Happy New Year, no Happy New Decade – but what decade are we in? –
A decade with no name – The Twenty-tens? The Deccies? The Tennies? The Onesies?
– The world’s financial markets are in the middle of the worse recession since the Twenties.
– Barack Obama is President of the US and Gordon Brown is Prime Minister of the UK. Barack Obama
– Pamela Anderson suffers a “wardrobe malfunction” in Hollywood and David Tennant hands over Doctor Who’s screwdriver to Matt Smith. Stephen Fry (temporarily) quits Twitter. Pamela Anderson
– Scientists at Kings College, London reveal that the G-spot doesn’t actually exist.
It’s not a great start to the decade but, as D:Ream sang 6 years earlier, things can only get better… can’t they? Read on…
Video of the Day –
Robbie Maddison New Years Eve jump 2009 in Las Vegas
Top Stories –
The whole of the United Kingdom is covered in snow causing the usual chaos and even more “weather’s turned a bit nippy” conversations. British Isles under snow
Google launches its own smart phone, the Nexus One in a bid to widen the popularity of its Android operating system.
The Nexus One CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…
Google gets down with the kids –
Google reveals it is developing child-friendly versions of some of its products and is likely to include the Chrome browser and YouTube (which it bought for $1.65bn (£883m) in October 2006). The intention is to make the internet safer for under-12s.
Boris plays peacemaker –
London mayor Boris Johnson attempted to calm down an abusive passenger on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Heathrow but the crew had to handcuff the man and strap him to his seat. The man was arrested when the plane landed. Boris Johnson
Pope dismissing head guard –
Colonel Daniel Anrig, the commander of the 110 Swiss Guards that protect the pontiff is losing his job when his commission ends at the end of January 2015. Although no official reason has been given, Pope Francis is apparently unhappy at the officer’s strict authoritarian style.
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
The Brit Awards sees Madonna wardrobe malfunction
The Brit Awards sees Ed Sheeran take the awards for Best Male Solo Artist and Best British Album for “X”. Palomo Faith is Best Female Solo Artist and Mark Ronson (ft Bruno Mars) wins best British Song with Uptown Funk. But the biggest memory of the night was Madonna being dragged down a flight of steps by one of her dancers when the neck cord of her cape didn’t release. See video below.
British General Election results in a surprise Conservative majority and the resignation of three opposition leaders –
Summary of the major stories [BBC]:
UKIP’s Nigel Farage resigned after failing to win Thanet South – the party has just one MP
The Greens held their one seat of Brighton Pavillion
[BBC]
Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions –
Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the “last version” of the dominant desktop software. His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an “ongoing manner”. Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said. [BBC]
Eton launches online lessons for China –
Eton College is going to launch online lessons for schools in China. From this autumn, the leading UK independent school is going to provide classes in leadership to Chinese students, using live online tuition. The school has formed a partnership with a technology firm to create a company called EtonX. The school, in Berkshire, says any income raised by the international project will be used for bursaries to cover pupils’ fees. Percy Harrison, director of information technology at Eton College, says the school would be able to reach a wider number of pupils, without setting up an overseas campus. [BBC] The Eton College Coat of Arms
Star Wars: The Force Awakens second trailer sets YouTube world record –
The second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially the most viewed film trailer on YouTube in a 24-hour period. Guinness World Records says the clip, released in April, was watched more than 30 million views in a day. The trailer sees the return of Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford again, alongside co-pilot Chewbacca. The Force Awakens, the first instalment of the franchise’s new trilogy, will be set 30 years after Return of the Jedi. [BBC Newsbeat] See Video of the Day and List of the Day
Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones films, when confronted with the possibility of having a baby, says he’ll “visit him at Eton on St Andrew’s Day. The Darcy men have been going to Eton for five generations.”
Suspected shooter Dylann Roof is arrested at a traffic stop. Roof is suspected of killing nine people including a South Carolinian state senator.(ABC News)(ITV News)
Valentino Rossi accuses rivals of colluding to deny him the world title –
MotoGP’s most controversial season ended in bitter acrimony on Sunday as Valentino Rossi accused rivals of colluding to deny him the world title. The Italian legend launched his tirade after narrowly missing out on the championship despite scything through the field from the back of the grid – and no one was spared his vitriol. The 36-year-old had to start from the back of the field as punishment for his alleged kick on Márquez in the penultimate round in Malaysia. Rossi said the new champion, Jorge Lorenzo, did not deserve the title, and that fellow Spaniard Marc Márquez had acted like a “bodyguard” to prevent him from taking a seventh championship. [Daily Telegraph] Valentino Rossi
Prime Minister’s celebrity trainer launches ‘Netflix for Fitness’ –
Celebrity personal fitness coach Matt Roberts, known for training Amanda Holden, Naomi Campbell and David Cameron, is launching his own online fitness channel. The UK Prime Minister’s personal trainer, Matt Roberts, is launching a new online workout channel, with the bold aim of becoming the “Netflix for Fitness”. Known as Body.Network, the channel will offer live and on-demand classes with Mr Roberts himself, as well as trainers from global yoga chain Yogasphere, the England Rugby team’s sports nutritionist Matt Lovell, and health and fitness gym The Third Space. Mr Roberts trains a number of high-profile personalities such as Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha, Amanda Holden, Naomi Campbell, James Corden, Michael McIntyre, Tom Ford and Mel C. [Daily Telegraph]
Astronaut plays bagpipes on International Space Station –
A US astronaut has played a set of Scottish-made bagpipes on the International Space Station to pay tribute to a colleague who died. Kjell Lindgren played Amazing Grace on the pipes after recording a message about research scientist Victor Hurst, who was involved in astronaut training. It is thought to be the first time that bagpipes have been played in space. They were made for Mr Lindgren by McCallum Bagpipes at the company’s factory in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Kenny Macleod, who works at McCallum Bagpipes, told BBC Scotland the 42-year-old astronaut had got in touch two years ago to say he was going to the space station and wanted to play the pipes while he was there. In the video, Mr Lindgren is seen to give the pipes a punch before he starts playing. Mr Macleod said it was normal for pipers to massage the bag to get the air flowing, “but not quite as vigorously as that”. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
John Lewis Christmas Advert 2015 – #ManOnTheMoon
List of the Day –
Moto GP 2015 final standings by race [from Wikipedia]
Houthi forces regain several positions across southern Yemen after launching a fresh offensive against loyalist and coalition forces. In Lahij province, which borders Aden, Houthi forces are now positioned on a hill overlooking the strategic Al Anad Air Base, which houses Sudanese forces. The Houthis also retook the Damt District in the Dhale province after besieging it for hours, at least 16 people were killed in the clashes. (AFP via Yahoo)
Two suicide bomb attacks in Ngouboua, a remote village near Lake Chad, kill three people, including the bombers, and injure four others, according to Chadian Communication Minister Hassan Sylla Bakari. (Shanghai Daily)(UPI)
ManhattanDistrict AttorneyCyrus R. Vance, Jr. announces over $800 million in grants available to various agencies across the country for law enforcement-related initiative such as testing of potentially expired rape kits, the funding of an international center devoted to monitoring cyber attacks, and a program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice dedicated to training prosecutors. The grants are funded from criminal penalties paid by several international banks accused of violating sanctions. (New York Times)
Americans finally break through to end Ryder Cup frustration –
This was not eight years in the making. It was two decades. Two decades worth of frustration was pent up inside the American team room when it arrived to Hazeltine National this week for the 41st Ryder Cup. And two decades worth of relief was released with the force of popping champagne corks when the Americans put the finishing touches on a 17-11 rout of the Europeans Sunday, capturing the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008 and only the third time since 1999. After eight losses in the last 10 Ryder Cups, including the last three, the Americans decided enough was enough. [New York Post] [See list of the day]
Hurricane Matthew, at Category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), temporarily stalls as it heads towards Jamaica and Haiti. Weather forecasters expect tropical storm conditions today with landfall tomorrow. Further, they expect rainfall of 20 inches, with up to 40 inches in some parts of southern Haiti. (BBC), (NBC News), (The National Hurricane Center)
Voters in Hungary go to the polls for a referendum on whether to accept mandatory European Union quotas on relocating migrants. While an overwhelming majority of voters reject the EU’s migrant quotas, turnout was too low to make the poll valid. (BBC), (Reuters)
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi writes choral music for Birmingham Cathedral –
Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi has swapped his heavy metal roots for an ecclesiastical project by writing and producing a piece of choral music. The five-minute acoustic arrangement for Birmingham Cathedral was a huge departure for the musician once accused of being a Satanist. The 68-year-old said the song, How Good It Is, was to give something back to the city he hails from. He said the track was “just a little bit different to Sabbath”. The project was born out of his friendship with the Dean of Birmingham, the Very Reverend Catherine Ogle, which developed when he was battling cancer in 2012. The lyrics for the piece were inspired by Psalm 133 which talks about people living together in unity which “is what Birmingham is all about”, Dean Ogle said. [BBC] Tony Iommi
Free University of Berlin chemists confirm that carbon can bond with more than four atoms, previously seen as its limit because carbon has only four shareable electrons. The researchers used X-rays to, for the first time, map the molecule — a carbon atom bonded to six other carbon atoms. (Science News), (ZME Science)
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Barack Obama
Pamela Anderson
