December 7, 2014

Top News Stories –

Foggy wins down under –
Former motorbike rider Carl Fogarty, four time winner of the World Superbike Championship, has won the British “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” in Australia. The 49-year-old known as Foggy beat former X Factor contestant Jake Quickenden and TV presenter Melanie Sykes in the final of the ITV show.
Carl-FogartyCarl Fogarty

LA Galaxy win MLS again –
Californian soccer team LA Galaxy have won a fifth Major League Soccer (MLS) title with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the championship-deciding MLS Cup. LA have won three of the last four league titles and Irish striker Robbie Keane grabbed an extra-time winner to give the Galaxy the victory after New England’s Chris Tierney had cancelled out Gyasi Zardes’ opener for LA. (See List of The Day)
Robbie_KeaneRobbie Keane

Royal US visit starts –
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived in New York for a tour of the east coast of the United States during which Prince William will meet President Barack Obama. The Royal couple previously met the Obama’s after their wedding in 2011.
Obama_and_Duke_Duchess_of_CambridgeThe Royals meeting the President and Mrs Obama in London in 2011

Not out of the woods yet –
Tiger Woods return to competition golf ends badly as he finishes last in the 18 player Hero World Challenge tournament in Florida and is physically sick on the fairway. He has not played competitively for four months due to back pain.
Tiger_WoodsTiger Woods

Video of the Day –

SYNC from Hasraf HaZ Dulull on Vimeo.

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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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April 17, 2015

Top News Stories –

Lorry full of honey bees overturns in Washington State –
A lorry carrying honeybees has overturned in the US state of Washington, spewing bees across a motorway. The accident scattered boxes “containing millions of live bees across the highway”, KIRO 7 News reported. Each of the boxes contains about 5,000 live bees, some were crushed in the accident while others were freed. Beekeepers used smoke to try and calm the bees before the sun rose, which would raise temperatures and agitate the bees. At daybreak many of the boxes remained on the road and the bees became more active. The fire brigade was called to spray the bees with foam, which resulted in their death. [BBC]

All Nippon Airways Announces ‘Star Wars’ Project With R2-D2 Painted Jet –
In honor of the iconic movie series, the airline will paint one of its brand-new Boeing 787s with an R2-D2 motif. An apparent video rendering of the R2-D2 plane, released on YouTube Thursday, shows the nose of the plane decorated with R2-D2’s signature blue and white stripes, along with graphics depicting the robot’s various ports. A massive “Star Wars” logo dominates the rear of the plane. The R2-D2 jet marks the start of five-year All Nippon Airways “Star Wars” project, which will include “a range of novel initiatives,” the airline announced on its website. (also see Video of the Day) [The Huffington Post]

Japan’s magnetically levitated vehicle train sets new speed record –
Japan’s magnetically levitated (maglev) train has set a new speed record, hitting 366.61mph on a test track. Central Japan Railway Co., which is developing a vehicle that it sees as the long-distance, mass transportation system of the future, is aiming to break the 600km per hour (372.82mph) in more tests scheduled for next week. The seven-car maglev surpassed the previous record, which it sent in December 2003, for a period of 19 seconds on JR Central’s test track in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, on Thursday. The company is pushing ahead in its development of the maglev, which uses magnetic pulses to propel the carriages, doing away with the need for wheels, axles and bearings, after being granted approval to construct a track between Tokyo and Nagoya. [Daily Telegraph]
JR-Maglev-MLX01 The SCMaglev test track in the Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

James Anderson breaks Sir Ian Botham’s England wicket record –
English cricketer James Anderson surpassed Sir Ian Botham as England’s highest Test wicket-taker with his 384th dismissal in his 100th match. Anderson, 32, had West Indies’ Denesh Ramdin caught at first slip on the final day of the first Test in Antigua. The seamer, who began the Test on 380 wickets, was mobbed by his team-mates as his family celebrated in the crowd. [BBC]

England’s top Test wicket-takers

Player Wickets Tests Years active Average
James Anderson 384 100 2003-present 29.77
Ian Botham 383 102 1977-1992 28.40
Bob Willis 325 90 1971-1984 25.20
Fred Trueman 307 67 1952-1965 21.57
Derek Underwood 297 86 1966-1982 25.83

Video of the Day –

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2 –

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May 20, 2015

Top News Stories –

Record fines for currency market fix –
Five of the world’s largest banks are to pay fines totalling $5.7bn (£3.6bn) for charges including manipulating the foreign exchange market.
Four of the banks – JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup and RBS – have agreed to plead guilty to US criminal charges. The fifth, UBS, will plead guilty to rigging benchmark interest rates. Barclays was fined the most, $2.4bn, as it did not join other banks in November to settle investigations by UK, US and Swiss regulators. Barclays is also sacking eight employees involved in the scheme. [BBC]

Chinese professor accused in ‘Breaking Bad’ drugs plot –
Police in China have arrested a chemistry professor for his part in producing a psychoactive drug in a case that has been likened to US crime drama Breaking Bad. State agency Xinhua said 17 people were arrested including a Xian university professor alleged to have helped provide the recipe for methcathinone. Police seized 128kg (282lb) of the drug and more than 5m yuan ($806,095; £519,450). The drug lab was raided last year. [BBC]

David Letterman saluted by stars on final Late Show –
Four US presidents have joined stars including Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Jerry Seinfeld and Foo Fighters to pay tribute to TV host David Letterman on his final late night talk show. Letterman has bowed out after 33 years and 6,028 late-night broadcasts.He joked that physicist Stephen Hawking had calculated it “works out to about eight minutes of laughter”.He gave emotional thanks to his family, crew and viewers, saying: “There’s nothing I can ever do to repay you.”The 68-year-old began his late-night career on NBC in 1982, before moving to CBS’s Late Show in 1993.[BBC] See Video of the Day and List of the Day.
Dave_LettermanDavid Letterman

Video of the Day –

Celebrity Top Ten Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say To David Letterman

List of the day –

David Letterman’s final Top Ten list – “Top 10 things I’ve always wanted to say to Dave:”

10. Alec Baldwin: “Of all the talk shows, yours is the most geographically convenient to my home.”

9. Barbara Walters: “Did you know you wear the same cologne as Muammar Qaddafi?”

8. Steve Martin: Your extensive plastic surgery was a necessity…and a mistake.”

7. Jerry Seinfeld: “I have no idea what I’ll do when you go off the air. You know what, I just thought of something: I’ll be fine.”

6. Jim Carrey: “Honestly Dave, I’ve always found you to be a bit of an over-actor.” (He gesticulated wildly).

5. Chris Rock: “I’m just glad your show is being given to another white guy.” (Dave: “You know, I had nothing to do with that.”)

4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus: “Thanks for letting me take part in another hugely disappointing series finale.” (Seinfeld smirks). (Dave: “I had nothing to do with that either.”)

3. Peyton Manning: “Dave, you are to comedy what I am to comedy.”

2. Tina Fey: “Thanks for finally proving men can be funny.”

1. Bill Murray: “Dave, I’ll never have the money I owe you.”

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May 25, 2015

Top News Stories –

‘Dancing Man’ Sean O’Brien parties in Los Angeles –
A British man who attracted global support after “fat-shaming” images of him were posted online has attended a party in his honour in Los Angeles.
Liverpudlian Sean O’Brien, who now lives in London, was trolled in March after being spotted dancing at a gig. He was dubbed “The Dancing Man” by a social media campaign to uncover his identity and offer support. During his LA trip he has been feted by stars, appeared on TV shows and thrown the first pitch at an LA Dodgers game. Campaigner Monica Lewinsky, musicians Andrew WK and Moby attended his party, while Pharrell Williams recorded a special video message of support that was played at the party. [BBC]
Dancing-man © @Dancingmanfound/Twitter Sean O’Brien aka Dancing Man

Galapagos volcano erupts for first time in 30 years –
A volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted for the first time in more than 30 years on Monday, spilling streams of bright orange lava and raising fears for the world’s only colony of pink iguanas. The Galapagos National Park warned on Twitter that Isabela Island, where Wolf Volcano erupted at dawn, holds “the world’s only population” of the critically endangered Conolophus marthae, also known as the Galapagos rosy iguana. [Daily Telegraph]
Wolf-volcanoWolf Volcano
Pink-iguanaGalapagos pink iguana (Conolophus marthae)

Instagram spams users with ‘highlights’ from their friends’ feeds –
Instagram has started sending unsolicited emails to users with a selection of posts from their friends’ news feeds, in an attempt to re-engage people who have drifted away from the social network. Like Twitter, Instagram presents updates in reverse-chronological order, meaning that the posts people see when they log on are simply the most recent – not necessarily the most relevant. While this is an effective way of keeping people’s news feeds fresh, it also creates the risk that users miss the most interesting content, due to the constant stream of updates cascading through their news feeds. Instagram’s email updates are designed to offer a more curated experience, presenting users with only the most popular content from their network of contacts, TechCrunch reports. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dior Secret Garden IV – Versailles – Long Version
In the Palace of Versailles and surrounded by darkness, Rihanna lights up the screen in this exclusive short film from the Secret Garden IV campaign, shot by Steven Klein.

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1 #charliecharliechallenge Ray McDonald #charliecharliechallenge
2 EU TE AMO LIAM #MemorialDay #BankHolidayMonday
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4 #MeCaesMalSi #RIPGrandmaSepi #3Queens
5 #MemorialDay #MallMovies #AfricaDay
6 #RIPGrandmaSepi Which Beyoncé Song Are You #MOTD
7 #OrgulloFriki Ancelotti Norwich
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May 26, 2015

Top News Stories –

Best photobomb ever? Seagull steals the show from Red Arrows display team –
An image that shows the latest addition to the world famous Red Arrows is a seagull has become an Internet hit. The amazing moment was captured by first year photography student Jade Coxon,18, as she took pictures at the Llandudno Air Show on 23 May. And, since posting the stunning snap online on Sunday, Jade is over the moon to have got more than 1 million views. The crisp pic clearly shows eight of the Red Arrows in tight formation trailing their famous vapour. But then where the ninth plane should be there is an intrepid seagull holding the formation in place and, amazingly, with his own vapour trail. [Daily Telegraph]
Red-Arrows-and-seagull Photo: SWNS GroupRed-Arrows-and-seagull (Photo – SWNS Group)

Taylor Swift enters Forbes 100 most powerful women list –
The 25 year old singer and songwriter has become the youngest woman ever to be included on the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
She’s included at number 64 in the list released on Tuesday because, Forbes says, she ‘has not only broken record sales and captivated the world with her fantastically honest lyrics, but she has proven herself as an impressive businesswoman.’ [Daily Mail] See List of the Day
Taylor-Swift Taylor Swift

The Charlie Charlie Challenge – what is the spooky craze? –
A strange new game is taking over Twitter, fuelled by speculation that its players can connect with a dead Mexican spirit known as Charlie. The Charlie Charlie Challenge has been played by thousands of young people after a number of videos purported to show supernatural goings-on. The game entails placing two pencils on a piece of paper in the shape of the cross with the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Participants then repeat the phrase “Charlie, Charlie can we play?” in order to connect with the demon. If Charlie is there the pencils will move to indicate his answer. [Daily Telegraph] See Top Twitter Trends 25 May 2015

Video of the Day –

Are You Consuming Your Coffee Correctly?

List of the day –

Forbes Magazine 100 Most Powerful Women in the World 2015 [Forbes]

Rank Name Age Country Category
#1 Angela Merkel 60 Germany Politics
#2 Hillary Clinton 67 United States Politics
#3 Melinda Gates 50 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#4 Janet Yellen 68 United States Finance
#5 Mary Barra 53 United States Automotive
#6 Christine Lagarde 59 France Philanthropy/NGO
#7 Dilma Rousseff 67 Brazil Politics
#8 Sheryl Sandberg 45 United States Technology
#9 Susan Wojcicki 46 United States Technology
#10 Michelle Obama 51 United States Politics
#11 Park Geun-hye 63 South Korea Politics
#12 Oprah Winfrey 61 United States Media
#13 Ginni Rometty 57 United States Technology
#14 Meg Whitman 58 United States Technology
#15 Indra Nooyi 59 United States Business
#16 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner 62 Argentina Politics
#17 Irene Rosenfeld 62 United States Business
#18 Ana Patricia Botín 54 Spain Finance
#19 Abigail Johnson 53 United States Investments
#20 Marillyn Hewson 61 United States Manufacturing
#21 Beyoncé Knowles 33 United States Celebrity
#22 Marissa Mayer 39 United States Technology
#23 Helen Clark 65 New Zealand Philanthropy/NGO
#24 Safra Catz 53 United States Technology
#25 Angela Ahrendts 54 United States Technology
#26 Ellen Kullman 59 United States Business
#27 Michelle Bachelet 63 Chile Politics
#28 Anna Wintour 65 United States Media
#29 Ursula Burns 56 United States Technology
#30 Arundhati Bhattacharya 59 India Finance
#31 Sri Mulyani Indrawati 52 Indonesia Philanthropy/NGO
#32 Ruth Porat 57 United States Technology
#33 Lucy Peng 42 China Technology
#34 Loretta Lynch 56 United States Politics
#35 Chanda Kochhar 53 India Business
#36 Federica Mogherini 41 Italy Politics
#37 Gina Rinehart 61 Australia Metals & Mining
#38 Nancy Pelosi 75 United States Politics
#39 Adena Friedman 45 United States Finance
#40 Ewa Kopacz 58 Poland Politics
#41 Queen Elizabeth II 89 United Kingdom Politics
#42 Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi 53 United Arab Emirates Politics
#43 Ho Ching 62 Singapore Business
#44 Laurene Powell Jobs 51 United States Technology
#45 Renée James 50 United States Technology
#46 Drew Gilpin Faust 67 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#47 Ertharin Cousin 58 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#48 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 60 Nigeria Politics
#49 Samantha Power 44 United States Politics
#50 Ellen DeGeneres 57 United States Celebrity
#51 Amy Hood 43 United States Technology
#52 Bonnie Hammer 64 United States Media
#53 Mary Callahan Erdoes 47 United States Finance
#54 Angelina Jolie 39 United States Celebrity
#55 Beth Comstock 54 United States Business
#56 Phebe Novakovic 56 United States Business
#57 Sofía Vergara 42 Colombia Celebrity
#58 Donna Langley 47 United Kingdom Media
#59 Sheikh Hasina Wajed 67 Bangladesh Politics
#60 Katie Jacobs Stanton 45 United States Media
#61 Arianna Huffington 64 United States Media
#62 Margaret Chan 67 China Philanthropy/NGO
#63 Mary Jo White 67 United States Politics
#64 Taylor Swift 25 United States Celebrity
#65 Rosalind Brewer 52 United States Business
#66 Nemat (Minouche) Shafik 53 United Kingdom Politics
#67 Lubna S. Olayan 59 Saudi Arabia Business
#68 Peng Liyuan 52 China Politics
#69 Zhang Xin 49 China Business
#70 Güler Sabanci 60 Turkey Business
#71 Elvira Nabiullina 51 Russia Politics
#72 Elizabeth Holmes 31 United States Healthcare
#73 Tory Burch 48 United States Fashion and Retail
#74 Dana Walden United States Media
#75 Diane von Furstenberg 68 United States Fashion and Retail
#76 Carol Meyrowitz 61 United States Business
#77 Mary Meeker 55 United States Technology
#78 Solina Chau 53 Hong Kong Technology
#79 Miuccia Prada 66 Italy Fashion and Retail
#80 Katharine Viner 44 United Kingdom Media
#81 Shakira Mebarak 38 Colombia Celebrity
#82 Yao Chen 35 China Celebrity
#83 Fabiola Gianotti 54 Italy Philanthropy/NGO
#84 Padmasree Warrior 54 United States Technology
#85 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 62 India Medicine
#86 Kaci Kullmann Five 64 Norway Philanthropy/NGO
#87 Folorunsho Alakija 64 Nigeria Oil
#88 Judy Faulkner 71 United States Healthcare
#89 Patricia Harris 58 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#90 Gwynne Shotwell 51 United States Construction & Engineering
#91 Sara Blakely 44 United States Fashion and Retail
#92 Risa Lavizzo-Mourey 60 United States Philanthropy/NGO
#93 Shobhana Bhartia 58 India Media
#94 Beth Brooke-Marciniak 55 United States Business
#95 Weili Dai 53 United States Technology
#96 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 76 Liberia Politics
#97 Raja Easa Al Gurg United Arab Emirates Business
#98 Jenny Lee 43 Singapore Technology
#99 Greta Van Susteren 60 United States Media
#100 Lee Boo-Jin 44 South Korea Service

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1 EU TE AMO HARRY Sally Ride #AlwaysInMyHeartLarry
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4 #FelizMartes #MySummerin5words #ChooseDay
5 #ConEsteFrioReDa #ThickGirlAppreciationDay #BGTlive
6 #ConGanasDe Mary Ellen Mark #WelshProblemsDay
7 Leticia Sabater OTAs #GetStupid
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May 30, 2015

Top News Stories –

Prince William issues call for Fifa to ‘put the sport first’ –
The Duke of Cambridge has urged world football governing body Fifa to “show that it can represent the interests of fair play and put the sport first”. Prince William, the president of the FA, made his comments during a speech before the cup final at Wembley. He urged sponsors and other backers to use their influence with Fifa to support reform. It comes after Fifa’s president Sepp Blatter was re-elected, following the arrests of seven people linked to Fifa. [BBC]

Arsenal win the FA Cup for 12th time –
Arsenal beat fellow Premier League side Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley in London, the largest margin of victory in an FA Cup Final since 1994. The title means Arsenal manager has won 6 FA Cups equalling a record set by former Aston Villa manager George Ramsay – who previously stood alone with the record for his victories with Villa between 1887 and 1920. Arsenal’s goals were scored by Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesaker and Olivier Giroud. See List of the Day 1
Arsene-WengerArsene Wenger

Barcelona wins Copa del Rey –
Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 with goals from Lionel Messi (2) and Neymar. Along with fellow striker Luis Suarez, the trio have scored 120 goals this season, the most by three players in the history of first class football.
Lionel-Messi-BarcelonaLionel Messi

Wolfsburg win German Cup final –
Wolfsburg win the German Cup for the first time beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1. Luiz Gustavo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bas Dost scored Wolfsburg’s Goals. It was Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp’s final match in charge of the team.
Juregen-KloppJurgen Klopp

Paris St Germain win French treble –
Paris St-Germain became the first French team to win a domestic treble beating Auxerre 1-0 in the French Cup final. Laurent Blanc’s side also beat Bastia 4-0 to win the French League Cup and were crowned Ligue 1 champions for a third successive year. Edinson Cavani scored the only goal in the final.
Edinson-Cavani-PSGEdinson Cavani

Alastair Cook: Captain becomes England’s leading Test run scorer –
Alastair Cook has passed Graham Gooch to become England’s leading Test run scorer. In reaching 32 on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley, he overtook Gooch’s mark of 8,900, which has stood since 1995. England captain Cook, 30, is playing his 114th Test, having made his debut in 2006. [BBC] See LIst of the Day 2
Alastair-Cook

Video of the Day –

Every Inspirational Video Ever

List of the day 1 –

Arsene Wenger managerial career (as of May 30, 2015)

Club From To Record
G W D[c] L Win %
AS Nancy 1 July 1984 1 July 1987 114 33 30 51 28.95
AS Monaco 1 July 1987 17 September 1994 266 130 53 83 48.87
Nagoya Grampus 9 December 1994 30 September 1996 56 38 0 18 67.86
Arsenal 1 October 1996 Present 1,065 612 249 204 57.46
Total 1,501 813 332 356 54.16

List of the day 2 –

English cricket Test run record [as of 30 May 2015 – from Wikipedia]

Rank Runs Player Matches Innings Average
1 8,944 Alastair Cook 113 197 46.82
2 8,900 Graham Gooch 118 215 42.58
3 8,463 Alec Stewart 133 255 39.55
4 8,231 David Gower 117 204 44.25
5 8,181 Kevin Pietersen 104 181 47.28
6 8,114 Geoffrey Boycott 108 193 47.72
7 7,728 Michael Atherton 115 212 37.70
8 7,624 Colin Cowdrey 114 188 44.07
9 7,310 Ian Bell 106 183 45.40
10 7,249 Wally Hammond 85 140 58.46
Source: [10]. Last updated: 31 May 2015.

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4 #QueLindoCuando #smallaccsappreciationday Khan
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May 31, 2015

Top News Stories –

Enrique Iglesias injured in concert drone mishap –
Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias has been receiving treatment after two of his fingers were injured by a drone camera during a concert in Mexico.
The singer had been attempting to grab the drone, used to get crowd shots during his concerts. “Something went wrong and he had an accident,” a representative for the singer revealed on Instagram. Iglesias continued to perform after the accident before flying to Los Angeles to see a specialist. [BBC]
Enrique-IglesiasEnrique Iglesias

John Kerry breaks leg in bicycle crash in France –
The US Secretary of State John Kerry has broken his leg in a biking accident in the French Alps. Mr Kerry, 71, was in a stable condition in hospital in nearby Geneva, Switzerland, a spokesman said. He was expected to make a full recovery after breaking his right femur and was in good spirits, said John Kirby. It appeared Mr Kerry hit a kerb and there was no vehicle involved in the accident, a state department official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. [BBC]
John_F._Kerry John Kerry

Harriette Thompson, 92, sets marathon record in San Diego –
A 92-year-old cancer survivor has become the oldest woman to finish a marathon. American Harriette Thompson ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego in seven hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. Having survived three bouts of oral cancer, Thompson crossed the line accompanied by her son Brenny, 56. Aged 92 years and 65 days, Thompson took the record of 92 years and 19 days set by Gladys Burrill in the Honolulu Marathon in 2010.

Video of the Day –

MCM London Comic Con May 2015 Cosplay Music Video

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1 #EstariaBuenoQue Niall and Jade Anthony Joshua
2 Niall and Jade The 1975 Niall and Jade
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4 #Gezi2Yasında #IWouldAdviseAgainst #ROWYSOBelfast
5 #SabadoDeConfesarQue John Kerry Beau Biden
6 #الهلال_الاتحاد #ThingsThatSoundSexual #iHeartPoolParty
7 #ZaynMalikInManila #SundayFunday Michelle Keegan
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10 Beau Biden #MattsNewVideo Rangers

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  • 2015 Indian heat wave
    • The death toll from the heat wave reaches 2,100 with intense heat to continue until Monday. (NHK)
  • April 2015 Nepal earthquake
    • Thousands of schools open in Nepal after the devastating earthquake of April 2015 which destroyed more than 25,000 classrooms and killed more than 8,000 people. (BBC)
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June 17, 2015

Top News Stories –

Angolan capital remains ‘most expensive city’ for expats –
The Angolan capital, Luanda, remains the world’s most expensive city for expatriates, according to an annual survey by consultancy Mercer. The city has held the number one spot for the past three years because of the high cost of rent, imported goods and security in the oil-rich nation. However, the rest of the cost of living rankings saw significant shifts due to exchange rate fluctuations. Asian cities now account for half of the top 10 costliest destinations. Hong Kong rose to second place and Singapore remained in fourth because of their expensive property and rental markets. Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul also made the top 10. [BBC] See List of the Day

Madonna premieres star-studded ‘Bitch I’m Madonna’ video on Tidal –
Madonna has unveiled her new video – complete with cameo appearances by Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry – on the new streaming service [launched in March] she runs with stars including Jay Z and Kanye West. The video for Bitch I’m Madonna, from her well-received Rebel Heart album, will be shown exclusively on the Tidal service for 24 hours before being released to the wider public. The line-up on the video, which was filmed in New York, also includes Nicki Minaj, new X Factor judge Rita Ora, Chris Rock and Madonna’s sons Rocco and David. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day
MadonnaMadonna

South Carolina church shooting: Nine die in Charleston ‘hate crime’ –
Nine people have died in a shooting at a historic African-American church in Charleston in the US state of South Carolina, officials say. City police chief Gregory Mullen said eight of the victims were killed inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday evening, while another person died shortly afterwards. Police are now searching for a white male suspect in his 20s. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

TIDAL | Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj | Bitch I’m Madonna Behind the scenes

List of the Day –

The 25 costliest cities for living abroad

2015 2014 Change City Country
1 1 Luanda Angola
2 3 +1 Hong Kong Hong Kong
3 5 +2 Zurich Switzerland
4 4 Singapore Singapore
5 6 +1 Geneva Switzerland
6 10 +4 Shanghai China
7 11 +4 Beijing China
8 14 +6 Seoul South Korea
9 8 -1 Bern Switzerland
10 2 -8 N’Djamena Chad
11 7 -4 Tokyo Japan
12 12 London United Kingdom
13 20 +7 Kinshasa Congo
14 17 +3 Shenzhen China
15 24 +9 Guangzhou China
16 16 New York City United States
17 13 -4 Victoria Seychelles
18 18 Tel Aviv Israel
19 86 +67 Buenos Aires Argentina
20 25 +5 Lagos Nigeria
21 54 +33 Shenyang China
22 34 +12 Conakry Guinea
23 67 +44 Dubai United Arab Emirates
24 15 -9 Copenhagen Denmark
25 48 +24 Qingdao China

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1 Süleyman Demirel #ExplainParadiseIn4Words #fortheloveof
2 #3PalabrasAntesDelSexo #putchocolateinasong #FixtureReleaseDay
3 #MeAcaboDeDarCuentaQue #Trumplebrags #WeCantDateIf
4 Ramadan Mubarak Madonna #RuinAFineBook
5 #ARGENTINAESFUERTE Hump Day #PMQs
6 #OruçTutmuyorumÇünkü #IfMyDadWasPresident Boxing Day
7 #QuedasteReMalCuando #StatueofLiberty Man City
8 #Vidal #BuyNotTheOnlyOne Florence
9 Aritana #SlowJamAMovie Stoke
10 Salam Ramadhan #JunkFoodAMovie #labourdebate

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June 30th 2015

Top News Stories –

1 second lie-in tonight –
At 11:59:59pm today, the clock struck 11:59:60pm a ‘leap second’ to compensate for the slowing of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The last time the world added a leap second, in 2012, major websites including Reddit, Foursquare, Yelp and LinkedIn were not being programmed to deal with an unexpected extra second and crashed. To avoid this Google have added fractions of a second to programmes over the last year, a technique known as a “leap smear”. Scientists at the the International Earth Rotation Service and Paris Observatory say this allows “Earth time” to catch up to “atomic time” and will be the 26th leap second since 1972. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends

Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner to divorce –
Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner say they have made “the difficult decision to divorce”. The couple have been married since 2005 and have three children between the ages of three and nine. In a statement they said: “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children”. [BBC]
Ben_AffleckBen Affleck

Apple Music Makes Debut With D.J. Carrying the Flag –
“Into the unknown we go,” the D. J. Zane Lowe said just after noon on Tuesday, as he began his first show on Beats 1, the Internet radio station that is a big feature of Apple’s new music service. As Apple Music opened on Tuesday — most listeners found it as part of an update of Apple’s mobile operating system — much of the attention turned to Beats 1, a live radio feed that in some ways functions as marketing for the entire service. Led by Mr. Lowe, who was born in New Zealand and became a top announcer on the BBC station Radio 1, Beats 1 is in some ways an old-fashioned radio station, with D. J.s, promotional recordings — “carts,” as they are in industry parlance, after the tape cartridges they used to fit on — and teases about new songs.
Zane Lowe tweetZane Lowe tweet [@zanelowe]

Donna Karan Steps Down as Head of Iconic Brand –
In a major shift for American fashion, Donna Karan, the 66-year-old founder and chief designer of Donna Karan International, a brand that defined the way American working women dressed for decades, announced on Tuesday that she was leaving the helm of the house that bears her name. Ms. Karan will remain as an adviser to Donna Karan International, but devote more time to her Urban Zen line, which centers on wellness and artisanal goods, and its foundation. [NY Times]

Video of the Day –

Asking Siri 0 divided by 0 [See Top Twitter Trends – “Siri”]

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1 #CoolForTheSummerIn1Day #HowToKeepYourGirlHappy #leapsecond
2 #VentajasDeSerSoltero #leapsecond #HeatWave
3 #LeyMordaza Siri John Noakes
4 #TeenWolfSeason5 Apple Music Siri
5 #FelizMartes #AnnoyYourPartnerIn5Words Congolese
6 Siri #SummerACeleb #AppleMusic
7 Apple Music #SMDay #mpconf15
8 #MeEnamoraQue #AskBobby #charitytuesday
9 #TeLaResumoEn3Palabras Cookie Monster #TeenWolfSeason5
10 新幹線 Misty Copeland Kauto Star

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July 14, 2015

Top News Stories –

Large Hadron Collider discovers new particle – the pentaquark –
A new kind of particle, called the pentaquark, was discovered by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider yesterday [July 13, 2015]. Physicists had theorised the existence of the pentaquark since the 1960s, but had never been able to prove it until its detection by the world’s most powerful particle smasher at Cern. The discovery of the pentaquark comes after the LHC was used in 2012 to prove the existence of another particle, the Higgs Boson, which confers mass. Large Hadron Collider spokesman Guy Wilkinson said the pentaquark represented a way to combine quarks – the sub-atomic particles that make up protons and neutrons. [Daily Telegraph]
CMS_detector_LHC_CERN The CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider

Deal Reached on Iran Nuclear Program –
Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. The deal culminates 20 months of negotiations on an agreement that President Obama had long sought as the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. Whether it portends a new relationship between the United States and Iran — after decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions — remains a bigger question. Mr. Obama, in an early morning appearance at the White House that was broadcast live in Iran, began what promised to be an arduous effort to sell the deal to Congress and the American public, saying the agreement is “not built on trust — it is built on verification.” [NY Times]

New Horizons: Spacecraft survives Pluto encounter –
A signal received from the New Horizons spacecraft shows that it survived its historic encounter with Pluto. Data in its first call home since Tuesday’s flyby suggest the spacecraft experienced no upsets as it hurtled past the icy world at 14km/s (31,000mph). The signal came through a giant dish in Madrid, Spain – part of a Nasa network of communications antennas. The message took four hours 25 minutes to traverse 4.7 billion km of space. [BBC]
Pluto-by-New-Horizons-spacecraft Pluto by the New Horzons spacecraft – from NASA

Raheem Sterling: Manchester City sign Liverpool winger in £49m deal –
Manchester City have signed Liverpool and England forward Raheem Sterling for a fee that could reach £49m. City will pay an initial £44m for the 20-year-old, making him the most expensive English player ever. Sterling had asked to leave Anfield and was the subject of two bids from City in June, both of which were rejected. City boss Manuel Pellegrini described Sterling, who has signed a five-year deal, as “one of the best attacking players in world football”. Sterling, who is only behind Gareth Bale on the list of most expensive British players, will wear the number seven shirt. [BBC] See List of the Day
Raheem-SterlingRaheem Sterling

Video of the Day –

Great white shark beaches and is saved in Cape Cod

List of the Day –

Highest transfer fees for Football (soccer) players (as of 14 July 2015)

Rank Player From To Fee
(M £)
Fee
(M )
Year
1 Wales Gareth Bale England Tottenham Hotspur Spain Real Madrid £85.3 €100 2013
2 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United Spain Real Madrid £80 €94.4 2009
3 Uruguay Luis Suárez England Liverpool Spain Barcelona £75 €94 2014
4 Colombia James Rodríguez France AS Monaco Spain Real Madrid £63 €79.5 2014
T-5 Argentina Ángel Di María Spain Real Madrid England Manchester United £59.7 €75 2014
T-5 France Zinedine Zidane Italy Juventus Spain Real Madrid £46 €75 2001
7 England Raheem Sterling England Liverpool England Manchester City £49 €69.5 2015
8 1 Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimović Italy Inter Spain Barcelona £59 €69 2009
9 Brazil Kaká Italy Milan Spain Real Madrid £56 €65 2009
10 Uruguay Edinson Cavani Italy Napoli France Paris Saint-Germain £55 €64 2013

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1 #HarryBeCareful #HarryBeCareful #TodaysKidsWillNeverKnow
2 #IranDeal #IranDeal #ApplePay
3 #NadaMasLindoQue #TodaysKidsWillNeverKnow #IranDeal
4 Joan Sebastian #BastilleDay #BastilleDay
5 의정부고 #GrowingUpBlack #mecca_live
6 Honeymoon Ty Lawson Carl Froch
7 #HRDerby #OhNoLouis Mhairi Black
8 印刷部数 Honeymoon #1GottaGo
9 #amanhecernaglobo #RidiculousExcusesToStayHome #HarryBeCareful
10 #PlutoFlyby #PlannedParenthood Suicide Squad

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July 21, 2015

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Toshiba chief executive resigns over scandal –
Toshiba’s chief executive and president Hisao Tanaka has resigned after the company said it had overstated its profits for the past six years.
He will be succeeded by chairman Masashi Muromachi, with vice-chairman Norio Sasaki also stepping down.
On Monday, an independent panel appointed by Toshiba said the firm had overstated its operating profit by a total of 151.8bn yen ($1.22bn, £780m).
The overstatement was roughly triple an initial estimate by Toshiba. [BBC]

Nasa releases amazing high-resolution picture of sunlit Earth from one million miles away –
Nasa has released the first image taken from its new deep space satellite DSCOVR. If Carl Sagan was impressed with the Pale Blue Dot, he would have been equally blown away by this incredible image (launch high-resolution version) of Earth taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). While the image taken by Voyager in 1990 from 3.7 billion miles away showed our planet as just one pixel, the new picture reveals Earth at incredible detail from one million miles. It was taken by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) and generated by stitching together three separate photographs. It shows North America, the Gulf of Mexico and down into South America. At the top right it is just possible to make out the western coasts of Europe. [Daily Telegraph]
©NASA 2015©NASA, 2015

Khloe Kardashian to Host ‘Hybrid’ Talk Show on FYI Channel –
The FYI channel says Khloe Kardashian will host and produce a “hybrid” talk series titled “Kocktails With Khloe.” Kardashian will be joined in the kitchen and at the dinner table by celebrity guests and friends for conversation, cooking and party games, FYI said Tuesday. She’s been part of her family’s TV empire in shows including “Keeping up With the Kardashians” and “Khloe and Lamar,” which featured NBA player Lamar Odom. Odom and Kardashian were married, but she filed for divorce in 2013. “Kocktails With Khloe” is set to debut in late 2015. [NY Times]
Khloe_KardashianKhloe Kardashian

 

Video of the Day –

Chop My Money from Theo Anthony on Vimeo.

A day in the life of three street kids in the Eastern Congo.

Directed by Theo Anthony
Produced by Allen Amani

 

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1 #NiallAppreciationDay #NationalJunkFoodDay #GrowingUpWithGlasses
2 #SigoEsperandoQue #ExplainEarthToSpaceAliens #NiallAppreciationDay
3 #vmas John Kasich #iHeart5SOS
4 Meus Documentos #NiallAppreciationDay #WomensAshes
5 #SiTuvieraUnSuperPoder #TheLiesWeTellKids #TheLiesWeTellKids
6 #MeRemilRompeLasPelotasQue #GrowingUpAGirl #CiaoJules
7 Siria #HistoricalRealityShows #ExplainEarthToSpaceAliens
8 #GrowingUpWithGlasses Jaden Smith #GrowingUpAGirl
9 #من_اسباب_تخلف_… #3WordsToRegret Bill Turnbull
10 #OneDirection #VMAs Prince George

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October 9, 2015

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Justin Bieber’s lawyers demand nude photos are removed from US news website –
Justin Bieber’s legal team is demanding that media websites who have published naked photos of the star remove them immediately. The Hollywood Reporter claims to have seen a lawyer’s letter sent to the New York Daily News, which originally published the pictures of the star on holiday in French Polynesia. The photos of the singer in Bora Bora are still live on the US website. Bieber’s legal team says the publication of the photos represent a breach of the singer’s publicity and privacy rights. The photos also, according to the letter, infringe Bieber’s trademarks. The legal document is demanding action within 12 hours of receipt. [BBC Newsbeat]
Justin_Bieber_mugshot,_frontJustin Bieber

One Direction announce new single “Perfect” and release date –
One Direction’s next Made in the A.M. single’s accidentally been announced as ‘Perfect’ thanks to a classic tweet-and-delete scenario from those crazy critters at Apple Music. Awkies. Yup – we already knew the Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson-penned tune had been registered; but now it looks like the track’s gonna be the second proper single off of the fifth album following ‘Drag Me Down.’ And ‘Infinity,’ if you wanna count that. [Sugarscape]
Apple Music 1D tweet

Video of the Day –

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES – Official UK Trailer #1 (2016)

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1 #Perfect #Perfect #FridayFeeling
2 #MissVenezuela Raven Symone #KissMe
3 マーニー #FridayFeeling John Lennon
4 Hayırlı Cumalar #RedneckIn3Words Pauline Cafferkey
5 #ConfidentMusicVideoTODAY Northern Arizona University #WorldEggDay
6 #BuenViernes #SoundsLiveFeelsLive #Perfect
7 #TheVoiceBrasil Google Drive #bbcqt
8 Raven Symone John Lennon #KloppLFC
9 Messi #HardestPartAboutBreakingUp Zoe Williams
10 #BuyRevivalOniTunes #NobelPeacePrize #firstdates

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  • European migrant crisis
    • The southern German state of Bavaria threatens to take the Federal German government to court if it fails to take immediate steps to limit the flow of migrants to Germany. Over 200,000 migrants are estimated to have entered Germany since the beginning of September, the vast majority over the Austrian border into Bavaria. (Reuters)

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October 11, 2015

Top News Stories –

Shia LaBeouf Arrested For Public Intoxication –
Transformers star Shia LaBeouf has been arrested in Austin, Texas for public intoxication. A video on the TMZ website appears to show the actor in handcuffs as police put him in the back of a patrol car. Witnesses told the site the actor was acting bizarrely, running down the street, jaywalking and ignoring police warnings. The Austin City Limits music festival is currently taking place in the city. Records show the 29-year-old was booked into Travis County Jail on Friday night and later released. [Sky News]
Shia_LabeoufShia Labeouf

Japan: Citizens clamour for Tokyo disaster manual –
A manual to help people in Tokyo prepare for disasters has proved so popular that local officials have complained that they are being sold on the internet for profit. The 340-page Tokyo Bousai (“Disaster Preparedness Tokyo”) appears in a startling yellow cover, and 7.5m copies are being distributed free of charge to Tokyo residents. It’s currently available to download in Japanese and English from the city government’s website, but for those who still crave a physical copy of the manual, the Tokyo government is considering selling it at cost price. [BBC]
Tokyo_Disaster_ManualTokyo Disaster Manual

Video of the Day –

Living Rivers – Surf from Epic Montana on Vimeo.

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1 #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorldMentalHealthDay
2 #EsViernesY #WhatIWantOnMyTombstone #nonleagueday
3 #Ankaradayız #JusticeOrElse #25Millionaires
4 과자전 Ankara #ZaynTaughtUs
5 #ZaynTaughtUs Shia LaBeouf Geoffrey Howe
6 タイバニ #HamOrCheeseMovies Jim Diamond
7 #TengoGanasDe #ZaynTaughtUs #AUSvWAL
8 게살버거 As Told By Ginger #BBC4
9 #EBDabarkadsPaMore #IHaveToRemindMyself #5sosonchattyman
10 #Felices24Lali #MillionManMarch #grahamnorton

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October 13, 2015

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Chess gets ‘sexy’ in million dollar Las Vegas tournament
The cerebral, centuries-old pastime of chess is not something normally associated with the glitz of Las Vegas. But amid the neon lights of the Planet Hollywood casino some of the world’s greatest grandmasters gathered to battle it out for $1 million in prize money at the game’s most lucrative ever tournament. There were tears and tantrums, controversial rulings, and stunning upsets – and that was exactly what the organisers wanted. The competition, called Millionaire Chess, was a concerted effort to “sex up” the favorite hobby of nerdy schoolboys, and ultimately turn it into a money-spinning television sport. To that end a Big Brother-style “confessional” booth was installed where players revealed their inner turmoil to a camera between moves and “trash talked” their opponents. The tournament was eventually won by [World number 2] Hikaru Nakamura. Following the biggest payday of his stellar chess career he said: “I want to thank the organisers. They have tried to make chess sexy and that’s what chess needs. There are so many stereotypes out there about chess. This is very special.” [Daily Telegraph]
HikaruNakamuraHikaru Nakamura

Playboy Magazine abandons nudity –
Playboy magazine is stopping publishing pictures of totally nude women because the internet has made them outdated, its US owners say. It’s a break with a 62-year format that has had a significant impact on American culture. Every month since 1953, fold-out spreads of fully nude women have filled Playboy. The glossy adult men’s magazine boasts a plethora of celebrity conquests in its portfolio. Madonna, Sharon Stone and Naomi Campbell were photographed at the peak of their fame. Kate Moss posed for its front cover in a bunny outfit. Lindsay Lohan and Pamela Anderson have also graced it. [BBC] Coincidentally today is international “No Bra Day”  – See Top Twitter Trends

Facebook Briefly Bans The Phrase ‘Everyone Will Know’ –
Facebook blocked the phrase “everyone will know” for more than a day, but users are now once again able to post the seemingly innocuous three words. “This was a mistake with our spam filter and our engineers have resolved the issue,” Melanie Ensign of Facebook security communications told The Huffington Post. HuffPost also independently confirmed that the phrase can now be posted. “We’re constantly updating the rules used by our spam-fighting engine and this particular phrase erroneously got caught in the mix,” she explained. Ensign didn’t know exactly how long the phrase had been banned. On Friday, someone asked on Question.com, “Why can’t you post ‘everyone will know’ on Facebook?” Another user replied they also were unable to post the phrase as a status. On Sunday, a Reddit thread was filled with people claiming they were unable to post the phrase as a status or in a comment. [Huffington Post]

Video of the Day –

Because he can

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1 Martes 13 #GiveTwitterASlogan #NoBraDay
2 #NoBraDay #DemDebate #GiveTwitterASlogan
3 #SabesQueTeQuiereCuando #NoBraDay #AdaLovelaceDay
4 Emilia Clarke #AMAs #theatreheroesday
5 #WeArePerfectDay2 #BetterDebateQuestions #RAW
6 Vick T.I. Royal Mail
7 #كلمه_اول_ماتع�… Jennifer Lawrence #PAKvENG
8 #AMAs #AdaLovelaceDay #BritishProblemsNight
9 #Martes13 Nudes Are Old News Diane Abbott
10 #ZaynWeAreReadyForYourMusic Pitchfork Danny Cohen

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  • InBev agrees to buy its main rival SABMiller for £68 billion ($104 billion) in biggest beer deal ever. (CNN)
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October 16, 2015

Top News Stories –

Santa Claus is elected to North Pole City Council in Alaska –
Mr Claus, who is 68 years old, has a white beard and is often seen in his hometown wearing red. Admittedly this North Pole is actually in Alaska, not the one every associates with Christmas. And Mr Claus actually changed his name from Thomas Patrick O’Connor about 10 years ago. “I’m fairly well known. I think people are pleased with it. We’ll see. Time will tell,” he said. “I have three years to make a positive impression so hopefully I will get off on the right foot later this month.” North Pole, Alaska, is home to about 2,200 people. Their new city councillor will take his seat later this month. Mr Claus, who was living in Nevada when he changed his name, says he tries to help at-risk children and improve the lives of young people. [BBC Newsbeat]

China home to more billionaires than the US –
China has eclipsed the United States as home to the world’s highest number of billionaires, according to a new report. Despite China’s economy cooling in recent months, the number of billionaires within its borders rose this year by 242, bringing the total to 596. The US, in contrast, is currently home to 537 billionaires, according to The Hurun Report, which monitors the wealthy in China. The list reflects a power shift in China’s economy, with the surge in the number of super rich fuelled by the growth of the nation’s IT and manufacturing industries. [Daily Telegraph]

Yahoo Mail does away with passwords –
One of the biggest pains of the digital age is having to memorise multiple lengthy and appropriately unguessable passwords. Now, Yahoo has done away with the password altogether in its new Yahoo Mail app, instead asking users to sign in via push notification. The new app uses new sign-in method Yahoo Account Key, which sends a notification to the smartphone you’ve chosen to link to the account asking ‘Are you trying to sign in?’ and the option to select yes or no. Yahoo claims the feature is more secure than a traditional password due to the second step of phone verification, but without the need to input a code. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Tesla’s Autopilot System Is Creepy And Wonderful

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1 #ItsPerfectDay #PreOrderPURPOSE #FridayFeeling
2 #PreOrderPURPOSE #ItsPerfectDay #WorldFoodDay
3 #HeyEverybodyMusicVideo #HeyEverybodyMusicVideo #PreOrderPURPOSE
4 Hayırlı Cumalar Malia Obama #HeyEverybodyMusicVideo
5 Oscar Wilde #RememberWhenPeopleActually #MercuryPrize
6 Falcons Ann Coulter #ItsPerfectDay
7 Irene Lozano #NationalBossDay Cook
8 BuyPurposeOnITunes #WorldFoodDay #bbcqt
9 #BuenViernes Joseph’s Tomb Falcons
10 #ادخل_وكتب_دعو�… #CrapperBooks Joe Cole

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October 26, 2015

Top News Stories –

Dog named Trigger shoots owner in the foot in Indiana –
A dog named Trigger shot his 25-year-old owner in the foot in a bizarre accident that had Indiana officials on Monday reminding hunters to take safety lessons. Allie Carter of Avilla was wounded during a waterfowl hunt on Saturday morning at the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area in northern Indiana, according to Indiana Department of Natural Resources. She laid her 12-gauge shotgun on the ground while repositioning herself and her 11-year-old chocolate Labrador stepped on the gun, depressing the trigger, said Indiana Conservation Officer Jonathon Boyd. The safety of the shotgun was not on, so it went off and Carter was shot in the left foot, Boyd said. Carter, who had never completed a hunter education course, was hospitalized. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the bird shot pellets and was treated and released, Boyd said. [Reuters]

Saudi prince held after seizure of two tons of amphetamines at Beirut airport –
A Saudi prince has been detained at Beirut airport in Lebanon after two tons of an amphetamine drug popular with Syrian rebels was found on a private jet. Prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin Abdulaziz and four other men were held after what was described as the biggest ever drugs bust at the city’s main Rafik Hariri International Airport, according to local media and security sources. They were allegedly “attempting to smuggle about two tons of Captagon pills and some cocaine”, a security source was quoted as saying. Captagon is a brand name for the widely used amphetamine phenethylline. Although this type of amphetamine has been prescribed in the past to treat childhood and other behavioural disorders, it is now used overwhelmingly as a stimulant in the Middle East. [Daily Telegraph]

11-year-old girl sets up business selling secure passwords for $2 –
Weak passwords are still the plague of the cybersecurity industry, with the most popular passwords of 2014 including “123456”, “password” and “qwerty”, making it easy for hackers to break into accounts and steal data. Now an 11-year-old girl from New York is offering a solution. Sixth-grader Mira Modi has started her own business making cryptographically secure passwords and selling them for $2 a pop. She generates the passwords using a system called Diceware to create strings of words that are easy to remember but difficult to crack. The system involves rolling a die to generate random numbers, which are matched to a list of short words from the Diceware dictionary. Those words are then combined into a non-sensical string, such as: alger klm curry blond puck horse. These six-word passphrases contain a lot of “entropy”, or randomness, which means that it would take a powerful computer a very long time to correctly guess them. They are also easier to memorise than strings of individual characters. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

OFFF Porto Main Titles from bif on Vimeo.

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1 #LouisYouMakeUsFeelLikeHome The Concealed-Carry Fantasy #mondaymotivation
2 #FelizLunes #LouisYouMakeUsFeelLikeHome #HIAC
3 La OMS Monster 2 Lisa Jardine
4 #HIAC #mondaymotivation #LouisYouMakeUsFeelLikeHome
5 #TheWalkingDead #MySignificantOtherIn4Words #earthquake
6 #ALDUBNewBeginnings #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh Glenn
7 #تسجيل_السعيدي… #TrumpTODAY #bacon
8 #QueLindoEsoDe World Health Organization Artist Of The Year
9 Macri #earthquake Lesnar
10 Jimmy Morales #IHonkedAtYouBecause #taxcredits

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October 27, 2015

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Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez announce divorce after two years of marriage –
Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry and her French actor husband, Olivier Martinez, said on Tuesday they are divorcing after two years of marriage. It is the third divorce for Berry, 49, who has a two-year-old son with Martinez. The couple cited irreconcilable differences, according to celebrity website TMZ.com. Berry in 2002 became the only black actress to win an Academy Award for a lead role, clinching the Oscar for her performance in Monster’s Ball. [Daily Telegraph]
Halle_BerryHalle Berry

Darth Vader supporter Chewbacca arrested in Ukraine –
It’s a sentence we never thought we’d write, but here goes: Chewbacca has been arrested in Ukraine after police say they caught him campaigning for Darth Vader. A candidate, using the identity of the Star Wars Sith Lord has been running in local elections in the city of Odessa. It’s claimed the man dressed as Chewbacca had broken election day rules by campaigning on voting day. It’s being reported Chewbacca was fined the equivalent of a fiver. He’d arrived at a polling station along with the candidate when police stepped in. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Create & Explore 009 – Braden Lee x HWLS from Create & Explore on Vimeo.

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1 #AMAs1D #BlackCatDay #BlackCatDay
2 #FelizMartes #HappyBirthday1989 #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh
3 #كلمه_تتحرك_في�… #AMAs1D #charitytuesday
4 Pujol Don Lemon Philip French
5 #شي_حلو_بحرف_ال… Greenland Is Melting Away Trigger
6 #TengoGanasDe Halle Berry #AMAs1D
7 Ravens #AdviceForTeenagersIn4Words Chris Grayling
8 처녀자리 Coke Zoo #ScreamQueens
9 Bro Ocholla #IWillOnlyDateYouIf #3daysTilFocus
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October 29, 2015

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Jeremy Clarkson threatened with three years in jail as Argentina reopens Falklands row probe –
Jeremy Clarkson’s hopes of putting the infamous Top Gear Falklands row behind him were dashed last night after a court probe was reopened in Argentina. A judge in the southern city of Ushuaia had thwarted attempts to have the former BBC presenter charged with falsification in April after the controversial number-plate on the Porsche he drove was swapped ahead of a riot. But state prosecutors appealed Maria Cristina Barrionuevo’s decision not to press ahead with a full-scale criminal investigation against Clarkson and his ex-Top Gear team. Last night the probe was back on – and Clarkson and programme chiefs facing a worst case scenario of three years in prison – after three appeal judges sided with prosecutors and ordered Barrionuevo to reactivate the case. [Daily Telegraph] In March 2015 Russia’s army TV channel issued an offer to Jeremy Clarkson to present a motoring show, noting his interest in tanks, aircraft carriers and other hardware.
Jeremy-ClarksonJeremy Clarkson

Video of the Day –

Balmain x H&M

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1 #NationalCatDay #NationalCatDay Kids Company
2 #FelizJueves #FocusTonight #NationalCatDay
3 #GOPDebate #24HoursTilFocus #GOPDebate
4 #FocusTonight Bob Ross #24HoursTilFocus
5 Kobe Ricky Rubio #LDNPoppyDay
6 #DemiOnAMAs #IdWinTheWorldSeriesOf #FocusTonight
7 #ALDUB15thWeeksary Andy Green #Chilcot
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October 30, 2015

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China: Guangzhou warns zombies to stay off metro –
Halloween revellers are being urged to avoid the underground system in one southern Chinese city, in case they cause a panic. Transport police in Guangzhou say people in ghoulish fancy dress have been making other passengers nervous in recent days, and officers want travellers to report anyone they spot wearing spooky costumes. “Passengers’ strange behaviour may make some feel uneasy, cause onlookers to panic and could easily lead to security risks,” the force says in a statement posted on its Sina Weibo microblog account. “Therefore the subway does not encourage such acts.” [BBC]

Justin Bieber sorry for storming off stage after one song in Norway –
Justin Bieber’s been living up to the name of his new song Sorry by apologising to his fans for storming off stage in Norway. He said he was “done” and “I’m not doing the show” after performing one track during a TV recording in Oslo. In fan-filmed videos, Justin Bieber can be seen getting annoyed with people at the front of the stage while trying to wipe the floor. The singer later posted an apology on his Instagram account. [BBC]
Justin Bieber Instagram

Video of the Day –

Nike: Snow Day

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5 #RespectForJustin #FashionTipsIn4Words Shaker Aamer
6 Olivia #HowDidWeEndUpHere Bob Ross
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November 2, 2015

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Qantas crew don All Blacks jerseys after World Cup defeat –
Australian airline Qantas has settled its wager with Air New Zealand after Australia’s Rugby World Cup defeat. The crew of Monday’s Sydney to Auckland flight wore All Blacks jerseys, honouring a bet born on Twitter. The wager was inspired by some social media sparring – an earlier suggestion was for the losing airline to repaint its fleet in opposition colours. The Kiwis became the first team to defend the Rugby World Cup on Saturday, defeating the Wallabies 34-17. [BBC]
Qantas twitter betQantas on Twitter

NASA reveals that Antarctica is actually gaining more ice than it is losing –
NASA scientists have shattered the conventional wisdom that Antarctica’s ice surface is shrinking and revealed that the amount of ice is in fact growing. Though accepting that glaciers are still shrinking because of man-made global warming, the new study published in the Journal of Glaciologysuggests that recent gains more than offset losses elsewhere. The findings challenges previous research including the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2013 study, which concluded that the sea is rising by 0.27 millimeters annually because of melting in Antarctica. [Daily Telegraph]

Guinness goes vegan: Stout agrees to stop using animal bladders in brewing process for first time in 256 years –
The famous Irish stout is to become vegan friendly for the first time in its 256-year history, as the company halts the use of fish bladders in its brewing filters. The new system is due to be installed sometime in 2016. A Guinness spokesman said: “While isinglass is a very effective means of clarification and has been used for many years, we expect to stop using it as the new filtration asset is introduced.” The news follows a longstanding campaign and several online petitions from beer-loving vegans, with many highlighting the fact Guinness and other breweries are not required to state the use of isinglass on the bottle. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

KINGKILLS from KingKIlls on Vimeo.

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  • The Vatican police arrest Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda and Francesca Chaouqui, members of a former papal commission charged with studying financial operations of the Holy See, for allegedly leaking confidential documents to the media, a crime since 2013. (New York Times)
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November 3, 2015

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Tin Man injured in Halloween fight with Scarecrow as Cowardly Lion runs off –
A man dressed as the Scarecrow managed to escape the police after allegedly punching his friend Tin Man in a Halloween bust-up. Police officers in Canadian state of Ontario responded to a call about a fight between revellers dressed as the characters from this Wizard of Oz this Halloween weekend. A lady dressed as Dorothy and two other women dressed as witches told the officers what had happened but the Tin Man decided not to press charges, police say. “Sometimes, our officers see things that are hard to believe,” South Simcoe Police said in a statement. “When they arrived on scene, they saw a man in costume as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, being treated by paramedics. “Three ladies, dressed as Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, and the Wicked Witch of the East, told the officer that the Tin Man had been punched by his friend the Scarecrow. It added: “The Scarecrow didn’t have the brains to stick around, and ran away with the Cowardly Lion. “Turns out the Tin Man didn’t have the heart to lay charges against his friend, and refused to tell the officers anything. He was treated for minor injuries.” [Daily Telegraph]
The_Wizard_of_OzThe Wizard of Oz

Melbourne Cup 2015: Prince of Penzance the first 100-1 winner since World War II –
It was a historic Melbourne Cup in numerous respects. Not least was the price of the winner – Prince of Penzance – who saluted with Michelle Payne in the saddle at 100-1, making it the equal fourth biggest outsider to win Australia’s most famous horse race. No horse had won at triple-figure odds since World War II. Old Rowley in 1940 was the winner at $101, with Wotan in 1936 and The Pearl in 1871 the only other horses to have provided such value. Michelle Payne became the first ever woman jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. It has taken 155 years, but Payne, one of the youngest of the famous Payne racing family, has galloped into history with a stunning performance aboard the Darren Weir trained gelding. [Melbourne Age]
Michelle_PayneMichelle Payne

Google ‘smart reply’ will suggest answers for your emails –
Clearing your inbox is about to get a little faster, if you are using Google’s Inbox app. A new feature called Smart Reply will suggest short responses, based on the contents of an email. Google described how the app uses machine learning to “recognise emails that need responses” and suggest some options in natural language. The company also claims the feature will improve over time, learning from a user’s choices of response. Google made its experimental Inbox app available to all users in May 2015. It includes several features designed to make the process of using email more streamlined. [BBC Newsbeat]
Google Inbox app logo

Google Project Wing to introduce drone deliveries by 2017 –
Project Wing, the drone delivery service from Google’s parent company Alphabet, will launch commercially in 2017, the executive in charge of the project has announced. David Vos, the leader for Alphabet’s Project Wing, said on Monday that the company is in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US about setting up an air traffic control system for unmanned aerial vehicles. The system will use mobile and internet technology to coordinate the drones at altitudes of up to 500ft (152m), with the aim of having a commercial business up and running in 2017, he told an air traffic control convention near Washington. [Daily Telegraph]

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Italian Road Trip Honeymoon from Mike Matas on Vimeo.

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November 4, 2015

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Brazilian prison inmates using a mouse to courier drugs –
As prison guards in one of Brazil’s notoriously overcrowded and chaotic jails, the officers in Barra da Grota prison probably thought they had seen it all. But last week they saw something that shocked even their hardened heads: a mouse, they noticed, was being used by inmates to courier drugs. The animal was seen scurrying along the corridor with tiny bags of drugs tied to its tail, running between the cells. Gean Carlos Gomes, director of the central Brazil prison, 1,100 miles inland from Recife, said the mouse was being used as a “bridge” between cells. “They attached a hook to the mouse’s tail and then used it to carry the drugs and other goods from one cell to another,” he said. “When the animal arrived at its destination, the prisoner took the mouse and removed the hook from its tail.” [Daily Telegraph]

Vladimir Putin is Forbes magazine’s most powerful person in the world –
Vladimir Putin has been named the world’s most powerful person for the second year running by Forbes magazine. Of the 73 listed, 28 are billionaires. Thirty of the individuals are Americans. And only nine are women – the same number as last year. The 63-year-old Russian president has, unsurprisingly, retained his position at the top of the Forbes ranking of the world’s most powerful people. Forbes says the decision is made on the amount of money they control; the number of people they impact; their total spheres of influence; and how actively they wield their power. And in all areas Mr Putin has triumphed; he dominates one of the world’s largest countries, and his actions in Ukraine and Syria are changing the course of history. [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day
Vladimir_PutinVladimir Putin

WARNING: Do Not Post Your Winning Ticket On Social Media –
Chantelle from Perth won $900 [Australian] by betting on 100-to-1 shot Prince Of Penzance in the Melbourne Cup yesterday… Like many punters around the country Chantelle celebrated the win by posting a selfie with her victorious ticket on Facebook. Little did Chantelle know, the photo of the barcode could be used at an automated machine to claim the cash – which is exactly what someone did. “To the low life who is obviously my friend on Facebook and used my photo to claim our winnings. You’re a massive dick. You ruined my day,” Chantelle wrote on Facebook. Chantelle told Triple M that police were able to track where the money was claimed and are confident of finding the person responsible. [Triple M]
Chantelle winning ticket Facebook postChantelle winning ticket Facebook post

Video of the Day –

Emirates: #HelloJetman
Armed with unguarded ambition and the vision to push boundaries beyond the unthinkable, Jetman Dubai and Emirates A380 take to the skies of Dubai for an exceptional formation flight.

List of the Day –

Forbes Most Powerful People Top Ten 2015 [Forbes]

Rank Name Organization Age
#1 Vladimir Putin Russia 63
#2 Angela Merkel Germany 61
#3 Barack Obama United States 54
#4 Pope Francis Roman Catholic Church 78
#5 Xi Jinping China 62
#6 Bill Gates Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 60
#7 Janet Yellen Washington, United States 69
#8 David Cameron United Kingdom 49
#9 Narendra Modi India 65
#10 Larry Page Google 42

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November 6, 2015

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Pope Francis releases first ‘pop-rock’ album –
His wise homilies and moving speeches already attract worshippers in their millions. Now Pope Francis will be hoping his popularity translates into record sales after his first pop-rock album was released in Italy on Friday. Wake Up!, an 11-track Vatican-approved album, features many of the most moving addresses of Pope Francis’s papacy laid over rap, pop-rock and Latin rhythms. An online extract from the record, which was released at the end of September, has already been listened to a billion times, according to distributors. Speaking at the record’s launch at the Vatican, Father Giulio Neroni, the Italian priest who produced the album, said: “Pope Francis doesn’t sing as such. But his voice does sing and play, not to the cardinals, but to the people, the faithful.” [Daily Telegraph]
Pope_FrancisPope Francis

Mysterious billion-dollar car company takes on Tesla –
Faraday Future, the startup backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, has big dreams of taking on Tesla Motors Inc, starting with a $1 billion investment in a new US factory that will build electric cars starting in 2017. Nick Sampson, a former Tesla director who is Faraday’s senior vice president of research and development, said Faraday plans to introduce its first electric car in two years and quickly follow with several other models. Faraday is based in Gardena, California, where it has been developing its first model with 400 employees. Jia Yueting is founder and chairman of Leshi Television, a popular Chinese online video site. [Daily Telegraph]

Warcraft film trailer is shown to fans for the first time –
Finally, the new Warcraft movie trailer’s out – and it looks awesome. Fans got the chance to see it at the Blizzcon gaming convention in California on Friday. Director Duncan Jones hopes it appeals to people who don’t play MMO (massively multiplayer online) games like the one its based on, World of Warcraft. The film’s based on the blockbuster video game series, World of Warcraft, which has won millions of fans all over the world since its launch in 2004. The teaser clip shows the world of Azeroth descended into darkness, pitting sworn enemies – the humans and the orcs – against each other in an epic battle. It opens in cinemas on 3 June next year in the UK. [BBC Newsbeat] See Video of the Day

Video of the Day –

Warcraft – Official Trailer

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  • Minas Gerais dam disaster
    • Thursday’s flooding and devastating mudslides at the BHP-Vale mine in Minas Gerais involved two dams, not one as initially reported. Brazilian officials report the mud flow is eight kilometers (five miles) long and 2.5 meters deep. Those rescued – and emergency services – are being decontaminated; mining spoils being treated as toxic. There is no official information on the number of casualties or the cause of the incident. The company that runs the mine says it detected seismic activity right before the breach. Both BHP and Vale shares declined over five percent. Brazilian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation. (Mashable) (Bloomberg) (CCTV)
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November 14, 2015

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South Africa’s ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius starts community service –
South Africa’s “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius on Saturday started performing community service as part of his parole conditions after being released from prison last month, local media reported. The Paralympic gold medalist was freed on parole less than a year into a five-year sentence for the “culpable homicide” of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who he killed on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius, dubbed “Blade Runner” because of the carbon fiber prosthetic blades he uses to compete, was freed from prison in line with sentencing guidelines that say non-dangerous prisoners should spend only a sixth of a custodial sentence behind bars. [Reuters] Pistorius was originally refused early release in August 2015
Oscar_PistoriusOscar Pistorius competing

Video of the Day –

Kaleidoscope: See Things Differently

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  • Scott N. Johansen, a Utah Juvenile Court judge, reverses his original order to remove a foster child from same sex-parents. The state Division of Child and Family Services and foster parents all filed motions asking for the reconsideration and promising an appeal. The new decision eliminates the phrase, “It is not in the best interest of children to be raised by same-sex couples” and strikes an order for the child to be placed with a non-same-sex couple. (New York Times)
  • Police in South Korea fire tear gas and water cannons at anti-government protesters in Seoul. Around 70,000 people took part in the protests, the largest in Seoul since the 2008 US beef protest in South Korea. (Christian Science Monitor).

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November 16, 2015

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‘Pastafarian’ wins right to wear colander on head in driving licence photo –
A woman in the US has won the right to wear a colander on her head in her driving licence photo. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles had previously forbidden Lindsay Miller from sporting the unconventional headgear, worn by followers of the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or ‘Pastafarians’. However, the decision was overturned after Miller launched an appeal with the assistance of the Secular Legal Society. Lawyer Patty DeJuneas told the Boston Globe: “I’m not a Pastafarian. But my understanding, and my view of it, is that it’s a secular religion that uses parody to make certain points about a belief system.” The Pastafarian ‘religion’ was founded a decade ago after the Kansas school board came under pressure to teach the theory of intelligent design in biology class as an alternative to evolution. [Daily Telegraph]

Town pays people to cycle to work –
An Italian town will pay people hundreds of euros per year if they cycle to work instead of using their cars. The council in Massarosa, just north of Pisa, says the pilot scheme will see cyclists paid 25 cents per kilometre travelled, up to a monthly cap of 50 euros (£35), the regional Il Tirreno news website reports. That means commuters who switch to two wheels could pocket up to 600 euros (£424) in a year. It’s said to be the first such scheme in Italy. Fifty workers will be included in the 12-month pilot, which will use a smartphone app to record the distance travelled each day. The scheme is being funded from fines collected from traffic tickets in the town, which by law has to be reinvested in road safety, the site points out. [BBC]

Budget private jet firm launched by French rugby legend –
Philippe Saint-André, the coach who took France to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, aims to democratise private jet travel. He and ex-player Christophe Ducluzeau have founded Le Jet, offering London to Paris flights for £363 one-way. The 45-minute service will launch on November 23 and will initially run on Mondays and Fridays, ferrying passengers between the private jet terminal of Stansted Airport and Le Bourget airport near Paris. Further London-Paris services and routes to other European destinations are also being planned. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Moto Experiment: Truth or Drop: How far will people go to protect their phones

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  • Six people, including a child, have been found dead on private property in Anderson County, southeast of Dallas, Texas, USA. The victims are members of two different families. One person, unrelated to the victims, is charged with one count of murder. More charges are expected. (CBS DFW)
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November 18, 2015

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Jonah Lomu: New Zealand rugby union great dies aged 40 –
New Zealand rugby union great Jonah Lomu has died aged 40. Lomu, who scored 37 tries in 63 matches for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002, had been diagnosed with a rare and serious kidney condition by 1996. It forced him to quit the game and he had a kidney transplant in 2004, but the organ stopped functioning in 2011. Despite never winning the World Cup, he is the joint top try-scorer in its history – alongside South Africa wing Bryan Habana, scoring 15 tries in 11 games. He was at his best at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, terrifying defensive lines with his speed and size – 192 cm tall (6 feet 4 inches) and weighing about 119 kilograms (18 stone 10 pounds). [BBC]
Jonah_LomuJonah Lomu in 2014

Australian police search for men on park-bench vehicles –
Australian police are looking to identify a group of men filmed riding motorised park benches on public roads in Perth. Footage of the nine men casually rolling through an intersection in Scarborough on Sunday has gone viral. While witnesses said they were amused by the spectacle, police said there were real dangers involved. They said the men could face several charges, including driving an unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicle. “Police are concerned for the safety of those riding on the tables with no protective clothing, especially when on roads alongside motor vehicles,” Western Australian police said in a Facebook post. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Can You Survive Only Eating Bacon?

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November 21, 2015

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Ban bathtubs, says Sweden’s ‘green king’ –
The king of Sweden wants to ban all bath-tubs in an effort to save water. King Carl XVI Gustaf, who in recent years has put past scandals relating to his reputation as a lothario behind him to become better known as a dedicated environmentalist, has given a frank interview to describe his determination to turn the royal palace in Stockholm green. He also suggested that having given up taking baths himself his people should follow where he has led. “We should ban all baths, imagine that,” he said when asked about his suggestions for everyday energy saving. The question arose when he confessed he had recently been forced to run himself a bath when staying somewhere that lacked showers. “That’s when it hit me how much water and energy it used,” he said. “I thought ‘I can’t believe I’m having to do this’. I felt quite ashamed.” [Daily Telegraph]
King_Carl_XVI_GustafKing Carl Gustaf

Video of the Day –

Fire Tornado in Slow Motion – The Slow Mo Guys

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November 22, 2015

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Yahoo stops some users accessing emails in ad-blockers row –
Yahoo has confirmed that it is preventing some people from accessing their email if they are using ad-blocking software in their browser. Some users in the US reported that Yahoo Mail was displaying a message asking them to disable their ad-blocker before they could access their inbox. Yahoo said it was testing a “new product experience” in the US. Members of one ad-blocking forum said they had already managed to circumvent the restriction. [BBC]

Moroccan solar plant to bring energy to a million people –
A giant plant using energy from the Sun to power a Moroccan city at night will open next month. The solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will harness the Sun’s warmth to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening. The first phase will generate for three hours after dark; the last stage aims to supply power 20 hours a day. It is part of Morocco’s pledge to get 42% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. The UN has praised Morocco for the level of its ambition. The UK, a much richer country, is aiming for 30% by the same date. The Saudi-built Ouarzazate solar thermal plant will be one of the world’s biggest when it is complete. The mirrors will cover the same area as the country’s capital, Rabat. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Action Cam | Tony Hawk Skates First-Ever Horizontal Loop | Sony

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December 8, 2015

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Arnold Schwarzenegger: ‘Go part-time vegetarian to protect the planet’ –
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says people should go meat-free one or two days a week to protect the climate. Meat-eating was an environmental problem, with farming creating an estimated 28% of global greenhouse gases, the body-builder and movie star told BBC News. Asking people to go totally vegetarian would be too demanding, he said. It would better to suggest giving up meat once or twice a week, he added. When asked how young men would achieve a body like The Terminator – the cyborg assassin in the film of the same name – without steak, he said many successful body-builders avoided meat. [BBC]
Arnold_SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger

Saint West: Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West name their baby boy –
Many of her fans had been hoping she would choose “South” but Kim Kardashian West surprised them once again by calling her new baby “Saint”. Saint West, who weighed in at eight pounds one ounce, arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Saturday. But Mrs West, and rapper husband Kanye, waited for two days before announcing the name on Twitter and her app. The couple’s first child, daughter North West, was born in 2013. [Daily Telegraph]

Kuala Lumpur airport seeks owner of ‘abandoned’ jets –
Officials at Malaysia’s main airport have taken out a newspaper advert seeking the owner of three Boeing 747 jets they say have been left unclaimed. The notice said if the owners “fail to collect the aircraft within 14 days…, we reserve the right to sell or otherwise dispose of the aircraft”. It said fees for landing and parking were also owed. An airport official was quoted as saying they had tried to contact the jets’ last known owners. He added that in the past decade a few other planes, mostly smaller aircraft, have been abandoned, with one that was left in the 1990s eventually being bought and turned into a restaurant in a Kuala Lumpur suburb. [BBC]

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The Trial of Barnaby Finch from Sorrel Brae on Vimeo.

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December 15, 2015

Top News Stories –

Spacecraft carrying Russian, American, Briton docks with space station –
A Soyuz spacecraft successfully delivered a Russian, an American and a Briton to the International Space Station on Tuesday after blasting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The otherwise smooth journey ended with a slightly delayed docking at 1733 GMT as Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko aborted the automatic procedure and manually guided the spacecraft towards the station. Alongside Malenchenko, a veteran of long-duration space flights who is on his fourth space mission, were NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and Briton Tim Peake, both former Apache military helicopter pilots. Peake, 43, a former army major who is on a six-month mission for the European Space Agency (ESA), became the first astronaut representing the British government and wearing a Union Jack flag on his arm. The first Briton in space was Helen Sharman, who travelled on a Soviet spacecraft for eight days in 1991. [Reuters]
Timothy_PeakeTimothy Peake

Star Wars: Force Awakens gets world premiere –
The hotly anticipated latest addition in the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, has had its world premiere in Los Angeles. Stars from the original series including Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher joined newcomers including John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. The plot of the film remains a closely-guarded secret and a media embargo on reviews is in place until Wednesday. Fans had been camping out for days outside the TCL Chinese Theatre, which along with other LA venues screened the seventh Star Wars instalment. Security was tight, with a giant tent shrouding the red carpet. The TCL Chinese Theatre – formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre – showed the first Star Wars movie in 1977. [BBC]

‘Late’ Madonna rebuffs fans over Manchester gig complaints –
Pop singer Madonna has told fans she is no “diva” after technical hitches meant she was late on stage for a gig in Manchester. The 57-year-old artist made the comments on Monday at the Manchester Arena during her Rebel Heart tour. “If you diva bitches want to keep complaining about it, then don’t come to my show,” she said. She added: “I’m not back there eating chocolate and filing my nails and getting my extensions done, all right?” However, the singer told fans: “Tonight, our video crashed, and we had no video, and our back-up file was – I don’t know – it was compromised, put it like that… So praise the Lord and thank you God but that is why we are late, all right? For no selfish diva bitch reason.” [BBC] In July 2015 Madonna compared herself to Pablo Picasso.
MadonnaMadonna

World’s longest-surviving castaway sued for $1 million after being accused of ‘eating his colleague’ –
A fisherman who stunned the world by surviving 15 months lost at sea is being sued for $1 million (£650,000) by the family of his dead colleague, who accuse him of eating their relative to ensure his own survival. Salvador Alvarenga, 36, is the only man known to have survived for over a year at sea. And when he set sail from the coast of Mexico in November 2012, he thought he was setting out on a two-day fishing trip, having paid 22-year-old Ezequiel Cordoba $50 to accompany him. But a vicious storm with 10ft waves knocked out the 25ft boat’s communication systems, and washed their supplies overboard. The pair survived for several months by catching fish and birds, and drinking turtle blood and rainwater. He eventually died, extracting promises from Mr Alvarenga not to eat his corpse, and to find Cordoba’s mother and tell her what happened. [Daily Telegraph]

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The Physics of Car Crashes

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