Top Story –
Ultimate Lock-in –
About 30 guests celebrating new year at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire, the highest pub in England, finally left today after heavy snow left them stranded for three days.
The Tan Hill Inn
Tag Archives: Scotland
January 17, 2010
Top Stories –
That’s a lot of chocolate –
Despite a campaign by the Daily Mail to “Keep Cadbury British”, the confectionery company finally accepted a takeover bid from Craft food in a deal worth $19 billion.
More than a wee dram, then –
Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested. The research based on industry sales data and analysed by NHS Health Scotland showed an average of 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18.
Top Video –
New York City Portrait
New York city portrait, HD time lapse, April 2006, music by Moby from Max Moos on Vimeo.
February 14, 2015
Top News Stories –
BBC apologise as Scotsman bares all on live TV –
Police have launched an investigation after a Scottish rugby fan exposed himself on a live BBC show. The Scot dropped his kilt on Friday’s evening news programme BBC Wales Today, ahead of Scotland’s clash with Wales yesterday afternoon. The clip has become a YouTube hit and had received more than 40,000 views by Sunday morning. Scotland were defeated 31-24 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. [Daily Telegraph]
Katherine Jenkins turned down £1 million Playboy shoot to keep mum happy –
Katherine Jenkins has revealed she turned down £1 million to strip naked for Playboy because she did not want to upset her mum. The Welsh mezzo-soprano is revered for her curvy figure almost as much as for her classical singing talent. She has become the darling of red carpet photographers with her large bust and slim waist squeezed into figure-hugging dresses. The 29-year-old blonde once posed in a revealing basque for upmarket men’s magazine GQ in November 2008. But she has never completely flashed the flesh despite doing some modelling work when she was in her late teens to help pay for her musical studies. [Daily Telegraph]
Katherine Jenkins
Video of the Day –
Berlin Block Tetris from Sergej Hein on Vimeo.
September 18th 2014
Scottish referendum takes place –
Scotland independence referendum takes place with the result looking very uncertain. Tennis player Andy Murray used Twitter to back the Yes vote along with actor Sean Connery. Those backing the No vote and wanting Scotland to remain part of the UK include Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Mick Jagger, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, comedian Eddie Izzard, actresses Helena Bonham-Carter and Dame Judi Dench, Simon Cowell, and Stephen Hawking all of whom signed a letter urging Scotland to stay in the union. The result will be known tomorrow.
Andy Murray tweet.
Ig Nobel prizes announced –
The annual Ig Nobel prizes awarded by the Annals of Improbable Research have picked out some classic scientific investigations again. Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, why pork strips appear to stop nosebleeds, and how reindeer react to humans in polar bear suits were among the winners.
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December 10, 2014
Top News Stories –
Britain hit by “weather bomb” –
High winds and huge waves have affected north-western parts of the UK as bad weather hit power supplies and travel. The “weather bomb” brought hundreds of lightning strikes, temporarily cutting power across the Western Isles. Wind speeds of 144mph was recorded on the St Kilda islands, with gusts in excess of 80mph elsewhere.
Bully bashed by brilliance –
Louisa Manning (@xo_louisa_ox) whose letter to a former school bully who called her “manbeast” went received over 18,000 likes on Facebook has described the response as “crazy and overwhelming”. Miss Manning, a student at Oxford University, wrote the note after being invited on a date by her former tormentor when they met 10 years later in a restaurant.
Senate reports on CIA interrogations –
The UN and human rights groups have called for the prosecution of US officials involved in the CIA interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects. President Barack Obama said it was now time to move on. The summary of a classified Senate report says that the CIA carried out “brutal” interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects after the 9/11 attacks on the US and misled other officials about what it was doing.
Boston time-capsule discovered –
A time capsule thought to have been buried by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere in 1795 has been discovered in Massachusetts, USA. The container was found during repair work at the state house in Boston. See video of the day.
