Tel Aviv - The 2010s

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
Madonna

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

Top Twitter Trends –

	Worldwide	USA	UK
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

Other News Stories –

Attacks and armed conflicts

2015 Charleston, South Carolina shooting
- Nine people are dead following a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (CNN),(Post and Courier), (ABC News America)

Arts and culture

The American NBC network announces that Lester Holt will continue as the host of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams returning in an undisclosed role. (The Wrap)

Business and economy

The United States announces that it will replace Alexander Hamilton on the ten-dollar bill with a woman chosen after public debate. (The Hill)
In the United States, the California Labor Commission has ruled that a San Francisco Uber driver is a company employee, not a contractor. Uber is appealing this ruling, that would increase the company’s costs and liabilities, to the state’s court system. A hearing for a class certification of a similar lawsuit against Uber is scheduled for August 2015.(NPR) (Time Magazine)

Disasters and accidents

North Korea runs a campaign to fight water drought, which according to United Nations is the worst within the past 100 years. (Reuters)

International relations

The People’s Republic of China and Australia sign a free trade agreement in Canberra as Andrew Robb, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Investment, warns that the United States Congress only has weeks to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (CCTV via Twitter), (AP)
Vietnam accuses China of attacking Vietnamese fishermen in three separate incidents in the South China Sea. (AP)

Politics and elections

Protesters gather outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council ahead of a contentious vote on election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.(Deutsche Welle)
The National Diet of Japan votes to lower the voting age from 20 to 18. (Mainichi)

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January 1, 2016

Top News Stories –

Rat on a plane: Air India flight returns to Mumbai after rodent spotted on board –
An Air India plane flying to London was forced to return to Mumbai after passengers spotted a rat on board, the airline said on Thursday. Though the rat was not found, the pilot returned to Mumbai on Wednesday keeping passenger safety in mind, Air India said in a statement. Passengers were later flown by a separate aircraft to London. The aircraft would be fumigated and checked before it is returned to service. Maintenance workers would have to make sure that the rat did not damage equipment or chew any wires and the plane is certified to be rodent-free, an airline official said. [Daily Telegraph]

China’s new two-child policy law takes effect –
Married couples in China will from Friday (Jan 1) be allowed to have two children, after concerns over an ageing population and shrinking workforce ushered in an end to the country’s controversial one-child policy. The change, which was announced in October by the ruling Communist Party, takes effect from Jan 1, 2016, Beijing’s official Xinhua news agency reported over the weekend. The “one-child policy”, instituted in the late 1970s, restricted most couples to only a single offspring through a system of fines for violators and even forced abortions. For years, authorities argued that it was a key contributor to China’s economic boom and had prevented 400 million births. [Channel News Asia]

Video of the Day –

Philips Presents: The Longest Night from T Brand Studio on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

100 Things we didn’t know last year – by the BBC (1-33)

1. It costs £300 to operate on a constipated goldfish.