January 14, 2016

Top News Stories –

Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69 –
Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69, his family has said. The star had been suffering from cancer, a statement said. He became one of Britain’s best-loved acting stars thanks to roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling led the tributes, describing him as “a magnificent actor and a wonderful man”. [BBC]
Alan_RickmanAlan Rickman in 2011

Hatton Garden heist: Three men found guilty over £14m jewellery raid –
Three men have been found guilty of involvement in the Hatton Garden safe deposit raid, the largest burglary in British legal history. Jewellery and valuables worth an estimated £14 million were stolen when a gang of thieves carried out the “sophisticated” and meticulously planned break-in over the Easter weekend last year. The group used a drill to bore a hole 20in deep, 10in high and 18in into the wall of a vault in London’s jewellery quarter, before ransacking 73 safety deposit boxes. Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Carl Wood and William Lincoln were found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property, while Hugh Doyle was convicted of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property. [Daily Telegraph]
Hatton_Garden_Road_SignHatton Garden road sign

Video of the Day –

Bygone Behemoth from Harry Chaskin on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

10 Highest US Lottery jackpots [See January 13, 2016]
1. $656.0 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)
2. $636 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013, (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
3. $590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one ticket, from Florida)
4. $587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012 (two tickets, from Arizona and Missouri)
5. $564.1 million, Powerball, Feb. 11, 2015 (three tickets, from North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas)
6. $448.4 million, Powerball, Aug. 7, 2013, (three tickets, one from Minnesota and two from New Jersey)
7. $425.3 million, Powerball, Feb. 19, 2014 (one ticket, from California)
8. $414 million, Mega Millions, March 18, 2014, (two tickets, from Florida and Maryland)
9. $399.4 million, Powerball, Sept. 18, 2013, (one ticket, from South Carolina)
10. $390.0 million, Mega Millions, March 6, 2007 (two tickets, from Georgia and New Jersey)

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #LittleMixBRITs #GOPDebate #transinquiry
2 #زد_رصيدك62 Jakarta #OscarNoms
3 #FelizJueves #OscarNoms #RuinALoveSong
4 #1128katil #PrivacyCon Chris Grayling
5 #QuintaDetremuraSdv Alan Rickman #bbcqt
6 #もし女子高生にな�… #AskPOTUS Jakarta
7 #ALDUB26thWeeksary #RuinALoveSong Shami Chakrabarti
8 Shaolin Indonesia #StargazingLive
9 #結婚からの予測変�… #SuperDraft Giroud
10 #معلومه_لاتعرف… #IHaveADreamFor2016 #CarpoolKaraoke

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March 27, 2016

Top News Stories –

Syria civil war: Assad hails Palmyra recapture from IS –
President Bashar al-Assad has hailed the recapture of Palmyra from so-called Islamic State (IS) as an “important achievement” in the “war on terrorism”. A monitoring group has backed the Syrian government’s claim that the city was recaptured overnight by the army. Military sources say the Syrian army now has “full control”. It had been gaining ground for several days, supported by Russian air strikes. President Assad said this showed the success of the army’s strategy. His comments, to a group of visiting French parliamentarians, were carried on state TV. IS seized the Unesco World Heritage site and modern town in May 2015. When IS seized the city it destroyed archaeological sites, drawing global outrage. Two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers were left in ruins. The jihadist group, which has also demolished several pre-Islamic sites in neighbouring Iraq, believes that such structures are idolatrous. [BBC]
Temple_of_Bel Temple of Bel in 2011

Cat accidentally sent 260 miles away survives eight days in the post –
A Siamese cat had a very lucky escape when its owners accidentally posted her 260 miles away to West Sussex. Cupcake’s owners were sending some DVDs to a buyer in Worthing but failed to spot their pet was asleep in the cardboard box. The feline spent eight days in the post but miraculously survived the traumatic journey from Falmouth in Cornwall. “Imagine how surprised the recipient was when, along with the anticipated DVDs, an elegant Siamese cat emerged from the box,” explained the Grove Lodge Veterinary Group, who helped track down Cupcake’s owner. “This person was somewhat startled as they were not expecting to receive a free cat along with their order of DVDs.” The stunned buyer contacted the RSPCA who collected the cat and brought her to Grove Lodge for a health check. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Glas from Aeon Video on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #IndvsAus #6YearsOfVictorious #GetWeirdTourLondon
2 Felices Pascuas Happy Easter #BoatRace2016
3 #FelizDomingo #GoodPlacesToHideAnEgg #IndvsAus
4 #HistoriaTristeEnTresPalabras Kevin Stallings British Summer Time
5 #DiaMundialDelTeatro #11YearsOfGreys #clocksgoforward
6 Feliz Páscoa #IndvsAus #11YearsOfGreys
7 #كلمه_ل_الرجيم Jim Harrison Watership Down
8 Happy Easter #ResurrectionSunday #6YearsOfVictorious
9 #11YearsOfGreys Felices Pascuas #TrumpTributeBands
10 #27MartDünyaTiyatroGünü #BernieMadeMeWhite #askjack

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April 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

Hello! Magazine apologises for ‘fabricated’ Clooney interview –
Hello! Magazine has apologised for running an “exclusive” interview with George Clooney that the actor says was completely fabricated. The UK-based magazine said it purchased the interview from an entertainment news agency called Famous, which they have worked with in the past. Hello! said it thought the article was accurate and has removed the piece from its website. Mr Clooney said the interview never took place. He said in a statement: “The problem is that I have not given an interview to Hello Magazine and the quotes attributed to me are not accurate. In my experience, being misquoted is not unusual but to have an ‘exclusive interview’ completely fabricated is something new. And a very disturbing trend.” [BBC]
George_ClooneyGeorge Clooney

Video of the Day –

Introducing the self-driving bicycle in the Netherlands – (only available on April 1st!)

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #FaleUmaMentira #PowerpuffYourself #FridayFeeling
2 #كذبه_ابريل #FlashbackFriday #futureMW
3 #BienvenidoAbril #FridayFeeling #totp
4 #JokerWasHere #SnoopaVision #AprilFools
5 #FridayFeeling #TheChalkening #NewMusicFriday
6 #DiaDaMentiraDetremuraSdv #FuelYourHustle #Skins2017
7 #AprilFools John Stamos #ourtreasurehunt
8 #LoveLiveforever #JokerWasHere #NameABand
9 #EnTwitterNuncaFalta #NewMusicFriday #JokerWasHere
10 #BuenViernes #AprilFools #ONALondon

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  • Health authorities in Fiji are urging people to observe strict personal hygiene as the country goes through a massive outbreak of conjunctivitis. In the past 14 days alone the number of cases of the virus in one district of Suva have jumped from 700 to 5000 cases. (Radio New Zealand)
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April 24, 2016

Top News Stories –

Astronaut Tim Peake smashes the Guinness World Record for a space marathon –
British astronaut Tim Peake ran the London Marathon while aboard the International Space Station in a world record time. The spaceman is the second person to complete the 26.2 mile distance while on the ISS. However, Peake’s time of three hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds was far faster than US astronaut Sunita Williams of four hours, 23 minutes and ten seconds. Williams ran her race in 2007 at the same time as the Boston Marathon. [Daily Mail]

Video of the Day –

Hello Tokyo from Christoph Gelep on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA
#NiallDay #NiallDay
#الهلال_الاهلي Rachel Roy
#DomingoDetremuraSdv #GameofThrones
#البنات_اوصخ_ش�… #RedBullKumite
#UFC197 #HappyBirthdayKehlani
#توقع_واربح_كا�… #LondonMarathon
#MiPrimerAcoso #ClassicWrestlerFilms
#KathNielAtHimigHandog2016 #CanAnyoneExplainToMe
#ماذا_تعرف_عن_ع… #TwitterWouldBeGreatIf
#LondonMarathon #WhatTwitterTaughtMe

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