President Dilma Rousseff

August 16, 2015

Top News Stories –

Guardian Angels return to New York’s Central Park –
With their bright red jackets and berets, the Guardian Angels were once a common sight in a city riddled with violent crime. And this week they made a pointed return to New York’s Central Park for the first time in more than two decades, citing a 26 per cent rise in crime there so far this year. “We realise things are much better than they were” in the crime peak of the 1980s and early 90s, said Curtis Sliwa, the group’s founder, but “we want it to stay that way.” After years of celebrating reductions in crime, the nation’s biggest city has seen murders rise by 9 per cent so far this year, although serious crime overall is down 5 per cent. [Daily Telegraph]

PGA Championship: Australia’s Jason Day breaks major drought with three-shot win over Jordan Spieth –
Australia’s Jason Day has ended a long wait for his first major, shooting a final round 67 to clinch victory in the PGA Championship by three shots. He led by three shots at the turn and held his nerve through the back nine to seal a memorable win over America’s Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth at the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin. Day’s four-round total of 20-under was a record low score for a major championship. [ABC]
Jason Day

Video of the Day –

Visualization of nuclear detonations from 1945 to present.

Trinity from Orbital Mechanics on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#DragMeDownDay	Julian Bond	#7YearsOfJLS
2	#ZAYNHASNOCHILL	#WordsNotUsedOftenEnough	#DragMeDownDay
3	#TeJuroQueMeCuesta	#ZAYNHASNOCHILL	Gordon Brown
4	Julian Bond	#TeenChoiceAwards	Jason Day
5	Chelsea	#DragMeDownDay	Tracy
6	Goiás	Jason Day	#CorbynMediaFear
7	#CarnaCoxinha	#MaybeYouShould	Sunderland
8	#اشخاص_ترفع_له�…	Little Mix	Mourinho
9	#DomingoDeGanarSeguidores	Tebow	Chelsea
10	#كلمتين_عن_شخص�…	Chris Sale	#MOTD

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Douma market air strikes, Syrian Civil War
- More than 110 people have been killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on the rebel-held market town of Douma according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (BBC) (IBT) (Reuters) (Xinhua) (Al Jazeera English Online)
2014–15 India–Pakistan border skirmishes, Kashmir conflict
- Eight people have been killed in the past week as India and Pakistan trade gunfire over the border in the disputed area of Kashmir. (AP via Fox News)
Turkey–PKK conflict
- A Turkish Army soldier and three PKK militants are killed in a clash in Turkey‘s Kars Province. (Daily Star via Reuters)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- ISIL militants reportedly execute 15 women in Mosul. (Al-Manar)
- Former Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki is among dozens of officials named in a parliamentary report on why Mosul fell to ISIL with so little resistance. (Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Tianjin explosions
- The death toll from the explosions rises to 112 with 95 people missing including 85 fire fighters. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera English Online)
An Indonesian plane (Trigana Air Service Flight 257) with 54 people on board goes missing in Papua. There are later reports that the remains of the aircraft have been found in the Oksibil district. (BBC),(AFP via Yahoo!)
Ecuador declares a state of emergency over increased activity at the Cotopaxi volcano near the capital of Quito. Its last major eruption was in 1877. (BBC) (Dalje.com) (Al Jazeera English Online)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea establishes a surveillance center on its northernmost island of Baengnyeongdo to better deter North Korean threats. (Korea Times) (Yonhap)

Politics and elections

Crowds gather throughout Brazil to demand the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff due to a bribery and corruption scandal involving senior members of the governing Workers’ Party. Recent polls show her approval ratings below 10%. (France 24)

Sport

2015 Netball World Cup
- In netball, Australia defeats New Zealand 58–55 in the final of the Netball World Cup in Sydney. (Fox Sports Australia)
2015 PGA Championship
- In golf, Jason Day of Australia wins the PGA Championship on the Straits Course of the Whistling Straits complex in the American village of Kohler, Wisconsin. (ABC News Australia)
- Day’s 20-under-par is the lowest score in relation to par at a major championship, beating Tiger Woods‘ previous record of 19-under at the 2000 Open Championship. (ABC News Australia)
- Jordan Spieth of the United States finishes second and by doing so becomes the number one ranked golfer in the world ahead of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. (ABC News Australia)

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December 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

British parliament votes to bomb Islamic State in Syria –
Britain’s parliament voted on Wednesday to launch bombing raids against Islamic State in Syria, supporting Prime Minister David Cameron’s case that the country needs to help destroy militants who are “plotting to kill us”. After more than 10 hours of tense debate, lawmakers voted in favour of air strikes, by 397 to 223. British Tornado GR4 bombers could leave an air base in Cyprus within hours to launch the country’s latest military action in the Middle East. [Reuters] See Top Twitter Trends.
David Cameron

Video of the Day –

The Dreams of an Astronaut – with Helen Sharman from The Royal Institution on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#SyriaVote	#SyriaVote	#terroristsympathiser
2	JELENA IS BACK	#SanBernadino	#SyriaVote
3	男根のメタファー	Samurai Jack	Gary Neville
4	#معلمه_تعض_تلم�…	#MillenialChristmasSongs	Mark Zuckerberg
5	#MAMA2015	#WeLoveYouLiam	#GeordieShore
6	Gary Neville	#FirstDraftCartoons	#RSAMake
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9	DEMI LOVATO CONFIDENT	#CelebrityChristmasCarols	#AAOOD3
10	#زد_رصيدك19	#CMTAOTY	Stella Creasy

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- Russia expands its military presence in Syria with an additional airbase that can accommodate fixed-winged military aircraft. The U.S. Department of Defense also confirms that Russia added S-400 surface-to-air missiles to its Syrian stockpile and armed its military aircraft with air-to-air missiles. According to Military Times, “A Pentagon spokesman expressed concern” these moves indicate Russia’s commitment to aiding the embattled Assad regime as opposed to combating ISIL. No Syrian opposition groups including ISIL have combat-ready aircraft that require air-to-air missiles. (Fox News) (Military Times)
Yemeni Civil War (2015), Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
- Al-Qaeda militants seize control of Zinjibar, capital of Yemen‘s southern Abyan Governorate, as well as the town of Jaʿār, following fierce clashes with pro-Hadi government forces. (CNN)
2015 West African offensive, Islamist insurgency in Nigeria
- Cameroon’s army, backed by a regional taskforce, has killed at least 100 members of the militant Islamist Boko Haram group and freed 900 people it had held hostage, the west African country’s defence ministry has said. Regional taskforce conducts sweep along border with Nigeria. (The Guardian), (Yahoo news),
Military intervention against ISIL
- The Parliament of the United Kingdom votes 397-223 to authorize Royal Air Force air strikes on ISIL in Syria. (The Journal)
2015 San Bernardino shooting
- As many as three people open fire in San Bernadino, California (U.S.) at a center for people with developmental disabilities, killing at least 14 people and injuring 14 others in what the city’s police chief described as an act of domestic terrorism.(Reuters), (Los Angeles Times), (AFP via The Australian), (CNN), (Fox News), (The Washington Post)
- A second shooting incident near 1757 Richardson in San Bernardino unfolded around 3:00 p.m. PST, with police requesting a BearCat and medical assistance. A suspect was shot on-scene around 3:16 p.m. PST and another taken into custody shortly afterwards. (The New York Times), (Los Angeles Times)

Arts and culture

The Institute of Contemporary History in Munich announces a publication of a two-volume set of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. The new edition, which contains 3,500 scholarly annotations, is intended, The New York Times reports, “To set the work in historical context, to show how Hitler wove truth with half-truth and outright lie, and thus to defang any propagandistic effect while revealing Nazism.” This is the first printing in Germany since the end of World War II. (The New York Times) (The Week)

Business and economics

Janet L. Yellen, chairperson of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, states that economic conditions improved to the point where a rise in the Fed’s benchmark interest rate is likely when the Federal Open Market Committee meets in mid-December. (New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2015 South Indian floods
- Days of heavy rain in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu causes floods with many areas in the city of Chennai under water. The death toll from rain-related incidents has reached 188. (The Hindu)
- The Indian Navy and Army are conducting rescue operations in low lying areas. (NDTV)
- India’s National Disaster Response Force sends 600 officers to Chennai to assist. (IBN Live)

International relations

Hearings begin in the legal battle between the Japanese government and local officials in Okinawa over plans to move a U.S. military air base on the southern island. This fall, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga revoked his predecessor’s authorization for aUS Marine Corps air base. (AP) (Financial Times)
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha orders officials to improve aviation safety standards after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Thailand’s safety ratings. The lower rating is for failure to tackle commercial aviation standards shortcomings found in an audit this year. The European Aviation Safety Agency is due to announce the results of its own audit later in December. (Reuters)
Enlargement of NATO
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announces the invitation sent to Montenegro to join the military alliance, 16 years after the alliance bombed the country, as part of Yugoslavia, in the Kosovo War. Montenegro’s accession would result in “retaliatory actions”, according to a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. (BBC News) (CNN)
Kuril Islands dispute
- Russia is reportedly constructing hundreds of buildings for military use on the disputed Kunashir and Iturup islands in the Sea of Okhotsk. The Russian Defence Ministry said the new military buildings would help “raise the combat readiness of troops on the eastern frontiers of Russia”. (The Japan Times)

Law and crime

Four men, alleged jihadists from Kosovo are arrested, three in Italy and one in Kosovo, for making nonspecific threats against Pope Francis and the former U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo. The men are described by police as highly dangerous and as having celebrated the November 2015 Paris attacks. (The Independent, via MSN)

Politics and elections

Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah rejects a cabinet reshuffle ordered by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, another sign of the deepening rift between the two leaders. These problems started in March after the president appointed the minister of health as acting foreign minister without consulting the prime minister. (Reuters)
Myanmar general election, 2015
- Myanmar’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi discusses the smooth transfer of power to her National League for Democracy (NLD) party with President Thein Sein, their first public meeting since the November election. The new administration will be sworn in early next year. (Reuters)
2015 protests in Brazil
- Brazil‘s lower house of Congress opens impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff over a corruption scandal involving the state-owned oil giant, Petrobras. (BBC)

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December 13, 2015

Top News Stories –

Ed Sheeran ‘quits’ social media –
Singer Ed Sheeran has announced he is “taking a break” from social media as he is “seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes”. Writing on his Instagram account, the singer explained he was “taking the opportunity of not having to be anywhere… to travel the world”. He also confirmed to fans that his third album is “on its way” and “is the best thing I have made thus far”. Sheeran has 16 million Twitter and 5.5 million Instagram followers. He has just completed a world tour of his number one album x (pronounced “multiply”) in Auckland, New Zealand. Before the final show, he also tweeted that he was “buggering off for a while”. [BBC]

Ed Sheeran

UFC 194: Conor McGregor knocks out Jose Aldo after 13 seconds –
Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo after just 13 seconds at UFC 194 to win the featherweight title in Las Vegas. Irishman McGregor, 27, beat the long-time champion by landing a strong left hand with his first connecting punch to secure the fastest ever knockout in a UFC title fight. McGregor claimed in the build up to the fight that he would “embarrass” Aldo with a first-round knockout. “Precision beats power, timing beats speed,” McGregor said afterwards. “I feel for Jose. He’s a phenomenal champion. He deserved to go a little bit longer.” It was also Brazilian Aldo’s first defeat in 10 years after winning 18 straight fights. [BBC]
Conor McGregor

Video of the Day –

Tiny Hamster Agility Course – Dumptruck Vs Porkchop

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#زد_رصيدك30	#ExplainAFilmPlotBadly	#HappyBirthdayTaylor
2	#HappyBirthdayTaylor	#HappyBirthdayTaylor	#explainafilmplotbadly
3	#ExplainAFilmPlotBadly	#thisisnottheendofonedirec…	#XFactorFinal
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9	#اكبر_تجمع_للي�…	#NocheDeConfesiones	Reggie and Bollie
10	#اريد_من_الوزي�…	Bucks	Robert Dyas

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- At least 25 people are killed and dozens injured in a bombing at a second-hand clothes market in the city of Parachinar in the Kurram Valley. (Pakistan Tribune) (The News)
Syrian Civil War
- Syrian rebels fire volleys of mortar shells into Damascus, killing three people and wounding at least 30. Government forces respond with airstrikes into rebel-controlled Douma, just northeast of the capital, and surface-to-surface missiles into Eastern Ghouta and Saqba, that kill at least 35 people and injure many more, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (AP via The Washington Post) (Reuters)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- Israel says an Arab-Israeli man who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has joined Islamic State militants in Syria. (Reuters)
2015 Burundian unrest
- The U.S. State Department issues a travel advisory for Burundi and advises its citizens there to leave as soon as possible due to the increased violence in the capital Bujumbura where 87 people were killed this weekend. Families of U.S. government personnel and non-emergency personnel have been ordered to leave immediately. (UPI) (US State)
Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israeli Air Force planes hit two Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for rocket fire from the Palestinian territory. (Ynet News) (The Times of israel)

Disasters and accidents

At least 23 patients are killed and 23 injured in a psychiatric hospital fire in the Voronezh Oblast in western Russia. The remaining 24 patients were safely evacuated. (ABC News America) (AP via The Charlotte Observer)

International relations

European migration crisis
- On the eve of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s convention in Karlsruhe, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel says, “We want to noticeably reduce the number of people who come to us, but not through unilateral national measures alone.” She acknowledges the crisis could overwhelm Germany if it went on much longer. Merkel warded off pressure from immigration skeptics within the CDU to include a quota in the refugee policy motion the convention will vote on. (Jerusalem Post)(Bloomberg) (Reuters via International Business Times) (The Financial Times)
Russia–Turkey relations
- A Russian warship fires warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean Sea to “avoid a collision”, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Houston mayoral election, 2015
- Veteran Texas lawmaker Sylvester Turner edges out businessman Bill King by just over 4,000 votes in Houston’s runoff mayoral election. Turner, a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives since 1989, took 51 percent of the vote. King conceded defeat and encouraged Houston citizens to support the incoming mayor. Turner succeeds Annise Parker who was not eligible to run for re-election. (Reuters) (KHOU)
Saudi Arabian municipal elections, 2015
- Unofficial results show at least 17 Saudi Arabian women won municipal council seats in the kingdom’s third-ever election, and the first to allow female participation. Voters elected representatives for two thirds of the municipal council seats. The government announced that 979 women were candidates. (Reuters) (NPR) (Daily Pakistan)
French regional elections, 2015
- With most of the votes counted, the opposition conservatives of former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s party win in six of the country’s 13 regions and lead in the Paris region. The ruling Socialists of President François Hollande’s party capture five regions. The winner in Corsica is not affiliated with a major party. France’s far-right National Front (FN) fails to win a single region but did record its best showing in its history. Voter turnout was 58 percent. Definitive results are expected Monday. (The Guardian)(Politico) (The Straits Times) (Sky News) (Reuters)
Central African Republic constitutional referendum, 2015
- While voters in Central African Republic cast their ballots in a constitutional referendum aimed at ending years of sectarian strife, clashes erupt in the capital Bangui’s PK5 Muslim neighborhood, killing at least two and injuring over 20. PK5 residents, visited by Pope Francis two weeks ago, marched to the U.N. headquarters in the country to complain they were unable to cast their ballots. The proposed constitution would limit a president to two terms, add an upper house to go along with the National Assembly, and fight institutional corruption. (France24) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
2015 protests in Brazil
- Tens of thousands of Brazilians protest in cities around the country to demand that Congress impeach President Dilma Rousseff. The lower house of Congress opened impeachment proceedings on 2 December 2015. (Reuters) (AP via ABC News)(Reuters-Congress)

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March 19, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bruce Springsteen signs late note for schoolboy –
As excuse notes go, it is a step up from the “dog ate my homework”. But not all teachers would be impressed with a letter explaining a nine-year-old’s late arrival in class was down to being at a rock concert the night before. So Xabi Glovsky had it signed by Bruce Springsteen. He went to the concert in Los Angeles with his father, Scott, a life-long fan of the Boss. They went armed with a homemade sign. “Bruce, I will be late to school tomorrow. Please sign my note :-)” it said. At the end of the three-and-a-half-hour show, and well after Xabi’s bedtime, Springsteen sent a security guard into the crowd at the Los Angeles Sports Centre to invite father and son backstage. He asked Xabi for the name and spelling of his teacher, before whipping out pen and paper for the note. It read: “Dear Ms. Jackson, Xabi has been out very late rocking & rolling. Please excuse him if he is tardy.” [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce Springsteen

Six Nations 2016: England win Grand Slam with France victory –
England have their first Grand Slam in 13 years after holding out to secure a historic victory in Paris. First-half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given them a five-point half-time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of Maxime Machenaud to keep France within touching distance. But a third try in three matches from Anthony Watson calmed rising nerves before a brace of late penalties from Owen Farrell allowed the travelling support to sing their heroes home. It marks a remarkable turnaround for new head coach Eddie Jones, coming just six months after the humiliation of a home World Cup exit at the group stages before he took control. [BBC] See List of the Day

Video of the Day –

2084 from Taz Goldstein on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

Winners of Grand Slams in the Five Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France) and Six Nations (Italy added in 2000) Championship

Nation	Grand Slams	Grand Slam winning seasons
England	13	1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2016
Wales	11	1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2012
France	9	1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010
Scotland	3	1925, 1984, 1990
Ireland	2	1948, 2009
Italy	0

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#IndvsPak	#IndvsPak	#ScotLab16
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9	#MeGustasPero	#bindercon	#PrayForTurkey
10	#SabadoDeGanarSeguidores	Northern Iowa	#74MM

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

March 2016 Istanbul bombing
- An explosion occurs in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, kills five people, including two dual nationality Israeli–Americans and one Iranian citizen, and injures several dozen others. (Sputnik International), (Al Jazeera), (Hürriyet Daily News) (AP via MuskokaRegion.com)
Syrian Civil War, Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
- Airstrikes by Syrian or Russian warplanes on ISIL‘s de-facto capital Al-Raqqah in northern Syria, leaves at least 39 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Airstrikes on the city of Palmyra and nearby villages are said to have killed at least 18 ISIL militants, as the Syrian Army advance on the city. (Reuters)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- A United States Department of Defense official says a U.S. soldier was killed in the town of Makhmur, Erbil Governorate by a rocket fired by ISIL. “It was a lucky strike by ISIS,” according to the official.(Fox News)
Sinai insurgency
- At least 13 Egyptian policemen are killed after a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, North Sinai Governorate came under attack by militants. Ambulances were reportedly subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded. The Islamic State‘s Sinai branch claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Flydubai Flight 981
- Flydubai Boeing 737-800 Flight FZ981, en route from Dubai for about four hours, crashes during landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 on board. It appears the jet crashed in poor visibility, some 50–100 meters left of the runway, during the second approach. Rostov-on-Don Airport will remain closed until at least 9:00 am Moscow time. (RT) (Airways News) (Reuters)
Nine Cuban migrants die and 18 others are rescued by the Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles west of Marco Island, Florida. The group had been sailing for 22 days in a 30-foot long “rustic” boat. The survivors were severely dehydrated and in poor condition. Those who had died were buried at sea. The cruise ship is taking the migrants to its next stop, the island,Cozumel, Mexico. (AP via Portland Press Herald)

International relations

Former United Nations official and head of the UN mission for the Ebola outbreak Anthony Banbury accuses the UN of “colossal mismanagement,” saying it had failed to uphold the principles for which it was established. He cited the organization’s “Orwellian admonitions and Carrollian logic” of the UN bureaucracy and minimal accountability regarding the widespread rape and sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers.(The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2015–16 protests in Brazil
- A survey conducted by Datafolha shows a majority of Brazilians now favor the impeachment or resignation of President Dilma Rousseff. The poll showed 68 percent of respondents favor Rousseff’s impeachment by Congress, while 65 percent think the president should resign. The president’s approval ratings have been hammered by Brazil’s worst recession in decades and its biggest ever corruption probe. (Reuters)

Sports

Russian speed skaters Pavel Kulizhnikov, Semion Elistratov and Ekaterina Konstantinova test positive for Meldonium and are provisionally suspended by the International Skating Union. Kulizhnikov faces a potential lifetime ban while Elistratov and Konstantinova face up to four years. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2016 Six Nations Championship
- England national rugby union team has won the 2016 Six Nations Championship against the France national rugby union team, 31-21, their 13th win in the Grand Slam (rugby union). (The Guardian)(BBC)

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April 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

Hello! Magazine apologises for ‘fabricated’ Clooney interview –
Hello! Magazine has apologised for running an “exclusive” interview with George Clooney that the actor says was completely fabricated. The UK-based magazine said it purchased the interview from an entertainment news agency called Famous, which they have worked with in the past. Hello! said it thought the article was accurate and has removed the piece from its website. Mr Clooney said the interview never took place. He said in a statement: “The problem is that I have not given an interview to Hello Magazine and the quotes attributed to me are not accurate. In my experience, being misquoted is not unusual but to have an ‘exclusive interview’ completely fabricated is something new. And a very disturbing trend.” [BBC]
George Clooney

Video of the Day –

Introducing the self-driving bicycle in the Netherlands – (only available on April 1st!)

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
1	#FaleUmaMentira	#PowerpuffYourself	#FridayFeeling
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9	#EnTwitterNuncaFalta	#NewMusicFriday	#JokerWasHere
10	#BuenViernes	#AprilFools	#ONALondon

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports airstrikes on the village of Deir al-Asafir, Rif Dimashq Governorate, have killed at least 30 people and left dozens more injured. (The Telegraph)
War in Donbass
- International monitors from the OSCE report that fighting has intensified in Eastern Ukraine as a second year of a shaky truce begins. The worst of the fighting is located between government-controlledAvdiivka and separatist-controlled Yasynuvata. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- A U.S. drone strike reportedly kills a key Al-Shabaab leader, Hassan Ali Dhoore, and two other militants, near the town of Jilib, Somalia, according to several U.S. officials. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

In a second day of severe weather, at least seven people are injured as tornadoes sweep across the Midwestern and Southern part of the United States, with more severe weather expected. (Al Jazeera)

Health and medicine

Health authorities in Fiji are urging people to observe strict personal hygiene as the country goes through a massive outbreak of conjunctivitis. In the past 14 days alone the number of cases of the virus in one district of Suva have jumped from 700 to 5000 cases. (Radio New Zealand)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea fires another ballistic missile off its east coast, according to South Korean officials. This occurred while world leaders are attending the annual Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., where North Korea is on the agenda for discussion. (The Guardian) (Yonhap)

Politics and elections

Moldovan presidential election, 2016, 2015–16 protests in Moldova
- The Parliament of Moldova announces that the country will hold a Presidential election on October 30. A court in early March ruled in favor of having a direct national election to choose a president rather than a vote in parliament, a concession to protesters who have been demonstrating for months against the political elite. This will be the first time since 2001 that the public will choose their country’s president directly. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2015–16 protests in Brazil
- President Dilma Rousseff loses another key member of the country’s 2016 Summer Olympics organization. Colonel Adilson Moreira of the National Public Security Force, who was in charge of organizing security, in an email to his colleagues reportedly criticizes the President and other senior officials, saying he is ashamed of the country’s being led by an “unscrupulous group.” Brazilian officials, who earlier received Sports Minister George Hilton’s resignation, say the planning for the Olympic Games will not be affected. (BBC) (International Business Times)

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April 5, 2016

Top News Stories –

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

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

Video of the Day –

Golf Trick Shots | Dude Perfect

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5	#推しの名前を一文�…	Pop Style	#BestWeekendIn5Words
6	Kurt Cobain	#HowToGiveMeTheCreeps	#charitytuesday
7	#ماذا_يريد_الل�…	#Mississippi	#RawAfterMania
8	#NationalChampionship	Blac Chyna	#TravelTuesday
9	Blac Chyna	Minzy	#ReasonsHumansWillGoExtinct
10	#A37MesesDeTuSiembraComand…	#Webbys	#theisland

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

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

Business and economics

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

Health and medicine

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

International relations

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

Law and crime

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

Politics and elections

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

Sports

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

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

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April 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bryan Adams cancels Mississippi concert over new religious law –
Bryan Adams has cancelled a concert in Mississippi over the US state’s new controversial religious liberty law. The law, which allows some private businesses and religious groups to refuse service to gay people, was passed last week. The singer issued a statement saying he could not “in good conscience” perform in the state. He added he found it “incomprehensible that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against”. He was due to play the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on Thursday. Adams’s cancellation comes after Bruce Springsteen cancelled a show in North Carolina last week because of a new law in that state. [BBC]
Bryan Adams

Video of the Day –

Game of Thrones Season 6: Trailer #2

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide	USA
#FelizLunes	#NationalPetDay
#ÇarşıYavşAKlaraKarşı	#OpeningDaySTL
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#My2WordNightmare	#BBMAs
#ALDUBSummerLOVE	#LoveMySchoolDay
#DiaMundialDelParkinson	#FelizLunes

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

2016 Stavropol bombings
- At least three suicide bombers attack a police station in Stavropol, Russia. (Sputnik News)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Clashes and air strikes are reported in Yemen despite a fragile truce between the government and Houthis taking effect. However, the truce appears to be largely holding as members from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are granted unhindered access to give humanitarian aid and personnel across the country. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bomber kills 12 new police recruits in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack. (BBC)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- At least five people are killed and seven are wounded following a car bomb attack near a government building in Somalia‘s capital, Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack. (BBC)

Business and economics

2008 financial crisis
- Goldman Sachs agrees to pay $5.06 billion to settle allegations that it sold packages of shoddy mortgages prior to the global financial crisis.. The U.S. Justice Department settlement includes a $2.385 billion civil penalty, and $1.8 billion for distressed borrowers and communities affected by the housing crisis. (The Washington Post) (UPI)

Disasters and accidents

2014–16 El Niño event
- A severe heat wave grips Malaysia as much of Southeast Asia struggles with unusually hot and dry weather created by the El Niño season. Temperatures in Malaysia soared above 37°C, prompting more than 250 schools to close. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

G7 foreign ministers meeting
- John Kerry, along with the other Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers, laid wreaths at Japan’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to the victims of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack. Kerry is the firstSecretary of State to visit the memorial. Then-U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was previously the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the memorial, in 2008. The Hiroshimaforeign ministers meeting is part of the preparations for the 42nd G7 summit the end of next month at Japan’s Kashiko Island, Shima, Mie Prefecture. (Reuters) (Channel NewsAsia)
Houthi insurgency in Yemen, Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, says he welcomes the tentative truce that started at midnight Yemen time. The truce opens unhindered access for relief aid to all of Yemen. Peace talks are set to start later this month. (Reuters)
North Korea–South Korea relations, North Korean defectors
- South Korea announces that a colonel from North Korea‘s military spy agency defected to the south last year. Senior-level defections are rare, most being low level operatives. (AP)
European migrant crisis
- The Italian Coast Guard rescues 1,850 in the Strait of Sicily. (AFP via Daily Star)

Law and crime

CIA Director John Brennan, in an exclusive interview to air on NBC News tonight, says the United States intelligence agency will not use harsh, enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, even if ordered by a future president. Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have discussed using waterboarding if elected. (The Hill via MSN.com) (NBC News)
Kollam temple fire
- Five workers from the company that supplied fireworks to the Puttingal Temple have been detained by Indian police with the death toll rising to 106. (CNN)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- Israeli security forces arrest 18 Palestinians on the West Bank for alleged terrorism related offences. (Jerusalem Post)

Politics and elections

Hundreds of arrests are reported in the U.S. capitol in response to the Democracy Spring protests. (CNN) (Democracy Spring)

The Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Temir Sariyev announces he will resign from his post. This comes after several Parliament members accused Sariyev and his cabinet of corruption. The Kyrgyz presidential press service said President Almazbek Atambayev accepted his resignation. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Darfurian status referendum, 2016
- Voting for a referendum begins in Darfur, Sudan. Voters will be asked during the three-day referendum to decide on the permanent administrative status of the region. The choices are for the creation of a Darfur Region composed of the States of Darfur, or the retention of the status quo states system. Darfur is currently divided into five states. Voters will decide this week whether the area should go back to being one region, as it was until 1994. However, there are fears of voter apathy and if the referendum will be credible. (Al Jazeera)
The President of the Georgian breakaway state of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov announces his plan to hold a referendum on whether to become part of Russia or to keep its de facto independence before August of this year. This comes after South Ossetia signed various agreements further integrating the region with Russia. (TASS)
2015–16 protests in Brazil
- A committee of Brazil‘s Chamber of Deputies votes 38-27 to recommend the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, who faces charges of breaking budget laws to support her re-election in 2014.(Reuters)

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April 15, 2016

Top News Stories –

New Zealand stages first Pastafarian wedding on pirate boat –
The light-hearted Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has staged its first legally recognised wedding. Toby Ricketts and Marianna Fenn tied the “noodle knot” in the New Zealand South Island town of Akaroa. The happy couple say that guidelines of the Pastafarian religion stipulate that wedding celebrants must be pirates. Members of the church profess the belief that the world was created by an airborne spaghetti and meatballs-based being and humans evolved from pirates. New Zealand officials last month designated the religion as an officially-recognised faith, allowing Wellington-based Pastafarian Karen Martyn the legal right to conduct marriages. She carried out her inaugural wedding as an ordained “ministeroni” on Saturday. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

While You Were Away from Ben Mallaby on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide	USA
#SextaDetremuraSdv	#FlashbackFriday
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#ALDUBMonthsaryPlans	#6YearsSinceNiallsAudition
#BuyHairOniTunes	#DayofSilence
#DemDebate	#ISOJ

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A battle rages in the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan as the Taliban launches its spring offensive to capture the city of Kunduz. According to a Taliban spokesperson, several outposts already fell to them but this could not be verified immediately while a police chief says that the security forces were keeping “the situation under control”. (Al Jazeera)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- At least four Turkish Army soldiers are killed and two others are wounded after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in the southeast Mardin Province. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Human rights abuse victims during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos stake a claim on auction proceeds from Imelda Marcos‘ art collection, which includes pieces by Michelangelo, Monet, Van Gogh, andPicasso. (Rappler)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kumamoto earthquake
- The death toll from yesterday’s earthquake rises to nine with eight dead in the town of Mashiki. Eight hundred people have been injured including over 50 seriously injured. (AP)
At least two people are killed and five missing after a building collapses in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. (France 24)
A tornado hits the Uruguayan town of Dolores resulting in at least four deaths and seven injuries. (AP via Star Tribune)
A Malayan tiger attacks and kills a 38-year-old American zookeeper at the Palm Beach Zoo in Florida. (Reuters)

International relations

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Philippine general election, 2016
- Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte says he will set aside the Philippine claim on the Spratly islands and forge better economic relations with China. (Rappler)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea‘s Yonhap news agency reports that North Korea tried to launch a BM25 Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile but was unsuccessful. (Reuters)
- Chinese state media condemn the action saying that saber-rattling will “lead the country to nowhere”. (The Guardian)
Russia–United States relations
- John Kerry informs Russia that under the rules of engagement the plane that flew over the USS Donald Cook on April 13th could have been shot down. (AFP via MSN)
Poland–Russia relations, NATO–Russia relations
- Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, during a visit to Slovakia for talks on the future of NATO, says Russia is more dangerous than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). “By all evidence, Russia’s activity is a sort of existential threat because this activity can destroy countries,” Waszczykowski told reporters in Bratislava. He described ISIL as a very serious threat but said “it is not an existential threat for Europe”. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Authorities in Rwanda jail former politician Léon Mugesera for life. Mugesera was known for describing Tutsis as “cockroaches” and called for their extermination in a speech in 1992 and is said to be a precursor to the Rwandan genocide. (BBC)
Two firefighters are shot, one fatally and the other is in critical condition, during a welfare check in Temple Hills, Maryland. (AP)

Politics and elections

The New York Post, a daily newspaper controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, makes a u-turn and endorses Donald Trump for President of the United States. (Washington Post) (New York Post)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago, who lags in surveys, accuses pollsters of fabricating results by excluding her name in opinion polls.(GMA News) (Inquirer) (The Manila Bulletin)
Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil rejects a bid by the Attorney General to suspend a vote in the parliament to begin impeachment procedures against the President Dilma Rousseff. (Reuters)
- Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies begins debating the impeachment of the President. (AP)
Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
- Belgian Minister of Transportation Jacqueline Galant resigns in the wake of the recent bombings that shook Brussels last March. Galant resigned amid accusations her ministry ignored EU criticism of security at Belgium’s airports. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Riot police violently break up an anti-Sisi protest in Cairo, Egypt. In the first sign of public discontent with President Sisi’s rule, hundreds of people gathered and shouted slogans calling for his overthrow. (Al Jazeera)
Leaders of the Czech Republic choose “Czechia” as the one-word alternative name of their country to make it easier for companies, politicians and sportsmen to use on products, name tags and sporting jerseys. However, this change must still win cabinet approval before the foreign ministry can lodge the name with the United Nations for it to become the country’s official short name. (The Guardian)

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May 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Queen filmed calling Chinese officials ‘very rude’ –
The Queen has been filmed saying Chinese officials were “very rude” during last year’s state visit by President Xi Jinping. She was discussing their treatment of Britain’s ambassador to China with a senior police officer at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday. It came after David Cameron was overheard saying Afghanistan and Nigeria were “fantastically corrupt“. The Queen’s remarks were filmed as she was introduced to Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who the monarch is told had overseen security during President Xi’s visit to the UK in October. [BBC]
The Queen

Video of the Day –

Nightlife from Wriggles & Robins on Vimeo.

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- 11 May 2016 Baghdad bombings
  - At least 64 people are killed and 87 injured in a bomb attack on a market in Sadr City, Baghdad. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) claims responsibility. (CNN) (NY Times)
- ISIS bury alive 45 of their own fighters in Qayyarah for fleeing a battle. (Mirror) (Armen Press)
Dissident Irish Republican campaign
- MI5 raises the threat level for dissident Northern Ireland militants from “moderate” to “substantial”, meaning there is a strong possibility of an attack on the British mainland. (NY Times) (Reuters) (BBC)

Arts and culture

A fragment of the world’s oldest ground-edge axe dated at between 45,000 and 49,000 years old is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. (ABC News Australia)

International relations

Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- Israel seals off the West Bank and Gaza Strip for two days while Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s remembrance day and independence day) is celebrated. (Haaretz)

Law and crime

The head of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Motiur Rahman Nizami, is executed for his alleged role in acts of genocide and war crimes 45 years ago during the independence war against Pakistan in 1971. Nizami is the fifth senior opposition leader to be executed in connection with the war; a total of 17 people have received the death penalty. Authorities prepare for possibly violent protests. (AP via The Washington Post) (Vice News) (The New York Times)
Amnesty International reports that this year at least 149 have died, including children, in a military detention center, Giwa barracks, in Maiduguri, Nigeria. (VOA News) (Amnesty)
West Fertilizer Company explosion
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finds that a 2013 fire at a fertilizer plant in the American town of West, Texas, that killed 15 people was arson and begins the search for suspects.(Fox News)
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas says he will propose legislation to annul homosexuality convictions, and create a “right to compensation.” A 19th-century law outlawed sexual relations between men. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969, but the law itself was not rescinded until 1994. (AP via The Washington Post) (Deutsche Welle)

Politics and elections

Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- The Federal Senate of Brazil debates whether to suspend and impeach President Dilma Rousseff for allegedly breaching budget rules. The President’s allies are not optimistic about the Senate vote. (New York Times) (India.Com)
Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy
- The Italian Parliament gives final approval to legislation recognizing civil unions of same-sex couples. (The New York Times)
Ugandan general election, 2016
- Uganda arrests opposition leader Kizza Besigye as he addressed a crowd of supporters in the capital Kampala, and shuts down access to social media within the country prior to President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration tomorrow. (The New York Times) (Global Voices)

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The 2010s

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