Room broken into
Ronaldo returns to his room at the World Cup base in Brazil and finds that a 15-year-old fan has broken into his room. The boy, Yago Leal, was able to get past security, enter Ronaldo’s room and lay on his bed. Ronaldo chose to allow the boy to escape and take a photo of him, and did not involve the police. The report states:
Once inside the room, Leal took a rest on Ronaldo’s bed because, as he said, ‘he knew he had laid on it.’.
Resistance Council predicts regime change
Council of Resistance of Iran, the largest gathering of the Iranian resistance, commences today. 100,000 people are expected to gather outside Paris for speeches, demonstrations and protests aimed at toppling the Iranian government. The group’s leader, Maryam Rajavi, says:
I am confident that the mullahs’ religious dictatorship ruling Iran will not last in the 21st century and will be overthrown. It really begs logic to expect this religious dictatorship, the founder of terrorism and fundamentalism in the whole of the region and is seeking nuclear weapons, to take international policy hostage, to continue and endure.
In an exclusive Fox News interview, Rajavi laid out what she sees as Tehran’s intentions: to spread radical fundamentalism, obtain a nuclear weapon and do whatever it can to eliminate opponents, including continued executions of her supporters to silence the opposition.
The mullahs do not represent the Iranian people. What the Iranian people are yearning for and what represents them, is an Iran which the Iranian resistance envisions: an Iran which is free, democratic and where the ballot box speaks, a non-nuclear Iran, with gender equality, where women and men and youth enjoy equal rights and do not threaten and endanger the world with war and challenges.
EU trade pact problematic
Ukraine’s signing of a trade and economic pact with the European Union may bring “grave consequences,” Russia warns. The agreement prompts EU leaders to hold off on imposing new sanctions on Russia for its continued military presence in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko calls the agreement with the EU the “most important day” for his country since it became independent from the Soviet Union. Olexander Motsyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., told FoxNews.com:
It is our ambition to become a member of the European Union in foreseeable future, the purpose of which is not just to join the EU, but, most importantly, to build a free, democratic and prosperous European nation in Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said.
There will undoubtedly be serious consequences for Ukraine and Moldova’s signing.
Re-evaluates board decisions
The court’s recent ruling that invalidated three appointments made by President Obama to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has the board wondering whether board decisions made when the now-invalid appointees were participating will have to be re-decided. More than 430 cases could now be in doubt. In a recent statement, Board Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce said:
We are analyzing the impact that the Court’s decision has on Board cases in which the January 2012 recess appointees participated. The Agency is committed to resolving any cases affected by today’s decision as expeditiously as possible.
Saudi forces on high alert
SPA, the state-run news agency, reports King Abdullah has ordered that “all necessary measures” be taken to protect Saudi Arabia against terror threats:
Anticipating (that) the terrorist organizations or others might carry out actions that might disturb the security of the homeland, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has ordered taking all necessary measures to protect the gains of the homeland and its territories in addition to the security and stability of the Saudi people.
A Saudi official, who is not authorized to speak with the media, says:
Saudi Arabia shares a long border with Iraq and the government is aware that ISIS is very close to Iraq’s border with Jordan, and is also aware ISIS has been very public about its intention to attempt to attack Saudi Arabia.
Needs fighter jets
Maliki tells the BBC that if Iraq had fighter jets in the air ISIS advances could have been avoided. Iraq has been trying to secure fighter jets from the United States for some time. The country is now asking Russia to supply them with fighter jets.
I’ll be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract with the United States.
Sunni detainees executed
In a recent report, Amnesty International states there is evidence showing a pattern of “extra judicial executions” of Sunni detainees by government forces and Shiite militias in the northern Iraqi cities of Tal Afar, Mosul and Baquba. Senior crisis response adviser, Donatella Rovera says:
Reports of multiple incidents where Sunni detainees have been killed in cold blood while in the custody of Iraqi forces are deeply alarming. The killings suggest a worrying pattern of reprisal attacks against Sunnis in retaliation for ISIS gains.
UK Glass regulations
Andrew Paterson, senior technology officer at the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK, writes in a blog post that businesses using Glass are subject to laws in the country regarding how data is stored and secured:
Organizations must not lose sight of the fact that wearables must still operate in compliance with the law and consumers’ personal information must be looked after.
A Google spokeswoman responds:
The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it’s activated clearly signals it’s in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device.
Fullscreen bid
Yahoo makes a bid of $250 million for Fullscreen, the content provider for Youtube. The company creates content for thousands of Youtube channels, generating 3 billion monthly views.
Lowers iPhone prices
The retailer lowers prices on the Apple iPhone 5s and 5c models beginning Friday, June 27, 2014. With a two-year phone service contract, a 16-gigabyte iPhone 5S will cost $99, coming down from $149. The 16-gigabyte iPhone 5c will be $29, down from $49. The offer is available in Wal-Mart’s brick and mortar stores only. In an effort to clear inventory, retailers often lower prices to clear space to make room for new merchandise.
Speed-the-Plow role
Lohan will star in David Mamet’s stage play, Speed-the-Plow, at the Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End. Lohan will play the role of Karen, an ambitious seductive secretary. The play will open October 2, 2014 and run until November 29, 2014. Madonna played the same role in the original Broadway production in 1988.
Lowers iPod Touch price
Apple announces price cuts on its Touch devices, and an upgrade for the cheapest Touch model. The iPod Touch features a touchscreen, WiFi access to the Internet and Apple’s App Store and a music player. The least expensive iPod Touch, which comes with 16 GB of storage, now costs $199. Apple adds a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and new color options. The price of the 32 GB iPod Touch drops from $299 to $249, and the price of the 64 GB iPod Touch drops from $399 to $299. The new iPod touch is now available in the US and will be available worldwide “in the coming days”.
WHO: drastic action needed
WHO calls for “drastic action” to fight the deadliest Ebola breakout on record and is convening an 11-nation meeting to address the crisis. 635 cases of haemorrhagic fever (most confirmed to be Ebola), including 399 deaths, have been reported across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, making this the larges breakout ever reported. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that the deadly outbreak of the virus is “out of control”.
Working fans get extended lunch break
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that New York’s state employees are being given an extended lunch break to view the USA – Germany game on June 26, 2014. In a letter to Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann:
On behalf of all New Yorkers, I wish you and the entire team the best of luck.
Thousands flee Ukraine
As the cease-fire truce nears an end, thousands of Ukranian citizens flee to Russia, many vowing never to return because they feel their government betrayed them. Over the past few months, tens of thousands have already fled to Russia seeking safety. Russia’s migration service reports they have registered the arrival of 90,000 Ukranians, with very few requesting refugee status, which would require them to stay in Russia for six months.
Beats Rosol, advances
Nadal beats Lukas Rosol in a game lasting two hours and 44 minutes on Wimbledon Centre Court. Two years ago, Rosol knocked Nadal out of the tournament in the second round of play. The score: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 Nadal advances to the third round. Nadal says:
I never play for revenge. Every match is a different match. Today was another match, I had to win – my goal is not Rosol; it’s to play as well as I can in the tournament. It doesn’t matter if it’s Rosol or another player who has beaten me in the past.
Prime Minister stays
South Korea’s president has decided to retain the country’s current prime minister, Chung Hong. Hong had offered to step down as Prime Minister, the number two spot in the country’s government, in an attempt to quell the anger of the country’s citizens after the ferry disaster. An attempt to replace Hong was made by President Park Geun-hye, but the two possible candidates withdrew their names. The main liberal opposition party is criticizing President Park’s decision and calling it an acknowledgement of the government’s incompetence.
$4.8 billion spent so far
A report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) states that nealy $5 billion has been spent on Obamacare exchanges so far. A section of the Affordable Care Act that allows for “indefinite” funding at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Initially, planning grants were valued at $1 million, though multiple rounds of “exchange establishment grants” cost much more, totaling $4.6 billion. The agency has requested another $1.788 billion for 2015.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is incurring significant administrative costs to support [federally-facilitated exchanges] FFE operations.
Company diversity report
Facebook’s first diversity report states most of their workers are white males. The report reveals that 69% of Facebook’s global staffers are male and 85% of the company’s tech workers and 77% of its management team, are also men. The company’s U.S. workforce is 57% white, 34% Asian, 4% Hispanic and 2% black. Maxine Williams, Facebook’s global head of diversity:
As these numbers show, we have more work to do — a lot more.
Plane likely on autopilot
The search for the missing flight moves further south in the Indian Ocean. A report about the change in the search area states the crew may have been unresponsive due to a lack of oxygen, a state known as hypoxia. The report states the assumption was:
made for the purposes of defining a search area and there is no suggestion that the investigation authority will make similar assumptions.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss says:
It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot, otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings