5 things you absolutely must know today

Every morning, we scour the Internet and vet what we believe are the five things you absolutely need to know for the day. Subscribe to the daily briefing below:

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Boko Haram headquarters seized, two strongholds remain**

The northeastern town of Gwoza, believed to be the headquarters of terrorist group Boko Haram, has been retaken, according to the Nigerian army. The department of defense sent out a tweet stating that, “Several terrorists died while many are captured.” The news and strong offensive push against Boko Haram comes one day before Nigeria heads to the polls to elect its new president, a race pitting incumbent Goodluck Jonathan against ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari for the second time. Only two of the 14 Boko Haram strongholds remain. The terrorist group, responsible for countless murders and kidnappings, forbids and punishes Muslims taking part in any political or social activity that has any connection to Western Society. [Source: BBC]

Facebook tests huge, internet-beaming drone

Facebook has completed the first test flight of its own, large, internet-beaming, solar-powered drone. And it was a success, says Mark Zuckerberg. The flight took place over the UK, and is the opening moves of a drone initiative Facebook hopes will deliver internet access remote areas of the world. “As part of our Internet.org effort to connect the world, we’ve designed unmanned aircraft that can beam internet access down to people from the sky,” said Zuckerberg. “We’ve successfully completed our first test flight of these aircraft in the UK. Aircraft like these will help connect the whole world because they can affordably serve the 10% of the world’s population that live in remote communities without existing internet infrastructure.” The drones, developed by Ascenta, a company purchased by Facebook in 2014, have wingspans greater than that of Boeing 737 and will be able to sustain flight at 60,000 feet for months at a times running on solar power alone. [Source: Guardian]

Germanwings pilot suffered from depression: reports

Andreas Lubitz, the man suspected of deliberately sending a Germanwings airplane into the side of a mountain, killing everyone on board, should have received treatment for depression, according to recent reports. Apparently officials recommended he get assessed regularly after he experienced a few serious bouts of depression shortly after completing his training in 2009. Officials searching Lubitz’s home found a series of torn-up sick notes, some old but one was reportedly written for the day of the crash, and then destroyed. The finding leads investigators to believe Lubitz was keeping his illness from Germanwings. On Tuesday of this week, Lubitz allegedly locked the commanding pilot out of the cockpit of a flight en route to Dusseldorf and steered the plane into a French Alps mountainside. [Source:BBC]

Public kissing banned in Goa, India

You can travel to the coastal paradise found in Goa, India, but no smoochie smoochie while you’re there. At least not in public. Goa officials have imposed a ban on public kissing, claiming local residents don’t want to see such an “obscene” sight. The bill is directed at tourists, who flock to the area for its miles and miles of serene, beautiful beaches. But tourist numbers have been on the decline since Goa officials have begun imposing what many see as silly bylaws. Last year, the state banned bikinis, and this week allegedly passed a resolution prohibiting women working in the state office from wearing jeans and sleeveless tops. Perhaps the Mennonites from Taber and the public, bikini-wearing smoochers of Goa should get together. [Source: Guardian]

Video: this guy made the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones using carrots. He made it for his rabbit.