January 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

Paris gunmen killed after 2 sieges –
The 2 gunmen who carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre on January 7th 2015 have been killed by French police after a brief siege at a warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goele, 35km (22 miles) north of Paris. Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi were shot dead as they came out of a warehouse building firing at police. Two officers were injured. Simultaneously, Amedy Coulibaly, the man who killed a policewoman on 7th January, was shot dead at a kosher supermarket in Paris after he had killed 4 hostages – 15 hostages were rescued. Coulibaly knew one of the brothers and their respective partners had spoken on the phone more than 500 times. A total of 17 people plus the 3 gunmen have died in the 3 days.

Brand and Rascal to be studied –
The exam board Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts (OCR) plan to include evidence given by Russell Brand to a Commons select committee inquiring into drugs and an interview between Dizzee Rascal and Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman as part of the English A-level syllabus as from this September. The plans have been approved by exams regulator Ofqual amongst 37 new specifications for GCSEs and A-levels put forward by the exam board.
13-06-09 RaR Dizzee Rascal 10Dizzee Rascal

AirAsia tail section recovered –
The tail section of AirAsia flight QZ8501 that crashed while flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore has been recovered from the seabed using inflatable devices. Although the flight recorders are positioned in the tail it appears that the “black boxes” have been separated from it and the search continues.
The Indonesian navy has retrieved from the seabed the tail of the AirAsia plane that crashed two weeks ago.

Lucky he was a Dolphin –
Former Miami Dolphins running back Rob Konrad swam nine miles to shore after falling off his boat while fishing and his boat, which was on auto pilot, drifted away from him off the South Florida coast. Konrad, who played 82 games for the Dolphins between 1999-2004, was treated for hypothermia after it took 12 hours to swim to shore.

Saturn centre pinpointed –
Scientists have located the centre of the planet Saturn to within just 2 miles using ten antennae, known as the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), spread over an area from Hawaii to the Virgin Islands. The antenna assembly uses signals sent by the Cassini probe to monitor the position of the gas giant. Previously estimates of the positions of Saturn and its satellites used data received by tracking Cassini’s radio signal during its communications with Earth but the new calculations are about 20 times more accurate.
Saturn PIA06077

Video of the Day –

Horsepower –

Horsepower | Brett Rheeder from Mind Spark Cinema on Vimeo.

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May 26, 2015

Top News Stories –

Best photobomb ever? Seagull steals the show from Red Arrows display team –
An image that shows the latest addition to the world famous Red Arrows is a seagull has become an Internet hit. The amazing moment was captured by first year photography student Jade Coxon,18, as she took pictures at the Llandudno Air Show on 23 May. And, since posting the stunning snap online on Sunday, Jade is over the moon to have got more than 1 million views. The crisp pic clearly shows eight of the Red Arrows in tight formation trailing their famous vapour. But then where the ninth plane should be there is an intrepid seagull holding the formation in place and, amazingly, with his own vapour trail. [Daily Telegraph]
Red-Arrows-and-seagull Photo: SWNS GroupRed-Arrows-and-seagull (Photo – SWNS Group)

Taylor Swift enters Forbes 100 most powerful women list –
The 25 year old singer and songwriter has become the youngest woman ever to be included on the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
She’s included at number 64 in the list released on Tuesday because, Forbes says, she ‘has not only broken record sales and captivated the world with her fantastically honest lyrics, but she has proven herself as an impressive businesswoman.’ [Daily Mail] See List of the Day
Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

The Charlie Charlie Challenge – what is the spooky craze? –
A strange new game is taking over Twitter, fuelled by speculation that its players can connect with a dead Mexican spirit known as Charlie. The Charlie Charlie Challenge has been played by thousands of young people after a number of videos purported to show supernatural goings-on. The game entails placing two pencils on a piece of paper in the shape of the cross with the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Participants then repeat the phrase “Charlie, Charlie can we play?” in order to connect with the demon. If Charlie is there the pencils will move to indicate his answer. [Daily Telegraph] See Top Twitter Trends 25 May 2015

Video of the Day –

Are You Consuming Your Coffee Correctly?

List of the day –

Forbes Magazine 100 Most Powerful Women in the World 2015 [Forbes]

Rank Name Age Country Category
#1 Angela Merkel 60 Germany Politics
#2 Hillary Clinton 67 United States Politics
#3 Melinda Gates 50 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#4 Janet Yellen 68 United States Finance
#5 Mary Barra 53 United States Automotive
#6 Christine Lagarde 59 France Philanthropy/NGO
#7 Dilma Rousseff 67 Brazil Politics
#8 Sheryl Sandberg 45 United States Technology
#9 Susan Wojcicki 46 United States Technology
#10 Michelle Obama 51 United States Politics
#11 Park Geun-hye 63 South Korea Politics
#12 Oprah Winfrey 61 United States Media
#13 Ginni Rometty 57 United States Technology
#14 Meg Whitman 58 United States Technology
#15 Indra Nooyi 59 United States Business
#16 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner 62 Argentina Politics
#17 Irene Rosenfeld 62 United States Business
#18 Ana Patricia Botín 54 Spain Finance
#19 Abigail Johnson 53 United States Investments
#20 Marillyn Hewson 61 United States Manufacturing
#21 Beyoncé Knowles 33 United States Celebrity
#22 Marissa Mayer 39 United States Technology
#23 Helen Clark 65 New Zealand Philanthropy/NGO
#24 Safra Catz 53 United States Technology
#25 Angela Ahrendts 54 United States Technology
#26 Ellen Kullman 59 United States Business
#27 Michelle Bachelet 63 Chile Politics
#28 Anna Wintour 65 United States Media
#29 Ursula Burns 56 United States Technology
#30 Arundhati Bhattacharya 59 India Finance
#31 Sri Mulyani Indrawati 52 Indonesia Philanthropy/NGO
#32 Ruth Porat 57 United States Technology
#33 Lucy Peng 42 China Technology
#34 Loretta Lynch 56 United States Politics
#35 Chanda Kochhar 53 India Business
#36 Federica Mogherini 41 Italy Politics
#37 Gina Rinehart 61 Australia Metals & Mining
#38 Nancy Pelosi 75 United States Politics
#39 Adena Friedman 45 United States Finance
#40 Ewa Kopacz 58 Poland Politics
#41 Queen Elizabeth II 89 United Kingdom Politics
#42 Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi 53 United Arab Emirates Politics
#43 Ho Ching 62 Singapore Business
#44 Laurene Powell Jobs 51 United States Technology
#45 Renée James 50 United States Technology
#46 Drew Gilpin Faust 67 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#47 Ertharin Cousin 58 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#48 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 60 Nigeria Politics
#49 Samantha Power 44 United States Politics
#50 Ellen DeGeneres 57 United States Celebrity
#51 Amy Hood 43 United States Technology
#52 Bonnie Hammer 64 United States Media
#53 Mary Callahan Erdoes 47 United States Finance
#54 Angelina Jolie 39 United States Celebrity
#55 Beth Comstock 54 United States Business
#56 Phebe Novakovic 56 United States Business
#57 Sofía Vergara 42 Colombia Celebrity
#58 Donna Langley 47 United Kingdom Media
#59 Sheikh Hasina Wajed 67 Bangladesh Politics
#60 Katie Jacobs Stanton 45 United States Media
#61 Arianna Huffington 64 United States Media
#62 Margaret Chan 67 China Philanthropy/NGO
#63 Mary Jo White 67 United States Politics
#64 Taylor Swift 25 United States Celebrity
#65 Rosalind Brewer 52 United States Business
#66 Nemat (Minouche) Shafik 53 United Kingdom Politics
#67 Lubna S. Olayan 59 Saudi Arabia Business
#68 Peng Liyuan 52 China Politics
#69 Zhang Xin 49 China Business
#70 Güler Sabanci 60 Turkey Business
#71 Elvira Nabiullina 51 Russia Politics
#72 Elizabeth Holmes 31 United States Healthcare
#73 Tory Burch 48 United States Fashion and Retail
#74 Dana Walden United States Media
#75 Diane von Furstenberg 68 United States Fashion and Retail
#76 Carol Meyrowitz 61 United States Business
#77 Mary Meeker 55 United States Technology
#78 Solina Chau 53 Hong Kong Technology
#79 Miuccia Prada 66 Italy Fashion and Retail
#80 Katharine Viner 44 United Kingdom Media
#81 Shakira Mebarak 38 Colombia Celebrity
#82 Yao Chen 35 China Celebrity
#83 Fabiola Gianotti 54 Italy Philanthropy/NGO
#84 Padmasree Warrior 54 United States Technology
#85 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 62 India Medicine
#86 Kaci Kullmann Five 64 Norway Philanthropy/NGO
#87 Folorunsho Alakija 64 Nigeria Oil
#88 Judy Faulkner 71 United States Healthcare
#89 Patricia Harris 58 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#90 Gwynne Shotwell 51 United States Construction & Engineering
#91 Sara Blakely 44 United States Fashion and Retail
#92 Risa Lavizzo-Mourey 60 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#93 Shobhana Bhartia 58 India Media
#94 Beth Brooke-Marciniak 55 United States Business
#95 Weili Dai 53 United States Technology
#96 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 76 Liberia Politics
#97 Raja Easa Al Gurg United Arab Emirates Business
#98 Jenny Lee 43 Singapore Technology
#99 Greta Van Susteren 60 United States Media
#100 Lee Boo-Jin 44 South Korea Service

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 EU TE AMO HARRY Sally Ride #AlwaysInMyHeartLarry
2 #AlwaysInMyHeartLarry #houstonflood #MakeAMovieLazy
3 Brad Pitt #MakeAMovieLazy #BrandAFilm
4 #FelizMartes #MySummerin5words #ChooseDay
5 #ConEsteFrioReDa #ThickGirlAppreciationDay #BGTlive
6 #ConGanasDe Mary Ellen Mark #WelshProblemsDay
7 Leticia Sabater OTAs #GetStupid
8 #PSYAngUnangPagtingin #BadMottosToLiveBy Malcolm Bruce
9 #من_اهم_اعمالي_… Toyota Center Jony Ive
10 #MakeAMovieLazy Point Break #CharityTuesday

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
Health
International relations
Law and crime
Science

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August 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson makes emergency landing as plane runs low on fuel –
Bruce Dickinson, the Iron Maiden frontman, was forced to make an emergency landing at a Royal Air Force airfield when his replica war plane started to run low on fuel. The heavy metal star pilot made an unexpected appearance in his Fokker triplane at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Dickinson took advantage of the Strasser Scheme, set up thanks to the work of Charles Strasser, the vice president of the Aircraft Operators and Pilots Association. It was established so that aircraft in can divert with no extra charge in the event of an emergency. All Ministry of Defence airfields, as well as 99 per cent of the UK’s civilian airfields, are signed up to the scheme. [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce-DickinsonBruce Dickinson

Google unveils Alphabet… but that’s already trademarked by BMW –
The general reaction to Google’s announcement that it would create a new holding company called Alphabet, of which Google would be a subsidiary, was one of surprise and approval.
But perhaps the most surprised recipient of the news was BMW, which already runs a registered business called Alphabet. The German carmaker told WirtschaftsWoche, the German business magazine, that it will be “necessary to examine the legal trademark implications” of the name of Google’s new parent company. BMW also said it had not been contacted by Google before the surprise restructuring on Monday. In his announcement, Google co-founder Larry Page said Alphabet’s website would be http://abc.xyz, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that alphabet.com is owned by BMW’s subsidiary, which operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #FAceToFace #FAceToFace #FAceToFace
2 #MiFraseFavorita Oath Keepers Alphabet
3 #DeNoSerPorTwitter #RobinWilliams Robin Williams
4 Fran Rivera #WhyIWouldMakeAGreatPresident #TravelTuesday
5 Mehmet Topal Geno Smith #CharityTuesday
6 #SabesQueEsTuAmigoCuando #RedneckScentedCandles #TownNameUpAMovie
7 Alphabet #BadWeddingVows #BadWeddingVows
8 쿠키런 Kim K Orton
9 #اكثر_كلمه_تسم�… Sevilla #tubestrikes
10 Geno Smith Top Secret Seth Rollins

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
International relations
  • In talks held regarding the course of the Syrian Civil War, Russia and Saudi Arabia fail to reach agreement over cooperation in the fight against ISIL, with the Saudi representative refusing any common struggle with Assad‘s regime. (The News Hub)
  • Georgia accuses Russia of cutting off its citizens from their farmland by installing border signposts demarcating the breakaway South Ossetia region, calling on Moscow to refrain from “escalation”. (The Daily Star)
Politics and elections

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