Philippine Daily Inquirer

January 15, 2010

Top Stories –
Anybody bring a torch? –
A solar eclipse plunges parts of Africa and Asia into semi-darkness. According to NASA this was the longest annular eclipse of the third Millennium.

Swooner –
Author Jackie Collins has revealed that screen legend Marlon Brando had sex with her at a party when she was only 15, days after she had been expelled from a school in England.
Jackie Collins
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February 6, 2010

Top News Stories –

UN to discuss Air Traffic Control for outer space –
An international air traffic control for outer space should be set up to prevent damage to satellites and spacecraft orbiting the Earth, according to proposal to be discussed at the United Nations next week. There are thought to be more than 19,000 pieces of debris larger than 4 inches across racing around the Earth at high speeds, while there are more than 500,000 bigger than a postage stamp. The number of particles smaller than this are thought to exceed tens of millions. Despite their relatively small size, most are travelling faster than 15,600mph and at these speeds a fleck of paint could do as much damage as a .22-calibre rifle bullet. [Daily Telegraph]

Treo the dog awarded animal VC –
A heroic military dog is to be honoured with the animal version of the Victoria Cross. Treo, an eight-year-old black Labrador, saved countless lives in Afghanistan last year by locating hidden roadside bombs. The search dog twice saved soldiers and civilians from catastrophe while out on patrol in Helmand province by sniffing out explosives which had been wired together in a daisy chain and hidden in the path. The medal was created by leading veterinary charity the PDSA and is recognised as the highest award an animal can receive for conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict. (See List of the Day for human honours) [Daily Telegraph]

Cat owners ‘more educated than dog owners’ –
Cats have long been thought to be cleverer than dogs – and now it seems the same is true of their owners. People with cats are more likely to have university degrees than those with dogs, according to a scientific survey of pet ownership. The study also revealed that the combined cat and dog population of Britain is more than 20.8 million – 50 per cent higher than previously thought. Researchers at the University of Bristol say that the superior intelligence of cat owners is unlikely to be caused by their exposure to the famously cunning and selfish pets. Rather, more educated people tend to work longer hours and choose a pet to fit their lifestyles. Unlike dogs, cats require no walking and can manage with little human company.[Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

flight patterns from Charlie McCarthy on Vimeo.

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February 7, 2010

Top News Stories –

Saints beat Colts in Super Bowl –
New Orleans Saints made the most of their first Super Bowl appearance in the 42-year history of the franchise by defeating Indianapolis Colts 31-17 at Miami’s SunLife Stadium. The NFC-champion Saints came from 10-0 down at the end of the first quarter – equalling the largest deficit overturned to win a Super Bowl – and still trailed by a point at 16-17 heading into the fourth before dominating the final period to deny Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and his side a second Super Bowl victory in four years. It was an emotional occasion for the city of New Orleans, less than five years after it bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina, as a series of bold calls from head coach Sean Payton helped them claim the title. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was named MVP (See List of the Day). [Daily Mail]

Italians spend £5 billion a year on fortune tellers and astrology –
Italy’s worst recession since the Second World War has prompted Italians to spend a staggering £5 billion a year seeking financial advice not from banks and brokers but fortune tellers and astrologers. Tarot card readers and pavement fortune tellers are doing a roaring trade, with about 30,000 Italians paying between 20 and 600 euros a day looking for advice to help them out of their financial woes. [Daily Telegraph]

Jazz star Johnny Dankworth dies aged 82 –
Tributes have been paid to British jazz legend Sir John Dankworth after his death at the age of 82. The saxophonist, whose career spanned more more than half a century, died on Saturday in King Edward VII hospital, London. He had been ill for several months. His death was announced last night by his jazz singer wife, Dame Cleo Laine, during a star-studded concert marking the 40th anniversary of the entertainment venue they set up together at their Buckinghamshire home. Dame Cleo broke the news to the artists before the concert began, but did not tell the 400-strong audience until just before the finale. [Daily Telegraph]
Johnny Dankworth

Video of the Day –

Megan Fox Super Bowl Motorola advert

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February 14, 2015

Top News Stories –

Cumberbatch upsets Cumberbitches by getting married –
Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has married his fiancé Sophie Hunter at a private ceremony at the 12th century St Peter & St Paul Church, near Brighstone on the Isle of Wight.

No post today?
Demonstrators in Tokyo have marched against capitalism, chocolates and St Valentine’s Day in a demonstration against the commercialisation of February 14 by men who are unable to find a partner. The protest was organised by a group called Kakuhido, which translates roughly as the Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women Find Unattractive.

Michele Ferrero dies –
Michele Ferrero, whose chocolate product company made him Italy’s wealthiest man, dies aged 89. His company makes Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Kinder eggs, Tic Tac sweets and hazelnut Nutella spread. Mr Ferrero’s father, a pastry manufacturer, developed the forerunner to Nutella in 1946, called Giandujot, combining cocoa and hazelnuts to make a spreadable paste.
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September 10, 2015

Top News Stories –

New human-like species discovered in S Africa –

Scientists have discovered a new human-like species in a burial chamber deep in a cave system in South Africa. The discovery of 15 partial skeletons is the largest single discovery of its type in Africa. The researchers claim that the discovery will change ideas about our human ancestors. The studies which have been published in the journal Elife also indicate that these individuals were capable of ritual behaviour. The species, which has been named naledi, has been classified in the grouping, or genus,Homo, to which modern humans belong. [BBC] See List of the Day

Pope Francis emojis launched for US visit –
Pope Francis draws huge crowds wherever he goes and now his fans can share their admiration with papal emojis. A new keyboard app is being released to mark the Pope’s upcoming visit to America. You can have the Pope balancing a basketball or riding a taxi (although we suspect he’d prefer his Popemobile). They’re among 52 emojis and 14 GIFs in the app from Swyft Media, the company which created the first ginger emojis.
Pope emojis by Swyft Media

Giant Lenin ‘head’ unearthed 24 years after burial in Berlin –
The giant head of a statue of Russian revolutionary Lenin has been unearthed, 24 years after it was buried in a German forest. Workers dug up the granite structure from woodland outside Berlin, following a campaign by historians. The head was once part of a 19m (62ft) monument to the communist leader, which towered over the east of the city. It was dismantled in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the pieces were buried in a secluded forest. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

iPhone 6s – The Only Thing That’s Changed Is…

List of the Day –

Comparative table of *Homo* species
Species	Temporal range Mya	Habitat	Adult height	Adult mass	Cranial capacity (cm³)	Fossil record	Discovery / publication of name
H. habilis	2.1 – 1.5^[136]	Africa	150 cm (4 ft 11 in)	33–55 kg (73–121 lb)	510–660	Many	1960/1964
H. erectus	1.9 – 0.07^[137]	Africa, Eurasia (Java, China, India, Caucasus)	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)	60 kg (130 lb)	850 (early) – 1,100 (late)	Many^[138]	1891/1892
H. rudolfensis membership in Homo uncertain	1.9	Kenya			700	2 sites	1972/1986
H. gautengensis also classified as H. habilis	1.9 – 0.6	South Africa	100 cm (3 ft 3 in)			3 individuals^[139]	2010/2010
H. ergaster also classified as H. erectus	1.8 – 1.3^[140]	Eastern and Southern Africa			700–850	Many	1975
H. antecessor also classified as H. heidelbergensis	1.2 – 0.8	Spain	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	1,000	2 sites	1997
H. cepranensis a single fossil, possibly H. erectus	0.9 – 0.35	Italy			1,000	1 skull cap	1994/2003
H. heidelbergensis	0.6 – 0.35^[141]	Europe, Africa, China	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	1,100–1,400	Many	1908
H. neanderthalensis possibly a subspecies of H. sapiens	0.35 – 0.04^[142]	Europe, Western Asia	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)	55–70 kg (121–154 lb) (heavily built)	1,200–1,900	Many	(1829)/1864
H. rhodesiensis also classified as H. heidelbergensis	0.3 – 0.12	Zambia			1,300	Very few	1921
H. tsaichangensis possibly H. erectus	0.25 – 0.2	Taiwan				1 individual	pre-2008/2015
H. sapiens (modern humans)	0.2^[143] – present	Worldwide	150 – 190 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 3 in)	50–100 kg (110–220 lb)	950–1,800	(extant)	—/1758
H. floresiensis classification uncertain	0.10 – 0.012	Indonesia	100 cm (3 ft 3 in)	25 kg (55 lb)	400	7 individuals	2003/2004
Denisova hominin possible H. sapiens subspecies or hybrid	0.04	Russia				1 site	2010
Red Deer Cave people possible H. sapiens subspecies or hybrid	0.0145–0.0115	China				Very few	2012

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
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8	#SemiIsBack	Bobby Jindal	Jonathan King
9	Palacio de Justicia	Aladdin	iPhone 6s
10	鬼怒川	#FallonTonight	#HumanExperienceIn4Words

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- ISIL attacks a government held air base near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor with dozens of government loyalists and ISIL militants killed. (Reuters)
Operation Martyr Yalçın
- At least 30 people have been killed in the southeastern Turkish city of Cizre following clashes between Turkish security forces and pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) supporters. Locals say Cizre has been “under siege” since the militaryimposed a curfew. (BBC)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Air strikes target Houthi political leaders and military bases in Sana’a, Yemen. (Al Jazeera English Online)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- In Japan, tens of thousands are forced to evacuate due to flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Etau. So far, one person is reported as missing. (Radio NZ Online), (AP via US News and World Report), (Al Jazeera English Online),(BBC)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Denmark reopens rail services to Germany after closing rail lines and a motorway in order to stem the flow of migrants on their way to Sweden. (ITV)
- President of the United States Barack Obama directs his administration to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (Washington Post)
Russia–United States relations
- The United States expresses concern about alleged Russian military activities in Syria. (Al Jazeera English Online)
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
- The United States Senate fails to pass a resolution blocking approval of the nuclear agreement with Iran, meaning it will formally be adopted on October 19. (New York Times)

Law and crime

An indigenous Lumad child dies in an evacuation center while the Philippine Senate investigates the alleged September 1 murders of an indigenous Lumad family and the alleged rape of an indigenous Manobo girl by soldiers and militiamen of the Philippine Army. (Rappler), (Mindanao News), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Azerbaijan jails journalist Khadija Ismayilova after a trial that many believe is politically-motivated. (Al Jazeera English Online)
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez is convicted and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for allegedly inciting violence at anti-government rallies. (AP)
A U.S. federal jury awards nearly $17.5 million to five former migrant workers at a South Florida farm in their case of sexual harassment and abuse in their work. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Peter Robinson, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, steps aside after the Democratic Unionist Party fails to get enough support to adjourn the assembly. (BBC)

Science and technology

Homo naledi
- Elife publishes a discovery by scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand announcing a new species of hominid (Homo naledi) in the Rising Star Cave in South Africa. Although the remains have yet to be properly dated, they could be three million years old. (BBC) (Al Jazeera English Online)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

March 8, 2016

Top News Stories –

‘Fifth Beatle’ Sir George Martin dies, aged 90 –
Record producer Sir George Martin, known as the “fifth Beatle”, has died, aged 90. His family thanked “everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages of support” after his death at home on Tuesday, his manager said. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr broke the news on Twitter and led tributes, saying Sir George “will be missed”. Sir George signed the Beatles and produced more than 700 records. He also worked with artists including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Shirley Bassey and Cilla Black. [BBC]
George Martin in 2006

‘Le burger’ now top selling dish in French restaurants, new study reveals –
For the guardians of French gastronomy, the prospect of being served something as unsophisticated as a slab of mincemeat with a bap and slice of cheese would long have been considered sacrilegious. Today, however, the tables have turned. In a culinary revolution, three quarters of French restaurants now sell hamburgers and 80 per cent of these say it has become their top-selling dish, according to a new study. “Le burger” – as the French dub the quintessentially American invention to the despair of linguistic purists of the Académie Française – has become a feature of even the most illustrious eateries. Indeed, such is its success that sales are set to overtake those of the classic “jambon beurre” (ham and butter baguette), the nation’s staple lunchtime sandwich. Last year, the French chomped their way through 1.19 billion burgers, an 11 per cent rise on the previous year, while “le jambon beurre” fell to 1.23 billion. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

A History of Rock in 15 minutes.
348 rockstars, 84 guitarists, 64 songs, 44 drummers, 1 mashup.

History of Rock from Ithaca Audio on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

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9	#JourneeDesDroitsDesFemmes	#ACCTourney	#CASPARLEEBOOK
10	#FelizDiaDasMulheresClubeSDV	#Rainmaker16	Justice for Johnson

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- Mortar shells fired from Syria kill at least one person and injure another in the Turkish border town of Kilis. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Three terror attacks are reported that result in the deaths of four Palestinians and an American tourist with 12 Israelis wounded, including two Israeli policemen, as United States Vice President Joe Bidenarrives in Israel for a two-day visit that includes meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. (AP via WWTV) (AP via ABC News) (CNN)
- The deceased American is Taylor Force, a West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer from Lubbock, Texas, who was in the first year of a MBA program at Vanderbilt University. Force was part of a 33-person Vanderbilt group that was in Israel to study global entrepreneurship. (CNN) (Houston Chronicle)
Spillover of the Libyan Civil War
- Tunisia‘s army and security forces kill another five suspected terrorists in an operation near the Libyan border. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Military intervention against ISIL
- The United States military says ISIL’s so-called minister-of-war, Abu Omar al-Shishani, né Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili, appears to have been killed in a U.S. air strike near the town of Al-Shaddadi in Syria. (Reuters via msn.com)

Arts and culture

International Women’s Day is celebrated. The International Women’s Day theme for 2016 is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. (The Washington Post)

Health and medicine

Zika virus outbreak (2015–present)
- The World Health Organization cautions pregnant women against traveling to areas where there is ongoing transmission of Zika virus, echoing earlier alerts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health agencies in areas where virus infection has been prevalent. Director General Margaret Chan says evidence strongly suggests sexual transmission is more common than previously assumed. (The Washington Post)

International relations

Export restrictions placed by the commerce department of the United States against China‘s state-owned ZTE for alleged violations of U.S.-imposed export controls on Iran takes effect. (Reuters), (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
European migrant crisis, Enlargement of the European Union
- The European Union and Turkey agree on broad principles for a plan to ease the migration crisis which includes returning thousands of migrants to Turkey. For this, the EU will swiftly ease visa requirements for Turks and speed up Ankara’s EU accession talks. A final agreement is to be ready for next week’s two-day EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. (Voice of America) (BBC) (March 17-18, 2016, EU agenda)
- The United Nations and human rights groups warn the tentative EU deal with Turkey that would return irregular migrants in exchange for political and financial rewards could be illegal. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi says it’s unclear whether migrants, set to be returned, would be afforded the refugee protection as stated in international law. Amnesty International’s Gauri van Gulik says this is outsourcing Europe’s refugee responsibility. “The EU is treating Turkey as the only solution it has to the refugee crisis,” van Gulik added.(Reuters) (Los Angeles Times)
North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea imposes direct sanctions against North Korea that blacklists dozens of Northern companies and people for the first time, and bans ships that have visited North Korean ports in the previous 180 days from its waters. (The Washington Post) (AP via USA Today)
Israel–Palestine relations
- A Pew Research Center survey of Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis, via face-to-face interviews from October 2014 through May 2015, finds deep divisions in Israeli society – not only between Israeli Jewsand the country’s Arab citizen minority, but also among the religious subgroups that make up Israeli Jewry. An overwhelming majority (98%) of Israeli Jews agree all Jews should have the right to move to Israel and receive immediate citizenship. Close to half (48 percent) support the expulsion or transfer of Arabs from Israel, yet most secular Jews disagree (58%) with this, as do 54 percent of those in the center politically (more so from the left). Meanwhile, Israeli Arabs, currently about one-in-five of the country’s adults, generally do not think Israel can be a Jewish state and a democracy at the same time. Fewer Arabs (down 24 points) think a peaceful, two-state solution is possible, from 74% in 2013 to 50% now. Both groups are skeptical of the peace process: Israeli Arabs question the sincerity of the Israeli government in seeking a peace agreement, while Israeli Jews are equally skeptical about the sincerity of Palestinian leaders. (Pew is a non-partisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C.)(Pew Research Center)
- Israeli President Reuven Rivlin says the Pew study brings up troubling challenges that need to be dealt with immediately. The finding that 48 percent of Jewish Israelis believe Arabs should be transferred out of Israel is particularly troubling to Rivlin. MK Yousef Jabareen, chair of the Knesset Lobby for Jewish-Arab Coexistence, said, “The transfer of citizens, for whatever reason, is a crime against humanity, and I am frightened to see that half of those polled support such a step.” Human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International Israel and the Anne Lindh Foundation’s Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel, denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the results of the study. (The Jerusalem Post)
Australia–United States relations, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- The U.S. military is in discussions with Australian officials about the possibility of basing long-range bombers, whose striking distance would include the South China Sea, in Australia. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Media freedom in Turkey
- An Istanbul court places the Cihan News Agency under state control. The seizure of the Fethullah Gülen-linked news agency comes just days after the Turkish government seized control of the oppositionZaman newspaper. (Reuters)
Acting on requests from neighboring Italy, Swiss authorities arrest 15 people sought as suspected members of the ‘Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, a Mafia-type organization centered in Calabria, Italy.(AP)]

Politics and elections

Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016, Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. states of Mississippi, Michigan, Hawaii and Idaho vote in primary elections and caucuses. (Presidential Election News)
- Hillary Clinton wins the Mississippi Democratic primary. (New York Times)
- Bernie Sanders wins the Michigan Democratic primary. (NBC News), (Washington Post)
- Donald Trump wins both the Michigan and Mississippi Republican primaries and the Hawaii caucus. (The Independent)
- Ted Cruz wins the Idaho Republican primary. (CNN), (Washington Post)
The United States Federal Communications Commission announces an expansion of the federal Lifeline program, which currently offers monthly subsidies for phone and basic cell service, to include broadband Internet service, pending approval at the Commissioners’ March 31 meeting. (The Hill) (Reuters) (Multichannel News)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Supreme Court of the Philippines, in a 9-6 ruling, reverses the Commission on Elections order that had disqualified Senator Grace Poe from running in the May 9, 2016, presidential election. The petitioners plan to file a motion for reconsideration. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Science and technology

U.S. carrier Alaska Airlines reschedules Flight 870 from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu, Hawaii, to depart at 2:00 p.m. local time (23:00 UTC) so passengers can view 2016’s only total solar eclipse for 1 minute and 59 seconds, 695 miles north of Honolulu at 37,000 feet. (KING-TV) (Alaska Airlines) (The Verge) (NASA TV stream)
Boston College (U.S.) researchers, in findings published in the eLife scientific journal, have uncovered the global spread of an ancient group of retroviruses that affected about 28 of 50 modern mammals’ ancestors back as far as 30 million years ago. (Headlines & Global News) (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

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April 5, 2016

Top News Stories –

Panama Papers: Iceland PM Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson resigns –
Iceland’s prime minister has resigned – the first major casualty of the leaked Panama Papers that have shone a spotlight on offshore finance. The leaks, from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, showed Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson owned an offshore company with his wife but had not declared it when he entered parliament. He is accused of concealing millions of dollars’ worth of family assets. Mr Gunnlaugsson says he sold his shares to his wife, and denies any wrongdoing. He is one of dozens of high-profile global figures mentioned in the 11.5 million leaked financial and legal records, which were first published on Sunday. [BBC]
Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson

Doncaster Rovers fans angry at 1D star Louis Tomlinson’s competition win –
Doncaster Rovers fans have reacted angrily to One Direction star Louis Tomlinson and his grandfather winning a competition to design the football club’s new away kit. The club revealed the ‘Story Of My Life’ singer was behind the design on Monday after the poll had closed. In the wake of the announcement some fans have criticised the club and questioned the credibility of the vote. Doncaster Rovers say the voting process “was all was fair and above board”. Writing on Twitter one fan said: “I wonder if the vote was rigged or that shirt actually won??? #drfc.” [BBC]
Louis Tomlinson

Video of the Day –

Golf Trick Shots | Dude Perfect

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Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Al-Nusra Front militants shoot down a Syrian Arab Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jet and capture its pilot in the northern Aleppo Governorate. (The Telegraph)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- The Turkish military say it carried out air strikes in northern Iraq against targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, hitting weapon stores and shelters. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economics

