Top News Stories –
Apple reveals new Music app to rival Spotify –
Apple has announced [at their Worldwide Developers Conference (#WWDC15 – see Top Twitter Trends)] a new app that combines a streaming song and music video library, an internet radio station and a way for artists to share unreleased tracks and other material. It includes a recommendation system that uses both human curators and computer algorithms to suggest songs. The [Apple Music] service is set to challenge Spotify, Tidal and other music apps. Apple also announced several new features that will appear in the next version of its Mac operating system, called OS X El Capitan. [BBC]
Fifa film flops at the box office –
A vanity film about the history of Fifa has flopped in the US, taking just $607 (£397) in its opening weekend. United Passions was funded by about £17m of Fifa cash, and was completed before corruption charges were made against 14 of its officials in May. Starring Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter and Gerard Depardieu as Jules Rimet, the hagiography of football’s governing body has had damning reviews. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the FilmBar cinema in Phoenix reported takings of just $9, meaning only one person bought a ticket. [BBC] See List of the Day
Tim Roth
Video of the Day –
Ares 3: Farewell
List of the Day –
Biggest film losses adjusted for inflation (according to Wikipedia)
| Rank | Title | Estimated losses (constant $) |
Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 13th Warrior | $97,896,514—182,838,584 | 1999 | |
| 2 | 47 Ronin | $151,923,973 | 2013 | |
| 3 | Cutthroat Island | $137,346,554 | 1995 | |
| 4 | Mars Needs Moms | $136,816,444 | 2011 | |
| 5 | The Adventures of Pluto Nash | $126,461,993 | 2002 | |
| 6 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | $126,417,784 | 1964 | |
| 7 | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | $125,776,050 | 2001 | |
| 8 | The Lone Ranger | $95,926,537—121,237,251 | 2013 | |
| 9 | Sahara | $121,194,169 | 2005 | |
| 10 | Heaven’s Gate | $120,953,664 | 1980 |
Top Twitter Trends –
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in North-West Pakistan
- Seven Pakistani army soldiers and 19 Taliban fighters are killed in overnight fighting in North Waziristan near the Afghanistan border. (Al-Jazeera)
- Arts and culture
- Apple Inc. announces a new music streaming service called Apple Music. (Endgadget)
- Disasters and accidents
- 2015 Sabah earthquake
- The number of people found dead on Mount Kinabalu rises to 16 with two Singaporean climbers still missing. (AP via Yahoo! News)
- The Singaporean government declares June 8 be a national remembrance day with the Singaporean flag being flown at half-mast and a minute of silence being observed at the beginning of all 2015 SEA Games venues. This is as a mark of respect for the eight people who were killed in the earthquake, which consists of six Primary 6 students, one teacher and their adventure guide. (Straits Times) (Today)
- Sinking of Dong Fang Zhi Xing
- The death toll from last week’s sinking on China‘s Yangtze River rises to 434 with eight people missing and 14 survivors. (CNN)
- Health
- 2015 South Korean MERS outbreak
- The number of deaths from MERS in South Korea rises to six with 23 new cases reported. (AFP via Straits Times)
- Law and crime
- The Supreme Court of the United States strikes down a law passed by the United States Congress allowing people born in Jerusalem to list Israelas their birthplace in their passports, on the grounds that it is the President’s prerogative to extend recognition of sovereignty in matters of foreign affairs.(CNN) (The Times of Israel)
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