2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team
The Cougars enter the 2015 season having won three consecutive West Coast Conference championships and having made the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons and in 16 of the 20 seasons that Rockwood has been the head coach. The Cougars also come in having been picked to win the 2015 WCC women's soccer crown. On the last day of the season BYU won their fourth consecutive WCC soccer title to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament. BYU advanced to the second round of the College Cup where they were defeated by Stanford. BYU finished the season at 16–3–2.


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Media, Television & Internet Streaming
Every BYU women's soccer home games was shown live on BYUtv or TheW.tv. Information on these television broadcasts and other internet streams can be found below.


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Media, Nu Skin Cougar IMG Sports Network
For a second consecutive season the Cougar IMG Sports Network will air BYU Cougars women's soccer games. Greg Wrubell provided play-by-play for most games. Former men's assistant coach Hugh Van Wagenen (typically home games) and Colette Jepson Smith (typically road games) acted as analysts. Cougar IMG increased the number of games broadcast from 13 to at least 21. The Cougars also expanded their broadcast territory. After being solely online in 2014, Cougar IMG broadcasts began airing on ESPN 960, joining BYU baseball on the network. 20 of the 21 Cougar IMG broadcasts were streamed online at  and on the . The UNLV match was available only on the ESPN 960 player. On September 24 BYU Radio also picked up the Cougar IMG broadcasts, simulcasting 8 of the matches, giving the Cougars nationwide coverage on Sirius XM 143 and on Dish Network.


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-Exhibition: Arizona
Series History: BYU leads series 10–1–1Broadcasters: , Natalyn Lewis, &  (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, x-Outrigger Resorts Soccer Classic: #18 California
Series History: BYU leads series 3–1Broadcasters: Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-Colorado
Series History: BYU leads series 3–2–1Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv/BYU Radio)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-Nebraska
Series History: Nebraska leads series 3–1Broadcasters: ()- video onlyGreg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-Utah/Deseret First Duel
Series History: BYU leads series 19–7–1Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv/BYU Radio)Robbie Bullough & Erica Owens (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, x-Stanford
Series History: BYU leads series 3–1Broadcasters: Greg Wrubell & Jennie Smith (ESPN 960) BYU and Stanford were scheduled to play each other in the final match of the Outrigger Resorts Soccer Classic, but mother nature had other plans. Rain from Tropical Depression Kilo caused massive flooding and made the pitch unplayable. The two teams decided to reschedule with a home-and-home series beginning in Stanford September 7.


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-Utah State
Series History: BYU leads series 11–0Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, x-UNLV
Series History: BYU leads series 14–1–1Broadcasters: Robbie Bullough & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-Oregon State
Series History: BYU leads series 1–0Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-Cal Poly
Series History: BYU leads series 4–0–1Broadcasters: Dave Grant (BigWest.tv)Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, x-Long Beach State
Series History: BYU leads series 5–2Broadcasters: Kevin Nielsen & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-*Gonzaga
Series History: BYU leads series 7–0Broadcasters: Video only (TheW.tv)Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-*Portland
Series History: BYU leads series 5–4Broadcasters: Adam Linnman & Erin Dees (TheW.tv)Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-*San Diego
Series History: BYU leads series 5–2Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-*Pacific
Series History: BYU leads series 5–1Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-*San Francisco
Series History: BYU leads series 6–0Broadcasters: George Devine & Joe Dugan (TheW.tv)Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, z-*Santa Clara
Series History: Santa Clara leads series 6–1–2Broadcasters: David Gentile (TheW.tv)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-*Pepperdine
Series History: Series even 3–3Broadcasters: , Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-*Loyola Marymount
Series History: BYU leads series 5–1Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xz-*Saint Mary's
Series History: BYU leads series 4–0–1Broadcasters: Robbie Bullough & Amber Wadsworth (TheW.tv)Greg Wrubell & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, xy-College Cup: Utah Valley
Series History: BYU leads series 1–0Broadcasters: Spencer Linton, Natalyn Lewis, & Lauren Francom (BYUtv)Robbie Bullough & Hugh Van Wagenen (ESPN 960)


2015 BYU Cougars women's soccer team, Schedule, x-College Cup: Stanford
Series History: Stanford leads series 4–3Broadcasters: Jack Follman and Kevin Denny () Greg Wrubell & Colette Jepson Smith (ESPN 960/BYU Radio)


2015 BYU Cougars women's volleyball team
The 2015 BYU Cougars women's volleyball team represented Brigham Young University in the 2015 NCAA Division I women's volleyball season. The Cougars were led by first year head coach Heather Olmstead and played their home games at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars were members of the WCC.


2015 BYU Cougars women's volleyball team
BYU came off a season where they won the WCC regular season championship, participated in the NCAA Tournament, and became the first unseeded team to make it to the National Championship match.


2015 BYU Cougars women's volleyball team, Schedule
All conference home games on BYUtv will be simulcast on BYU Radio with the exception of the Santa Clara game.


2015 Babergh District Council election
The 2015 Babergh District Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Babergh District Council in England. This was on the same day as the general election and other local elections.


2015 Babergh District Council election, Summary Result
The results saw the Conservatives gain 14 seats and take 31 of the 43 seats to get an overall majority on the council. This was the first time since the formation of the council that any party had a majority of the seats. As was the case nationally, the Liberal Democrats suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, Labour lost two of its three seats and held onto its last seat in Great Cornard North by 1 vote. The Green Party lost South Cosford to the Conservatives, a seat they had gained in a 2014 by-election, and subsequently lost all representation on the Council.


2015 Badakhshan landslides
On 23 April 2015, a landslide occurred in the Khawahan district of Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan. Around 100 houses were destroyed and 52 people were killed by the landslide. A second landslide occurred on 26 April, displacing 120 families.


2015 Badakhshan landslides, Background
Landslides are common in eastern Afghanistan as snow begins to melt during the spring months. Deforestation has led to an increase in the number of landslides annually. Badakhshan Province is among the poorest and least-developed areas of Afghanistan. A pair of mudslides in May 2014 killed several hundred people in Badakhshan.


2015 Badakhshan landslides, Landslides
At roughly 12:30am local time on 23 April 2015, a landslide occurred in the Khawahan district of Badakhshan Province in north-eastern Afghanistan. Due to the remote nature of the affected area, reports of the incident did not surface until 28 April. Initial reports indicated that only one village, Jero Bala, was hit by the landslide, but that that village was "completely wiped out". A second landslide occurred in Badakhshan on 26 April.


2015 Badakhshan landslides, Landslides
At least 52 people – 25 women, 22 children, and 5 men – were killed by the 23 April landslide. Ninety-five homes were destroyed. An unknown number of additional people are missing and feared buried under the landslide. Noticing cracks forming in the snow in the mountains near their village, several families had left Jero Bala prior to the landslide. The 26 April landslide displaced 120 families, but no deaths were reported.


2015 Badakhshan landslides, Landslides
Around 25 inches (0.64 m) of rain fell in the days leading up to the landslide, adding to 3 feet (0.91 m) of snow already on the ground. The Afghanistan government sent helicopters to the region to transport aid workers and police to Jero Bala. However, District Governor Ghufran Zaki remarked "We do not have any equipment to rescue any possible survivors buried under a huge mountain of mud." The village was inaccessible via roads due to  heavy snow in the region, and telecommunications were inoperable. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said he was "deeply saddened" by news of the disaster.


2015 Badminton Asia Championships
The 2015 Badminton Asia Championships was the 35th edition of the Badminton Asia Championships. It was held in Wuhan, China, from April 21 to April 26.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships
The 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships is an 18th edition of the Asia continental junior championships to crown the best U-19 badminton players across Asia. It was held in Bangkok, Thailand from June 28 to July 5, 2015.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships, Tournament
The 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships organized by the Badminton Association of Thailand and Badminton Asia Confederation. This tournament consists of mixed team competition, which was held from  28 June – 1 July, as well as the five individual events started from 1–5 July.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships, Tournament, Venue
This tournament was held at CPB Badminton and Sports Science Training Center in Bangkok, Thailand.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships, Medalists
In the mixed team event, China team clinched the gold medal by ending the final battle against South Korea in only three straight matches. China made a clean sweep after clinch all the individual events titles.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships – Boys' Doubles
The Boys' Doubles tournament of the 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships was held from July 1–5. The defending champions of the last edition were the Chinese pair Huang Kaixiang and Zheng Siwei. This time Zheng Siwei teamed-up with He Jiting (the 2nd seeded) claim the title after upset their teammates Han Chengkai and Zhou Haodong in the finals in the rubber games with the score 21–19, 18–21, 21–19.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships – Boys' Singles
The Boys' Singles tournament of the 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships was held from July 1–5. The defending champions of the last edition was Shi Yuqi from China. Firman Abdul Kholik, Cheam June Wei and Kantawat Leelavechabutr were the top 3 seeded this year. Lin Guipu of China emerged as the champion after beat Seo Seung-jae of South Korea in the finals with the score 21–16, 21–11.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships – Girls' Doubles
The Girls' Doubles tournament of the 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships was held from July 1–5. The defending champions of the last edition were the Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan. Indonesian pairs Apriani Rahayu / Jauza Fadhila Sugiarto and Marsheilla Gischa Islami / Rahmadhani Hastiyanti Putri leads the seeding this year. Du Yue and Li Yinhui who were the finalists in the last edition emerge as the champion after beat the defending champion Chen and Jia in the finals with the score 21–14, 18–21, 21–18.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships – Girls' Singles
The Girls' Singles tournament of the 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships was held from July 1–5. The defending champions of the last edition was Akane Yamaguchi from Japan. He Bingjiao, Gregoria Mariska and Saena Kawakami were the top 3 seeded this year. He Bingjiao of China emerged as the champion after defeat Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the finals with the score 21–16, 21–17.


2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships – Mixed doubles
The Mixed Doubles tournament of the 2015 Badminton Asia Junior Championships was held from July 1–5. The defending champions of the last edition were Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen of China. As the defending champion Chen Qingchen try to defend their title that she got last year with Huang Kaixiang, but this time with different partner Zheng Siwei (seeded No.1). Chen finally emerge as the mixed doubles champion for the second time after she and Zheng defeat the second seeds from South Korea Choi Jong-woo and Kim Hye-jeong in the finals with the score 21–8, 21–12.


2015 Baga massacre
The 2015 Baga massacre was a series of mass killings carried out by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Baga and its environs, in the state of Borno, between 3 January and 7 January 2015.


2015 Baga massacre
The attack began on 3 January when Boko Haram overran a military base that was the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force containing troops from Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The militants then forced thousands of locals from the region and committed mass killings that culminated on the 7th.


2015 Baga massacre
Fatalities have been reported to be "heavy" but their extent is unclear. Western media outlets reported that "over 2,000" people are thought to have been killed or "unaccounted for", but local media reported "at least a hundred" fatalities, while the Nigerian Ministry of Defence said that no more than 150 people in total had been killed, including militants. Several government officials denied that the fatalities were as extensive as reported, with some even claiming that the massacre had never taken place or that the Nigerian military had repelled the militants from the region, a claim that was refuted by local officials, survivors, and the international media.


2015 Baga massacre
Baga and at least 16 other towns are thought to have been destroyed as over 35,000 people are reported to have been displaced, with many feared to have drowned while trying to cross Lake Chad and others trapped on islands in the lake. The attacks are said to have resulted in Boko Haram extending its control to over 70% of Borno State, while its leader, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility for the massacre in a video statement, saying that they "were not much" and that the group's insurgency "would not stop".


2015 Baga massacre, Background
Baga, in Borno State, was the location of a Nigerian Army base that was the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), an international force of soldiers from Nigeria, Niger and Chad that was formed in 1994 to deal with cross-border security issues and, more recently, combating the Boko Haram insurgency. For that reason, the town is believed to have been of strategic importance to Boko Haram, as the last major town in Northern Borno State under the control of the Nigerian government and a key military base for government and international forces.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks
The attacks began on 3 January, when a large number of Boko Haram militants captured the town of Baga and overran the MNJTF headquarters and army base in town.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Attack on MNJTF headquarters
According to Senator Ahmed Zanna, who represents the district of Borno Central, government forces—despite being the joint headquarters, only Nigerian Army forces were stationed there at the time—resisted the militants, who "attacked from all sides", for several hours, but eventually "joined civilians fleeing into the bush". They reportedly seized a large number of weapons and vehicles, according to Zanna.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Attack on MNJTF headquarters
In the days following the assault, the militants forced Baga's residents into the surrounding area villages. On the evening of Tuesday, 6 January, two local residents reported that the militants began to burn local buildings using petrol bombs and explosives, and according to survivors proceeded to kill those left. On 9 January, a resident described the extent of the damage by reporting, "There is not any single house that is standing there." According to Musa Bukar, head of the Kukawa local government area, all 16 villages in the LGA were razed as well, and their residents either killed or forced to flee.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Extent of fatalities
The extent of the killings is as of yet unknown, and reports vary widely.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Extent of fatalities
The exact death toll in Baga and 16 surrounding villages is unknown, with estimates ranging from "dozens" to 2000 or more. "No one stayed back to count bodies", one local resident told Human Rights Watch. "We were all running to get out of town ahead of Boko Haram fighters who have since taken over the area".


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Extent of fatalities
Bukar stated that over two thousand people are thought to have been killed. Zanna said that two thousand were "unaccounted for"; other sources said that "dozens" or "over a hundred" had been killed. At least 100 were killed in the initial attack on 3 January, according to Baba Abba Hassan, the district head, later adding that "hundreds of corpses still lay on the streets" of the town and that many women and children were among the victims, having been pursued into the bush by the militants.


2015 Baga massacre, Massacre and attacks, Extent of fatalities
Hassan, however, denied that the attack on 7 January had ever occurred and that the figure of 2,000 deaths was "outrageous". Several government sources allegedly rejected claims of such a high number of fatalities, suggesting that it was considerably lower. However, the Nigerian government has downplayed the extent of, and frequently outright denied the existence of, Boko Haram attacks several times in the past, including a prior massacre in Baga in 2013 where both Boko Haram and the Nigerian military were implicated in the death of over 200 citizens.


2015 Baga massacre, Aftermath and refugee crisis
Satellite imagery taken on 2 and 7 January was released by Amnesty International showing that in Baga, which is "less than two square kilometres in size, approximately 620 structures were damaged or completely destroyed by fire." In Doron Baga, located about 2.5 km away, fishing boats present on the 2nd were no longer visible, and "more than 3,100 structures were damaged or destroyed by fire affecting most of the 4 square kilometre town."


2015 Baga massacre, Aftermath and refugee crisis
Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International stated: "The attack on Baga and surrounding towns, looks as if it could be Boko Haram's deadliest act in a catalog of increasingly heinous attacks carried out by the group. If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as two thousand civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram's ongoing onslaught against the civilian population."


2015 Baga massacre, Aftermath and refugee crisis
Maina Maaji Lawan, a former governor of Borno state and the current Senator representing the district of Borno North, questioned why the soldiers had reportedly fled the base, saying: "[t]here is definitely something wrong that makes our military abandon their posts each time there is an attack from Boko Haram." This followed a spate of Nigerian troops, numbering in the hundreds, fleeing Boko Haram in battle. According to Lawan, the attack meant that 70% of Borno State would now be under the control of Boko Haram.


2015 Baga massacre, Aftermath and refugee crisis, Refugee crisis
On 7 January, a government spokesperson stated that 1,636 IDPs had been registered following the attack. According to independent reports and local officials, however, least 35,000 people are thought to have fled the region. "Bodies lay strewn on the streets", according to survivors, as the entire population of Baga is thought to have fled, some into Cameroon and Chad. Approximately 20,000 sought shelter at camp near Maiduguri, the state capital, and another 10,000 in Monguno were waiting to be transported. Bukar said that the town was now "virtually non-existent". Local human rights activists said that they had been told by women who had escaped the town that their daughters, some as young as 10, had been kidnapped.


2015 Baga massacre, Aftermath and refugee crisis, Refugee crisis
Chadian Prime Minister Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet said that at least 2,500 Nigerians and 500 Chadians had sought refuge in the neighbouring country following the attacks, some of whom were trying to cross Lake Chad in flimsy and overloaded canoes. Many of those trying to cross the lake were feared to have drowned, while hundreds of others, over five hundred by one account, were trapped on islands in the lake. According to local officials who had communicated with the refugees via telephone, refugees were "dying from lack of food, cold and malaria" on one "mosquito-infested island."


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism
A large number of commentators criticised what they saw as insufficient coverage of the massacre in the international newsmedia, suggesting it was indicative of an ingrained bias towards African affairs. Others condemned the degree to which the government of Nigeria and local media was downplaying or even ignoring the attacks, adding that local apathy was ultimately responsible for the amount of attention which foreign media chose to place on the massacre. The responses of government officials were considered to be closely related to the highly contested presidential election taking place that year.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism
Government security officials initially stated that "base troops had held their positions" and quickly denied that any attack had taken place in Baga. One pro-government newspaper, citing a local fisherman, went as far to claim that Boko Haram had instead been dealt a "heavy defeat" by the Nigerian military in Baga and that the town was firmly under government control. Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the Chief of the Defence Staff, initially denied that the MNJTF headquarters had been captured but later admitted that it had.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism
The location of the attack in remote northeastern Borno State, much of which is occupied by Boko Haram, as well as "the routine nature of Nigeria's violence may have diminished" perceptions of the massacre's newsworthiness. Experts have noted that media has been suppressed in Borno State, where witnesses with information frequently lack contacts with the media, and statements by the military are unreliable. The Nigerian press was also seen as not adequately covering the attacks in Baga. One expert stated: "Local media caught on to the story only after the BBC's coverage. This is because there's been ongoing violence in the past year and people are increasingly desensitised."