In American football, Twitter wins the bidding contest over Amazon, Verizon, and others, for streaming rights to 10 of 16 National Football League (NFL) regular season Thursday Night Football Games, ones that will also be telecast by either CBS or NBC. The league streamed one game last year with Yahoo!. Verizon, meanwhile, already owns the mobile rights to all NFL games which are available to subscribers via a mobile app; the 10 NFL games on Twitter will be free. (Re/code) (ESPN) (NFL.com)
Tax inversion
- Pfizer Inc. decides to terminate its $160 billion merger with Allergan, Plc as officials in Washington crack down on corporate inversions. Pfizer will need to pay a $400 million fee to Allergan for expenses relating to the deal. (Bloomberg)

Health and medicine

India’s health ministry orders government agencies to enforce a new rule for larger health warnings that cover 85 percent of a cigarette pack‘s surface, up from 20 percent now. India‘s biggest cigarette makerITC Ltd., part-owned by British American Tobacco, and Godfrey Phillips India Ltd., a partner of U.S.-based Philip Morris International, shut factories on Friday in protest. (Reuters)

International relations

China–North Korea relations
- China’s Ministry of Commerce says that it is restricting trade with North Korea, in line with the recent sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council last March. China will be banning the export of jet fuel and import of gold, some coal and “rare earth metals” used in high-tech goods. (BBC)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea has determined North Korea is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on its medium-range Rodong-1 ballistic missile, which could reach all of South Korea and most of Japan, according to a senior government official. (The New York Times)
Panama Papers
- France places Panama back on its list of countries that do not cooperate in catching tax evaders. “France has decided to put Panama back on the list of uncooperative countries, with all the consequences that will have for those who have transactions” with the Central American state, Finance Minister Michel Sapin, told Parliament on Tuesday. (AFP via Al Jazeera)
Mexico–United States relations
- Due to concerns about an increasingly anti-Mexican climate across the border, Mexico unexpectedly changes two of its top officials responsible for U.S. relations. Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieutold local media, “We have been warning that our citizens have begun to feel a more hostile climate. This (anti-Mexican) rhetoric has made it clear that we have to act in a different way so that this tendency being generated doesn’t damage the bilateral relationship.” (Reuters)

Law and crime

The International Criminal Court terminates the case against Kenya‘s Deputy President William Ruto and ends his trial, saying there is insufficient evidence he was involved in deadly violence that erupted after his country’s 2007 presidential election. (Al Jazeera)
The Military junta of Thailand gives the Royal Thai Armed Forces broad police-like powers. The military is now allowed to prevent or suppress over 27 types of offenses. The move created an outcry from human rights organizations and prompted the United States to express its concern over the growing influence of the military in the country. (The Guardian)
LGBT rights in the United States
- Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant approves a new law that allows religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people. (AP via The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Panama Papers
- Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson temporarily steps down amid allegations his family attempted to hide millions in an offshore account. (The Guardian)
- The Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif sets an independent judicial commission to investigate allegations of graft against his family following documents leaked as part of the Panama papers showed his sons owned several offshore accounts. (AP via ABC News America)
- Philippine general election, 2016
  - Imee Marcos (daughter of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos and sister of vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos), her three sons, and JV Ejercito (son of Manila mayorial candidate Joseph Estrada) are among hundreds of Filipino celebrities and politicians implicated for laundering money in tax havens. (GMA News), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. state of Wisconsin go to the polls for a primary election with Ted Cruz winning the Republican Party contest and Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic Party primary. (ABC News America), (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
Queensland term length referendum, 2016
- The results of a referendum last month in the Australian state of Queensland with voters agreeing to plans for a four year fixed parliamentary term. (AAP via Yahoo! News)
The South African Parliament debates a minority motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma following last week’s Constitutional Court judgment that Zuma had violated the constitution in a spending scandal involving the president’s private home. The African National Congress has a 249 – 151 majority, making this motion’s chance of gaining a two-thirds majority unlikely. (AP via The Washington Post)(Reuters)
- The motion failed by 243 votes to 133. (News24)
2015–16 protests in Brazil
- Marco Aurélio Mello, a Supreme Federal Court judge orders Brazil‘s Chamber of Deputies to start impeachment proceedings against Vice President Michel Temer over charges he helped doctor budget accounting as part of President Dilma Rousseff‘s administration. (Reuters)
Peruvian general election, 2016
- Peruvians protest in five cities, including the capital Lima, against the presidential candidacy of Keiko Fujimori, daughter of imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who exactly 24 years ago this day carried out a coup by shutting down Congress and taking over the courts with the support of the military. Keiko Fujimori is the front runner in Sunday’s April 10, 2016, election. Yesterday, Fujimori committed to respect democratic liberties and the rule of law, and to work against corruption, which some opponents have rejected. The Organization of American States says the election could lack credibility unless two recently-disqualified candidates are allowed to run. (NBC News) (AP via The Washington Post) (Prensa Latina)

Sports

2016 NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship Game
- In women’s college basketball, the Connecticut Huskies top the Syracuse Orange to cap a perfect season (38-0) with the program’s fourth straight national championship, and in all four, UConn’s senior center Breanna Stewart wins the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. (CNN) (ESPN)

2015–16 Rangers F.C. season
- Rangers F.C., the association football club with the most domestic league titles in the world, earn promotion to the Scottish Premiership, returning to the nation’s top division for the first time since their triple relegation for financial reasons in 2012. (BBC Sport)

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April 18, 2016

Top News Stories –

Depp’s wife Amber Heard avoids Australia dog-smuggling conviction –
Actress Amber Heard has avoided a conviction for illegally taking her dogs into Australia. Ms Heard, married to actor Johnny Depp, had pleaded guilty in court to making a false statement on her immigration card about the couple’s Yorkshire terriers. But the Queensland judge gave her a one-month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded. If she breaks the bond she must pay A$1,000 ($770; £540). The authorities also released an unusual video apology from the couple. In the video, which was shown in court and made public by the Department of Agriculture, the couple expressed remorse and advised travellers to respect Australian quarantine laws. [BBC] See Video of the Day
Amber Heard

Three-day working week ‘optimal for over-40s’ –
Workers aged over 40 perform at their best if they work three days a week, according to economic researchers. Their research analysed the work habits and brain test results of about 3,000 men and 3,500 women aged over 40 in Australia. Their calculations suggest a part-time job keeps the brain stimulated, while avoiding exhaustion and stress. The researchers said this needed to be taken into consideration as many countries raise their retirement age. [BBC]

YouTube live-streams in virtual reality and adds 3D sound –
YouTube is introducing live-streamed 360-degree videos on its service. The Google-owned platform said select concerts from California’s Coachella festival would be the first to use the virtual reality facility. In addition, it announced videos on its service could now be enhanced with “spatial audio”, which simulates the effect of sounds coming from different directions and distances. One expert said the innovation could greatly enhance VR experiences. The announcements were timed to coincide with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Las Vegas, where several new virtual reality products are being launched. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: Australian biosecurity

Top Twitter Trends –

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#بعزيمه_الرجال…	#ILookAtMyLifeAnd
#NoEsPorIntrigarPero	#BostonMarathon
#AliİsmailKorkmaz	#IFeelOldWhen
#houstonflood	#RAWLondon
#BostonMarathon	#asugsvsummit
#NoALaDroga	#FightForFamilies

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Syrian rebels launch new offensives against government forces in the country’s Latakia Governorate and Hama Governorate. Several rebel groups earlier announced they were launching a new battle against government forces in response to claimed violations of the cease-fire agreement, further putting a strain on the Syrian peace process. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- Rockets fired by ISIL from northern Syria hit the Turkish town of Kilis killing four people, most of them children. (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- 2016 Jerusalem bombing
  - A bomb explosion in Jerusalem set two buses on fire and injured 21 people with ball bearing and nails. Israeli police say they believe the incident was a suicide bombing but no group has claimed responsibility. (Euronews) (Ynetnews)
Ethnic violence in South Sudan, Sudanese nomadic conflicts
- According to the government of Ethiopia, the death toll from a raid carried out by attackers from South Sudan has risen to 208 from a figure of 140 a day earlier, with 108 children being kidnapped in the process. Ethiopian forces killed 60 of the attackers and says it would cross the border into South Sudan to pursue the assailants if necessary. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Pulitzer Prizes
- The Associated Press wins the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for documenting the use of slave labor in Southeast Asia to supply seafood to American tables. (AP)
- Lin-Manuel Miranda wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical Hamilton based on the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton. (Buzzfeed)

Business and economics

The meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the world’s top oil producers, from both OPEC and non-OPEC countries, fails to agree on an output freeze. Oil analysts say the failure was due to Iran’s non-participation, andSaudi Arabia linking its cooperation to Iran’s inclusion. Oil prices drop in early Asian trading and on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (AFP via Bangkok Post) (CNBC) (Oilprice.com)
A member of the board of the Bundesbank in Germany says that the European Central Bank ought to crack down on the political practice, in EU’s member state, by which banks that are no longer viable are nonetheless kept in business, as so-called Zombie banks. (Reuters)
Cuba-United States relations
- Carnival Cruise Lines says it will postpone its first cruise in 50 years from the United States to Havana, if Cuba does not waive its rule and allow Cuban-Americans passengers. Current Cuban law does not allow those born on the island to return by sea. (UPI) (AP via CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
- The Japanese Red Cross says that 250,000 people have been asked to leave their homes due to further tremors. (BBC)
2016 Ecuador earthquake
- Aid starts to flow in after an earthquake kills over 270 people in Ecuador. (AP via Fox News), (BBC)
European migrant crisis
- More than 400 migrants, mostly from Somalia, drown in the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Egypt to Italy. (The Telegraph)
Violent storms cause floods across Uruguay with seven people killed and more than 2,000 left homeless. Four of those were killed by a tornado that struck Dolores. Four million people in the Chilean capital ofSantiago were left without tap water as heavy rains triggered landslides. This led to the fouling of the city’s water supply. (Al Jazeera)
2016 Houston floods
- Heavy rain of more than 1 foot (0.30 m) causes major flooding in Houston, Texas, affecting 1,000 homes, causing five deaths and causing power outages for over 100,000 residents. (CNN), (USA Today), (Time)
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott declares nine counties in the southeastern part of the state disaster areas. (UPI)

International relations

Australia–Philippines relations, Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely criticizes Philippine presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte regarding his remarks about the rape of an Australian citizen. (Rappler), (The New York Times)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- During a visit to Baghdad, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announces that the United States will be sending more troops to the country to help in the fight against ISIL. The U.S. also plans to giveKurdish Peshmerga forces, which are fighting ISIL on the ground, more than $400m (£280m; €350m) in assistance. (BBC)

