December 7, 2014

Top News Stories –

Foggy wins down under –
Former motorbike rider Carl Fogarty, four time winner of the World Superbike Championship, has won the British “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” in Australia. The 49-year-old known as Foggy beat former X Factor contestant Jake Quickenden and TV presenter Melanie Sykes in the final of the ITV show.
Carl Fogarty

LA Galaxy win MLS again –
Californian soccer team LA Galaxy have won a fifth Major League Soccer (MLS) title with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the championship-deciding MLS Cup. LA have won three of the last four league titles and Irish striker Robbie Keane grabbed an extra-time winner to give the Galaxy the victory after New England’s Chris Tierney had cancelled out Gyasi Zardes’ opener for LA. (See List of The Day)
Robbie Keane

Royal US visit starts –
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived in New York for a tour of the east coast of the United States during which Prince William will meet President Barack Obama. The Royal couple previously met the Obama’s after their wedding in 2011.
The Royals meeting the President and Mrs Obama in London in 2011

Not out of the woods yet –
Tiger Woods return to competition golf ends badly as he finishes last in the 18 player Hero World Challenge tournament in Florida and is physically sick on the fairway. He has not played competitively for four months due to back pain.
Tiger Woods

Video of the Day –

SYNC from Hasraf HaZ Dulull on Vimeo.

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January 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

Broken Bono –
U2 lead singer Bono says that a crash on his bicycle last November resulted in multiple left arm fractures, a broken should and hand and a fractured eye socket. He now has a titanium elbow and fears that he may never play guitar but his band-mates have reminded him “that neither they nor western civilization are depending on this.”

Cancer due to bad luck –
A new piece of research by a team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US has found that most types of cancer can be put down to bad luck rather than risk factors such as smoking. The research printed in the journal “Science”, showed 66% of the cancer types analysed were caused just by chance mutations rather than lifestyle.

Taking a bite out of Apple –
Miami residents Paul Orshan and Christopher Endara are suing Apple over the amount of storage space the Apple iOS 8 uses on mobile devices.They claim it uses up such a large amount that it forces owners to pay for iCloud storage. They are suing in California for millions of dollars.

Prince Andrew named in court papers –
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been named in Florida court papers by a woman who says she was forced to have sexual relations with the prince in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by his fried Jeffrey Epstein when she was a minor. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue”.

Video of the Day –

This is my product from Matthijs_Vlot on Vimeo.

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January 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

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

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

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

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

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

Video of the Day –

Horsepower –

Horsepower | Brett Rheeder from Mind Spark Cinema on Vimeo.

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January 17, 2015

January 16, 2015

Top News Stories –

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

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

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

Video of the Day –

CNN explains Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

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January 28, 2015

January 28 2015

Top News Stories –

Luis Figo enters FIFA presidential race –
Luís Figo the former Portuguese football who famously played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona has entered himself to stand for the FIFA presidential election and claims to have the required five nominations from among FIFA’s 209 members. He joins Prince Ali of Jordan, the Dutch FA president Michael van Praag, Jérôme Champagne and David Ginola facing up to current president Sepp Blatter.Luis Figo

Apple now have enough money to own the largest navy in the world –
Apple the tech company reports the biggest quarterly profit of any company in the world ever with revenues of $74.6bn and a net profit of $18bn. It’s cash holdings are now $178bn which according to The Guardian newspaper “is enough to commission 40 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, giving Apple more force capability than every other navy in the world – combined”.USS Nimitz (planes not included in price)

Cat survives car crash and burial –
A cat in Florida that was buried in a shallow grave after being apparently killed by a car has managed not only to survive but to dig its way out of the grave. Bart the zombie cat as he is now known was found by a neighbour and is now recovering after surgery on a broken jaw and damaged eye.

Video of the Day –

Sommersby Cider – The Somersby Store

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March 8, 2015

Top News Stories –

Crufts dog dies after suspected poisoning –
A dog has died after competing at Crufts, amid claims he was poisoned. Three-year-old Thendara Satisfaction, known as Jagger, is understood to have collapsed and died after returning home to Belgium on Friday. Police in Belgium are investigating and a full toxicology report is expected next week. The husband of Jagger’s co-owner said: “I can only hope it wasn’t an act of jealousy by another competitor, but just a lunatic.” Jagger, who came second in his class at Birmingham’s NEC on Thursday, is owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeder Dee Milligan-Bott. [BBC] See List of the Day.

Solar plane takes of to fly round the world –
A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane has got under way from Abu Dhabi. The aircraft – called Solar Impulse-2 – took off from the Emirate, heading east to Muscat in Oman. Over the next five months, it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the process. Andre Borschberg was at the controls of the single-seater vehicle as it took off at 07:12 local time (03:12 GMT). He will share the pilot duties in due course with fellow Swiss, Bertrand Piccard. See Video of the Day.

Wheels come off epic plan –
Producers working on the remake of the Oscar-winning Ben Hur have been barred from shooting the epic chariot scene at the Circus Maximus. Filmmakers already on location in Rome and the southern city of Matera reportedly made a request to use the ancient stadium immortalised by the film in December. But it was feared the decision to bring hundreds of extras and heavy vehicles into a fragile archaeological site would lead to public outcry. [Daily Mail]

Video of the Day –

Launch of Solar Impulse

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April 7, 2015

Top News Stories –

American Pie lyrics sell for $1.2m –
The original manuscript of Don McLean’s American Pie has sold for $1.2m (£806,000) at a New York auction. The 16-page draft had been expected to fetch as much as $1.5m (£1m) at the Christie’s sale. McLean had hinted in February the original manuscript would reveal the song’s lyrical meaning – which had always been kept a mystery. “The writing and the lyrics will divulge everything there is to divulge,” he said. The 69-year-old previously acknowledged the beginning of the song is about the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper – Jiles P Richardson – in a plane crash, but has remained elusive about the rest of the track. (See List of the Day) [BBC]

Lindsay Lohan Attempts to “Break the Internet” With Her Clothes On in Racy Jumpsuit –
Step aside, Kim Kardashian, there’s another former Hollywood party girl looking to effectively “break the Internet.” On Saturday, March 7, Lindsay Lohan posted a shot of herself in Paris on Twitter, wearing a revealing black lace jumpsuit and hat. [US Magazine]
Lindsay Lohan Tweet – copyright @LindsayLohan Twitter

US judge strikes out Prince Andrew sex claims –
Claims that a woman was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 are to be struck from the record of a civil case in the US, a judge has said. The Duke of York was named in court papers in Florida by a woman alleging financier Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with the duke three times. But Judge Kenneth Marra said the “lurid” claims were “unnecessary” to decide the civil case. Buckingham Palace has previously “emphatically” denied the allegations. [BBC]

Rand Paul announces 2016 White House bid –
Senator Rand Paul has announced he is launching a 2016 presidential election campaign on the Republican ticket. “Today begins the journey to take America back,” he said in a campaign event in Kentucky. Mr Paul, a Kentucky senator, stands out from the Republican pack because of his comparatively libertarian views. He becomes the second Republican to enter the contest that concludes in November 2016.

Apple wants to stop fans queuing outside stores for its watch –
Internal memo urges staff to tell customers to order Apple Watch online instead of waiting outside stores. Apple wants to stop hundreds of people queuing outside stores when its smartwatch goes on sale later this month. The technology giant has adopted a “significant change in mindset” and urged staff to tell customers to order the Apple Watch online, an internal memo stated. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dark Horse: An all-electric ’68 Mustang’s quest to shatter records from The Verge on Vimeo.

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June 28, 2015

Top News Stories –

Sam Smith best new artist at BET Awards as Nicki Minaj wins rap prize –
Sam Smith has won best new artist at this year’s BET Awards in LA. He wasn’t at the Black Entertainment Television ceremony, so the prize was picked up for him by actor Anthony Anderson. Nicki Minaj, who won her sixth best female hip-hop artist award in a row, brought her mum onstage. Rapping on top of a police car with a large American flag waving behind him, hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar kicked off the BET Awards. He later won best male hip-hop artist. Janet Jackson was honoured with the ultimate icon award as she made a rare public appearance. [BBC Newsbeat] See List of the Day below
Nicki Minaj

SpaceX Rocket Falls Apart on Way to Space Station –
An unmanned cargo ship destined for the International Space Station disintegrated minutes after being launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sunday morning, NASA said, raising questions about how the agency and its partners will continue keeping the station supplied. It was the third loss of a cargo ship headed to the space station in the past eight months. However, NASA officials said they had prepared for such a mishap, and do not anticipate any major disruptions to the operations of the space station. The countdown had proceeded without a hitch or worries about weather, and the 208-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket, built by Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, lifted off at 10:21 a.m. But 2 minutes, 19 seconds later, just as George Diller, the commentator during a NASA television broadcast said, “Data coming back shows vehicle on course, on track,” a white cloud emerged from the rocket’s midsection. Moments later, a rain of debris started falling toward the Atlantic Ocean more than 20 miles below. [NY Times] See Video of the Day

Greek debt crisis: Banks to remain shut all week –
The Greek government has confirmed that banks will be closed all week, after a decision by the European Central Bank not to extend emergency funding. In a decree, it cited the “extremely urgent” need to protect the financial system due to the lack of liquidity. Cash withdrawals will be limited to €60 (£42; $66) a day for this period, the decree says. Talks between Greece and the eurozone countries over bailout terms ended without an agreement on Saturday, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras then called a surprise referendum on the issue to be held on 5 July. Greece risks default and moving closer to a possible exit from the 19-member eurozone. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

SpaceX Falcon 9 Explosion – June 28th 2015

List of the Day –

Black Entertainment Television Awards 2015 winners

Ultimate Icon, Music Dance Visual Award: Janet Jackson
Humanitarian Award: Tom Joyner
Best New Artist: Sam Smith
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyoncé
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Chris Brown
Best International Act UK: Stormzy
Best International Act Africa: Stonebwoy
Best Group: Rae Sremmurd
Best Collaboration: Common & John Legend, “Glory”
Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor: Terrence Howard
Youngstars Award: Mo’ne Davis
Best Movie: Selma
Best Gospel Artist: Lecrae
Video of the Year: Beyoncé, “7/11”
Video Director of the Year: Beyoncé, Ed Burke & Todd Tourso
Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams
Sportsman of the Year: Stephen Curry
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award: Nicki Minaj f/ Drake, Lil’ Wayne & Chris Brown, “Only”
Centric Award: The Weeknd, “Earned It”
Fandemonium Award: Chris Brown
Lifetime Achievement Award: Smokey Robinson

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#HollywoodChoice	#HollywoodChoice	#HollywoodChoice
2	#OnurYürüyüşü	#BETAwards2015	Kanye
3	거짓말 탐지기	Chris Squire	#Lionesses
4	Thiago Silva	#DontAskMe	Kayne
5	#MeRePuedeEsoDe	LA Beliebers	Jonathan Pearce
6	#DiadelOrgullo	#NYCPride2015	Chris Squire
7	#DomingoDeGanarSeguidores	#dead50	Vidal
8	AMANHÃ A VEVO VAI TRAVAR	#SundayFunday	Lionel Richie
9	탄생화	John Wick	#UFCFlorida
10	#10MentirasDeUnaMujer	#RejectedMarriageProposals	#RoadChamps