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism
Many newspapers did not initially report on the massacre at all, and those that did, in many cases, either referred to the prior first attack on 3 January and gave figures far more limited than those circulating elsewhere, or gave outright denials of one sort or another. One newspaper's headline stated that the "BBC lied" in reporting that the second attack of 7 January had taken place.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Goodluck Jonathan
Many commentators criticised the international media for a perceived lack of coverage of the massacre, especially in comparison with that received by the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, which had occurred just days before. However, President Goodluck Jonathan, while campaigning in Enugu for re-election and his People's Democratic Party on 8 January, himself condemned the events in Paris as a "dastardly terrorist attack", while refraining from making any comment on the massacre in Baga. Jonathan's failure to remark on the attacks earned him widespread and international criticism; Julius Malema, leader of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters party in South Africa and former head of the Youth League of the ruling African National Congress, disparaged Jonathan, saying:


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Goodluck Jonathan
Goodlook, or Goodluck or whatever his name is or badluck I don’t know ... He is quick to release statement about the killing in Paris; but don’t (sic) say anything about the killings in his own country. That’s an irresponsible leadership.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Goodluck Jonathan
On 14 January, Goodluck, along with Chief of the Defence Staff Badeh, National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki, and several other senior military commanders, made an unscheduled visit to Maiduguri, meeting with Borno's governor, Kashim Shettima, at the city's airport under heavy guard. The visit was "shrouded in secrecy" and Jonathan made no public comment about his visit or the attacks while there.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Goodluck Jonathan
On 16 January, members of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, including Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of the late imprisoned President-elect M.K.O. Abiola, published an open letter in The Guardian to Jonathan urging him to end his silence on the attacks, saying that he had "met calamity with insouciance", drawing parallels with his belated response to the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Political consequences
The issue of the Boko Haram insurgency and the inability of the government to fight the group were closely tied with the country's upcoming presidential elections. According to Manji Cheto, vice-president of a corporate advisory firm, Goodluck "by acknowledging the scale of the violence, [would be] acknowledging a certain degree of his failure as a president, so he’s not going to talk about security with less than six weeks to go before the election." Many analysts and observers expressed similar views, that the downplaying of the attacks by Goodluck, the government, and media outlets supportive of the PDP was intended to reduce the political costs of domestic instability in the election.


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Political consequences
In contrast, the opposition All Progressives Congress and its candidate, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, were quick to condemn the attacks and the government's response. Buhari, on 10 January, said that the massacre was further proof to the claim that "Nigeria has become a place where people no longer feel safe, where the armed forces have neither the weapons nor the government support required to do an effective job of protecting Nigerian citizens and their property."


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Political consequences
Buhari, a Muslim from northern Nigeria, seized power in a 1983 coup d'état before being ousted himself in a coup d'état in 1985 on the grounds that his style of rule was excessively repressive. According to analysts, however, to many Nigerians in 2015, Buhari's "reputation for strong leadership and intolerance of corruption" as leader, and his campaigning on such, appealed to an "intense public yearning for an end to Boko Haram’s nihilism and to instability caused by rising communal, criminal and political violence".


2015 Baga massacre, Response and criticism, Political consequences
The search for security could "override traditional voting patterns based on religious and ethnic affiliations", but the International Crisis Group in a reported warned that the tightening race instead "suggests the country is heading toward a very volatile and vicious electoral contest." Although the elections were postponed, the ongoing violence and insurgency of Boko Haram is regarded as having played a major factor in Buhari's ultimate defeat of Jonathan.


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing
On December 21, 2015, in Bagram, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing six NATO service members.


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing, Victims
All six of the members killed were of American nationality.


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing, Victims
Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban, claimed they were responsible for the attack via Twitter and e-mail.


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing, Attack
A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle loaded with explosives crashed into a NATO-Afghanistan foot patrol while it was traveling throughout the village near Bagram Air Base. Six American NATO service members were killed with two other Americans and an Afghani injured.


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing, Reactions
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter responded to the bombing, stating, "our troops are working diligently alongside our Afghan partners to build a brighter future for the Afghan people. Their dedicated efforts will continue despite this tragic event. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of these brave Americans who died in service to this vital mission, and our thoughts remain with all of our troops serving overseas during this holiday season so that we may have peace and security at home."


2015 Bagram Airfield bombing, Reactions
White House Office of the Press Secretary  issued a statement, stating "we express our deepest condolences to the families of the six U.S. service members killed and to all of those injured in today’s Taliban attack near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and their loved ones. The United States condemns this cowardly attack on members of the U.S. and Afghan forces, and we remain committed to supporting the Afghan people and their government. We will continue to work together to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan, just as we will not relent in our mission to counter the threat of terrorism that plagues the region."


2015 Bahamas Bowl
The 2015 Bahamas Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 24, 2015 at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau in the Bahamas. The second edition of the Bahamas Bowl featured the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders of Conference USA against the Western Michigan Broncos of the Mid-American Conference. It began at noon EST and air on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant chain, the game is officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.


2015 Bahamas Bowl
The game is best remembered as the Broncos' first bowl victory in school history.


2015 Bahamas Bowl, Teams
The game featured the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders against the Western Michigan Broncos.


2015 Bahamas Bowl, Teams, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
After finishing their regular season 7–5, bowl director Richard Giannini extended an invitation for the Blue Raiders to play in the game, which they accepted.


2015 Bahamas Bowl, Teams, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
This was the Blue Raiders' seventh bowl game (they are now 3–4 all-time in bowl games thus far) and their first since the 2013 Armed Forces Bowl, where they lost to Navy by a score of 24–6. It was also their third bowl game against a MAC opponent; the Blue Raiders likewise lost both previous meetings, losing in the 2006 Motor City Bowl to Central Michigan by a score of 31–14 and in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl to the Miami (Ohio) by a score of 35–21.


2015 Bahamas Bowl, Teams, Western Michigan Broncos
After finishing their regular season 7–5, bowl director Richard Giannini extended an invitation for the Broncos to play in the game, which they accepted.


2015 Bahamas Bowl, Teams, Western Michigan Broncos
This was the Broncos' seventh bowl game, where they once again sought their first bowl victory in school history, having previously had an 0–6 all-time record in bowl games. It was also the Broncos' second consecutive bowl appearance (following the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, where they lost to Air Force by a score of 38–24), marking the first time in school history the Broncos have been to back-to-back bowls. In addition, it was the second time the Broncos have faced an opponent from Conference USA in a bowl game, having previously lost the 2008 Texas Bowl to the Rice Owls by a score of 38–14.


