As we start the new week, a look at the biggest news stories today.
Avicii’s family arrives in Oman as new details emerge on his death
Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, was found dead Friday in the Oman capital of Muscat. A cause of death has not been released. “Two postmortems were carried out … and we can confirm that there is no criminal suspicion in the death,” Royal Oman Police told CNN.
It’s not just the oceans: Microplastic pollution is all around us
You’ve probably also heard of the microplastics polluting our seas: pieces of plastic that have been worn down by the elements into tiny fragments, smaller than 5 millimeters, that can harm fish and other wildlife. But while marine plastic pollution has been studied for decades, the extent and effects of plastic pollution elsewhere is only just beginning to be explored.
Melania Trump prepares for first state dinner
It was three days before the most important dinner party she has ever hosted, but Melania Trump was not at the White House, triple-checking details. Instead, she was in Houston, Texas, to pay her respects to one of her predecessors, Barbara Bush.
Mitt Romney fails to secure Utah GOP nomination, will face primary
After a wild and raucous day of voting at the Utah GOP convention, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee was unable to win the 60% that he needed to head to the November ballot unopposed.
India seeks death penalty for child rapists
The order — known as an ordinance — was approved Saturday at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development. The change in the law will only become permanent once it is approved by India’s Parliament, which is currently in recess.
Who’s invited to Harry and Meghan’s wedding?
The May 19 wedding is a private, not state occasion, paid for by the royal family. This means political leaders don’t have to be invited, so Harry and Meghan can pack St. George’s Chapel with close friends and family. Many of the faces will be familiar — including the UK royals, celebrities and actors.
Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk shoes are going up for auction
The star owned the Florsheim Imperial leather shoes and wore them while rehearsing his performance of “Billie Jean” for the “Motown 25” TV special in 1983. That rehearsal marked the first time the King of Pop performed his famous backward-sliding dance move on stage, according to GWS Auctions.
Austin Powers actor Verne Troyer dies
Verne Troyer, who is best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films, has died at the age of 49. Troyer, who was 2ft 8in (81cm) tall, also played Griphook in the first Harry Potter film. “It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today,” a post on his official Facebook page read.
Dragon boat accident leaves 17 dead
Seventeen people have died in a dragon boat accident in southern China thought to have been caused by strong current. One of the long, narrow boats packed with paddlers overturned on Saturday and another arriving at the scene also capsized, TV pictures showed.
Avicii’s ex-girlfriend posts tribute
Avicii’s ex-girlfriend has posted a tribute online following the sudden death of the Swedish DJ. The 28-year-old, otherwise known as Tim Bergling, died in Oman and it’s not yet known what the cause of death was. Emily Goldberg wrote that during the two years they were together he was her “closest confidante”.
Nicaragua reporter shot dead amid unrest
A journalist in Nicaragua has been shot dead while doing a live broadcast about anti-government protests. Ángel Gahona was reporting on damage at a bank in the Caribbean coast town of Bluefields when a bullet hit him during his Facebook Live newscast. Video footage shows him falling to the ground and bleeding.
Trump Presidency Is Taking The Luster Off Trump Tower
NEW YORK ― It’s been almost two decades, but Jerome Rose still remembers his one and only brush with Donald Trump like it was yesterday. A fire in Rose’s South Park Tower apartment building had just killed four of his neighbors.
Bill Maher Roasts Trump Over His Close Relationship With Sean Hannity
Bill Maher dubbed President Donald Trump’s close relationship with Fox News host Sean Hannity a “violation” on Friday’s broadcast of “Real Time.” In dissecting the courtroom revelation that Hannity was the “mystery” client of Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, Maher acknowledged that he “got” that Hannity “obviously carries Trump’s water every day on the air.”
Taylor Swift Stalker Breaks Into Singer’s Home, Takes Nap
A Florida man broke into Taylor Swift’s Manhattan home on Friday, according to police. Investigating the report of a break-in, police found 22-year-old Roger Alvarado sleeping in the singer’s Tribeca residence. Swift was not home at the time. Police arrested Alvarado, a resident of Homestead, Florida, for stalking, burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.
India Approves Death Penalty For Child Rapists Amid Outrage Over Recent Cases
MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s cabinet on Saturday approved the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years amid outrage in the country after a string of horrific cases of sexual violence.
Cambridge Analytica whistleblower to testify next week in front of Congress
The Cambridge Analytica scandal isn’t going away. In fact, it’s heading straight to Washington, D.C. Christopher Wylie tweeted early Saturday morning that he would soon testify in front of Congress. Wylie made international waves when he came forward in a Guardian story to blow the whistle on the now infamous data analytics firm that misappropriated Facebook user data and worked on behalf of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
AT&T and Verizon investigated for possibly colluding to make your smartphone life worse
AT&T and Verizon don’t want to let you out of their grasps. So much so, in fact, that they may have colluded to make it harder for you to switch cellphone carriers. So reports The New York Times , which notes that the Justice Department is investigating the two companies for possibly working together to stifle a technology known as eSIM.
Yup, ‘Jane the Virgin’ just gave fans the most shocking TV twist ever
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains major spoilers for the Season 4 finale of Jane the Virgin : “Chapter Eighty-One.” Jane the Virgin has always had a knack for wringing our hearts out like old rags (sometimes in a good way), but the Season 4 finale ended with a special kind of torture.
