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. CLICK TO SEE MORE STUFF FROM THIS DAY…
Homocide of young muslims in US ignored by press –
Three young American muslims are shot and killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US by a lone gunman but there is very little coverage in the local or national press, causing a reaction on social media with #ChapelHillShooting trending worldwide. The dead are Deah Barakat (aged 23), his wife Yusor Abu-Salha (21), and her sister Razan Abu-Salha (19). A man suspected of the shooting is arrested.
Premier League TV rights go for £5.136 BILLION!!!
The right to show live English Premier League (EPL) matches in the UK for three years starting in 2016 is shared between Sky TV and BT Sport. Sky have bid £4.176bn to keep the maximum possible number of matches – 126 – almost double the £2.28bn it paid two-and-a-half years ago. BT Sport bid £960 million for 42 games (after paying £897m for Champions League rights in 2014). The average cost of a televised game is £10.2 million. Sky have satellite boxes in over 10 million UK homes. Manuel Pellegrini with the Barclay’s Premier League trophy
R&A reveals first women members –
The first seven female members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club are announced. Princess Anne receives an honorary membership despite her well known dislike of the game, while former golfing champions Laura Davies, Swede Annika Sörenstam, Americans Louise Suggs and Renee Powell, France’s Lally Segard and Scotland’s Belle Robertson make up the exclusive club. For 260 years the Royal and Ancient golf club also known as St Andrews has not accepted female members, but this was overturned on September 18th 2014. Annika Sörenstam
Mugabe punishes bodyguards for his slip-up –
The Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe allegedly suspends 27 bodyguards after they failed to stop him falling down steps at the country’s Harare airport last week. The 90-year-old was apparently unhurt physically but upset by the media humiliation. President Robert Mugabe
Video of the Day –
Pharrell Williams performing “Happy” at yesterday’s Grammy Awards show
Grooveshark co-founder Josh Greenberg, 28, found dead –
The co-founder of a recently-shut down music streaming website has been found dead in his Florida home, local police have said. Josh Greenberg, who was aged 28, created Grooveshark in 2006. There was “no evidence of foul play or suicide,” police in Gainesville said via Twitter. Grooveshark closed in April this year following years of legal action from several record labels. A US court had determined that the site could be liable for $736m (£472m) in damages after it was judged to have wilfully breached copyright when building the service’s music library. [BBC]
Open 2015: Zach Johnson triumphs in Open play-off –
American Zach Johnson claimed his second major title with victory in a three-man play-off on a thrilling final day in the 144th Open Championship. The 2007 Masters winner finished a shot ahead of South African Louis Oosthuizen and three ahead of Australian Marc Leishman over four extra holes. Earlier, the three ended on 15 under to lead a competitive field at St Andrews. Jordan Spieth’s hopes of a Grand Slam were ended as he finished on 14 under along with Australia’s Jason Day. [BBC] See List of the Day Zach Johnson
Lee Nelson showers Fifa president Sepp Blatter with dollar bills –
Fifa president Sepp Blatter was showered with fake banknotes by a notorious prankster at a press conference in his Zurich headquarters. The comedian Lee Nelson – real name Simon Brodkin – managed to infiltrate the press conference, which was being held to announce reforms planned to world football’s governing body, and a date for the presidential election. The press conference was delayed by around 10 minutes as organisers cleaned up the notes. [Daily Telegraph] See Video of the Day
Canadian-Owned Infidelity Dating Site Suffers Cyber Attack –
A Canadian-owned dating website for married people seeking affairs says it has suffered a cyberattack after hackers claimed to have stolen confidential customer information, threatening to publish it unless the company is shut down. Avid Life Media, which owns Toronto-based site AshleyMadison.com, said Monday that it had taken steps to secure its sites. Ashley Madison, whose slogan is “Life is short. Have an affair,” claims it has more than 37 million anonymous worldwide members. Online security blog KrebsOnSecurity.com posted what appeared to be a screenshot of the site’s home page on Sunday bearing a message from the hackers, who said they acted to expose alleged lies Ashley Madison told customers about a service that allows members to erase profile information. [NY Times]
Video of the Day –
Comedian throws money at Blatter during press conference
A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting The Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100. Preliminary evidence suggests an ISISsuicide attack. (BBC)(The Daily Star)
Andy Murray tweet.