Video of the Day –
Boston time-capsule
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March 21, 2015
Top News Stories –
Australia unveils 35-year plan to save Great Barrier Reef –
Australia has released a long-term blueprint to try to stem the decline of the Great Barrier Reef following warnings that the famous 1,500-mile stretch of delicate coral reefs could be wiped out by extreme weather and pollution. The 35-year plan is designed to improve the poor water quality and prevent the loss of coral cover in the area, which received a world heritage listing in 1981 and is regularly listed as one of the seven wonders of the natural world. But the area’s deterioration has worried scientists and led to warnings by the United Nations heritage body that it may downgrade the reef’s heritage status to “in danger”. [Daily Telegraph]
Photoshop disaster over a disappearing umbrella in Burma –
Ridicule is raining down on government spin doctors in Burma after they released a publicity shot of a top government minister in which an umbrella had been photoshopped out but a telling shadow gave away their dastardly intervention. The picture is question showed Su Su Hlaing, the country’s deputy minister, disembarking from a plane on Tuesday afternoon at Kaw Thaung airport in the country’s south. It was posted on the Ministry of Information’s official Facebook page in an apparent attempt to boost the minister’s profile. However, internet users almost immediately spotted a glaring mistake. An umbrella-shaped shadow around the minister’s toes suggested she had been standing in the shade of a parasol, yet there was no parasol to be seen in the photograph. The reason for the deletion of an apparently harmless umbrella was not immediately clear. However, the most likely explanation was that a man shielding a woman with his umbrella was something “considered embarrassing for the former in male-dominated Burmese culture,” the The Irrawaddy website speculated. [Daily Telegraph]
@JonahFisherBBC
Six Nations 2015: Ireland title glory delights coach Joe Schmidt –
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt said he is “delighted and relieved” after his side retained the Six Nations title. A 40-10 win over Scotland gave Ireland the title on points difference ahead of England and Wales on a thrilling final day of the championship. Wales briefly led the Six Nations standings after hammering Italy 60-21 in Rome, resulting in Ireland needing to defeat the Scots by 21 points to go top. England required a 26-point winning margin over France to deny the Irish back-to-back titles for the first time since 1949, but they came up just short in a 55-35 victory to complete a dramatic triple-bill of action. See List of the Day. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – TV Spot 2
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April 6, 2015
Top News Stories –
Mieko Nagaoka: 100-year-old Japanese swimmer sets 1,500m record –
A Japanese woman has become the first 100-year-old to complete a 1,500m freestyle swim in a 25m pool. Mieko Nagaoka, who only took up swimming at the age of 82, already holds the record in her age category for the same distance in a 50m pool. She completed the latest feat in just over one hour and 15 minutes, using backstroke all the way. She was the only person taking part in her age range – 100 to 104 – at the competition in Matsuyama on Saturday. Nagaoka already dominates the world record board for her age group, as awarded by the international swimming federation (Fina), holding 24 titles over both short and long distances. [BBC]
Smartphones could be charged in 60 seconds with new battery –
An iPhone 6 takes around two hours to charge but could be full of power in a minute if fitted with a new aluminium battery. Smartphones could be charged in less than one minute after scientists at Stanford University invented an aluminium battery so powerful it could revolutionise the industry. The new rechargeable battery can go from flat to full in a fraction of the time it currently takes to pull in enough electricity to fully charge a phone, laptop or tablet. While an iPhone 6 takes around two hours to fully charge its in-built battery, if it was fitted with the aluminium power source it would be completely topped up in around 60 seconds. And it will keep going for more than seven times as long as a lithium-ion battery. A traditional battery can be recharged around 1,000 times, while the new one can withstand 7,500 cycles. [Daily Telegraph]
Biggest American Indian tribe in US introduces country’s first junk food tax –
As diabetes and obesity spiral out of control on their vast reservation, Navajo Nation harks back to a healthier time and starts taxing Spam and crisps. In times gone by, Navajo Indians ate whatever mother nature was generous enough to bestow, their existence intimately and spiritually bound up with the land on which they lived. Their food would have been the envy of any modern dietitian as they foraged for pinyon nuts and wild potato, and nibbled on sumac berries, yucca fruit, prickly pears and beeweed greens. Today, life is very different in the Navajo Nation, the largest American Indian reservation in America, which covers an area of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah that is the size of Scotland and has a tribal population of 300,000. The modern Navajo, who prefer to be called the Diné, are facing an intensifying health crisis fuelled by a complete transition to a diet based largely on fried potatoes, tortillas, cookies, crisps, sugary drinks and Spam. [Daily Telegraph]
[Daily Telegraph]
Video of the Day –
May 4, 2015
May the Fourth (be with you) – see Video of the Day
Top News Stories –
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Daughter’s Name Revealed – Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Windsor –
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced the name of their new bundle of joy. Just two days after the birth of the fourth in line to the British royal throne, Kate Middleton and Prince William revealed the following piece of adorable baby news:
And how should you officially great [sic] the new princess, should you ever be so lucky to meet her in person? [Celebuzz]
World Snooker Championship: Bingham beats Murphy 18-15 –
Stuart Bingham beat Shaun Murphy 18-15 in a gripping final at the Crucible to win his first World Championship. Bingham began the final session with a 14-11 lead and won an epic 64-minute frame at 15-15 to close in on victory. The 38-year-old made a break of 65 to go 17-15 in front and clinched the title with a brilliant 88. Bingham, from Basildon, becomes the oldest snooker world champion since Welshman Ray Reardon won the title aged 45 in 1978. [BBC] (See List of the Day)
Stuart Bingham
Video of the Day –
Giant Star Wars LEGO Super Star Destroyer Shattered at 1000 fps | Battle Damage
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May 8, 2015
Top News Stories –
British General Election results in a surprise Conservative majority and the resignation of three opposition leaders –
Summary of the major stories [BBC]:
- David Cameron remains in No 10 as Prime Minister after the Conservatives win an outright majority of 12
- He is in the process of appointing his new, all-Tory cabinet, with George Osborne already named chancellor
- Labour leader Ed Miliband stood down after his party returned 232 MPs, down 26
- Heavy losses left the Liberal Democrats with only eight MPs – down from 57 in 2010 – and saw Nick Clegg resign as leader
- There was a landslide victory for the SNP in Scotland, where it won 56 out of 59 seats
- 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]
Video of the Day –
Rain’s Dirty Little Secret
May 10, 2015
Top News Stories –
Ant and Dec repeat Bafta success –
Ant and Dec have picked up two prizes at the Bafta Television Awards for the second year in a row. The duo won best entertainment show and best entertainment performance for their ITV show Saturday Night Takeaway. ITV’s Coronation Street also won best soap in the year it celebrated its 60th anniversary. [BBC] For full winners list see List of the Day below.
Scotland tops gay equality league –
Scotland has been rated the best country in Europe in terms of legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Scotland came top of the Rainbow Index after meeting 92% of ILGA-Europe’s criteria for equality and human rights, ahead of the UK as a whole. Equality campaigners said the ranking recognised the country’s progressive measures. But they said more needed to be done to achieve full equality. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
We Are The Faction Collective: #S02E03 from Faction Skis on Vimeo.
May 13, 2015
Top News Stories –
Prince Harry does the Haka in New Zealand –
Prince Harry has taken part in a traditional Maori Haka during his tour of New Zealand. It was part of a day of activities at Linton Military Camp, the largest army base in the country. [BBC] In December 2013 Prince Harry led his Sandringham workers team to a 7-2 victory in a football (soccer) match against local villagers in Scotland.
Prince Harry
China imposes smartwatch and wearable tech army ban –
China has forbidden its armed forces from wearing internet-connected wearable tech, according to reports. The People’s Liberation Army Daily, the Chinese military’s official newspaper, said security concerns had been raised after one recruit had received a smartwatch as a birthday gift. News site NBC said its sources had confirmed a ban was now in place. [BBC]
Prince Charles’s private letters published –
Private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers a decade ago have been published after a lengthy legal battle. Clarence House said the move would “only inhibit” the prince’s ability to express concerns. In one letter to the prime minister, the prince said the armed forces were being asked to do a challenging job “without the necessary resources”. Release of the letters follows a decade-long campaign by the Guardian. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends
Prince Charles
Video of the Day –
Why Do We Wrinkle When Wet?
Top Twitter Trends –
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Gunmen open fire on a bus containing members of the Ismaili Shia Muslim community in the Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least 44 people and injuring a dozen. (Pakistan Tribune), (BBC)
- The Government of Iraq claims that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant second-in-command Abdul Rahman Mustafa Mohammed has been killed in an airstrike in northern Iraq. (BBC)
- War in Afghanistan: Gunmen attack a Kabul guesthouse used by both foreigners and locals sparking a gun battle with police. At least eight people including the three gunmen are killed with 16 rescued and 100 still inside. (Thomson Reuters Foundatiion), (NBC News)
- Yemen crisis: A five day truce begins in Yemen as aid groups seek to gain access. (BBC)
- A military reservist opens fire at a South Korean military base killing 2 and injuring 3. (Yonhap)
- Business and economy
- Japanese carmakers Toyota and Nissan recall 6.5 million vehicles due to fears over exploding airbags. (AFP via Yahoo! )
- The United States Department of Agriculture reports that more than 40% of honey bee colonies died in the preceding year. Growers rely on honey bees to pollinate more than $15 billion of crops annually. (Wall Street Journal)
- International conglomerate Danaher announces plans to acquire water filtration company Pall for US$13.8 billion and to split off its industrial businesses into a new company. (Bloomberg)
- Disasters and accidents
- Rescue efforts resume in Nepal after yesterday’s earthquake which killed at least 63 in Nepal and 17 in northern India. (BBC), (CNN)
- 2015 Philadelphia train derailment
- The death toll from the derailment rises to seven with over 200 people injured. (WCAU), (US News and World Report)
- Search teams recover the black box. (AFP via News24)
- Report that train believed to have been traveling in excess of 100 mph, about twice the speed limit for the curve.(CNN)
- Thirty-one people die and dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a fire engulfs a rubber sandal factory in Manila, capital of the Philippines. (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters via News24)
- Rescue workers attempt to rescue at least 15 gold miners trapped by floods in a mine in Colombia‘s Caldas Department. (BBC)
- International relations
- The Vatican concludes a treaty to recognize the Palestinian state. (New York Times)
- Law and crime
- 2015 Burundian protests
- Major General Godefroid Niyombare has declared a coup in Burundi and the establishment of a “national salvation committee”. PresidentPierre Nkurunziza is attempting to return home from Tanzania. (BBC)
- Police in Burundi fire on protesters in Bujumbura opposing the bid by President Pierre Nkurunziza for a third term. (BBC)
- Bujumbura International Airport and all land borders are ordered closed by Major General Godefroid Niyombare. (AFP via News24)
- The small nation of Nauru temporarily bans Facebook, purportedly to protect young people. (ABC Australia)
- Shooting of Tony Robinson: Demonstrators peacefully protest Wisconsin prosecutor’s decision, announced yesterday, not to pursue charges against the officer who shot and killed 19-year-old. (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)
- Politics and elections
- South Korea claims that North Korea has executed its defense chief Hyon Yong-chol with an Anti-aircraft gun. (Yonhap) (CNN)
- The United States House of Representatives votes overwhelmingly to end the mass collection of Americans phone data with the USA Freedom Act passing 338-88. Its passage through the Senate is less certain. (The Guardian)
- Sports
- Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- In athletics, the U.S. men’s 4×100 metres relay that won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London is stripped of the medal due to a positive test result by Tyson Gay. (Reuters via Yahoo 7)
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October 31, 2015
Top News Stories –
New Zealand hails ‘phenomenal’ All Blacks –
New Zealand media toasted the All Blacks’ victory over Australia in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final, hailing the achievements of a “phenomenal” team many are calling the best of all time. Directed by the “magic” of flyhalf Dan Carter, the All Blacks fended off a gallant Australia 34-17 at Twickenham, a gripping final deservedly rated the tournament’s best ever. Carter was named man-of-the-match for his 19-point effort, a fitting swansong for one of the game’s finest flyhalves who was sidelined by injury when his team mates edged France to win the 2011 final on home soil. [Reuters] See List of the Day
Dan Carter
One Direction play the final gig of their world tour in Sheffield –
One Direction have played the final gig of their world tour before their self-proclaimed extended break. After more than 80 shows across 20 countries, their On The Road tour came to an end in Sheffield. From this point on, the band only have a few one-off appearances at music awards shows before they go their separate ways in March 2016. But 1D insist they’re not splitting up and instead want to focus on solo projects. [BBC]
One Direction
Adele’s Hello is number one after smashing various chart records –
Adele is back at the top of the Official Singles Chart with her monster comeback single Hello. She’s smashed records all over the place, with other artists basically competing for the scraps left in her wake. So, here are the numbers that put Adele firmly back on top of the music world.
Hello sold a whopping 333,000 in a week – That includes a staggering 259,000 downloads – and makes it the biggest number one single for… well, only three years actually.
But streaming was even more mind-bending – 7.32 million plays – That’s almost double the previous record held by Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean? which had 3.87 million plays in a week last month.
Her video got 27.7 million views in one day – That worked out as one million views an hour on YouTube in the first two days of it being released.
[BBC] See Video of the Day
Adele
Video of the Day –
Adele – Hello
List of the Day –
| Year | Host(s) | Final | Bronze Final | Number of teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | 3rd place | Score | 4th place | ||||||
| 1987 |  Australia & New Zealand |
 New Zealand |
29–9 |  France |
 Wales |
22–21 |  Australia |
16 | |||
| 1991 |  England, France, Ireland Scotland & Wales |
Australia |
12–6 |  England |
New Zealand |
13–6 |  Scotland |
16 | |||
| 1995 |  South Africa |
 South Africa |
15–12 (aet) |
New Zealand |
France |
19–9 | England |
16 | |||
| 1999 | Wales, England, France, Ireland Scotland |
Australia |
35–12 | France |
South Africa |
22–18 | New Zealand |
20 | |||
| 2003 | Australia |
England |
20–17 (aet) |
Australia |
New Zealand |
40–13 | France |
20 | |||
| 2007 | France |
South Africa |
15–6 | England |
 Argentina |
34–10 | France |
20 | |||
| 2011 | New Zealand |
New Zealand |
8–7 | France |
Australia |
21–18 | Wales |
20 | |||
| 2015 | England |
New Zealand |
34–17 | Australia |
South Africa |
24–13 | Argentina |
20 | |||
Top Twitter Trends –
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War, American-led intervention in Syria
- A newly formed U.S.-backed Syrian rebel alliance, Democratic Forces of Syria, launches an offensive against Islamic State forces in the northeast province of Hasaka. (Reuters) (International Business Times)
- Business and economics
- Vodafone Group Plc announces criminals accessed customer account details, including phone numbers and some bank details. The British multinational telecommunications company of over 400 million subscribers says it is contacting about 1,800 affected customers. This is the second recent hacking of a U.K. phone carrier. Last week, TalkTalk Telecom Group Plc said its systems had been attacked. (Bloomberg) (Financial Times)
- Disasters and accidents
- Fifteen people are killed and 11 injured in a fire at the public markets at Zamboanga City in the Philippines. (CNN)
- Kogalymavia Flight 9268
- A Russian Kogalymavia Airbus A-321 airliner crashes in Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula with 224 passengers on board travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg. (The News Hub) (BBC)
- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant affiliate in the Sinai claims responsibility for shooting down the aircraft, but the claim is disputed. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
- The wife of co-pilot Sergei Trukachev says, in a call with their daughter before the flight, he complained that the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired. According to Egyptian officials, while in the air, the pilot told traffic controllers the aircraft was experiencing technical problems and he intended to try and land at the nearest airport. (AP via New Jersey Herald)
- A second round of storms and strong winds moves east across Texas in the American Southwest, with three radar-confirmed tornadoes damaging homes and causing injuries in the Houston area that got up to eight inches of rain since Friday night. Six people have been killed. (AP via USA Today) (AP update)
- Colectiv nightclub fire
- Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta declares three days of national mourning. (Reuters) (CBC)
- International relations
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retracts controversial comments he made about Nazi policies during World War 2, saying he never meant to claim that an Islamic leader persuaded Adolf Hitler to adopt a policy to kill European Jews. (CNN)
- Syrian Civil War
- Syria peace talks in Vienna
- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says new talks aimed to help end Syria’s war shouldn’t be held up by wrangling over whether President Bashar Assad stays or goes. (AP)
- American-led intervention in Syria
- At the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces the United States will contribute $100 million (£64.7 million) in fresh aid to support the Syrian opposition. (AP)
- Syria peace talks in Vienna
- Law and crime
- The Presidential Palace and the Philippine Senate investigate an extortion scam involving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (Manila Bulletin) (BBC)
- Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh
- Faisal Abedin Deepan, a publisher of secular books, is hacked to death in Dhaka. (The Guardian)
- In a separate incident, another publisher and two writers are stabbed and shot in Dhaka. (The Guardian)
- A group identifying itself as Ansar al-Islam – Bangladesh chapter of al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) – claimed responsibility. (The Daily Star)
- The United Nations condemned the attacks expressing deep concerns over these threats to free speech. (Prothom Alo)
- A man marching down a street in Colorado Springs, Colorado (U.S.), shot and killed three people before being fatally shot in a gunbattle with police. (AP) (Colorado Springs Gazette)
- At least eleven people are killed in Pakistan in fighting between rival parties as voters go to the polls for local elections in Sindh province. (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)
- Politics and elections
- Guinean presidential election, 2015
- Guinea’s constitutional court validates President Alpha Condé’s October 11, 2015, re-election victory. The court dismissed complaints lodged by opposition candidates. (Reuters) (Channel NewsAsia)
- Science and technology
- A large space rock 2015 TB145, thought to be a dead comet, passes close to the earth. (Time)
- According to a new NASA (U.S.) study, ice sheet gains outweigh losses on the continent of Antarctica. An increase in snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago outweighs increased losses from the continent’s thinning glaciers. In 2013,Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings suggested gains were not keeping up with losses. NASA glaciologist Jay Zwally said, “We’re essentially in agreement with other studies … (except) ice gain in East Antarctica and the interior of West Antarctica exceeds losses in the other areas.” (UPI) (NASA)
- Sports
- 2015 Rugby World Cup Final
- In rugby union, New Zealand defeat Australia 34–17 to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup. (BBC)
- In baseball, the 2015 Korean Series ends with the Doosan Bears beating the Samsung Lions by 4 games to 1 ending the Lions four straight consecutive Korean Series streak. (Yonhap News)
- In horse racing, U.S. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah completes his racing career with a win in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic, becoming the first-ever “grand slam” winner in American horse racing. (New York Times), (ESPN)
News from Wikipedia – please support this valuable resource
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 –
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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May 6, 2016
Top News Stories –
Labour’s Sadiq Khan elected London mayor –
Sadiq Khan has been elected the new Mayor of London – boosting Labour after it slumped in Scotland’s elections. Mr Khan is the city’s first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614. The result bolsters leader Jeremy Corbyn after Labour was beaten into third in Scotland by the Tories and lost some English councillors.
In Scotland, the SNP said it would form a minority government after winning its third election in a row. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is celebrating what she said was an “emphatic” victory, her first as party leader, after the SNP emerged as the largest party at Holyrood with 63 seats, ahead of the Conservatives on 31 and Labour on 24. But she played down talk of another independence referendum after falling short by two seats of an overall majority. In Wales, Labour remains as the largest party, with 29 out of 60 seats, but was denied a majority as Plaid Cymru and UKIP both made notable gains. [BBC]
Sadiq_Khan
China bans ‘erotic’ banana-eating live streams –
Chinese live-streaming services have banned people filming themselves eating bananas in a “seductive” fashion. New regulations mean that live-streaming sites must monitor all their output round-the-clock to ensure nothing untoward is going on, keeping an eye out for any “erotic” banana-eating, according to New Express Daily. It’s not just fruit that’s on their radar though – the paper adds that wearing stockings and suspenders while hosting a live stream is now also forbidden. The move is the authorities’ latest attempt to clamp down on “inappropriate and erotic” online content, state-controlled CCTV reports. In April, the Ministry of Culture announced it was investigating a number of popular live-streaming platforms for allegedly hosting pornographic or violent content that “harms social morality”. Despite the government’s concerns, such sites are attracting more and more users in China. Particularly popular are webcam sessions where young women – and sometimes girls under 18 – entertain a predominantly male audience, often singing Chinese songs or chatting to their viewers. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
Inside a 6ft Air Balloon – 4K – The Slow Mo Guys
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Aleppo offensive (May 2016)
- More than 72 are killed in clashes between Al-Nusra Front and Syrian government forces in Khan Tuman south of Aleppo, Syria. (i24 News) (VOA News)
- Aleppo offensive (May 2016)
- Law and crime
- A man is killed, and two others are injured (a man in critical condition and a woman with non-life-threatening injuries), in the parking lot of Westfield Montgomery Mall in Potomac in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Soon after, a woman is killed at a grocery store some miles away. Police suspect that the same shooter may be behind both crime scene incidents. Police in both Montgomery County and neighboring Prince George’s County are also examining whether this person is the same as the male involved in the fatal shooting the previous day of a woman, Gladys Tordil, who was allegedly shot (a bystander who tried to help was also wounded) by her estranged abusive husband, tentatively identified as Eulalio Tordil, 62, a former Federal Protective Service officer. (MSN) (CNN)
- Politics and elections
- Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The supporters of presidential candidates Grace Poe and Mar Roxas post petitions and counter-petitions on Change.org urging either candidate to drop-out and give way for the other. (The Manila Standard)
- Vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo thanks supporters for the “Poe-Robredo tandem” pairing her with presidential candidate Grace Poe but insists she is loyal to her running-mate Mar Roxas.(Philippine Daily Inquirer), (GMA News)
- Mar Roxas and current President Benigno Aquino III call on political rivals Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Grace Poe to unite and form a unity coalition in the upcoming elections. (CNN Philippines), (Channel News Asia)
- Grace Poe rejects Mar Roxas‘ offer saying she is not willing to withdraw. Jejomar Binay also rejects calls for him to withdraw. (Rappler), (The Philippine Star), (ABC News Go)
- Leni Robredo thanks a group of activist-farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon for their support promising to continue their reforms. (Rappler)
- Head of Australia’s Department of Immigration Mike Pezzullo denies that the detention centre for asylum seekers on Manus Island must be closed. He said there was no crisis that required any closure of the centre despite Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruling it to be unconstitutional and ordering the release of the detainees. (Radio New Zealand)
- The Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party of North Korea, holds its first party congress in nearly 40 years. The meeting comes as the country is facing tougher sanctions for its recent missile launches.(BBC)
- United Kingdom local elections, 2016
- London votes Sadiq Khan to succeed Boris Johnson as Mayor of London; Khan is the first Muslim to be elected to such an authoritative position. (BBC)
- Science and technology
- SpaceX successfully lands another Falcon 9 First stage onto a floating barge for the second time. It was carrying a Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14, which was successfully put into geostationary orbit. (Wired)
- Sports
- Cameroonian footballer Patrick Ekeng of Romanian club FC Dinamo București dies after collapsing during a match. (Guardian)
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June 23, 2016
Top News Stories –
BRITAIN VOTES FOR ‘BREXIT’ IN HISTORIC REFERENDUM –
Britain has voted to leave the European Union in a referendum, defying its prime minister and confounding most analysts’ expectations. The result raises questions over the future of Prime Minister David Cameron, and over the future of Scotland within the United Kingdom. The results expose a British electorate deeply divided by age, class and geographical location. Most large urban centers elected to stay part of the European Union, particularly in London, where many local authorities delivered vast majorities for the pro-EU campaign. Polls completed before the vote suggested the young were significantly more likely to back EU membership than the old, and that poorer, less-educated voters were likelier to be Brexiters. Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. Wales surprised many observers by voting in favor of a “Leave” vote, with just over 850,000 Welsh voters choosing to leave the bloc, and a little more than 770,000 voting to Remain. [Newsweek] See List of the Day
Solar plane lands in Spain after three-day Atlantic crossing –
An airplane powered solely by the sun landed safely in Seville in Spain early on Thursday after an almost three-day flight across the Atlantic from New York in one of the longest legs of the first ever fuel-less flight around the world. The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 touched down shortly after 7.30 a.m. local time in Seville after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2.30 a.m. EDT on June 20.
The flight of just over 71 hours was the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey by the plane piloted in turns by Swiss aviators Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. [Reuters] See Video of the Day
Video of the Day –
Solar Impulse Airplane – Leg 15 – Flight New York to Seville
List of the Day –
How the home nations voted in the EU Referendum [BBC]
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Boko Haram insurgency
- According to Médecins Sans Frontières, more than 1,200 people have died of starvation and illness at a refugee camp for those fleeing Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. (The Guardian)
- Disasters and accidents
- 2016 Jiangsu tornado
- A tornado, accompanied by heavy rainfall and hailstones, kills at least 98 people and injures 800 in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu (JSTV). One-hour rainfall reached 102 millimeters (about four inches) in Lianshui County. (Reuters) (China Radio International)
- International relations
- Holy See–Turkey relations
- Pope Francis’s visit to Armenia this weekend may stress relations with Turkey. The Pope is seeking to avoid reigniting the diplomatic dispute that arose last year when he described the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as a genocide. The Vatican prefers the Armenian phrase “Medz Yeghern,” which roughly translates as “the great evil or calamity.” (Reuters), (PanARMENIAN.Net) (NBC News)
- South Sudanese Civil War
- The United Nations announces that peacekeepers in the country will be sent home over a “lack of responsiveness” during an attack on a UN-run refugee camp last February in Malakal that killed at least 40 people. (Al Jazeera)
- European migration crisis
- The Italian Coast Guard rescues 4,500 migrants at sea. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
- North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- The United Nations Security Council condemns North Korea’s most recent ballistic missile launches as a grave violation of the international ban, and urges all countries “to redouble their efforts” to fully implement the March sanctions. (Reuters) (AP)
- Law and crime
- Supreme Court of the United States
- The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 4–3 decision, upholds the University of Texas’s practice of considering race in college admissions. Justice Elena Kagan recused herself for prior work on the case as United States solicitor general. (Reuters) (AP) (The New York Times)
- The Supreme Court deadlocks (4–4) in the challenge to President Barack Obama’s executive order that set up the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans plan, which could have shielded up to five million illegal immigrants. The tie leaves in place an earlier ruling against the plan. (NBC News) (The New York Times)
- 2016 Summer Olympics
- The government of Kuwait sues the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for US$1.3 billion in damages over the suspension of its Olympic committee last October due to the government’s interference in sports. (Al Jazeera)
- Death of Freddie Gray
- Viernheim shooting
- Politics and elections
- United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- Voters in the United Kingdom go to the polls to vote in a referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union. (The Telegraph), (BBC),
- Polling stations are closed, and ballots are being counted in centres around the UK with the result expected Friday morning. (BBC)
- Colombian conflict
- United States presidential election, 2016, 2016 Republican National Convention
- A federal district judge, in a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, rules Cleveland’s regulations governing protests and marches during next month’s Republican National Convention infringe on the right of free expression. Judge James Gwin orders both sides into mediation to begin negotiating new rules with another federal judge overseeing those talks. (AP)
- Science and technology
- Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered only by the sun, lands safely in Seville, Spain, shortly after 7.30 a.m. local time after a flight of just over 71 hours. The 15th leg of the round-the-world journey had been expected to take up to 90 hours. (Reuters) (Reuters²)
- Sport
- 2016 NBA draft
- In basketball, the NBA draft is held with the Philadelphia 76ers choosing Australian Ben Simmons as the number one pick. (ESPN)
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June 26, 2016
Top News Stories –
Lionel Messi announces international football retirement after Argentina loses Copa America final –
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi says he is finished with the national team after the side’s loss to Chile in the Copa America final. The five-time world player of the year announced as much in the immediate aftermath of Argentina’s gut-wrenching loss to Chile, 4-2 in a penalty shootout on Monday. “The national team is done for me,” Messi told reporters. The 29-year-old was booked for simulation and sent his attempt over the crossbar in the decisive shootout as he fell short for the fourth time in a major international final. “It’s difficult, it’s a hard moment for any analysis. In the dressing room I thought that the national team is not for me,” he added. [ABC] In April Messi scored his 500th career goal.
Lionel Messi
Video of the Day –
Fastest time to pop 100 balloons by a dog – Guinness World Records
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Boko Haram insurgency
- Fighting in various remote villages in the Borno State of Nigeria kill at least one civilian and six Boko Haram militants. According to the Nigerian Army, they’ve rescued more than 5,000 hostages from the militants. (Al Jazeera)
- Syrian Civil War
- Airstrikes reportedly kill at least 82 people, including 58 civilians, in Syria‘s eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Al Jazeera)
- Business and economy
- The expanded Panama Canal opens after a $4.5 billion expansion allowing larger ships to use it. (Los Angeles Times)
- Disasters and accidents
- A bus fire kills at least 35 people in China’s Hunan Province. (AFP via Geo TV)(Reuters)
- A roller coaster derails and crashes at M&D’s theme park in Motherwell, Scotland. Ten people are reportedly injured. (BBC)
- Five people are killed in the American state of Colorado after an Amtrak train collides with a minivan carrying six people near the town of Trinidad, Colorado. (9 News) (Denver Post)
- Law and crime
- Unidentified men with bush knives attack the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in the city of Lae, killing one student, and set fire to various buildings on the campus. (Radio New Zealand)
- Organized crime in Italy
- Ernesto Fazzalari, Italy‘s second most-wanted fugitive and member of ‘Ndrangheta, is arrested by the Carabinieri near Molochio in Calabria, Southern Italy, after two decades on the run. Interior MinisterAngelino Alfano described Fazzalari as “one of the most important fugitives and a leading underworld figure”. (The Guardian)
- Police report multiple stabbings at a planned “white pride” rally in Sacramento, California between the Traditionalist Workers Party and counter-protesters. The Sacramento Fire Department reports seven people were taken to local hospitals, two with life-threatening wounds. (CBS News) (ABC News)
- Politics and elections
- Spanish general election, 2016
- United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union
- Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, says that Scottish Parliament has the power to veto the United Kingdom‘s exit from the European Union. (BBC)
- Heidi Alexander, Gloria De Piero, Ian Murray, Lilian Greenwood, Lucy Powell, Kerry McCarthy, Seema Malhotra, Vernon Coaker, Charlie Falconer, Karl Turner and Chris Bryant resign en masse from theLabour Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn in protest at Jeremy Corbyn‘s leadership over the EU referendum, and the firing of Hilary Benn. (BBC)
- The petition calling for a second referendum passes three million signatures. (Parliament UK)
- Sport
- Copa América Centenario
- In football, Chile wins the Copa América, defeating Argentina in a penalty shootout after regular time and extra time end scoreless. (Daily Mirror)
- Argentina star Lionel Messi, who became Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer during the Copa, announces his retirement from international football after the game. (ABC News)
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October 2, 2016
Top News Stories –
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]
Video of the Day –
OFFICIAL “PANTSUIT POWER” FLASH MOB FOR HILLARY from Celia & Mia for HRC on Vimeo.
List of the Day –
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- An ISIL sniper in Sirte, Libya, shoots dead Dutch photographer and war correspondent Jeroen Oerlemans. (The Independent)
- Disasters and accidents
- 2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- 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)
- Weather forecasters issue hurricane warnings for eastern Cuba, from Las Tunas to Guantánamo provinces. (The Los Angeles Times), (The National Hurricane Center)
- 2016 Ethiopian protests
- A Ravn Alaska Cessna 208B crashes near Togiak, Alaska killing three people. (The Alaska Dispatch News)
- International relations
- Aftermath of the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announces March 2017 as the deadline for triggering Article 50 and says that her government will introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” that will repeal theEuropean Communities Act 1972 once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. (BBC)
- Law and crime
- Authorities arrest a Japanese man for killing as many as 48 elderly patients at the Oguchi Hospital in Yokohama. (The Independent)
- Politics and elections
- Hungarian migrant quota referendum, 2016
- 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)
- Brazil municipal elections, 2016
- Brazilian voters cast ballots in the nationwide election of mayors and city councils in 5,568 municipalities. Pollsters predict that the Workers’ Party will fair poorly. This is the country’s first election since theimpeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff. (Reuters), (Bloomberg)
- Colombian peace agreement referendum, 2016
- Referendum voters in Colombia narrowly fail to ratify a peace deal between the Government of Colombia and FARC. (Reuters), (Deutsche Welle), (BBC)
- Marino Riccardi and Fabio Berardi take office as the Captains Regent of San Marino. (San Marino RTV)
- Sports
- 2016 Ryder Cup
- In golf, the United States wins the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. (The New York Post)
- 2016 NRL Grand Final
- In Australian rugby league, the Cronulla Sharks defeat the Melbourne Storm 14–12 to win their first premiership after 50 years in the competition. (ABC News Australia)
- Major League Baseball
- Vin Scully, broadcaster for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers since 1950, calls his final game. (Major League Baseball)
- The Atlanta Braves play their final game at Turner Field. They now move to the new SunTrust Park for the 2017 season. (AP via ESPN)
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