#France - Cannes 2016: Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake wins Palme d'Or - Trailer

Published on 14 May 2016

The tale of Daniel Blake, a 59-year-old widower carpenter from Newcastle, who is fighting to hold on to his welfare benefits, when he spots a woman in a similar predicament at the welfare office, he tries to help her & the two kids get set up... leading into a surrogate family.

Director - Ken Loach
Premiere - Cannes Film Festival 2016

#Nepal - Melbourne woman Maria Strydom dies on Mount Everest

Published on 22 May 2016

Melbourne woman Maria Strydom dies on Mount Everest
Melbourne university lecturer Maria Strydom has died on Mount Everest, and her family are angry they had to find out about her death through the media.

Dr Strydom, who also goes by Marisa, was on a seven-week expedition with her husband Robert Gropel - who has also been injured during the trek.

The 34-year-old's family say the couple's GPS tracker stopped working on Friday.

A single transmission from the tracker yesterday gave them hope but a Google search last night delivered the devastating news that Dr Strydom had died, her sister Aletta Newman told AAP.

"Before I went to bed last night, I came across this article in the Himalayan Times naming my sister as having died on Everest and that is the absolute first I'd heard of it," Ms Newman said in Brisbane.


Maria Strydom reached the top of the world's highest peak, but perished on the way back down. (Monash Business School)


An experienced climber, Ms Strydom told a university newsletter that icefalls and avalanches were the main hazards she was concerned about. (Monash Business School)

Conflicting media reports attributing her death to altitude sickness, snow blindness and a stroke only added to the distress of the Strydom family, who have yet to hear from the company behind the expedition.

"We just don't have answers and we'd really like to have some," Ms Newman said..

The family is also worried about Mr Gropel, a veterinarian who was with his wife on the expedition.

The Department of Foreign Affairs told Ms Newman only that Rob is injured and they are trying to get him down from the mountain.

"Praying for Rob's safety," Dr Strydom's mother Maritha Strydom wrote on Facebook today.


Ms Strydom said she expected to set her sights on a new adventure after the Everest expedition. (Monash Business School)

Ms Newman said efforts were underway to recover her sister's body but from an elevation of 8000 metres it would be difficult.

Dutch climber Eric Arnold, who was in the same climbing party, died of altitude sickness on Friday - both fatalities the first this year on the world's highest peak.

Ms Newman said her sister and brother-in-law were experienced climbers and took extra oxygen bottles as a precaution.

Dr Strydom and Dr Gropel are vegans who were determined to climb the highest mountains on each continent.

"It seems that people have this warped idea of vegans being malnourished and weak," Dr Strydom said in March.

"We want to prove that vegans can do anything and more."


Eric Arnold was also a seasoned mountaineer. (Twitter/@EricArnold8850)

News of the deaths broke as confirmation came through that Queensland teenager Alyssa Azar had become the youngest Australian to conquer Everest on her third attempt.

Mountaineering expert Alan Arnette told AAP it was "very normal" for five to 10 people to die on Everest each year and altitude sickness was quite common.

He said altitude sickness was a broad term for a number of problems, including fluid in the lungs and brain swelling.

Monash University said in a statement it was "deeply saddened by the tragic news" of Dr Strydom's death and extended heartfelt thoughts and support to her family, friends, colleagues and students.

Dr Strydom played with St Michael's Netball Club, who put out a statement saying she'll be greatly missed.

Everest expeditions in 2014 were cancelled after 16 sherpas died in an icefall avalanche.

Trips were cancelled again in 2015 when Nepal's 7.8-magnitude quake triggered an avalanche that killed 22 mountaineers at Everest Base Camp.

#USA - Report: Prince likely dead 6 hours prior to discovery

Published on 22 May 2016

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has reported that Prince was likely dead for nearly six hours before his body was discovered at his Paisley Park home. CNN's Sara Sidner has the latest.

#France - Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet Stairs in 360°: euronews (in English)

euronews (in English)

Published on 22 May 2016

Have you ever dreamt of walking up the red-carpeted steps of the Cannes Film Festival ? Now you can thanks to our exclusive 360° experience. Follow euronews' Fred Ponsard up the stairs in a VR video captured with the Samsung Gear 360 camera.

#Serbia - Cannabis: Between Pain and the Law

Published on 19 May 2016

The world is divided on marijuana legalization. Numerous studies have shown that it helps in reducing symptoms of some of the most fatal illnesses, which is why cannabis oil has been legalized for medical purposes in numerous countries across the globe.

While a public debate on legalization is going on in many more countries, in Serbia any possession of marijuana is illegal. Arrests of people with illnesses, as well as their family members, have been made. And yet, more and more people are buying the oil illegally.

Vice Serbia speaks with some of these families who wished to hide their identities, fearing the Serbian authorities. We spoke to the head of the group within the Ministry of Health who is strongly against legalization. We also meet a dealer who is willing to cook the oil on camera.

Pegasus Health Hemp Oil 1 Litre
Hemp Oil Nutiva amazon.com
Hot Hemp Oil Treatment for Eczema, Psoriasis and Severe Dandruff video

#Ukriaine - The Struggle to Find Ukraine's Missing Soldiers

Published on 19 May 2016

During the course of the war in eastern Ukraine, hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers have been either captured as POWs or gone missing during the fighting.

During the battle of Ilovaisk in August 2014, Ukrainian soldiers became encircled by Russian regular soldiers and separatist fighters. After intense negotiations the Ukrainians eventually managed to secure safe passage to leave the town. However, that never happened. As the Ukrainians fled the town in their vehicles they were ambushed and slaughtered. It's thought up to a thousand soldiers were killed and hundreds more were captured.

Many of these POWs were released over the course of the following week, however some were summarily executed and others still remain missing.

Families of the missing soldiers have had to endure a torturous and bureaucratic process to find their sons, passed from one ministry to another, with some families having to travel to rebel territory themselves to search for them. VICE News spoke with a British journalist, Lily Hyde, who has been documenting the efforts of families struggling to find their sons and with one mother who continues to wait for her son to return home, 18 months after he went missing.

Watch “Shell-Shocked: Ukraine’s Trauma” - http://bit.ly/1XiydJd

Watch "Ukraine's Foreign Fighters Battle for Citizenship” - http://bit.ly/250SntK

Read "When War Becomes Routine: A Week with Ukraine’s Weary-Eyed Soldiers” - http://bit.ly/1suwaqi

#France - Paul Verhoeven joins the Cannes competition with his first film in French + Official Trailer "Elle"

Published on 21 May 2016

 FRANCE 24 English

FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7
http://f24.my/YTliveEN

Paul Verhoeven made his name with films like "Robocop", "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct" – the film that made Sharon Stone an international star at the Cannes film festival in 1992. This year the Dutch director is back in competition with his first French-language film, "Elle".

#Austria - Vienna shooting: Gunman kills two and wounds 11 at concert before turning gun on himself

Published on 22 May 2016

Vienna shooting: Gunman kills two and wounds 11 at concert before turning gun on himself
A gunman killed two people and wounded 11 before turning the weapon on himself at a concert in Vienna.

The shooting happened in the Austrian capital at around 3am local time.

A 27-year-old man was behind the incident which was sparked by a "relationship dispute", according to local reports.

An argument between a man and a woman escalated and the perpetrator went to his car and pulled out a weapon, police said.He then fired "at random" into the crowd before turning the gun on himself in a car park.

Police said some people at the gig, organized by a motorcycle club called 'The Lords', fled into nearby woods to escape the carnage.

The woman was left unharmed.

There were around 150 people at the concert in Nenzing, a town close to the Swiss border.

#UK - 'Brexit will put NHS at risk' says Simon Stevens - BBC News

Published on 22 May 2016

Chief Executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens has said he "takes very seriously" warnings of possible recession in the event of Brexit, and that would be "very dangerous" for the health service. Speaking to Andrew Marr, he said: "If the economy goes into a tailspin" just when the NHS needs extra investment, it would be very damaging. He said it is not his job to tell people how to vote, but it is right that he talks about what the NHS needs, adding: "Anything that puts that at risk is of deep concern." Mr Stevens rejected the idea that leaving the EU would free up money that currently goes to Brussels and could instead be spent in the NHS

#UK - 'UK can't stop Turkey joining EU' says Penny Mordaunt - BBC News

Published on 22 May 2016

Defence Minister and Vote Leave supporter Penny Mordaunt has denied the UK would have a veto on any Turkish accession to the EU.

Speaking to Andrew Marr, she said: "I think with the current situation - the migrant crisis and other issues going on in Europe - we would be unable to stop it." The pro-Leave minister says the EU referendum is British voters' only chance to prevent that eventuality, adding again: "I don't think that the UK will be able to stop Turkey joining."

Five top tips to survive a long-haul flight | Travel Hacks

The Telegraph

Published on 21 May 2016

In this video, Nick Trend, Deputy Head of Travel shares his top 5 tips on the best ways to endure a long-haul flight making it as easy as possible.

#USA - Safe room sales boom

Published on 20 May 2016

Gaffco Ballistics CEO Tom Gaffney on increasing demand for safe rooms.

Week in Review: Sky News

Published on 20 May 2016

Jayne Secker reviews the biggest stories of the past seven days with Kevin Maguire and Andrew Pierce

#Venezuela - Inside a hospital: 'If people come with cardiac arrest, they die' - BBC News

Published on 21 May 2016

The BBC has obtained exclusive access to one of Venezuela's biggest public hospitals, which is suffering from chronic shortages and a lack of resources.

This Week's World Episode 2: Will we ever grow rich again? BBC News

Published on 21 May 2016

Eight years on from the economic crash, the world economy is still stagnating. This is not how it was meant to be. Politicians around the world have been promising an era of prosperity for all would return. Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers tells us how he believes things may never improve – and we ask why growth has disappeared. One theory: we’re not having as many babies as we need to. We also feature former ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet and former South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mbweni.

Taliban denies leader killed in US drone strike - Al Jazeera English

Published on 21 May 2016
Al Jazeera English

The US has announced it's carried out an airstrike targeting the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.