News Brief for August 2017

August 2017 News

Natural disasters reached far and wide with Hurricane Harvey hitting the United States along with mud slides in Sierra Leone and China. Protests raged across the US with neo-nazi's and opposition clashing in the streets along with acts of domestic terrorism while Donald Trump enraged a nation with his comments. Barcelona suffered a terrorist attack while the fight against ISIS raged on. Taxes became a hot topic while Bitcoin saw changes to it's platform. The fight of the century came and went between McGregor and Mayweather and the stars celebrated at the MTV VMA's.

The Big Stories of February 2017

It may have been the shortest month of the year but it was packed with the what we've come to expect, from Donald Trump to new planets offering safe haven from Donald Trump.

Headlines

Donald Trumps administration saw resignations and humiliations the order of the day. Protests were popular with Trump baring the brunt of it with issues from travel bans to transgender bathrooms and Climate Change while on the other side of the world ISIS did their best to get back some of the attention.

Sports

In the world of sports America saw the annual spectacle of the Super Bowl played out with it's famous half time show featuring Lady Gaga. The New England Patriots had a miraculous turn around before going on to win their fifth title.

Entertainment

The Grammy's kicked off award season with Adele taking the top prize after a hotly contested battle between her and Beyonce meanwhile on the other side of the pond the BAFTA's followed with La La Land continuing it's winning streak. Then there was the big daddy of awards shows, the Oscars. All went well except for best picture which was awarded to La La Land by mistake only to be given to Moonlight.

Technology

February saw the tech industry tackle Trump on immigration and transgender rights while a new security threat appeared in the form of a Cloudflare bug and a major outage due to failures of AWS. Meanwhile SpaceX launched another rocket showing itself as a serious contender in the space travel while further away NASA discovered 7 new earth like planets.

Style

New York Fashion Week officially kicked off the year with all the beautiful people descending on the Big Apple to get an eyeful of the luxuries in store along with political commentary. London Fashion Week followed close on it's heels with the likes of Burberry before heading to Milan Fashion Week to round things off for the month with Versace and Missoni.

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad News of 2016

2016 was a year that we won't soon forget, no matter how hard we try. The year saw so many incidents that defied expectation that by the end no one knew what to expect. The year saw everything from terrorist attacks and natural disaster to celebrity deaths and political shake ups. Lets take a look back at the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year that was 2016.

Headlines

Senseless deaths were the biggest headlines of 2016 with Terrorist attacks by ISIS from the Berlin Christmas Market by a rogue truck driver in a similar attack as that in Nice, France. Brussels suffered a bomb attack as did New York City's Chelsea district. But that wasn't all with war still raging the refugee crisis grew while others struggled in Aleppo. Police shootings and race relations continued to deteriorate in the US with loses on both sides along with mass shootings still the norm. There were also the deaths of supreme court justice Antonin Scalia and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Politics was one of the biggest topics of the year across the globe with the US Election shocking everyone when Donald Trump won the electoral college. Turkey faced a political coup that failed within hours but the repercussions have yet to subside. Corruption in politics was everywhere from China to Russia and even South Korea.

Then there was mother nature, natural disaster claimed thousands of lives from earthquakes in Italy, Indonesia and New Zealand to hurricanes in the US and Haiti. While the environment may have claimed lives it too was under threat with climate change taking center stage and under threat from a new administration along with environmentalists fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Business

On the global front Brexit became a reality with a vote that took everyone by surprise. Trumps new path to the presidency impacted the business world with his wild tweets sending markets in all directions, not to mention Trumps comments on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The "Fight of $15" also made news with minimum wage taking center stage in the States and lets not forget the Panama papers scandal that reached every country all the way to the highest echelons.

On the business front we saw Theranos, once the darling on the stock market, suffer horribly with regulators decimating the company. Drug manufacturers also made news with price hikes from Martin Shkreli to EpiPen. While the VW scandal whimpered along as it faced fines along with Wells Fargo and it's $185 million settlement with federal regulators.

Sports

One of the biggest sporting events took place in the form of the Summer Olympics in Rio which managed to host a decent enough event and the Cubs shocked everyone by winning their first World Series. Along with events there were also shocking revelations with stories of sexual abuse in the world of English soccer along with the FIFA corruption scandal continuing it's downward trend.

Athletes made headlines and for all the wrong reasons with Ryan Lochte caught in a lie at the Olympics that spiraled out of control. Then there were the sad losses with the death of Muhammad Ali and the Chapecoense plane crash which claimed the lives of the Brazilian soccer team.

Entertainment

Celebrities made headlines in 2016 with celebrity deaths rocking the world as we lost icons across all fields of entertainment. While the list itself is beyond comprehension the following stole headlines from David Bowie, George Michael, Prince, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen to Carrie Fisher and more. Along with celebrity deaths were shocking divorces which saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aka Brangelina break up after years together and Johnny Depp going through a nasty public divorce from Amber Heard.

Outside of the depressing entertainer news the usual awards ceremonies took place with controversy surrounding the Oscars and it's lack of diversity. The Golden Globes had their moments while the Grammy's saw the usual celebs taking top honors.

Technology

In the technology world we saw tech giants like Apple in court over EU taxes along with battles against the FBI. Google was in court over anti competitive behaviour but continued to innovate with self driving cars. Facebook had a shaky year with the law as well and struggled with ads and blockers. The online world also made headlines with hacking affecting individual websites and all the way up to the US election and political parties being targeted.

On the scientific front we saw Nobel prizes handed out for cellular cannibalism and more while progress was made in combating ebola with a new vaccine. Out in space no one could hear the screams of 2016. Various probes made their way among the heavens and others crashed on planets. But it was the detection of gravitational waves that set the scientific community on fire.

Style

Fashion Weeks were the only glimmer of hope in 2016 with New York kicking things off each time to much fan fare. London Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week proved to be strong in the middle half while Paris Fashion Week capped off the seasons in the usual French way.

There was controversy after Donald Trump won the US electoral college with some designers deciding to boycott Trumps wife, Melania by refusing to dress her. The fashion world also experienced loses in the form of Nasty Girl filing for bankruptcy and the death of Sonia Rykiel and Bill Cunningham.

The Big Stories of October 2016

Halloween wasn't the only scary thing this October with revelations about political candidates in the US to the internet under attack.

Headlines

The big news this month was around the US Election and Donald Trumps remarks about sexually assaulting women sending his campaign into a nose dive. The battle against ISIS raged on with battles for control of Mosul putting ISIS on the back foot. In Europe the refugee crisis saw the infamous "Jungle" in Calais being torn down by authorities. Elsewhere nature took it's toll with natural disasters claiming lives in Haiti and more. One of the only positives came in the form of 150 countries agreeing on a climate change deal.

Business

Samsung saw their share price plummet after the drama around the Galaxy Note 7 exploding and having to be recalled twice while VW's emissions scandal settlement was approved by a judge. Meanwhile Brexit was still in the news with leaders around Europe discussing the way forward.

Technology

The internet suffered one of its biggest attacks when multiple devices that make up IoT, or the Internet of Things, were used to take down infrastructure sending many high profile sites offline while Samsung fared no better with the exploding Galaxy Note 7 wreaking havoc on their stock price and reputation.

The Big Stories of March 2016

March ended with the all to familiar sound of explosions as Brussels was attacked by terrorists hell bent on destabilizing the world.

Headlines

Brussels was attacked by terrorists claiming to be part of ISIS who detonated multiple bombs at the airport and subways killing over 30 people and injuring hundreds more. ISIS however saw it's strangle hold in Iraq and Syria slowly slipping away as the world continued to fight the oppressive regime. Elsewhere we saw the refuge crisis growing with European nations trying to hold back the influx of refuges while in Brazil protests raged on over a corruption scandal at the very highest office in the land.

Business

The VW scandal continued in the business world with the US chief stepping down and lawsuits from investors. Multinational companies and their taxes were in the spotlight with European governments desperate to bring in more money instead of focusing on inefficiencies.

Sports

The FIFA corruption scandal grew with more allegations levied against those responsible while FIFA itself has said the scandal has affected it's bottom line and want money back from those responsible.

Entertainment

Controversy from the Oscar's held in February carried on into March with host Chris Rock taking flak for some of his jokes while one performer walked away with a smile on his face this month when Hulk Hogan one his legal battle against Gawker receiving over $115 million in compensation for his leaked sex tape.

Technology

The battle between Apple and the FBI fizzled out when an alternative third party presented an offer to the FBI to help crack the iPhone security, meanwhile cyber criminals finally met their match when the long arm of the law closed in on them while troubling news from west Africa shows that Ebola was making a come back with more cases reported.

Style

Lastly Paris Fashion Week closed out the fashion week scene giving the beautiful people a chance to rest up for the second half of the year.

The Big Stories of January 2016

January 2016 was much of the same with wars raging on and scandals engulfing the worlds of sports and entertainment.

Headlines

The war against ISIS raged on with targeted attacks on leaders from all coalition forces sending ever more refugees fleeing to Europe while elsewhere terrorist attacks took place with Jakarta hit with bombings.

Weather wreaked havoc globally with blizzards hitting the East coast of America and flooding hitting Europe while the southern hemisphere was dried up with droughts spreading as far as South Africa.

Business

Bitcoin had a bumpy start to the year losing one of it's head developers while the issue of taxation continued with stories of evasion and avoidance dominating. The aftermath of the VW emissions scandal continued to reverberate around the globe while the US Federal Reserve struggled with some tough decisions.

Sports

The world of tennis was rocked by accusations of match fixing casting a shadow over the Australian Open. The future of sports also made headlines with the Olympics on everyone's minds with concerns over the Zika virus to the price tag of the spectacle but it was the controversial past in the form of FIFA corruption that ultimately dragged everyone's hopes down with it.

Entertainment

Most of the talk in the entertainment world centered around awards with the Oscars and controversy over the lack of diversity surrounding the event. While the Oscars had major PR problems the Golden Globes went off without a hitch along with the Critics Choice Awards. Elsewhere the Grammy's managed to build interest while the Sundance Film Festival had everyone trekking to the famous frozen film festival.

Outside of major events we said goodbye to much loved icons in the industry with the deaths of celebrities like David Bowie and Alan Rickman along with Celine Dion's husband and then brother two days later. Other celebrities in the news include Bill Cosby who had a small victory when a lawsuit against him was dismissed after months of sexual assault allegations against him.

Technology

The world of technology and science saw Ebola making a come back after being declared over while cyber crimes made headway thanks to infections in various networks. The technology industry however saw Apple reporting some disappointing numbers while it's peers continued innovating.

Style

In the world of style we saw Men's fashion take to the stage while Paris Couture Fashion Week kicked the year off to a fashionable start.

Individuals in the News

Time named their Person of the Year with German Chancellor Angela Merkel taking the prize even though she was up against controversial figures like ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Donald Trump. Speaking of Trump, Donald Trump made the headlines with his continued attack on Muslims pushing for bans on Muslims entering the United States. Mr Trumps continued vilification of Muslims has also lead to petitions from the UK to ban his entry.

In other news it was revealed that the pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli who made headlines for raising the price of a AIDS drugs astronomically had bought the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan's album for $2 million. Lastly there was buzz this week that the secretive creator of Bitcoin had been found this week in Australia.

Where in the World - Paris Attacks

The world was stunned with unprecedented attacks on the City of Lights from multiple gunmen and suicide bombers attacking multiple targets in Paris, France.

Attacks

The attacks took place on Friday night with multiple attacks carried out by multiple terrorists. The attackers targeted people sitting outside Paris' famous cafe's and restaurants along with a music concert and a soccer game between France and Germany. Of the 130 that died many were attending a concert in Bataclan. Later it was discovered the attacks had been orchestrated by ISIS with the leader scurrying away.

Response

Internationally there was condemnation from world leaders and pledges of support for France with condolences coming from all corners. After the initial attacks France began a man hunt for the terrorists that escaped along with neighbouring nations. The manhunt resulted in the organizer pinned down in an apartment block who eventually died along with others including a female cousin of his who set off a suicide vest she was wearing.

With such a brazen attack by ISIS France was left no choice but to intensify strikes on ISIS with a declaration of war with other world leaders calling for more action.

For more on the Evolving story make sure you Follow the Paris Attacks Storyboard.

Battling on All Fronts

This week we saw fights break out everywhere from the war against ISIS intensifying to fighting for mankind's survival.

The fight against ISIS intensified this week with targeted attacks against notorious executioner Jihadi John along with threats from ISIS against Russia for their involvement in the war.

Follow the ISIS Storyboard

The battle for mankind's survival continued with more calls for action from powerful figures like the Pope and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Recent studies into big energy providers has also shown they had been lying about their impact on the climate.

Follow the Climate Change Storyboard

Where in the World - Middle East

The fight against ISIS continued to make headlines along with the long running conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Israel & Palestine

Tension continued to rise between Israel and Palestine with prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordering the destruction of houses belonging to Palestinians who carried out attacks on Israel. Just days later further clashes broke out after the funeral of a boy.

ISIS

A plot to sell nuclear material to ISIS was foiled by the FBI and police in Moldova when a Russian linked gang tried to sell bomb-grade uranium and blueprints for a dirty bomb. A hospital run by Doctors Without Borders was hit by US forces killing 22 and with 33 still missing. Lastly, there has been continued destruction of Syrian artifacts by ISIS with the lucky surviving remnants being sold to fund the war.

Terrorism on Trial

The week saw unsettled business take center stage with the beginning of the Boston Marathon Bombing trial along with various other worrying developments around the world.

Tackling Terrorism

We begin this week with the Boston Marathon Bombing trial which began after struggling to find jury members. The trial kicked off with opening statements with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorney admitting his client had carried out the attacks but tried to push the blame onto his older brother. The trial continued with testimony from survivors recounting their experience on the tragic day with the trial expected to continue for weeks to come.

In other terror related news the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram released a graphic video showing the beheading of two men believed to be spies while in the US, Twitter revealed that it had suspended over 2000 accounts used by ISIS in recruiting new members resulting in ISIS threatening Twitter staff.

Political Front Lines

Politicians were on the front line this week when a man armed with a razor attacked a US ambassador slashing his face and wrist in opposition to military drills by South Korea and the US. The military drills also received attention from North Korea who fired two short range missiles into the sea as the drills began.

In Russia a new video has surfaced of the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov last week, showing the bridge as the attack takes place. On the topic of high profile leaders, Ex-CIA chief Petraeus, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified material with his mistress.

Blood on the Streets

In the world of drugs it was revealed that the Bali 9 were executed on a secluded island ignoring pleas from the Australian government while in Mexico police and troops made progress capturing Zetas cartel leader, Omar Trevino Morales, in a wealthy suburb of Monterrey.

Images were released which the police say confirms the homeless man shot by LAPD had tried to take an officers weapon. Finally we end the week with a Justice Department investigation into the Ferguson police which shows excessive use of force and unjustified arrests.

What Happened? 2014 Headline News

2014 wasn't an easy year for the world at large with tragedies and human suffering defining a difficult time for many. While governments struggled with conflict and people fought for their rights, nature reminded everyone who was in charge.

Tragedies

Tragedy struck with Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappearing on a route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with not a trace to be found of the 239 on-board. Things got worse when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine by pro-Russian rebels killing all 298 on-board. But it wasn't over when another aviation tragedy struck on the tail end of 2014 when communication was lost with Asia Airs Flight QZ8501 echoing the loss of MH370 with 162 on-board until search parties discovered parts of the wreckage and bodies of the crew and passengers.

South Korea suffered a national disaster when a Ferry carrying 450 people, mostly school children, capsized. Towards the end of the year another Ferry disaster struck in the Adriatic Sea when the ferry caught on fire killing 11 on-board. The year ended with 35 people killed in a New Years celebration's stampede.

Protests

The year saw people protesting across the world starting with the unfortunate killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri which sparked protests around police brutality. Things only got worse when a second man, Eric Garner, was killed in New York by a police officer using a choke hold. However the protests against police brutality were stymied after 2 police officers were executed in New York by a lone gunman and tension grew as more police became targets.

It wasn't only the US that saw people protesting as Hong Kong came to a grinding halt after protestors took over the main business district. With corruption and gang violence prevalent Mexico experienced protests after 43 students went missing and were believed to have been killed by gangs with government assistance. Protests were triggered in the Ukraine by politics resulting in the President being thrown out, but it didn't end there with things only getting worse.

Politics

After protests in the Ukraine erupted Russia invaded Crimeia outraging the international community and beginning the process of sanctions on Russia for it's actions. While some conflicts resulted in financial pain others were outright bloody with old enemies fighting in Gaza to a new foo the world learnt to fear with ISIS who resorted to beheading journalists as threats against the west.

North Korea flexed it's muscle with it's old adversary South Korea and challenged Sony when a movie about it's leader resulted in hackers believed to be from North Korea breaking into Sony's network and threatening terrorist style attacks if the movie was released. Even with blood in the streets it was what happened behind the scenes that brought about outrage when the CIA torture report was released detailing it's torture methods. Boko Harem in Nigeria resorted to kidnapping 273 school girls and selling them off into slavery triggering the campaign for #BringBackOurGirls.

Individuals

Some individuals shone bright making their names with the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Malala Yousafzai making her the youngest ever recipient while the entertainment world lost great entertainers with Robin Williams death shocking everyone.

The news wasn't great for everyone with Rob Ford caught in another video smoking crack less than a year after the first video emerged and the Oscar Pistorius trial which gripped the world. US President Obama had a tough year when the Democrats lost control after many cut ties to Obama and top officials like Eric Holder resigned.

Nature

For a year where man did his best to destroy nature wasn't going to be outdone with Earthquakes ravaging areas and Wild fires tearing through Northern California destroying everything in its path as it passed through, Hawaii had to call in the National Guard after a volcano directed a slow moving mass of lava into populated areas.

Over 900,000 people had to be evacuated after Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the Philippines all the while a deadly disease threatened to take down everyone in the form of Ebola which spread through West Africa claiming nearly 7000 lives.

Nation's Facing Decisions, War and Destruction

The week saw nation's in various forms of evolution taking on the new world, from Scotland deciding it's independence to ISIS' merciless march towards to an Islamic state and Ebola destroying any hope of humanity surviving at all.

Scotland

Scotland decided this week against becoming a separate country with 55% voting no in the referendum. The week had been filled with various campaigns on both sides with celebrities being brought in to sway the masses with the queen commenting on the mater.

The polls opened on Thursday with counting running through the night. With many questions unanswered over things like currency going forward, would Scotland join the European Union and NATO and what would the United Kingdom be called if Scotland goes it's own way, rU.K. (rest of the United Kingdom) was one option.

ISIS

The attempt by ISIS to create a caliphate (an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader) was hampered by the US joining forces with Arab nations and other European groups after the recent beheading of a British citizen David Haines.

While the US stated it would assist in air strikes but there would be no boots on the ground instead the US would supply Syrian rebels with arms. The US' approach was criticized by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who claimed the US was taking on ISIS "without any sacrifice".

Counter terrorism raids took place in Australia after threats of an attack in Australia emerged. Australia has been outspoken against ISIS and are also sending troops for possible use against ISIS.

Ebola

The disease which has already killed thousands of people had new forces to contend with when the US announced it will be sending 3000 troops to West Africa to use military muscle to battle the outbreak.

Sierra Leone implemented a 3 day shut down in hopes of slowing the infection. Meanwhile Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf fired 10 government officials who were "out of the country without an excuse" during the Ebola crisis. Saudi Arabia took steps to began testing 3 million Haj pilgrims traveling from infected areas.

The fight against Ebola became even more worrisome after it was discovered that case workers could become infected while taking off their protective suits along with the fear of being attacked by locals who had killed journalists and doctors in the region.

Ferguson & Foley, Stories Bigger than the Individual Tragedies

Human tragedy has plagued the news recently with individuals suffering horrific atrocities and in the process bringing attention to even bigger problems.

Ferguson, Missouri

Protests have been raging in Ferguson, Missouri since early August when a young black man, Michael Brown, was shot by a white police officer. An autopsy, one of many to be carried out, would later reveal that Michael had been shot 6 times including 2 to the head.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets on protestors in what would be the start of endless protests against police brutality. As time passed and anger grew police resorted to smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse crowds. Police even arrested and detained journalists exacerbating the situation as news agencies called into question the police response.

Days into the protest thousands gathered across the US for a moment of silence for victims of police brutality. President Obama called for calm as State Troopers took over security with the commander of the State Troopers joining protesters as they marched in hopes of avoiding more unrest.

However progress was short lived after the disclosure by the officer responsible for the shooting and accusations that Micheal had been involved in an earlier store robbery. As the situation deteriorated once again police began imposing curfews and fired smoke canisters and tear gas into the crowds.

With growing unrest Missouri has called in the National Guard to help and used armoured vehicles to disperse crowds while President Obama has sent Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson as protests continue.

James Foley

American journalist James Foley was executed on camera by ISIS militants in retaliation for US airstrikes in Iraq. The execution is believed to have been carried out by a British citizen according to British Prime Minister David Cameron. James was abducted on 22 November 2012 and held captive until the video of his execution. The US government has admitted there had been a failed rescue attempt earlier in the year.

ISIS have since threatened to kill another journalist, Steven Joel Sotloff, who was briefly shown at the end of the video with an ISIS member stating "The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision"