Top News Stories –

Barcelona win La Liga title –
Lionel Messi’s strike gave Barcelona their 23rd Spanish title as they beat Atletico Madrid to regain La Liga. Messi’s 41st league goal of the season ensured that Real Madrid will finish second – despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Espanyol. With one game left Barca hold a four-point lead ahead of rivals Real. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his seventh hat-trick of the season to give Real Madrid victory at Espanyol. Ronaldo’s treble took his tally for the season to 45 in La Liga – four ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who hit the winner for his club. [BBC] See List of The Day
Lionel Messi

Texas bikers in deadly shootout at Waco restaurant –
Police in the US state of Texas say nine people have been killed and at least 100 arrested after a shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco. The incident happened at the Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping area called the Central Texas Market Place. Police said eight had died at the scene and a ninth in hospital – all were bikers. At least 18 others were hurt. Waco police said the shooting happened shortly after midday when rival gangs got into a fight, apparently over parking space near the restaurant. Up to five gangs were involved. Police spokesman Sgt W Patrick Swanton said the fight started with punches and then escalated to chains, clubs, knives and finally firearms.

Blizzard tackles World of Warcraft ‘cheats’ –
Thousands of World of Warcraft accounts have been shut down by Blizzard as it moves to stop people using “bots” to play the game Blizzard announced it had banned a “large number” of accounts in a message posted to the game’s online forums. The accounts had been discovered using programs, called “bots”, that automate gameplay, said Blizzard. Blizzard did not reveal how many accounts had been shut down. However, a widely-shared screengrab of a conversation between a player and a customer service rep suggested that about 100,000 accounts had been closed. The ban will be in force for six months, said Blizzard.

Video of the Day –

LOSTOPOLIS from PandaPanther on Vimeo.

List of the day –

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A suicide attack by the Taliban kills three and injures at least eighteen outside the Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan. (BBC News)
• The Islamic State reportedly seizes control of the Iraqi city of Ramadi after the retreat of government forces. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church canonises two saints from Palestine, Sister Mariam Baouardy and Sister Marie Alphonsine Ghattas.(AP via Ten Play)

Law and crime

• 2015 Twin Peaks shooting
  • At least 9 people are killed and 18 injured, some by law enforcement and others in gunfire exchanges, in a shootout between rival biker gangsin Waco, Texas at the Twin Peaks Restaurant. (KWTX), (The Guardian)
  • At least 25 members of outlaw motorcycle gangs are being held as witnesses and possible suspects. (Austin American-Statesman)

Health

• A ‘groundbreaking’ combination of drugs which could improve the quality of life and life expectancy of cystic fibrosis sufferers is trialed. (BBC News)

Politics

• A large rally is held by tens of thousands of protestors in Skopje, Macedonia, as part of the ongoing protests against Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. (BBC News)

Science

• Roscosmos manages to restart the engines of the Progress spacecraft and correct the orbit of the International Space Station. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Sports

• In ice hockey, Canada wins gold over Russia at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, while the United States wins bronze over the Czech Republic. (Sportsnet)
• 2014–15 A-League
  • In football, Melbourne Victory FC defeats Sydney FC 3-0 in the grand final of the Australian A-League with Victory captain Mark Milliganwinning man-of-the-match. (ABC News)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource