The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now
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Good morning! Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday.
1. Russia raised its key interest rate to 17% from 10.5% in a shocking decision made after the collapse of the rouble on Monday.
2. A 16-hour siege of a cafe in downtown Sydney ended early Tuesday with the death of two captives and their hostage-taker identified as Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed sheikh with a criminal past.
3. A gunman in Pakistan took around 500 students and teachers hostage on Tuesday in a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
4. BT Group has entered exclusive talks with Deutsche Telekom and Orange to buy UK mobile operator EE for £12.5 billion ($19.6 billion).
5. Sony Pictures has warned current and former employees to be on alert for fraudsters looking to use their stolen data, such as social security numbers, credit card details, and bank account information.
6. A workers union in Spain has warned that up to 20,000 small businesses in the country could be forced to close when rent controls are abolished at the end of the month.
7. Japanese officials ordered the slaughter of around 4,000 chickens after confirming the H5 strain of bird flu at a poultry farm in the southwest of the country.
8. The Australian Weather Bureau said on Tuesday that there is now a greater than 70% of El Nino emerging by February 2015 as Pacific Ocean surface temperatures have exceeded the weather phenomenon’s threshold for several weeks.
9. Brazilian researchers have discovered a drug-resistant bacteria, or “super-bug”, in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, where sailing and windsurfing events will be held during the 2016 Olympics.
10. Despite being opposed to Europe, The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has secured £1.5 of EU funds by creating a new political party.
And finally …
Merriam-Webster named “culture” the word of the year.
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