Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
Pablo Larrain, El Club
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize for a feature film that opens new perspectives Ixcanul, director: Jayro Bustamante
Silver Bear for Best Director (tie)
Radu Jude, Aferim!
Małgorzata Szumowska, Body
Silver Bear for Best Actress
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Silver Bear for Best Actor
Tom Courtenay, 45 Years
Silver Bear for Best Script
Patricio Guzman, The Pearl Button
Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution in the categories camera, editing, music score, costumes or set design (Tie)
Sturla Brandth Grovlen, Cinematographer: Victoria
Sergey Mikhalchuk and Evgeniy Privin, Cinematographers: Under Electric Clouds
Best First Feature Award for the Best Debut Film 600 Miles, director: Gabriel Ripstein
Audi Short Film Award
Planet Sigma, director: Momoko Seto
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) Bad At dancing, director: Joanna Arnow
Golden Bear for Best Short Film Hosanna, director: Na Young-kil
One person was shot dead and three police officers were wounded at a freedom of speech debate in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen where the French ambassador was speaking.
Two gunmen are said to be still at large.
Reports say up to 40 shots were fired outside the venue in the Danish capital.
Controversial Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who has drawn caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, was also present at the blasphemy debate.
Shortly after the attack, a message appeared on the Twitter feed of French ambassador Francois Zimeray saying he was unharmed.
The area around the venue, reportedly a cafe, is under lockdown.
Lars Vilks stoked controversy in 2007 by drawing pictures of the Prophet Muhammad dressed as a dog.
An organizer of the event, Helle Merete Brix, said she clearly considered the incident as an attack on Lars Vilks, reported the Associated Press.
In 2010 two brothers tried to burn down Lars Vilks’ house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson.
Benedict Cumberbatch and his fiancée Sophie Hunter are set to get married over the Valentine’s weekend.
The couple is expected to tie the knot in a private ceremony with family and close friends in the south of England.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter shunned the token celebrity Instagram post of an engagement ring to announce their engagement in a small notice in the Times newspaper back in November.
Sophie Hunter, 36, first met Benedict Cumberbatch, 38, when they appeared together in the 2009 film Burlesque Fairytales.
Benedict Cumberbatch has been shortlisted for an Oscar for his role as mathematician and Second World War code breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.
Drake has surprised fans by releasing a new album on iTunes with no advance notice.
The Canadian rapper dropped If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late on February 13.
There are 17 tracks in total featuring artists like Lil Wayne, Travis Scott and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
It comes just over a year after Drake was featured on Beyonce’s self-titled fifth studio album which was released in the same way.
On Friday morning Drake posted a link to the iTunes page on his Twitter account.
The hashtag #IfYoureReadingThisItsTooLate has also been trending.
More and more artists are choosing to release new music this way, including Kid Cudi, Wolfmother and G-Unit.
Drake’s last album Nothing Was The Same came out in 2013.
It was the rapper’s third studio album and went straight to the top of the American Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 650,000 copies in its first week.
In some parts of the world like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia or Indonesia, celebrating Valentine’s Day with flowers, chocolates or a glass of wine could result in severe punishment.
While Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many Indonesians, officials and Muslim clerics are less happy about the holiday.
In recent years there have been protests from conservative Indonesians, saying Valentine’s Day is un-Islamic.
They argue it promotes casual s** and the drinking of alcohol.
India
A number of political parties in India have criticized Valentine’s Day, arguing it promotes Western values and is unwelcome in India.
India used to be part of the British Empire until it declared independence on August 15, 1947.
In 2015, the Indian Hindu nationalist party Mahasabha said that they would encourage couples spotted out together on Valentine’s Day to get married, and will actually have a religious leader on standby to perform marriages.
Other groups have said that celebrating romance would encourage teenage pregnancy and instead pushed for Indians to ditch the idea of romance between boys and girls and replace Valentine’s Day with a celebration of the love between parents and children, a “Parent’s Worship Day”.
The idea began on religious leader Asaram Bapu’s website.
Indonesia
The Asian country has the world’s largest Muslim population, but is a secular nation, meaning that the government says it is neutral and neither supports nor disagrees with religion.
However, in the province of Aceh, the only place with Islamic rule, celebrations are banned as is the sale of gifts.
Photo Getty Images
Iran
While giving chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day is increasingly popular in Iran, in the past authorities have sought to crack down on celebrations, calling the day a “decedent Western custom”.
Despite this restaurants in Tehran reported being fully booked last year and many shops could be seen selling teddy bears and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.
This was in spite of being threatened with prosecution if they sold traditional Valentine’s Day gifts.
According to the Economist, shops simply used lookouts to tell them if inspectors were coming on a Valentine’s Day patrol.
Malaysia
Last year, 80 Muslims were arrested by the Islamic morality police for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
They think Valentine’s Day encourages immoral activities.
Officers raided budget hotels in the central state of Selangor and capital, Kuala Lumpur, detaining unmarried Muslim couples who were sharing rooms.
The anti-Valentine’s Day campaign by the country’s Islamic authorities goes back to a fatwa (religious ruling) issued in 2005.
However, many Malaysians still celebrate the day and other faiths are not affected by the Valentine’s Day boycott in the country.
Additionally not all Malaysian Muslims agreed with the campaign, with some saying Valentine’s Day is harmless.
Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of the 28 million-population.
Pakistan
In 2014, there were clashes at a university in Peshawar over Valentine’s Day.
Liberal students were celebrating with red balloons and cake while another group felt such a show was un-Islamic.
Dozens of students threw rocks in the scuffle, leading to gunshots being fired by both sides and rooms in a student dormitory being set on fire.
Three students were injured and stones were thrown at police.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, Valentine’s Day is banned by the kingdom’s religious police.
Women and men sit separately in restaurants and public displays of affection are taboo.
However, some shops continue to sell red roses and other traditional Valentine’s presents.
One shop owner described how Valentine’s Day orders are placed over the telephone to avoid detection and flowers are hidden in the back of the store.
Last August, the decision to sentence five Saudis to a total of 39 years in prison, as well as 4,500 lashes between them, was upheld.
The men had been found dancing with six women they were unrelated to on Valentine’s Day. Alcohol and red roses were also seized.
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s dad has released a new statement regarding his daughter and blamed some of the family members for conflicting reports.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, has been in a coma, fighting for life, since being discovered unconscious in her bathtub on January 31.
In his comments on February 13, Bobby Brown and his attorney asked that the media not give credence to updates from family members they say are unfamiliar with Bobbi Kristina’s current condition, specifically her cousin, Jerod Brown.
Bobby Brown’s legal counsel, Christopher Brown, says in a statement: “At this time it is requested that the media cease speaking with unauthorized members of the family. The integrity of the events that led to the hospitalization of Bobbi Kristina must remain uncompromised.”
The statement also says: “Various members of the family have provided media interviews, however, none of them are approved visitors to see Bobbi Kristina. None of them have firsthand knowledge of Bobbi Kristina’s treatment and the medical staff at Emory University Hospital has not communicated with them.”
It adds: “In [particular], Jerod Brown aka Jerod Carter aka YF Kennedy, continues to [make] statements and appear on television, however, he has not had any communication with Bobby Brown or the Houston family. He must be disregarded. Please do not attend any <<meet and greet>> organized by Jerod Brown as he is unable to provide access to Bobbi Kristina or information on her condition. This is a criminal investigation and we do not need this side show.”
Bobby Brown himself says: “We continue to request privacy in this matter. We thank everyone that supports Bobbi Kristina and God is hearing our prayers.”
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has admitted she was not sober at the president’s State of the Union address.
“I wasn’t 100% sober,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg said at an event with fellow Justice Antonin Scalia.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she “couldn’t resist the fine wine” at the dinner which traditionally brings together some of the court’s justices before the speech.
At 81, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the oldest serving judge on the Supreme Court.
She was asked about the incident by the moderator at an event at George Washington University on February 13.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was repeatedly pictured slumbering in her chair as President Barack Obama addressed the joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives on January 20.
“The audience for the most part is awake, but they’re bobbing up and down all the time. And we sit there as stone-faced, sober judges. But we’re not.
“At least I wasn’t 100% sober when we went to the State of the Union,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, provoking audience laughter.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she had vowed to stick to sparkling water after dozing at the speech in past years, but was unable to resist the lure of a “very fine California wine” brought by Justice Anthony Kennedy.
“In the end, the dinner was so delicious it needed wine,” she said.
“Well, that’s the first intelligent thing you’ve done,” quipped Justice Antonin Scalia.
Former Justice David Souter used to give her a pinch when he spotted the warning signs in years gone by, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, but the judges beside her this time were “more timid”.
Rio Carnival has become world-famous through the Samba Parade, a show, a display and competition of the Rio samba schools.
The two major days are Carnival Sunday and Monday (February 15th and 16th). The second best option is the Champions´ Parade on Saturday, February 21s.
There are 4 different parades in the Sambodromo.
Samba Schools in the First League (the Special Group)
Sunday, February 15 and Monday, February 16 –
This is “THE” Parade, the highlight of Rio Carnival. The must-see show which has made Rio de Janeiro the Carnival capital of the world. The whole big world of Carnival revolves around those two nights.
The schools in this group are especially magnificent and sumptuous.
The two nights are similar in terms of set-up. 6 of the best 12 samba schools parade on both Sunday and Monday.
Champions’ Parade
Saturday, February 21 –
The 6 best samba schools of the First League (the Special Group) parade in all their splendor once more, with fireworks.
Preliminary Parades of the Second League Schools
Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14
There are 15 samba schools in this group, following the best 12 schools in the First League (the Special Group). The winner of this parades ascends to the First League (the Special Group) next year.
Children`s Samba Schools
Fat Tuesday, February 17, 19:00 (doors open at 17:00)
Free admission
These are branches of the big samba schools, formed by children of each community.
Their parade follows the pattern of the big schools. Entrance to this parade is free (except the Front Boxes and Luxury Suites).[youtube y52FAp-eBFU 650]
Don McLean has announced he will reveal the meaning of the lyrics to his hit song American Pie when the original manuscript goes under the hammer in New York in April.
American Pie is considered Don McLean’s magnum opus and his signature song.
The lyrics are scheduled to be auctioned off on April 7th.
The singer has previously acknowledged that the beginning of the song is about the death of Buddy Holly, but has remained elusive about the rest of the track.
“The writing and the lyrics will divulge everything there is to divulge,” Don McLean told Reuters.
The 16-page manuscript could fetch up to $1.5 million at auction.
The 1971 song, which is Don McLean’s best-known work, was named a Song of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2001.
The six verses are understood to reflect the social upheavals of the 1960s and ’70s.
“I wanted to capture, probably before it was ever formulated, a rock and roll American dream,” Don McLean, 69, told Reuters.
Don McLean’s famous chorus features memorable lines like: “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie/Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry.”
Elsewhere, his wide-reaching rhymes talk of how “the jester sang for the king and queen/In a coat he borrowed from James Dean” and “while Lennon read a book on Marx/The quartet practiced in the park”.
Don McLean said he decided to sell the manuscript, which includes multiple drafts with handwritten notes and deletions, on a whim.
Francis Wahlgren of auction house Christie’s said: “The fact that the drafts, the working process of it, are all being offered as this lot makes it a remarkable insight into the mind of Don McLean and into this incredible song that has touched so many people.
“There is something about this song that captures the era of that period and there is a kind of innocence to it, a loss of innocence in America.”
Bob Dylan’s lyrics for Like A Rolling Stone set the auction record for a handwritten manuscript, when they sold for $2 million last year.
Don McLean has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide during his career.
Canadian police have foiled a plot to carry out a mass shooting in the Halifax area on Valentine’s Day.
Three suspects were arrested and a fourth reportedly shot himself dead after police surrounded his home.
At least two suspects had intended “to go to a public venue… with a goal of opening fire to kill citizens, and then themselves”, police said.
Police officials said the motive did not appear to be terrorism, without providing further details.
Brian Brennan, commanding officer of the Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the plot had involved a 19-year-old man from the Halifax suburb of Timberlea and a 23-year-old woman from the US state of Illinois.
The two, he said, had had access to firearms.
When police went to arrest the 19-year-old man from the Halifax suburb of Timberlea, he killed himself, a senior police official told AP news agency on condition of anonymity.
A 20-year-old Canadian man was arrested along with the woman at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The fourth suspect, a 17-year-old Canadian boy, was arrested at a house.
The roles of the latter two suspects were still to be determined by investigators, police said.
Brian Brennan said he would describe the alleged plotters as a “group of individuals that had some beliefs and were willing to carry out violent acts against citizens but there’s nothing in the investigation to classify it as a terrorist attack”.
“I can tell you that it’s not culturally based,” he added.
Police believe they have apprehended “all known individuals in this matter and eliminated the threat”, he added.
According to the official who spoke to AP, the man who killed himself had told them he had no guns but he shot himself as he was coming out of the house.
The suspects had been on a chat stream and were apparently obsessed with killing and death and had many photos of mass killing, the anonymous official added.
Steven Blaney, the minister for public safety, said the arrests were a “great example of the fine work they do on a daily basis to help keep Canadians safe”, Canada’s CBC News reports.
Former soldier Joseph Hunter, who allegedly formed an international band of snipers as mercenaries, has confessed to a murder plot in New York.
Joseph Hunter, nicknamed Rambo after the hero of the 1980s action films, pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill a federal agent and an informant.
The 49-year-old former sniper faces up to 10 years in prison.
Joseph Hunter believed he had been working for drug traffickers who were actually working for the US anti-drugs agency.
He is accused of recruiting ex-military snipers with the aim of carrying out murders on behalf of drug organizations.
The band was secretly recorded agreeing to kill an agent for the US Drug Enforcement Administration and an informant for a total of $800,000, prosecutors say.
Photo Reuters
The murders were never carried out.
The former soldier was arrested in September 2013 along with four other men, three of them snipers, who had served in military forces around the world.
Joseph Hunter – thinking of his family – decided to avoid a trial which had been set for March 9, defense lawyer Marlon Kirton was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
He pleaded guilty despite believing the government had unlawfully entrapped him, the lawyer added.
The former soldier’s judgment had been “severely affected” by post-traumatic stress and depression after two decades in the US army, the lawyer said. He is expected to be sentenced in May.
Joseph Hunter became a “soldier of misfortune who recruited and led an international band of criminal mercenaries,” said US Attorney Preet Bharara.
“This global gun for hire will now be confined stateside in federal prison.”
Three others charged in the case have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Another defendant is awaiting a trial scheduled to start next month.
Rescuers are trying to refloat about 90 stranded pilot whales after more than 100 died on a beach on New Zealand’s South Island.
The rescuers and volunteers at Farewell Spit, Golden Bay, managed to shepherd many mammals into deeper water, only for them to again run aground.
Conservation officials believe they have one last chance to refloat the whales on the high tide.
If that fails, the mammals may have to be put down.
The rescuers are now trying to keep the distressed whales comfortable by pouring water over them.
Those mammals who died are believed to have suffered great physical and emotional trauma.
Local conservation ranger Mike Ogle said it is the biggest beaching incident in 10-15 years.
“Because there’s just so many whales, there are a couple of spots where a lot would gather together and that’s kind of problematic from the aspect that you can’t get in there, it’s just too dangerous,” he said.
Farewell Spit has been the location of many whale beachings.
Experts say its shallow waters seem to confuse whales and hinder their ability to navigate.
Once they are stranded, whales can suffer from dehydration and sunburn.
Pilot whales can grow to about 20ft and are the most common species of whale in New Zealand’s waters.
Andrew Lamason from the Department Of Conservation said it could take days to refloat the whales and even then there would be no guarantees they would survive.
“We’ve had plenty times in the past where the pods have gone out to sea and turned around and come back again,” he said.
“We’re preparing for a big few days.”
Scientists do not know what causes groups of whales to beach themselves.
President Petro Poroshenko has warned that a deal to end the war in eastern Ukraine is in “great danger” after heavy fighting ahead of February 15 ceasefire.
The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of “significantly increasing” its offensive despite the peace agreement reached in Minsk on February 12.
Meanwhile, the US said it was very concerned by reports of heavy weapons coming across the border from Russia.
Shelling was heard in the rebel-held city of Donetsk early on Saturday, February 14.
Fierce battles are also said to be continuing around Debaltseve, a strategic government-held town almost encircled by rebel forces.
More than a dozen civilians are said to have died in shelling in eastern Ukraine on February 13.
It is unclear who was behind the shelling but both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions accuse each other of targeting residential areas.
Photo AFP
France President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel – who together clinched the agreement in the Belarusian capital – are due to discuss the issue by phone over the weekend.
The UN Security Council will also meet in emergency session on February 15.
Correspondents say the fighting shows no sign of stopping.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Petro Mekhed said the rebels wanted to “raise their flag” over Debaltseve and the key port city of Mariupol before the midnight ceasefire kicked in.
“Ukraine is expecting an escalation and taking all necessary measures to be able to respond,” Petro Mekhed told reporters.
Rebel shelling killed two people in a cafe in Shchastya, near Luhansk, on February 13 as well as a child near a school in Artemivsk, a town near Debaltseve, according to Kiev-controlled regional authorities.
Meanwhile, the rebels said at least six people had died in shelling in the city of Donetsk and town of Horlivka. The rebels accuse government forces of shelling the towns.
“After what we achieved in Minsk this is not just shelling of Ukrainian civilians and residential neighborhoods – this is an attack on our Minsk achievements, without any explanations,” President Petro Poroshenko said.
“Unfortunately, after Minsk, Russia’s offensive operations have intensified,” he said, before adding: “We are still convinced that the Minsk achievements are in a big danger.”
There were also reports of a government offensive near Mariupol, the city between rebel-held eastern areas and the southern Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia last March.
Pro-Russian rebels signed the peace agreement but key issues remain to be settled, including the situation in Debaltseve.
European leaders have warned Russia that it could face additional sanctions if the agreement is not respected.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal offered “a glimmer of hope”, but warned: “It is very important that words are followed by actions.”
President Barack Obama has denounced the murders of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as “brutal and outrageous”.
In a statement, Barack Obama said no one in the US should be targeted for “what they look like” or “how they worship”.
Barack Obama’s comments came after criticism from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the president’s silence.
With suspect Craig Hicks in custody, police are still investigating the motive, amid family claims it was a hate crime.
The FBI has opened an inquiry into the case.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan were found dead on February 10 in their home near the University of North Carolina, where Barakat was a dental student.
Craig Hicks, a neighbor of the students, has been charged with the murders.
An Alabama police officer has been charged with assault after a 57-year-old Indian man was thrown to the ground, an incident he says left him partially paralyzed.
Footage from police cameras shows a confrontation between Sureshbhai Patel and two officers in Alabama suburb of Madison.
Sureshbhai Patel speaks no English and tries to walk away from the officers, who eventually shove him to the ground.
He has filed a legal case accusing the officers of racism, and the FBI is also investigating.
Police officials in Madison, Alabama, apologized to Sureshbhai Patel and his family at a news conference on February 12.
They said one of the officers involved in February 6 incident had been arrested, and officials had recommended that he be fired.
The officer involved “did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison Police Department”, said Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey.
Sureshbhai Patel had only recently arrived in the US to help care for his grandson, who was born prematurely.
He was walking outside his son’s home on Friday morning when police said they received a call from a neighbor about a suspicious person.
According to the civil rights complaint filed in court on February 12, Sureshbhai Patel told the police officers who stopped him “no English, Indian”, and gave his son’s house number.
A police officer then threw him abruptly to the ground, injuring him seriously, the complaint said.
Sureshbhai Patel’s son, Chirag Patel, told the local media in Alabama that his father had to undergo surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his spine and that he was still unable to move his left leg.
Argentine prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita has asked a federal judge to investigate President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over allegations she helped cover up Iranian links to a deadly 1994 bombing.
Gerardo Pollicita inherited the case from Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner denies the allegations, with the government calling the probe an “anti-democratic attack”.
The attack on a Jewish centre killed 85 people. Iran also denies involvement.
Gerardo Pollicita’s move mean the judge will have to decide whether to authorize new investigations to prove the president’s alleged involvement.
If the prosecutor and the judge agree that there are enough elements to prove Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner committed a crime, she could face prosecution and be charged.
Before his death, Alberto Nisman had published a report on the attack on the Amia Jewish centre.
He alleged that the president and others had conspired to protect Iranian suspects in the bombing case in exchange for favorable deals on oil and other goods.
Alberto Nisman was found shot in the head in January, hours before he was due to give evidence to Congress.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s cabinet chief, Jorge Capitanich, accused the courts of trying to stage a “judicial coup” by pursuing the investigation, the AFP reported.
A group of 12 gold-plated animal head sculptures by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has sold for £2.8 million ($4.3 million) at the Phillips auction house in London on February 12.
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, which features 12 sculptures representing the Chinese zodiac, set a new auction record for the artist.
Ai Weiwei has made a number of versions of the zodiac sculptures, but this was the first complete set to come to auction.
The artist’s previous auction record of $1.2 million was set by Map of China last April.
The zodiac sculptures were inspired by a set of smaller sculptures that formed an 18th Century fountain clock at Emperor Yuanming Yuan’s Beijing imperial retreat.
The fountain clock was ransacked by French and British troops in 1860. Ai Weiwei worked from the seven surviving originals and imagined the five others, using images found in tapestry and print.
“This set of 12 heads continues Ai Weiwei’s tradition of re-interpreting cultural objects whilst questioning perceptions of authenticity and value,” auction house Phillips said in a press release.
The sculptures, which sold to one of three telephone bidders, were originally purchased from the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York.
Several larger versions of the same sculptures have been cast in bronze and have been displayed in both New York’s Grand Army Plaza and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
Emile Hirsch has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly choking a female film executive at last month’s Sundance Film Festival.
The actor, who is best known for his roles in Into the Wild and Milk, faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
According to court papers, Emile Hirsch assaulted the woman at a nightclub in Park City, Utah, in the early hours of January 25.
Prosecutors named the woman as Daniele Bernfeld, an executive for Insurge Pictures, part of Paramount Pictures.
Police were called to the club after Daniele Bernfeld reported being assaulted.
Daniele Bernfeld told police that Emile Hirsch approached her and asked her why she looked “so tough”, according to charging documents.
He also told the executive she was a “rich kid who should not be at Sundance”, the documents said.
Emile Hirsch is alleged to have initially grabbed Daniele Bernfeld before she pushed him away. The actor was then said to have grabbed her from behind.
The charging documents said Emile Hirsch put her in a chokehold, pulled her across the table and landed on top of her on the floor, putting his hands around her throat.
The alleged victim said she felt as though “the front and back of her throat were touching”, adding that she may have temporarily blacked out.
Two bystanders apparently pulled Emile Hirsch away. A witness has backed up Daniele Bernfeld’s version of events, according to court documents.
Emile Hirsch told police he did not know the woman but was having an argument with her. He said he had had three or four drinks, and a police officer told prosecutors his balance was impaired and his speech slurred.
The actor has also been charged with a misdemeanor count of intoxication.
The star is due to appear in court on March 16.
Emile Hirsch is best known for his work with Sean Penn. He took the lead role in Sean Penn’s 2007 film Into the Wild and starred alongside him in Milk.
He also played the leading man in Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock in 2009.
Emile Hirsch was at Sundance for the premiere of the drama Ten Thousand Saints, in which he appears alongside Ethan Hawke and Asa Butterfield.
Jackie Chan’s son, Jaycee Chan, has been released from jail in China.
He was jailed for six months for drug offence.
Jaycee Chan was detained in August 2014 after a police raid on his home. He had tested positive for marijuana and was caught with 100g of the drug.
His arrest was part of a wider crackdown on drug use in China.
A Beijing court sentenced Jaycee Chan in January, taking into account his time already spent in jail.
His management company, MStones, said in a statement that Jaycee Chan was released in the early hours of February 13.
It added that Jackie Chan’s son was due to hold a press conference on February 14 “to deliver a public apology and explanation”.
Jaycee Chan, a 32-year-old actor and singer, was arrested with Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, who was detained for two weeks for drug use.
He faced a more serious charge of “providing a shelter for others to abuse drugs”. He later pleaded guilty.
Jackie Chan is currently on a tour of Asia promoting his new film Dragon Blade.
He reportedly expressed relief about his son’s release and said at a press conference in Singapore earlier this week that he was looking forward to finishing an album with his son “as soon as possible when he gets out”.
Jackie Chan was named an anti-drug ambassador in China in 2009.
He publicly apologized for his son’s actions in December, saying on his microblog account that he was “very angry” and “ashamed”.
The drug crackdown began in June 2014 when President Xi Jinping ordered police to use strong measures to stop drug abuse.
At least 10 locally-known stars, most of them minor celebrities, have been arrested so far, including movie and television stars, film directors and a screenwriter.
China has since banned the transmission of any works by stars who have used drugs or prostitutes. The ban applies to television, online media, film and publishing.
After many outlets had speculated that Bobbi Kristina Brown would be taken off life support on February 11, the three-year anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death, no such action happened.
One family member talked to People magazine about Bobbi Kristina Brown’s current status, saying: “She’s got some color back … but she’s still not responding.”
Meanwhile, her father, Bobby Brown, has said that the reports that her condition is grave are “egregious” and “false.”
Bobbi Kristina’s cousin Jerod Brown wrote in a Facebook post that the doctors, “don’t see any hope.”
On February 11, Bobbi Kristina Brown’s aunt, Pat Houston, said in a statement: “On this – the third anniversary of Whitney’s passing, our family continues to stand together praying that Bobbi Kristina continues to fight for her life. We thank you again for your continued prayers of love and restoration and we thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this time.”
Though each family member’s take away of what is going on with the 21-year-old may contrast, the facts remain the same since she was admitted into the hospital – Bobbi Kristina Brown is still on life support, her breathing is aided by a ventilator, and she has not regained consciousness.
Bobby Brown and Bobbi Kristina’s grandmother Cissy Houston have reportedly maintained a constant vigil by her beside at the hospital.
“Everyone may be giving different stories, but that’s because it’s so confusing,” a family member told People nagazine.
The family member also added that despite the conflicting reports, all remain hopeful.
“No one is trying to mislead anyone. Everyone is still praying for her. That’s what matters.”
On January 31, Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in a bathtub in Roswell, Georgia.
Just one day after a peace deal was reached in Minsk new shelling has been reported around the rebel-held east Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
There are no confirmed reports of casualties. Both cities are near the front line where the pro-Russian rebels face government forces.
The ceasefire agreed in Minsk, Belarus, is to begin in eastern Ukraine on February 15 at 00:00 local time.
The EU has warned Russia of additional sanctions if the deal is not respected.
On Friday morning, a military spokesman in Kiev said eight members of Ukraine’s military had been killed in fighting against separatists in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, rebels said seven civilians had been killed, reported AFP. Two people were also killed on Friday morning when rebels shelled a cafe in Shchastya, near Luhansk, said the head of the Kiev-controlled regional administration.
“So this is how a comprehensive ceasefire is prepared for,” said Hennadiy Moskal in a statement.
He was echoing wider doubts about the peace deal agreed following marathon negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.
Pro-Russian rebels have signed the agreement, which also includes weapon withdrawals and prisoner exchanges, but key issues remain to be settled.
A new round of EU asset freezes and travel bans against 19 Ukrainian separatists and Russians – in response to deadly fighting in the city of Mariupol in January – will come into effect on Monday regardless of the latest deal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says wider measures could be implemented if the ceasefire is not upheld.
She has called the deal “a glimmer of hope”, adding: “It is very important that words are followed by actions.”
Russia has reaffirmed it is playing no direct role in the conflict, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisting it is only a “guarantor”:
“It is not a party that has to take action in this matter. We simply cannot do that physically, because Russia is not a participant in this conflict,” he said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says the rival military commanders will hold direct talks – including on the withdrawal of heavy armor to create a buffer zone.
He warned that implementation of the agreement, reached by leaders in the Belarusian capital Minsk, would be difficult.
Another sticking point is the disputed town of Debaltseve, a strategically key government-held town which rebels claim to have surrounded but which Ukraine refuses to surrender.
Further talks will also be held on self-rule in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions.
The truce is to be monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – but with only 412 international monitors in Ukraine, including 226 in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, some analysts have expressed doubt that they are there in adequate numbers to do the job.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supplying weapons and personnel to the rebels but Russia denies this.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized President Barack Obama for his silence over the murder of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said politicians were responsible for events in their countries and had to clarify their stance over them.
More than 5,000 people attended the funeral of the students who were shot dead in Chapel Hill on February 10.
With a suspect in custody, police are still investigating the motive, amid family claims it was a hate crime.
Initial indications are that the gunman, Craig Hicks, acted in a dispute with the victims over a parking space, according to the police.
A district prosecutor said on February 11 there was no evidence that the victims – Deah Shaddy Barakat, wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan – had been targeted because of their faith.
However, at next day’s funeral, the local police chief said his force would investigate every lead, including the possibility of a hate crime.
The murders have resonated both within US and around the world, especially on social media. The hashtag ChapelHillShooting has been used hundreds of thousands of times.
Speaking on a visit to Mexico, Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice-President Joe Biden for not having made any statement about the murder of the “three Muslims”.
“If you stay silent when faced with an incident like this, and don’t make a statement, the world will stay silent towards you,” he said.
“As politicians, we are responsible for everything that happens in our countries and we have to show our positions.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a devout Sunni Muslim who has been increasingly critical of the treatment of Muslims living in Western societies.
His relations with the Obama administration have also come under strain over the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
Turkey and the US are allies in the campaign against Islamic State militants, but differences over tactics have emerged over the last six months.
Thursday’s funeral was held at the athletic fields of North Carolina State University where all three victims had been students. Police estimate 5,500 people attended the event.
Craig Hicks gave himself up to police and has been charged with the murders. His Facebook profile included a photo that read “Atheists for Equality”. He also frequently posted quotes critical of religion.
However, his wife, Karen Hicks, said the incident had nothing to do with religion and her husband treated everyone equally. He also apparently had a history of conflicts with neighbors over parking spaces.
Deah Shaddy Barakat was a dental student at the university and his wife was planning to enroll in the school in the next term.
There has been criticism of a perceived lack of coverage in the mainstream media with the hashtag MuslimLivesMatter mentioned almost 100,000 times in the day following the shooting.
The new NOOK is as much a tablet PC as it is an eReader, which actually works in the user’s favor when it comes to obtaining key accessories. Unlike previous NOOK devices, which ranged in proportions from standard to almost square (making it very difficult to find some important accessories), the favorite of the new line is Nook’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7-inch, with NOOK apps and access straight out of the box to one of the largest eBook libraries online today. As a standard sized tablet, there are plenty of option when it comes to making this device your own—here’s a list of what you need to have the best experience with your hybrid eReader.
