Top News Stories –

Los Angeles glass slide opens 1,000ft up skyscraper –
A glass slide fixed 1,000ft (305m) along the outside of a skyscraper in Los Angeles opens to the public on Saturday. The Skyslide spans 45 ft from the 70th to the 69th floor of the US Bank Tower in the city. Despite being made of glass just one inch thick, it is built to withstand hurricane-force winds and earthquakes. Tickets cost $25 (£18) each. It is part of the Skyspace renovation that also includes an observation deck. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Greenpeace holds a historic performance with pianist Ludovico Einaudi on the Arctic Ocean

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Moro conflict
  • The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant urges its supporters in Indonesia and Malaysia to go to the Philippines and fight against newly-elected president Rodrigo Duterte. (Rappler)
• Syrian Civil War
  • At least three people are killed and three more injured as hundreds of Syrian Kurds flee Aleppo Province villages controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which continues to abduct and enslave Kurds. Yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported ISIL militants have kidnapped about 900 civilians over the past three weeks. (The New York Times) (Fox News)
• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Five Indian paramilitary soldiers are killed and another 20 injured when suspected rebels ambush their convoy in the outskirts of Srinagar in the Indian portion of Kashmir. Two of the attackers are killed by return fire; the others escape. (AP via ABC News)
• War in Somalia
  • A suspected Al-Shabab suicide bomber blows open the gate of Mogadishu’s Nasa-Hablod hotel in Somalia, before militant fighters storm the building. Officials said at least 15 were killed, 25 injured, and an unknown number of guests were taken hostage. (AP via NBC News) (AP), (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• 2016 West Virginia flood
  • The Kanawha County sheriff’s office reports the death toll is now 26—three more victims were found overnight. It is the third-deadliest flood in West Virginia history. (USA Today)
• Two women and seven men of the Extra Young Ohangla band die and eight other band members survive after their boat sinks in Lake Victoria at Kenya’s Lihunda beach. The 15-member band was headed to Ndeda Island. (Kenya Star) (The Standard)
• Erskine Fire, 2016 California wildfires
  • A massive wildfire destroys at least 150 homes and leaves two people dead in Kern County, California. The Governor of California Jerry Brown declares a state of emergency for Kern County as more homes are threatened by the fire. (Reuters)

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations
  • The People’s Republic of China cuts communication mechanism with Taiwan after the new government refuses to acknowledge the One China policy. (Reuters)
• United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union
  • Diplomats from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg meet in Berlin to discuss the consequences of the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union. (AP via Daily Mail)
  • Lord Hill resigns as European Commissioner after the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. (BBC)
  • Germany and France call for Britain to negotiate a quick divorce from the European Union. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2014–16 Venezuelan protests
  • Venezuelan opposition leaders say they have now secured enough signatures on a petition to move to the next stage in a recall referendum of President Nicolás Maduro. The process must now be validated by electoral officials. (BBC)
• Icelandic presidential election, 2016
  • Voters in Iceland head to the polls to elect a new president with a historic low voter turnout expected. Independent candidate Guðni Th. Jóhannesson claims victory. (DPA) (Iceland Review)
• United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
  • A petition calling for a second EU referendum has topped two million signatures – more than doubling the highest signed in UK parliamentary history. (Daily Mirror)
  • Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Opposition, sacks Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn after Benn’s support for a “no-confidence motion” after Corbyn’s perceived poor campaign for Remain. (BBC)

Science and technology

• Five new species of orchid are discovered in the Philippines. (Times of India)

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