Flight QZ8501 crash possibly caused by climbing too fast –
Initial investigations believe the reason for the AirAsia QZ8501 airline crash on December 28th 2014 was because it climbed too quickly to avoid bad weather. Data collected from the “black boxes” show that the plane climbed at over 4,000 feet per minute which might have cause it to stall.
Powerful waves –
The 64-meter wide Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Australia has picked up a “short, sharp flash” of radio waves from a mysterious source up to 5.5 billion light years from Earth which places the source outside the galaxy. Astronomers have yet to come up with an explanation for the radio waves.
Flagging civil rights –
The Chinese version of WhatsApp called WeChat accidently sent US flag icons over the screen if the key words “civil rights” were entered. The company behind the app, Tencent, blamed the effect on a technical glitch.
Rapper AK Canserbero murder/suicide –
Venezuelan singer songwriter Tirone González known as rapper AK Canserbero has been found dead after jumping from the 10th floor of a building in Maracay he was 26. It appears he had stabbed to death Carlos Monar, the bass player of another band before committing suicide.
Jules Bianchi: F1 driver dies from Suzuka crash injuries –
French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi, 25, had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia into a recovery vehicle at October’s rain-hit race. His family said: “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end.” The Marussia team, now known as Manor, said Bianchi had left an “indelible mark on all our lives”. Jules Bianchi
Niger’s army killed at least 30 suspected Boko Haram fighters as it searched for militants in villages just over the border with Nigeria. (NewsDay Zimbabwe)
Typhoon Nangka passes through the western part of the main Japanese island of Honshu, causing at least two deaths, widespread flooding and the evacuation of 100,000 people. (Reuters)
Indonesian volcano eruptions
Thousands of Indonesians are stranded on the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan as five airports remain closed as a result of the eruption of the Raung and Gamalama volcanoes. (BBC)
At least five people are dead and three are missing after a coal mine in the Philippines province of Antique collapses. (AP)
Two commuter trains collide at the Booysens train station in Johannesburg, South Africa, injuring more than 250 people. (News24)
Ukraine expels Valery Shibeko, Russia’s top envoy to Odessa, after declaring the consulate general “persona non grata” for conducting unnamed activities “incompatible” with his diplomatic work. (AFP)
A man goes on a shooting spree in Maine, U.S., killing two people and wounding three others in the towns of Lee and Benedicta. A manhunt is executed, and the suspect is arrested in Houlton. (CBC)
Nigerian granted divorce over wife’s late meals –
A Nigerian court has recently granted a 57-year-old man a divorce on the premise that his wife was bringing him his meals too late at night, local media reported on Thursday. Olufade Adeyoka recently explained to a courtroom in Lagos that he was fed up, that his wife of 25 years, Olusola, continued to serve him his meals late. In an interview with the Nigerian newspaper ‘Vanguard’ Adeyoka claimed that his wife “had failed in her matrimonial obligations”. This is thought to be the first time a legal divorce has been granted due to problems regarding domestic mealtime arrangements, however Nigeria has seen many abnormal divorce cases granted. [Daily Telegraph]
Pants ‘for superheroes’: Underwear that protects sperm count by blocking smartphone radiation –
Smart underwear designed to protect male fertility from radiation emitted by smartphones and laptops has been unveiled by a British scientist. Described by Sir Richard Branson as “underpants for superheroes”, the Wireless Armour underwear contains a mesh of pure silver woven into the fabric. It shields against 99.9 per cent of electromagnetic radiation, which is emitted from devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, and has been linked to fertility problems by scientists. [Daily Telegraph] Wireless Armour underwear
Modern Family’s Ariel Winter has had a breast reduction –
Modern Family star Ariel Winter has revealed she has undergone breast reduction surgery. The 17-year-old said she made the decision after suffering with back and neck pain as a result of her 32F cups. “It’s amazing to finally feel right,” she told Glamour magazine. The actress, who plays young teenager Alex Dunphy in the TV series, had the surgery in June and reduced the size of her chest to a 34D. [BBC Newsbeat] Ariel Winter
The death toll from the 2015 Tianjin explosion rises to 50. (AP)
An unspecified-type Egyptian military aircraft crashes due to a ‘technical failure’ near the Libyan border killing four crew members and injuring two others. (ABC via AP)
Swedish prosecutors drop some charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as the statute of limitations expire but will continue to investigate rape claims. (Sky News)
Miley Cyrus: Hannah Montana caused body image issues –
Miley Cyrus has spoken about how growing up as Hannah Montana led to body image issues. “I was made to look like someone that I wasn’t,” Miley told Marie Claire, “which probably caused some body dysmorphia.” The 22-year-old explained: “I had been made pretty every day for so long and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, who … am I?” Miley starred in Hannah Montana TV series from 2006 to 2011. [BBC Newsbeat] In April 2015 Cyrus revealed she wanted to have sex with Joan Jett. Miley Cyrus
Michael Sam, first openly gay American Football player, leaves sport after mental health concerns –
The first openly gay professional American football player is taking a break from the game, after a difficult year that saw him dropped by two NFL clubs. Michael Sam made history when he was drafted by the St Louis Rams last year, sparking a flurry of media interest. However, he failed to gain a place in the team and recently made his debut in Canada with the Montreal Alouettes. He announced his decision on Twitter. [Daily Telegraph] Michael Sam on Twitter
The death toll from the explosions in Tianjin rises to at least 85. In a further update, Chinese state media reports are now saying that the death toll has now risen to at least 104. (AP, via MSN), (AFP, AP, via The Daily Telegraph)
Police order further evacuations near the blast site following reports of more explosions. (The Guardian)
Someone has invented the first Apple Watch sex toy – and it’s a sell-out –
When you heard about all the apps you could get on an Apple Watch, was the first thing that sprung into your head an Apple Watch operated sex toy? As unorthodox an idea you may think it is, a lot of people want the piece of tech – it reached its $10,000 crowdfunding goal in just 24 hours. The $39 early bird special is sold out already, as is the reseller’s special, for people and websites who want to sell the sex toy to other customers. ‘Blush’ works by remote control, and is attached to a vibrating sex toy, that would be either controlled by you or your partner. The sex toy has three speed settings, can be recharged via a USB port and has up to two hours of battery life, and can either be directly controlled by Bluetooth for up to 30 feet or internet controlled, which can make it reach long distances. [Daily Telegraph]
Ashley Madison founder and chief executive Noel Biderman quits following hack –
The founder and chief executive of cheaters’ dating website Ashley Madison has stepped down just weeks after it was hacked. Noel Biderman, who heads the Canadian business’s parent company, Avid Life Media, is no longer employed at its headquarters, a spokesman said. It comes after a hacker group named The Impact Team stole the personal details of 37m Ashley Madison clients and posted them online. UK victims allegedly included 124 civil servants, 92 Ministry of Defence staff, around 50 police officers, 56 NHS workers, 65 local education and school staff and 1,716 people at universities and further education colleges. The data contained addresses, ages, phone numbers, credit card details and even sexual fantasies of users. [Daily Telegraph]
The body count from a van found on an Austrian highway carrying migrants yesterday rises to at least 71. Three people are arrested in Hungary in relation to their deaths. (AP via New York Times)(ITV)
DominicanPrime MinisterRoosevelt Skerrit reported that Tropical Storm Erika has left at least 12 dead and more than 20 missing. Erika deposited almost 12 inches of rain in less than 10 hours and caused extensive damage across the island as floods wiped out roads, swamped villages and started mudslides. (CNN)
Seven people are killed and two injured after being exposed to toxic chemicals at a paper mill in central China. (AP)
Thirty-eight girls and young women die in a crash and twenty others on board the truck are injured travelling to the traditional Umhlanga ceremony in Swaziland. (AP)
President Trương Tấn Sang of Vietnam signs two directives granting amnesty to 18,539 prisoners including murderers, rapists, human traffickers and other criminals but no political prisoners were released. (AP via New York Times)
World Athletics Championships: Ashton Eaton sets new decathlon world record in Beijing – Ashton Eaton’s world record in the decathlon has stolen the limelight from Mo Farah and Usain Bolt on the penultimate night of the world athletics championships in Beijing. Farah completed the long distance double for a second consecutive occasion at a world titles with victory in the men’s 5,000 metres final, while Usain Bolt captured his third gold in the Bird’s Nest in the last seven days when he anchored Jamaica to a win in the men’s 4x100m relay. But it was Eaton who deserved top billing, after the American dipped under his world mark to post a two-day total of 9,045 points. Eaton, the defending champion, collected 829 points in running four minutes and 17.52 seconds in the final event, the 1,500m, enough to beat his previous record by six points. [ABC] Ashton Eaton tweet
Mo Farah completes the ‘triple-double’ with 5,000m at the athletics world championships in Beijing –
Mo Farah is the first athlete to win the 5,000 and 10,000m races at successive world championships. The ‘triple-double’: it is a coinage usually confined to basketball, but in Beijing it belongs to the extraordinary Mo Farah, who for a record third successive global championships has completed twin triumphs over 5,000 and 10,000 metres. None of the distance icons – not Emil Zatopek, not Lasse Viren, not Kenenisa Bekele – managed it, but Farah streaked into history at the Bird’s Nest stadium with another exquisitely controlled performance over 12½ laps. [Daily Telegraph]
European interior ministers and transport officials hold emergency talks in Paris following the recent attack on the Thalys train between Amsterdam and Paris. (BBC)
Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, and Baher Mohamed are each sentenced to three years’ jail in Egypt for “aiding a terrorist organization” and falsifying news. Greste, who earlier was deported to Australia, was tried in absentia. Mohamed, an Egyptian, was sentenced to an additional six months for possession of a spent bullet casing; Fahmy is a Canadian national. (ABC News)(Al Jazeera)
Tens of thousands of Malaysians rally in the capital Kuala Lumpur calling for Prime Minister Najib Razak to step down over a financial scandal where a MYR 2.672 billion (USD 700 million) payment was made to his bank account from unnamed foreign donors. (BBC News)
North Korean all-girl band ‘created by Kim Jong-un’ –
Seven-strong group to serve as ‘ideological scouts, the bugles of revolution and ideological flag-bearers’. A new all-girl band that North Korean state media says was created by Kim Jong-un has made its debut in Moscow. The female vocalists of the Chongbong Orchestra have been tasked with “creating music for the masses”, North Korean state media reported. The singers and their brass backing band play “light music” and are a “revolutionary art organisation that represents and leads the era”, North Korean television reported, adding that the group was set up as part of the “grand plan” of the “respected Kim Jong-un”. [Daily Telegraph]
Egyptian billionaire offers to buy an island off Italy or Greece to rehouse refugees –
If Greece or Italy sell him an island, Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, says he will host the migrants and offer them jobs in the new country. Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, announNaguib Sawirisced the initiative on Twitter, but said that he had not yet approached the Italian or Greek governments about his plan. “Greece or Italy sell me an island, I’ll call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country,” he wrote. [Daily Telegraph] Naguib Sawiris is the founding member of Al Masreyeen Al Ahrrar political party. Naguib Sawiris tweets
Hatton Garden jewelry heist: Four men admit part in £10m Hollywood-style robbery of ‘impenetrable’ London vault –
Four men have admitted their involvement in the £10m Easter weekend Hatton Garden Safety Deposit raid, at Woolwich Crown Court. John Collins, Daniel Jones, Terry Perkins and Perry Reader all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle the Hatton Garden deposit. The admission does not mean the men carried out the burglary but that they participated in an agreement or encouragement of the offence. The pleas come after Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company went into liquidation after falling into insolvency. A law firm representative said the company owed money “to companies and people”. The dramatic raid of Hatton Garden Safety Deposit, near the City of London, happened over the Easter Weekend when a masked gang used power tools, including an angle grinder, concrete drills and crowbars to break into the facility on Thursday, 2 April. [International Business Times] Hatton Garden road sign
Video of the Day –
Что будет если в Колу добавить ПРОПАН ? Coca Cola + propane = Mega ROCKET
An explosion at an arms depot in Yemen kills 45 Emirati soldiers who were part of the Saudi led coalition. (Yahoo)
Five Bahraini soldiers are killed on the Saudi-Yemeni border while taking part in a military operation against Yemen-based Houthi militants. (Reuters)
Clashes in and around Tajikistan‘s capital Dushanbe kill at least 17 people. Government representatives blame the attacks against security forces on former Deputy Defense Minister Aduhalim Nazarzoda, who fought against government forces in the Tajikistan Civil War. (BBC)
‘Universal urination duration’ wins Ig Nobel prize –
A study showing that nearly all mammals take the same amount of time to urinate has been awarded one of the 2015 Ig Nobel prizes at Harvard University. These spoof Nobels for “improbable research” are in their 25th year.