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Sousse attacks
- Tunisia deploys an additional 1000 police in resorts and beaches following the attack on tourists on Friday. (AP)
- With the number of British dead expected to exceed 30, the U.K. warns its citizens about traveling to certain parts of Tunisia, including the south and near the Libyan border. (AP), (BBC)
2015 Kuwait mosque bombing
- Kuwait claims that the suicide bomber responsible for the attack that killed 27 people was Fahd Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba’a, a citizen ofSaudi Arabia. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
Operation Zarb-e-Azb
- At least 24 militants are killed in Pakistan Air Force air strikes on positions in the Khyber Agency and North Waziristan. (IANS via the Hindu)
In Istanbul, Turkish police forces interrupt the LGBT pride parade, which was refused this year due to the holy month Ramadan, by firing water cannons and rubber pellets. (Reuters UK)

Business and economy

Greek government-debt crisis
- The BBC reports that the European Central Bank will cap lending to Greece‘s struggling banks, causing the run on the nation’s banks to become even worse. Next week a referendum will be held about leaving the Euro currency. (BBC), (BBC), (Irish Times)
- Greece announces that it will close banks until July 6, with limits being placed on automatic teller machine withdrawals. The Athens Exchangeis also closed as financial conditions worsen. (Reuters), (CNBC)
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro García Padilla, says that Puerto Rico‘s debts are “not payable”. (New York Times)

Health

2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea
- The number of deaths from MERS in South Korea rises to 32, with the number of cases stabilizing at 182. (Yonhap)
A six-year-old boy whose parents refused to have him vaccinated dies of diphtheria, the first case in Spain since 1987. (AFP via MENA-FN)(Fox News Latino)

Law and crime

2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape
- Remaining escapee David Sweat is shot and captured in upstate New York near the border with Canada. (NBC News)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating a series of fires at black churches in the states of Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia with three of the four cases confirmed as arson. (Buzzfeed)

Politics and elections

Danish general election, 2015
- Lars Løkke Rasmussen forms Denmark’s first single-party government in 33 years, and Rasmussen himself becomes the first prime minister in 33 years to serve in two non-consecutive terms; Kristian Jensen becomes the sixth foreign minister since 2010. (The Local) (Copenhagen Post)

Science and technology

An unmanned Space-X Falcon 9 space rocket explodes 2 minutes after take-off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. This is the third such incident in a year. (Reuters via News24) (CNN)

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July 20, 2015

Top News Stories –

Grooveshark co-founder Josh Greenberg, 28, found dead –
The co-founder of a recently-shut down music streaming website has been found dead in his Florida home, local police have said. Josh Greenberg, who was aged 28, created Grooveshark in 2006. There was “no evidence of foul play or suicide,” police in Gainesville said via Twitter. Grooveshark closed in April this year following years of legal action from several record labels. A US court had determined that the site could be liable for $736m (£472m) in damages after it was judged to have wilfully breached copyright when building the service’s music library. [BBC]

Open 2015: Zach Johnson triumphs in Open play-off –
American Zach Johnson claimed his second major title with victory in a three-man play-off on a thrilling final day in the 144th Open Championship. The 2007 Masters winner finished a shot ahead of South African Louis Oosthuizen and three ahead of Australian Marc Leishman over four extra holes. Earlier, the three ended on 15 under to lead a competitive field at St Andrews. Jordan Spieth’s hopes of a Grand Slam were ended as he finished on 14 under along with Australia’s Jason Day. [BBC] See List of the Day
Zach Johnson

Lee Nelson showers Fifa president Sepp Blatter with dollar bills –
Fifa president Sepp Blatter was showered with fake banknotes by a notorious prankster at a press conference in his Zurich headquarters. The comedian Lee Nelson – real name Simon Brodkin – managed to infiltrate the press conference, which was being held to announce reforms planned to world football’s governing body, and a date for the presidential election. The press conference was delayed by around 10 minutes as organisers cleaned up the notes. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day

Canadian-Owned Infidelity Dating Site Suffers Cyber Attack –
A Canadian-owned dating website for married people seeking affairs says it has suffered a cyberattack after hackers claimed to have stolen confidential customer information, threatening to publish it unless the company is shut down. Avid Life Media, which owns Toronto-based site AshleyMadison.com, said Monday that it had taken steps to secure its sites. Ashley Madison, whose slogan is “Life is short. Have an affair,” claims it has more than 37 million anonymous worldwide members. Online security blog KrebsOnSecurity.com posted what appeared to be a screenshot of the site’s home page on Sunday bearing a message from the hackers, who said they acted to expose alleged lies Ashley Madison told customers about a service that allows members to erase profile information. [NY Times]

Video of the Day –

Comedian throws money at Blatter during press conference

List of the Day –

Zach Johnson PGA Tour wins (from Wikipedia)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 4, 2004	BellSouth Classic	69-66-68-72=275	−13	1 stroke	Mark Hensby
2	Apr 8, 2007	Masters Tournament	71-73-76-69=289	+1	2 strokes	Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini, Tiger Woods
3	May 20, 2007	AT&T Classic (2)	71-66-69-67=273	−15	Playoff	Ryuji Imada
4	Oct 12, 2008	Valero Texas Open	69-66-62-64=261	−19	2 strokes	Charlie Wi, Tim Wilkinson, Mark Wilson
5	Jan 18, 2009	Sony Open in Hawaii	69-65-66-65=265	−15	2 strokes	Adam Scott, David Toms
6	May 17, 2009	Valero Texas Open (2)	68-67-60-70=265	−15	Playoff	James Driscoll
7	May 30, 2010	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial	65-66-64-64=259	−21	3 strokes	Brian Davis
8	May 27, 2012	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (2)	64-67-65-72=268	−12	1 stroke	Jason Dufner
9	Jul 15, 2012	John Deere Classic	68-65-66-65=264	−20	Playoff	Troy Matteson
10	Sep 16, 2013	BMW Championship	64-69-70-65=268	−16	2 strokes	Nick Watney
11	Jan 6, 2014	Hyundai Tournament of Champions	67-66-74-66=273	−19	1 stroke	Jordan Spieth
12	Jul 20, 2015	The Open Championship	66-71-70-66=273	−15	Playoff	Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#LiamAppreciationDay	Ashley Madison	#GrowingUpShy
2	#SuruçtaKatliamVar	#mondaymotivation	#LiamAppreciationDay
3	ashley madison	Zach Johnson	Carter
4	#GrowingUpShy	#LiamAppreciationDay	#mondaymotivation
5	Carter	Blake and Miranda	#wwebattleground
6	Blatter	#GrowingUpWithGlasses	Ashley Madison
7	#AmigoEAqueleQue	#GrowingUpShy	Zach Johnson
8	Macri	Action Bronson	Lee Nelson
9	Ortega Cano	#TurnOffs	#extremism
10	#TomaraQueCaia	Carter	#WelfareBill

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- In a friendly fire incident, a NATO air strike hits an Afghan National Army outpost in Logar Province, about 30 miles east of Kabul, with at least seven soldiers killed and five wounded. (CNN) (The Independent – UK)
Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, Suruç bombing
- A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting The Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100. Preliminary evidence suggests an ISIS suicide attack. (BBC) (The Daily Star)

Business and economy

Greek government-debt crisis timeline
- Greek banks reopen for the first time in three weeks with strict capital controls. (AP)
Lockheed Martin agrees to buy United Technologies Corp‘s Sikorsky Aircraft for $9 billion. (Reuters)
Venezuela orders producers to divert supplies to state stores amid a chronic shortage of goods. (AP)

International relations

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
- The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves the Nuclear Pact between Iran and a group of six world powers in return for sanctions relief. (Voice of America) (Reuters)
The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades. (AP)

Science

Rosetta mission:
- Philae lander on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko comet has lost contact with the European Space Agency (ESA) ground control. (DW),(CNN)

Sports

2015 Open Championship
- In golf, the final round of The Open Championship is played at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland with Zach Johnson winning a four hole playoff with Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen. (The Guardian), (The Independent)
FIFA announces it will hold an extraordinary session on February 26, 2016, in order to elect a new president to replace Sepp Blatter. (BBC)

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November 27, 2015

Top News Stories –

‘Li-fi 100 times faster than wi-fi’ –
A new method of delivering data, which uses the visible spectrum rather than radio waves, has been tested in a working office. Li-fi can deliver internet access 100 times faster than traditional wi-fi, offering speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabit per second). It requires a light source, such as a standard LED bulb, an internet connection and a photo detector. It was tested this week by Estonian start-up Velmenni, in Tallinn. Velmenni used a li-fi-enabled light bulb to transmit data at speeds of 1Gbps. Laboratory tests have shown theoretical speeds of up to 224Gbps. It was tested in an office, to allow workers to access the internet and in an industrial space, where it provided a smart lighting solution. [BBC]

US space rocket debris found in sea off Scilly –
A large chunk of an American space rocket has been found in the sea off the Isles of Scilly. The section of the spacecraft, measuring about 10m (32ft) by 4m (13ft), was spotted on the surface between Bryher and Tresco. Coastguards believe it is from the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 which exploded after take-off in Florida in June. However many astronomers believe it is from a different mission due to the size and markings. Local boatmen towed the section to Tresco where it has now been removed from the beach. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Wild Scotland from John Duncan on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#PremiosTelehit	#WhyINeedYouIn5Words	#LancashireDay
2	Kant	#BlackFriday	#tshirtday
3	#زد_رصيدك14	#In2016IWannaSee	#DavisCupFinal
4	#الهلال_الشباب	Sean Taylor	#VampsAlbumOutToday
5	Mステ	#PlannedParenthood	#WhyINeedYouIn5Words
6	#ALDUBDontGiveUpOnUs	#AppleCup	#BlackFriday
7	River	Jared Brownridge	Gary Speed
8	Brett Favre	Tyshawn Lee	#FridayFeeling
9	VOT 3 A LO MANIJA	#IOWAvsNEB	David Icke
10	#hommagenational	Kendrick	#AUSvNZ

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

One person is killed and several injured in clashes between police and Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers. (ABC News Australia)
November 2015 Paris attacks
- France holds a memorial service for the 130 victims of the attacks two weeks ago. (BBC)
2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown
- Turkey‘s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warns Russia not to “play with fire” and says Russia is supporting the “state terrorism” of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria that has “killed 380,000 people”. Relations between the former Cold War antagonists have been severely damaged after Turkey shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 near the Syria–Turkey border on November 24, 2015. (Sky News)
2015 Bamako hotel attack
- Malian forces arrest two men in their early 30s linked to a cell phone found at the scene of last week’s deadly hotel attack. No details are provided on what their exact role was. (CNN)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015)
- Two Palestinian drivers drive their vehicles into groups of Israeli soldiers in two separate attacks in the occupied West bank. Both drivers are shot dead. In this current wave of violence that began in October, 19 Israelis, one U.S. citizen, and 93 Palestinians have died. (Reuters)
- The Israeli cabinet authorizes the Israeli Army to close the village of Beir Ummar near Hebron to search for suspects. (Haaretz)
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
- Pirates attack a Polish-owned cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, kidnapping its captain and four crew. Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, said the as yet unidentified kidnappers have made no demands so far and Poland was currently liaising with Nigerian authorities. (Reuters)
Islamist insurgency in West Africa
- A suicide-bomb attack on a Shia Muslim procession in Nigeria‘s northern Kano state leaves at least 21 people dead. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Archaeologists discover four prehistoric Ichma culture tombs in the centre of the Peruvian capital Lima. (AFP via ABC News Australia)

