5 things you absolutely must know today

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Netanyahu’s party defies predictions, beats Zionist Union

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party received more votes then the centre-left Zionist Union in Israel’s election Tuesday, bucking predictions that the two parties would end up in a stalemate. In Israel’s 120-seat parliament, Likud received 30 seats, and the Zionist Union 24. Netanyahu is expected to form a right-wing coalition government within the next couple of years. [Source: BBC]

Presbyterian church rewrites constitution to allow gay and lesbian marriages

The Presbyterian Church USA, representing 171 regions across the country, each of which voted on Tuesday in favour of changing their constitution to read marriage is “between two people, traditionally a man and a woman,” allowing for gay and lesbian weddings within the church. The changes will be made in the church’s Book of Order and will take effect on June 21. The Presbyterian Church USA has nearly two million members across the country. It’s the U.S. and not Canada, but still, this is a move in the right direction. [Source: Washington Post]

Protesters clash with police in Frankfurt at European Central Bank skyscraper

Anti-capitalist protesters set fire to barricades and cars, and threw stones and unidentified liquids at riot police at the opening of the European Central Bank’s billion-euro skyscraper in Frankfurt on Wednesday. Reuters reports nearly 90 officers were injured in the clash, seven police cars set ablaze, shops were damaged, and streets were blocked by burning piles of trash. “Our protest is against the ECB, as a member of the troika, that, despite the fact that it is not democratically elected, hinders the work of the Greek government,” And organizer of the 10,000-strong Blockupy group rally Ulrich Wilken told Reuters. “We want the austerity politics to end. We want a loud but peaceful protest.” The ECB president addressed the crowd, saying, “It has always been understood that countries have to be able to stand on their own two feet – that each is responsible for its own policies. The fact that some had to go through a difficult period of adjustment was therefore not a choice that was imposed on them. It was a consequence of their past decisions.” [Source: Reuters]

Alberta should become a U.S. state, says author

U.S. geopolitical analyst and author Peter Zeihan thinks Alberta should forsake Confederation and slither on over to the United States of America. He dedicates an entire chapter to this in his book The Accidental Superpower. “Alberta as a U.S. state would not simply be rich — the richest in the Union, in fact — but would have a vibrantly well-financed and diverse economy that would put its former (and a lot of its new-found) countrymen to shame,” writes Zeihan, predicting that if Wild Rose Country would take the plunge, Saskatchewan would follow. [Source: CBC]

Aurora borealis: The icy sky at night

Aurora borealis, that phenomenon occurring when gas + charged particles = science, took place last night, and so many excellent photographers captured it. Here is CTV’s aggregation of photos: CTV