Law and crime

War in Donbass, Russia–Ukraine relations
- A Ukrainian court sentences two Russian nationals to 14 years in prison each on charges of fighting alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Moscow contends that the two Russians were no longer employed by the state when they were captured. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

Philippine general election, 2016
- Bongbong Marcos, the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and top vice presidential candidate, defends Duterte’s remarks about rape. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Italian oil drilling referendum, 2016
- The referendum fails to exceed the 50% turnout level necessary to make the results binding; turnout was recorded at 31.2%. (Reuters)
Next Australian federal election
- Australia looks likely to hold a double dissolution election on July 2 after the Senate rejects legislation to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission for a second time. (ABC News Australia)
2016 Macedonian protests
- Protests against President Gjorge Ivanov continue in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, after his decision to pardon politicians involved in a scandal. (The Seattle Times)

Sports

More than 30,000 runners participate in the 120th running of the Boston Marathon. Two Ethiopian runners win. Adriana Haslett and Patrick Downes, survivors of the 2013 bombing who each lost a leg in the blast, were in the field.(The Boston Globe) (NPR)

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April 21, 2016

Top News Stories –

Prince Dies at 57: Iconic Musical Genius Found Dead in Paisley Park –
Prince died today at age 57 at his Paisley Park home and studio in Minneapolis, his publicist confirmed to the Associated Press. TMZ first reported the news. According to a press release sent from the Carver County Sheriff’s Department this afternoon, deputies arrived at Paisley Park at 9:43 a.m. and found Prince unresponsive in the elevator. After CPR attempts were unsuccessful, he was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. The cause of death has not yet been determined, and Carver County with assistance from Hennepin County Sheriffs and the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating. Prince was hospitalized last week after his plane for was forced to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill. Released a few hours later, a rep told TMZ that he had been battling a bad case of the flu. One of the most iconic musicians in music history, Prince’s extensive career grew out of the music scene of his native Minneapolis, where he lived his entire life. His 1978 debut album For You and self-titled second LP, released in October 1979, kicked off an incredibly prolific run of albums that included 1999, Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Sign O The Times and Batman, among others, throughout the 1980s at a clip of nearly one per year, evolving with each release. [Billboard]
Prince in 2008

Queen’s 90th birthday: Beacons lit amid UK celebrations –
The Queen has lit the first of more than 900 beacons lighting up across the UK and overseas as part of her 90th birthday celebrations. Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall then joined the monarch at a private dinner in Windsor Castle. Earlier, cheering crowds lined the streets in Windsor as the Queen took part in a walkabout. At the lighting of the beacon in Windsor, the Prince of Wales, referring to his mother, said: “I find it very hard to believe that you’ve reached your 90th year and I suddenly realised the other day that I have known you since you were 22 years old. “But this, ladies and gentleman, is a very special occasion and this beacon that her majesty is about to light will also represent – as it lights other beacons across the nation – the love and affection with which you are held throughout this country and the Commonwealth. [BBC]

Solar plane slowly soaring from Hawaii to California –
A solar plane on an around-the-world journey has reached the point of no return over the Pacific Ocean after departing Hawaii, and now it’s California or bust. The plane was cruising over the cold northern Pacific late Thursday at about 20,000 feet with a nearly-full battery as night descended, according to the website that’s documenting the journey of Solar Impulse 2. After some uncertainty about winds, the plane took off from Hawaii and was on course to land in Mountain View, California, in about three days. The crew that helped it take off was clearing out of its Hawaiian hangar and headed for the mainland for the weekend arrival. Pilot Bertrand Piccard is flying this leg of the journey. [AP]

Video of the Day –

Alone in Paris from Mathieu Stern on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Prince Discography

Studio albums

For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o’ the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
(Love Symbol Album) (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone… (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N.E.W.S (2003)
Musicology (2004)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)

Live albums

One Nite Alone… Live! (2002)
One Nite Alone… The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over! (2002)
C-Note (2004)
Indigo Nights (2008)

Remix albums

Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic (2001)

Compilation albums

The Hits 1 (1993)
The Hits 2 (1993)
The Hits/The B-Sides (1993)
Girl 6 (1996)
The Very Best of Prince (2001)
Ultimate Prince (2006)

The New Power Generation albums

Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)

The NPG Orchestra albums

Kamasutra (1998)

Madhouse albums

8 (1987)
16 (1987)

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Worldwide	USA
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#NationalTeaDay	Jimmy Johns
#NoHayNadaComo	#FelizJueves
Selamat Hari Kartini	#420Celebs
#SaveTheEarthIn4Words	Prince

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Sudanese nomadic conflicts, Ethnic violence in South Sudan
- The Ethiopian Army crosses the border into South Sudan with the latter’s approval in search of more than 100 children who were kidnapped and spirited across the border in a surprise attack by unknown assailants that also killed 208 people a few days ago. (Al Jazeera)
Northern Mali conflict
- Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group claims responsibility for kidnapping three International Committee of the Red Cross staffers this weekend in Abeïbara in northeastern Mali. (AP)
Amnesty International says the Nigerian Army killed 350 members of the Islamic Movement and secretly buried them in mass graves in the city of Zaria in Kaduna State. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

Elizabeth II, queen regnant of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, celebrates her 90th birthday. (BBC)
Bongbong Marcos admits that his family is blocking the release of their alleged ill-gotten wealth, which included masterpiece paintings accumulated during the reign of his father, Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. (ABS-CBN News)
The Bunyadi, a London pop-up restaurant where diners will be encouraged to eat in the nude, has a reservation waiting list of more than 13,000 people for its June opening. The restaurant will operate for three months. (UPI)
Musician Prince dies at his home at Paisley Park in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, Minnesota. (News Limited)

Business and economy

Volkswagen emissions scandal
- Volkswagen reaches a deal with the United States government that includes vehicle buybacks and cash compensation. (AP via Fox News)
The Vatican suspends PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit of its finances over questions whether proper procedures were followed when the December 2015 contract, reportedly worth $3 million, was enacted. Analysts say this move exposes the rift between the church’s old guard and supporters of financial reform, and raises questions about the Catholic Church’s commitment to cleaning up its finances. (Reuters)(The Guardian) (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

More than 100 are feared dead in an early summer heatwave in India which has forced the closure of schools. (Reuters)
At least 24 people are killed, 136 others injured, and eight workers still missing from yesterday’s blast at the major Clorados 3 petrochemical plant of Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo. Nineteen people remain hospitalized, with 13 in serious condition. The plant is run by Mexichem under agreement with Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the national petrochemical company, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, on the country’s southern Gulf of Mexico coast. Pemex had an earlier fire at the same facility in February 2016 that killed one worker; also that month, an offshore Pemex Gulf platform fire killed two and injured eight.(Reuters) (AP)
At least two people are killed after an oceanfront stretch of an elevated bike lane in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, collapses when it was hit by a strong wave. Two other people were rescued alive, while another may be missing. The bike lane was among the projects built in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics. No Olympic event will be held on the path. (AP) (AP² via CBS News) (Hindustan Times)

International relations

Australia-Philippines relations, Philippines-United States relations, Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte said that Australia and the United States should go ahead and cut their ties with the Philippines if he was elected president, following critical comments of their ambassadors on his rape remarks. (Rappler)
Gulf Cooperation Council Summit
- United States President Barack Obama, at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Saudi Arabia, says the United States will continue to deter and confront aggression against Gulf Arab states; joins others in warning the fragile cease-fire in Syria is on the verge of collapse; pledges vigilance about Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East; wants Gulf allies to offer more democratic reforms and improve human rights; and, says the U.S. and its Gulf partners should wait to see whether Iraq can resolve its political crisis before committing more financial aid which is impeding the fight against ISIL. (AP)(Reuters)
Syrian peace process
- Staffan de Mistura, U.N. envoy to Syria, says there has been “real but modest” progress in the country’s humanitarian situation, despite the shaken ceasefire. Aid convoys have reached 560,000 people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas; six areas still remain off limits. Yesterday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent medically evacuated 515 people from four communities—Zabadani, Madaya, Kfarya, and Foua—besieged by government and rebel groups. (AP)
United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union
- U.S. President Barack Obama, in an op-ed in London’s Daily Telegraph, urges Britons to keep the U.K. in the European Union. Tomorrow, Obama is scheduled to have lunch with Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, who celebrated her 90th birthday today. He then will hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (The Daily Telegraph)
Philippines-United Kingdom relations, Philippines-United States relations
- The United States and the United Kingdom issue travel alerts for their citizens to avoid the Sulu Archipelago in the southwestern Philippines where a wave of kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf militants has occurred. (AP)

Law and crime

Crime in El Salvador
- The government of El Salvador unveils and deploys a new heavily armed special forces unit to fight criminal gangs in rural areas of the country. Officials say it will target gang leaders who left the cities because of a government crackdown. (BBC)
Six high ranking Pakistan Army officers, including a lieutenant-general and major-general, are sacked by Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif amid corruption allegations within the army. Sharif said corruption had to be uprooted to fight terrorism. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Philippine general election, 2016
- Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte says he shot a fellow law student at San Beda College. The victim, Octavio Goco, who was also a Lex Talionis fraternity brother of Duterte, survived the assault. Duerte was not allowed to participate in his graduation ceremony. (Rappler) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Russia–Ukraine relations
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signs legislation banning all Russian films made after January 1, 2014. The legislation also bans movies produced by Russia after 1991 if they “glorify the work of government bodies” of Russia, citing such movies to be a threat to national security. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2016 Macedonian protests
- The European Union cancels mediation talks on resolving the political crisis in Macedonia after that country’s main political opposition, led by Zoran Zaev, declined to take part. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Chadian presidential election, 2016
- The incumbent President of Chad Idriss Deby is reelected for a fifth term amid allegations of fraud. (Voice of America)

Science and technology

Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered only by the sun, takes off from Kalaeloa, Hawaii, USA, on the ninth leg of its around-the-world journey. This portion of the trip will cover 2,542 nautical miles and, in about three days, is scheduled to touch down in Mountain View, California. The journey originated in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on March 9, 2015, and, after another 8,130 nmi, will complete the circle when it lands in Abu Dhabi. (AP)

Sport

2016 Summer Olympics
- The Olympic flame is lit outside the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, by Greek actress Katerina Lehou. Brazilian volleyball legend Giovane Gávio starts the relay that will reach the capital Brasilia on May 3 for transport throughout the South American country by 12,000 torchbearers, arriving at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 5. (AP via WMAR-TV)
Zika virus outbreak
- Some Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball players, who are scheduled to play a two-game series the end of May in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to honor Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, are concerned about being exposed to the Zika virus. About 400 cases have been confirmed in the Commonwealth. (AP via ESPN) (The Sporting News) (Yahoo! Sports)

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April 30, 2016

Top News Stories –

Russia challenges US after Baltic jet face-off –
Russia says it was right to confront a US Air Force reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea on Friday. The Pentagon said a Russian jet fighter acted in an “unsafe and unprofessional manner”, and performed a barrel roll over its plane. Russia said that the American jet had turned off its transponder signal, which helps others identify it. It is the second incident in the Baltic this month in which the US has accused Russian planes of flying aggressively. US jets “regularly” try to approach Russia’s borders with transponders switched off, the statement said. Over the past 18 months, Russia has been repeatedly accused of the same practice over the Baltic and near UK waters. It is not clear how close to Russia’s waters Friday’s incident occurred. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

The magic ingredient that brings Pixar movies to life | Danielle Feinberg

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- April 2016 Baghdad bombing
  - A car bombing in southeastern Baghdad kills at least 19 and injures nearly 50 Shi’ite pilgrims. ISIL has claimed responsibility. (AP) (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that twenty air strikes have hit the northern areas of Aleppo. Bombardments by both sides have killed nearly 250 people since April 22. (Reuters)
Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh
- A Hindu man is hacked to death in Tangail district. He is alleged to have made comments against Prophet Muhammad. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the attack. (Washington Post) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Sweden celebrates the 70th birthday of their King Carl XVI Gustaf, whose celebration was attended by fellow European royals, including Denmark’s Margrethe II, former King of Spain Juan Carlos I and formerQueen of the Netherlands Beatrix. (Euronews)

Disasters and accidents

A heatwave in India has claimed 300 lives in April with daytime cooking banned in some parts of the country to prevent fires which have claimed an additional 80 lives. (AP)
2016 Kenya floods
- Search and rescue efforts continue in Nairobi after the collapse of a building yesterday. Kenyan police have confirmed seven deaths so far. (AP via Daily Mail)
- The death toll from the Kenya floods including the Nairobi building collapse rises to fourteen. (Capital FM)
A three-storey building collapses in the Indian city of Mumbai, resulting in six deaths and trapping many others. (Times of India)
At least five people are killed by floods in the U.S. state of Texas. (FOX News)
A mosque under refurbishment in Mogadishu, Somalia, collapses, killing at least 15 people and injuring around 40. Hundreds more are thought to be buried under the rubble. (BBC)
European migrant crisis
- According to survivors, at least 70 migrants are missing after their dinghy sank off the coast of Libya. 26 people were rescued by the Italian coast guard. (BBC)
Five people are killed in a military plane crash in Sudan. (Reuters)

International relations

China denies a Hong Kong port call by the U.S. Carrier Strike Group 3, which includes the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and accompanying vessels. (CNN) (AP via USA Today)
Destruction of ivory
- Kenya burns 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.05 tonnes of rhinoceros horn in order to call for a total ban on the ivory trade. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
According to the United States Department of Defense, an airstrike that hit a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, last October did not amount to a war crime because the airstrike was “unintentional” and that those involved would face suspension but not criminal charges. In response to the briefing, a president of the organization which operated the hospital described it as “an admission of an uncontrolled military operation in a densely populated urban area, during which US forces failed to follow the basic laws of war.” (BBC)
Russia-United States relations
- Russia says it intercepted a U.S. Air Force plane approaching its border over the Baltic Sea on Friday because the aircraft had turned off its transponder which is needed for identification. The Pentagon says the U.S. RC-135 was flying a routine route in international airspace when the Russian SU-27 fighter intercepted it in an “unsafe and unprofessional” way. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Police in Stuttgart, Germany, arrest at least 400 left-wing demonstrators after they attempted to stop a conference by the Alternative for Germany from being held. The protest grew violent when they began to throw stones and use fireworks against the police. (The Guardian)
Egypt tries 237 activists, who face jail terms of up to three years, arrested for protesting without permits against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Thousands demonstrated this month following the Sisi government’s decision to hand over two uninhabited islands in the Straits of Tiran to Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch says at least 382 had been arrested. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The influential Christian sect Iglesia ni Cristo endorses Grace Poe for president and Bongbong Marcos for vice president. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Serbian parliamentary election, 2016
- Roughly 2,000 people protest in Belgrade against alleged fraud in the country’s recent election. The protesters accuse Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić of manipulating the results in order to prevent the far-right Dveri party from reaching the 5-percent threshold and gaining seats in the National Assembly. A repeat vote is expected on May 4 in locations where voting irregularities have been found. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2015–16 Iraqi protests
- Iraqi officials declare a state of emergency for all of Baghdad after protesters loyal to popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed into Iraq’s parliament in the Green Zone. (The News Hub) (NBC News) (Washington Post)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

May 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

Malia Obama: US president’s daughter to go to Harvard –
US President Barack Obama’s eldest daughter Malia will attend Harvard University in 2017, after taking a year off following her high school graduation, the White House says. “Malia will take a gap year before beginning school,” a White House statement said. The 17-year-old will be following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom went to Harvard Law School. Her choice of university has been a subject of much speculation. Malia is the eldest of the Obamas’ two daughters. She and her sister Sasha, 15, attend the Sidwell Friends, a prestigious local private school. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Homemade Hoverbike

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Worldwide	USA
#SuaMãeSabe	#LastRelationshipTaughtMe
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#شخص_ودك_تفطر_م…	#TheBibleHasTaughtMe
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Armed conflicts and attacks

Turkey–ISIL conflict, Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- 2016 Gaziantep bombing
  - A blast hits a police station in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep leaving one officer dead and 13 injured. (BBC) (CNN)
  - Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is suspected to be behind attack. (Reuters)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
- Three Turkish soldiers are killed and 14 others wounded in an armed attack by Kurdish militants during a military operation in the town of Nusaybin, Turkey. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War
- Houthi rebels capture the Umaliqa military base in ‘Amran Governorate, endangering a shaky ceasefire. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War
- Two car bombs kill at least 32 people and wounded 75 others in Samawa, Iraq. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)
Moro conflict
- Abu Sayyaf militants release 10 Indonesians the group had kidnapped from their tugboat and barge on March 28. (Jakarta Globe)

Business and economics

Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., the second- and third-largest oilfield service firms, announce the cancellation of their $28 billion merger which has faced opposition from U.S. and European antitrust regulators. Halliburton will reportedly have to pay Baker Hughes a $3.5 billion termination fee if the deal is called off. (Bloomberg) (Reuters), (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

Disasters and accidents

The historic Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in New York City is almost completely destroyed in a massive four-alarm fire. (ABC)
In the United States, 14 of 175 cars of a CSX freight train derail in northeastern Washington, D.C., near a city subway station. There were three leaks; one, sodium hydroxide, is a hazardous material. All leaks, and a nearby gas line that was ruptured, are contained. Officials are unable to say when cleanup will be completed nor when train service will be restored. There were no injuries reported, and there was no residential evacuation. Amtrak and a Baltimore-Washington commuter rail service also use the line. (WRC-TV) (Daily Mail) (The Washington Post)
Kenya flooding
- Kenyan authorities say the death toll from Friday’s collapsed eight-story residential building in Nairobi has risen to 20, with 73 people missing. Rescuers continue searching for survivors. The building had been declared unfit for human habitation by the country’s National Construction Authority, but remained standing. Note: the building was originally reported as six stories; flooding had sunk the ground and first floors. (AP)
In Punjab, Pakistan, the death toll has risen from 13 to 33 for people who has eaten sweets, accidentally tainted with insecticide. The mass poisoning occurred in April. (Daily Times)

International relations

Libyan Civil War
- An oil tanker, sent from Eastern Libya by a rival to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, returns with its cargo to the refinery at Zawiya in western Libya. The United Nations blacklisted the shipment on Wednesday. (Bloomberg)
Cuba-United States relations, United States–Cuban thaw
- The first cruise ship in more than a half-century bound for Havana from the United States leaves Miami, Florida, at about 4:24 p.m. EDT. Carnival Cruise Line’s 704-passenger Adonia was able to set sail for the northern Caribbean country after Cuba, on April 22, loosened its policy banning Cuban-born people from traveling to the country by sea. (AP)

Politics and elections

Philippine general election, 2016 CPP–NPA–NDF rebellion
- Jose Maria Sison, who is the leader of the guerrilla Communist Party of the Philippines, says that the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte is “good for national unity.” (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Thousands are set for May Day demonstrations across the United States for immigrant and worker rights, and for civility in presidential campaign rhetoric. Organizers and authorities in California are urging participants to remain calm, given the violence this week connected with Presidential campaign protests. (AP via The Washington Post) (KPCC)
2015–16 Iraqi protests
- Protesters demanding political reform leave Baghdad’s Green Zone after camping for 24 hours in the heavily fortified government district. These activists, followers of Shi’ite Muslim cleric Muqtadā al-Ṣadr, support Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s anti-corruption proposals to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats. A grid-locked parliament has been unable to act on these changes. (Reuters)
Puerto Rican government-debt crisis
- Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla says the Commonwealth will default on a $422 million bond payment due Monday. García Padilla says debt payments have been suspended in order to pay for essential services for the 3.5 million American citizens. Congress has been unable to pass a debt restructuring bill for Puerto Rico. (AP via CBS News) (Bloomberg)
Freedom of the press
- Egyptian police raid the headquarters of the journalists’ association in Cairo, and arrest two journalists with the opposition website Bawabet Yanayer, editor Amr Badr and reporter Mahmud el-Sakka, for alleged incitement to protest in violation of the law. (Daily Mail) (Reuters)

Sports

2015–16 A-League
- Adelaide United win their first A-League championship beating the Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 in the Grand Final at the Adelaide Oval. (Daily Telegraph)

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May 3, 2016

Top News Stories –

Sesame Street sends cease and desist letter to STD awareness group after it suggests Bert and Ernie have HIV –
Sesame Street sent a cease and desist letter to a company that used its characters Bert and Ernie in their campaign ad that promoted at-home HIV and STD testing. Lately, a company which has created a ‘simple, cutting-edge, and affordable STD testing’ method, posted a photo of the two characters to their Facebook page.’Help us take STD Testing out of the Stone Age,’ the company, wrote on Facebook, in a post accompanied by a picture Bert and Ernie, according to the New York Post.Elizabeth W Fishman, Vice President of Strategic Communications for the show, told the The Post that the Mately ad is an ‘unauthorized, unlicensed use of our characters’. Fishman added that Mately will be contacted and sent ‘a cease and desist letter instructing them to take this down’. Bert and Ernie are shown in the Facebook post looking at a set of papers. ‘See Ernie, you’ve got nothing to worry about, everything is positive!’ the caption reads. [Daily Mail]

Video of the Day –

GoPro Awards: On a Rocket Launch to Space

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- A rocket attack hits a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo, killing three civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was part of a bigger shelling that killed 19 more people. (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi Civil War, American-led intervention in Iraq
- According to the United States Department of Defense, ISIL fighters killed a Navy SEAL near Erbil. The sailor was assisting Kurdish Peshmerga forces in repelling an attack on the area. The SEAL was later identified as Arizona native Charles Keating IV, the son of Charles Keating III, and the grandson of the convicted noted late financier Charles Keating Jr., who was embroiled in the 1980s savings and loan scandal. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

The Rhode Island Marine Architecture Project claims to have found the wreckage of HMS Endeavour used by Royal Navy Lieutenant James Cook on his voyage to Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti between 1768 and 1771. The ship was scuttled in 1778 in Newport Harbor ahead of the Battle of Rhode Island in the American War of Independence. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova is announced as the winner of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for 2016 for “her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances.” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Business and economy

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Philippine financial market continues to suffer amid speculation that Rodrigo Duterte may win the upcoming election. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

May 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
- A mandatory evacuation order for more than 29,000 people remains in place for the Canadian town of Fort McMurray, Alberta, which is threatened by an out of control wildfire. (The Globe and Mail)
- By 7 pm local time, the entire town of population 80,000 is placed under a mandatory evacuation. The neighbourhood of Beacon Hill, home to about 2,200 people, is 80% destroyed by fire. (Weather Underground)
An airplane crashes on Long Island, New York, killing three people onboard. (The New York Times)

Law and crime

The sect Iglesia ni Cristo is suing supporters of Rodrigo Duterte for spreading a fake endorsement by the denomination. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Russia–Spain relations
- A Spanish judge issues an arrest warrant for various individuals with links to organized crime from Russia. The list also includes former and current officials of the Russian government with close links toRussian President Vladimir Putin. Prominent officials include former Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov and former Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. The charges range from money laundering toassassination. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Papua conflict
- According to reports, the Indonesian police arrest close to 1,700 people in Papua and West Papua who were involved in attempted protests yesterday. (Radio New Zealand)
Bento Rodrigues dam disaster
- The Government of Brazil sues iron miner Samarco and parent companies Vale and BHP Billiton for 155 billion Brazilian reals ($43.5 billion US) for the collapse of a tailings dam that resulted in 19 deaths and caused major pollution to the Doce River. (The Guardian)
El Salvador arrests former congressman Raúl Mijango for allegedly attempting to smuggle banned items into prison and allegedly associating with gang members. (Reuters via Trust)

Politics and elections

European migrant crisis
- The government of Hungary announces it will hold a referendum regarding future European Union quotas for resettling refugees. The vote is expected to be held either in September or October of this year where a turnout of over 50 percent will render it to be valid. (Al Jazeera)
Papua conflict
- A meeting is held in London on the issue of West Papuan independence. Independence leader Benny Wenda joined various humanitarians, parliamentarians and lawyers in urging the United Nations to secure a vote on the future status of the region, which is occupied by Indonesia. (The Guardian)
United States presidential election, 2016, United States presidential election in Indiana, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. state of Indiana head to the polls to vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. (NPR)
- Donald Trump wins the Indiana Republican Primary. (New York Post) (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Ted Cruz announces that he is withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination, leaving Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee. (CNN)
- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Indiana Democratic primary. (NBC News)

Sport

2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 Winter Paralympics
- Cho Yang-ho resigns as President of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games due to growing financial problems with the Hanjin Group he is chairman of.(AP)
Association football
- The Football Federation of Kosovo becomes the 55th member of UEFA following a secret ballot at the 40th Ordinary UEFA Congress in Budapest.(AP via The Republic)

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May 5, 2016

Top News Stories –

Tunisian mobile gamers win a cow –
A couple in Tunisia have walked away with an unusual prize – a cow – after they recorded the top score in a locally developed mobile phone game, it’s reported.
Pamela the cow spent two weeks at the game developer’s headquarters in Tunis before being awarded to the unnamed couple at the beginning of May, the Tuniscope news website says.
The pair triumphed in a strategy game called Bagra – literally “cow” – which consists of keeping a herd of cows and preventing other players from stealing them, while trying to pinch as many as possible from other herds. [BBC]

Canadian wildfire edges south, leaves thousands stranded –
The 88,000 residents who fled a wildfire that has ravaged the Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray in Alberta will not be able to return home anytime soon, officials warned on Thursday, even as the inferno edged slowly south. The out-of-control blaze has consumed entire neighborhoods of Fort McMurray in Canada’s energy heartland and officials warn its spread now threatens two oil sands sites south of the city. The wildfire has already forced precautionary production cuts or shutdowns at about a dozen major facilities, eating into a global crude surplus and supporting oil prices this week. [Reuters] See Video of the Day

Facebook Live tab is now on the Android app –
It’s taken a month, but the Live tab on Facebook has now started appearing for Android app users. Back in April, the social network announced that video was going to be even more of priority for the company, with users being offered a dedicated page to find live streams. Android users are starting to see the Live tab in the centre of the screen, pushing out Messenger from its spot. Clicking on the Live option brings up a scrolling stream of video.Anyone watching the feed can then react and comment in real time. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

Fire ‘rains’ down in Fort McMurray neighbourhood during escape

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and atttacks

Syrian Civil War
- At least 12 people are killed and many are wounded in twin blasts in central Syria. (USA Today)
- Airstrikes on a camp for war refugees in Syria near the Syria–Turkey border kills 28 people, including women and children. (Reuters) (BBC)
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi security forces shoot dead two alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants while two others blew themselves up near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Gaza–Israel conflict
- A Palestinian woman is killed and another person is injured in the Gaza Strip by tank fire from Israel. Israel said it responded to mortar rounds and the discovery of another tunnel by Hamas. (BBC) (The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Philippine peso fell 0.3% continuing its drop three weeks in a row. (Bloomberg)
- The stock exchange in Manila slid 1.2%, set for its lowest close in two months, before Monday’s presidential elections. (Bloomberg) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
- The western Canadian province of Alberta declares a state of emergency as devastating wildfires, fed by unseasonably hot temperatures and dry conditions, grow to five times their initial size. The mandatory evacuation order expands to include the communities of Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Fort McMurray First Nation, forcing thousands who had just resettled to move again. (CTV) (USA Today) (Reuters)
- Since the fire has intermittently blocked the only route south toward Alberta’s major cities, evacuees have had to go north toward oil camps and a few small settlements. The province has airlifted 4,000 people to Edmonton and Calgary as of late Thursday. Roughly 20 percent of Canada’s crude oil production, around 680,000 barrels per day, is offline and is expected to increase. There are no known casualties from the fire, which today has grown to 210,000 acres (85,000 hectares), but fatalities are reported in at least one vehicle crash along the evacuation route. (Daily Mail)
- Reuters reports that Alberta Province, which projects a C$10 billion deficit this fiscal year as the prolonged slump in oil prices has reduced tax revenue, last month cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province’s Slave Lake wildfire in 2011, which destroyed more than 300 homes. (Reuters via Voice of America)
At least 12 people are killed and 30 others injured after a bus plunges into a ravine in Bolivia‘s eastern Santa Cruz province. (Agencia EFE)

International relations

Spain–United Kingdom relations, Disputed status of Gibraltar
- The Royal Navy‘s HMS Sabre fires warning shots at a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel after it twice attempted to cut across the path of United States Navy submarine USS Florida during an incursion intoGibraltar‘s territorial waters. Gibraltar officials say Spanish vessels regularly stray deep into its territorial waters and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has attacked the incursions as provocative. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

Operation Car Wash, Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- Acting on a request from Brazil’s top prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki suspends President of the Deputies Chamber Eduardo Cunha for obstructing the Petrobras corruption investigation. The full court confirms this action, Cunha is eliminated from the line of succession to President Dilma Rousseff, who may be suspended from office next week. (Reuters) (Globo)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, agrees to pay people who were sent to jail because they couldn’t afford to pay fines for minor offenses like panhandling and jaywalking. The city will pay $125 for each day the person spent behind bars, an estimated total of $103,000 for the 66 people identified. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people cannot be jailed if they do not have the money to pay. (AP via The Washington Post) (The Colorado Independent)
California court finds “Grim Sleeper” serial killer guilty. (The Los Angeles Times)
Hackers attack millions of users of Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail, forcing users to make password changes. (Forbes)

Politics and elections

Justice and Development Party leadership election, 2016
- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announces his resignation effective 22 May amid conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Davutoğlu said he would step down following an extraordinary meeting of AKP party leaders scheduled for May 22. (The New York Times) (The Guardian)
Philippine general election, 2016
- Philippine candidate Grace Poe denies she will give way in favor of administration bet Mar Roxas (Rappler)
- Philippine senator and former coup plotter Antonio Trillanes warns that a coup d’etat may occur if Rodrigo Duterte wins the presidential elections. (ABC Online), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- The sect Iglesia ni Cristo conducts a “silent war” against the senatorial candidacy of justice secretary Leila de Lima. (Rappler)
- Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe releases her full statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. (GMA News)
United Kingdom local elections, 2016
- Members of the British public head to local polling stations to cast their vote for various governmental positions, including the Mayor of London. (The Daily Telegraph)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Former Governor of Texas and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry endorses Donald Trump for president and says he is open to being Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. (CNN)

Sport

Zika virus outbreak
- Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the decision whether the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates two-game series scheduled for later this month will be moved from Puerto Ricobecause of concerns about the Zika virus, will be announced Monday “at the latest.” (AP)

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May 6, 2016

Top News Stories –

Labour’s Sadiq Khan elected London mayor –
Sadiq Khan has been elected the new Mayor of London – boosting Labour after it slumped in Scotland’s elections. Mr Khan is the city’s first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614. The result bolsters leader Jeremy Corbyn after Labour was beaten into third in Scotland by the Tories and lost some English councillors.
In Scotland, the SNP said it would form a minority government after winning its third election in a row. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is celebrating what she said was an “emphatic” victory, her first as party leader, after the SNP emerged as the largest party at Holyrood with 63 seats, ahead of the Conservatives on 31 and Labour on 24. But she played down talk of another independence referendum after falling short by two seats of an overall majority. In Wales, Labour remains as the largest party, with 29 out of 60 seats, but was denied a majority as Plaid Cymru and UKIP both made notable gains. [BBC]
Sadiq_Khan

China bans ‘erotic’ banana-eating live streams –
Chinese live-streaming services have banned people filming themselves eating bananas in a “seductive” fashion. New regulations mean that live-streaming sites must monitor all their output round-the-clock to ensure nothing untoward is going on, keeping an eye out for any “erotic” banana-eating, according to New Express Daily. It’s not just fruit that’s on their radar though – the paper adds that wearing stockings and suspenders while hosting a live stream is now also forbidden. The move is the authorities’ latest attempt to clamp down on “inappropriate and erotic” online content, state-controlled CCTV reports. In April, the Ministry of Culture announced it was investigating a number of popular live-streaming platforms for allegedly hosting pornographic or violent content that “harms social morality”. Despite the government’s concerns, such sites are attracting more and more users in China. Particularly popular are webcam sessions where young women – and sometimes girls under 18 – entertain a predominantly male audience, often singing Chinese songs or chatting to their viewers. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Inside a 6ft Air Balloon – 4K – The Slow Mo Guys

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Aleppo offensive (May 2016)
  - More than 72 are killed in clashes between Al-Nusra Front and Syrian government forces in Khan Tuman south of Aleppo, Syria. (i24 News) (VOA News)

Law and crime

A man is killed, and two others are injured (a man in critical condition and a woman with non-life-threatening injuries), in the parking lot of Westfield Montgomery Mall in Potomac in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Soon after, a woman is killed at a grocery store some miles away. Police suspect that the same shooter may be behind both crime scene incidents. Police in both Montgomery County and neighboring Prince George’s County are also examining whether this person is the same as the male involved in the fatal shooting the previous day of a woman, Gladys Tordil, who was allegedly shot (a bystander who tried to help was also wounded) by her estranged abusive husband, tentatively identified as Eulalio Tordil, 62, a former Federal Protective Service officer. (MSN) (CNN)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The supporters of presidential candidates Grace Poe and Mar Roxas post petitions and counter-petitions on Change.org urging either candidate to drop-out and give way for the other. (The Manila Standard)
- Vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo thanks supporters for the “Poe-Robredo tandem” pairing her with presidential candidate Grace Poe but insists she is loyal to her running-mate Mar Roxas.(Philippine Daily Inquirer), (GMA News)
- Mar Roxas and current President Benigno Aquino III call on political rivals Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Grace Poe to unite and form a unity coalition in the upcoming elections. (CNN Philippines), (Channel News Asia)
- Grace Poe rejects Mar Roxas‘ offer saying she is not willing to withdraw. Jejomar Binay also rejects calls for him to withdraw. (Rappler), (The Philippine Star), (ABC News Go)
- Leni Robredo thanks a group of activist-farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon for their support promising to continue their reforms. (Rappler)
Head of Australia’s Department of Immigration Mike Pezzullo denies that the detention centre for asylum seekers on Manus Island must be closed. He said there was no crisis that required any closure of the centre despite Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruling it to be unconstitutional and ordering the release of the detainees. (Radio New Zealand)
The Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party of North Korea, holds its first party congress in nearly 40 years. The meeting comes as the country is facing tougher sanctions for its recent missile launches.(BBC)
United Kingdom local elections, 2016
- London votes Sadiq Khan to succeed Boris Johnson as Mayor of London; Khan is the first Muslim to be elected to such an authoritative position. (BBC)

Science and technology

SpaceX successfully lands another Falcon 9 First stage onto a floating barge for the second time. It was carrying a Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14, which was successfully put into geostationary orbit. (Wired)

Sports

Cameroonian footballer Patrick Ekeng of Romanian club FC Dinamo București dies after collapsing during a match. (Guardian)

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May 7, 2016

Top News Stories –

Nyquist Unrelenting in Kentucky Derby Victory –
Whatever has been thrown at Reddam Racing’s Nyquist, he has been able to handle. And May 7 at Churchill Downs he added the Kentucky Derby to his already impressive résumé. The son of Uncle Mo broke like a champion from post 13 and was out front in the early strides, but was able to settle into position just off the pace set by Danzing Candy, who broke poorly from the outside post and needed to be rushed up entering the first turn. And for the immediate future of Nyquist, who pushed his earnings to $4,954,200 with the Derby score, up next is a walk of the shedrow May 8 and a trip to Baltimore May 9. And beyond that, O’Neill might be looking toward a higher power. [The Blood Horse]

Video of the Day –

Sky Magic Live at Mt.Fuji : Drone Ballet Show by MicroAd, Inc. from Sky Magic on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Resolute Support Mission
  - Two Romanian soldiers are killed along with assailants in an insider attack in Afghanistan. (Washington Post)
Syrian Civil War
- Aleppo offensive (May 2016)
  - At least 13 Iranian soldiers are killed in a battle with Islamist militants in a village near Aleppo, Syria. The largest single day loss for the Iranians since the start of the conflict. (Retuers) (Business Insider) (NDTV)

Law and crime

Indonesia-Philippines relations
- Filipina convict Mary Jane Veloso gets a reprieve from Indonesian executions. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Politics and elections

Sarawak state election, 2016
- In Malaysia, Sarawak voters go to the polls for a state election. (Channel NewsAsia)
Bukit Batok by-election, 2016
- Singapore‘s Bukit Batok by-elections conclude with more than 24,000 voters casting ballots. Murali Pillai of the People’s Action Party emerged as the winner with 61.21% of the valid votes cast. This was the first Singaporean by-election following the 2015 general elections. (Channel NewsAsia) (The Straits Times)
United States presidential election, 2016, United States presidential election in Guam, 2016
- Voters in Guam head to the polls to vote in the Democratic presidential caucus. (Guam Daily Post)
Iran’s elected Parliament member from Maragheh and Ajabshir district, Mohammad-Ali Hosseinzadeh, dies in a car crash in Zanjan. He was set to take office on 28 May. (yjc.ir)

Sports

Nyquist wins the 2016 Kentucky Derby, extending his race record to eight wins in eight races.(The Blood-Horse)

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May 10, 2016

Top News Stories –

West Ham bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground –
West Ham United fans packed Upton Park for the final time for their Premier League game with Manchester United which they won 3-1. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Farewell Boleyn 2015/16

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani, is rescued in a joint operation by U.S. and Afghan forces three years after he was kidnapped by suspected Talibanmilitants. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
- At least three are killed in a car bomb targeting a Turkish police vehicle in Diyarbakır, Turkey. (FOX News)

Business and economics

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan blocks the $6.3 billion merger of major office supply companies Staples and Office Depot, finding it would result in reduced competition and higher prices. The companies announce they are abandoning the deal. (The Washington Post)

Disasters

At least 50 are killed in flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ethiopia. (FOX News)
2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
- Alberta authorities update information about the fire. About 2,400 homes and buildings were destroyed, but firefighters saved 25,000 others in the city, including the hospital, municipal buildings, and every functioning school. They expect most of the 88,000 evacuees will return to their homes within two weeks. The fire, which has merged with another blaze, is about 884 square miles (2,090 square kilometers) in size. The majority of Canada’s oil sands industry, and a third of the country’s total oil output, is offline, though Shell Canada has restarted its Albian Sands mining operations. (AP)

Law and crime

Munich knife attack
- One person is killed and several others injured in a knife attack at the Grafing station, a station of the Munich S-Bahn system in Germany. (Sky News)
An assailant stabs four people, killing two, at a home and a mall in Taunton, Massachusetts. A third victim is being treated for life-threatening injuries. The suspect was shot and killed by an off-duty deputy sheriff at the second scene. (CNN) (The Boston Globe)
Death of Freddie Gray
- Officer Edward Nero waives his right to a jury trial on misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault, two counts of misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment. (Reuters)

Politics and election

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Rodrigo Duterte continues to lead in the presidential race, while Leni Robredo leads Bongbong Marcos by a small margin in the vice presidential race. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
United States presidential election, 2016, United States presidential election in West Virginia, 2016, United States presidential election in Nebraska, 2016
- Voters in the state of West Virginia head to the polls to vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. Voters in the state of Nebraska vote in the Republican presidential primary with Donald Trump just 169 delegates short of securing the nomination. (New York Daily News) (Lincoln Journal Star)
- Trump is projected as the winner in the Republican primary in West Virginia while Bernie Sanders is projected to win the Democratic Primary. (New York Times), (BBC)
- Trump is projected to win Nebraska. (Washington Examiner)
Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- Brazil’s Federal Senate unanimously votes to strip Delcídio do Amaral of his senate seat. Amaral, one of Rousseff’s biggest foes, was arrested last November for allegedly taking kickbacks from Petrobras.(AP)
- The Supreme Federal Court rejects the government’s request to rule on the merits of last month’s Chamber of Deputies impeachment vote. (AP)

Science

NASA confirms that 1,284 objects discovered by its Kepler spacecraft are in fact exoplanets. (The Verge)

Sports

In basketball, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is named NBA MVP for the second straight season. Curry is the first player ever to receive all possible first-place votes. (ESPN)
London football club West Ham United F.C. play the final match of their 112-year stay at the Boleyn Ground, before moving to the city’s Olympic Stadium. (BBC)

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June 24, 2016

Top News Stories –

Brexit fallout, Cameron quits, markets rocked –
Britain has voted to leave the European Union, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow since World War Two to the European project of forging greater unity. Global stock markets plunged on Friday, and the British pound saw its biggest one day drop in history, as results from a referendum defied bookmakers’ odds to show a 52-48 percent victory for the campaign to leave the bloc Britain joined more than 40 years ago. The United Kingdom itself could now break apart, with the leader of Scotland, where nearly two-thirds of voters wanted to stay in the EU, saying a new referendum on independence from the rest of Britain was “highly likely”. In an emotional speech on Friday, UK Prime Minister Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in Europe to defeat, after promising the referendum in 2013, said he would leave office by October. Lawmakers from the opposition Labour Party launched a no-confidence motion to topple their leader, leftist Jeremy Corbyn, accused by opponents in the party of campaigning tepidly for its Remain stance. The British pound fell as much as 10 percent against the U.S. dollar on Friday to levels last seen in 1985 on fears the decision could hit investment in the world’s fifth-largest economy, threaten London’s role as a global financial capital, and usher in months of political uncertainty. The euro slid 2.0 percent against the U.S. dollar. [Reuters] In February Cameron secured a deal with the EU to try to avoid an exit vote.
David Cameron

Video of the Day –

Brexit: UK prime minister David Cameron addresses British voters on leaving the EU

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Moro conflict
- Seven Indonesian sailors are kidnapped off the coast of Sulu near Mindanao in the southern Philippines raising terrorism fears. (The New York Times), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
War in North-West Pakistan
- At least three people are killed and 32 more are wounded by a bomb in Quetta. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Business and economy

Brexit impact
- The British pound and FTSE 100 Index for the London Stock Exchange both fall in trading as early results from the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum show a stronger than expected result for Leave. (Bloomberg), (The Telegraph)
- Asian markets drop as Leave campaign continues to lead in the Brexit referendum. (New York Times)
- U.S. futures markets fall by 650 points as the UK votes to leave. (CNBC)
- The Dow Jones ends the day down 611.21 points to 17,399.86, marking the biggest drop in 10 months. (NBC)(CNBC) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

West Virginia police report powerful flash floods last night killed at least twenty-three people and swept away a toddler from Ravenswood, West Virginia. Up to 10 inches of rain fell in White Sulphur Springs in the southern part of the state. Almost 500,000 customers are without power including thousands in Virginia. (NBC News), (NBC News), (Yahoo News)
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 5.5 magnitude earthquake in north Chile, 116 miles (187 km) from the city of Copiapó at a depth of 80.8 miles (130 km), in the country’s copper mining area. Chile is the world’s largest producer of copper. (Reuters) (USGS)

International relations

Pope Francis, in his first speech upon arrival at the presidential palace of Serzh Sargsyan in the Armenian capital Yerevan, denounces the planned genocide of Armenians by Ottoman-era Turks a century ago, though the word “genocide” was not included in his prepared speech. (AP) (NPR)
Brexit impact
- Spain’s Foreign Minister José García-Margallo y Marfil says Spain will seek to jointly govern Gibraltar with Britain. Gibraltar, which is at the southern end of the Iberian peninsula bordering Spain, overwhelmingly voted in favor of Britain remaining in the EU. (Reuters)
Indonesia–Philippines relations
- Indonesia restricts the exports of coal to the Philippines after the abduction of Indonesian sailors by the Abu Sayyaf. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Volkswagen emissions scandal
- South Korea issues an arrest warrant for a Korean-based Volkswagen AG executive in relation to the emissions scandal which is the first warrant issued for a Volkswagen executive anywhere in the world.(Reuters via Daily Mail)
Crime in the Philippines
- More than 50 people accused of dealing in illegal drugs have been murdered in the Philippines within a month after incoming president Rodrigo Duterte called for more extrajudicial killings against suspected criminals. (Rappler)
- Duterte wants to return capital punishment in the country so he can hang people. (Rappler)

Politics and elections

United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- The United Kingdom votes, 52% to 48%, to leave the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the referendum three years ago, announces his resignation indicating he will leave office by October. (BBC) (BBC²) (Newsweek) (Reuters)
The price of nickel is expected to skyrocket after the incoming Philippine government appoints an anti-mining bureaucrat Gina Lopez to the national cabinet. The Philippines is the biggest exporter of nickel toChina. (South China Morning Post)

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July 9, 2016

Top News Stories –

Matador Victor Barrio killed by bull in Spain –
A matador has died after being gored by a bull in Spain – the first bullfighter to die in the ring in Spain this century. Victor Barrio, 29, a professional bullfighter, was killed when the bull’s horn pierced his chest. The fight, in the eastern town of Teruel, was being broadcast live on TV. Also on Saturday, a 28-year-old man died after being gored by a bull during a bull run through the village of Pedreguer, near Valencia. The last matador to die in a bullfight in Spain was Jose Cubero, or Yiyo, in 1985. Television footage shows the bull throwing Barrio into the air before goring him on the right-hand side of his chest and violently throwing him. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

BreakingPoint from Martin Lapp on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- 2016 Kashmir unrest
  - At least three people are killed and dozens more are wounded when protesters clash with Indian Army soldiers. The protesters defied an army curfew and took part in the funeral of a top rebel commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
South Sudanese Civil War
- According to a military spokesman of the rebel SPLM-IO, at least 115 soldiers between the two rival Sudan People’s Liberation Army factions are killed in clashes in the capital, Juba. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war, Russian intervention
- A Russian Air Force Mi-24 helicopter crashes near Palmyra, Syria, while assisting Syrian Army forces in the area. Russia‘s Ministry of Defence confirms two Russian pilots, Riafa’at Habibulin and Yevgeny Dolgin, are killed. (The Independent)

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Nepartak (2016)
- Taiwan is recovering after Typhoon Nepartak hit yesterday killing two people and injuring 72. (PA via BT)

International relations

International reactions to Philippines v. China
- Ahead of a court decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, China holds a naval drill in the disputed South China Sea raising tensions in the region. (The New York Times)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea claims that North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from a submarine. (Yonhap)
2016 Warsaw summit
- NATO members in Warsaw, Poland, agree to extend their mission in Afghanistan into 2017 and announced that they will continue to fund the Afghan Armed Forces to 2020. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Bahamian–United States relations, 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers
- Following the death of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the shooting of white police officers in Dallas, Texas, The Bahamas issues a rare travel warning for its citizens traveling to the United States.(BBC)

Law and crime

Human rights in the Philippines
- The government of the Philippines demands its critics to provide proof if there are human rights violations conducted during its drug war. (Rappler)
- More than a hundred suspected drug pushers have been killed since Rodrigo Duterte took office as president of the country, a situation likened to the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Child marriage
- This week, the Gambia and Tanzania outlawed child marriages. Friday, the Tanzanian High Court — in a case filed by the Msichana Initiative, a lobbying group that advocates for girls’ right to education — ruled in favor of protecting girls from the harms of early marriage. And during a feast ending the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday, The Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced that child and forced marriages are banned. Jammeh called on the National Assembly to quickly take up the issue. (AP) (BBC) (Human Rights Watch)
2016 shooting of Dallas police officers
- Multiple gunshots strike the public safety headquarters of the San Antonio, Texas, Police Department. No injuries are reported. (USA Today)

Politics and elections

2016 Zimbabwe protests
- The Zimbabwe economy is crippled after a week of protests as a result of dissatisfaction with the regime of Robert Mugabe. (The Telegraph)
Nauruan parliamentary election, 2016
- Voters in Nauru go to the polls for an election. The President of Nauru Baron Waqa is reelected in his constituency. (Radio New Zealand), (ABC News Australia)
United States presidential elections, 2016
- Green Party presumptive presidential candidate Jill Stein invites Bernie Sanders to take over her place as the party’s nominee. (International Business Times)

Sport

2016 Wimbledon Championships – Women’s Singles
- In tennis, American defending champion Serena Williams defeats Angelique Kerber of Germany in straight sets to win her seventh Wimbledon Championships title and her 22nd Grand Slam title, tying the Open era record held by Steffi Graf. (BBC)

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August 23, 2016

Top News Stories –

Virgin challenges Jeremy Corbyn train footage –
Virgin Trains has questioned footage showing Jeremy Corbyn sitting on the floor of a “ram-packed” service. In a film shown on The Guardian, the Labour leader said he was experiencing a problem “many passengers face every day” on the London to Newcastle train. But Virgin said CCTV showed Mr Corbyn and his team walking past available seating before starting filming. It says the crew helped him to a carriage where seats were available and he sat for the rest of his journey. On one level, this is a story that appears trivial – about whether a politician could find a seat on a train. But it is fast developing into a political row between the leader of the opposition and one of Britain’s biggest rail firms. [BBC]
Jeremy_Corbyn

Video of the Day –

“DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION” — A Bad Lip Reading

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- In a raid on Boko Haram Islamists’ northeast heartland, Nigeria’s air force kills senior militants and possibly fatally wounds their leader, Abubakar Shekau. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A U.S. service member becomes the first U.S. military combat casualty in Afghanistan since January 2016 when he is killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol near the city of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan‘s southern Helmand Province. Another American service member and six Afghan soldiers were also injured in the blast. (NBC News)
August 2016 Thailand bombings
- Two bombs explode at the Southern Hotel in Pattani killing one person and injuring 30. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Philippine officials believe they may have recovered biggest natural giant clam pearl in the world — weighing 34kg. Officials are awaiting confirmation from gemologists that the find is indeed the world’s largest pearl. If confirmed, it will beat the current record holder, the Pearl of Lao Tzu, which weighs 6.4kg. (BBC)

Business and economy

Former presenter Andrea Tantaros sues Fox News by accusing the network of being a “sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult.” (The Washington Post)
New U.S. single-family home sales unexpectedly rose in July, reaching their highest level in nearly nine years as demand increased broadly. (Reuters)

Health

2015–16 Zika virus epidemic
- The first infection outside Miami in Florida is discovered in Pinellas County. (Fox News)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations, North Korea–United States relations
- In response to the annual military drills, North Korea threatens to destroy Seoul and Washington, D.C. through nuclear weapons if provoked. Both South Korea and the United States insist the drills are for defense. (News.com.au)
- According to South Korean officials, North Korea has laid landmines on the northern side of the so-called Bridge of No Return near the village of Panmunjom in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to block potential defection by its own soldiers. (Yonhap) (Reuters)
Turkey–United States relations, Turkish government – Gülen Movement conflict
- The United States Department of State says Turkey has formally requested the extradition of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gülen and is now considering the merits of the request. (Sky News)

Law and crime

2015 Bangkok bombing
- A Thai military court commences the trial of two Uighurs from the People’s Republic of China with the bombing of a popular shrine in Bangkok that killed 20 people. (AP via Star Tribune)
Philippine Drug War
- The Philippine human rights commission says that the International Criminal Court may have jurisdiction over the mass killings. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The New York Times reports its Moscow bureau was targeted this month by hackers, believed to be Russian. While there is no evidence that the hackers were successful, the FBI is investigating. (Reuters)(AP via The New York Times)

Politics and elections

Melania Trump plans to sue The Daily Mail and Politico after the publications allege that she worked as an escort. (CNN)

Sports

2016 Summer Paralympics
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds a ban of Russian athletes from next month’s Paralympics over its state-sponsored doping program. (BBC)(CNN)

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