Top News Stories –

Twitter closer to allowing longer tweets of up to 10,000 characters –
Twitter is considering ditching its 140-character limit in tweets. After 24 hours of speculation it seems the the social media company is considering a new 10,000 character limit – the same as for Direct Messages. It’s the latest effort by the firm to appeal to a wider audience. Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey has said he isn’t definitely set on sticking with 140 characters. [BBC] See Top twitter Trends

Netflix extends its service to almost all the world –
Netflix has gone live in nearly every country in the world. The firm announced it had switched on its service in 130 additional countries. It said it was still trying to expand to China. The other exceptions are North Korea, Syria and Crimea, where it is banned from operating by US law. The announcement was made by the firm’s chief executive Reed Hastings at his keynote speech at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. He also confirmed that Netflix would begin offering HDR (high dynamic range) content later this year. The company’s shares jumped to about 8% over their opening price following the announcements. [BBC]

‘Star Wars: Force Awakens’ Tops ‘Avatar’ to Become No. 1 Film of All Time in North America –
J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the highest-grossing film of all time in North America, not accounting for inflation. On Wednesday, the Disney and Lucasfilm mega-blockbuster overtook the $760.5 million earned by James Cameron’s Avatar. Force Awakens — which grossed $8 million on Tuesday for a domestic total of $758.2 million — achieved the milestone in only 20 days in release, a remarkable feat. [Hollywood Reporter]

Video of the Day –

Bei Hai / 北海‬ (animation Rob Jabbaz. music Howie Lee) from Rob Jabbaz on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

People’s Choice Television Award winners:
Favourite show: The Big Bang Theory
Favourite network comedy: The Big Bang Theory
Favourite comedic actor: Jim Parsons
Favourite comedic actress: Melissa McCarthy
Favourite network drama: Grey’s Anatomy
Favourite dramatic actor: Taylor Kinney
Favourite dramatic actress: Ellen Pompeo
Favourite cable comedy: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Favourite cable drama: Pretty Little Liars
Favourite cable actor: Kevin Hart
Favourite cable actress: Sasha Alexander

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
  • The Islamic State‘s Libyan branch continues attacks on Libya‘s oil ports of Sidra and Ra’s Lanuf, resulting in at least 10 security personnel deaths and 40 injured. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) reports that fires continue to rage in both Sidra and Ra’s Lanuf after oil storage tanks were hit by shells. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC)
• Bahrain says it has dismantled a terrorist cell allegedly linked to Iran‘s Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon‘s Hezbollah. (The National)

Arts and culture

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens becomes the highest-grossing film ever in the United States and Canada, overtaking Avatar. (Hollywood Reporter)

Business and economy

• TransCanada, the firm that unsuccessfully applied for cross-border permission to build the Keystone XL pipeline, files a lawsuit against the United States alleging that the refusal of permission violated theNorth American Free Trade Agreement. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2016 North Korean nuclear test
  • A 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Sungjibaegam, North Korea, is suspected to be a nuclear explosion at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. North Korea announces it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. They claim to have tested a miniaturized bomb. If not true it would mean that the test partially failed. (AFP via ABC News Australia) (AP) (Bloomberg) (The Guardian)
  • The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban-Ki Moon demands that North Korea should cease any further nuclear activity. (ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

• German police temporarely seal off the main entrance to the chancellery building because of a suspicious package. (Reuters) (AP via USA Today) (Al Arabia)
• Texas state trooper Brian Encinia is charged with perjury in connection with the death of Sandra Bland. (AP via Fox 32)

Sport

• In Major League Baseball, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Griffey was named on all but three of the 409 ballots received, surpassing Tom Seaver for the highest voting percentage in Hall history. Griffey and Piazza will be formally inducted on July 24. (NBC News)

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