August 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

China blasts: Shipment explodes in Tianjin port –
Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin, reportedly injuring many people. According to Chinese state media, the blasts occurred when a shipment of explosives blew up at about 23:30 (16:30 GMT). Pictures and video shared on social media showed flames lighting up the sky and damage to nearby buildings. Latest reports in state media suggest that hundreds of people have been taken to hospital. The first explosion was followed by another 30 seconds later. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Twitter takes the chains off Direct Messages by removing 140-character limit –
Twitter is fairly conspicuous by its absence among the big messaging players. The service has allowed its users to send private messages back and forth for years, but for a long time, the feature seemed like an afterthought, with bugs such as unreliable notifications. This is slowly changing. On Wednesday, Twitter finally removed a 140-character limit on Direct Messages (DMs), meaning users can send up to 10,000 characters (which roughly allows space for 2,000 words). Sachin Agarwal, Twitter’s DM product manager, said this had been one of Twitter users’ most commonly-requested features. [Daily Telegraph]

RIP to LOL – the history of laughing out loud –
A Facebook study suggests that people are choosing to use “haha” and emojis over “LOL” to express laughter. The research claims more than half (51.4%) opt for “haha”, while just 1.9% are LOLers, although it didn’t look at direct messages. LOL was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2011, but the origin of the phrase can be traced back to the 1980s. The Facebook study suggests a third of people use emojis for laughter. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

直击天津滨海新区爆炸瞬间 现场响声震天

Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #SonrioCuando #WorldElephantDay #WorldElephantDay
2 #NecesitariaYaMismo The Artist #YouthDay
3 #AlDubMaybeThisTime Jimmy Carter #CeCeIsA
4 #WorldElephantDay #MyMemoirWouldBeCalled #MyMemoirWouldBeCalled
5 바퀴벌레 #ShoutOutDay Simon Danczuk
6 #MasterChefBR Hump Day #BiscuitsInAMovie
7 #الهلال_النصر #SoundsGoodFeelsGood The Artist
8 #FAceToFace #YouthDay #FAceToFace
9 #ايش_بتسمي_اول_… Rex Ryan Paulo Wanchope
10 鳩山元首相 The Hateful Eight #Inglorious12th

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
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September 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

Queen Elizabeth II becomes longest-reigning UK monarch –
The Queen has thanked well-wishers at home and overseas for their “touching messages of kindness” as she becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Speaking in the Scottish Borders, the 89-year-old monarch said the title was “not one to which I have ever aspired”. At 17:30 BST she had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes – surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. David Cameron said the service the Queen had given was “truly humbling”. The exact moment the Queen became the longest-reigning sovereign is unknown. Her father, George VI, passed away in the early hours of 6 February 1952, but his time of death is not known. [BBC] See Video of the Day and List of the Day
Queen_Elizabeth_II Queen ELizabeth II in March 2015

iPad Pro, new Apple TV and iPhone 6S handsets unveiled –
Apple has unveiled a larger iPad tablet, a TV box with its own app store and new iPhones that can detect how firmly their screens are being pressed. The firm suggested the iPad Pro was suited to work tasks, video games and both editing and watching movies. Sales of the company’s earlier iPads had been on the decline. Apple said the “3D touch” feature of its new phones “transformed” the experience of using them by making it easier to use and switch between apps. The iPad Pro has a 12.9in (32.8cm) display, making its shortest edge the length of its earlier iPad Air 2’s height. In addition, the firm announced a stylus called the Apple Pencil, which has sensors in its tip to help mimic the effect of using a real pencil on paper. The announcement is notable since the firm’s ex-chief executive Steve Jobs said in 2010: “If you see a stylus, they blew it.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Brief History of the Royal Family

List of the Day –

Monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland 1603 – present day [from Wikipedia]

House of Stuart

House of Hanover

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

House of Windsor

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 iPhone 6s #AppleEvent #longestreign
2 #AppleEvent iPhone 6s #NationalFitnessDay
3 #هل_ترضي_تتزوج_… James Blake #AnnoyMeIn5Words
4 #MasterChefBR #StopIranDeal #AppleEvent
5 フォロワーA #LateShow #RuinABoardGame
6 iOS 9 #RuinABoardGame #SerenavsVenus
7 #longestreign #INBOUND15 British Airways
8 Neymar #TerribleGiftsForA4YearOld Las Vegas
9 Messi Hump Day #setgoodtuesdays
10 #OTRAOttawa #CMWorld iPhone 6s

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
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International relations

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