June 13, 2015

Top News Stories –

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

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

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

Video of the Day –

BEAT DOWN from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

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

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For services to HIV Research. (Grantham, Lincolnshire)

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

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

 

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5 #AssistamTeuOlharFLY Uncle Jesse #SkypeREECEandCHARLIE
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June 14, 2015

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

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

Video of the Day –

Jurassic World – Official Global Trailer

List of the Day –

Biggest Worldwide film openings since 2002 [from Wikipedia]

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

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June 15, 2015

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Magna Carta changed the world, David Cameron tells 800 year anniversary event –
Magna Carta went on to change the world, Prime Minister David Cameron has said, at an ceremony in Surrey marking the 800th anniversary of the document that heralded modern democracy. The event at Runnymede, where King John sealed the original accord in 1215, was attended by the Queen and other royals. The Duke of Cambridge unveiled a commemorative art work at the site. Princess Anne rededicated the US memorial, saying Magna Carta “provides us with one of our most basic doctrines – that no person is above the law. “In recent history and even today we see in many parts of the world that power without the rule of law can lead to human suffering of terrible proportions. But it takes all of us to stand up for these principles.” [BBC]
Magna_Carta_(British_Library_Cotton_MS_Augustus_II.106)The Magna Carta (originally known as the Charter of Liberties) of 1215

Jess Glynne to have vocal surgery after pulling out of Isle of Wight Festival –
Jess Glynne has revealed she will undergo vocal cord surgery next week. The singer was forced to pull out of the weekend’s Isle of Wight Festival after consulting a doctor. She tweeted: “I am so so sad to tell you that I’m having to have vocal surgery next week” “I’m so sorry and it kills me but I have to cancel some forthcoming shows and festivals. I’m a little scared but I will be back singing better than ever very soon! Love hugs and kisses Jess.” Sam Smith had to pull out half way through his Australian tour in April after suffering haemorrhages on his vocal cords. [BBC Newsbeat]

Chicago Blackhawks take Stanley Cup in front of jubilant home crowd –
The Chicago Blackhaws defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 Monday night to win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons. Chicago are the only team since the National Hockey League lockout in the 2004-05 season to win three Stanley Cups, tempting the modern ‘dynasty’ label. That will be left to history to decide for certain, but there was little question Monday night where the Cup belonged. It all amounted to the first Chicago Stanley Cup win on home ice since 1938, when the Cup itself wasn’t even present for the victory, as the league at that time didn’t think the Blackhawks could win. Despite a weather delay, the Cup finally made it to the United Center this time around, and was hoisted once again by captain Jonathan Toews.
Jonathan_Toews_-_Chicago_BlackhawksJonathan Toews

Video of the Day –

WORLD RECORD Basketball Shot 126.5m (415 ft) – How Ridiculous

List of the Day –

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June 16, 2015

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Chris Evans to be new Top Gear presenter –
TV and radio personality Chris Evans will replace Jeremy Clarkson as the lead presenter of an all-new Top Gear line-up, the BBC has announced. Evans said he was “thrilled” to get the job, describing the motoring show as his “favourite programme of all time”. “I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward,” he added. Clarkson was dropped in March after punching a producer while on location.
Chris_EvansChris Evans (L) with Joss Stone

Foo Fighters cancel Glastonbury gig –
Rock group Foo Fighters have cancelled their headline slot at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. The announcement comes four days after frontman Dave Grohl fell off stage at a concert in Sweden, fracturing his leg. June dates in Belgium, and at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium and London’s Wembley Stadium have also been cancelled. Grohl apologised to fans, saying it was “just not physically possible” for him to perform at the moment.

Video of the Day –

Chris Pratt Dinosaurs Prank

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