop you seeing the television properly.”

“In my day we didn’t have sex education, we just picked up what we could off the television.”

“We’d like to apologise to viewers in the north. It must be awful for them.”

“I sometimes think that being widowed is God’s way of telling you to come off the Pill.”

“I once went to one of those parties where everyone throws their car keys into the middle of the room. I don’t know who got my moped but I’ve been driving that Peugeot for years.”

“Life’s not fair, is it? Some of us drink champagne in the fast lane, and some of us eat our sandwiches by the loose chippings on the A597.”

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#QuartaDetremuraSdv #HairMusicVideo
#FelizMiercoles #WednesdayWisdom
#WednesdayWisdom #NationalLookAlikeDay
Happy 420 Happy 420
#شي_تفتخر_فيه #1linewed
#CuandoLlueveMeDanGanasDe #WaysToUniteUsAll
#TodoBienHastaQue Bob Marley
#ALDUBLoveOnCue Harriet Tubman
#ImpeachmentDaAnatel #FoodTank
#あなたは何故モテ�… Prince George

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Business and economics
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 25, 2016

Top News Stories –

Is this the new Mojito? –
The Mojito, the Cuba Libre and the Dark and Stormy have all earned their place in the cocktail hall of fame. And now a new creation looks set to join their ranks: the ‘Venceremos’ – a bold new cocktail that gets its kick from a dash of sesame oil. And it’s all thanks to Gn Chan, the self-confessed ‘lightweight’ bartender from New York, whose most recent concoction has been named the best cocktail in the world at the 2016 BACARDI Legacy Global Cocktail Competition.The mixture of BACARDI rum and coconut liqueur with pineapple, cucumber and lime juice (topped off with a dash of sesame oil and garnished with a pineapple leaf) is now set to grace bars, clubs, restaurants and lounges across the world. Best of all, it’s simple to make. ‘Put everything together,’ says Chan, 29, who currently works at a speakeasy-style bar in Manhattan. ‘Shake. Strain. Done.’ Chan, who describes himself as an ‘accidental bartender’ explains that the Venceremos – Spanish for ‘we shall overcome’ – is a reflection of his own journey as he hustled his way to the top of his career. [Daily Mail]

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#LiamDay #mondaymotivation
#あなたの声優は #FamousAF
#SegundaDetremuraSdv #WorldPenguinDay
#الثوره_مستمره #WhatsInHillarysPurse
#WorldPenguinDay #LiamDay
#اعطني_سوالك_و�… Cruz and Kasich
#BrazilLovesNormani #MyBestDayIn3Words
#MaduroEsOscuridad #SummerSixteenTour
#لن_تقودي #CureBoredomIn5Words
#HappyBdayDanielSharman #AlecAppreciationDay

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economics
Disasters and accidents
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections
Sports

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]
CokeCoke

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
Business and economy
  • 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
International relations
Law and crime
Politics and elections
Sport

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource