January 15, 2010

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

Swooner –
Author Jackie Collins has revealed that screen legend Marlon Brando had sex with her at a party when she was only 15, days after she had been expelled from a school in England.
Jackie-CollinsJackie Collins
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February 1, 2010

Top News Stories –

Rip Torn in US court on burglary charges –
Rip Torn appeared in a Connecticut court on Monday, facing burglary and firearms charges after police allegedly found the actor intoxicated and armed inside a local bank. Police said the 78-year-old actor was arrested on Friday night after authorities allegedly found him inside the Litchfield Bancorp in Salisbury with a loaded revolver. The “Men in Black” actor was held in lieu of $100,000 (£63,000) bond. [Daily Telegraph]
Rip_Torn Rip Torn

AC/DC win first Grammy of career –
The band won the best hard rock performance statuette for the song War Machine, beating the previous winners Metallica and Linkin Park as well as Nickelback and Alice in Chains. Beyoncé took an early lead in the Grammys, winning four trophies during a non-televised ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Black Eyed Peas were right behind her with three awards, including best pop vocal album in the pre-telecast announcement of 100 of the 109 Grammy categories. Taylor Swift, the runner-up for the most Grammy nominations with eight, won her first trophy of the night, best female country vocal for White Horse. She also won best country song for White Horse with the songwriter Liz Rose. Lady Gaga was also among the double-winners, along with the rock group Kings of Leon, the rappers Jay-Z and Eminem, and Maxwell. See List of the Day [Daily Telegraph]
AC_DCAC/DC

Cat predicts 50 deaths in RI nursing home
A cat with an uncanny ability to detect when nursing home patients are about to die has proven itself in around 50 cases by curling up with them in their final hours, according to a new book. Dr David Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor at Brown University, said that five years of records showed Oscar rarely erring, sometimes proving medical staff at the New England nursing home wrong in their predictions over which patients were close to death. When nurses once placed the cat on the bed of a patient they thought close to death, Oscar “charged out” and went to sit beside someone in another room. The cat’s judgement was better than that of the nurses: the second patient died that evening, while the first lived for two more days. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

LoopLoop from Patrick Bergeron on Vimeo.

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February 2, 2010

Top News Stories –

Banker viewing topless women caught out on Australian TV –
A banker was caught logging on to look at pictures of topless women in his office – not realising a television news reporter was speaking live to camera just a few feet away. The worker was sat at his desk at Australia’s Macquarie Bank with his back to the camera as he looked at the images, apparently totally oblivious to the business analyst breaking news about interest rates in front of him. One of the pictures has been identified as actor Orlando Bloom’s model girlfriend, Miranda Kerr. (See Video of the Day) [Daily Telegraph]
Miranda-KerrMiranda Kerr

CIA allows agents to moonlight –
The CIA is allowing operatives to moonlight by selling their espionage expertise to financial firms, according to a new book. In one instance, agents worked at a New York hedge-fund consulting firm that wanted to draw on their skills in “deception detection” – the art of picking up clues in body language and conversation to ascertain when executives might be lying. Officials said that the out-of-hours work did not compromise national security and was only allowed once CIA officers had submitted full details of the work and been granted permission. [Daily Telegraph]

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter –
Punxsutawney Phil has emerged on Groundhog Day to see his shadow – meaning winter will last another six weeks. German tradition holds that if the hibernating animal sees its shadow in Pennsylvania on Feb 2 – the Christian holiday of Candlemas – winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early. The Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club annually announces Phil’s forecast at dawn on Gobbler’s Knob, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northeast of Pittsburgh. Phil’s announcement came before hundreds of onlookers who huddled as temperatures hovered around 15 degrees (-9 Celsius). The Groundhog Club says since 1887 Phil has predicted more winter weather by seeing his shadow nearly 100 times, but there are no records for nine years. (See List of the Day) [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Macquarie Bank Employee busted looking at nude photos of Miranda Kerr live on TV

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February 15th 2013

Huge meteor strikes Russia –
A meteor crashes near Chelabinsk a city in the Urals, Russia injuring around 1,000 people. The meteoroid – estimated to be about 20 metres in diameter – entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least a speed of 19 kilometres per second or 42,900 mph, producing a sonic boom. It shattered above the ground, showering Chelyabinsk with debris. It is the largest known natural object to have entered Earth’s atmosphere since the 1908 and the only meteor known to have resulted in casualties.
Chelyabinsk_meteor_trace

iMac, iPad and now a Blue Peter Badge –
Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design, is given a special gold Blue Peter badge in a special edition of the children’s programme that has been running on the BBC since 1958.
Blue-Peter-BadgeThe original Blue Peter Badge
Jonathan-IveSir Jonathan Ive
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November 14, 2014

Top News Stories –

Comet probe Philae shuts down, but not before transmitting valuable secrets –
Controllers have powered down the comet probe Philae after its batteries fell to dangeously-low levels – though the craft still managed to transmit reams of crucial data. The comet probe Philae appears to have reached the end of its historic mission after its batteries ran out of power, but only after it managed to transmit a treasure-trove of scientific data back to Earth. Mission controllers put the European Space Agency (ESA) lander to sleep after the power in its solar-powered batteries fell to dangerously low levels following its landing at a spot in the shadow of a crater wall, shrouded in darkness. An ESA blog post said: “Philae has fallen into ‘idle mode’ – a possibly long silence. In this mode, all instruments and most systems on board are shut down.” [Daily Telegraph]

Rik Mayall ‘Bottom’ bench unveiled in Hammersmith –
A street bench like one that featured in the BBC sitcom Bottom has been officially unveiled in memory of comedy legend Rik Mayall. It followed an online campaign by more than 7,000 of his fans. Mayall, who starred in a string of TV comedies, said before his death, aged 56, in June that he had been saddened by the removal of the bench. It had appeared in the opening credits of Bottom, in which he starred with Adrian Edmondson. [Daily Telegraph]

Rik_Mayall_obit Rik Mayall

Unofficial_blue_plaque_to_Rik_Mayall_taken_in_Hammersmith,_London_June_2014

Video of the Day –

Animator vs. Animation IV from Alan Becker on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 JustinBieber #BreakTheInternet #ChildrenInNeed
2 #MeVendriaRePiola #FailedCharities #ThanksAlex
3 #GubernurAhok #Gruber Christmas
4 Weather Update #rokerthon #WeCanLandOnACometButWeCant
5 #iloveashton2014 Kim K #BreakTheInternet
6 #SonraDedimKi 106 & Park Ched Evans
7 Happy Children’s Day #iloveashton2014 #snp14
8 #AdmitoQue #LouisYouSangGreat #WorldDiabetesDay
9 #BreakTheInternet Dumb and Dumber Jessica Ennis
10 #FailedCharities Too Many Cooks #CIN2014

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
International relations
  • Swedish submarine incidents:
    • Sweden releases a sonar image it says is proof that a foreign submarine entered its waters in October. The grainy image shows underwater tracks allegedly left by the vessel. (BBC)
Politics

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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.
Melanie_BMel 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.
2014_FIFA_Announcement_(Joseph_Blatter)_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 18, 2014

Top News Stories –

Putin’s point –
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a message of defiance and ire towards the West at an annual news conference in Moscow in the face of the financial turmoil that has gripped the country. Mr. Putin put the blame on “external factors,” including Western sanctions and falling oil prices, for the collapse of the ruble.
Vladimir_PutinVladimir Putin

Closed lot –
Sony have cancelled tours of their Los Angeles studios after it was found pass codes were part of the hack recently discovered and blamed on North Korea.

Republican dig heels in on Cuba –
Republicans in Congress are trying to find a way to stop or at least slow President Barack Obama’s plan to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba. The biggest obstacle to normal ties with Cuba is the 1996 embargo and with Republicans due to take control of both houses of Congress in January, the chances of changing this look unlikely.

Mandy Rice-Davies dies
Mandy Rice-Davies the woman who was at the centre of the so-called Profumo spy/sex scandal (along with her friend Christine Keeler) that threatened to topple Harold Macmillan’s government has died at the age of 70. Rice-Davies lived with Keeler, whose affair with war minister John Profumo prompted his resignation in 1963. She also claimed to have an affair with Lord Astor, but he denied it in court to which Rice-Davies famously replied “Well he would, wouldn’t he.”

Video of the Day –

Snooze

SNOOZE from molly dickson on Vimeo.

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December 22, 2014

Top News Stories –

Sunny smile –
Kent student Jess Smith reveals that she was the baby who played the sun on the Teletubbies, a BBC TV show in the 80s & 90s.

Joe Cocker dies –
Joe Cocker, famous for his version of the Beatles “With A Little Help From My Friends” which reached number one in 1968, has died from cancer.
Joe_CockerJoe Cocker

Total indulgence –
Costa Coffee in the UK is selling 100,000 sticky toffee latte a week during the festive season. The largest ‘massimo’ size has around 598 calories, contains up to 75g of sugar – nearly 19 teaspoons, or twice the amount in a can of Coke.
Costa-logo

Beep-beep –
Google launch the second version of their self-driving car which has been described a toy police car.

Tit-for-tat attack? –
North Korea internet shut down for 9 hours and just days after the state was accused of a major hack on Sony Pictures in the state. Speculation is that the US government caused the outage in retribution.

Video of the Day –

Joe Cocker – With A Little Help From My Friends

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December 25, 2014

Christmas Day –

Top News Stories –

Christmas Truce remembered –
100 years since the famous Christmas truce when soldiers from England and Germany fighting in France laid down their weapons and played games of football. The English Football Association has held a number of events to commemorate the event.

This is going to go well –
In the US, 300 independent cinemas screen “The Interview”, a film depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, turned up to a screening of the movie at a theater in Los Angeles.
Seth_Rogen_WonderCon_2,_2013Seth Rogen

Evan-GoldbergEvan Goldberg

Sony hit again –
Hackers calling themselves Lizard Squad take down Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox servers following threats to do so if the film was released.

Putin cancels Christmas –
Russian President Vladimir Putin cancels Christmas, at least for his government, but setting a meeting on Christmas day.
Vladimir_PutinVladimir Putin

Video of the Day –

UEFA marks 100th anniversary of World War One truce

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December 31, 2014

Top News Stories –

Cheapskate footballers conned –
Players at an English Premier League football club have apparently lost £30,000 to fraudsters in a scam. West Ham United footballer Andy Carroll and manager Sam Allardyce paid £11,000 for cut-price Fortnum & Mason hampers and Harrods champagne last month – and the pair but never saw the goods delivered.
Andy-CarrollAndy Carroll

Coding error? –
Silicon Valley security firm Norse has said the massive hack on Sony earlier this year may not have been made by North Korea but by a disgruntled group of former employees headed by a person called Lena who was laid off last May.

More thumb action for 2015 –
New fashion app Grabble works like Tinder but with fashion items instead of potential dates being “thrown” or grabbed”.

Video of the Day –

Google Search 2014

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January 1, 2015

Top News Stories –

Happy New Year! –
5 years done, 5 to go in the decade that still hasn’t earn’t a name. Onesies, Deccies, Tennies – what will it be?

2014 was The Year Of… –
The Selfie. The ultimate one was, of course, by Ellen DeGeneres at the Oscars [see March 13th 2014]
Photo: Ellen Degeneres - public domain

2015 will be…? –
2015 was year in which the film Back to the Future was set, so expect hoverboards and DeLorean cars to be big this year. October 21st is the magical day.

Very fast wedding –
Formula 1 driver Jenson Benson, who has retained his seat for McLaren in 2015 tweeted that he has married his partner of 7 years, lingerie model, Jessica Michibata in Hawaii.
Jenson Button bahrain 2012

Captain Fantastic –
Steven Gerrard captain of Liverpool FC announces he is leaving the club to play overseas at the end of the English Premier League season. Gerrard who is 34 made his debut for the club in 1998 is likely to go to MLS club LA Galaxy.
Steven Gerrard in 2014

Rouble to Euro –
Lithuania becomes the nineteenth state to join the Euro and in doing so gets its fourth currency in 25 years – after the Soviet rouble, the talonas and the litas.

Video of the Day –

Show me your Hoverboard from Jørgen Håland on Vimeo.

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January 8, 2015

Top News Stories –

Who’s the daddy? –
A Cuban man convicted of spying in the US and committed to a double life sentence in 1998 has become a father a month after his release. Gerardo Hernandez, who was released last month by the US as part of a diplomatic thaw with Cuba, requested to have his wife artificially inseminated with his sperm while he was still in jail.
CubanFiveVaradero

Imran bowled over –
Sportsman-turned-politician Imran Khan has married his fiance, Reham, at a small wedding ceremony at his home in Islamabad, Pakistan. Khan was Pakistan’s most successful cricket captain, playing for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and leading them to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (8414079377)

Team Wiggo launched –
Former Tour de France champion and Sky Team member Sir Bradley Wiggins launches his own cycling team to help preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympics. The four-time Olympic champion will try to break the individual world hour record as part of his build-up to Rio2016. Team Wiggins will operate independently of British Cycling but the governing body has given its backing to the team.
Roubaix - Paris-Roubaix, le 13 avril 2014 (B16)Bradley Wiggins

App designers golden year –
Apple revealed today that app developers earned more than $10 billion in revenue in 2014, partly due to a 50 percent rise in billings. The App Store has grown to 1.4 million apps since launching in 2008, with 725,000 designed for the iPad.

Russia says drivers must not have ‘sex disorders’ –
The Russian government is tightening medical controls for drivers because the country “has too many road accidents”. Transsexual and transgender people are among those who will no longer qualify for driving licences and fetishism, exhibitionism and voyeurism are also included as “mental disorders” now barring people from driving.

Job for life but don’t turn up –
A.K. Verma, an executive engineer at the Central Public Works Department, India, was fired after last appearing for work in December 1990. Even after an inquiry found him guilty of “wilful absence from duty” in 1992, it took another 22 years and the intervention of a cabinet minister to remove him, the government said.

Video of the Day –

When you say you’re a swimmer –

“When You Say You’re a Swimmer” from Chris Shimojima on Vimeo.

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January 24, 2015

Top News Stories –

Islamic State terrorists execute Japanese hostage –
Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe has called the footage of Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto apparently holding a photograph showing the body of fellow captive Haruna Yukawa “outrageous and unacceptable”. On January 20th 2015 Islamic State said it would kill the two men unless Japan paid a ransom of $200m (£130m) within 72 hours.
Shinzō Abe April 2014Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe

Where are the richest 1% in the world? –
According to Credit Suisse anyone who has assets worth over $798,000 (£530,000) is one of 1% of the richest people in the world. 18 million of the top 47 million richest people are in the US, 3.5m in France, 2.9m in the UK and 2.8m in Germany. Ten percent of Swiss residents, a total of 800,000, are in the top 1%.

50 years since the death of Winston Churchill –
Sir Winston Churchill, prime minister of England through World War II died 50 years ago today. He was Conservative prime minister from 10 May 1940 – 26 July 1945 and again in 26 October 1951 – 6 April 1955.
Churchill V sign HU 55521Winston Churchill

FA Cup upsets return –
In England and Wales the fourth round of the FA Cup sees some of the most surprising results for many years. Premier League leaders Chelsea are beaten on their own ground 4-2 by Bradford City after leading the League One team 2-0. Manchester City who are second in the Premier League also lose at home to Championship side Middlesborough. This followed Cambridge United holding on for a 0-0 draw against Manchester United yesterday.
José Mourinho'14 Jose Mourinho

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February 7, 2015

Top News Stories –

Miss Universe asked to negotiate with rebels –
Newly crowned Miss Universe Paulina Vega is invited by the Colombian rebel group Farc militia to help their peace negotiations with the government in a statement on their website. During interviews prior to winning the title on January 25th 2015, Ms Vega, who is also Miss Columbia, had said she wanted to see peace in Colombia. So far she has not responded to the offer.
Paulina_Vega_Miss_Universe_2014Paulina Vega

NBC Nightly News anchor embarrassment –
Brian Williams, “the most-watched” news presenter in the US temporarily steps down from his NBC Nightly News anchor role after he admitted his story about being in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq was false. He revealed that he was actually in an aircraft following the one shot down after veterans who were in the helicopter recalled he wasn’t on the flight. Williams blamed a “fog of memory” for the lapse.
Brian_Williams_2011_ShankboneBrian Williams

Price gets it right –
Katie Price formerly known as the model Jordan wins UK TV Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother despite only being in the “house” for 10 days when other contestants had been in for a month. She beat ex-Apprentice candidate Katie Hopkins into second place; Calum Best came third.
Katie PriceKatie Price

Classic Ferrari sells for $16 million –
A classic California Spyder Ferrari found in a French farmhouse under a load of magazines is sold at a Paris auction for €14.2m (£10.5m; $16.2m). Only 37 of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB were made and this dark blue one had been owned by French actor Alain Delon but was hidden for over 50 years. In May 2008 British DJ Chris Evans paid a reported £5.6 million for a 1961 250GT short-wheelbase California Spyder that once belonged to Hollywood actor James Coburn.
1961-ferrari-rcA 1961 250 GT California Spyder
256px-Alain_Delon_Cannes_2013Alain Delon in 2013

Video of the Day –

Miss Columbia Paulina Vega’s Miss Universe interview

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February 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Costa Concordia captain convicted of manslaughter –
The captain of the Costa Cordordia cruise ship that ran aground and capsized on January 13th 2012 off the island of Giglio has been convicted of manslaughter and given a 16-year jail sentance. Francesco Schettino was accused of taking the ship too close to the shore to impress his lover, Domnica Cemortan, who was with him at the helm. He then abandoned the ship with passengers and crew still on board. 32 people died in the accident but Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, avoided possible criminal charges by agreeing to pay a $1.3m (€1.1m; £860,000) fine in 2013.
Collision_of_Costa_ConcordiaThe Costa Concordia after the accident

Korean Air nut rage ends with jail sentence –
A South Korean court finds Cho Hyun-ah (aka Heather Cho) a former executive of Korean Air guilty of breaking aviation law. She forced her Seoul-bound plane to turn back to the gate at JFK airport in New York and offload a steward because she did not like the way she had been served nuts. Cho, the daughter of Korean Air president, was found guilty of obstructing aviation safety and jailed for one year, much less than the possible maximum sentence of 10-years.

Smoking in private cars with child passengers banned in England –
The British government votes 342 to 74 to ban smoking in cars when there are children in the vehicle in England and Wales, but doesn’t apply to convertibles with the roof down. Anyone stopped for breaking the law can be fined £50 on the spot when it becomes law in October 2015 but Scotland is not included. Bans on smoking in cars when children are present already exist in some US states as well as in parts of Canada and Australia.

Video of the Day –

Raising the Costa Concordia: A Time Lapse

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February 20, 2015

Top News Stories –

Canadian MP suffers from reduced smalls –
A Canadian MP Pat Martin had to leave parliament urgently due to ill fitting underpants. The opposition MP found it impossible to sit through the voting process while wearing knickers bought in a half-price sale. After a swift re-adjustment he made it back in time to cast his ballot. True commando.
Pat-Martin-Canadian-MPPat Martin MP

Rihanna hits 27 –
Robyn Rihanna Fenty hits late thirties. She has sold over 30 million albums and 120 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time
RihannaRihanna

Video of the Day –

Riding on Thin Air: Kelly McGarry + Jeremy Lyttle Take on Khardung La from Mercedes-Benz Films on Vimeo.
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February 21, 2015

Top News Story –

Razzies 2015 Winners: Cameron Diaz and Kirk Cameron Get Bashed at the 35th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards
Cameron-DiazCameron Diaz
 

Video of the Day –

The Torch Tower, Dubai on fire –

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March 3, 2015

Top News Stories –

Weasel riding woodpecker storms the internet –
Amateur photographer Martin Le-May, from Essex, photographed this extraordinary image of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flew through the air. The photograph was taken at Hornchurch Country Park in east London and rapidly gained circulation on social media and gained a number of photoshopped memes including Vladimir Putin and Gandolf hitching a ride with the woodpecker.
The original photo by Martin Le-May
phot copyright Martin Le-May

Putin and stormtrooper version

#weaselpecker: weasel rides woodpecker

Finnish man fined €54,000 for speeding –
A Finnish man has been handed a 54,000-euro fine for speeding in his car. Finland’s speeding fines are linked to income, with penalties calculated on daily earnings, meaning high earners get hit with bigger penalties for breaking the law. So, when businessman Reima Kuisla was caught doing 103km/h (64mph) in an area where the speed limit is 80km/h (50mph), authorities turned to his 2013 tax return, the Iltalehti newspaper reports. He earned 6.5m euros (£4.72m) that year, so was told to hand over 54,000 euros. The scale of the fine hasn’t gone down well with Mr Kuisla. “Ten years ago I wouldn’t have believed that I would seriously consider moving abroad,” he says on his Facebook page. “Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high incomes and wealth.” [BBC]

 

Video of the Day –

The Roast of Justin Bieber from Comedy Central

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March 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Top Gear France smashes channel ratings in first episode as critics give it the thumbs up –
Around a million viewers tuned in to Top Gear France – the best ever rating for the channel broadcasting the show, made by BBC Worldwide France reportedly for up to €400,000 per programme. The Gallic version features comic actor Philippe Lellouche, driving ace Bruce Jouanny and car expert Yann Larret-Menezo and The Stig. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day.
Philippe_LellouchePhilippe Lellouche

Zayn Malik leaves One Direction tour after being signed off with stress –
Zayn Malik has left One Direction’s tour of Asia and has returned to the UK after being signed off with stress. A statement said: “Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. “The band wish him well and will continue with their performances in Manila and Jakarta.” On Wednesday the singer declared his love for his fiancee, Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, after photos emerged of him with his arm around another woman. [BBC]
Zayn_Malik_November_2014Zayn Malik

Russia: Gold found in roadside socks lands man in court
A Russian man has been found guilty of illegally possessing more than a dozen pieces of gold he found in some socks by the roadside, it’s been reported. Bagaudin Estermirov, from the Amur Region in Russia’s Far East, found 18 ingots of gold worth 10.5 million rubles ($171,000; £116,184), wrapped in three black jersey socks in bushes in the town of Zeya last October. A Russian district court on 17 March handed down a two-year suspended sentence for “illegal possession of a precious metal” after Estermirov fully admitted his guilt. The gold, which weighed about 8kg, was handed over to the state. [BBC]

Charlie Sheen hurls racist Twitter rant at Barack Obama –
Charlie Sheen, once the highest paid actor on US television before his career unravelled because of his drug addiction, has launched an attack on Barack Obama. The son of Martin Sheen and former star of Two and a Half Men, posted a garbled attack on the US president in the early hours of the morning on Twitter. “Barry Satera Kenya u won’t attend a soldier’s funeral uhkros da street that u kild yet u hav time 4 brackets? s a d.” Sheen’s anger appeared to be a reference to the funeral of Major General Harold Greene, a two-star general killed in Afghanistan. [Daily Telegraph]

Tag Heuer teams up with Google and Intel for Android watch –
Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer has announced it is to build an Android Wear-powered smartwatch. The firm – which is part of the luxury goods-maker LVMH Group – is forming a partnership with Google and the chipmaker Intel to create the device. Switzerland dominates the high-end watch sector. This marks the first of its companies to join Google’s wearable tech ecosystem. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Top Gear France Trailer

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April 2, 2015

Top News Stories –

Al-Shabab Islamist militants attack on Kenya university –
The death toll in the attack by al-Shabab Islamist militants on a university in north-eastern Kenya has risen to 147, Kenyan government officials say. They added that the operation to secure the the Garissa University College campus was now over, with all four attackers killed.
The evacuation of surviving students is now under way. An overnight curfew is being implemented in parts of the country. [BBC]

Oxford v Cambridge: RNLI rescue Oxford women’s boat crew –
Oxford University’s women’s boat crew have been rescued by an RNLI lifeboat in choppy waters in the Thames during training for the Boat Race.
The eight rowers and cox were discovered by the Chiswick RNLI crew while it was out on exercise. RNLI helmsman Ian Owen said: “We’ve rescued quite a number of rowers, but it is the first time I’ve been involved in helping such a prestigious team.” [BBC]

US sailor rescued after 66 days lost at sea –
The U.S. Coast Guard says a man missing in the Atlantic Ocean for the past two months survived by drinking rain water and eating raw fish. He was found off Cape Hatteras this afternoon. The Coast Guard says a German tanker ship spotted Louis Jordan and his 35-foot sailboat approximately 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras around 1:30 p.m. The 37-year-old Jordan was reported missing by his father on January 29th. Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss from the Coast Guard in Miami tells WITN that Jordan had been surviving off of raw fish and rain water. [WITN]

Video of the Day –

The stunts on Fast and Furious 7 –

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April 20, 2015

Top News Stories –

Demi Lovato Wishes Joe Jonas ‘Happy #420’ –
To honor 4/20 (See Top Twitter Trends), the day famously celebrated by weed connoisseurs, Demi Lovato decided to post a little message for her friend Joe Jonas. She took to Instagram to share a photoshopped image of herself with Jonas and Miley Cyrus. “In honor of our former escapades, I thought you’d like this to remember your first blaze.. Happy #420 @joejonas. #disneyhighclassof09,” she captioned the eye-popping image. [Billboard.com]
Demi-Lovato_Instagram-4_20
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Russia: Police stage mayor’s disappearance to thwart killing –
Police in Russia have staged the disappearance of a city mayor to prevent his contract killing, it’s reported. Pavel Plotnikov, the mayor of Yoshkar Ola in central Russia, was reported missing on Saturday, after apparently failing to meet his wife as planned a day earlier. “All police patrols, criminal investigators – practically all police in Yoshkar Ola” were looking for the mayor, the city’s police spokeswoman Olga Plotnikova told the media at the time. But early on Monday, the mayor’s own website issued a statement saying that his disappearance had actually been staged. “The mayor’s ‘disappearance’ was necessitated by operational activities of Russia’s Interior Ministry staff,” the statement says. “They implemented measures to prevent a planned killing of the mayor and his family.” Later in the day, Mr Plotnikov gave a news conference to shed more light on what had happened. Because of his “principled position”, the mayor said, he was supposed to have been killed in a forest some time between Friday night and Saturday morning. Thanks to swift action by the security services, the would-be killers and those who took out a contract on the mayor have been arrested, Mr Plotnikov told the news conference, adding: “Many thanks to the police for saving my life.” The police have simply said that the mayor “has been found” and that “he’s alive and well, and is currently with his family”. [BBC]

U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal over Arizona ‘fish pedicures’ –
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by the owner a Phoenix-area spa that ran afoul of Arizona state regulations that barred her from providing pedicures in which clients have their feet nibbled by small fish to remove dead skin. The high court’s action, made without comment by the justices, ends a years-long case over fish pedicures, which have become a popular alternative to exfoliation for some spa-goers in recent years but are banned in some U.S. states for health and safety reasons. In 2009, Vong was told by the Arizona Board of Cosmetology that the treatment violated the agency’s safety standards, and that she could face criminal charges. The board said any tool or equipment used in a pedicure must be stored and disinfected in a specific way, and that she could not disinfect the fish coming in contact with clients’ skin. [Reuters]
Garra-Rufa Garra Rufa – the pedicure fish species

Video of the Day –

Paris – NewYork from NORD on Vimeo.

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April 29, 2015

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American Airlines planes grounded by iPad app error –
A faulty app caused American Airlines to ground dozens of its jets on Tuesday. The glitch caused iPad software, used by the planes’ pilots and co-pilots to view flight plans, to stop working. The firm’s cockpits went “paperless” in 2013 to save its staff having to lug heavy paperwork on board. AA estimated the move would save it more than $1.2m (£422,770) in fuel every year. The company said that it was still investigating the cause of the problem. “Some American Airlines flights experienced an issue with a software application on pilot iPads yesterday evening,” a spokesman told the BBC. “In some cases, the flight had to return to the gate to access a wi-fi connection to fix the issue. [BBC]

Ed Miliband tells Russell Brand he’s ‘wrong’ on politics –
Ed Miliband has challenged Russell Brand over his view that voting is “pointless” in a video interview conducted by the campaigning comedian.
Taken to task by Brand about public disillusionment with politics, the Labour leader replied: “You implied… no change happened. That’s just wrong.” Prime Minister David Cameron called Mr Miliband’s meeting with Brand a “joke”. But Mr Miliband said the interview was a way to engage with millions of people not usually interested in politics. [BBC] See Video of the Day.
Russell-Brand-Ed-Milliband-Twitter  © @RustyRockets/Twitter
© @RustyRockets/Twitter

Russian spacecraft Progress M-27M ‘out of control’ –
A Russian spacecraft delivering supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) is out of control and will fall back to Earth, officials say. The unmanned cargo ship was launched from Kazakhstan on Tuesday, but contact was lost with it soon afterwards. Russia’s space agency says Progress M-27M is now orbiting in an uncontrolled spin. It cannot reach the ISS and is likely to break up on re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. [BBC]

How one tweet wiped $8bn off Twitter’s value –
Twitter was due to announce its earnings for the first quarter of the year after close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where the company is listed. Announcing results after the markets close gives investors a chance to digest the news, sleep on it, and then start trading again the next day. Except it turns out that somebody thought it would be a good idea to release this information early, on the technology-led Nasdaq-run investor relations page for Twitter. Initially it seemed no-one really noticed the error, until a well-placed tweet highlighted the mistake and revealed Twitter’s disappointing results. The markets were still trading, and Twitter had not had the chance to formally present its results in a statement that would have bathed them in a more flattering light. At one point in the final hours of trading, the stock had lost more than $8bn (£5bn), or 25% of its opening price. Selerity is a tech start-up […] that automatically scans all sorts of documents, press releases, and social media online and looks for anything that could prove useful to investors. Selerity then tweeted its source, adding to Twitter’s embarrassment by making it clear that the results had been neither leaked or hacked.
Selerity tweet © @Selerity/TwitterSelerity tweet © @Selerity/Twitter

Video of the Day –

Russell Brand meets Ed Milliband (Leader of the UK Labour Party) –

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May 7, 2015

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British Election 2015: Exit poll puts Tories close to majority –
The Conservatives are set to be the largest party in the Commons but just short of a majority, according to the general election exit poll. The survey taken at polling stations across the UK suggests the Tories will get 316 MPs to Labour’s 239 when all the results have been counted. It suggests the Lib Dems will get 10 MPs, the SNP 58, Plaid Cymru 4, UKIP 2 and the Greens two. The exit poll was conducted by NOP/MORI for the BBC, ITV and Sky. [BBC] See List of the Day for previous election actual results
Exit Poll predictions BBC Exit Polls

Putin’s new tank designed to ‘outclass the West’ breaks down –
A new Russian tank announced with much fanfare as superior to Western machines stalled during a dress rehearsal for Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on Thursday. The T-14 Armata, making only its second public appearance, ground to a halt on Red Square, opposite Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum.
Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minster, was reportedly forced to approach the tank to find out what had happened; servicemen then tried to hook it up to another military vehicle and tow it away. [Daily Telegraph]

Sam Smith to have surgery on vocal cords –
Singer Sam Smith has told his fans he needs “surgery” on his vocal cords. The 22-year-old singer pulled out of the rest of his Australian tour last week, after doctors discovered a haemorrhage on the vocal cords. Smith has since flown to the United States to see a specialist. In a post on Twitter, he said: “I am very upset to announce I have been battling to get my vocal cords better [over] the last 10 days but unfortunately they haven’t recovered and I’m going to need surgery.” [Daily Telegraph]
Sam-Smith-2014Sam Smith

Video of the Day –

Magic Mike XXL – Official Trailer

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May 12, 2015

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Nepal earthquake: Dozens die in new tremor near Everest –
A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, near Mount Everest, two weeks after more than 8,000 people died in a devastating quake. At least 48 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured, officials say. At least 17 have also died in India. The latest earthquake hit near the town of Namche Bazaar and sent thousands of panicked residents on to the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. It had a magnitude of 7.3, compared with the 7.8 of the 25 April quake. [BBC]

Tom Brady: ‘Deflate-gate’ player banned for four matches –
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended for four games by the National Football League after an inquiry into under-inflated balls. Brady, 37, will not receive any pay during his ban, while the team were fined $1m (£642,000) for a scandal that has become known as ‘Deflate-gate’. The NFL said on Monday the club were sanctioned after “failure to cooperate in the subsequent investigation”. According to reports, 11 of the 12 game balls they provided for the rain-affected match were under-inflated by about two pounds per square inch, giving Brady more grip in the cold and wet conditions. [BBC] The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in April.
Tom Brady 2011Tom Brady

Vienna brings in gay pedestrian crossing lights –
Dozens of traffic lights in the Austrian capital have been changed to show gay couples crossing the road instead of the traditional lone figure. Vienna has changed the signal images at 120 pedestrian crossings – also showing heterosexual couples – in preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest. Officials said the signals were a sign of Vienna’s open-mindedness. Toni Mahdalik of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria called the initiative gender politics “gone mad”. He said the money would have been better spent on reducing poverty and improving unemployment figures. [BBC]

Verizon to buy AOL for $4.4bn –
US telecommunications giant Verizon has agreed to buy AOL in a deal worth $4.4bn (£2.8bn). Buying AOL will broaden the amount of advertising Verizon can sell and will increase video production. AOL owns websites such as the Huffington Post, Techcrunch, Engadget, Makers and AOL.com. Verizon is offering $50 a share for AOL, compared with AOL’s closing price of $42.59 on Monday. [BBC]
Arianna_HuffingtonArianna Huffington co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post

Video of the Day –

The Bull Rider from I Am Los Angeles – Joris Debeij on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #FelizMartes #HipsterCrimes #HipsterCrimes
2 Tinelli Monty Williams #InternationalNursesDay
3 #NoPuedoVivirSin Yogi Berra Strauss
4 #PrayForNepal #BadFortuneCookiesToGet Nepal
5 #NadaMejorQue Verizon #UnpopularTelevisionShows
6 Lali #PrayForNepal #IND2015
7 #camilabananaicecream Don Rickles Chuka Umunna
8 #AmoTwitterPq #KylieJennerChallengeGoneW… #cheekynandos
9 #LasChicasOdian #UnpopularTelevisionShows #TurnerPrize
10 Tom Brady Bayern #IHateYouSoMuch

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May 23, 2015

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Sweden wins Eurovision Song Contest –
Unabashed commercial dance music triumphed over kitsch and politics, as Sweden swept to its sixth victory in Eurovision, making it the most successful country in Eurovision history behind Ireland. Måns Zelmerlöw, a leather trousered hunk, with his pop anthem Heroes, beat off stiff competition from Russian (bolstered by some neighbourly votes from Eastern European nations) and Italy. Sweden won 365 points, while Russia, in second, got 303. [Daily Telegraph] Unfortunately after Eurovision went off air it was revealed that two countries had been disqualified. Montengro and Macedonia’s voting results have been disqualified after it was discovered the two countries used votes from the televoting to account for 100% of the country’s votes, rather than 50% with 50% coming from a jury, as is required. [Daily Mirror] See Video of the Day and List of the Day
Måns_Zelmerlöw Måns_Zelmerlöw from Sweden

Ireland becomes first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote –
Ireland has voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming the first country in the world to do so by popular vote in a move hailed as a social revolution and welcomed around the world. Some 62% of the Irish Republic’s electorate voted in favour of gay marriage. The result means that a republic once dominated by the Catholic church ignored the instructions of its cardinals and bishops. The huge Yes vote marks another milestone in Ireland’s journey towards a more liberal, secular society. Out of an electorate of more than 3 million, 1,201,607 backed gay marriage, while 734,300 voters said No. The result prompted a massive street party around the gay district of central Dublin close to the national count centre. [The Guardian]

Spanish La Liga ends with Barcelona on top but Cristiano Ronaldo with 61 goals –
Cristiano Ronaldo finished with a season’s best goals tally of 61 as his first-half hat-trick helped Real Madrid end their season by hammering Getafe 7-1. The Portuguese forward’s haul is one more than the 60 he scored in 2011-12. Barcelona had already won the title and said adios to their captain Xavi Hernández who has won eight La Liga titles with the side after joing the club aged 11 in 1991. See List of the Day 2
XaviXavi Hernández

Banned number plates revealed: VA61ANA banned but PEN15 allowed –
The DVLA has revealed its entire catalogue of forbidden car number plates – including some amusing selections as well as surprising omissions. It seems motorists can drive a PEN15, but not a VA61ANA, and while BL03 JOB is forbidden ORG45M is fine. The list of personalised plates the DVLA believes to be in poor taste runs to 46 pages and includes religious or homophobic words. [Daily Telegraph]
Banned number platesBanned number plates – how they might look

Video of the Day –

Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes (Sweden) – LIVE at Eurovision 2015 Grand Final

List of the day 1 –

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 results

  1. Sweden – 365 points
  2. Russia – 303 points
  3. Italy – 292 points
  4. Belgium – 217 points
  5. Australia – 196 points
  6. Latvia – 186 points
  7. Estonia – 106 points
  8. Norway – 102 points
  9. Israel – 97 points
  10. Serbia – 53 points
  11. Georgia – 51 points
  12. Azerbaijan – 49 points
  13. Montenegro – 44 points
  14. Slovenia – 39 points
  15. Romania – 35 points
  16. Armenia – 34 points
  17. Albania – 34 points
  18. Lithuania – 30 points
  19. Greece – 23 points
  20. Hungary – 19 points
  21. Spain – 15 points
  22. Cyprus – 11 points
  23. Poland – 10 points
  24. United Kingdom – 5 points
  25. France – 4 points
  26. Germany – 0 points
  27. Austria – 0 points

 

List of the day 2 –

2014-2015 Spanish La Liga final table

#
Team
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
1
Barcelona
38
30
4
4
110
21
89
94
2
Real Madrid
38
30
2
6
118
38
80
92
3
Atlético Madrid
38
23
9
6
67
29
38
78
4
Valencia
38
22
11
5
70
32
38
77
5
Sevilla
38
23
7
8
71
45
26
76
6
Villarreal
38
16
12
10
48
37
11
60
7
Athletic
38
15
10
13
42
41
1
55
8
Celta Vigo
38
13
12
13
47
44
3
51
9
Málaga
38
14
8
16
42
48
-6
50
10
Espanyol
38
13
10
15
47
51
-4
49
11
Rayo
38
15
4
19
46
68
-22
49
12
Real Sociedad
38
11
13
14
44
51
-7
46
13
Elche
38
11
8
19
35
62
-27
41
14
Levante
38
9
10
19
34
67
-33
37
15
Getafe CF
38
10
7
21
33
64
-31
37
16
Deportivo
38
7
14
17
35
60
-25
35
17
Granada
38
7
14
17
29
64
-35
35
18
Eibar
38
9
8
21
34
55
-21
35
19
Almería
38
8
8
22
35
64
-29
32
20
Córdoba
38
3
11
24
22
68
-46
20

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1 キスの日 #BreloVerdict #BigWeekend
2 #PreguntasPelotudas Ireland #EqualityForAll
3 #JornadaDeReflexion #SharedWordMovies #furnishamovie
4 Dream Concert Jeezy Grange Hill
5 #جمال_الشخص_في #BigWeekend Adjoa
6 #اكتب_اسمك_وان�… #NashsNewVideo Southend
7 #EsteFindeLargoRePintaPara #NewTLCShows Fat Elvis
8 Dursun Özbek Xavi #askDinahYane
9 노건호 Bundesliga Eric Pickles
10 #6raciesXavi #UFC187 #CarShare

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July 2, 2015

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Robot kills man at Volkswagen plant in Germany –
A robot has killed a man at a Volkswagen car factory in Germany. The 22-year-old worker died from injuries he sustained when he was trapped by a robotic arm and crushed against a metal plate. The man, who has not been named, was part of a team that was setting up the automated machinery at the factory in Kassel, north of Frankfurt, according to Volkswagen. The robot in question is a mechanical arm that moves car parts into place, said Heiko Hillwig, a spokesman for the company. [Daily Telegraph]

Wimbledon 2015: Rafael Nadal dumped out of tournament by inspired Dustin Brown –
Wimbledon has a new cult hero. Dustin Brown, in a blur of flying dreadlocks and pure inspiration, on Thursday night produced one of the most thrilling upsets ever witnessed on these lawns by defeating the great Rafael Nadal in four breathlessly brilliant sets. With a combination of Sampras-esque serving and improvised groundstrokes that would not have looked out of place on the local park courts, the Jamaican-born German, who enraptured Centre Court by his Rastafarian cool, found an abundance of raw adrenalin to close out his astonishing 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph. [Daily Telegraph] See Top Twitter Trends
Dustin-BrownDustin Brown

Selfies to replace passwords in Mastercard online payments trial –
Mastercard is testing new app that could allow customers to make purchases online by taking a selfie rather than entering a password. Currently, Mastercard customers use a system called SecureCode to verify their identity while shopping online. This requires them to enter a password at the point of sale. Participants in Mastercard’s trial will be prompted to snap a photograph of their face using the Mastercard app on their smartphone at the online checkout point, rather than entering a password. This app then converts the photo into 1s and 0s using facial recognition technology, and transmits it over the internet to MasterCard, which compares it with a stored code representing the cardholder’s face. If the two codes match up, then the purchase will be approved. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Wingsuit Flight Through 2 Meter Cave – Uli Emanuele By GoPro Original Productions

Top Twitter Trends –

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1 #SiYoFueraPresidente #ThingsIGetAlot #BBHMMVideo
2 #EstaComoPara #AyeMaOniTunes Alton Towers
3 Jacobo Zabludovsky #HowIShowMyAge #Lionesses
4 #BBHMMVideo #BuyDirtyWorkOniTunes #HowIShowMyAge
5 #محاكمه_العواج… #BBHMMVideo Val Doonican
6 #UnutMadımaklımda #LiesIveToldAGuy Dustin Brown
7 #TrocoGenteFalsaPor #ComicConAilments #AskZoella
8 #هل_تتزوج_فتاه_… #100DaysSinceZaynLeft #CILIPConf15
9 #CunhaGolpista Dustin Brown #LiesIveToldMyParents
10 #QuintaDoFavQSdv Cadet Kelly Laura Bassett

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July 27, 2015

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Vladimir Putin says Sepp Blatter deserves Nobel Prize –
Vladimir Putin has said that Sepp Blatter deserves to win the Nobel Prize and does not believe a word of the corruption allegations against the Fifa president. In an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS, the Russian president gave his full support to the Fifa president just days after Mr Blatter had assured him that Russia had Fifa’s “complete trust” as hosts of the next World Cup finals in 2018. Mr Putin added that he believed that bribery scandal being investigated by US, Swiss and other law enforcement agencies was as a result of the failure of England and the US to win the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. [Daily Telegraph]
Vladimir-PutinVladimir Putin

Norwegian court orders bank to cover man’s £23k lap-dance and drinks bill –
A Norwegian court has ordered a bank to cover a £23,400 drink and lap-dance bill run up by one man during a night at a Polish strip club. The court made the decision after it concluded he had been drugged and could not be held responsible for his actions. Sparebank 1 will now have to make up for its client’s losses even though an investigation by Polish police into the incident at the club in the up-market seaside town of Sopot has been discontinued. The court rejected Sparebank’s argument that the man was responsible for how he spent his money, saying all the evidence suggested he was doped, and therefore a victim. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

The High Voltage Ejector Bed

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1 #3YearsOfFifthHarmony #DirtyWorkMusicVideo Sergio Romero
2 #OTRAMinneapolis #WhenTrumpIsElected #3YearsOfFifthHarmony
3 #LaPeliQueMeHizoLlorar WWGTM #mondaymotivation
4 Martinoli #3YearsOfFifthHarmony #BobbiKristina
5 Sergio Romero #BuyBEAToniTunes Conley Thompson
6 #dirtyworkmusicvideo #mondaymotivation Khloe Kardashian
7 Bugs Bunny #ImStrongestWhen #OTRAMinneapolis
8 #CiteCoisasQueOdeiaNoFacebook #IWasSoHighOneDay #ImHardLeft
9 Gago Bugs Bunny #jaiappreciationday
10 #MexicanPartyCopaOro Google+ Lord Sewel

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July 29, 2015

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Windows 10 launch: Microsoft releases new operating system –
Microsoft starts rolling out its new operating system, Windows 10, to customers around the world today, with members of its ‘Insider’ programme being the first to receive the free upgrade. Following a hostile reception to Windows 8, which launched in 2012 and introduced the concept of ‘live tiles’ for touch-based computing, Microsoft decided to bypass Windows 9 and jump straight to Windows 10, combining what it describes as the “best elements” of Windows 7 and Windows 8. Live tiles still feature in Windows 10, offering shortcuts to the user’s favourite applications, but are far less obtrusive than in Windows 8. Microsoft has also brought back the Start menu from Windows 7, allowing users to browse through a list of their most-used programs. [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day
Windows 10 logo

Gerard Depardieu banned from Ukraine for supporting Russia over Crimea –
Gerard Depardieu has been banned from Ukraine for five years for making public comments suggesting he supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The Ukrainian Security Service, the country’s main successor agency to the KGB, said the 66-year old French film star had been added to a blacklist of public figures considered hostile to Ukraine in its on-going confrontation with Russia. “The SBU has decided to ban Mr Depardieu for 5 years on the recommendation of the ministry of culture,” agency spokesman Elena Gitlyanskaya said. [Daily Telegraph]
Gérard_DepardieuGerard Depardieu

Video of the Day –

1 Man + 12 Hairstyles

List of the Day –

Windows Operating Systems history [from Wikipedia]

Date Title Architecture
20 November 1985 Windows 1.0 x86 – 16-bit
9 December 1987 Windows 2.0 x86 – 16-bit
27 May 1988 Windows 2.10 x86 – 16-bit
13 March 1989 Windows 2.11 x86 – 16-bit
22 May 1990 Windows 3.0 x86 – 16-bit
20 October 1991 Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions x86 – 16-bit
6 April 1992 Windows 3.1 x86 – 16-bit
27 October 1992 Windows for Workgroups 3.1 x86 – 16-bit
27 July 1993 Windows NT 3.1 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS
8 November 1993 Windows for Workgroups 3.11 x86 – 16-bit
21 September 1994 Windows NT 3.5 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS
30 May 1995 Windows NT 3.51 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC
24 August 1995 Windows 95 IA-32
24 August 1996 Windows NT 4.0 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC
25 June 1998 Windows 98 IA-32
5 May 1999 Windows 98 SE IA-32
17 February 2000 Windows 2000 IA-32
14 September 2000 Windows ME IA-32
25 October 2001 Windows XP IA-32
25 October 2001[1] Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (v2002) Itanium
31 October 2002 Windows XP Media Center Edition IA-32
28 March 2003[2] Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (v2003) Itanium
24 April 2003 Windows Server 2003 IA-32, x64, Itanium
30 September 2003 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 IA-32
12 October 2004 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 IA-32
25 April 2005 Windows XP Professional x64 Edition x64
6 December 2005 Windows Server 2003 R2 IA-32, x64, Itanium
8 July 2006 Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs IA-32
8 November 2006 Windows Vista for Business use IA-32, x64
30 January 2007 Windows Vista for Home use; released in fifty countries IA-32, x64
7 November 2007 Windows Home Server IA-32, x64
27 February 2008 Windows Server 2008 IA-32, x64
22 October 2009 Windows 7 IA-32, x64
22 October 2009 Windows Server 2008 R2 x64
6 April 2011 Windows Home Server 2011 x64
4 September 2012 Windows Server 2012 x64
26 October 2012 Windows 8 IA-32, x64
26 October 2012 Windows RT ARM
18 October 2013 Windows 8.1 IA-32, x64
18 October 2013 Windows RT 8.1 ARM
18 October 2013 Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
29 July 2015 Windows 10 IA-32, x64, ARM

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1 Nuno Silva #ChangeTheWorldIn5Words #Windows10
2 #BackToBack #SamDubose #RIPBuddy
3 #Windows10 Mullah Omar #CaliforniaMusicVideo
4 #قبل_١٥_سنه #DirtyPolitics Sir Peter O’Sullevan
5 #OTRAKansasCity #NationalLipstickDay Calais
6 #MasterChefBR Robert Kraft #BackToBack
7 #RIPBuddy #NationalChickenWingDay #PLLChat
8 Mullah Omar #BackToBack #ChangeTheWorldIn5Words
9 Cristian Castro #HarryPotterAMovie #ManBooker2015
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August 3, 2015

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Ronaldo ‘gives football agent Mendes Greek island’ –
The multi-millionaire Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has given his agent Jorge Mendes a Greek island as a wedding present, media reports say. The island has not been named but the price tag could run into the millions, reports say. Spain’s Mundo Deportivo website says Ronaldo knows the Greek islands well from holidays. Mr Mendes married his partner Sandra in Portugal on Sunday. Sir Alex Ferguson was among the celebrities there. [BBC]
Jorge_Mendes Jorge Mendes

Trader jailed for 14 years over Libor rate-rigging –
Former City trader Tom Hayes has been found guilty at a London court of rigging global Libor interest rates. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud. The 35-year old is the first individual to face a jury trial for manipulating the rate, which is used as a benchmark for trillions of pounds of global borrowing and lending. Many of the world’s leading banks have paid heavy financial penalties for tampering with the key benchmark. The jury found Hayes guilty on all eight charges of conspiracy to defraud. Hayes, a former star trader originally from Fleet in Hampshire, rigged the Libor rates daily for nearly four years while working in Tokyo for UBS, then Citigroup, from 2006 until 2010. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Turn your Smartphone into a 3D Hologram | 4K

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1 #PreguntasParaLaPrimeraCita #MondayMotivation #SHESKINDAHOTMUSICVIDEO
2 #YoPierdoLaPacienciaCuando #NationalWatermelonDay #IfJeremyCorbynWins
3 Carmona #IfAnythingSchoolTaughtMe #MondayMotivation
4 Briana Darren Wilson #IfAnythingSchoolTaughtMe
5 ファッションホモ #CleanPowerPlan #3YearsOfTheVamps
6 José Dirceu #SHESKINDAHOTMUSICVIDEO #waggytails
7 #SHESKINDAHOTMUSICVIDEO will and jada Ted Heath
8 Silvio Santos Ciara #OTRAPittsburgh
9 Calleri Jack Ü #SHESKINDAHOTEP
10 #OhWaitItWasHarry Gwen and Gavin OVO Fest

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  • Flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains has caused over 100 deaths in India over the past week with tens of thousands of people taking shelter in refugee camps. (BBC)
  • Twenty people are injured when two cranes overturn whilst installing part of the Julianabrug at Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands. (NL Times)
  • At least twelve people are killed with many feared trapped in the rubble as a fifty year old building collapses in the Indian city of Thane after days of heavy rain. (NDTV), (AP)
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August 11, 2015

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Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson makes emergency landing as plane runs low on fuel –
Bruce Dickinson, the Iron Maiden frontman, was forced to make an emergency landing at a Royal Air Force airfield when his replica war plane started to run low on fuel. The heavy metal star pilot made an unexpected appearance in his Fokker triplane at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Dickinson took advantage of the Strasser Scheme, set up thanks to the work of Charles Strasser, the vice president of the Aircraft Operators and Pilots Association. It was established so that aircraft in can divert with no extra charge in the event of an emergency. All Ministry of Defence airfields, as well as 99 per cent of the UK’s civilian airfields, are signed up to the scheme. [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce-DickinsonBruce Dickinson

Google unveils Alphabet… but that’s already trademarked by BMW –
The general reaction to Google’s announcement that it would create a new holding company called Alphabet, of which Google would be a subsidiary, was one of surprise and approval.
But perhaps the most surprised recipient of the news was BMW, which already runs a registered business called Alphabet. The German carmaker told WirtschaftsWoche, the German business magazine, that it will be “necessary to examine the legal trademark implications” of the name of Google’s new parent company. BMW also said it had not been contacted by Google before the surprise restructuring on Monday. In his announcement, Google co-founder Larry Page said Alphabet’s website would be http://abc.xyz, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that alphabet.com is owned by BMW’s subsidiary, which operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers. [Daily Telegraph]

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Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

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5 Mehmet Topal Geno Smith #CharityTuesday
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Armed conflicts and attacks
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International relations
  • In talks held regarding the course of the Syrian Civil War, Russia and Saudi Arabia fail to reach agreement over cooperation in the fight against ISIL, with the Saudi representative refusing any common struggle with Assad‘s regime. (The News Hub)
  • Georgia accuses Russia of cutting off its citizens from their farmland by installing border signposts demarcating the breakaway South Ossetia region, calling on Moscow to refrain from “escalation”. (The Daily Star)
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August 19, 2015

Top News Stories –

Oscar Pistorius’ early release blocked by minister –
South Africa’s justice minister has blocked the early release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison on Friday. He said the decision by the parole board to free the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence was premature and without legal basis. It could now take months for the board to review its decision, legal sources told the BBC. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The Olympic athlete insists he mistook her for an intruder. [BBC]
Oscar_PistoriusOscar Pistorius competing

 

Athletics: Sebastian Coe elected IAAF president –
Former Olympic 1500m champion Lord Coe is the new president of the IAAF, the body that governs world athletics. The 58-year-old Briton beat rival Sergey Bubka, a former Olympic pole vault champion, by 115 votes to 92. Following his election, Coe tweeted that, after the birth of his children, this was the most “momentous moment” of his life. The former chairman of London 2012, Coe replaces 82-year-old Senegalese Lamine Diack, who has been in charge for 16 years. [BBC] See List of the Day
Sebastian Coe and Oscar Pistorius in 2011

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The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

List of the Day –

Sebastian Coe medal record [Wikipedia]

Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Moscow 1500 m
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 1980 Moscow 800 m
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles 800 m
European Athletics Championships
Gold medal – first place 1986 Stuttgart 800 m
Silver medal – second place 1982 Athens 800 m
Silver medal – second place 1986 Stuttgart 1500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Prague 800 m

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Law and crime
  • Following a July 15 hacking, user data of the infidelity-promoting dating website Ashley Madison is leaked with over 30 million users having their information compromised. (BBC)
  • Police in the American city of St. Louis, Missouri, make nine arrests and use tear gas to disperse protesters after a killing of an armed man allegedly aiming a gun at police officers earlier in the day. (CNN)
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