The team behind the urination research, from Georgia Tech, won the physics Ig. Using high-speed video analysis, they modelled the fluid dynamics involved in urination and discovered that all mammals weighing more than 3kg empty their bladders over about 21 seconds. Run by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, this is a jubilantly irreverent affair. It has become world famous for recognising scientific achievements that “make people laugh, and then think”. This year’s Ig winners travelled from six continents to accept their trophies. The triumphant research included a chemical recipe to partially un-boil an egg, and the discovery that the word “huh?” occurs in every human language. [BBC] See List of the Day
Valcke’s reign at FIFA likely to be at an end –
For the second time in his career, Jerome Valcke leaves FIFA with a cloud hanging over him. Sepp Blatter’s lieutenant for the past eight years, Valcke became the highest profile figure in the corruption-plagued organization to fall during the current series of scandals when he was “released from his duties” on Thursday and it appears unlikely he will return. The Frenchman has not been formally dismissed but Blatter is standing down in February and Valcke had already suggested he would probably go at that time as well. The 54-year-old, however, is now being investigated by FIFA’s ethics committee after allegations he was involved in a plan to re-sell 2014 World Cup tickets for a lucrative profit. [Reuters] Jérôme_Valcke
Sperm banks attract customers by offering them enough cash to buy a new iPhone –
Chinese sperm banks have been saying that there is no need to sell a kidney to afford an iPhone, just your bodily fluids. Renji Hospital in Shanghai is one among several facilities offering enough money to buy an iPhone if men donate sperm. The hospital wrote in an online posting: “No need to sell your kidneys – you can easily have a 6s,” which refers to cases where people actually sold their organs to be able to afford Apple products. The advert says that if a man passes a health test and then regularly donates his sperm, he can earn enough money to purchase an iPhone. This amounts to 6,000 yuan (£610) which is enough to buy the new iPhone 6s. [Daily Telegraph]
Chemistry – Callum Ormonde (University of Western Australia) and colleagues, for inventing a chemical recipe to partially un-boil an egg.
Physics – Patricia Yang (Georgia Institute of Technology, US) and colleagues, for testing the biological principle that nearly all mammals empty their bladders in about 21 seconds (plus or minus 13 seconds).
Literature – Mark Dingemanse (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands) and colleagues, for discovering that the word “huh?” (or its equivalent) seems to exist in every human language – and for not being quite sure why.
Management – Gennaro Bernile (Singapore Management University) and colleagues, for discovering that many business leaders developed in childhood a fondness for risk-taking, when they experienced natural disasters (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and wildfires) that – for them – had no dire personal consequences.
Economics – The Bangkok Metropolitan Police (Thailand) for offering to pay policemen extra cash if the policemen refuse to take bribes.
Medicine – joint award: Hajime Kimata (Kimata Hajime Clinic, Japan) and also Jaroslava Durdiaková (Comenius University, Slovakia) and her collagues, for experiments to study the biomedical benefits or biomedical consequences of intense kissing (and other intimate, interpersonal activities).
Mathematics – Elisabeth Oberzaucher and Karl Grammer (University of Vienna, Austria) for trying to use mathematical techniques to determine whether and how Moulay Ismael the Bloodthirsty, the Sharifian Emperor of Morocco, managed, during the years from 1697 through 1727, to father 888 children.
Biology – Bruno Grossi (University of Chile) and colleagues, for observing that when you attach a weighted stick to the rear end of a chicken, the chicken then walks in a manner similar to that in which dinosaurs are thought to have walked.
Diagnostic medicine – Diallah Karim (Stoke Mandeville Hospital, UK) and colleagues, for determining that acute appendicitis can be accurately diagnosed by the amount of pain evident when the patient is driven over speed bumps.
Physiology and entomology – Awarded jointly to two individuals: Justin Schmidt (Southwest Biological Institute, US) for painstakingly creating the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, which rates the relative pain people feel when stung by various insects; and to Michael L. Smith (Cornell University, US), for carefully arranging for honey bees to sting him repeatedly on 25 different locations on his body, to learn which locations are the least painful (the skull, middle toe tip, and upper arm). and which are the most painful (the nostril, upper lip, and penis shaft).
Arab Coalition warplanes bomb Yemen‘s capital Sanaa targeting a high-profile Houthi leader’s house. At least nine civilians are killed in the attack. (Reuters)
American Airlines halts flights for 90 minutes at its major hubs in Chicago, Dallas, and Miami because of a computer glitch. The incident produces a cascading effect of delays throughout all US airlines. (UPI)
Brazil’sSupreme Court issues a decision that bans corporate money in elections. This ruling comes as a major investigation is underway in the country on a campaign financing bribery and corruption scandal. (Singapore Today Online), (AP via Fox News)
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