2015 Bahia landslide
The 2015 Bahia landslide occurred on 28 April 2015 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The landslide killed at least 14 people.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round
The 2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round was a pair of one-make single seater motor races held on 18 and 19 April 2015 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain as part of the GP2 Series. It was the first round of the 2015 GP2 Series and was run in support of the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix. The first race, a 32-lap feature event, was won by ART Grand Prix driver Stoffel Vandoorne from pole position. Rio Haryanto finished second for the Campos Racing team, and Racing Engineering driver Alexander Rossi took third. Haryanto won the shorter 23-lap sprint race, from Vandoorne in second, and Lazarus driver Nathanaël Berthon in third.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round
Vandoorne led the first race, which was disrupted on the fourth lap following a collision between Norman Nato, Arthur Pic, Pierre Gasly and Raffaele Marciello. Drivers on the soft-compound tyres made pit stops for medium-compound tyres, while Vandoorne remained the leader for the lap-nine restart. He held it until his pit stop at the end of lap 22, and Rossi took the lead on the following lap. He kept the position until Vandoorne overtook him to win the race. Julián Leal started first in the second race and remained the leader until Haryanto passed him on the eighth lap. Haryanto maintained the lead for the rest of the race to win.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round
Haryanto's victory in the sprint event was his first in the GP2 Series after 70 races. The results put Vandoorne in the lead in the Drivers' Championship with 43 points, ten in front of Haryanto. Rossi assumed third position, while Berthon's third-place finish in the second event put him in fourth and Jordan King was fifth. ART Grand Prix took the lead of the Teams' Championship by 15 points over Racing Engineering. Campos Racing were two points behind in third position, while Lazarus and Rapax were fourth and fifth, with ten rounds left in the season.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Background
The 2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round was the first of eleven scheduled events in 2015. It was held on 18 and 19 April 2015 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, and was run in support of the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix. The drag reduction system (DRS) had two activation zones for the race: one was on the start/finish straight linking the final and first corners, and the second on the straight from the tenth and eleventh turns. Tyre supplier Pirelli brought two types of tyre to the race: two dry compounds – soft "options" and medium "primes". There were 12 teams fielding two drivers each for a total of 24 participants and every one utilised the Dallara GP2/11 car.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Background
The final mass test session before the new season took place at the track over 1–3 April. On the first day, in hot weather, Mitch Evans (Russian Time) set the fastest lap of the morning session with a time of 1 minute, 42.479 seconds, with Jordan King (Racing Engineering) setting the quickest lap of the day in the afternoon session with a 1 minute, 41.494 seconds. An overnight sandstorm delayed the second day of testing for an hour while officials cleaned the track.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Background
Sergey Sirotkin (Rapax) was the fastest driver in the morning session with a lap of 1 minute, 41.797 seconds, and Nobuharu Matsushita (ART Grand Prix) recorded the quickest lap of the afternoon session with a time of 1 minute, 40.191 seconds. Pierre Gasly (DAMS) recorded the fastest lap time of the three days, a 1 minute, 39.632 seconds in the morning session, and Nigel Melker was the quickest driver in the afternoon session with a lap of 1 minute, 41.566 seconds. Hilmer Motorsport elected to miss the round as they were unable to acquire the services of a driver who could bring financial backing to the team. Team principal Franz Hilmer was confident that he would enter the second round of the season in Catalunya.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
One 45-minute practice session was held on Friday before the two races. King was fastest with a time of 1 minute, 42.441 seconds, ten-hundredths of a second faster than Racing Engineering teammate Alexander Rossi in second. Alex Lynn of DAMS was third-fastest, ahead of the top ART Grand Prix car of Stoffel Vandoorne. The Campos Racing pair of Arthur Pic and Rio Haryanto were fifth and sixth. Gasly was seventh-fastest, Evans eighth, Raffaele Marciello for Trident ninth, and Matsushita completed the top ten ahead of qualifying. Vandoorne's run ended prematurely with seven minutes of the session remaining when his car stopped due to an oil pressure failure.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Friday afternoon's qualifying session ran for 30-minutes. The drivers' fastest lap times determined the starting order for the first race. The driver who won the pole position was awarded four points that went towards the Drivers' and Teams' Championship races. The session was held in cooler night-time weather conditions. Drivers used soft-compound tyres for their first timed laps before entering the pit lane for new tyres for the remainder of the session.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Vandoorne set the pace in the early part of the session and improved to clinch his first pole position of the season, and his fifth consecutive in the series, with a time of 1 minute, 39.237 seconds. He was joined on the grid's front row by his teammate Matsushita who was three-tenths of a second slower than Vandoorne. Lynn was ninth after his first timed lap but recovered to qualify in third place.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Pic, who was Vandoorne's closest contender in the session's opening segment, took fourth, ahead of Marciello who was stuck in second gear until his team corrected the issue. King was relegated to sixth by Marciello's fastest lap. Norman Nato (Arden International) and Rossi were seventh and eighth. Gasly in ninth made a mistake late in the session and Sirotkin was tenth. Russian Time's Artem Markelov was the fastest driver to not qualify in the top-ten starting positions. Haryanto ran strongly earl on but took 12th after he was unable to improve on his second set of soft-compound tyres.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
He was ahead of Evans, Robert Visoiu, and Richie Stanaway. The two Carlin drivers qualified in 16th and 18th with Julián Leal ahead of teammate Marco Sørensen. They were separated by Sergio Canamasas in the faster of the two MP Motorsport cars. André Negrão, Daniël de Jong, Nathanaël Berthon, René Binder, Marlon Stöckinger, and Zoël Amberg were the last of the qualifiers.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races
The first race was held over 170 km (110 mi) or 60 minutes (which ever came first) and all drivers were required by regulations to make one pit stop. The first ten finishers scored points, with two given to the fastest lap holder. The grid for the second race was determined by the finishing order of the first but the first eight drivers were in reverse order of where they finished. It was run for 120 km (75 mi) or 45 minutes (which ever came first) and, in contrast to the first race, drivers were not required to make pit stops. The top eight finishers earned points towards their respective championships.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
The first race began at 13:10 Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3) on 18 April. The weather at the start of the race was sunny and hot with an air temperature of 30 °C (86 °F) and a track temperature of 49 °C (120 °F) with winds making the track dusty. When the race started, Vandoorne maintained his pole position advantage heading into the first corner. His teammate Matsushita made a slow start, and his anti-stall system activated, allowing several cars to get ahead of him before he got up to speed.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Nato moved from seventh to third while Lynn inherited second position. Sørensen's car was damaged while hold off an overtake by de Jong. Rossi overtook his teammate King for seventh place on the same lap and started to close up to Pic and Gasly. Sørensen drove into the pit lane to retire because of the damage sustained from de Jong's pass.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Marciello used DRS on the fourth lap to close to Nato into the first turn while battling him for fourth place. As the two drivers battled through turn four, Pic passed them. Nato changed his line by braking for turn seven, and Marciello made an aggressive pass, causing both drivers to make contact with Pic, sending him spinning backwards. Gasly arrived at the apex of the turn and was collected by Pic who drove into Marciello. Pic, Gasly and Marciello retired immediately and the safety car was deployed.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Drivers who had started on the soft-compound tyres elected to change to the medium compound tyres during their mandatory pit stops, which meant they rejoined the race outside of the top ten. These drivers had to hope that the medium compound tyres would last until the end of the race while pushing hard. Marciello entered the pit lane to retire. King was forced to wait behind Rossi during the pit stop phase and fell to 17th.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Vandoorne remained with his intended strategy and led the field back up to speed at the lap-nine restart, ahead of Haryanto and Leal. He fended off an attempted overtake by Haryanto heading into the first corner, while Leal fell to fifth after he was passed by Matsushita and Visoiu. While in traffic, Lynn attempted to pass Rossi into the first turn, but made contact with the rear of his car and sustained front wing damage. Rossi overtook Amberg by the 12th lap. He caught up to Stanaway and quickly overtook him, and passed Berthon using DRS two laps later.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Rossi made further use of the DRS to pass de Jong and Markelov, allowing him to pull away from the struggling Lynn. Rossi overtook Leal for fifth on lap 15, and the drivers  in the middle of the field made their mandatory tyre pit stops. Evans overtook Lynn into turn one on the 18th lap. Lynn reported that his car had tyre degradation problems and lost positions, while cars who conserved their tyres took advantage.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Matsushita made a pit stop at the end of lap 20, moving Rossi to fourth place. Rossi was approximately ten seconds behind Vandoorne. preventing the latter from  remaining the leader following his pit stop. Vandoorne made his pit stop at the end of the 22nd lap, and was delayed while his pit crew installed his right-front tyre, losing him time. He reemerged in tenth place. The rest of the leaders made their pit stops promoting Rossi to the lead on lap 23. Rossi was 6.7 seconds ahead of second-placed Evans whom King battled.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
King overtook Evans for second on lap 25, although Evans used DRS to reclaim the position. Vandoorne was more than 20 seconds behind Rossi, but his new, soft-compound tyres allowed him to lap five seconds faster than Rossi. The battle between Evans and King allowed Rossi to pull away and created an obstruction giving Vandoorne an advantage which he took. He passed King with DRS for on lap 28, and Evans soon after. Rossi led Vandoorne by nine seconds with four laps remaining with the latter lapping three seconds faster in clean air.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Rossi struggled with severe tyre degradation and increasingly locked and flat-spotted his tyres. Vandoorne had reduced Rossi's lead by the penultimate lap. He chose not to rush to avoid damaging his car. He moved into the lead after leaving the back straight when Rossi ran wide at the first hairpin. Haryanto made a similar strategy call as Vandoorne and passed King and Rossi to move into second position. Vandoorne maintained the lead for the rest of the race and crossed the start/finish line after 32 laps to win. Haryanto finished second, with Rossi in third.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
King took fourth, ahead of Visoiu and Evans. Berthon, Leal, Negrão, and Matsushita made up eighth through tenth. Eleventh-place finisher Stöckinger became the first Filipino driver to complete a GP2 Series race. He was ahead of Sirotkin, Markelov, Canamasas, and Stanaway. Amberg, Binder, de Jong and Lynn were final classified finishers.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
The second event started at 14:15 local time on 19 April. Sirotkin was required to start from the pit lane after stalling his car at the beginning of the formation lap. When the race started, pole position starter Leal maintained the lead into the first corner by driving aggressively in front of the field of cars. Haryanto moved from seventh to third by running on the outside, while a slow getaway dropped Berthon to seventh.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
King lost the most positions, moving from fifth to 13th, which he attributed to driving conservatively on the formation lap, and having no grip while moving off his starting position. Leal pulled out to the lead over the rest of the field by pushing hard. After completing two laps, Binder retired from the race, having made contact with another car, which damaged one of his front left suspension arms. Evans was overtaken by Haryanto for second place in the first turn on lap four, while Negrão lost position when he was passed by Visoiu, Matsushita, Vandoorne, and Rossi.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
King made contact with Canamasas in the fourth corner while driving alongside him during lap four. Both went off the circuit, with Canamasas sustaining front wing damage, which stopped his car. He became the race's second (and final) retirement. King continued but rejoined in 12th. Leal slowed due to tyre degradation, allowing Haryanto to close up and passed him by deploying DRS for the lead on the inside on lap eight in turn one. Evans attempted to pass Leal but ran wide, allowing the latter to retake the second position. Visoiu took advantage and overtook Leal for second place.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Evans again drove aggressively but Leal was defensive and his front wing endplate glanced Evans' front-left tyre at the turn eight hairpin. Evans drove to the pit lane for replacement tyres. Leal remained on the track, but Visoiu overtook him for second at the first corner on lap 10. Rossi passed Leal for sixth place, while King recovered to run in ninth position.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Haryanto led Visoiu, who had worn his tyres, by three seconds and the latter was unable to maintain the pace, being overtaken by Matsushita. Vandoorne was overtaken Visoiu on the pit lane straight with DRS at the start of the 16th lap. Vandoorne began to push hard and lapped one second faster than his teammate Matsushita. He passed Matsushita for second place on lap 18, providing him with an opportunity to attempt to catch Haryanto over the rest of the race. Haryanto responded and pulled away from Vandoorne.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
His teammate Matsushita struggled with pace and was passed by Rossi for third place. Berthon recovered from his poor start and overtook Rossi, with DRS, at the start of the final lap. Haryanto crossed the start/finish line after 23 laps to win his first GP2 Series race in his 70th attempt. Vandoorne finished second, ahead of third-placed Berthon. Rossi took fourth, with Leal fifth. Matsushita, Visoiu, and Negrão rounded out the points-scoring positions. King, Pic, Stanaway, Markelov, de Jong, and Sirotkin filled the next five positions, while Lynn, Nato, Evans, Amberg, Stöckinger, Marciello, Sørensen, and Gasly were the final classified finishers.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Post-race
The top three drivers of both races appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and to participate later in a press conference. After the feature race, Vandoorne said that it was a "very entertaining race" and he thought that the safety car came out at the wrong time. He stated that from his point of view overtaking was easy, and he did not expect to catch Rossi, but it had been a good start for the season starting from pole position, recording the fastest lap, and winning the event.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Post-race
Haryanto said it felt "really great" to finish on the podium, but thought it would be difficult to close the gap with drivers in front of him. He stated that he did not expect to be fast on the soft-compound tyres but knew that his pace in a race was good. Having been disappointed with his qualifying result, Rossi was pleased to stand on the podium and felt he achieved the best result for Racing Engineering, but that he should have not pushed too hard when he knew Vandoorne was in clean air.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Post-race
When the sprint race had finished, Haryanto said his first victory had been "a long time coming", and that the event was a "perfect race". He said he expected to score points and finish on the podium at the next round in Catalunya, because the events at Bahrain increased his confidence and helped him to believe he would achieve more success. Vandoorne stated the second race was also interesting, and was happy with his results. He said that his team had observed lap times from the previous race and knew he would be strong in the second event.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Post-race
Vandoorne said he was looking forward to Catalunya and had to maintain his momentum to demonstrate the team is "capable of winning there as well". Berthon said that his third-place finish was "simply amazing" for his team and himself, and his position in the Drivers' Championship was "incredible". He commented that his team felt "different" and was working hard to give him the best possible car. All they were missing was "some pace". The stewards deemed Canamasas to have left insufficient room in the collision between himself and King and was issued with a three-place grid penalty for the next round in Catalunya.


