Syriza party wins Greek election –
In the Greece general election Alexis Tsipras’ party wins a clear victory with a projected 149 seats. The Syriza party ran on an anti-austerity ticket and has vowed to reverse many of the austerity measures adopted by Greece since a series of bailouts began in 2010. The party first came to prominence following the 2008 Greek riots. Alexis Tsipras
Prime Minister, call on line hoax –
A hoax caller pretending to be GCHQ director Robert Hannigan today managed to get through to the British Minister on the phone; David Cameron quickly realised it was not the GCHQ head and ended the call. GCHQ director Robert Hannigan
Proposal racquet down under –
At the Australian Open tennis tournament a man in the crowd proposed to his girlfriend during Novak Djokovic’s third round match against Fernando Verdasco. When the woman accepted the proposal the crowd and players burst into applause.
Rihanna new single rocks Twitter with #FourFiveSeconds –
Rihanna releases her new single Four Five Seconds, the first release from her new album and it features Kanye West and someone called Paul McCartney who has worked with a few stars before (see List of the day). Rihanna
India yoga: PM Narendra Modi leads thousands in celebration –
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led thousands in a mass yoga programme in the capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day. Mr Modi did stretches, bends and breathing exercises with 35,000 school children, bureaucrats and soldiers. Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning’s event. Millions of others are expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns. Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practises the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day. Authorities said 35,000 people attended the 35-minute yoga session on Rajpath, aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga class at a single venue. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Taylor Swift pulls 1989 album from Apple Music –
Taylor Swift has pulled her hit album 1989 from Apple’s new streaming music service and criticised the company. In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. “I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months,” she wrote. She said the plan was “unfair”, arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost. “I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” the 25-year-old said, describing Apple as one of her “best partners in selling music”. “These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much,” she continued. “We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period – even if it is free for the fans trying it out. “Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing.” She ended her letter by calling on Apple to change its policy, suggesting she would reinstate her album on the service if the company changed its mind. “We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” Apple has yet to comment on the issue. Taylor Swift
A Palestinian teenager is in police custody after he stabbed in the neck and critically injured a policeman in Jerusalem and then was shot by the same policeman. (YNet)
Politics
Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras makes a new offer for reforms which could signal a late deal in the country’s debt talks. (ITV News)
Cannes watch thief arrested after taunting police with pictures of luxury life on the run –
A gangster who stole designer watches worth €1.7 million (£1.2 million) from a Cannes jewellers and taunted police for two years with pictures of himself enjoying a luxurious lifestyle in Morocco has been arrested. NabiI Ibelati, 29, who has French and Moroccan nationality, had been on the run since July 2013, when he burst into Kronometry jewellers on the Cannes “croisette” in broad daylight with a pistol and grenade rifle, tied up staff and made off with 100 luxury watches. An accomplice and a brother of Ibelati were arrested six months later in France, but Ibelati fled to Morocco, posting regular Facebook pictures that showed him living the high life: relaxing in an infinity pool, enjoying a formal dinner and riding a camel in the desert. Moroccan authorities arrested Ibelati on Saturday, after secretly recording members of his entourage discussing his movements. [Daily Telegraph]
The songs China doesn’t want you to hear –
In China, the government has banned a list of 120 songs from the internet, including a string of karaoke favourites. It says the songs “trumpet obscenity, violence, crime or harm social morality”, and has ordered them to be removed from websites. Songs with titles like I Love Taiwanese Girls, Fart, Beijing Hooligans and Don’t Want to Go to School have all been blacklisted. [BBC Trending]
The U.S. offers to assist Pakistan with its investigation into the suicide bombing attack on Sunday that killed at least 19 people, including Shuja Khanzada, the interior minister of the Punjab Province. (Daily Pakistan)
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which announced an extensive computer data breach in May 2015, has revealed that the breach is much deeper and more serious than previously thought, exposing an additional 220,000 individuals. The thieves had infiltrated a now-deactivated online system called “Get Transcript.” (AP, via MSN)(USA Today)
Valentino Rossi accuses rivals of colluding to deny him the world title –
MotoGP’s most controversial season ended in bitter acrimony on Sunday as Valentino Rossi accused rivals of colluding to deny him the world title. The Italian legend launched his tirade after narrowly missing out on the championship despite scything through the field from the back of the grid – and no one was spared his vitriol. The 36-year-old had to start from the back of the field as punishment for his alleged kick on Márquez in the penultimate round in Malaysia. Rossi said the new champion, Jorge Lorenzo, did not deserve the title, and that fellow Spaniard Marc Márquez had acted like a “bodyguard” to prevent him from taking a seventh championship. [Daily Telegraph] Valentino Rossi
Prime Minister’s celebrity trainer launches ‘Netflix for Fitness’ –
Celebrity personal fitness coach Matt Roberts, known for training Amanda Holden, Naomi Campbell and David Cameron, is launching his own online fitness channel. The UK Prime Minister’s personal trainer, Matt Roberts, is launching a new online workout channel, with the bold aim of becoming the “Netflix for Fitness”. Known as Body.Network, the channel will offer live and on-demand classes with Mr Roberts himself, as well as trainers from global yoga chain Yogasphere, the England Rugby team’s sports nutritionist Matt Lovell, and health and fitness gym The Third Space. Mr Roberts trains a number of high-profile personalities such as Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha, Amanda Holden, Naomi Campbell, James Corden, Michael McIntyre, Tom Ford and Mel C. [Daily Telegraph]
Astronaut plays bagpipes on International Space Station –
A US astronaut has played a set of Scottish-made bagpipes on the International Space Station to pay tribute to a colleague who died. Kjell Lindgren played Amazing Grace on the pipes after recording a message about research scientist Victor Hurst, who was involved in astronaut training. It is thought to be the first time that bagpipes have been played in space. They were made for Mr Lindgren by McCallum Bagpipes at the company’s factory in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Kenny Macleod, who works at McCallum Bagpipes, told BBC Scotland the 42-year-old astronaut had got in touch two years ago to say he was going to the space station and wanted to play the pipes while he was there. In the video, Mr Lindgren is seen to give the pipes a punch before he starts playing. Mr Macleod said it was normal for pipers to massage the bag to get the air flowing, “but not quite as vigorously as that”. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
John Lewis Christmas Advert 2015 – #ManOnTheMoon
List of the Day –
Moto GP 2015 final standings by race [from Wikipedia]
Houthi forces regain several positions across southern Yemen after launching a fresh offensive against loyalist and coalition forces. In Lahij province, which borders Aden, Houthi forces are now positioned on a hill overlooking the strategic Al Anad Air Base, which houses Sudanese forces. The Houthis also retook the Damt District in the Dhale province after besieging it for hours, at least 16 people were killed in the clashes. (AFP via Yahoo)
Two suicide bomb attacks in Ngouboua, a remote village near Lake Chad, kill three people, including the bombers, and injure four others, according to Chadian Communication Minister Hassan Sylla Bakari. (Shanghai Daily)(UPI)
ManhattanDistrict AttorneyCyrus R. Vance, Jr. announces over $800 million in grants available to various agencies across the country for law enforcement-related initiative such as testing of potentially expired rape kits, the funding of an international center devoted to monitoring cyber attacks, and a program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice dedicated to training prosecutors. The grants are funded from criminal penalties paid by several international banks accused of violating sanctions. (New York Times)
Alexis Tsipras
GCHQ director Robert Hannigan
Rihanna
