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 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

• James I (1603 – 1625)
• Charles I (1625 – 1649)
• Charles II (1649 – 1685)
• James II (1685 – 1688)
• William III (1689 – 1702)
• Mary (1689 – 1694)
• Anne (1702 – 1714)

House of Hanover

• George I (1714 – 1727)
• George II (1727 – 1760)
• George III (1760 – 1801)
• George III (1801 – 1820)
• George IV (1820 – 1830) (Regent 1811-1820)
• William IV (1830 – 1837)
• Victoria (1837 – 1901)

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

• Edward VII (1901 – 1910)

House of Windsor

• George V (1910 – 1921, changed name of house in 1917)
• George V (1921–1936)
• Edward VIII (1936), abdicated
• George VI (1936 – 1952)
• Elizabeth II (1952 – present)

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian Civil War
  • Islamic Front rebels seize Abu al-Duhur military airport while taking control of Syria‘s northwestern Idlib province. (BBC), (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald), (Al Jazeera English Online)
  • Russian forces reportedly begin combat operations in Syria in support of the Bashar al-Assad government. (Reuters)
• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Egypt deploys around 800 troops to Yemen to join the Saudi-led war effort against the Houthis. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch (63 years and seven months), surpassing the record set by Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother. (BBC), (The Huffington Post UK), (Al Jazeera English Online)

Business and economy

• A German court issues an injunction ordering a halt to a Lufthansa airline pilots’ strike. Earlier, Germany’s biggest airline announced it had canceled 1,000 flights while about 500 would still operate. (CNBC), (AP via US News & World Report)

International relations

• Refugees of the Syrian Civil War
  • Australia announces that it will accept an additional 12,000 Syrian migrants, mostly from persecuted minorities. (ABC News), (Al Jazeera English Online)
• Egypt–Israel relations
  • Israel reopens its embassy in Cairo, Egypt, after closing it in 2011 after violent protests. (AP via ABC News), (Al Jazeera English Online), (CNN International)

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