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| Trial told of Srebrenica chaos Thu, 17 May 2012 08:59:02 GMT War crimes prosecutors describe the chaos leading up the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, on the second day of Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic's trial. |
| Passport boost for activist Chen Thu, 17 May 2012 07:54:35 GMT Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng says he and his family have completed passport applications and officials say they should be ready in 15 days. |
| Spain set to pay more on bonds Thu, 17 May 2012 04:39:52 GMT Spain's borrowing costs look set to spike in a bond auction on Thursday, as the Greek crisis saps confidence in other indebted economies. |
| Afghan suicide raid kills police Thu, 17 May 2012 09:04:39 GMT At least six policemen and a civilian have been killed and 13 wounded in a suicide attack on a governor's compound in western Afghanistan, police say. |
| Spanish queen cancels UK visit Wed, 16 May 2012 21:17:23 GMT Spain's Queen Sofia cancels a visit to the UK for the Diamond Jubilee following disputes with London over the territory of Gibraltar. |
| Robert F Kennedy Jr's wife dead Thu, 17 May 2012 01:32:36 GMT Mary Kennedy - the estranged wife of Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of John F Kennedy - is found dead at her home. |
| Congo warlord's 'days numbered' Thu, 17 May 2012 03:11:09 GMT The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor tells the BBC he believes the net is closing around Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda. |
| Rebuilding spurs Japan economy Thu, 17 May 2012 06:51:16 GMT Japan's economy grows by 1.0% between January and March compared with the previous three months, official figures show. |
| N Korea 'resumes work' on reactor Thu, 17 May 2012 03:36:12 GMT North Korea resumes work on a light water reactor that could be used to support its nuclear programme after months of inactivity, a US institute says. |
| Olympic flame to be handed over Thu, 17 May 2012 07:43:45 GMT The Olympic flame is to be officially handed over to organisers of the London Games at a ceremony in Athens. |
| Robotic arm controlled by thought Wed, 16 May 2012 17:05:51 GMT Two patients who are paralysed from the neck down are able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts. |
| Whales can adjust their hearing Thu, 17 May 2012 06:19:51 GMT Whales that use sound to navigate are able to adjust the sensitivity of their hearing to protect their ears from loud noises, say scientists. |
| VIDEO: Greeks withdraw millions from banks Thu, 17 May 2012 05:47:01 GMT Savers in Greece have been withdrawing hundreds of millions of euros from Greek banks, amid fears the country may have to withdraw from the single currency. |
| VIDEO: Adrenaline sports on dangerous volcano Thu, 17 May 2012 01:54:00 GMT A team of speed flyers have become the world's first to successfully descend Italy's Mount Etna. |
| VIDEO: Horse rescue two miles out at sea Thu, 17 May 2012 08:13:26 GMT A photo shoot at a beach in California had to be stopped after the horse in the pictures panicked and bucked the rider off. |
| VIDEO: One-minute World News Thu, 17 May 2012 08:38:08 GMT Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day. |
| VIDEO: Soyuz spaceship docks at ISS Thu, 17 May 2012 06:59:45 GMT A Soyuz spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station. |
| VIDEO: 'Death was all around us' Wed, 16 May 2012 22:26:59 GMT Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic intended to "ethnically cleanse" Bosnia, the opening day of his war crimes trial has heard. |
| VIDEO: Acropolis ceremony for Olympic torch Wed, 16 May 2012 17:35:36 GMT The Olympic flame is to be passed to London on Thursday evening, after a week-long relay around Greece. |
| VIDEO: Thoughts used to control robotic arm Wed, 16 May 2012 17:59:10 GMT Two patients in the United States who are paralysed from the neck down have been able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts. |
| Vauxhall car plant 'saved by GM' Thu, 17 May 2012 08:57:59 GMT Workers at Vauxhall vote in favour of a new pay deal, clearing the way for owner General Motors to invest in the Ellesmere Port plant, securing 2,100 jobs. |
| Chinese gold demand hits record Thu, 17 May 2012 06:40:55 GMT Chinese demand for gold hit a record in the first quarter of 2012 and it remains the world's biggest market for gold, the World Gold Council says. |
| Government to miss cookie cut-off Wed, 16 May 2012 23:07:04 GMT Most government websites will miss the UK's deadline for complying with EU regulations over cookies, the Cabinet Office tells the BBC. |
| Google makes search 'more human' Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:52 GMT Google revamps its search engine in an attempt to offer instant answers to search questions with a new function, the Knowledge Graph. |
| Cannes jury denies 'sexism' claim Thu, 17 May 2012 07:27:17 GMT The Cannes jury responds to claims of sexism prompted by the lack of female filmmakers in the running for this year's Palme d'Or. |
| Mexico writer Carlos Fuentes dies Wed, 16 May 2012 09:43:41 GMT Carlos Fuentes, one of the most famous Latin American authors, known for fiction and political essays, dies in Mexico at the age of 83. |
| Councils 'must lower emissions' Thu, 17 May 2012 02:52:37 GMT Local authorities across the UK should have a statutory duty to combat climate change, government advisors recommend. |
| Tidal turbine 'performing well' Thu, 17 May 2012 01:05:46 GMT A subsea turbine which uses tidal power to generate electricity has successfully completed initial tests off Orkney. |
| Statins 'benefit healthy people' Wed, 16 May 2012 23:34:17 GMT Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, were more widely prescribed, research suggests. |
| Oldest living kidney donor at 83 Wed, 16 May 2012 23:34:32 GMT An 83-year-old man becomes the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service says. |
| No front-runners for Reds hotseat Wed, 16 May 2012 22:45:26 GMT Liverpool's owners want the club's new boss to be in place for four to five years, but as of yet there are no front-runners. |
| Strauss not thinking of quitting Wed, 16 May 2012 18:59:19 GMT Andrew Strauss says he has not thought of giving up the England captaincy, ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's. |
| Turks take bird for Israeli spy Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:47 GMT Villagers in south-eastern Turkey sound the alarm after mistaking a migratory bird - a common European bee-eater - for an Israeli spy. |
| 'Terror' croc shot in Australia Wed, 16 May 2012 12:13:10 GMT Rangers in Australia's Northern Territory on Tuesday shoot dead a saltwater crocodile that had developed a taste for dogs and other oddities, local media report. |
| Seven die in south Libya clash Wed, 16 May 2012 16:34:29 GMT Seven people are killed and more than 20 injured in clashes in Libya's western desert town of Ghadames, the government says. |
| North Koreans 'hold Chinese crew' Thu, 17 May 2012 08:13:31 GMT Unidentified North Koreans holding 29 Chinese fishermen and three boats seized in the Yellow Sea demand payment for their release, Chinese media reports. |
| French PM Ayrault names cabinet Wed, 16 May 2012 18:13:38 GMT France's new Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault names his government but party leader Martine Aubry will not join the cabinet. |
| Brazil truth commission installed Wed, 16 May 2012 21:27:47 GMT Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff inaugurates a truth commission to investigate rights abuses, including those committed during military rule from 1964-1985. |
| Syria is 'losing information war' Wed, 16 May 2012 18:38:04 GMT Syria is losing the information war against the West, President Bashar al-Assad has said, amid continuing violence across the country. |
| Activists storm Montreal classes Wed, 16 May 2012 18:49:08 GMT Student protesters in Montreal storm the University of Quebec, disrupting classes as they were due to resume after a boycott protesting rising tuition fees. |
| Schools 'fail to teach swimming' Thu, 17 May 2012 04:38:16 GMT A third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association. |
| PM: UK my priority in euro crisis Thu, 17 May 2012 08:57:04 GMT David Cameron is expected to say it is his job to keep the UK safe whatever the fate of the eurozone. |
| Media win Dale Farm film battle Thu, 17 May 2012 09:05:15 GMT Media organisations win a High Court battle over police orders to hand over film of the evictions from the Essex traveller site. |
| Fees rise 'didn't boost teaching' Wed, 16 May 2012 23:49:58 GMT Higher university tuition fees have not boosted teaching time at England's universities, research suggests. |
| Gold buttons for Queen's banner Thu, 17 May 2012 05:08:25 GMT Half a million gold buttons decorate Royal Barge |
| In Pictures: Carlos Fuentes' wake Thu, 17 May 2012 00:51:29 GMT Mexicans pay their last respects to Carlos Fuentes |
| In pictures: Royal visit to Lancashire Wed, 16 May 2012 16:26:52 GMT The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit Lancashire |
| Day in pictures: 16 May 2012 Wed, 16 May 2012 11:41:23 GMT 24 hours of news photos: 16 May 2012 |
| Day in pictures: 15 May 2012 Tue, 15 May 2012 12:27:54 GMT 24 hours of news photos: 15 May 2012 |
| Dinosaurs launch city festival Sat, 12 May 2012 01:35:54 GMT Norwich Festival of music and art |
| In Pictures: Jubilee pageant Mon, 14 May 2012 02:25:41 GMT The Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle |
| In pictures: Celebrating Ivory Coast's large ladies Mon, 14 May 2012 07:31:13 GMT Paintings celebrate the fuller figure of some African women |
| The baby time-lapse trend Thu, 17 May 2012 01:11:02 GMT The people who record every single day of a child's life |
| VIDEO: When General Grant expelled the Jews Wed, 16 May 2012 21:54:53 GMT The wide consequences of US Civil War hero's expulsion of Jews |
| 'Growing menace' of Australian bike gang violence Wed, 16 May 2012 23:10:05 GMT Bike gang shootings rock Australian city |
| Mali coup: Tuaregs tell of ethnic attacks Thu, 17 May 2012 07:20:22 GMT Teacher tells of fleeing ethnic attacks during Mali rebellion |
| China's ageing economic time bomb Wed, 16 May 2012 23:31:58 GMT How an ageing population threatens China's economy |
| Swiss Army knife adapts to remain a cutting-edge tool Wed, 16 May 2012 23:26:03 GMT The Swiss Army knife had to adapt after the events of 9/11 |
| France's new Socialist cabinet named Wed, 16 May 2012 21:31:12 GMT Names to watch in Francois Hollande's new cabinet |
| Cuba faces housing crunch Thu, 17 May 2012 06:17:15 GMT Cuba bids to shore up its crumbling houses in Havana |
| The euro's survival 'requires political union' Thu, 17 May 2012 08:57:58 GMT The day the ECB saved the eurozone's banks |
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| Word of the day |
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2012 is:
maffick • \MAF-ik\ • verb
: to celebrate with boisterous rejoicing and hilarious behavior
Examples:
Fans mafficked for hours outside the stadium, celebrating the team's dramatic victory in the division championship.
"In half an hour, after the mildest of mafficking, the last visitors of the exhibition's last day had gone out of the gates and the staff began their final acts of closing up shop." — From an article in The Guardian (London), October 1, 2011
Did you know?
"Maffick" is an alteration of Mafeking Night, the British celebration of the lifting of the siege of a British military outpost during the South African War at the town of Mafikeng (also spelled Mafeking) on May 17, 1900. The South African War was fought between the British and the Afrikaners, who were Dutch and Huguenot settlers originally called Boers, over the right to govern frontier territories. Though the war did not end until 1902, the lifting of the siege of Mafikeng was a significant victory for the British because they held out against a larger Afrikaner force for 217 days until reinforcements could arrive. The rejoicing in British cities on news of the rescue produced "maffick," a word that was popular for a while, especially in journalistic writing, but is now relatively uncommon.