December 6, 2014

Top News Stories –

Typhoon Hagupit hits the Philippines –
Typhoon Hagupit is sweeping across the eastern Philippines, threatening coastal areas with a powerful sea-surge. Roofs have been blown off in the city of Tacloban, where thousands were killed by Typhoon Haiyan a year ago and more than half a million people have fled coastal villages.

Slice of Prince William and Kate’s wedding cake sells for $6,000 at auction –
A wedding cake slice from the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been sold at an auction in Beverly Hills for $6,000 (£4,000).
The buyer of this romantic slice of history was bought by Gee Chuang, the CEO of online marketplace Listia.com, who plans to give away the piece of wedding cake on the company’s website in April of next year to celebrate the royal couple’s fourth wedding anniversary. The eight-tiered wedding cake, made by pastry chef Fiona Cairns and her team, was adorned with icing flowers, petals and leaves. [Daily Telegraph]

iPhone crash landing protection –
Apple Inc was granted a patent last week on an innovation that can detect when a handset is falling – and rotates it to avoid the screen hitting the ground. If sensors calculate the screen or camera will hit the ground, a motor is instantly activated within the phone which moves an internal weight fast enough to affect the ‘rotational velocity’ of the device and spin it around so that it lands on a reinforced area. The idea could also work with iPads and other devices.

Al-Qaeda hostage killed during rescue mission –
Luke Somers, a US journalist who was being held captive in Yemen since 2013, has been shot by his captors during a a military operation to rescue him and later died. A video was released earlier this week showing a member of al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) threatening to kill Mr Somers unless unspecified demands are met.

Video of the Day –

I’ve fallen and I can’t get up – Crowd dynamics test using Miarmy for Maya

I've fallen, and I can't get up! from Dave Fothergill vfx on Vimeo.

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December 7, 2014

Top News Stories –

Foggy wins down under –
Former motorbike rider Carl Fogarty, four time winner of the World Superbike Championship, has won the British “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” in Australia. The 49-year-old known as Foggy beat former X Factor contestant Jake Quickenden and TV presenter Melanie Sykes in the final of the ITV show.
Carl Fogarty

LA Galaxy win MLS again –
Californian soccer team LA Galaxy have won a fifth Major League Soccer (MLS) title with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the championship-deciding MLS Cup. LA have won three of the last four league titles and Irish striker Robbie Keane grabbed an extra-time winner to give the Galaxy the victory after New England’s Chris Tierney had cancelled out Gyasi Zardes’ opener for LA. (See List of The Day)
Robbie Keane

Royal US visit starts –
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived in New York for a tour of the east coast of the United States during which Prince William will meet President Barack Obama. The Royal couple previously met the Obama’s after their wedding in 2011.
The Royals meeting the President and Mrs Obama in London in 2011

Not out of the woods yet –
Tiger Woods return to competition golf ends badly as he finishes last in the 18 player Hero World Challenge tournament in Florida and is physically sick on the fairway. He has not played competitively for four months due to back pain.
Tiger Woods

Video of the Day –

SYNC from Hasraf HaZ Dulull on Vimeo.

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December 13, 2014

Ben Haenow wins X Factor 2014 –
Ben Haenow has been named this year’s UK X Factor winner after going head-to-head with Fleur East in the 2014 final at Wembley Arena. The singer from Croydon, south London, was chosen by a public vote with over 10 million votes cast. Mel B the former Spice Girl and one of the four judges, missed the final due to illness. Tulisa Contostavlos stood in as her replacement.
Mel B

FIFA dismiss complaints over report –
A complaint by US lawyer Michael Garcia who spent two years investigating World Cup corruption claims for Fifa has been dismissed by football’s governing body. Garcia’s findings were released as a 42-page summary by FIFA-appointed independent judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. Garcia said his summary was “incomplete and erroneous”. There have been calls to release the full report in the wake of Garcia’s complaint, but FIFA president Sepp Blater has said it cannot do so for legal reasons.
Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Tournament Announcement in 2007

Indecent proposal –
A Dutchman’s attempt at a romantic wedding proposal using a mobile crane has resulted in the crane falling over and smashing into a neighbour’s roof. The man had rented a crane in the central town of Ijsselstein to descend in front of his girlfriend’s bedroom window, play her a song and ask her to marry him. Despite the disaster, in which no-one was hurt, his girlfriend accepted his offer.

Video of the Day –

Our Streets –

OUR STREETS from Jared Rosenthal on Vimeo.

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December 30, 2014

Top News Stories –

Royal wedding – well close –
Celebrity couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Yantes get married at the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral of Cubao in Quezon City, Philippines.
Dingdong Yantes and Marian Rivera

WBA knock out –
Alan Irvine becomes the second managerial casualty of the English Premier League season as West Bromwich Albion fire him after 7 months in charge.
Alan Irvine

Bad pirates –
Figures from TorrentFreak.com show that Game of Thrones was the most pirated TV in 2014 with over 8.1 million illegal downloads. See list of the day.
Peter Dinklage

Nut incident exec arrested –
Cho Hyun-ah, a former Korean Air executive who delayed a plane over how nuts were served has been detained shortly after a court in South Korea granted a warrant for her arrest. [see original story December 8th 2014]

Video of the Day –

Cinema Dehors from Filippo Rivetti on Vimeo.

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January 15, 2015

Top News Stories –

Frantic Swiss franc trading –
The Swiss franc has increased in value over the Euro by 30% from 1.20 to the euro to 0.80 in just 30 minutes before settling back at 1.03 Swiss francs to 1 euro. The frantic trading that caused this was a result of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoning the cap linking the two currencies together that had been in place since September 2011. At the same time SNB reduced a key interest rate from -0.25% to -0.75%, effectively increasing the amount investors have to pay to hold Swiss deposits with no return on investment.

Google glaze over –
Google announce that they are to stop making the $1500 Google Glass smart glasses and start developing “future versions of Glass”. Google Glass was originally launched in the US in 2013.

Ginola for President? –
Former French football international and hair product model David Ginola announces he will run for the presidency of FIFA against Sepp Blatter and Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein but he will need the support of 5 football associations to enter the race. Ginola is being paid £250,000 by betting firm Paddy Power, who deny the campaign was a publicity stunt.
David Ginola

Date a Neanderthal –
A science centre in Bristol, England is to host a “Neanderthal speed dating” event and is looking for two actors to improvise “early hominids” and will supply “suitable wigs and fur”. The adult-only Valentine’s evening would give visitors a chance to think about whether they would date “homo neanderthalensis”.

Video of the Day –

Google Glass as it was meant to be.

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January 17, 2015

Fake US tweets of start of World War 3 –
The New York Post and United Press International (UPI) have had their Twitter accounts hacked and fake tweets on economic and military news posted. On UPI’s Twitter feed the Pope was quoted as saying that “World War III has begun” and the NY Post had a tweet that hostilities had broken out between the United States and China. The attacks follow the ones on US Central Command on 12th January 2015.

Stephen Fry gets married –
Comedian, actor and QI presenter Stephen Fry (57) marries his 27-year-old partner Elliot Spencer and announced it in a tweet:

His “A Bit of Fry and Laurie” comedy partner and star of House M.D. Hugh Laurie responded with his own tweet:

Plans for the wedding at Dereham Registration Office in Norfolk were revealed on January 6th 2015

New running on water record –
Shi Liliang, a monk from Quanzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province, has broken his own record for running on plywood sheets floating on water. He managed a distance of 120 meters in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan province breaking his previous best of 118 meters that he had kept.

Video of the Day –

A Guide to Cracks & Curbs: London from Stay Wild on Vimeo.
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January 18, 2015

Top News Stories –

Pope takes Mass with 6 million people –
Pope Francis finishes his tour of the Philippines giving Mass in front of an estimated 6 million people in Rizal Park in the capital Manila. This appears to be a record attendance for a papal event eclipsing the 5 million who saw Pope John Paul II in Manila in 1995.

AB de Villers gets fastest ODI ton –
A new record for the fastest 100 in a one-day international (ODI) by South Africa batsman AB de Villiers who hit a century off 31 balls during an innings of 149 against the West Indies in Johannesburg. Including 8 fours and 10 sixes to beat the previous ODI record of 36 balls by New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson against West Indies on January 1st 2015 but doesn’t match Chris Gayle’s 100 from 30 balls in the Indian Premier League on April 23rd 2013. See List of the Day below.

Vonn’s record causes Tiger to lose a tooth –
American skier Lindsey Vonn (@lindseyvonn) has won her 63rd World Cup downhill title with a win in the super-G race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy overtaking the record set by Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell over 35 years ago. Vonn’s boyfriend is golfer Tiger Woods who surprised her by being at the podium after the event. In the media scrum to get pictures of the skier a hand-held camera knocked out one of Wood’s front teeth. She celebrated with this tweet:

Lindsey Vonn

Video of the Day –

Wetness from The Coastal Crew on Vimeo.

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January 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

Syriza party wins Greek election –
In the Greece general election Alexis Tsipras’ party wins a clear victory with a projected 149 seats. The Syriza party ran on an anti-austerity ticket and has vowed to reverse many of the austerity measures adopted by Greece since a series of bailouts began in 2010. The party first came to prominence following the 2008 Greek riots.
Alexis Tsipras

Prime Minister, call on line hoax –
A hoax caller pretending to be GCHQ director Robert Hannigan today managed to get through to the British Minister on the phone; David Cameron quickly realised it was not the GCHQ head and ended the call.
GCHQ director Robert Hannigan

Proposal racquet down under –
At the Australian Open tennis tournament a man in the crowd proposed to his girlfriend during Novak Djokovic’s third round match against Fernando Verdasco. When the woman accepted the proposal the crowd and players burst into applause.

Rihanna new single rocks Twitter with #FourFiveSeconds –
Rihanna releases her new single Four Five Seconds, the first release from her new album and it features Kanye West and someone called Paul McCartney who has worked with a few stars before (see List of the day).
Rihanna

Video of the Day –

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January 30, 2015

Top News Stories –

Suge Knight arrested after fatal car incident –
Marion “Suge” Knight who founded Death Row Records with Dr Dre in 1991, gives himself up for arrest after a fatal hit-and-run incident in Compton, Los Angeles. Police and witnesses said Knight drove his truck over two men in the car park of a restaurant killing one (his friend Terry Carter, a record label owner in Compton) and injuring the other (Cle “Bone” Sloan). Bail is set at $2m. In 1996 Knight was driving a BMW in Las Vegas in 1996 when gunmen in another vehicle shot his passenger, the rapper Tupac Shakur who later died.
Suge Knight

Jay Z takes on Dr Dre in world of streaming –
Rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z who earned over $60 million in 2014 places a $56m bid for Scandinavian company Aspiro, the company behind streaming services WiMP a direct rival to Spotify in Scandinavia. Aspiro also have a higher-resolution version called WiMP HiFi that was rebranded as Tidal when it launched in the UK and US in October 2014. If Jay Z succeeds in the bid he will be competing with Dr Dre’s Beats Music, the streaming service bought by Apple as part of a $3bn acquisition of its parent company Beats Electronics in 2014.
Jay Z

Out of the woods but into a cactus –
Tiger Woods records the worst round of his professional career with an 11-over-par 82 in the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Woods carded six bogeys, two double bogeys, a triple bogey and two birdies and left the ball in the middle of a cactus.
Tiger Woods

David Ginola pulls out of the Fifa presidential election –
David Ginola fails to secure the backing of five football associations, a requirement for standing in the FIFA presidential election and hpulls out of the challenge. Ginola was paid £250,000 by betting firm Paddy Power, which denied the campaign was a publicity stunt.
David Ginola

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February 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

Super Bowl gets super viewing figures –
Yesterday’s Super Bowl saw America’s highest-ever overnight ratings with New England Patriots late win over Seattle. The Nielsen ratings company said that 49.7 percent of the homes in the nation’s largest media markets were watching the game, up four percent over last year’s game which was seen by 111.5 million. Later information revealed viewing figures of 114.4 million on NBC, the largest audience for a U.S. television program in history.

Apple feeling a bit broke –
Apple is issuing bonds today which are expected to raise at least $5bn (£3.3bn) mainly to be used to help the company return more than $130bn to shareholders by the end of this year. Despite the company sitting on a cash pile of $142bn almost 90% of the cash is held outside the US, and it would have to pay a corporate tax rate of 35% if it returned the money from abroad, so it is borrowing the money instead.

The there’s muck there’s… gold –
Staff cleaning unused dirty lockers at a school in the city of Ahmedabad, western India, uncover 2kg in gold bars and 10m rupees in cash ($160,000; £108,000). The clean up was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Clean India” campaign. Two unused lockers in the staff room had no keys, so staff broke into them and made the discovery. According to police, the solid gold is worth nearly 6m rupees. No-one has claimed ownership.

My BMW has a virus –
BMW patches a security flaw that meant 2.2 million cars fitted with BMW’s ConnectedDrive software, including Rolls Royces and Minis, were open to hackers. The software operated door locks, air conditioning and traffic updates and although no cars have actually been hacked, the flaw was identified by German motorist association ADAC.

Video of the Day –

Top 10 Superbowl commercials

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March 17, 2015

Top News Stories –

Judges sacked for watching porn in office –
Three judges have been sacked for viewing pornographic material via their official IT accounts, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office has said.
The pornography was not illegal in content, a spokesman added. However the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice concluded it was an “inexcusable misuse” of their official accounts and “wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office holder”. District Judge Timothy Bowles, Immigration Judge Warren Grant and Deputy District Judge and Recorder Peter Bullock have been removed from office. [BBC]

Swiss plan for Europe’s tallest skyscraper… in ski-resort –
Plans are being drawn up to build the tallest skyscraper in Europe at a remote spa resort high in the Swiss Alps. The proposed 1,250-feet high building would tower over London’s Shard, which measures a mere 1,015 feet. Developers want to build it on the outskirts of Vals, a tiny spa town of just 1,000 people, nestled 4,000 feet up in the Swiss Alps. It is a proposed luxury hotel, aimed at guests from the Middle East and Asia. The proposed tower will reportedly contain around 100 suites, with the cheapest priced at around 1,000 Swiss francs (£675) a night, and the most expensive at an eye-watering 25,000 Swiss francs (£16,000). [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party has won a surprise victory in Israel’s election. Exit polls had forecast a dead heat but with almost all votes counted, results give Likud a clear lead over its main rival, the centre-left Zionist Union. The outcome gives Mr Netanyahu a strong chance of forming a right-wing coalition government. It puts the incumbent on course to clinch a fourth term and become Israel’s longest-serving prime minster. [BBC]
Benjamin Netanyahu

Never slip on ice again with glass shard shoes –
Slipping on ice need never happen again after scientists invented a new type of rubber sole for shoes which allows the wearer to walk easily, even up treacherous slopes. Canadian researchers have developed a new material which contains microscopic glass fibres which act as tiny spikes, gripping the ground in even the most nerve-jangling icy weather. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Leonard in Slow Motion from Peter Livolsi on Vimeo.

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May 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

Rogue Russian spacecraft burns up in Earth’s atmosphere –
The Russian space agency says that its out-of-control spacecraft has burnt up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Re-entry was over the Pacific, it said, and only a few fragments were expected to hit the sea. The unmanned cargo ship was launched from Kazakhstan on 28 April, but control was lost soon afterwards. The Progress M-27M was carrying more than three tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station. A Roscosmos spokesman told Reuters that the loss was valued at 2.59 billion roubles ($50.7m; £32.9m). [BBC]
The International Space Station

Nigella Lawson: US show The Taste axed by ABC –
Nigella Lawson’s US cookery show The Taste has been axed by TV network ABC after two series, following a dramatic ratings slump. The cooking competition lost more than half its viewers, falling from highs of seven million to less than three million viewers on New Year’s Day. Channel 4 axed the UK version of The Taste last year after just one series. [BBC]
Nigella Lawson

Freddie Flintoff shops his wife for driving off without paying for fuel –
England cricket hero Andrew Flintoff was contacted by police about driving off without paying for fuel – before revealing to the world the culprit was actually his wife. The 37-year-old – known by his nickname Freddie – received a letter from police in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to say someone using his car had left a petrol station without paying. After bailing his wife out by paying the unknown amount, Flintoff then told his 1.6m Twitter followers who was behind the incident, on Monday. Explaining his wife, Rachael, had forgotten to settle the fuel bill while paying for shopping, he even joked that police should “feel free to come round and take her!” [Daily Telegraph] Flintoff won the Australian version of “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” in March.
© Flintoff11
Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff

Video of the Day –

RC Gymkhana – The guys at HPI Racing put their own spin on Ken Block’s Gymkhana 6 using an RC car and a 1/18-scale track.

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May 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

‘Dancing Man’ Sean O’Brien parties in Los Angeles –
A British man who attracted global support after “fat-shaming” images of him were posted online has attended a party in his honour in Los Angeles.
Liverpudlian Sean O’Brien, who now lives in London, was trolled in March after being spotted dancing at a gig. He was dubbed “The Dancing Man” by a social media campaign to uncover his identity and offer support. During his LA trip he has been feted by stars, appeared on TV shows and thrown the first pitch at an LA Dodgers game. Campaigner Monica Lewinsky, musicians Andrew WK and Moby attended his party, while Pharrell Williams recorded a special video message of support that was played at the party. [BBC]
Sean O’Brien aka Dancing Man

Galapagos volcano erupts for first time in 30 years –
A volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted for the first time in more than 30 years on Monday, spilling streams of bright orange lava and raising fears for the world’s only colony of pink iguanas. The Galapagos National Park warned on Twitter that Isabela Island, where Wolf Volcano erupted at dawn, holds “the world’s only population” of the critically endangered Conolophus marthae, also known as the Galapagos rosy iguana. [Daily Telegraph]
Wolf Volcano
Galapagos pink iguana (Conolophus marthae)

Instagram spams users with ‘highlights’ from their friends’ feeds –
Instagram has started sending unsolicited emails to users with a selection of posts from their friends’ news feeds, in an attempt to re-engage people who have drifted away from the social network. Like Twitter, Instagram presents updates in reverse-chronological order, meaning that the posts people see when they log on are simply the most recent – not necessarily the most relevant. While this is an effective way of keeping people’s news feeds fresh, it also creates the risk that users miss the most interesting content, due to the constant stream of updates cascading through their news feeds. Instagram’s email updates are designed to offer a more curated experience, presenting users with only the most popular content from their network of contacts, TechCrunch reports. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dior Secret Garden IV – Versailles – Long Version
In the Palace of Versailles and surrounded by darkness, Rihanna lights up the screen in this exclusive short film from the Secret Garden IV campaign, shot by Steven Klein.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#charliecharliechallenge	Ray McDonald	#charliecharliechallenge
2	EU TE AMO LIAM	#MemorialDay	#BankHolidayMonday
3	#PSYAngUnangPagIbig	#YouWontHearMeSay	#ReplaceMovieTitlesWithPubes
4	#MeCaesMalSi	#RIPGrandmaSepi	#3Queens
5	#MemorialDay	#MallMovies	#AfricaDay
6	#RIPGrandmaSepi	Which Beyoncé Song Are You	#MOTD
7	#OrgulloFriki	Ancelotti	Norwich
8	#UberSeQueda	#AfricaDay	#ENGvNZ
9	Enem	#charliecharliechallenge	Trevor Bayliss
10	Felices 114	#LHHWedding	#BGTlive

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bomber and gunmen attack a court building in the provincial capital of Maidan Shahr in Maidan Wardak resulting in the deaths of two police officers and four of the attackers. (Tolo News)
Thirteen Kenyan police officers are missing after an Al-Shabaab ambush in Garissa County. (Standard Digital)

International relations

The President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou proposes a mechanism for resolving disputes in the South China Sea. (The Guardian)
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will participate in Exercise Talisman Saber, a joint exercise between the United States and Australia for the first time in July. (AFP via ABC Australia)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2015
- Flash floods, tornadoes and dangerous thunderstorms have so far claimed 8 lives with 12 people missing in the American states of Texas andOklahoma with more rain on the way. (NBC News)
- Flash flood warnings are now in place in eight states with flood waters causing closures of roads, rail services and buses in the fourth largest city in the US Houston. (NBC News)
2015 India heat wave
- The death toll from the heat wave passes 800 as the roads in the capital New Delhi melting in the heat. (AFP via AsiaOne)

Law and crime

A petition to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines is filed in the Supreme Court. (Rappler)

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June 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

Fifa’s Sepp Blatter resigns Fifa presidency and is ‘under investigation in US’ –
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is being investigated by US officials as part of their inquiry into corruption at the world football body, US media say.
The news came hours after Mr Blatter announced that he was stepping down from his role. US prosecutors launched a criminal inquiry last week, with seven Fifa officials arrested in Switzerland, part of a group of 14 people indicted. Two days after the arrests, Mr Blatter was re-elected president of Fifa. However, he said on Tuesday that it appeared the mandate he had been given “does not seem to be supported by everyone in the world”. [BBC]
Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Tournament Announcement in 2007

Kim Kardashian catches fire at awards dinner –
Kim Kardashian has already got enough on her plate, what with her expecting her second child and all. So it probably didn’t help when her first outing since announcing her happy news ended in flames. Not actual Kim Kardashian, but her dress at the CFDA Awards. The feathers on her see-through embellished dress brushed against a candle, and she needed some A-list emergency help to put her out. Luckily Pharrell (sans big hat) and his wife Helen were nearby to “jump” on her to pat Kim out. [BBC] See List of the Day
Kim Kardashian Instagram

Four teenagers air-lifted to hospital with serious injuries on roller-coaster crash at Alton Towers –
Five people were hospitalised and a further eleven required medical attention yesterday following a crash on an Alton Towers roller-coaster that the theme park described as the worst in its 35-year history. Two men aged 27 and 18 and two women aged 19 and 17, were airlifted to hospital after suffering serious leg injuries and another man aged 20 was treated for neck and abdominal injury before being taken to hospital by land ambulance. A dozen riders were released one at a time over four hours after being stranded 25ft in the air at an angle of 45 degrees when a carriage carrying 16 people crashed into an empty carriage on The Smiler ride, which has a top speed of 50mph. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Winners of the 2015 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards

Semi-Permanent 2015 Opening Titles. from Raoul Marks – MARXº on Vimeo.

List of the day –

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row

Menswear Designer of the Year: Tom Ford

Accessories Designer of the Year: Tabitha Simmons

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Rosie Assoulin

Swarovski Award for Menswear: Shayne Oliver for Hood by Air

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavrielfor Mansur Gavriel

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Betsey Johnson

The Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Instagram

The Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert: Millard “Mickey” Drexler, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of J.Crew Group, Inc.

International Award: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	MC Dinero	#WearingOrange	#BeatlesRecipes
2	Charles Kennedy	Nick Young	#CharityTuesday
3	#EstoyHartoDe	Mike Huckabee	Charles Kennedy
4	#FelizMartes	#BeatlesRecipes	Big Trouble in Little China
5	#QueBroncaCuando	#SummerOfAnswers	Alton Towers
6	#MiEstrategiaEnTuiterEs	Charles Kennedy	#nusnec
7	#bringbackmagcon	#BadTeamBuildingActivities	Jeremy Hunt
8	Drake Bell	Fallout 4	#bringbackmagcon
9	Fallout 4	#ImNotHappyIf	#CFDAAwards
10	Flor de la V	Swaggy P	Fallout 4

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015)
- Armed tribesmen kill 18 Houthi fighters in an ambush in Yemen‘s Ibb Governorate. (Reuters)
Communist insurgency in the Philippines
- Adelberto Silva, the highest ranked leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army, has been arrested. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Boko Haram
- A suicide bombing in the city of Maiduguri in the north of Nigeria kills 20 people. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Indian heat wave
- The official death toll from the Indian heat wave rises to 2,330 with meteorologists warning that relief from the monsoon season could still be days away. (CNN)
Sinking of the Dong Fang Zhi Xing
- Rescue efforts continue for people on board the ship that sank on the Yangtze River in China‘s Hubei province with over 450 people on board. So far, fewer than 12 have been rescued and five bodies recovered. (New York Times), (CNN)
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- Two brothers whose father was on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 last year when it disappeared receive compensation from the government ofMalaysia and Malaysian Airlines. (AP via Asian Correspondent)

Health

Two people die of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea. (NBC News)

Law and crime

Beijing bans smoking in indoor public places, including offices, shopping malls, restaurants, bars and airports, and in outdoor public places, including hospitals and schools. (CNN)
Thai Army Lieutenant General Manus Kongpan is suspended after police order his arrest on involvement in people trafficking. (Reuters via ABC Online)
2013 Boston Marathon bombings
- Dias Kadyrbayev, a college friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is sentenced to six years for obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges after Kadyrbayev removed incriminating evidence from Tsarnaev‘s college dorm room. (CBS Local)

Politics and elections

The United States Senate passes the USA Freedom Act, which will transfer the responsibility of Americans’ bulk telephone metadata collection from the National Security Agency to telephone companies. (The Guardian)

Sport

2015 FIFA corruption case
- Sepp Blatter announces that he will resign as President of FIFA as a result of the corruption scandals with an emergency congress to be called as soon as possible. (BBC) (RTÉ News)
- In Cricket, New Zealand beats England by 199 runs to draw the test series. (Telegraph)

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June 5, 2015

Top News Stories –

Southampton footballers set new world record for longest match –
A new world record for the longest football match has been set at St Mary’s, the home of Southampton FC, after a 102 hour-long charity game. The 36 players, from the Testlands Support Project, a Southampton charity, played on until 00:30 BST on Friday to break the previous record, of 101 hours. The players took turns to take breaks to eat, get physiotherapy and sleep. They began the 11-a-side match at 18:30 on Sunday, scoring over 1,600 goals. The Reds went on to beat the Whites 910-725. [BBC]

Surprising pop star facts revealed by YouTube –
YouTube reveals statistics, usually only visible to those behind the scenes, showing some bizarre trends about the world’s biggest stars. They show that Taylor Swift is twice as popular in Bangkok in Thailand than New York, for example. Or that One Direction are huge in Quezon City, the Philippines, as well as Mexico City. The Artist Insights service was unveiled on Wednesday. Google says it means musicians will be able to see the cities where they have the largest number of fans. The records go back to September 2014 and include original versions of the artist’s videos as well as fan shares and re-uploads. [BBC Newsbeat] See List of the Day

Taylor Swift

‘Female Viagra’ to boost women’s libido one step closer –
The development of a pill to boost women’s libido is one step closer after an American panel recommended the approval of the female equivalent of Viagra. A panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers has voted in favour of recommending flibanserin, a daily pill nicknamed the “female Viagra”. The recommendation will be seen as a major coup for campaigners who have fought for women’s sex drives to receive the same level of medical attention as men’s. The decision will now be passed to the FDA itself, which will rule on whether the pill will be officially approved for public use later this year. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Trick Meter from Simeon Duncombe on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Taylor Swift’s YouTube fanbase by country (September 2014 – June 5, 2015) – Data from YouTube Artist Insights

United States

678,418,914 total views

United Kingdom

204,980,705 total views

Mexico

190,668,351 total views

Philippines

158,830,256 total views

Brazil

145,212,778 total views

Thailand

116,673,111 total views

Canada

100,100,885 total views

Japan

77,336,118 total views

France

67,362,320 total views

Republic of Indonesia

66,044,140 total views

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#PSYYnaAtAngelo	#NationalDonutDay	#FirstYearAdvice
2	#ComoDiceUnaCancion	#WorldEnvironmentDay	#FridayFeeling
3	#DiaMundialdelMedioAmbiente	#RubioCrimeSpree	#WorldEnvironmentDay
4	#NBAFinals	#NBASongs	#BBCMusicDay
5	#NationalDonutDay	#FlashbackFriday	Jerry Collins
6	Warriors	#USMNT	#NBAFinals
7	#الهلال_النصر	Chris Brown	#NationalDonutDay
8	#WorldEnvironmentDay	Ferris Bueller	#NationalFishandChipDay
9	Jerry Collins	Pat Venditte	#bbcqt
10	Chris Brown	Jerry Collins	#aqabiology

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

A bomb explodes in a marketplace in Yola, Nigeria, killing 31 and injuring dozens of others. (AP), (CNN)
Two people are killed and more than a hundred injured as bombs explode at rallies held by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party two days ahead of the general election in Diyarbakir. (AP)

Business and economy

Nestlé temporarily removes its Maggi noodles product from the shelves in India following a health scare. (Economic Times)

Disasters and accidents

Sinking of the Dong Fang Zhi Xing
- The death toll from the sinking of the ship on the Yangtze River rises to 82 with officials giving up hope of finding more survivors. Only 15 out of over 450 people on the boat were rescued. (Sky News Australia)
Two bodies have been removed from Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu following the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Malaysia‘s Sabah province Friday morning. Previously-stranded climbers, reported at 137, have descended to the Laban Rata resthouse. (The Star) (CNN) (Asia Straits Times) (The Rakyat Post)
2015 Accra explosion
- The death toll from an explosion at a gasoline station on Wednesday in the Ghanaian capital Accra rises to over 200. (Zee News)

Health

2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in South Korea
- Four people have now died of MERS in South Korea with five new cases reported. (AFP via Bangkok Post)

International relations

Benigno Aquino, the President of the Philippines, says that his government will start discussions with Japan about allowing Japan Self-Defense Forces to refuel at Filipino bases allowing the extension of operations into the South China Sea. (Reuters via Daily Mail)

Law and crime

Eight out of the ten allegedly involved in shooting Pakistani schoolgirl and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai have been secretly set free.(BBC)
Prosecutors in the state of Minnesota file criminal charges against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for allegedly mishandling sexual abuse allegations by a priest. (New York Times)

Politics and elections

Romania‘s National Anticorruption Directorate announces that it is investigating the Prime Minister Victor Ponta for alleged money laundering, forgery and corruption. Ponta denies the allegations and is refusing to stand down. (CNN)

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June 30, 2015

June 30th 2015

Top News Stories –

1 second lie-in tonight –
At 11:59:59pm today, the clock struck 11:59:60pm a ‘leap second’ to compensate for the slowing of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The last time the world added a leap second, in 2012, major websites including Reddit, Foursquare, Yelp and LinkedIn were not being programmed to deal with an unexpected extra second and crashed. To avoid this Google have added fractions of a second to programmes over the last year, a technique known as a “leap smear”. Scientists at the the International Earth Rotation Service and Paris Observatory say this allows “Earth time” to catch up to “atomic time” and will be the 26th leap second since 1972. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends

Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner to divorce –
Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner say they have made “the difficult decision to divorce”. The couple have been married since 2005 and have three children between the ages of three and nine. In a statement they said: “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children”. [BBC]
Ben Affleck

Apple Music Makes Debut With D.J. Carrying the Flag –
“Into the unknown we go,” the D. J. Zane Lowe said just after noon on Tuesday, as he began his first show on Beats 1, the Internet radio station that is a big feature of Apple’s new music service. As Apple Music opened on Tuesday — most listeners found it as part of an update of Apple’s mobile operating system — much of the attention turned to Beats 1, a live radio feed that in some ways functions as marketing for the entire service. Led by Mr. Lowe, who was born in New Zealand and became a top announcer on the BBC station Radio 1, Beats 1 is in some ways an old-fashioned radio station, with D. J.s, promotional recordings — “carts,” as they are in industry parlance, after the tape cartridges they used to fit on — and teases about new songs.
Zane Lowe tweet [@zanelowe]

Donna Karan Steps Down as Head of Iconic Brand –
In a major shift for American fashion, Donna Karan, the 66-year-old founder and chief designer of Donna Karan International, a brand that defined the way American working women dressed for decades, announced on Tuesday that she was leaving the helm of the house that bears her name. Ms. Karan will remain as an adviser to Donna Karan International, but devote more time to her Urban Zen line, which centers on wellness and artisanal goods, and its foundation. [NY Times]

Video of the Day –

Asking Siri 0 divided by 0 [See Top Twitter Trends – “Siri”]

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#CoolForTheSummerIn1Day	#HowToKeepYourGirlHappy	#leapsecond
2	#VentajasDeSerSoltero	#leapsecond	#HeatWave
3	#LeyMordaza	Siri	John Noakes
4	#TeenWolfSeason5	Apple Music	Siri
5	#FelizMartes	#AnnoyYourPartnerIn5Words	Congolese
6	Siri	#SummerACeleb	#AppleMusic
7	Apple Music	#SMDay	#mpconf15
8	#MeEnamoraQue	#AskBobby	#charitytuesday
9	#TeLaResumoEn3Palabras	Cookie Monster	#TeenWolfSeason5
10	新幹線	Misty Copeland	Kauto Star

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
- Some 1,200 people escape from a Yemeni prison including al Qaeda members. (AP via TVNZ)

Business and economy

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
- Seven out of 57 countries defer joining the China-dominated bank. While most of them cite temporary procedural constraints at home, political reasons are involved with the case of the Philippines amid a territorial dispute with China in South China Sea. (The Wall Steet Journal), (The Philippine Star)
Greek government-debt crisis
- The Greek bailout program by the European Union ends today with Greece failing to make a payment to the International Monetary Fund.(AP), (AP) (AFP via The Australian)
British reinsurance broker the Willis Group announces a merger with American company Towers Watson to create an $18 billion company. (FT)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Indonesian military plane crash
- A Hercules C-130 military aircraft with 113 people onboard crashes in a residential area in the Indonesian city of Medan, resulting in at least 116 deaths. (AP), (BBC) (NBC News)
A man self-immolates aboard a Nozomi Shinkansen train running from Tokyo to Osaka; the man and another passenger die. Eleven others were reported injured. (NHK World)

Health

The Governor of California Jerry Brown signs a law making all children get vaccinations before being allowed to go to school or day care. (SFgate)

Law and crime

The Supreme Court of the Philippines asks the government to respond to a petition seeking to repeal a law banning same-sex marriage in the country. (Rappler)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016:
- New Jersey governor Chris Christie formally announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election. (CNN)

Science and technology

A leap second is added to the clock for the first time in 3 years. (BBC)

Sports

The United States defeats Germany 2-0 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to reach the Final of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. (CNN)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 9, 2015

Top News Stories –

Parisians will be swimming in the Seine by 2024, promises French capital’s mayor –
Paris’ Socialist mayor on Thursday pledged to have resident of the French capital swimming in the Seine river by 2024, in her latest bid to clean up the city. Anne Hidalgo made the promise days after kicking off Paris’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, after the city lost out to London in 2012.
She said it was her dearest wish that the swimming phase of the Games’ triathlon “should take place in the Seine”. Contestants for the event in London took to Hyde Park’s Serpentine. [Daily Telegraph]

Anne Hidalgo

French police allowed to sport beards and tattoos –
French policeman are finally going to be allowed to let their hair down a little after unions won a battle to relax rules on officers sporting beards and tattoos. While London recently went wild over a “hipster cop” spotted policing a far-Right march, there have been no known sightings of any Gallic equivalents, with policemen in France famous for their short-cropped hair and clean-shaven look. That could all change, however, after the force’s Left-wing Force Ouvrière trade union representatives won a campaign for the right to grow beards and have tattoos. However, there are restrictions. Beards, the union stipulated, must remain “short-cropped”, “neat and compatible with the wearing of equipment”. Tattoos, meanwhile, “must not be racist, political, religious or xenophobic.” [Daily Telegraph]

Paris to allow cyclists to skip red lights –
Cyclists in Paris are to be allowed to ride through some red lights in a bid by the mayors office to get more people on their bikes. At several junctions there will be separate signals for cars and bikes, and while cars will be held by a red light, cyclists will be permitted to turn right or go straight ahead. In such scenarios, they would have to give way to pedestrians and other road users where necessary. The new road rules will be rolled out from the end of July, the mayors office said, adding in a statement that the new rules will “help improve the flow of cycle traffic”. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

100 Years of Men’s Fashion in 3 Minutes –

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#AlgoQueNecesitoYaEs	#IfIOnlyHad24HoursIWould	#Sherlock
2	High School Musical	#5ONTHEWALL	#BigSocial
3	ノーブラの日	#AyeMaMusicVideo	#5ONTHEWALL
4	DeAndre Jordan	#TakeASongToBreakfast	#LabWorks
5	#5ONTHEWALL	Lizzie McGuire	#LastRelationshipTaughtMe
6	#TeenChoice	South Carolina House	#TeenChoice
7	#سعود_الفيصل	That’s So Raven	Sharapova
8	#Gracias5eba	#SoNewOrleans	#TakeASongToBreakfast
9	#جده_ارهب_مدين�…	Chuck Blazer	Chuck Blazer
10	#FelizDiaDeLaIndependencia	#bayarealingochallenge	#tubestrikes

Other News Stories –

Business and economy

Chinese stock market collapse
- Values of Chinese stock markets drop despite efforts by the government to prevent a crisis. (CNN) (The Guardian)
- The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) imposes a six-month ban on stockholders owning more than 5 percent of a company’s stock from selling those stocks, resulting in a 6 percent rise in stock markets. (Reuters)
Puerto Rican debt crisis
- The United States Congress refuse to offer a bailout to Puerto Rico. (Politico)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Hong Kong starts closing schools as Typhoon Linfa approaches. (South China Morning Post)

International relations

Philippines v. China
- The Philippines asks the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague to invalidate China‘s claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The hearing was attended by observers from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. (AP viaThe Washington Post)
Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warns that violence can explode into armed conflict in Burundifollowing events of the current presidential election. (AP via ABC News America)

Politics and elections

The South Carolina House of Representatives agrees to a bill previously passed by the Senate to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol grounds with Governor Nikki Haley signing the legislation into law. (AP via ABC News America), (NBC)
Ugandan police arrest two presidential hopefuls, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and opposition leader Kizza Besigye. (AlJazeera)
Same-sex marriage in Puerto Rico
- The US Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit rules the ban in the region 2–1 unconstitutional, paving way for same-sex marriages. (Washington Blade)
- The health department announces issuing licenses early next month. (AP)
The European Parliament rejects a plan to abolish Freedom of Panorama. (Amateur Photographer)(NOS (Dutch)).
The Thai consulate in Istanbul is attacked by Turkish protestors after about a hundred Uighurs were deported by Thailand back to China despite concerns over persecution. (BBC)

Sports

2015 FIFA corruption case
- FIFA suspends former Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer for life for assorted ethical breaches including accepting bribes. (FIFA Governance)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 17, 2015

Top News Stories –

Jules Bianchi: F1 driver dies from Suzuka crash injuries –
French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi, 25, had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia into a recovery vehicle at October’s rain-hit race. His family said: “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end.” The Marussia team, now known as Manor, said Bianchi had left an “indelible mark on all our lives”.
Jules Bianchi

Video of the Day –

Ciara – Dance Like We’re Making Love

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#1DRADIOPARTY	#1DRADIOPARTY	#1DRADIOPARTY
2	#WorldEmojiDay	#WorldEmojiDay	#fridayfeeling
3	#SHESKINDAHOT	#SHESKINDAHOT	#WorldEmojiDay
4	Kiko Casilla	David Brooks	Eid Mubarak
5	#GrowingUpWithStrictParents	#EidMubarak	#SHESKINDAHOT
6	#BuenViernes	The Revenant	Fabian Delph
7	Fabian Delph	#LyricsThatShouldBeShouted	#GrowingUpWithStrictParents
8	Luis Coronel	#GrowingUpWithStrictParents	#DavisCup
9	時かけ	#Take10MinutesADayTo	James Holmes
10	Gawker	Gawker	Gawker

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram, Timeline of Boko Haram insurgency
- Suicide bombers killed at least 64 people in multiple blasts in the northeastern towns of Gombe and Damaturu, Nigeria. (WSJ via AP)(Local 10) (BBC)
- Niger’s army killed at least 30 suspected Boko Haram fighters as it searched for militants in villages just over the border with Nigeria. (NewsDay Zimbabwe)
At least six people are killed in clashes between supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian police. (BBC)
Iraq War (2014–present), ISIL
- A car bomb in Khan Bani Saad City massacres more than 100 people, mostly Shias, celebrating the Eid after end of Ramadan. ISIL claims responsibility. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Australian artist Nigel Milsom wins the 2015 Archibald Prize for a portrait of barrister Charles Waterstreet who represented Milsom when he was sentenced for armed robbery. (ABC News Australia)
Holy Trinity University, Puerto Princesa, Philippines has been named as a new center to research ancient Palawan man, Tabon Caves, and large sculptures found along Palawan’s coast.(Palawan-News)

Business and economy

Greek government-debt crisis
- Bundestag, the German lower house of parliament, approves Greece’s bailout plan by 439–119 with 40 abstained. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Nangka passes through the western part of the main Japanese island of Honshu, causing at least two deaths, widespread flooding and the evacuation of 100,000 people. (Reuters)
Indonesian volcano eruptions
- Thousands of Indonesians are stranded on the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan as five airports remain closed as a result of the eruption of the Raung and Gamalama volcanoes. (BBC)
At least five people are dead and three are missing after a coal mine in the Philippines province of Antique collapses. (AP)
Two commuter trains collide at the Booysens train station in Johannesburg, South Africa, injuring more than 250 people. (News24)

International relations

The People’s Republic of China releases 10 South African tourists held for allegedly distributing terrorist material. (News 24)
Ukraine expels Valery Shibeko, Russia’s top envoy to Odessa, after declaring the consulate general “persona non grata” for conducting unnamed activities “incompatible” with his diplomatic work. (AFP)

Law and crime

The Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary group, raid the Karachi headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party on the grounds that it had allegedly been producing hate speech, and arrest two people. (Reuters via Business Insider)
A man goes on a shooting spree in Maine, U.S., killing two people and wounding three others in the towns of Lee and Benedicta. A manhunt is executed, and the suspect is arrested in Houlton. (CBC)

Sport

List of world records in athletics
- Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia breaks the world record for women’s 1500 metres at the Herculis IAAF Diamond League event in Monacorunning three minutes 50.08 seconds. (BBC)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

July 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

Parking attendant ‘mistakenly gives away’ Grandmaster Flash’s car –
Hip-hop pioneer says he returned to garage to find his customised Dodge Charger had been given to someone “dressed like him”. When you leave your customised muscle car with a valet parking service in New York, you assume it is in safe hands.Particularly if you are a hip-hop superstar. But when Grandmaster Flash returned to the garage in Manhattan where he had left his Dodge Charger for two hours he was told by the attendant that his “whip” – slang for souped-up car – had been given to someone else. To make matters worse, he had left thousands of dollars of vintage vinyl in the car. [Daily Telegraph]

Has Kim Kardashian just fixed Twitter? –
Reality TV star wants to be able to edit misspelled tweets and Twitter co-founder says ‘great idea’. It is easily one of the most annoying things about Twitter: the inability to edit tweets that contain mistakes, spelling errors or just came out sounding a bit wrong. Instead, Twitter users have the delete the tweet, and repost a new version, which leads to all kinds of problems if the earlier tweet had been retweeted, and on it goes. But hopefully not for long. Enter Kim Kardashian, the reality TV star and unofficial queen of Twitter, who uses the site daily to communicate with her 33.8 million followers and promote herself. On Friday, Kardashian turned her attention to the workings of the site, asking why it wasn’t possible to simply edit tweets. Not long afterwards, she got a reply from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, which suggests a fix for the problem isn’t far off. [Daily Telegraph]
Kim Kardashian Twitter fix with Jack Dorsey

Kim Kardashian

Video of the Day –

Otherwise Engaged from Jack Sidey on Vimeo.

Written and Directed by Alicia MacDonald @AliciaMacDonald

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	iPhone 7	#RespectForCarter	#RespectForCarter
2	あなたの行動年齢	#MTVHottest	#APositiveMessage
3	#RespectForCarter	iPhone 7	#LessPopularChildrensBooks
4	#حاجات_بسيطه_ب�…	#MakeAFunnyMovieSerious	The Breakfast Club
5	#EyŞanlıOrduEyŞanlıAsker	#LessPopularChildrensBooks	iPhone 7
6	#MTVHottest	#NationalDanceDay	#MTVHottest
7	花火大会	#UFCChicago	#WorldCup2018
8	#OTRAWinnipeg	Cole Hamels	#OTRAWinnipeg
9	#اسباب_تخلف_ال�…	billy burns	Hulk Hogan
10	#APositiveMessage	Charged Up	#EmiratesCup2015

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- The Saudi-led military coalition announces that a 5-day humanitarian ceasefire has been agreed to, set to begin just before midnight Sunday.(Wall Street Journal)
Two suicide bombings at a swimming pool in northern Iraq killed at least 12 people. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Chris Brown leaves the Philippines after he is prevented from leaving for four days due to a financial dispute between Brown and the Christian sect Iglesia ni Cristo. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

A large fire 12 miles (19 kilometres) west of the French city of Bordeaux ravages more than 350 hectares (860 acres) of forest. (The Daily Star)

Politics and election

The Tunisian parliament approved a new anti-terror law that allows the death penalty for terrorists. (Reuters)

Sports

Dutch cyclist Niek Kimmann wins his first UCI BMX Supercross series world title, while Venezuelan Stefany Hernandez finished first at the elite women’s race. (British Cycling)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 7, 2015

Top News Stories –

George Cole, Arthur Daley in Minder, dies at 90 –
Stars of stage and screen have been paying tribute to “immaculate” and “unforgettable” Minder actor George Cole following his death at the age of 90. Cole, whose showbusiness career spanned 70 years, is best remembered for his portrayal of small-time wheeler dealer and crook Arthur Daley in the TV show Minder, alongside his likeable bodyguard Terry McCann, played by Waterman. He died yesterday in hospital with his family at his side after a short illness, it was announced today. [Daily Telegraph]

One Direction number one breaks streaming records –
One Direction have topped the UK singles chart with their new single Drag Me Down. The track broke streaming records, earning the highest first-week streams for a single in the UK with 2.03m plays. Drag Me Down is One Direction’s first single as a foursome since the departure of Zayn Malik. Its release came a surprise to fans who had not been expecting a new single. [BBC Newsbeat]
One Direction in 2013 before Zayn left

North Korea sets up own time zone in rebuke to ‘wicked Japanese imperialists’ –
The hermetic communist state of North Korea is often said to be locked in a Stalinist time warp. But it is now turning the clocks back – by 30 minutes a day – by official decree. The state news agency has announced the creation of a new Pyongyang time zone as a rejection of the legacy of “wicked Japanese imperialists”. North Korea will step back in time by half an hour on Aug 15th – the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from Japanese rule at the end of the Second World War. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Uber meets Tinder

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#DragMeDownMusicVideo	#StraightOutta	#Compton
2	Spice Girls	#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs	Spice Girls
3	#GOPDebate	#InternationalBeerDay	#FridayFeeling
4	Aldon Smith	#DragMeDownMusicVideo	#InternationalBeerDay
5	NASA	Aldon Smith	#GOPDebate
6	#JonVoyage	#MyMotherAlwaysToldMe	Jenson Button
7	#TheVoiceChile	#MakeAHorrorMovieHarmless	#ReligiousUpaMovie
8	#BuenViernes	#ReligiousUpaMovie	#DragMeDownMusicVideo
9	#LaVidaEsAburridaSin	James Holmes	Cassper
10	Hayırlı Cumalar	#CameronDallasPhotoShoot	Jonathan King

Other News Stories –

Armed conflict and attacks

Suspected Islamist militants stormed two hotels in central Mali where UN peacekeepers were housed, seizing at least ten hostages and killing three Malian soldiers and a U.N. peacekeeper. (Times of Oman) (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- At least fifteen people are dead and 400 injured when a truck bomb explodes in Kabul. (BBC) (WSJ)
- A bombing outside the Kabul police academy kills at least 20 people with the Taliban claiming responsibility. (AFP via ABC News)
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
- Tadmur offensive (July–August 2015), Syrian Civil War
  - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that ISIL has kidnapped at least 230 people, including at least 60 Christians, from Al-Qaryatayn in the Homs Governorate. (Reuters) (RFERL)
- Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants execute 19 women in Mosul, Iraq, for refusing to have sex with the group’s fighters. (Tribune) (Daily Caller)

Arts and culture

North Korea will change its time zone to UTC+08:30 on August 15, returning to the time used by the Korean Empireuntil Japanese occupation in 1910. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Taiwan evacuates hundreds of people ahead of Typhoon Soudelor (2015). (Reuters via WA Today)

International relations

Syrian Civil War
- The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution aimed at identifying those responsible for deploying chlorine and other chemical weapons in attacks in Syria. (Hindustan Times) (VOA)

Law and crime

Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh
- A Bangladeshi blogger known for his atheist views has been hacked to death by a gang armed with machetes, the fourth such incident this year, in the capital Dhaka, Bangla. (BBC) (The Telegraph) (The Hindu)
The jury in the penalty phase of the trial of Aurora theater shooter James Holmes reaches a verdict to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Reuters) (AP) (WABC)

Sports

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup
- FIBA announces that China will host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. China was chosen over the Philippines, the only other candidate nation, for the hosting rights of the tournament. (The Japan Times)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

August 22, 2015

Top News Stories –

7 Dead as Fighter Jet Crashes Into Highway at British Airshow –
A fighter jet taking part in a British airshow on Saturday crashed into a highway, killing seven people. The crash took place at the Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex, on England’s southern coast, at 1:20 p.m. Video footage showed the jet soar, loop and then plunge before it could complete a second loop. It crashed into a busy road, the A27, near the airfield where the show took place. Hours after the crash, the police had no comment about the pilot’s fate. Beyond the fatalities, one person was seriously hurt and 14 others had minor injuries, according to a statement from the Sussex Police. [NY Times]

Facebook and Instagram remove Project Harpoon page –
Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram have taken down the pages run by Project Harpoon. The internet movement sees people digitally edit pictures of women to make them appear thinner.
Now if you try to look at Project Harpoon on these social media sites, you are met with an error message. The online group started on Reddit, in a thread called Thinner Beauty which says it is not about “hate” but wants to provide people with “health goals”. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

Match Head Bomb at 2500fps – The Slow Mo Guys

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	BeliebersVoteForJustin	#TrueButYouShouldntSayIt	#MakeAFilmBroke
2	#ALDUBAgainstALLODDS	#ProtestPP	#Beijing2015
3	#SiMePagaranPor	#MakeSomeonesDayIn3Words	Neymar
4	#DragMeDownMusicVideoIsOut	#1989TourLA	Louise Mensch
5	Iñaki	Yeezys	Shoreham
6	#HoyViernesNoSalgoPorQue	#MakeAFilmBroke	#DragMeDownMusicVideoIsOut
7	#كلام_اخير_للا�…	#LLSYouTube	#bigbloggerconference
8	#طلعت_ريحتكم	#FocusOnMeIsComing	Callum Wilson
9	#TodosConNicolas	#UnauthorizedFullHouse	Pogba
10	#WelcomeToManilaArianaGrande	Mike Fiers	US Marines

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

South Korea evacuates residents near the North Korean border as tension escalates. High level talks are held in Panmunjom to defuse tensions. (Yonhap) (Yonhap)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- An al-Shabaab suicide bomber attacks a Somali military training base in Kismayu with at least 16 people dead. Another five people are killed in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu. (Reuters)
Iran launches a new surface to surface missile called the Fateh 313. (Haaretz)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- An Afghan suicide bomber attacks a NATO convoy in Kabul killing at least twelve people and injuring 66. (CBS)
Syrian Civil War
- Over 50 people are killed in the Syrian rebel-held town of Douma near the capital Damascus following missile strikes by pro-Assad forces. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Mei Xiang, a female giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., delivers two cubs. (Washington Post), (Zoo’s Facebook page)
The 2015 Hugo Award winners are announced in Spokane, United States. (Hugo Awards)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Goni leaves seven people dead and two people missing as it moves from the Philippines towards Taiwan and Okinawa, Japan. (AP via Hindustan Times)
2015 Tianjin explosions
- The State Council of the People’s Republic of China orders a thorough investigation of the explosions as the death toll rises to 121. (Xinhua via icrossChina), (AP via Fox News)
Shoreham Airport disaster
- A Hawker Hunter aircraft crashes during an airshow after failing to pull out of dive at Shoreham Airport, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Seven people are killed with 15 injured. (BBC News Online)(News24)
An explosion occurs at a chemical warehouse in China’s Shandong province, with nine injured according to Chinese media. (RT)
Three people are dead and eight missing after a landslide in China‘s Yunnan Province. (Xinhua)

International relations

The Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev visits the disputed Kuril Islands prompting a protest from Japan. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Law and crime

Indian police arrest Jammu and Kashmir separatist Shabir Shah ahead of a meeting with Pakistani National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz. (iBN Live)
A second journalist is killed in the Philippines in a week. (CNN)
Fourteen members of the Barrio 18 street gang are killed in the Quetzaltepeque penitentiary in El Salvador; the killings are believed to be a result of a power struggle within the gang. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Politics

President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas resigns from the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation along with 11 ministers to force an election. The last time there were elections in the Palestinian authority was in 2005. (Jerusalem Post)

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October 18, 2015

Top News Stories –

Spain to teach bullfighting in schools –
Spain’s education ministry has drawn up plans to create courses in bullfighting as an optional subject in state schools. For the first time, bullfighting, as well as other subjects related to the spectacle, will be available for students aged 16 and older who move into vocational training after finishing their compulsory education. The move appears to represent a final attempt to defend the activity by Spain’s conservative government before elections in December. Students who complete the course will receive a professional training certificate in “Tauromachy – bullfighting – and Auxiliary Livestock Activities” after they have learned the skills of bullfighting, the regulations applied to the event and the rules on breeding Spain’s fighting bulls. The full-time, two-year courses will be offered at a number of high schools around the country. [Daily Telegraph]

Big Ben’s clock ‘needs £40m of work’ to keep bongs sounding –
The taxpayer faces a bill of up to £40 million to keep the famous “bongs” of Big Ben sounding, according to a report. Parliament’s Great Clock is said to be so dilapidated that it could grind to a halt unless drastic repairs are carried out. A report presented to the cross-party Commons Finance Committee has set out a £29.2 million plan for fixing the issues. It would see the mechanism shut down for four months – believed to be the longest stoppage in its 156-year history. The document, seen by the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times, said: “The clock currently has chronic problems with the bearings behind the hands and the pendulum. “Either could become acute at any time, causing the clock to stop – or worse.” [Daily Telegraph]
Cleaning Big Ben in 2007

Video of the Day –

The new Yahoo mail app.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#TodoEsSonrisaHastaQue	#BadActionMovieSequels	#IREvARG
2	PurposeJustinBieber	#DemiOnSNL	#OverAndOverAgain
3	#الاهلي_النصر	#ConfessionNight	#GreatBirminghamRun
4	Michigan	Larry David	#IfDraculaMadeAMovie
5	#FraseMuyDeMiVieja	#RejectedSundaySermonTopics	#MOTD
6	#VamosPumas	Adele	#SundayBrunch
7	#入ったことある委�…	Zombicon	#bbcsp
8	Larry David	#IREvARG	#GGGLemieux
9	#DemiOnSNL	#TheForceAwakens	#NUFC
10	#طبع_مااحبه	#FailedDatingTips	#Marr

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015)
- The Israeli military evacuated dozens of Jewish worshippers who were surrounded by Palestinians after entering Joseph’s Tomb compound in Nablus, which was recently torched by Palestinians. The area is under full Palestinian control but Jewish prayer is permitted there when coordinated with authorities. The military said Sunday’s visit was not, and the worshippers had no permit. (AP) (New Delhi Television)
- John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State announces Sunday that he will meet in Germany with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of increased violence between Palestinians and Israelis. (NBC)
Turkey–ISIL conflict
- Turkish police conduct pre-dawn raids on 17 locations in Istanbul and detain some 50 people suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group, according to Turkey’s state-run news agency. (AP)
2015 PKK rebellion
- Two Turkish soldiers are killed after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in the eastern Tunceli Province. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War
  - A suspected Russian airstrike is said to have killed dozens of members of one family in Homs, Syria. (Al Jazeera)
- American-led intervention in Syria, War on Terror
  - U.S. Military officials announce that a military airstrike in northwest Syria killed a financial manager and leader of an al Qaeda network. Sanafi al-Nasr, of Saudi Arabia, was said to have been plotting terror attacks against the West. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

As part of the weekend celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, during the 3-week-long Ordinary General Synod on the Family, Pope Francis canonizes the parents of the Doctor of the Church, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus of Lisieux, France (Saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin, 1823-1894 and 1831-1877, respectively), the first married Catholic parents to be canonized at the same time. He also canonizes the religious superior general Saint María de la Purísima Salvat Romero (Mary of the Immaculate Conception), 1926-1998, and the diocesan priest and founder of a religious institute, Saint Vincenzo Grossi, 1845-1917. (Vatican) (AP via CTV) (Voice of America)

Business and economics

Tens of thousands of junior doctors rally in London (UK) near Pall Mall to protest contract changes that will reclassify their normal working week to include Saturdays and late evenings, and the government’s threat to impose a new contract. (The Guardian)(The Guardian -blog) (Daily Mail) (iFreePress.com)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Koppu (Lando) makes landfall in northern Luzon in the Philippines with forecasters warning it could stay in the area for several days. Thousands of people have been evacuated or are stranded. (AFP via Yahoo! News) (Inquirer)
- Slow-moving Koppu weakened after blowing ashore with fierce winds in the northeastern Philippines leaving at least two people dead and at least six missing, displacing 16,000 villagers, and knocking out power in entire provinces, according to authorities. (AP via NBC News) (UPI)
At least four people are killed and a dozen injured after a small plane crashes in a residential area of the Colombian capital Bogota. (AP)
A San Francisco-bound Southwest Airlines flight returned to Los Angeles after an apparent altercation on the plane. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the fracas may have begun after one passenger reclined her seat, and the passenger behind her allegedly “started choking her.” One passenger was removed from the flight. The airline moved the remaining passengers to a different plane to resume their journey to San Francisco. (USA Today) (NBC News)

Politics and elections

Egyptian parliamentary election, 2015
- Voters in Egypt go to the polls for the first round of voting in long delayed parliamentary elections. (BBC)
Swiss federal election, 2015
- Voters in Switzerland go to the polls for a federal election. Results show the anti-immigration Swiss People’s Party, winning the election with at least 29.5% of the vote, a record election result for the nationalist party. (AP) (The Wall Street Journal)

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October 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Nasa predicts near-miss with asteroid on Halloween –
An asteroid is due to pass by Earth on Halloween and miss us by a whisker, according to Nasa. Well, if whiskers were 499,000km long, at any rate. The asteroid was spotted by Nasa a fortnight ago and is set to fly past the Earth on Halloween at over 78,000mph. It will cross by Earth at the closest it’s been since 2006. The space agency explained why they spotted it at such short notice, despite constantly monitoring the size. They said: “The asteroid is on an extremely eccentric and a high inclination orbit.” We won’t be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye, but anyone with access to a telescope will be able to see it as it passes by. “This is the closest approach by a known object this large until 1999 AN10 approaches within 1 lunar distance in August 2027,” said Nasa. [Daily Telegraph]

Q Awards 2015: Foals beat Ed Sheeran and Blur to win Best Act In the World Today –
The Oxford band Foals confirmed their elevation to music’s biggest stages after being voted Best Act In the World Today at the Q magazine awards. Foals, who combine indie rock with electronic beats and African-inspired rhythms, beat Blur, Noel Gallagher and Ed Sheeran to the award, previously won by the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay. Ed Sheeran beat Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith to the Solo Artist award, capping a year in which the strummer sold out three nights at Wembley Stadium, performing with just his guitar and a loops pedal. However Sheeran lost out to the Brighton drums and bass rock duo Royal Blood for the Best Live Act prize. [The Independent] See List of the Day
The Foals

Hundreds Of Apps Banned From App Store For Accessing Users’ Personal Information –
Hundreds of iOS applications have been pulled out of the App Store, following a report from analytics service SourceDNA, which uncovered a group of applications that were extracting users’ personally identifiable information, including email addresses associated with their Apple IDs, devices and peripheral serial numbers, as well as a list of apps installed on their phone. The applications in question had been using an SDK from a Chinese advertising company called Youmi which was accessing this information by way of private APIs, the report found. Nearly all of the developers were located in China so, for now, this appears to be an isolated incident. However, the larger concern here has to do with how long this activity had been taking place – and what that means in terms of Apple’s App Store review process, given that it hadn’t caught this suspect activity until being alerted to it by a third party. [Tech Crunch]

Video of the Day –

DRIVING from Nate Theis on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

The Q Awards 2015 Winners

Q Best New Act

James Bay

Best Track

The Libertines – Gunga Din (Winner)

Q Best Album

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday

Q Best Video

Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck

Q Hero

Mark Ronson

Q Best Live Act

Royal Blood

Q Classic Album

Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One

Q Best Solo Artist

Ed Sheeran

Q Innovation in Sound

Gary Numan

Q Best Act In The World

Foals

Gibson Les Paul Award

Tony Iommi

Q Outstanding Contribution to Music

New Order

Q Classic Single

Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Q Icon

Duran Duran

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#DiaContraelCancerdeMama	#mondaymotivation	#FourWordsToLiveBy
2	#FelizLunes	#FourWordsToLiveBy	#mondaymotivation
3	Colts	Anthony Mackie	Foreign Office
4	#ALDUBRoadToForever	#MotivationMonday	#TheOuijaBoardSaid
5	#MeGustaMuchoQue	#MakeLifeBetterInAWord	Jamie Oliver
6	#DemiNoBrasil	#MyResumeDoesntMention	#lufc
7	Boca	#BoycottStarWarsVII	Seahawks
8	LuanetesSupportBeliebers	Weight Watchers	Leeds United
9	#FourWordsToLiveBy	Jay Carney	Colts
10	#MasterChefMX	Barry Zito	Star Wars

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015)
- 19-year-old soldier Omri Levy was killed and nearly a dozen injured in a shooting and stabbing attack in the central bus station in the southern city of Beersheba carried out by an Israeli Bedouin Arab, 21-year old Mohind al-Okbi, who was killed after a gun battle. (Washington Post) (NBC News)
- Israeli hospital officials announce an Eritrean migrant, Haptom Zerhom, mistakenly shot by an Israeli security guard and then attacked by bystanders who thought he was involved in the Beersheva bus station attack, has died of his wounds. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahsho said this latest incident seemed to capture the current climate of ratcheted-up tensions. Police are looking to identify and locate members of the crowd who beat and fatally wounded the man; the security officer whose shot incapacitated the victim will not be investigated. (AP) (Yediot Ahronot – Ynet)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present): Kunduz hospital airstrike
- Afghanistan’s acting defense minister has stated that the Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz bombed on 3 October by U.S. forces was being used as a safe haven by insurgents. MSF has repeatedly denied the allegation, stating “Every staff member in Kunduz working for MSF has repeatedly reported to us that there were no armed people in the hospital at the time of the bombing”. (AP)

Business and economics

China’s economy expanded 6.9% in third quarter over last year’s growth, just slightly better than forecast. (New York Times)
Shareholders from both companies overwhelmingly approve Aetna’s acquisition of Humana for $37 billion. (Louisville Courier-Journal) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Rising floodwaters are causing problems in the northern Philippines as Typhoon Koppu (Lando in the Philippines) is set to linger over the island of Luzon until Wednesday. Eleven people have died so far. (BBC) (AP via Fox News)
Seven hikers are killed by a raging forest fire while climbing Indonesia‘s Mount Lawu. (The Telegraph)

International relations

The United States Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force held a triennial fleet review off Tokyo Bay. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first sitting Japanese leader to board a U.S. aircraft carrier when he visited the USS Ronald Reagan.(USA Today) (Japan Times)
Pope Francis encourages bishops from around the world to sign an appeal to world leaders, meeting in Paris next month, for crucial climate change talks. In a major teaching document in June, the encyclical Laudato Si’ (Latin: Praised be), Francis denounced what he called the “structurally perverse” fossil fuel-based world economy that exploits the poor and destroys the habitability of the Earth for humans. (AP via Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- Croatia reopens its border with Serbia allowing thousands of refugees to cross. (Irish Times)
Elements from the maritime forces of India, Japan, and the United States engage in joint military exercises in the Bay of Bengal. (Military Times)
South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov announces South Ossetia intends on holding a referendum on joining the Russian Federation. Tibilov said reuniting with Russia “is a century-long dream of the South Ossetian people”. (Radio Free Europe)

Law and crime

Spencer Stone, primarily responsible for thwarting an August terrorist attack on a train en route to Paris from Amsterdam and later stabbed in downtown Sacramento has undergone open heart surgery. The wounds from the most recent altercation were more serious than previously reported. (Air Force Times)
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence for culpable homicide of Reeva Steenkamp under house arrest. (The Guardian)
Following 21 days of deliberation the deadlocked jury in Manhattan declared a mistrial in the case against three former senior attorneys from the “once large and prominent law firm” Dewey & LeBoeuf. The three had been charged with “plotting to manipulate financial records in an attempt to defraud bank lenders and insurance companies during the financial crisis.” (New York Times)

Politics and elections

Canadian federal election, 2015
- Voters in Canada go to the polls, to elect the 42nd Canadian Parliament. (CBC) (AP) In the United States, C-SPAN 2 aired complete CBC coverage of the event. [1]
- The Liberal Party of Canada performs very strongly in Atlantic Canada achieving over 60% of the vote and leading in all of the 33 seats. (The Guardian)
- Projections show that the Liberal Party of Canada led by Justin Trudeau is poised to form a majority government. (The Star)
- The Canadian Liberal party has won the federal election with 184 seats. (CBC)
The Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits, Allison Hickey, at the beleaguered United States Department of Veterans Affairs resigned. She held the post since June 2011. (Military Times)
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced that all unmanned aircraft, i.e. drones, will be required to be registered with the government just as manned aircraft are. DOT is forming a task force of government leaders and diverse stakeholderswho will determine the specifics of which drones will be covered and how the registration process will work. (Forbes) (Reuters) (NBC News) (DOT)
War in Donbass
- Portraits of former dictator Joseph Stalin go up in the city of Donetsk as the Donetsk People’s Republic adopts more Soviet era policies. (The Guardian)
Eric Chu, KMT party chairman, has replaced Hung Hsiu-chu as Taiwan’s ruling party candidate just months ahead of elections. (The Diplomat)

Science and technology

Apple pulls hundreds of iOS mobile applications from its App Store which, the company discovered, includes software that was secretly sending users’ personal information to an advertising firm in China. (NBC News) (TechCrunch)

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October 31, 2015

October 30, 2015

Top News Stories –

China: Guangzhou warns zombies to stay off metro –
Halloween revellers are being urged to avoid the underground system in one southern Chinese city, in case they cause a panic. Transport police in Guangzhou say people in ghoulish fancy dress have been making other passengers nervous in recent days, and officers want travellers to report anyone they spot wearing spooky costumes. “Passengers’ strange behaviour may make some feel uneasy, cause onlookers to panic and could easily lead to security risks,” the force says in a statement posted on its Sina Weibo microblog account. “Therefore the subway does not encourage such acts.” [BBC]

Justin Bieber sorry for storming off stage after one song in Norway –
Justin Bieber’s been living up to the name of his new song Sorry by apologising to his fans for storming off stage in Norway. He said he was “done” and “I’m not doing the show” after performing one track during a TV recording in Oslo. In fan-filmed videos, Justin Bieber can be seen getting annoyed with people at the front of the stage while trying to wipe the floor. The singer later posted an apology on his Instagram account. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Nike: Snow Day

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#YaVieneNoviembreY	#HappyHalloween	#BuyFocusOniTunes
2	#HappyHalloween	#FridayFeeling	#FridayFeeling
3	貴サークル	Grantland	#scotlab15
4	#BuyFocusOniTunes	#YouMightBeSingleIn5Words	#HappyHalloween
5	#RespectForJustin	#FashionTipsIn4Words	Shaker Aamer
6	Olivia	#HowDidWeEndUpHere	Bob Ross
7	冬コミ	#BuyFocusOniTunes	Benedict Cumberbatch
8	#الهلال_الاتحاد	Piss On Your Grave	Olivia
9	Hayırlı Cumalar	Bob Ross	#TOPdebate
10	Grantland	Shaker Aamer	#HowDidWeEndUpHere

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- At least 65 people are killed and 250 injured in Syrian government airstrikes targeting a marketplace in the city of Douma, Syria. (WSJ) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera via Yahoo!)
- American-led intervention in Syria
  - U.S. President Barack Obama is set to send Special Operations forces to regions in northern Syria under Kurdish control to help local forces fight the Islamic State. (New York Times) (Reuters)
Andrew Parker, head of British security agency MI5, states that ISIS terrorists are planning attacks in Great Britain and current terror threat levels are the highest he’s witnessed in his career. (The Telegraph)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015)
- Two assailants are shot dead by Israeli police after knife-wielding Palestinians attacked Israelis in Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank. Another four people, including a Palestinian assailant, are injured in incidents at an Israeli checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Nablus and at a tram station in East Jerusalem. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- The Iranian-funded Shi’ite Al-Mukhtar Army claims responsibility for Thursday’s deadly rocket attacks near the Baghdad International Airport that killed 23 members of an exiled Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran. (Reuters)

Arts and Culture

Happy Days actor Al Molinaro dies at 96. (Washington Post)

Business and economics

Quebec-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International cut all ties with Philidor Rx Services. This comes in the wake of recent revelations that Valeant was looking to acquire Philidor, a relationship that raised questions from various quarters. Valeant is the subject of U.S. federal investigations. (New York Times)
- America’s two largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Health Corp. and Express Scripts, drop Philidor from their networks after an audit showed the company’s “noncompliance” with its provider agreement. Bloomberg reports Philidor had written instructions to, in some cases, change codes on prescriptions so it would appear physicians required or patients desired Valeant’s brand-name drugs — not less expensive generic versions. (Reuters via Business Insider) (Bloomberg)
Volkswagen emissions scandal
- U.K. transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin says Volkswagen has to start financially addressing this problem by compensating motorists with, the estimated total is £600m (US$925 million). (Sky News) (Bitterwallet)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Bucharest nightclub explosion
- At least 27 people are killed and more than 180 hospitalized with injuries after a fire in a nightclub in the Romanian capital Bucharest. Officials say a heavy metal band’s pyrotechnical show sparked a fire inside the Colectiv nightclub. (Sputnik News),(BBC) (Fox News)
2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Cyclone Chapala intensifies in the Arabian Sea as it heads towards Yemen and Oman which rarely experience tropical cyclones. The cyclone is expected to dump two years worth of rain on the normally arid Arabian Peninsula in two days. (Sydney Morning Herald via WA Today)
One construction worker dies and at least one more is under the rubble from the collapse of a building being demolished to make way for a Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide luxury boutique hotel in New York City. (AP via ABC News) (Reuters)
European migrant crisis
- Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras lashes out at European “ineptness” in handling the continent’s massive immigration crisis. The Associated Press reports 31 more people — mostly children — drowned in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea near the islands of Kalymnos and Rhodes. Turkey’s state-run agency says four children drowned and two others are missing after two new accidents with boats headed to Greece’s Lesbos and Samos islands. The death toll in the Aegean Sea over the past three days is at least 50. The Greek coast guard says they rescued 600 people in the past 24 hours, while thousands more made it safely from Turkey to Greece’s southeastern islands. (AP via Huffington Post) (Reuters)
Storms hit the American state of Texas causing at least two deaths with one person reported missing. Rivers overflowed as more than a foot of rain fell in some areas while tornadoes ripped through buildings outside San Antonio. (NBC News) (Reuters)
A building collapse in Henan province in central China leaves 17 workers dead and 23 injured. (Xinhua via iCrossChina
A Virginia (U.S.) school bus overturns after being struck by a van, sending 28 students to local hospitals with five seriously injured. (Inside Edition)

International relations

Shaker Aamer, the last British resident held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, is released. Aamer faces no charges in Britain; Scotland Yard detectives questioned him for three days during his detention. (BBC) (AP via Seattle Times)
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- The European Union sides with the United States over Tuesday’s U.S.-Chinese patrolling incident in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
Syria peace talks in Vienna, Syrian Civil War
- Representatives from about 20 countries meet in Vienna, Austria, seeking a political solution to Syria’s four-year civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people, including dozens more today. For the first time Iran is at the table, where diplomats seek peace through a ceasefire plan followed by a transitional government. (USA Today) (Payvand.com)

Law and crime

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rules it has jurisdiction to hear the Philippines‘ case against China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea. (The Diplomat) (BBC News)
U.S. Army judge Col. James Pohl denies Guantanamo detainee Walid bin Attash’s request to drop his legal counsel clearing the way for the trial’s continuation. (Military Times)
Polish Judge Dariusz Mazur rules the law forbids film director Roman Polanski’s extradition to the U.S. where he pleaded guilty nearly four decades ago to having sex with a minor. The prosecutors can appeal the ruling. (Sky News) (BBC)

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December 14, 2015

Top News Stories –

Taylor Swift to release concert video on Apple Music –
Taylor Swift is releasing a live concert special from her 1989 world tour exclusively on Apple Music. The 1989 World Tour Live can be streamed from 20 December. It is not available to buy but it is free for streaming for Apple Music subscribers. Swift criticised Apple Music in June for not paying artists during its free, three-month trial launch. She said she was withholding her 1989 album because of Apple’s stance. The company then did a u-turn. Swift said Apple “had shown such humility in what they did … so that’s how we get to (here).” [BBC
Taylor Swift

Kim Jong-un ‘ordered girl group home over Chinese snub’ –
They mystery surrounding the hurried departure of Kim Jong-Un’s girl group from China may have been solved. North Korea reportedly ordered the Moranbong Band to return from China in a fit of pique after their scheduled performance was snubbed by the leadership in Beijing. The 21-strong Moranbong Band left Beijing abruptly just before they were due to perform at an invitation-only concert on Saturday. At least one member of China’s politburo was expected to attend, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News reported. A Chinese government official told Yonhap that North Korea initially expected Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, to attend he concert, but was horrified at the offer of only a politburo member. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

36 Questions That Make Strangers Fall In Love (The LAB)

Top Twitter Trends –

	Australia (Worldwide unavailable)	USA	UK
1	#ExplainAFilmPlotBadly	#mondaymotivation	#mondaymotivation
2	#ParisAgreement	#HappyBirthdayTori	#ShutUpForXMasNo1
3	#ufc194	#SandyHook	#GlutenFreeHelps
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6	#happybirthdaytaylor	#YouShouldBeHere	#ontopictalkshow
7	#viewpoint	#NYGvsMIA	#ThankYou1DFor
8	#WWETLC	#ties15	#PeoplesPost
9	#1989WorldTourLIVE	#1DHistory	Jess Phillips
10	#wleague	#WeLoveYouRyan	#XFactorFinal

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Two senior army commanders from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are killed, including the head of the Saudi Special forces in Yemen, Colonel Abdullah al-Sahyan, along with dozens of Saudi, Emirati, Sudanese and Yemeni coalition troops in a OTR-21 Tochka missile attack by Houthi forces on their base near the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen. (Reuters)
Metrojet Flight 9268
- Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry reports their investigation of the 31 October 2015 deadly crash of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai has not found any evidence of terrorism. Prior to this, the working assumption has been that plane was brought down by a bomb, and a group affiliated with ISIL said it was responsible. (Sky News) (CNN)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict (2015)
- A Palestinian rams his car into a bus stop near the Chords Bridge at the entrance to Jerusalem before being shot dead by police; fourteen people, including a toddler, are injured in the attack. (Ynet News) (The Times of Israel)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army backed by Hezbollah fighters retakes a key airbase on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. The Marj al-Sultan airbase had been under rebel control since November 2012. (BBC)
2015 PKK rebellion
- At least seven people are killed in clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish protesters across southeast Turkey, as Turkish authorities declare new curfews across the restive region. According to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, 52 curfews have been imposed since mid-August by Turkish authorities across seven Turkish provinces in the region, placing around 1.3 million people under curfew. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Oil price reached its lowest since December 2008. Other indicators in broader markets caused investor jitters ahead of the expected interest rate hike by the U.S. central bank on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Melor (Nona)
  - Thousands of residents are evacuated as Typhoon Melor, also known as Nona in the Philippines, slams into tiny Batag Island in the eastern Philippines. The storm, headed to Sorsogon province, has intensified into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. Authorities shut schools and suspended fishing and ferry services in the central Phillipines. (AP via Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) (Reuters) (AccuWeather)
At least 41 people are dead after an Argentine National Gendarmerie bus crashes near the city of Salta in north-west Argentina. (BBC), (AP via ABC News America)

Law and crime

Censorship in China
- Chinese human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang goes on trial in Beijing for online social commentary critical of the ruling Communist Party. (AP)
- Chinese police prevent United States senior diplomat Dan Biers from delivering a statement outside the trial of Pu Zhiqiang. (Twitter) (CNN)
An Australian court orders British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser to stop selling several versions of the popular painkiller, Nurofen, that were identical to its standard ibuprofen pills but nearly twice as expensive. (AP)
United States Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl will face a court martial on charges of misbehavior before the enemy and desertion related to his capture by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan in June 2009. (AP via ABC News America)
A Palestinian man from eastern Jerusalem, Muhammad Abu Kaf, is indicted by Israeli prosecutors on eight counts of incitement to violence or terror for posting a video on Facebook calling on people to stab Jews. (Ynet News)

Science

The Geminids meteor shower is visible tonight. (Lifehacker)

News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource

March 17, 2016

Top News Stories –

There’s a 10,000% increase in searches for an unusual type of porn this week –
This week sees a whopping 10,000 per cent increase in searches for one particular type of porn. And it’s, erm, unusual. But whatever, each to their own. You may already be aware that this Thursday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day. While many revellers (Irish or not) mark the day with a pint of the black stuff, a huge portion of people are staying at home for some time alone with Leprechaun porn. Pornhub have revealed searches for Leprechaun erotica increased by a staggering 10,000 per cent on St. Patrick’s Day last year. And that’s not all folks. The number of people searching for the word Irish on the adult film site increased by 600 per cent, while searches for St Patrick’s Day-theme porn increased by 6,000 per cent. Online traffic on Pornhub from Ireland on St Patrick’s Day is on average 5 per cent higher than usual. [The Metro]

Ben Nevis gains a metre thanks to GPS height measurement –
Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain, is a little bit bigger than we thought. The Ordnance Survey (OS), has re-measured the Scottish peak and its official height is now put at 1,345m – a metre taller than before. The actual difference from the last official measurement in 1949 is much less – but enough for the height to be rounded up rather than down.
The change comes from the precision that can now be achieved with modern technologies such as GPS. OS, Britain’s official mapping agency, has already begun issuing maps with the new height. The official measuring point atop Ben Nevis is one of those squat concrete pillars familiar to hill-walkers all over the country. It sits on a cairn, and it was when this pile of stones was restored recently that OS experts took the opportunity to check the mountain’s exact height. It is more than 60 years since this was last done, and back then, it took a team three weeks to complete the job after hauling heavy gear up Ben Nevis and nearby peaks. [BBC]
Ben Nevis

Video of the Day –

Anything VINE Can Do, YOUTUBE Does Better (ft. Thomas Sanders)

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#HelpBrasilClubeSDV	#BeAlrightTonight	Cliff Michelmore
2	#FelizJueves	#BEFOUR	#StPatricksDay
3	#Miitomo	#StPatricksDay	#BeAlrightTomorrow
4	#BEFOUR	#PitMad	#BEFOUR
5	#ايقاف_ذا_كوين_…	Bumble Bee	#CampDigital
6	#StPatricksDay	#XMenApocalypse	#NameOurShip
7	#اول_كلمه_انجل�…	#HangoverSongs	#dibi2016
8	#حسابات_اللي_م�…	#SeaWorld	#StillSanders
9	#QuedaDoPlanalto	St. Patty’s Day	#whitepaper
10	#SiTuvieraMuchaPlata	Yale	#OneHealth2016

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War, Syrian Civil War
- The United States Secretary of State John Kerry says ISIL has committed genocide against Christians, Yazidis and Shias in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq. (BBC)
- The Islamic State reports commander Hassan Aboud has died of wounds sustained about two weeks ago in a battle near Aleppo, Syria. He was injured when a vehicle he was in struck a roadside bombnear Khanaser. (The New York Times)
Papua conflict
- Three construction workers are shot dead in Jayapura, Papua, by a supposed armed group, according to Indonesian police. (Radio New Zealand)

Arts and culture

Radar scans at the tomb of Tutankhamun, Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, reveal two chambers adjoining the tomb, raising prospect of finding the resting place of Queen Nefertiti. (The Guardian)
The Vatican is replacing Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., with French-born Archbishop Christophe Pierre, currently the Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico. Viganò, who is 75, the statuatory retirement age, arranged the 2015 meeting between (not pre-briefed) Pope Francis and controversial Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who refused to follow her state’s law on same-sex marriage.(New York Daily News via ChristianNews.net)

Business and economics

Tribune Publishing, an American company whose Southern California media holdings include the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, wins an auction for bankrupt newspapers, Orange County Register, published in Santa Ana, and The Press-Enterprise, headquartered in Riverside, for $56 million, subject to judicial approval. A federal bankruptcy court hearing is scheduled for Monday. TheU.S. Justice Department has warned that a Tribune purchase could violate antitrust laws. (AP via U.S. News & World Report) (Los Angeles Times)

Disasters and accidents

At least 16 Palestinian pilgrims are killed when the bus they were traveling to Saudi Arabia on overturns in southern Jordan. (Voice of America)

International relations

The People’s Republic of China expresses its opposition to unilateral sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the imposition of new sanctions by the United States on the country in response to its recent nuclear and rocket tests. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Kurdish parties in northern Syria declare the establishment of a federal system in areas they control. The move was criticized by the government of Syria. (BBC)
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- Admiral John Richardson says the United States has seen Chinese activity around Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago, in the northern part of the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea. An international court ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims is expected within a month. (Reuters)

Law and Crime

Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia announce that they will soon deliver their verdict against radical Serb leader Vojislav Šešelj, suspected of crimes against humanitycommitted during the Breakup of Yugoslavia, despite him being sent back to Serbia for medical reasons. Šešelj has vowed not to return to court. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

2015–16 protests in Brazil
- Clashes erupt outside the presidential palace in Brazil‘s capital Brasília between anti-Workers’ Party protesters and supporters of ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, where he was due to be sworn in asPresident of Brazil Dilma Rousseff‘s chief of staff. Hundreds of anti-government protesters calling for Rousseff’s impeachment and Lula’s arrest also blocked the central Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and economic hub. (Reuters)
A Brazilian federal judge blocks the appointment of ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as chief of staff, arguing that the appointment would derail a federal judicial investigation against him. The government said it would appeal against the decision. (BBC)
Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- The hacker group Anonymous follows through on its threat and releases candidate Donald Trump’s personal information (unverified) including his Social Security number, his phone numbers, his agent and his legal representatives. (AOL) (USA Today) (Daily Mirror)
United States presidential election, 2016, Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016
- Bernie Sanders concedes the Missouri primary to Hillary Clinton, who led by 1,531 votes, 0.002 percent of those counted. Sanders says he will not ask for a recount, an option he had because the result is under the state’s requirement, 0.005 percent — one-half of one percent. The Republican contest is too close to call as Donald Trump leads Ted Cruz by a similar 0.002 percent. (AP via MSN.com)

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May 15, 2016

Top News Stories –

Max Verstappen becomes youngest F1 winner in history at Spanish Grand Prix –
The delivery of the prodigy Max Verstappen, who became the youngest winner of a Formula One race when he triumphed in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, brought an iridescence to a sport that for too long has laboured in the single colour of the silver Mercedes. When Verstappen made his F1 debut for Toro Rosso as a 17-year-old last year he was so young that the concerned people at the FIA changed the rules; now you have to be 18. Verstappen was actually only 16 in 2014, when it was first announced that he would be driving in F1. Many sagacious voices said he was too young but there can be no doubts now. He crossed the winning line aged 18 years and 228 days, beating Sebastian Vettel’s previous record by two and a half years – Vettel was 21 and 73 days when he won in Italy in 2008. [Guardian]
Max Verstappen

Magnetic Hyperloop pod unveiled at MIT –
A people-carrying pod designed to levitate and travel at extremely high speeds has been unveiled in Boston. A 30-strong team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of several groups and companies working on making the Hyperloop concept a reality. The idea, first envisioned by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, is to create a transport system that propels pods through airtight tubes. The MIT team said its pod design paved the way for “a mode of transportation that could change how we think about travel”. Critics of Hyperloop say it is unlikely to succeed because of prohibitive costs. A white paper by Mr Musk published in 2013 proposed a Hyperloop tube connection from San Francisco to Los Angeles. At speeds of around 700mph (1,127km/h), Mr Musk predicted the journey time would be around 30 minutes. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

MIT Hyperloop Intro

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi civil war (2014–present)
- Suicide bomb attacks in a state owned cooking gas plant in Taji, north of Baghdad, kill at least 18 people, while 11 others die in attacks across the country. (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters via Daily Mail)
Yemeni civil war (2015–present)
- A suicide bombing kills at least 30 and injures 70 others in the southern city of Mukalla, Yemen. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for attack. (Xinhua) (Reuters) (Canadian Press via Chronicle-Herald)

Disasters and accidents

A truck collides with a motorised rickshaw in the Adilabad district of India‘s Telangana state resulting in 16 deaths. (AP via Washington Post)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in the Philippines
- President-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, vows to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces permission to shoot to kill for organized crime figures and people resisting arrest. Duterte is due to take office on June 30, 2016. (BBC)
A released report from an interview with former U.S. diplomat Donald Rickard reveals that he provided intelligence that led to the arrest of Nelson Mandela. (The Telegraph)

Politics and elections

Dominican Republic general election, 2016
- Voters in the Dominican Republic go to the polls for a general election. (AP)

Sports

2016 Formula One season
- 18-year old Max Verstappen becomes the youngest ever driver and the first Dutchman to win a Formula One race by winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. (The Guardian)
2015–16 Premier League, 2015–16 Manchester United F.C. season
- Tens of thousands of people are evacuated from Old Trafford shortly before kick-off between Manchester United F.C. and A.F.C. Bournemouth after a suspect package was found. A controlled explosion was then carried out within the stadium. The package is discovered to be an explosives training device left behind earlier in the week by a private company following a training exercise involving explosive search dogs. (BBC)

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May 30, 2016

Top News Stories –

Masked Gary Barlow stuns Bristol shoppers with surprise concert –
Take That star Gary Barlow surprised shoppers in Bristol with an impromptu concert – which started with him wearing a disguise… as himself. The star wore a Gary Barlow mask as he began playing Could It Be Magic on a piano at Cabot Circus shopping centre. Shoppers watching the mystery performer were astonished when he revealed his true identity and sang the hit song. [BBC]
Gary Barlow in Bristol (Tweet by Marjolein Nap)

Cheese-rolling spectators gather for Cooper’s Hill tradition –
Thousands of people lined a steep hill in Gloucestershire to watch crowds of thrill-seekers fling themselves down in pursuit of a wheel of cheese.The 8lb (3.6kg) Double Gloucester is chased 200 yards down the 1:2 gradient Cooper’s Hill at Brockworth every year. Chris Anderson, 28, won the first two downhill races – his 16th and 17th Cheese Rolling victories in total. “It’s brilliant, I’m really happy,” said the soldier from Brockworth who serves with 1 Rifles. Competitors travelled from across the world to take part in the races with TV crews from across Europe also in attendance. Warning signs are put up around the site warning spectators and competitors that they are attending entirely at their own risk. In 2010 the official event was cancelled over safety fears when more than 15,000 people turned up the previous year to watch the competition. Since then it has been held unofficially with roads closed up to 2.5 miles (4km) around the slope. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2016 – The Tumbles

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi civil war (2014–present)
- At least 24 people are killed in a series of attacks in and around Baghdad. ISIL has claimed responsibility. (ABC News), (AP)
- Operation Breaking Terrorism
  - Iraqi forces reportedly enter the city of Fallujah. Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the city. (USA Today), (The Guardian)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- At least 11 Afghani policemen are killed in a suspected Taliban attack on security checkpoints in Helmand province. (The States Man)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
- Two Turkish police officers are killed in a suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bomb attack in the eastern province of Van. (Hurriyet Daily)
War in Donbass
- Three Ukrainian Army soldiers are killed and eight more are injured around separatist-controlled Donetsk and government-controlled Mariupol by Russian-backed separatists. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Disasters and accidents

Floods in Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany following heavy rain that started Sunday night kill at least four people. (Sky News)

Law and crime

Hissene Habre, ex president of Chad, is sentenced to life in prison for ordering rape, sexual slavery and killings during his rule from 1982 to 1990. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Congress of the Philippines proclaims Rodrigo Duterte and Leni Robredo as President-elect and Vice President-elect of the Philippines, respectively. (CNN Philippines), (AP via The Olympian)
Syrian peace process
- Chief Syrian opposition negotiator of the High Negotiations Committee Mohammed Allush resigns over the failure of the UN-backed peace talks. Allush said that without any of the opposition demands met, peace talks were a “waste of time”. In April, the HNC suspended talks with the Syrian government’s delegation in Vienna. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
- Fabiano Silveira, Minister for Transparency, Supervision and Control, resigns after leaked recordings suggested he tried to derail the Petrobras corruption investigation. This anti-corruption ministry was created on May 12, 2016, when Vice President Michel Temer was sworn in as acting president. The same tapes led to the resignation of Planning Minister Romero Jucá last week. (BBC) (Reuters)
Haitian presidential election, 2015–16
- A special verification panel recommends throwing out the results of the Haiti presidential election on October 25 2015 because it appeared to be tainted by significant voter fraud. (AP via US News and World Report)

Science and technology

A new study by University of Colorado Boulder researchers, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds opioid medicines can paradoxically cause an increase in chronic pain inlab rats. (EurekAlert!)

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June 25, 2016

Top News Stories –

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

Video of the Day –

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

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Disasters and accidents

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

International relations

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

Politics and elections

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

Science and technology

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

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June 29, 2016

Top News Stories –

Facebook gives friends higher priority in News Feeds –
Facebook is to give posts by users’ friends and family greater prominence in their News Feeds. The social network said its members had expressed concerns that they were missing “important updates” from the people they cared about. The move reverses a trend towards giving more space to content posted by the news media and brands. One expert said it highlighted that newspapers and broadcasters’ interests did not always match those of the firm. Facebook said that in several surveys it had carried out, users had told it they wanted to see more “friend content”, and it was altering its algorithms to accommodate this. [BBC]

Vietnam capital sets target to ban motorbikes –
Officials in Hanoi are aiming to ban motorbikes from the city centre within 10 years, it’s reported. The local government wants streets to be motorbike-free by 2025 as part of efforts to tackle congestion, the Thanh Nien News website says. The Vietnamese capital has notoriously chaotic roads, with around five million motorbikes vying for space alongside half a million cars. That situation is forecast to get worse in years to come: the authorities estimate that by 2020 there will be seven million motorbikes, and the number of cars will double. “This means the traffic situation in Hanoi will become extremely complicated in the next four to five years, so we really need a timely solution to this,” says mayor Nguyen Duc Chung. The city’s transport authority wants to reduce the number of individual vehicles and boost public transport instead, and its chairman wants the number of buses to double. Construction of a new urban rail system is already under way. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Watch NYers’ Hearts Break As They JUST Miss The Subway Train

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

2016 Istanbul airport attack
- The death toll from the attack on the Istanbul Atatürk Airport rises to 42. (CNN)
Syrian Civil War
- At least 10 people are killed and nine others are wounded following a car bomb attack in Tell Abyad, near the Syria–Turkey border, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (AFP via Daily Mail)
- 2016 al-Bukamal offensive
  - New Syrian Army rebels fail to capture the border town of Al-Bukamal from ISIL militants, with an ISIL affiliated news source claiming the group killed 40 rebels and captured 15 more in a counter-attack. (Reuters)
War in Somalia
- Kenyan army forces kill five suspected Al-Shabaab militants, four during a clash at a military camp in Lamu County, and another in Malindi. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Toyota, which on Tuesday announced a recall of 1.43 million hybrids because of an airbag problem, today announces the recall of 2.87 million vehicles worldwide, produced between April 2006 and August 2015, because of a possible problem with their evaporative fuel emissions control unit. (Reuters)
The Lesedi La Rona diamond, the largest uncut diamond in the world, went on sale at an auction in Mayfair with it expected to sell at £52 million, or US$70 million. However, the diamond only managed to draw a high bid of US$61 million, falling short of the reserve price to sell it. (BBC) (CBC News)
The London FTSE index recovers from its losses after the result of the European Union membership referendum, closing at its highest level since April. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

The Vietnamese Ministry of Defense says eight bodies from a Coast Guard plane that crashed June 16, 2016, have been found. The search continues for the ninth crew member. The CASA C-212 Aviocarwas on a search and rescue mission for the then-missing pilot of a crashed Su30-MK2 fighter jet; the pilot’s body was found on the 17th. (AP) (Tuổi Trẻ)
EgyptAir Flight 804
- Data from one of the flight recorders from EgyptAir Flight 804 shows that there was smoke on board when the Airbus A320 crashed into the water. Soot has also been found on the wreckage. (AFP via ABC News Australia)

International relations

Philippines v. China
- On his final day as President of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III says he was right when he sued China over the South China Sea. (Rappler)
United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union
- European Union leaders advise the United Kingdom that, after their EU exit, to retain access to the bloc’s lucrative single market, the UK must allow free movement for EU workers. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande reiterated that freedom of movement of EU citizens is non-negotiable. (BBC) (Reuters)

Law and crime

A prosecutor in Michigan, United States, is considering whether the words of an African grey parrot could be used to try the woman accused of killing the pet parrot’s owner. (The Guardian)
Luxembourg Leaks
- Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet, two whistleblowers who revealed the Luxembourg Leaks financial scandal, are found guilty of leaking the documents and are given a 12 and nine month suspended sentence and fined €1,500 and €1,000 respectively, while Edouard Perrin, the journalist who was given the leaks, is acquitted of all charges. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Mongolian legislative election, 2016
- Voters in Mongolia go to the polls for a legislative election at a time of economic slowdown. (The Guardian)
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2016
- The process to elect a new leader of the Conservative Party to replace outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron begins in the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Stephen Crabb is the first Conservative Party politician to announce his official candidacy for leader. (BBC)
United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union
- Prime Minister David Cameron tells the House of Commons that legal experts advise that the UK-wide Brexit result binds the entire nation, even though Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to stay in the EU. Yesterday, both Scottish and Northern Irish representatives told the European Parliament’s plenary session they will leave the UK if that is the required price to keep their homelands fully connected to Europe. (The News Letter) (New Europe)
2016 United States presidential election, 2016 Republican National Convention
- The Cleveland Board of Control approves changes to convention security rules negotiated with the ACLU, per Federal District Judge James Gwin’s June 23rd court order. (The Hill) (The Plain Dealer)
North American Leaders’ Summit aka the Three Amigos Summit
- Takes place in Ottawa, Canada as US President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. President Obama later gives a special address to the Parliament of Canada. (Toronto Star) (CBC)

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July 6, 2016

Top News Stories –

Chilcot report: Tony Blair’s Iraq War case not justified –
Tony Blair overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, sent ill-prepared troops into battle and had “wholly inadequate” plans for the aftermath, the UK’s Iraq War inquiry has said. Chairman Sir John Chilcot said the 2003 invasion was not the “last resort” action presented to MPs and the public. There was no “imminent threat” from Saddam – and the intelligence case was “not justified”, he said. Mr Blair apologised for any mistakes made but not the decision to go to war. Sir John, the ex-civil servant who chaired the inquiry, describes the Iraq War as an intervention that went “badly wrong” with consequences still being felt to this day – and he set out lessons to be learned for future conflicts. His report, which is 2.6 million words, does not make a judgement on whether Mr Blair or his ministers were in breach of international law. [BBC]
Tony Blair in 2014

Video of the Day –

Explore Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in Two Minutes

List of the Day –

Chilcott Report – errors in political and military decision-making in going to war in Iraq:

UK military commanders made “over-optimistic assessments” of their capabilities which had led to “bad decisions”
There was “little time” to properly prepare three military brigades for deployment in Iraq. The risks were neither “properly identified nor fully exposed” to ministers, resulting in “equipment shortfalls”
Policy on the Iraq invasion was made on the basis of flawed intelligence assessments. It was not challenged, and should have been
Mr Blair overestimated his ability to influence US decisions on Iraq; and the UK’s relationship with the US does not require unconditional support

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion
- Twenty Philippine Army soldiers are under investigation after they are suspected of mutilating the body of a New People’s Army member. The communist militant’s eyes were gouged, his tongue was cut off and his throat was slit. (GMA News)
Yemeni Civil War
- A suicide car bomb, that targeted the Central Security headquarters in the port city of Aden, Yemen, kills at least 26 people. Following the blast, militants stormed the compound and clashed with soldiers. No group immediately claimed responsibility but it is similar to an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant attack on the port of Al Mukalla. (AP via The New York Times) (Reuters)

Business and economy

The price of nickel swings wildly after Philippines environment secretary Gina Lopez announces plans to close existing mines in the country. (Financial Times) (Bloomberg)
Business magnate and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi sells leading football club A.C. Milan to a Chinese consortium for an eventual €400 million. (BBC)
Australian federal election, 2016
- Standard & Poor’s drops Australia’s debt outlook from stable to negative following the country’s surprisingly close election this weekend. (The Guardian)

International relations

International reactions to Philippines v. China
- China threatens the United States regarding the South China Sea and it will not accept a verdict in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. (ABC News Go) (Forbes)

Law and crime

Oscar Pistorius trial
- South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to six years imprisonment for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Iraq Inquiry
- A report about the United Kingdom‘s involvement in the Iraq War is released. The chairman of the inquiry, Sir John Chilcot, said that the invasion was not a “last resort” and was based on “flawed intelligence and assessments”. The inquiry was announced on 15 June 2009 by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The final hearing was held on 2 February 2011. (The Guardian) (BBC) (BBC²)
Hillary Clinton email controversy
- Loretta Lynch, the Attorney General of the United States, closes the investigation into Hillary Clinton‘s use of a personal email system to conduct official business without charges being laid. (CNN)
2016 Zimbabwe protests
- National “Stay Away” protests, organized over the Internet via the WhatsApp social messaging platform, take place in Zimbabwe, following fears of an economic collapse amid calls for President Robert Mugabe’s resignation.(BBC News)

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The 2010s

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