Business and economics

China’s Shanghai index closed down 5.5%, a drop of almost 200 points in what was its largest single-day decline in three months. (New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian bushfire season
- At least 87 homes have been lost in the fires that started in Pinery, South Australia which also claimed two lives and hospitalised 90 with five people in a critical condition. (ABC News Australia)
Floodwaters in the North Texas area in the North Texas region of the United States claim at least three lives on Thursday and today with another person missing. (Dallas Morning News)

International relations

Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to Africa
- Pope Francis, speaking in the Kenyan shantytown Kangemi, a sprawling slum filled with tin-roofed homes, lashes out at the elite in a neighborhood that feels largely disenfranchised. He describes injustices against the poor, such as unfair distribution of land, and lack of access to infrastructures and basic services, as “new forms of colonialism.” (CNN)
- Francis, at a Nairobi sports center, says education and jobs will prevent young people from being radicalized and heading off to join militant groups. At the Kasarani Stadium, the Pope urges attendees to resist the temptation of corruption. “It’s in all the institutions, including in the Vatican …” (USA Today)
Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, is appointed as the sixth Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations. She will become the first woman to hold the position from April 2016. (NYSE Post)

Law and crime

Former Saenuri Party member of the South Korean National Assembly Cho Hyun-ryong is jailed for five years for accepting bribes. (Yonhap)
The appellate prosecutors office in the Polish city of Krakow decides not to appeal a decision against extraditing filmmaker Roman Polanski to the United States to face prosecution for historic child sex offences. (Reuters)
2015 Colorado Springs shootings
- An active shooter in a Planned Parenthood facility in the American city of Colorado Springs shoots at least four members of the Colorado Springs Police Department with one officer later dying. Two civilians were also killed, and six were injured. The shooter later surrendered. (Denver Post) (Reuters) (NBC News) (CNN)

Politics

Detroit, a city in which neighborhoods are disappearing, banks aren’t lending, and property values are among the lowest in the nation, is looking to reverse these trends. The Detroit Land Bank Authority is moving aggressively to demolish structures that are beyond repair and auction (bids start at $1,000) ones that are salvageable. Some community banks are helping new buyers. (Washington Post)
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a major overhaul of China’s military to make the world’s largest army more combat ready and better equipped to project force beyond the country’s borders. Under the reorganization, all branches of the armed forces would come under a joint military command, Xi told a meeting of military officials in Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Bloomberg in September reported details of the plan, which may also seek to consolidate the country’s seven military regions to as few as four. The Chinese president said the reform aimed to “build an elite combat force” and called on the officials to make “breakthroughs” on establishing the joint command by 2020, Xinhua said. (Bloomberg)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

December 22, 2015

Top News Stories –

Actor Nicolas Cage returns stolen dinosaur skull he bought –
Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage has agreed to turn over a rare stolen dinosaur skull he bought for $276,000 to U.S. authorities so it can be returned to the Mongolian government. The office of Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, filed a civil forfeiture complaint last week to take possession of the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull, which will be repatriated to Mongolia. The lawsuit did not specifically name Cage as the owner, but Cage’s publicist confirmed that the actor bought the skull in March 2007 from a Beverly Hills gallery, I.M. Chait. The “National Treasure” actor is not accused of wrongdoing, and authorities said he voluntarily agreed to turn over the skull after learning of the circumstances. Cage outbid fellow movie star Leonardo DiCaprio for the skull, according to prior news reports. [Reuters]
Nicolas_Cage

SpaceX succeeds in historic rocket launch and landing –
SpaceX successfully landed its powerful Falcon 9 rocket late on Monday night for the first time, a major milestone in the drive to cut costs and waste by making rockets as reusable as planes. Its engines burning bright orange against the dark night sky, the Falcon 9 made a graceful arc back to Earth and touched down upright at Cape Canaveral, Florida, minutes after launching a payload of satellites to orbit, video images showed. “I still can’t quite believe it,” Musk said in a teleconference after the landing. “I think this is a revolutionary moment. No one has ever brought an orbital class booster back intact.” Previous attempts to land the Falcon 9’s first stage on a floating ocean platform have failed – with the rocket either colliding with the autonomous drone ship or tipping over. [Daily Telegraph] In June 2015 a SpaceX rocket carrying cargo to the International Space Station exploded minutes after take-off. See Video of the Day
Elon Musk

Video of the Day –

Historic Landing of Falcon 9 First Stage at Landing Zone 1

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TercaNatalTaíTremuraSdv	#FirstDayOfWinter	#WeAreAllNiall
2	#زد_رصيدك39	#SandraBland	#2YearsAndStillHere
3	#FelizMartes	#GolpeAlVoto	#SpaceX
4	#TuFraseCumbia	#DearSantaSorryFor	Brendon McCullum
5	#PSYOneSweetNight	#iHeartJLo	#charitytuesday
6	#MevlidKandili	#TWUG	Arsenal
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9	#اول_لاعب_عشقت�…	#WinterOfficiallyBeginsSo	#MadeInChelsea
10	#CrestaRoja	#BrandNewByAustinMahone	#Slammy

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), Battle of Ramadi
- The Iraqi Army advances into the center of Ramadi, the latest development in the effort, which began in November, to regain the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (Reuters)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria
- More than 1 million children have been forced out of school as a result of Boko Haram terrorism in northeastern Nigeria and its neighboring countries, which leaves the children more susceptible to violence, poverty and child marriage, Manuel Fontaine,UNICEF’s West and Central Africa regional director, said in a statement. (Huffington Post) (Reuters)
Mali declares a 10-day state of emergency effective at midnight, following a series of threats from unnamed jihadist groups, and last month’s siege at a Bamako hotel, where 20 people were killed. (DW) (TV360Nigeria) (NDTV)

Disasters and accidents

An Indian Border Security Force plane headed to Ranchi crashes just outside New Delhi, killing all 10 on board. The Super King Air turboprop aircraft hit an airport wall and landed in a small body of water. (Reuters) (AP via Fox News)

Health

The Philippines becomes the first country in Asia, and second in the world (after Mexico), to approve use of the dengue vaccine. (Rappler) (CNN)
According to industry sources, the Indian health ministry is considering Sanofi Pasteur’s dengue fever vaccine for large-scale clinical trial exemption which would accelerate approval for marketing. India reported a record number of dengue fever cases this year. (The Economic Times)
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signs a decree fully legalizing medical marijuana. Growers must apply to the National Narcotics Council for a license. Earlier, Colombia decriminalized personal possession of up to 20 grams. (BBC) (VICE News)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Philippine Commission on Elections disqualifies presidential frontrunner Grace Poe, who is a rival of Mar Roxas, the candidate favored by President Benigno Aquino III. The move is widely believed to be politically motivated. (Inquirer), (GMA News),
- Petitioners alleged Poe doesn’t meet the residency and citizenship requirments. The actual decision is still to be released. (CNN)
Central African constitutional referendum, 2015
- Central African Republic’s National Election Authority announces voters approved (93%) the new constitution in the December 13 referendum. Amid sporatic violence, 39 percent of registered citizens voted in the two-day poll. The first round of the presidential elections and Parliamentary elections now can be held on December 27, 2015. Acting President Catherine Samba-Panza and current members of the legislature cannot participate. (Deutsche Welle) (Toronto Metro News)
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announces, effective February 1, 2016, that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits from 25 (of the 30) states with reciprocity agreements with the commonwealth whose concealed handgun regulations are weaker than Virginia’s. The state agreements with the other five states will not change. Virginia’s concealed carry permits will not be recognized by at least six states because they require mutual recognition of permits. (The Washington Post) (AP via Chicago Tribune)
Haitian presidential election, 2015, Haitian parliamentary election, 2015
- Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council postpones presidential and legislative runoff elections scheduled for Sunday, December 27, 2015. Authorities are waiting for findings from the not-yet-installed special commission evaluating the widely criticized first round of elections before determining how to proceed. (AP via The Washington Post) (Haitian-Caribbean News Network)

Science

American actor Nicolas Cage agrees to return to Mongolia a stolen dinosaur skull he bought in 2007 for $276,000. Cage says he was unaware the skull had entered the country illegally. (Reuters) (USA Today)
Falcon 9 Flight 20
- American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company SpaceX makes history by sending the first orbital rocket into space and landing the first stage back on the ground at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (NBC News)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

January 13, 2016

Top News Stories –

Winning tickets in the nearly $1.6-billion Powerball lottery were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee, officials said on Thursday, leaving at least three people to split the record-setting jackpot. California Lottery officials confirmed that the winning six numbers had been purchased at a convenience store outside Los Angeles, as well as at locations in Florida and Tennessee. The identity of the winners was not yet known. Lottery officials said it could be several hours before it is known whether there are other winners in the 44 states, Washington, D.C. and two U.S. territories where Powerball is played. In Chino Hills, a suburb east of Los Angeles, crowds descended on a 7-Eleven store where the winning ticket had been bought, snapping pictures and congratulating staff. The store will receive a $1-million bonus for selling the ticket. The odds of picking a winning combination were 1 in 292 million. [Daily Mail]

Video of the Day –

Prison Da Vinci No. 1 Painting With Skittles from TCOLondon on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The final 100 Sexiest Women List from FHM Magazine (closing after 30 years)

Top Twitter Trends –

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9	#kamervoorzitter	Deltas	#PLLChat
10	#AnittaLugarDeGemerÉNaCama	Hump Day	#DerrenBrown

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Pakistan
- At least 15 people are killed and dozens injured after a bomb explodes near a polio centre near the Pakistani city of Quetta. (Samaa)
Korean border incidents
- South Korean soldiers fire warning shots at a suspected North Korean drone near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The “unidentified flying object” was spotted around 29 miles north of Seoul, near South Korea’s Dora Observation Post. (Sky News)
War in Afghanistan
- Islamic State militants attack Pakistan’s consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, killing 9 people and injuring 12 more. (NDTV)
Syrian Civil War
- Following the death of its leader, Zahran Alloush, Jaysh al-Islam names Essam al-Buwaydhani as its new leader. (The News Hub)
2016 Istanbul bombing
- Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala says yesterday’s ISIS suicide bomber had registered with Turkish immigration authorities but was not on any known militant suspects list. (Reuters)
- Turkish police arrest three people with Russian citizenship in the southern province of Adana on suspicion of belonging to ISIS. (ABC News) (Leader Call)

Arts and culture

Three winning Powerball lottery tickets are sold in the U.S. states of California, Florida, and Tennessee. Each will share the estimated jackpot of US $1.6 billion dollars, the largest lottery jackpot in world history. (ABC News)

Business and economy

Al Jazeera America announces that it will close in April due to poor ratings. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- Subtropical Storm Alex is located 785 miles (1,260 km) south-southwest of the Azores. Alex is one of just four tropical or subtropical storms to occur in January since 1851, the first year records were kept. The hurricane season begins on June 1 of each year. Alex is expected to hit the Azores on Friday with average rain accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. (The Washington Post) (NHC)
An avalanche kills three and injures one at the Les Deux Alpes ski resort in Isère département of the French Alps. Officials are searching for other possible victims. (CNN)

International relations

Iran–United States relations
- Iran claims that it has interrogated ten United States Navy personnel that it captured allegedly in its territorial waters. (Sky News Australia)
- All 10 U.S. sailors are freed by Iran and are in U.S. custody. The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command says, “There are no indications that the sailors were harmed during their brief detention.” (The Washington Post)
Israel–Sweden relations
- Israel says Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström is no longer welcome in the country after she called for investigations into “suspected extrajudicial executions” of Palestinians by the Israeli army. Sweden has for many years financed NGOs such as B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence operating in Israel. (Breaking Israel News)
Cuba–United States relations
- A major indication that relations between Cuba and the U.S. are increasingly normalized will be the island nation’s participation later this month at an annual Caribbean security conference in Jamaica, according to the outgoing head of the United States Southern Command, General John F. Kelly. (Military Times)

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February 7, 2016

Top News Stories –

Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos beat Carolina Panthers –
The Denver Broncos produced a defensive masterclass to upset the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and win Super Bowl 50. Carolina were heavy favourites, having lost only once all season and with the league’s Most Valuable Player of the season Cam Newton at quarterback. But Newton was smothered by the Broncos defence and gave up three turnovers, including one that led to a touchdown. That helped Denver, quarterbacked by veteran Peyton Manning, open a 10-0 lead early on and they never lost it. It had been rumoured the game would be 39-year-old Manning’s last, but he said afterwards he would “take time to reflect”. [BBC]

Coldplay and Beyonce star in half-time show –
British group Coldplay were the main performers at the half-time and they were joined by Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson. Coldplay opened the show by singing ‘Yellow’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ as children carrying multi-coloured umbrellas and violins streamed onto the pitch. Mars and Ronson performed their hit ‘Uptown Funk’, before Beyonce sang her new song ‘Formation’. The artists closed the show by performing a mash-up of Coldplay’s hit ‘Fix You’ and Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’. [BBC]

Twitter suspends 125,000 ‘terrorism’ accounts –
Twitter says it has suspended more than 125,000 accounts since mid-2015 “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts”. In a blog, the US-based firm said the accounts “primarily related to ISIS” (the so-called Islamic State group). “We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism,” it said, adding that it had increased its report reviewing teams to react faster. Twitter has more than 500 million users around the world. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

“NFL 2016: PART TWO” — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

Part One available here

List of the Day –

List of Superbowl Champions [from Wikipedia]

Game	Date	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Venue	City	Attendance
50	February 7, 2016	Denver Broncos†	24–10	Carolina Panthers*	Levi’s Stadium	Santa Clara, California (2)^{[note 1]}	71,088
		(8, 3–5)		(2, 0–2)
XLIX	February 1, 2015	New England Patriots†	28–24	Seattle Seahawks*	University of Phoenix Stadium (2)	Glendale, Arizona (3)[note 1]	70,288
		(8, 4–4)		(3, 1–2)
XLVIII	February 2, 2014	Seattle Seahawks*	43–8	Denver Broncos†	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, New Jersey	82,529
		(2, 1–1)		(7, 2–5)
XLVII	February 3, 2013	Baltimore Ravens†	34–31	San Francisco 49ers*	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (7)	New Orleans, Louisiana (10)	71,024
		(2, 2–0)		(6, 5–1)
XLVI	February 5, 2012	New York Giants*	21–17	New England Patriots†	Lucas Oil Stadium	Indianapolis, Indiana	68,658
		(5, 4–1)		(7, 3–4)
XLV	February 6, 2011	Green Bay Packers*	31–25	Pittsburgh Steelers†	Cowboys Stadium	Arlington, Texas	103,219
		(5, 4–1)		(8, 6–2)
XLIV	February 7, 2010	New Orleans Saints*	31–17	Indianapolis Colts†	Sun Life Stadium (5)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (10)[note 2]	74,059
		(1, 1–0)		(4, 2–2)
XLIII	February 1, 2009	Pittsburgh Steelers†	27–23	Arizona Cardinals*	Raymond James Stadium (2)	Tampa, Florida (4)	70,774
		(7, 6–1)		(1, 0–1)
XLII	February 3, 2008	New York Giants*	17–14	New England Patriots†	University of Phoenix Stadium	Glendale, Arizona (2)^{[note 1]}	71,101
		(4, 3–1)		(6, 3–3)
XLI	February 4, 2007	Indianapolis Colts†	29–17	Chicago Bears*	Dolphin Stadium (4)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (9)[note 2]	74,512
		(3, 2–1)		(2, 1–1)
XL	February 5, 2006	Pittsburgh Steelers†	21–10	Seattle Seahawks*	Ford Field	Detroit, Michigan (2)^{[note 1]}	68,206
		(6, 5–1)		(1, 0–1)
XXXIX	February 6, 2005	New England Patriots†	24–21	Philadelphia Eagles*	ALLTEL Stadium	Jacksonville, Florida	78,125
		(5, 3–2)		(2, 0–2)
XXXVIII	February 1, 2004	New England Patriots†	32–29	Carolina Panthers*	Reliant Stadium^{[note 3]}	Houston, Texas (2)	71,525
		(4, 2–2)		(1, 0–1)
XXXVII	January 26, 2003	Tampa Bay Buccaneers*	48–21	Oakland Raiders†	Qualcomm Stadium (3)[note 3]	San Diego, California (3)	67,603
		(1, 1–0)		(5, 3–2)
XXXVI	February 3, 2002	New England Patriots†	20–17	St. Louis Rams*	Louisiana Superdome (6)	New Orleans, Louisiana (9)	72,922
		(3, 1–2)		(3, 1–2)
XXXV	January 28, 2001	Baltimore Ravens†	34–7	New York Giants*	Raymond James Stadium	Tampa, Florida (3)	71,921
		(1, 1–0)		(3, 2–1)
XXXIV	January 30, 2000	St. Louis Rams*	23–16	Tennessee Titans†	Georgia Dome (2)	Atlanta, Georgia (2)	72,625
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
XXXIII	January 31, 1999	Denver Broncos†	34–19	Atlanta Falcons*	Pro Player Stadium (3)^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (8)[note 2]	74,803
		(6, 2–4)		(1, 0–1)
XXXII	January 25, 1998	Denver Broncos†	31–24	Green Bay Packers*	Qualcomm Stadium (2)^{[note 3]}	San Diego, California (2)	68,912
		(5, 1–4)		(4, 3–1)
XXXI	January 26, 1997	Green Bay Packers*	35–21	New England Patriots†	Louisiana Superdome (5)	New Orleans, Louisiana (8)	72,301
		(3, 3–0)		(2, 0–2)
XXX	January 28, 1996	Dallas Cowboys*	27–17	Pittsburgh Steelers†	Sun Devil Stadium	Tempe, Arizona^{[note 1]}	76,347
		(8, 5–3)		(5, 4–1)
XXIX	January 29, 1995	San Francisco 49ers*	49–26	San Diego Chargers†	Joe Robbie Stadium (2)[note 3]	Miami Gardens, Florida (7)[note 2]	74,107
		(5, 5–0)		(1, 0–1)
XXVIII	January 30, 1994	Dallas Cowboys*	30–13	Buffalo Bills†	Georgia Dome	Atlanta, Georgia	72,817
		(7, 4–3)		(4, 0–4)
XXVII	January 31, 1993	Dallas Cowboys*	52–17	Buffalo Bills†	Rose Bowl (5)	Pasadena, California (7)[note 1]	98,374
		(6, 3–3)		(3, 0–3)
XXVI	January 26, 1992	Washington Redskins*	37–24	Buffalo Bills†	Metrodome	Minneapolis, Minnesota	63,130
		(5, 3–2)		(2, 0–2)
XXV	January 27, 1991	New York Giants*	20–19	Buffalo Bills†	Tampa Stadium (2)	Tampa, Florida (2)	73,813
		(2, 2–0)		(1, 0–1)
XXIV	January 28, 1990	San Francisco 49ers*	55–10	Denver Broncos†	Louisiana Superdome (4)	New Orleans, Louisiana (7)	72,919
		(4, 4–0)		(4, 0–4)
XXIII	January 22, 1989	San Francisco 49ers*	20–16	Cincinnati Bengals†	Joe Robbie Stadium^{[note 3]}	Miami Gardens, Florida (6)^{[note 2]}	75,129
		(3, 3–0)		(2, 0–2)
XXII	January 31, 1988	Washington Redskins*	42–10	Denver Broncos†	Jack Murphy Stadium^{[note 3]}	San Diego, California	73,302
		(4, 2–2)		(3, 0–3)
XXI	January 25, 1987	New York Giants*	39–20	Denver Broncos†	Rose Bowl (4)	Pasadena, California (6)[note 1]	101,063
		(1, 1–0)		(2, 0–2)
XX	January 26, 1986	Chicago Bears*	46–10	New England Patriots†	Louisiana Superdome (3)	New Orleans, Louisiana (6)	73,818
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
XIX	January 20, 1985	San Francisco 49ers*	38–16	Miami Dolphins†	Stanford Stadium	Stanford, California^{[note 1]}	84,059
		(2, 2–0)		(5, 2–3)
XVIII	January 22, 1984	Los Angeles Raiders†	38–9	Washington Redskins*	Tampa Stadium	Tampa, Florida	72,920
		(4, 3–1)		(3, 1–2)
XVII	January 30, 1983	Washington Redskins*	27–17	Miami Dolphins†	Rose Bowl (3)	Pasadena, California (5)[note 1]	103,667
		(2, 1–1)		(4, 2–2)
XVI	January 24, 1982	San Francisco 49ers*	26–21	Cincinnati Bengals†	Pontiac Silverdome	Pontiac, Michigan^{[note 1]}	81,270
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
XV	January 25, 1981	Oakland Raiders†	27–10	Philadelphia Eagles*	Louisiana Superdome (2)	New Orleans, Louisiana (5)	76,135
		(3, 2–1)		(1, 0–1)
XIV	January 20, 1980	Pittsburgh Steelers†	31–19	Los Angeles Rams*	Rose Bowl (2)	Pasadena, California (4)[note 1]	103,985
		(4, 4–0)		(1, 0–1)
XIII	January 21, 1979	Pittsburgh Steelers†	35–31	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (5)	Miami, Florida (5)[note 2]	79,484
		(3, 3–0)		(5, 2–3)
XII	January 15, 1978	Dallas Cowboys*	27–10	Denver Broncos†	Louisiana Superdome	New Orleans, Louisiana (4)	76,400
		(4, 2–2)		(1, 0–1)
XI	January 9, 1977	Oakland Raiders†	32–14	Minnesota Vikings*	Rose Bowl	Pasadena, California (3)^{[note 1]}	103,438
		(2, 1–1)		(4, 0–4)
X	January 18, 1976	Pittsburgh Steelers†	21–17	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (4)	Miami, Florida (4)[note 2]	80,187
		(2, 2–0)		(3, 1–2)
IX	January 12, 1975	Pittsburgh Steelers†	16–6	Minnesota Vikings*	Tulane Stadium (3)	New Orleans, Louisiana (3)	80,997
		(1, 1–0)		(3, 0–3)
VIII	January 13, 1974	Miami Dolphins†	24–7	Minnesota Vikings*	Rice Stadium	Houston, Texas	71,882
		(3, 2–1)		(2, 0–2)
VII	January 14, 1973	Miami Dolphins†	14–7	Washington Redskins*	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)	Los Angeles, California (2)[note 1]	90,182
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
VI	January 16, 1972	Dallas Cowboys*	24–3	Miami Dolphins†	Tulane Stadium (2)	New Orleans, Louisiana (2)	81,023
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
V	January 17, 1971	Baltimore Colts†	16–13	Dallas Cowboys*	Miami Orange Bowl (3)	Miami, Florida (3)[note 2]	79,204
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
IV	January 11, 1970	Kansas City Chiefs^	23–7	Minnesota Vikings‡	Tulane Stadium	New Orleans, Louisiana	80,562
		(2, 1–1)		(1, 0–1)
III	January 12, 1969	New York Jets^	16–7	Baltimore Colts‡	Miami Orange Bowl (2)	Miami, Florida (2)[note 2]	75,389
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)
II	January 14, 1968	Green Bay Packers‡	33–14	Oakland Raiders^	Miami Orange Bowl	Miami, Florida^{[note 2]}	75,546
		(2, 2–0)		(1, 0–1)
I	January 15, 1967	Green Bay Packers‡	35–10	Kansas City Chiefs^	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Los Angeles, California^{[note 1]}	61,946
		(1, 1–0)		(1, 0–1)

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3	#1yearsinceOTRA	Marshawn Lynch	#ImGoingTheVampsNewcastle
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6	#من_علامات_الج�…	#FootballASong	#Formation
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8	#LibertadDeExpresión	#Metallica	#B12hr
9	#UFCVegas	#SandraBland	#UFCVegas
10	#あなたの本名当て�…	Ashkelon	Beyoncé

Other News Stories –

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kaohsiung earthquake
- The death toll from yesterday’s earthquake in Taiwan rises to at least 29, with at least 120 trapped under collapsed buildings in Tainan, while 198 people have been rescued. (AP) (Taipei Times)
A man is killed and three other employees are injured following a suspected meteorite strike in a garden outside the Bharathidasan Engineering College in Tamil Nadu, India. Witnesses say they saw a mysterious object fall from the sky. If confirmed, this would be the first recorded fatality from a meteorite strike. (Metro) (The Indian Express)
One person is killed and six others injured in an explosion at JCG Farms, an American feed mill near Atlanta, Georgia. (AP)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea launches a long range rocket that critics claim is a test of banned technology for a long range missile that could hit the United States. South Korea’s military says the rocket released an object into orbit. (AP via Washington Post) (CNN) (Reuters)
- Japan‘s NHK news reports the rocket passed over the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, condemns the launch and says, “We absolutely cannot allow this. We will take action to totally protect the safety and well-being of our people”. The Japanese government says no rocket debris fell on Japanese territory and there are no reports of damage. The rocket reportedly falls into waters southwest of Jeju Island. (ABC News), (Yonhap)
- South Korea’s intelligence agency claims that North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test. (Yonhap)
- The United Nations Security Council condemns North Korea’s long-range missile launch, a violation of numerous U.N. resolutions. (CNN) (USA Today)
Syrian Civil War, Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says it is ready to deploy ground troops to Syria as part of an international coalition to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, if said coalition was led by theUnited States. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Two people are killed and ten others are injured in a shooting outside an Orlando, Florida nightclub. (Click Orlando)
One person is killed and seven others are injured in a shooting outside a Rochester, New York sports bar. (ABC News)
Hamas reports it has executed one of its commanders, Mahmoud Eshtewi, for “moral and behavioral violations.” Human Rights Watch, contacted by Eshtewi’s family, had been monitoring the case. (AP viaThe Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Politicians in Haiti agree to a process to select an interim President to replace Michel Martelly. Presidential elections will be held on April 14 with the winner to be sworn in on 14 May. (BBC)
- Haiti delays Carnival celebrations over concern that anti-government protests might turn violent. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
The Parliament of Algeria considers a new constitution imposing term limits for the President and recognising Amazigh as an official language. (AP)

Sport

In American football, the Denver Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50. Von Miller, an outside linebacker, is named as the game’s Most Valuable Player. (BBC), (ESPN)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

March 15, 2016

Top News Stories –

Mother Teresa to be made a saint in September –
Pope Francis has announced that Mother Teresa will be elevated to sainthood on 4 September, months after he approved a second miracle for the late nun and Nobel prize winner who was known as the “Saint of the Gutters”. The canonisation of Mother Teresa, who was hailed for her work with impoverished and dying people living in the slums of Kolkata, India, has been highly anticipated by supporters, and will be a highlight of the church’s jubilee year of mercy. More than 300,000 pilgrims went to Rome in 2003 for Teresa’s beatification – the first step towards sainthood. The Vatican said in a short statement on Friday that the Argentinian pontiff had approved the second miracle – the final hurdle to make her a saint – in which a Brazilian man was said to have been cured of multiple brain tumours in 2008 following the nun’s intercession. [Guardian]
Mother Teresa in 1986

California homeless man receives $100,000 for spotting fugitives –
A homeless man from San Francisco is to be given a reward of $100,000 (£71,000) for helping police recapture two prison inmates who had escaped. Matthew Hay-Chapman had seen photographs of the two fugitives on the news and spotted them in a stolen van. They had broken out of Orange County Jail six days earlier, sparking a state-wide manhunt. The full $150,000 (£106,000) reward was split between four people, with Mr Hay Chapman getting the largest share. Mr Hay-Chapman spotted the fugitives in the stolen van next to a market in San Francisco and alerted officers in the area. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

After Hours from Todd Martin on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FelizMartes	#PrimaryDay	Anita Brookner
2	#TeQuieroAunque	Sausage Party	#CheltenhamFestival
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4	#بماذا_تمتاز_ا�…	#TravelTuesday	#CharityTuesday
5	#TercaDetremuraSdv	#FreeConeDay	#WSWD16
6	#死ぬ前に言う言葉�…	#LetsBlamePOTUSForThisToo	#BehindClosedDoors
7	#ALDUBTagapagmana	#ElectionDay	#IdesOfMarch
8	#PrimaryDay	3 Chicago	Sausage Party
9	#SiempreQueAndoFeliz	Mother Teresa	#BestFirstDateQuestions
10	#TerörsüzGünler	#FelizMartes	Mother Teresa

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

American-led intervention in Syria
- A senior Iraqi intelligence official, who is also a Syrian activist leader, says Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant commander Omar al-Shishani (Omar the Chechen, real name Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili) died of wounds suffered in a March 4 U.S. airstrike near the Syrian town of Al-Shaddadah. The U.S. State Department offered up to $5 million for information on his whereabouts. Amaq news agency, which supports ISIL, says Shishani is neither dead nor hurt. (New York Times) (Chicago Tribune) (Reuters via Swiss Broadcasting Corporation)
2016 Brussels police raid
- Belgian security forces hunt gunmen linked to the November 2015 Paris attacks following a raid on a house in Brussels which left four officers wounded and one suspect dead after an exchange of gunfire. Roads have been blocked off in the Belgian capital’s southern suburb of Forest as one or more gunmen remain at large. (The Independent) (Irish Times)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Airstrikes reportedly kill at least 41 people and wound 75 others in Yemen‘s northern Hajjah Governorate. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis announces that Mother Teresa will be canonized on September 4. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

Brookfield Asset Management Inc and Qube Holdings join forces to make a A$ 9.1 billion bid for Australian freight logistics company Asciano Limited. (Bloomberg)
Linn Energy, an oil-and-gas producer with about $10 billion in debt, says a bankruptcy filing may be unavoidable. The company was founded in 2003 and had its initial public offering in 2006. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Ecuadorian Air Force Arava crash
- An Ecuadorian Air Force IAI Arava 201 crashes near Shell Mera in a mountainous part of eastern Ecuador during military exercises, killing all of the 22 soldiers on board. (BNO News) (Aviation Safety Network)
The entire Washington D.C. Metro system will shut down for 29 hours beginning at midnight Wednesday for an emergency investigation after an electric cable caught fire on Monday. (The Washington Post)(NBC4 Washington)
A fire severely damages the 16th century Wythenshawe Hall, near Manchester, England. (BBC)
A deadly fire breaks out at a rehabilitation center for addicts in Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan, a Republic of Russia, killing 12 people. An investigation was immediately launched. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Health and medicine

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues final recommendations urging doctors to try something besides an opioid when first treating pain, and if an opioid drug, such as hydrocodone oroxycodone, is the best choice, start with the lowest possible dose. (The Washington Post) (NBC News)

International relations

Burundian unrest (2015–present)
- The European Union suspends direct financial aid to Burundi after concluding that the Burundian authorities had not done enough to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict occurring in the country.(The Guardian)
Argentina–China relations
- Argentina‘s coastguard says it has sunk a Chinese fishing trawler that was operating illegally within its territorial waters. The coastguard says it rescued four of the trawler’s crew while others who abandoned ship were picked up by another Chinese vessel shadowing the pursuit. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
The parliament of the Netherlands passes a resolution calling on the government to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia, citing ongoing “violations of humanitarian law” in Yemen. (Middle East Eye)

Law and crime

Shooting of Michael Brown, Ferguson unrest
- The Ferguson, Missouri, city council, after last month voting to change the terms of the agreement, reverses course and unanimously (6-0) agrees to accept a U.S. Justice Department overhaul of its troubled police force and municipal courts. This avoided a likely expensive legal battle with the federal government which had filed suit against the city following last month’s vote. (CNN)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. states of Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands head to the polls for Republican and Democratic Party primaries that the media has dubbed “Super Tuesday 2”. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
- Donald Trump wins primaries in Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida while John Kasich wins in Ohio. (NY Daily News) (Decision Desk HQ), (CNN), (USA Today), (NBC News)
- Donald Trump wins the Northern Mariana Islands caucus. (Politico)
- Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic primaries in Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina. (Fox News), (Washington Post), (NBC News), (NBC News Live Blog)
- Marco Rubio suspends his presidential campaign following a disappointing defeat in his home state of Florida. (The New York Times)
- North Carolina’s controversial voter ID law is in effect for the first time. Voters without these new ID credentials, including voters with a “reasonable impediment” to obtaining an ID, can cast a provisional ballot. Citizens (2,567) faced this problem during early voting, including U.S. Senator Richard Burr who, because his driver’s license was stolen, was without ID. In addition, votes for congressional candidates for House seats don’t count because the state’s congressional district map was redrawn after the ballots were printed. The actual congressional primary is scheduled for June 7. (WRAL)(The Nation via Moyers & Company) (NPR) (Charlotte Observer) (The New York Times)
Nigerien general election, 2016
- The government will release opposition candidate Hama Amadou from prison due to health issues. Amadou is facing off against incumbent President of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou in the second round of voting on Sunday. (Reuters)
The Myanmar Assembly of the Union, or parliament, selects Htin Kyaw as the new President. Kyaw, a confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi, will be the first civilian president in decades. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is constitutionally barred from the office. (Indian Express), (ABC News Australia)
The Obama administration announces it is cancelling plans to permit drilling for oil and gas off the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast. A new plan involves 10 potential lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the coast of Alaska. (USA Today) (The Island Free Press)

