Top News Stories –

Millions of US government workers hit by data breach –
Chinese hackers are suspected of carrying out a “massive breach” affecting the data of millions of US government workers, officials said. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) confirmed on Thursday that almost four million current and past employees have been affected. The breach could potentially affect every federal agency, officials said. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it was thought to have originated in China. The Chinese embassy in Washington warned against “jumping to conclusions”. [BBC]

Sam Smith can speak again after vocal cord operation and reschedules gigs –
Sam Smith says he can now speak again and is ready to go back on tour after his vocal cord operation. The singer posted on Instagram: “I CAN SPEAK AGAIN!!!!!!!!” with a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. He also shared a photo of the doctor who helped him to reclaim his voice and publicly thanked him. Four performances that he had to postpone in April after having problems with his voice have now been announced in Australia. [BBC]
Sam Smith with Doctor Zeitels © Samsmithworld/Instagram

Tricky GCSE maths exam sees pupils take to Twitter –

A tricky GCSE maths question stumped thousands of students – but inspired them to take to Twitter to vent their anger and frustration. The equation in Thursday’s Edexcel exam was on the probability of taking two orange sweets from a bag. By the afternoon the topic was trending on Twitter and online petitions were set up calling on the board to lower the grade boundaries when marking. Edexcel’s owner Pearson said it aimed to “test the full range” of abilities. But it said it would ensure students were “treated fairly” when the papers are marked. [BBC]  See Top Twitter Trends (UK)

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Several rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel and exploded near the cities of Ashdod, Netivot and Ashkelon causing no casualties. The IDFretaliated with airstrikes against empty Hamas training camps in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
• Naxalite Insurgents kill at least 10 Indian Army soldiers and injure 12 in an attack on a convoy in the state of Manipur. (BBC)

Arts and culture

• St Benet’s Hall at Oxford University decides to admit women, making it the last of the University’s institutions to do so. (Reuters Trust)

Business and economy

• Officials of the ruling Syriza party in Greece say that they cannot accept a last-minute deal proposed by the country’s creditors: default deadline looms. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Sinking of the Dong Fang Zhi Xing
  • The death toll from the Monday night sinking of the cruise ship in the Yangtze River rises to 75 with most of the 450 passengers on board still missing. (The Guardian), (NBC News)
• An explosion at a gas station in Accra, Ghana, kills at least 78 people. (Al Jazeera)

Health

• Surgeons, led by Dr. Jesse Selber, working with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in a 15-hour, 12-doctor operation, perform the world’s first partial-skull and scalp transplant, at Houston Methodist Hospital, on 55-year-old Jim Boysten, a software developer from Austin, Texas suffering from a large head wound from cancer treatment; immediately afterward, he was finally able to receive a new kidney and pancreas, which replaced the previous transplants that were failing. (MSN)
• 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in South Korea
  • The number of people with Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea rises to 35 with over 700 schools suspending classes due to fears of the syndrome. (Xinhua)
• Panel of advisors to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends approval of flibanserin by 18–6 to improve a woman’s libido. (NPR)

International relations

• Associated Press reports that there has been a massive hack from the American Office of Personnel Management and US Department of the Interior with the Washington Post claiming that Chinese hackers were responsible. The records of at least four million US Government workers are believed to have been compromised. (AP), (Washington Post), (The Telegraph)

Politics

• United States presidential election, 2016
  • Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry announces that he will be a candidate for the Republican Party. (CNN)
• USA Freedom Act
  • President Barack Obama signs the bill, reinstating expired provisions of the Patriot Act while reforming Section 215 of the Act. (NBC)

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