2015 Bahrain GP2 Series round, Post-race
Following this, the first race of the season, Vandoorne led the Drivers' Championship with 43 points, ten ahead of second-placed Haryanto. Rossi was third with 23 points, with Berthon in fourth. King was fifth with 12 points. ART Grand Prix took the lead of the Teams' Championship with 50 points; Racing Engineering and Campos Racing were close behind in second and third with 35 and 33 points. Lazarus was fourth on 16 points, four in front of Rapax in fifth place, with ten races left in the season.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally known as the 2015 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 19 April 2015 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. The race was the fourth round of the 2015 season and marked the eleventh time that the Bahrain Grand Prix has been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton, who was the defending race winner, came into the race with a 13-point lead over Sebastian Vettel after his victory a week prior in China. He took the 42nd pole position of his career during Saturday's qualifying, and his fourth in a row. In the race, Hamilton won from Kimi Räikkönen and Nico Rosberg, taking his 36th race victory.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
There were tensions in the Mercedes team prior to the Grand Prix. After the Chinese Grand Prix the week before, Nico Rosberg had accused his teammate Lewis Hamilton of deliberately backing him into the charging Ferrari cars during the race, claiming he had "compromised" his race. Hamilton in turn claimed that Rosberg was never close enough to attack him, an assertion that Rosberg rejected, saying he "did try to attack".


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background
The team reacted by issuing a warning to their drivers, that they would start "managing" them more if they should not be able to race for the best of the team on track. After comments made by Hamilton saying that his contract extension negotiations were going slow, rumours arose that Hamilton had asked for a clear number one status in the team, a claim denied by both driver and team.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background, Political protests
As with previous years there were protests against the race going forward. The protests highlighted the situation of the Shi'ite majority in the Sunni-ruled Arab country, demanding the release of political prisoners. The protesters tried to use the arrival of Formula One to bring their demands into the public eye. The race came only one week after a report was published by Amnesty International about "unabated" human rights violations in Bahrain.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background, Political protests
In previous years, Formula One commercial rights executive Bernie Ecclestone had maintained the view that the political situation should be kept separate from the sport, saying in 2013: "We're not here, or we don't go anywhere, to judge how a country is run". However, in what was viewed as a "180-degree policy reversal", Formula One issued a statement ahead of the 2015 Grand Prix, stating that it "has committed itself to respecting human rights in Bahrain and other countries in which it conducts business".


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background, Weather
The weather for the Bahrain Grand Prix was "typically hot [and] dry", with temperatures on Friday around 36 °C (97 °F) as the first practice session began. However, lower temperatures were expected for race day, when the race was held at night.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Background, Tyres
As in 2014, Pirelli announced they would be supplying teams with the white-banded medium compound tyre as the prime selection and the yellow-banded soft compound as the option selection for the event.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Per the regulations for the 2015 season, three practice sessions were held, two 1.5-hour sessions on Friday and another one-hour session before qualifying on Saturday. Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari were quickest in the first free practice session on Friday afternoon, with Räikkönen the only driver to lap the course in less than 1:38. The Mercedes team focused on long runs, running their cars on high fuel loads to examine tyre wear and were therefore down in 15th and 16th places respectively.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Vettel's Ferrari showed problems early in the session, but Vettel was able to run without issues towards the end. Jenson Button spun out in turn one on the start of his first flying lap and was unable to run again as his team tried to change his car's battery. It was however an uplifting session for McLaren nonetheless, since Button's teammate Fernando Alonso finished in seventh place, just seven-tenths away from Räikkönen's fastest time. After China the week before, Jolyon Palmer once again took part in the first practice session for Lotus.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Mercedes hit back in the second session on Friday night, with Nico Rosberg leading his teammate Lewis Hamilton by about a tenth of a second. The Ferraris were about half a second behind, with Räikkönen again the faster of the two. It was another dismal session for Jenson Button who had to park his car halfway through the session, though he was able to come back for a couple of laps towards the end of the session. A late red flag came out when Vettel, braking slowly into turn one, was clipped by the Force India of Sergio Pérez, taking off part of his front wing endplate.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Lewis Hamilton topped the time sheets in Saturday's free practice session, with Sebastian Vettel a tenth of a second behind, while Rosberg and Räikkönen completed the top four. Few cars took to the track during the early part of the session due to high temperatures and strong winds. A brief red flag period occurred midway through practice when Daniil Kvyat spun out in turn four.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Qualifying consisted of three parts, 18, 15 and 12 minutes in length respectively, with five drivers eliminated from competing after each of the first two sessions. All teams, including Mercedes used the softer tyre compound during the first session (Q1). Jenson Button, who had problems with his car all during practice, was unable to set a time when his car broke down on his out lap. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time, with Valtteri Bottas in second. Along with Button, both Manor Marussia cars were eliminated in Q1, as well as Daniil Kvyat – who made a mistake during his final lap – and Pastor Maldonado. Fernando Alonso was the first driver to reach a second qualifying session for McLaren over the course of the season.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Hamilton once again set the time in Q2, almost a second ahead of second-placed Kimi Räikkönen, while Felipe Massa went faster than Sebastian Vettel in third. Alonso was eliminated in 14th position, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso, who was half a second slower than Carlos Sainz Jr., his teammate. Sergio Pérez joined the two Sauber drivers as the last three cars not to make it into the top 10.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
All but Daniel Ricciardo did their first run in Q3 on used tyres in order to save a set for the race, with Hamilton fastest yet again. When the cars came around for their second and final timed laps, Ricciardo crossed the line first ahead of the Ferrari drivers, with Vettel going faster than teammate Räikkönen. When the two Mercedes came across the line last, Hamilton took his fourth consecutive pole position, while Nico Rosberg had to settle for third on the grid, not being able to beat Vettel's time. The two Williams cars filled the third row, while Nico Hülkenberg was delighted with eighth on the grid.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
Jenson Button was required to apply to the stewards to be allowed to race, because he did not post a lap time during the first part of qualifying. They gave him permission to start based on his satisfactory practice times.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Prior to the start, McLaren confirmed that they were unable to get Jenson Button's car to the grid, as the data indicated his earlier electrical issues continued. Felipe Massa's Williams did not get off the line at the start of the formation lap, so he had to start from pit lane. The start lights went on after a long delay, due to Pastor Maldonado being in the wrong grid position.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the start proper, Lewis Hamilton was able to hold his lead, while his teammate Nico Rosberg tried to attack Sebastian Vettel in second place. This opened up the opportunity for the second Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen to go around the outside of the Mercedes and take third. Hamilton tried to open up a gap in order to cover his position, should the Ferrari drivers attempt a so-called undercut, a strategy in which a car entered the pit lane early in order to use fresher tyres to get in front of another car without overtaking them on track. Meanwhile, Rosberg took back third from Räikkönen on lap four before doing the same with Vettel on the end of lap nine.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
As the pit stops started on lap eleven, Massa, Nico Hülkenberg and Felipe Nasr were the first to come in for new tyres. Hamilton had extended his advantage over Vettel to almost 8 seconds when Vettel made a pit stop – the first of the front-runners to do so – on lap 14. The undercut-strategy worked, as Rosberg emerged from the pit lane behind the Ferrari when he made a pit stop one lap later.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Hamilton changed tyres on the following lap, emerging close in front of the battling Rosberg and Vettel, with the Mercedes driver taking second position in a DRS-aided move on the inside of turn one. He was now close behind teammate Hamilton, but ultimately unable to attack him for the lead. Räikkönen was the last of the top four to pit, on lap 18 and applied a different strategy, as he used the harder medium tyres, while the Mercedes and Vettel were running their middle stint on the softer tyre compound. Even with the harder tyres, he was able to close to the top three.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Felipe Massa tried to make up places after his pit lane-start, but was caught in midfield battles. He went into the pit lane simultaneously with Felipe Nasr in front and Pastor Maldonado behind him. A swift stop by the Lotus pit crew meant that Maldonado was able to get out ahead and gain two positions. Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson was running eighth when he came into the pit lane on lap 26. A 27-second pit stop due to problems with the front left tyre meant that he fell out of reach for a points finish. Carlos Sainz Jr. retired from the race right after exiting pit lane on lap 30, due to an issue with his front left wheel. His Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen joined him on the sidelines on lap 34 due to an electrical failure.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
On lap 34, both Hamilton and Vettel came in for their second and final planned stop, both equipping the medium tyre set. The undercut worked once more for the Ferrari, as Rosberg emerged behind Vettel one lap later. However, Vettel ran wide on the exit of the final corner on lap 36, letting Rosberg past and damaging his front wing, meaning he had to come into the pit lane for an unscheduled stop on the next lap, leaving him down in fifth position.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
His teammate Räikkönen made a second pit stop on lap 40, taking the softer and faster tyres, trying to catch the two Mercedes towards the end of the race. Fourteen laps before the finish, Räikkönen was fifteen seconds down on second-placed Rosberg, but closing by more than a second per lap. With the Mercedes in front having to make their way through backmarkers, Räikkönen was able to cut down the gap even faster, reaching Rosberg with three laps of the race to go.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Rosberg, suffering from brake overheating over the entire course of the race, outbraked himself at turn one on lap 56, which allowed Räikkönen to take second place from him. The other Mercedes of Hamilton had brake problems as well towards the end, but was able to control the gap to the Ferrari to take his third victory of the season.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Race
Four-time world champion Vettel however was unable to overtake the Williams of Valtteri Bottas for fourth. The other Williams of Felipe Massa had applied the undercut well in the early part of the race to recover from his pit lane-start to eighth position, but when his tyres started to degrade he was passed by both Sergio Pérez and Daniil Kvyat and finished tenth, taking one point. The race ended spectacularly when the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo suffered an engine blow-up on the final straight, just being able to coast his car over the finish line.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
During the podium interviews conducted by Jackie Stewart, Lewis Hamilton conceded it had been a tough race, saying: "The Ferraris gave us a real good run for our money and out there it was really difficult to look after the tyres in these conditions, behind backmarkers and all sorts, but fortunately I was able to keep the car together, keep the tyres as healthy as possible and pull it through."


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Kimi Räikkönen expressed disappointment with not being able to win, but said he was "very happy how the team is working" and highlighted the big step forward Ferrari had made over the winter. Nico Rosberg was disappointed about the brake failure costing him second place, but added that he was very happy with the car altogether.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Sebastian Vettel said he felt that he had let the team down with his mistake that cost him a chance to challenge Rosberg for second position himself, but was happy with "a good recovery and still some decent points".


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
After the race, particular praise from the press was directed at Räikkönen, who returned to the podium for the first time since the 2013 Korean Grand Prix, 18 months prior. German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung called his drive a "cool application" for a contract extension after 2015.


2015 Bahrain Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
After Daniel Ricciardo's engine gave up on the finish straight of the last lap, he was already down to his last engine of the season after only four races. Should he needed to use another one, he would face grid penalties. This added to Renault's problems, after the two Toro Rosso drivers also failed to finish and put more strain on the relationship between Red Bull and their engine provider. Max Verstappen was quoted calling the engine "a bit of a nightmare", saying it could jeopardise the goal of fifth place for Toro Rosso in the constructors' championship. Subsequently, team boss Christian Horner confirmed that the teams would agree on the plan decided upon earlier that year, to increase the engine limit from four to five, taking some of the pressure off Red Bull and Ricciardo.


2015 Bahraini King's Cup
The Bahraini King's Cup is a cup competition involving teams from the Bahraini Premier League and 2nd tier. East Riffa are the current holders of the King's Cup, having defeated Busaiteen in extra time in last year's final. The data is an assessment of how the outcome of the games during the 2015 Bahraini King's Cup.


2015 Bahraini King's Cup, Preliminary round
The winners of the preliminary round qualify for the last 16 elimination round of the tournament.


2015 Baku Cup
The 2015 Baku Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. This was the fifth edition of the tournament, and part of the 2015 WTA Tour. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan between 27 July and 2 August 2015.


2015 Baku Cup, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Baku Cup, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pair received a wildcard into the doubles main draw:


2015 Baku Cup – Doubles
Alexandra Panova and Heather Watson were the defending champions, but Watson chose not to participate. Panova successfully defended the title alongside Margarita Gasparyan, defeating Vitalia Diatchenko and Olga Savchuk in the final, 6–3, 7–5.


2015 Baku Cup – Singles
Elina Svitolina was the two-time defending champion, but chose not to participate this year.


2015 Baku Cup – Singles
Margarita Gasparyan won her first WTA title, defeating Patricia Maria Țig in the final, 6–3, 5–7, 6–0.


2015 Baku residence building fire
The 2015 Baku residence building fire occurred on 19 May 2015 in a 16-level residence building located in Azadlig Avenue 200/36 in Binagadi raion of Baku, Azerbaijan. The official death toll from the fire was 15, of whom five were children; at least 63 people were injured. Most of the dead were killed by toxic smoke as the building caught fire. It took firemen three hours to completely extinguish the fire.


2015 Baku residence building fire, Overview
The disaster led to severe outrage among the population and provoked a lot of discussions around the material used in the renovation of the facade of more than 200 apartment blocks in Baku built in the Soviet period. Flammable Styrofoam facing had been installed on the exterior of old buildings as part of Baku's "beautification" scheme. Consequently, the city officials started the process of removing the facade of the buildings where the material causing the fire was used. In some extreme cases, residents used hammers and their hands to remove the material from their buildings.


2015 Baku residence building fire, Overview
A similar fire had erupted in Baku about a month earlier, on 10 April 2015, but there were no injuries. The reason for both of the fires is indicated as low quality flammable facade material used in the renovation.


2015 Balearic Island Council elections
The 2015 Balearic Island Council elections were held on Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect the 10th Island Councils of Mallorca and Menorca and the 3rd Island Councils of Formentera and Ibiza. All 76 seats in the four Island Councils were up for election. The elections were held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2015 Balearic Island Council elections, Island Council control
The following table lists party control in the Island Councils. Gains for a party are displayed with the cell's background shaded in that party's colour.


2015 Balearic regional election
The 2015 Balearic regional election was held on Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect the 9th Parliament of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. All 59 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2015 Balearic regional election
All in all, the election resulted in the loss of the parliamentary majority by the People's Party (PP), together with its worst election result ever in the islands. The Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands (PSIB) also saw losses, but could form a coalition government, led by socialist Francina Armengol, together with More for Mallorca (Més) and More for Menorca (MpM), obtaining confidence and supply support from We Can (Podemos/Podem) and the People for Formentera (GxF) deputy.


2015 Balearic regional election
It was the first time that left-wing parties had a majority of seats in the Balearic parliament, with previous PSIB-led governments having required the support of centrist Majorcan Union (UM) to rule in 1999 and 2007. Opposition, aside from PP, was formed by Proposta per les Illes (El Pi) and Citizens (C's), both obtaining their whole representation in Mallorca, but being close to winning seats in Ibiza and Menorca, respectively—in the latter, Ciutadella de Menorca People's Union represented the C's Menorcan branch.


2015 Balearic regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of the Balearic Islands was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Balearic Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Balearic Islands and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Additionally, Balearic people abroad were required to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).


2015 Balearic regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 59 members of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 33 for Mallorca, 13 for Menorca, 12 for Ibiza and 1 for Formentera.


2015 Balearic regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2015 Balearic regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The election Decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands, with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 22 May 2011, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 22 May 2015. The election Decree was required to be published no later than 28 April 2015, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 21 June 2015.


2015 Balearic regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Government had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of the Balearic Islands and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a sixty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.


2015 Balearic regional election, Background
In the 2011 election, the People's Party (PP), led by José Ramón Bauzá, regained an absolute majority, and Bauzá was elected president on 15 June 2015. A series of controversial and unpopular decrees and laws followed, the most discussed involving the language of the Balearic Islands—Catalan in its island dialects—and the education. These generated record-attendance demonstrations, the most important one on 29 September 2013, when more than 70,000 people demonstrated in Palma protesting, amongst other things, against the changes in the language decree. It established more school hours in Spanish and English, however the majority of public schools and their teachers were not prepared to carry it out.


2015 Balearic regional election, Background
The main opposition party, the Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands (PSIB), elected Francina Armengol as its new leader in February 2012 in substitution of former President of the Balearic Islands Francesc Antich.


2015 Balearic regional election, Background
During the 2011–2015 legislature, Agreement for Mallorca (ExM) joined the coalition between the Socialist Party of Mallorca (PSM) and InitiativeGreens (IV) in 2013. It was renamed as More for Mallorca (Més) in October 2013, with PSM leader Biel Barceló as its Secretary General. Its sister party Socialist Party of Menorca formed the coalition More for Menorca (MpM) with the Greens of Menorca and Equo Menorca in July 2014.


2015 Balearic regional election, Background
The disbanded Majorcan Union (UM) had resulted in two parties with similar political views in the 2011 election: Convergence for the Isles (CxI)—the political heir of UM—and Regionalist League of the Balearic Islands (IB–Lliga). None of them obtained representation in the Parliament. In November 2012, they both united with other local parties to create a new party called Proposal for the Isles (El Pi) to contest in the 2015 election not only in Mallorca, but also in Menorca and Ibiza. Jaume Font, former PP member and IB–Lliga leader, was elected as its president.


2015 Balearic regional election, Background
In addition, the Spanish politics were observing the growth of new parties like We Can (Podemos/Podem) in the left and young parties like Citizens (C's) in the center-right. In their regional branches, Alberto Jarabo was elected as the Secretary General of Podemos in February 2015, while Xavier Pericay was elected as C's candidate in April 2015.


2015 Balearic regional election, Parties and candidates
Below is a list of the main parties and coalitions which contested the election:


2015 Balearic regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 30 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands.


2015 Bali United F.C. season
The 2015 season was the inaugural season of competitive association football played by Bali United Football Club, a professional football club based in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia as a new club following the team's change of name from Putra Samarinda.


2015 Bali United F.C. season
Following Putra Samarinda's result from the 2014 Indonesia Super League, Bali United played their first season in the Indonesia Super League.


2015 Bali United F.C. season
They unable to finished the league and Piala Indonesia was cancelled  because all competition this season was discontinued by PSSI on 2 May 2015 due to a ban by the sports minister on PSSI running any football competition.


2015 Bali United F.C. season, Transfers, Inaugural players
These were inaugural players for Bali United that signed the contract before the start of 2015 Indonesia Super League.


2015 Bali United F.C. season, Transfers, Transfers in
These list include the players who signed the contract after 2015 Indonesia Super League start.


2015 Bali United F.C. season, Transfers, Transfers out
These list include the players who left the club after they signed a contract.


2015 Balkan Athletics Championships
The 2015 Balkan Athletics Championships was the 74th edition of the annual track and field competition for athletes from the Balkans, organised by Balkan Athletics. It was held at Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin in Pitești, Romania on 1 and 2 August. The host nation Romania won the most medals at the competition, with 28, and the Turkey won the most gold medals, at 10. The competition was originally scheduled to take place in Serres, Greece, but the venue was changed due to a lack of funding, in the context of the Greek government-debt crisis.


2015 Balkan Athletics Championships
On the men's side, three championship records were broken. Jak Ali Harvey of Turkey ran a record of 10.11 seconds to win the 100 metres, Slovenia's Robert Renner cleared 5.65 m to win the pole vault in a Slovenian record, and Andrei Gag set a championship and Romanian record of 20.96 m to win the shot put. The highlight performance of the women's competition was a championship record of 9:33.41 minutes by Silvia Danekova in the 3000 metres steeplechase, which was also a Bulgarian national record.


2015 Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships
The 2015 Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships was the 20th edition of the annual indoor track and field competition for athletes from the Balkans, organised by Balkan Athletics. It was held on 21 February at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.


2015 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 2015 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Pete Lembo and played their home games at Scheumann Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in MAC play to finish in fifth place in the West Division.


2015 Ballabhgarh riot
2015 Ballabhgarh riot refers to the attacks on 400 Muslim villagers of Atali village, Ballabhgarh, Haryana, India by a  Hindu mob.


2015 Ballabhgarh riot, Background
The incident took place May 25, 2015 in the village of Atali in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. According to the locals, the cause of the confrontation was a dispute over a 30-year-old mosque. In 2009 the Hindus of the village claimed that it was the property of the village Panchayat. The Muslims said the land belonged to the Waqf board. In March 2015, the Faridabad court ruled in favour of the Muslim community. The Hindus however, continued to raise objections, with some advocating the demolition of the mosque because it stood adjacent to a temple. [ 1][4]


2015 Ballabhgarh riot, Aftermath
A mass of 2000 people attacked the village using swords, bricks, and fire as weapons of choice. The mosque was torched and the Muslims of the village fled. Muslims believe that they were selectively targeted, citing instances such as the only shop burned in a vendor's market belonged to Muslim merchants and only the homes of Muslims were looted. An estimated 400 Muslims were displaced from their homes, many of them slept in the police station in the neighboring village of Ballabgarh. The following day, Muslims began to protest at the Ballabgarh police station because no one had been arrested in relation to the crimes. One month later, still no charges have been brought upon those who committed the attacks.


2015 Baltic Futsal Cup
The 2015 Baltic Futsal Cup was held from November 27 to 29, 2015 in Estonia.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season
The 2015 Baltimore Orioles season was the 115th season in franchise history, the 62nd in Baltimore, and the 24th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. They were attempting to defend their 2014 AL East title, but were eliminated from the division title race on September 23, 11+1⁄2 games back from Toronto. They were eliminated from the postseason on September 28, 6+1⁄2 games back from Houston for the second AL wild card spot. They finished the season .500 (81-81), their 4th straight non-losing season under manager Buck Showalter.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season
The one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season was first baseman Chris Davis winning the MLB Home Run Championship with 47, the third consecutive year in which the crown was won by an Oriole after Davis in 2013 and Nelson Cruz in 2014. Third baseman Manny Machado was the only player in the majors to play all 162 games, a reassuring feat after Machado had missed significant portions of the preceding two seasons due to knee injuries.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
October 30: Alexi Casilla, Johan Santana, Andrew Miller, Kelly Johnson, Nelson Cruz, Joe Saunders, Nick Markakis, and Delmon Young entered free agency. Delmon Young would be the only one to re-sign with the team on January 9.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
October 31: Claimed Pat McCoy off waivers from the Texas Rangers


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
November 1: Nick Hundley entered free agency. He signed with the Colorado Rockies.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
Week of November 18: Signed 12 players to a minor league contract, and promoted Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright from the minors. They also signed free agent Oliver Drake.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
November 26: Signed Rey Navarro and receive Scott Barnes from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for cash.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
December 11: Drafted Logan Verrett and received Jason Garcia from the Houston Astros in exchange for cash.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
December 15: Gave Jesse Beal, Chaz Roe, and Matt Tuiasosopo a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
December 23: Released Quintin Berry and claimed Ryan Lavarnway off the Chicago Cubs


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
December 24: Signed Cesar Cabral to a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
January 5 – 21: Signed 7 players (including J. P. Arencibia) to a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
January 23: Received Hector Daniel Rodriguez from the Braves for cash.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
January 27: Received Travis Snider from the Pittsburgh Pirates and gave them Stephen Tarpley and a player to be named. Also designated Mike Ohlman for assignment and signed 3 players to a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
January 29: Signed Brad Duffy to a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 2: Signed Julio Borbon to a minor league contract.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 3: Traded Steve Lombardozzi, Jr. to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash. Also traded Mike Ohlman to the St Louis Cardinals for cash.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 10: Signed former Oriole free agents Mark Hendrickson and Nolan Reimold to minor league contracts.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 11–17: Signed four players (including Jayson Nix) to minor league contracts.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 20: Sent Steven Brault to the Pittsburgh Pirates as the PTBNL in the Travis Snider trade.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Offseason
February 25: Signed free agent Everth Cabrera and designated Alex Hassan for assignment.


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Contracts
April 6: C Ryan Lavarnway's contract selected from AAA Norfolk Tides; RHP Ryan Webb designated for assignmentApril 9: RHP Ryan Webb and C Brian Ward traded to Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Ben Rowen and C Chris O'Brien


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Contracts
May 11 RHP Jorge Rondon claimed off waivers from Colorado RockiesMay 24 RHP Chaz Roe's contract selected from AAA Norfolk TidesMay 26: C Ryan Lavarnway designated for assignmentMay 27: LF Alejandro De Aza designated for assignmentMay 29: C Ryan Lavarnway outrighted to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Contracts
June 3: LF Alejandro De Aza traded to Boston Red Sox for RHP Joe GunkelJune 5: LHP Cesar Cabral's contract selected from AAA Norfolk Tides; SS Everth Cabrera designated for assignmentJune 9: OF Nolan Reimold's contract selected from AAA Norfolk TidesJune 13: SS Everth Cabrera releasedJune 15: 1B Chris Parmelee's contract selected from AAA Norfolk TidesJune 20: RHP Mychal Givens' contract selected from AA Bowie Baysox


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Contracts
July 1: RF/DH Delmon Young designated for assignmentJuly 9: RF/DH Delmon Young releasedJuly 14: LHP Wesley Wright designated for assignmentJuly 22: LHP Wesley Wright releasedJuly 31: OF Gerardo Parra acquired from Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Zach Davies; OF Junior Lake acquired from Chicago Cubs for RHP Tommy Hunter; RHP Bud Norris and 1B Chris Parmelee designated for assignment


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Contracts
August 7: OF Travis Snider designated for assignmentAugust 8: RHP Bud Norris released; 1B Chris Parmelee outrighted to AAAAugust 14: LF David Lough designated for assignmentAugust 15: OF Travis Snider releasedAugust 23: LF David Lough optioned to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Callups and optional assignments
April 5: LHP T. J. McFarland optioned to AAAApril 7: C Steve Clevenger optioned to AAAApril 11: RHP Eddie Gamboa recalled from AAAApril 13 RHP Eddie Gamboa optioned to AAAApril 24: IF Rey Navarro recalled from AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Callups and optional assignments
May 8: LHP T. J. McFarland recalled from AAA; IF Rey Navarro optioned to AAAMay 11: RHP Jorge Rondon optioned to AAAMay 12: IF Rey Navarro recalled from AAAMay 13: RHP Mike Wright recalled from AAAMay 18: RHP Tyler Wilson recalled from AAAMay 22: IF Rey Navarro optioned to AAAMay 23: RHP Oliver Drake recalled from AAA; RHP Tyler Wilson optioned to AAAMay 24: LHP T. J. McFarland optioned to AAAMay 26: C Steve Clevenger recalled from AAAMay 28: RHP Tyler Wilson recalled from AAAMay 29: RHP Tyler Wilson optioned to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Callups and optional assignments
June 3: LHP T. J. McFarland recalled from AAA; RHP Oliver Drake optioned to AAAJune 5: IF Rey Navarro recalled from AAA; C Steve Clevenger and RHP Mike Wright optioned to AAAJune 7: IF Rey Navarro optioned to AAAJune 9: LHP Cesar Cabral optioned to AAAJune 11: RHP Mike Wright recalled from AAAJune 14: RHP Tyler Wilson recalled from AAA; LHP T. J. McFarland optioned to AAAJune 15: LHP Wei-Yin Chen optioned to AJune 20: RHP Mike Wright and RHP Tyler Wilson optioned to AAAJune 21: RHP Oliver Drake recalled from AAA; RHP Kevin Gausman optioned to AAAJune 24: LHP T. J. McFarland recalled from AAA; RHP Oliver Drake optioned to AAAJune 25: RHP Mychal Givens optioned to AAJune 26: LHP Wei-Yin Chen recalled from A; LHP T. J. McFarland optioned to AAAJune 28: LHP T. J. McFarland recalled from AAAJune 29: LHP T. J. McFarland optioned to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Callups and optional assignments
July 1: RHP Tyler Wilson recalled from AAAJuly 2 : RHP Kevin Gausman recalled from AAA; RHP Tyler Wilson optioned to AAAJuly 5: 2B Ryan Flaherty optioned to AAAJuly 6: 2B Ryan Flaherty recalled from AAAJuly 8: 1B Christian Walker recalled from AAA; RHP Kevin Gausman optioned to AAAJuly 9: 1B Christian Walker optioned to AAAJuly 22: RHP Kevin Gausman recalled from AAAJuly 31: RHP Mike Wright recalled from AAA; RHP Mychal Givens recalled from AA; OF Junior Lake optioned to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Callups and optional assignments
August 1: RHP Jorge Rondon recalled from AAAAugust 3: RHP Tyler Wilson recalled from AAA; RHP Jorge Rondon optioned to AAAAugust 4: LHP T. J. McFarland recalled from AAA; RHP Tyler Wilson optioned to AAAAugust 6: RHP Mychal Givens optioned to AAAugust 7: OF Junior Lake recalled from AAAAugust 10: RHP Mychal Givens recalled from AAAugust 14: C Steve Clevenger recalled from AAAAugust 15: OF Henry Urrutia recalled from AAA; OF Junior Lake optioned to AAA


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Injuries, etc.
April 5: SS J. J. Hardy, C Matt Wieters, LF David Lough and 3B/DH Jimmy Paredes placed on 15-day disabled listApril 7: 1B Chris Davis activated from restricted listApril 11: LHP Wesley Wright placed on 15-day disabled listApril 13: LF David Lough activated from disabled listApril 18: 2B Jonathan Schoop placed on 15-day disabled list; 3B/DH Jimmy Paredes activated from disabled listApril 24: 2B Ryan Flaherty placed on 15-day disabled list


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Injuries, etc.
May 7: SS J J Hardy activated from disabled list; SS Everth Cabrera placed on 15-day disabled listMay 8: RHP Kevin Gausman placed on 15-day disabled list; 2B Ryan Flaherty activated from disabled listMay 10: C Matt Wieters transferred to 60-day disabled listMay 12: 2B Ryan Flaherty placed on 15-day disabled listMay 13: RHP Jason Garcia placed on 15-day disabled listMay 18: RHP Bud Norris placed on 15-day disabled listMay 22: SS Everth Cabrera activated from disabled listMay 24: RHP Wesley Wright transferred to 60-day disabled listMay 27: 2B Ryan Flaherty activated from disabled list


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Injuries, etc.
June 5: LHP Brian Matusz placed on restricted list (8-game suspension for foreign substance); C Matt Wieters activated from disabled listJune 7: RHP Bud Norris activated from disabled listJune 11: RHP Miguel Gonzales placed on 15-day disabled listJune 14: LHP Brian Matusz activated from restricted listJune 16: 2B Jonathan Schoop transferred to 60-day disabled listJune 20: RHP Kevin Gausman activated from disabled list; RHP Jason Garcia transferred to 60-day disabled listJune 25: RHP Miguel Gonzales activated from disabled list


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Injuries, etc.
July 5: 2B Jonathan Schoop activated from disabled listJuly 6: OF Nolan Reimold placed on paternity listJuly 9: OF Nolan Reimold activated from paternity listJuly 14: LHP Wesley Wright activated from disabled listJuly 22: OF Steve Pearce placed on 15-day disabled list


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Regular season, Transactions, Injuries, etc.
August 1: RHP Mike Wright placed on 15-day disabled listAugust 6: RHP Jason Garcia activated from disabled listAugust 10: RHP Chaz Roe placed on 15-day disabled list


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Statistics, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Statistics, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


2015 Baltimore Orioles season, Accolades
The following players represented the Orioles in the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game


2015 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2015 Baltimore Ravens season was the franchise's 20th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the eighth under head coach John Harbaugh. Although picked by some, including Sports Illustrated's Peter King, to reach the Super Bowl, they had a disappointing season due to devastating injuries to team starters. 14 of their games were decided by 8 points or less and Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Steve Smith, Sr., and Terrell Suggs all suffered season ending injuries.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season
They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14 with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which they also suffered their ninth loss, resulting their first, and only, losing season in the Harbaugh–Flacco era and first since the collapse of the Brian Billick era. Ultimately the Ravens finished with a 5–11 record and twenty-two players ended the season on Injured Reserve. The 5–11 record is their worst since the 2007 season.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: Denver Broncos 19, Baltimore Ravens 13
The Ravens opened the season in Denver. Joe Flacco and the offense struggled through the entire game. Not only did the Ravens lose 19–13 and start the season 0–1, but they also lost Terrell Suggs to a torn achilles. It was later announced that Suggs would miss the entire 2015 season, jeopardizing the Ravens defense for the rest of the season.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: Oakland Raiders 37, Baltimore Ravens 33
With the tough loss, the Ravens dropped to 0–2, the first such start to a season since 2005. The team also dropped to 7–2 all-time against the Raiders. With wins by both the Steelers and the Browns, the Ravens remain in the AFC North basement.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals 28, Baltimore Ravens 24
With their fourth straight loss to the Bengals, the Ravens dropped to 0–3 and started the season with such a record for the first time in franchise history.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: Baltimore Ravens 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20 (OT)
The Ravens finally produced a win against their archrival the Steelers to improve to 1–3. With the Browns' loss to the Chargers on Sunday, both teams remain in last place in the division.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: Cleveland Browns 33, Baltimore Ravens 30 (OT)
The Ravens couldn't use the momentum from the Pittsburgh win to beat their division rival the Browns, losing in overtime 33–30, dropping to 1–4 for the first time in franchise history. They fell back to solo last place in the division and also lost their first game to the Browns at home since 2007. Harbaugh and Flacco's records dropped to 13–2 against the Browns as well.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: San Francisco 49ers 25, Baltimore Ravens 20
In a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens' defense was unable to keep up with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick and their former teammates Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.


2015 Baltimore Ravens season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: Arizona Cardinals 26, Baltimore Ravens 18
The Ravens, hoping to stop a five-game losing streak, travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The defense struggled to contain the Cardinals explosive receiving corps. Late in the fourth quarter, Joe Flacco attempted to mount a comeback, but an interception in the end zone by the Cardinals sealed the loss. With the loss, the Ravens go to 1–6, tied for the worst record in the league with the Detroit Lions.