Science and technology

Andrew Wiles wins the 2016 Abel Prize for his solution to Fermat’s last theorem. (Nature)
Scientists, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences scientific journal, report that so-called fairy circles are caused by the plants themselves, which have self-organized. Michael Cramer and Nichole Barger suggested this in 2013. (The Washington Post) (PNAS) (The Atlantic)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

March 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bruce Springsteen signs late note for schoolboy –
As excuse notes go, it is a step up from the “dog ate my homework”. But not all teachers would be impressed with a letter explaining a nine-year-old’s late arrival in class was down to being at a rock concert the night before. So Xabi Glovsky had it signed by Bruce Springsteen. He went to the concert in Los Angeles with his father, Scott, a life-long fan of the Boss. They went armed with a homemade sign. “Bruce, I will be late to school tomorrow. Please sign my note :-)” it said. At the end of the three-and-a-half-hour show, and well after Xabi’s bedtime, Springsteen sent a security guard into the crowd at the Los Angeles Sports Centre to invite father and son backstage. He asked Xabi for the name and spelling of his teacher, before whipping out pen and paper for the note. It read: “Dear Ms. Jackson, Xabi has been out very late rocking & rolling. Please excuse him if he is tardy.” [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce Springsteen

Six Nations 2016: England win Grand Slam with France victory –
England have their first Grand Slam in 13 years after holding out to secure a historic victory in Paris. First-half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given them a five-point half-time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of Maxime Machenaud to keep France within touching distance. But a third try in three matches from Anthony Watson calmed rising nerves before a brace of late penalties from Owen Farrell allowed the travelling support to sing their heroes home. It marks a remarkable turnaround for new head coach Eddie Jones, coming just six months after the humiliation of a home World Cup exit at the group stages before he took control. [BBC] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

2084 from Taz Goldstein on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Winners of Grand Slams in the Five Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France) and Six Nations (Italy added in 2000) Championship

Nation	Grand Slams	Grand Slam winning seasons
England	13	1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2016
Wales	11	1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2012
France	9	1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010
Scotland	3	1925, 1984, 1990
Ireland	2	1948, 2009
Italy	0

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#IndvsPak	#IndvsPak	#ScotLab16
2	#FlyDubai	#GetMillennialsToVoteIn5Words	#IndvsPak
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9	#MeGustasPero	#bindercon	#PrayForTurkey
10	#SabadoDeGanarSeguidores	Northern Iowa	#74MM

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

March 2016 Istanbul bombing
- An explosion occurs in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, kills five people, including two dual nationality Israeli–Americans and one Iranian citizen, and injures several dozen others. (Sputnik International), (Al Jazeera), (Hürriyet Daily News) (AP via MuskokaRegion.com)
Syrian Civil War, Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
- Airstrikes by Syrian or Russian warplanes on ISIL‘s de-facto capital Al-Raqqah in northern Syria, leaves at least 39 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Airstrikes on the city of Palmyra and nearby villages are said to have killed at least 18 ISIL militants, as the Syrian Army advance on the city. (Reuters)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- A United States Department of Defense official says a U.S. soldier was killed in the town of Makhmur, Erbil Governorate by a rocket fired by ISIL. “It was a lucky strike by ISIS,” according to the official.(Fox News)
Sinai insurgency
- At least 13 Egyptian policemen are killed after a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, North Sinai Governorate came under attack by militants. Ambulances were reportedly subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded. The Islamic State‘s Sinai branch claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Flydubai Flight 981
- Flydubai Boeing 737-800 Flight FZ981, en route from Dubai for about four hours, crashes during landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 on board. It appears the jet crashed in poor visibility, some 50–100 meters left of the runway, during the second approach. Rostov-on-Don Airport will remain closed until at least 9:00 am Moscow time. (RT) (Airways News) (Reuters)
Nine Cuban migrants die and 18 others are rescued by the Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles west of Marco Island, Florida. The group had been sailing for 22 days in a 30-foot long “rustic” boat. The survivors were severely dehydrated and in poor condition. Those who had died were buried at sea. The cruise ship is taking the migrants to its next stop, the island,Cozumel, Mexico. (AP via Portland Press Herald)

International relations

Former United Nations official and head of the UN mission for the Ebola outbreak Anthony Banbury accuses the UN of “colossal mismanagement,” saying it had failed to uphold the principles for which it was established. He cited the organization’s “Orwellian admonitions and Carrollian logic” of the UN bureaucracy and minimal accountability regarding the widespread rape and sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers.(The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2015–16 protests in Brazil
- A survey conducted by Datafolha shows a majority of Brazilians now favor the impeachment or resignation of President Dilma Rousseff. The poll showed 68 percent of respondents favor Rousseff’s impeachment by Congress, while 65 percent think the president should resign. The president’s approval ratings have been hammered by Brazil’s worst recession in decades and its biggest ever corruption probe. (Reuters)

Sports

Russian speed skaters Pavel Kulizhnikov, Semion Elistratov and Ekaterina Konstantinova test positive for Meldonium and are provisionally suspended by the International Skating Union. Kulizhnikov faces a potential lifetime ban while Elistratov and Konstantinova face up to four years. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2016 Six Nations Championship
- England national rugby union team has won the 2016 Six Nations Championship against the France national rugby union team, 31-21, their 13th win in the Grand Slam (rugby union). (The Guardian)(BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

April 8, 2016

Top News Stories –

Springsteen cancels North Carolina concert over bathroom bill –
Rock star Bruce Springsteen on Friday canceled a concert scheduled for this weekend in North Carolina to protest a new state law restricting bathroom use by transgender individuals, as country music stars decried similar legislation proposed in Tennessee. Springsteen said in an online statement that the North Carolina law was “an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress.” Tickets for the concert that was to be presented on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina, would be refunded, according to Springsteen’s website. PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) cited the discriminatory nature of the law when it canceled on Tuesday a new operations center that was to employ 400 workers in Charlotte. [Reuters] In March Springsteen signed a late note for a schoolboy who came to one of his concerts
Bruce Springsteen

SpaceX reusable rocket lands on ocean platform –
The US aerospace company SpaceX has successfully landed a resusable rocket on an ocean platform, after four previous attempts failed. Mission controllers cheered as the Falcon 9 rocket remained upright on the platform off Florida. It was returning from delivering an inflatable habitat into space for Nasa. The inflatable room will attach to the International Space Station (ISS) for a two-year test and become the first such habitat to for humans in orbit. It is due to reach the ISS around 09:00 GMT on Sunday along with other freight aboard the Dragon capsule. Built by Nevada company Bigelow Aerospace, the habitat is intended to pave the way towards the use of such rooms for long space trips, including to Mars. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

SpaceX lands rocket at sea, makes history –

	Worldwide	USA	UK (London)
1	#SextaDetremuraSdv	#FlashbackFriday	#FridayFeeling
2	#سعادتي_هي	Josh Pastner	#AskZac
3	#resigncameron	#NewMusicFriday	#resigncameron
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5	#BuenViernes	#ColorofSurveillance	#dontstreamanddrive
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7	#AmaneciConGanasDe	Sanders Over the Edge	#SLFLLondon2
8	#ALDUBProblemaNiLola	Vatican	Danny DeVito
9	#FridayFeeling	#FridayFeeling	#LadiesDay
10	#جسر_الملك_سلمان	#lovesick7days	#IAMW16

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai insurgency
- At least seven people are killed, including five Egyptian Army soldiers, a military officer and a civilian woman in two separate blasts in Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula. ISIL’s Sinai branch claimed responsibility for the attacks on several websites. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Hīt offensive (2016)
  - The Iraqi Army recaptures the western town of Hīt, Al Anbar Governorate, after driving out hundreds of ISIL militants. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Damascus offensive (April 2016)
  - ISIL militants reportedly execute 175 workers who were captured earlier this week at a cement factory situated to the east of Damascus. (RT) (Daily Mail)
2016 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
- An ethnic Armenian soldier dies in overnight clashes. (News Armenia)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis issues Amoris Laetitia or the Joy of Love, a document on the Roman Catholic approach to love, sex, marriage and family life. (AP)
- In the 256-page document, the Pope encourages the clergy to embrace sinners as well as saints, opens the door a bit for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, and stresses that Catholics, with their own informed consciences guided by the light of the Gospel, address tricky moral questions in their life, and not only be guided by dogmatic rules from above. Francis also asserts the right to a natural deathwithout aggressive treatment; firmly rejects the death penalty; and reiterates the Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. (AP²) (The Washington Post) (Vatican)
North Carolina bathroom bill
- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band cancels their Sunday night concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest the state’s controversial “bathroom bill.” (Rolling Stone)

Business and economics

Both Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and Marriott International shareholders approve Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood, which will create the world’s largest hotelier. The deal has cleared the pre-merger antitrust reviews in the United States and Canada; approvals from the European Union and China is pending. Last week, Anbang Insurance Group topped Marriott’s bid, then withdrew their offer three days later. (Reuters) (UPI)

Disasters and accidents

At least 50 people are reportedly injured following a head-on collision between two commuter trains in San José, Costa Rica. (WRAL)
Three people are killed, and there was one survivor, following the crash of a small plane headed to Angoon in Southeast Alaska, United States. (KTUU-TV)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations, North Korean defectors
- A group of 13 North Koreans working at a restaurant in an unidentified country defect en masse to South Korea, according to Seoul‘s Ministry of Unification. (USA Today)
Egypt–Saudi Arabia relations
- King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announces, during his trip to Cairo, that a bridge crossing the Red Sea will be built, linking Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says the bridge will be named after the Saudi monarch. A Saudi–Egypt Causeway project has been in the works for years. (BBC)
Syria–United States relations
- Syria releases American freelance photographer Kevin Patrick Dawes who was kidnapped in 2012. (Washington Post)
NATO–Russia relations
- NATO announces it will hold a meeting of the NATO–Russia Council at the ambassadorial level at NATO headquarters in Brussels in the next two weeks after a two-year break since NATO cut all practical cooperation with Russia in 2014. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Egypt–Italy relations, Murder of Giulio Regeni
- Italy recalls its ambassador to Egypt for consultations in protest over the lack of progress in a probe into the fate of murdered Cambridge University student Giulio Regeni. “We want only one thing, the truth about what happened to Giulio,” Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
China-Russia relations
- Russia postpones a transfer of missile engines to China. There is concern the technology could be passed on to a third country, such as North Korea. China is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary, informal partnership between 34 countries to prevent proliferation of missile delivery systems that could carry weapons of mass destruction. (UPI)
Bangladesh–United States relations
- U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner condemns Wednesday’s “barbaric murder” of Nazimuddin Samad, and says federal officials are considering granting refuge to a select number ofBangladeshi writers who are under “imminent danger” because of their critical views of radical Islamists. (UPI)

Law and crime

At least two people are reported dead following a shooting at Lackland Air Force Base, in the U.S. state of Texas. (CNBC)
Aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks
- Mohamed Abrini, wanted in connection with the 2015 Paris attacks, is arrested in Belgium. (Reuters via Ynet)
Panama Papers
- El Salvador officials seize documents and equipment during a raid of the local offices of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. Attorney General Douglas Melendez says authorities interviewed seven employees, and confiscated 20 computers and some documents. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The French occupy movement known as Nuit debout enters its ninth day, “March 40,” spreading across dozens of French cities and to Belgium, Germany, and Spain. (The Guardian)
Djiboutian presidential election, 2016
- Voters in Djibouti go to the polls for the first round of voting in a presidential election with current President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh winning a fourth term in office. (BBC), (AFP via Daily Mail)
A Myanmar court releases 69 jailed student activists in the first wave of amnesty for the country’s political prisoners, with more releases expected. This comes after State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi vowed to push for the release of all the political prisoners in Myanmar. (Al Jazeera)
The Prime Minister of Madagascar Jean Ravelonarivo and his cabinet resign from office with no explanation given. (The Guardian)
Macedonian opposition leader Zoran Zaev pledges to boycott the early Macedonian parliamentary elections, saying it is due to a lack of government reforms. (Business Insider)
LGBT rights in the United States
- A group of United States mayors forms “Mayors Against Discrimination” in the wake of recent discriminatory laws enacted in North Carolina and Mississippi against LBGT individuals. The founding members are city leaders from Honolulu, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Oakland, San Francisco, Sante Fe, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. (AP) (Huffington Post) (Mayor Edward Murray)
United States presidential election, 2016
- The Colorado Republican Party continues choosing its delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Ted Cruz has swept all of the delegates available so far. The process which began last Saturday (April 2, 2016) will conclude tomorrow. (Washington Post)

Science and technology

SpaceX CRS-8
- SpaceX launches a NASA cargo run to the International Space Station, and in a spaceflight first, successfully lands its reusable main-stage booster on an autonomous spaceport drone ship. (The Verge)(Reuters)

Sport

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko says they will not open up a formal investigation into the doping scandals that were reported by the World Anti-Doping Agency last November, where it documented Russian athletes systematically taking banned performance-enhancing drugs with state support. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 5, 2016

Top News Stories –

Tunisian mobile gamers win a cow –
A couple in Tunisia have walked away with an unusual prize – a cow – after they recorded the top score in a locally developed mobile phone game, it’s reported.
Pamela the cow spent two weeks at the game developer’s headquarters in Tunis before being awarded to the unnamed couple at the beginning of May, the Tuniscope news website says.
The pair triumphed in a strategy game called Bagra – literally “cow” – which consists of keeping a herd of cows and preventing other players from stealing them, while trying to pinch as many as possible from other herds. [BBC]

Canadian wildfire edges south, leaves thousands stranded –
The 88,000 residents who fled a wildfire that has ravaged the Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray in Alberta will not be able to return home anytime soon, officials warned on Thursday, even as the inferno edged slowly south. The out-of-control blaze has consumed entire neighborhoods of Fort McMurray in Canada’s energy heartland and officials warn its spread now threatens two oil sands sites south of the city. The wildfire has already forced precautionary production cuts or shutdowns at about a dozen major facilities, eating into a global crude surplus and supporting oil prices this week. [Reuters] See Video of the Day

Facebook Live tab is now on the Android app –
It’s taken a month, but the Live tab on Facebook has now started appearing for Android app users. Back in April, the social network announced that video was going to be even more of priority for the company, with users being offered a dedicated page to find live streams. Android users are starting to see the Live tab in the centre of the screen, pushing out Messenger from its spot. Clicking on the Live option brings up a scrolling stream of video.Anyone watching the feed can then react and comment in real time. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

Fire ‘rains’ down in Fort McMurray neighbourhood during escape

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and atttacks

Syrian Civil War
- At least 12 people are killed and many are wounded in twin blasts in central Syria. (USA Today)
- Airstrikes on a camp for war refugees in Syria near the Syria–Turkey border kills 28 people, including women and children. (Reuters) (BBC)
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi security forces shoot dead two alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants while two others blew themselves up near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Gaza–Israel conflict
- A Palestinian woman is killed and another person is injured in the Gaza Strip by tank fire from Israel. Israel said it responded to mortar rounds and the discovery of another tunnel by Hamas. (BBC) (The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Philippine peso fell 0.3% continuing its drop three weeks in a row. (Bloomberg)
- The stock exchange in Manila slid 1.2%, set for its lowest close in two months, before Monday’s presidential elections. (Bloomberg) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
- The western Canadian province of Alberta declares a state of emergency as devastating wildfires, fed by unseasonably hot temperatures and dry conditions, grow to five times their initial size. The mandatory evacuation order expands to include the communities of Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Fort McMurray First Nation, forcing thousands who had just resettled to move again. (CTV) (USA Today) (Reuters)
- Since the fire has intermittently blocked the only route south toward Alberta’s major cities, evacuees have had to go north toward oil camps and a few small settlements. The province has airlifted 4,000 people to Edmonton and Calgary as of late Thursday. Roughly 20 percent of Canada’s crude oil production, around 680,000 barrels per day, is offline and is expected to increase. There are no known casualties from the fire, which today has grown to 210,000 acres (85,000 hectares), but fatalities are reported in at least one vehicle crash along the evacuation route. (Daily Mail)
- Reuters reports that Alberta Province, which projects a C$10 billion deficit this fiscal year as the prolonged slump in oil prices has reduced tax revenue, last month cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province’s Slave Lake wildfire in 2011, which destroyed more than 300 homes. (Reuters via Voice of America)
At least 12 people are killed and 30 others injured after a bus plunges into a ravine in Bolivia‘s eastern Santa Cruz province. (Agencia EFE)

International relations

Spain–United Kingdom relations, Disputed status of Gibraltar
- The Royal Navy‘s HMS Sabre fires warning shots at a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel after it twice attempted to cut across the path of United States Navy submarine USS Florida during an incursion intoGibraltar‘s territorial waters. Gibraltar officials say Spanish vessels regularly stray deep into its territorial waters and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has attacked the incursions as provocative. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

Operation Car Wash, Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- Acting on a request from Brazil’s top prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki suspends President of the Deputies Chamber Eduardo Cunha for obstructing the Petrobras corruption investigation. The full court confirms this action, Cunha is eliminated from the line of succession to President Dilma Rousseff, who may be suspended from office next week. (Reuters) (Globo)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, agrees to pay people who were sent to jail because they couldn’t afford to pay fines for minor offenses like panhandling and jaywalking. The city will pay $125 for each day the person spent behind bars, an estimated total of $103,000 for the 66 people identified. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people cannot be jailed if they do not have the money to pay. (AP via The Washington Post) (The Colorado Independent)
California court finds “Grim Sleeper” serial killer guilty. (The Los Angeles Times)
Hackers attack millions of users of Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail, forcing users to make password changes. (Forbes)

Politics and elections

Justice and Development Party leadership election, 2016
- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announces his resignation effective 22 May amid conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Davutoğlu said he would step down following an extraordinary meeting of AKP party leaders scheduled for May 22. (The New York Times) (The Guardian)
Philippine general election, 2016
- Philippine candidate Grace Poe denies she will give way in favor of administration bet Mar Roxas (Rappler)
- Philippine senator and former coup plotter Antonio Trillanes warns that a coup d’etat may occur if Rodrigo Duterte wins the presidential elections. (ABC Online), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- The sect Iglesia ni Cristo conducts a “silent war” against the senatorial candidacy of justice secretary Leila de Lima. (Rappler)
- Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe releases her full statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. (GMA News)
United Kingdom local elections, 2016
- Members of the British public head to local polling stations to cast their vote for various governmental positions, including the Mayor of London. (The Daily Telegraph)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Former Governor of Texas and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry endorses Donald Trump for president and says he is open to being Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. (CNN)

Sport

Zika virus outbreak
- Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the decision whether the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates two-game series scheduled for later this month will be moved from Puerto Ricobecause of concerns about the Zika virus, will be announced Monday “at the latest.” (AP)

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June 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bicycle thief suspect lassoed by rancher in Oregon –
A rancher in the US state of Oregon has used his lassoing skills to nab a would-be thief, police say. Robert Borba told local media he reacted when he heard a woman scream that someone was trying to steal her bicycle from a bike rack outside a Walmart store in Eagle Point. Mr Borba said he got his horse out of its trailer and cornered the suspect before lassoing him around the legs. He said he got on his horse and rode over to the man who was apparently struggling with the bike gears and then decided to flee on foot. “I just roped him and the rope went down around his feet and I just rode off like I would if I’d roped a cow or something by myself”. The rancher said the would-be thief then tried to grab a tree and escape, but he managed to keep the rope tight until police arrived and arrested the suspect. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Aberdeen : A Montage of Kurt Cobain's Artwork & Journals from Tourist Pictures on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Fighting breaks out between ISIL militants and Afghan police in the Haska Mina District, Nangarhar Province, leaving six police officers and 15 militants dead, according to officials. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Libyan forces claim to have captured the port in the city of Sirte after heavy fighting with ISIL. (BBC)
Syrian Civil War
- According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two suicide bombings occur near the Sayyidah Zaynab shrine in a Damascus suburb, killing at least 20 people. (Reuters)

Law and crime

American singer Christina Grimmie, best known for her appearances on The Voice, dies after having been shot at a concert venue in the city of Orlando, Florida. (Fox News)

Sports

UEFA Euro 2016
- English and Russian football fans riot before the England–Russia Euro 2016 match in Marseille and fight afterwards. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. (AP)
- Fighting breaks out between supporters of Northern Ireland and France in Nice. (The Telegraph)
2016 Belmont Stakes
- Creator, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and trained by Steve Asmussen, wins the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes. (NBC News)

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June 12, 2016

Top News Stories –

Orlando shooting: At least 50 killed in Pulse nightclub mass shooting –
A heavily armed gunman has killed at least 50 people, with another 53 injured, at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The mass shooting is the worst in US history and US President Barack Obama has branded it “an act of terror and an act of hate”.

At least 50 people killed, 53 injured in mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida
Gunman Omar Mateen took hostages, killed when police stormed building
Mateen was armed with an assault rifle and handgun, police say
US President Barack Obama brands shooting an act of terror and hate
Armed man arrested in LA had assault rifles in car, said he was going to the LA Pride festival, police said

[ABC Australia]

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- In the Third Battle of Fallujah, ISIL militants attack a military barracks east of Fallujah, killing more than 50 government soldiers and militia members. At least 12 militants were also killed in the assault. (Al Jazeera)
Yemeni civil war
- Missiles, fired from a U.S. drone, strike a four-wheel drive vehicle in southern Yemen, killing two and injuring another suspected militant. (Press TV)

Arts and culture

Around 10,000 people attend a street party in front of Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. (Reuters)
70th Tony Awards
- The 70th Tony Awards are held at the Beacon Theater in New York City with The Humans winning the Best Play and Hamilton winning the Best Musical. (Variety)
- Hamilton sweeps the Tonys, winning 11 of Broadway’s top awards including best musical, best actor (Leslie Odom, Jr.), best direction (Thomas Kail), best featured actress (Renée Elise Goldsberry), and best featured actor (Daveed Diggs). Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda won for best score and for best book of a musical. (Otago Daily Times) (Forbes)
- Hamilton fell just short of‎ The Producers record of 12 wins in 2001‎. (Los Angeles Times)

International relations

European migration crisis
- Italy‘s Coast Guard picks up 1,230 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. More than 4,000 people have been saved at sea in the past week. (Reuters via Trust)

Law and crime

2016 Orlando nightclub shooting
- In what is the deadliest mass shooting and the worst terror attack since 9/11 to occur in the United States, a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in the U.S. city of Orlando, Florida, kills at least 50 people, including the shooter, and injures 53. (BBC) (CNN) (Australian Broadcasting Co.)
- ISIL’s Amaq News Agency claims that the assault, “… was carried out by an Islamic State fighter”. (Reuters) (CBS New York)
- The FBI identifies the deceased gunman as Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen born in New York to Afghani parents, and living in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Mateen called 9-1-1 during the attack and pledged allegiance to ISIL. (CBS New York)
- Mateen’s father, Seddique Mir Mateen, says, “We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. This had nothing to do with religion.” Seddique says that during a recent outing in Miami, his son got very angry when he saw men kissing and touching each other. According to the elder Mateen, Omar said, ‘Look at that. In front of my son they are doing that.’ (NBC News)
- The City of Orlando requests, via Twitter, citizens, “… hold off on vigils — they represent a serious strain on our limited resources, which we need to dedicate to law enforcement and victims.” (The New York Times)
The scheduled L.A. Pride parade is held in West Hollywood Park in California. A 20-year-old man, whose car was filled with explosive materials and weapons, is arrested before he reached the parade area. He is misquoted as saying he wanted to harm people at the event. (Los Angeles Daily News)
An explosion at Shanghai Pudong International Airport injures at least three people; the explosive appears to be homemade. (AP via The Guardian)
Lawyers for former President of Chad Hissène Habré, who was recently found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison, appeal the verdict. However, a tribunal spokesman said the appeal process is not expected to be done before April 2017. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

UEFA Euro 2016
- UEFA opens an inquiry into the Russian Football Union after massive fights between Russian and English hooligans during and after the match between Russia and England in Marseille. Dozens of injuries, including at least one Briton in critical condition, and multiple arson attacks occurred throughout the city. (BBC)
2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
- In golf, Brooke Henderson of Canada wins the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. (Seattle Times)
2016 Stanley Cup Finals
- In ice hockey, the Pittsburgh Penguins win their fourth Stanley Cup title defeating the San Jose Sharks 4 games to 2 in the finals. (ESPN)

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August 18, 2016

August 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

Zika in Florida: Pregnant women warned to avoid Miami Beach –
Pregnant women have been warned to avoid the international tourist destination Miami Beach, amid cases of the Zika virus. Authorities had previously thought the virus was limited to Wynwood, a small area west of Miami Beach. Health officials now say five people in Miami Beach have been infected. Florida health officials have been aggressively spraying pesticides there. Zika, often spread by mosquitoes, can cause life-threatening birth defects. [BBC]

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea fire cruise missiles at sites near Aleppo. The Russian Defense Ministry claims the strikes targeted the Islamist militant group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. (Pravda)(Reuters)

Arts and culture

The American town of Shishmaref, Alaska, votes to relocate the village from its current location on a barrier island, that has been disappearing through erosion and rising sea levels, to a site on the mainland.(The New York Times) (ABC News)

Law and crime

A Defense Department audit reveals that the United States Army had manipulated its finances, making $6.5 trillion of improper accounting adjustments in order to balance the books in 2015. (Reuters)(The Hill)(CNN)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Paul Manafort resigns as chairman of Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign. (The Guardian)

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October 6, 2016

Top News Stories –

Recruitment agency criticised for job ads specifying bra size –
A recruitment agency has been criticised for advertising jobs only for “attractive women”, as well as specifying bra size. Matching Models in London describes itself as “an international temp agency for beautiful and talented people”. It advertised for a personal assistant with “a classic look, brown long hair with b-c cup”. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) called it “appalling, unlawful and demeaning to women”. The agency’s founder Nathalie Jansen said: “Our clients are important to us – and looks are important.” Another job advert on the agency’s website asks a “sexy female driver” to drive a Porsche Cayenne two days a week for between £40,000 and £50,000-a-year for a Knightsbridge-based businessman and polo team owner. [BBC]

Hurricane Matthew: At least 100 people killed in Haiti devastation –
Hurricane Matthew has left at least 108 people dead in Haiti, the country’s interior minister says. Some 50 people were reported to have died in the southern town of Roche-a-Bateau alone. New images from remote and cut off areas in the south-west of the country show scenes of devastation. The hurricane has again been upgraded to a Category Four storm, the second highest hurricane classification, as it heads for the US state of Florida. [BBC]

Hurricane Matthew image by NASA

Video of the Day –

Underwater Explosions at 120,000fps – The Slow Mo Guys

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Somalia (2009–present)
- An al-Shabaab attack on a village near the Kenyan town of Mandera results in six deaths. (Reuters), (Capital FM Kenya)
A bombing in rebel controlled Atme, Idlib Governorate, near the Syria–Turkey border, kills at least 29 people, mostly rebel fighters, and injures dozens more. ISIL claims responsibility. (BBC), (Scroll.in)
A motorcycle bomb in the Yenibosna neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, injures 10 civilians. (Reuters)
Unknown assailants attack a refugee camp near the village of Tassalit, in Niger‘s Tahoua Region, killing at least 22 soldiers. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Matthew moves towards the United States with hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from the states of Florida and South Carolina. (USA Today)
- Matthew gains strength and again becomes a Category 4 storm with 140 mph (220 km/h) maximum sustained winds. (AP via Philly.com), (The National Hurricane Center)
- The death toll is at least 140 people with 136 in Haiti. (Reuters)
- President Barack Obama declares a state of emergency for Florida, freeing up federal money and personnel to protect lives and property. (The Miami Herald)
- The eye of the hurricane moves over the western end of Grand Bahama, the northernmost island in The Bahama Archipelago. (The National Hurricane Center)

Law and crime

Pakistan‘s government removes a loophole allowing those behind so-called honor killings to go free with the new legislation instead requiring a mandatory life sentence. (BBC)

Politics and elections

An altercation with a fellow UKIP MEP inside the European Parliament leaves UK Independence Party, Member of the European Parliament, and current UKIP party leadership favorite Steven Woolfehospitalized. (The Daily Telegraph)

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November 9, 2016

Top News Stories –

US election 2016 result: Trump beats Clinton to take White House –
Donald Trump will become the 45th US president after a stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Republican nominee’s victory came down to a handful of key swing states, despite months of polling that favoured Mrs Clinton. The battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio and North Carolina cleared the way for his Brexit-style upset. Global markets plummeted, with the US dollar diving and gold prices surging. Mr Trump’s shock victory in Wisconsin put him over the 270 out of 538 electoral college votes needed to win the White House, after a gruelling and rancorous campaign. The US president-elect took to the stage with his family at his victory rally in a New York hotel ballroom and said: “I just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us on our victory.” [BBC]
President elect Donald Trump

Video of the Day –

Donald Trumps acceptance speech

List of the Day –

Popular vote results in US election

Trump

58,212,712 votes

47.8%

Clinton

57,755,468 votes

47.4%

Others

5,837,383 votes

4.8%

After 94.0% of voting districts

Senate

100 seats, 34 up for election

Republicans

51 seats

Democrats

45 seats

Independents

2 seats

House of Representatives

435 seats, all up for election

Republicans

236 seats

Democrats

192 seats

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Operation Inherent Resolve
- The United States military states that it has inadvertently killed 64 civilians in air strikes on targets in Syria and Iraq over the past year. (AP via Fox News)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Croydon tram derailment
- At least seven people have been killed and 51 hospitalised after a Tramlink light rail vehicle derailed and overturned close to Sandilands tram stop in the London Borough of Croydon early on Wednesday. It is believed to be the first tram accident involving fatalities on the tram in the United Kingdom since 1959. (BBC News)

International relations

The immigration website of Canada crashes due to overflow, coinciding with the election in the United States. (CNN)

Law and crime

The Supreme Court of the United States hears arguments on a case regarding whether the citizenship claim of a child is different if there is an unmarried father versus an unmarried mother who is a U.S. citizen. (Scotus blog)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election and general elections, 2016
- Although he narrowly lost the popular vote, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election, becomes the president-elect of the United States after defeating Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. It is the fifth time in United States history where the winning candidate lost the popular vote, the last such defeat occurring in 2000.
- The Republican Party retains control of the House and Senate. (The New York Times)
- Notable propositions are passed in several states including legal recreational marijuana in California, Massachusetts, and Nevada; medical marijuana in Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota; tougher firearms restrictions in California and Washington state; physician assisted suicide in Colorado, and the reimposition of capital punishment in Nebraska. (BBC), (The Chicago Tribune)
- Tens of thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters protest in Chicago; Los Angeles; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon, New York City; Seattle and other major cities, reflecting a deep political divide in the United States. (CNN), (ABC)
- Residents including business leaders of the state of California, which voted with majority support for Hillary Clinton, propose launching a secession movement from the United States after Donald Trump is elected president. (Time), (BBC)

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January 5, 2017

January 6, 2017

Top News Stories –

Intel report says Putin ordered campaign to influence US election –
A declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering a campaign to influence the U.S. election and hurt Hillary Clinton’s candidacy – findings made public after officials briefed President-elect Donald Trump. The report said: “We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” [Fox News]
Vladimir Putin

Video of the Day –

Assassins Creed hand drawn animation

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Russian military intervention in Syria
  - Russia begins to withdraw its forces from Syria, with its aircraft carrier battle group being the first to leave. The United Nations says the ceasefire is “largely holding”. (BBC)
2017 Ivory Coast mutiny
- Republican Forces of Côte d’Ivoire soldiers launch mutinies in three cities across Ivory Coast. The Defense Minister Alain Donwahi says talks are ongoing with the soldiers, calling for all troops to return to their barracks. (Reuters), (AP)

Business and economy

The Limited announces the closing of all of its brick-and-mortar stores and will begin operating only online after January 8. (Dayton Daily News)

Law and crime

2017 Fort Lauderdale airport shooting
- An arriving passenger from Alaska removes his checked-baggage pistol and kills five people and injures six at the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Florida. (Fox News)
Members of the Brazilian Primeiro Comando da Capital prison gang kill 31 inmates in the Monte Cristo prison in the state of Roraima. This action was revenge for an earlier massacre in a prison in Amazonas that killed 56 inmates. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2016 United States election interference by Russia
- A declassified U.S. intelligence report claims that Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to influence the U.S. presidential election against Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton. (Fox News)

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The 2010s

The story of a decade

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