Case
You know your NOOK needs a case, but what kind of case should you be looking for? According to eBookFriendly, there are plenty of cases out there to fit this device, but the best have a few features in common:
Rigid cover construction
Magnet closure(s)
Doubles as ergonomic stand
A good case should be snug and appropriately sized for your device, but not put inordinate pressure on any point on the screen. It’s difficult to remove the new NOOK from many cases with hard corner closures, meaning that the pressure on the glass could be enough to cause breakage if dropped. Look for cases with snug elastic fasteners to hold your device in place, and make sure that you can remove it easily. Cases in this style range in cost from around $10 to $50, depending on brand, design and function. Ebooks are made of plastic, but can they make a Case for Environmental Responsibility?
Stylus
You may not need a stylus right away, but for many Samsung NOOK users this is a must. If you intend to use the device for taking notes, doodling or even word processing a stylus can make it almost as natural as writing on an old-school paper writing tablet. If you intend to use your stylus more for working with Swype features on your keyboard or helping hit tiny app icons, a standard round-tipped stylus will do fine; these range in price from $5 up to $20. For more detailed work, particularly for the artists out there, a precision or active stylus is definitely the way to go, although this tool could set you back up to $70 depending on the brand you choose.
Screen Protector
Even if it’s going to be in its case 100 percent of the time, any touch device requires a screen protector. The new NOOK works best with an anti-glare screen, also called matte and “natural view.” This both protects the screen from scratches and helps stabilize the glass to avoid breakage in case of a collision. A cheap protector for a 7-inch unit could cost as little as $5 from certain vendors, but it’s much more effective to spend a little more and get a multi-pack, just in case, which can range in price anywhere from $20 up to $40 for three to five protectors.
External Storage
Regardless of what you intend to do with your NOOK, you need more space. The Galaxy NOOK ships with 8 GB of internal space, but with the free content and built-in apps, you’ll only have about 4 GB available to use when you boot it up for the first time. Rather than deleting $200 worth of free content, try picking up a micro SD card and transferring your books, movies and games off the internal storage; this will not only save you space on your eReader’s hard drive, but can also keep the device running faster longer by pulling app caches and temp files onto external storage rather than weighing down the pre-designated “shelf space.”
If you want to use your NOOK for TV, movies, music or even gaming, you probably want a way to keep from disturbing everyone around you with background music and ambient dialogue. Getting a pair of headphones is easy and inexpensive enough, but there are a few variables to consider before buying. For portability, PC Mag recommend sticking with ear bud style headphones, although a nice Bluetooth headset could be worth a little more cumbersome transportation; if you’re going to be out around other people or in a noisy public place, you may want to splurge on some noise-canceling headphones to help tune everyone out. A cheap pair of plastic ear buds will run you less than $20, but a sleek set of noise-cancelling headphones, with or without Bluetooth capability, will set you back between $100 and $300.
Delicacy
The most important thing you can get to make your NOOK better than ever is a little delicacy. Remember that while this is a mobile device designed for some abuse, being overly rough or careless with it could result in issues other than a broken screen—leaving it out in the car could ruin your color calibration or even permanently damage the chargeability of your battery. Get the best accessories for your device, and then treat them all with care to get everything you really need out of this sleek new device.
Soak craft sticks for one hour in a bowl of cold water.
In small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stir chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; let cool.
In large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat egg in well; beat in cooled chocolate. With mixer at low speed, beat in flour, cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Divide dough in half.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and grease 2 large cookie sheets.
Roll each half out to 1/8 inch thickness between 2 sheets of wax paper; freeze, in wax paper, 5 minutes. Peal top sheets of wax paper off dough; cut dough out using 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Reroll scraps; freeze again 5 minutes; cut out. Place half of the hearts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Drain sticks, pat dry. Place one stick on each heart to make 2 1/2 inch handle, pressing lightly into dough. Place remaining hearts on top; press edges gently to seal. Bake about 12 minutes until firm to touch. Cool on wire racks.
In 2-quart heavy saucepan over very low heat, or in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water, stir white or milk chocolate until melted and smooth; if using both chocolates, melt in separate 1-quart pans. Remove from heat.
Holding each lollipop by handle, dip into chocolate to coat on both sides; let excess chocolate drip back into pan. Place each lollipop as it is coated on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes until chocolate is set.
To Make Icing: In large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg white and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth. If desired, remove small portion of icing to separate bowl; tint with drops of food coloring. Spoon icing into decorating bag fitted with small writing tip; pipe over lollipops in desired patterns. Decorate with assorted candies and decors; attaching with dots of icing.
President Barack Obama appears in a BuzzFeed video showing him practicing his messaging that people should go to HealthCare.gov by February 15 to get covered.
Barack Obama made the comic video to remind Americans that they only have through February 15 to sign up this year for ObamaCare.
Photo BuzzFeed
The video, released on February 12, shows Barack Obama speaking and checking himself out in front of a mirror. The clip is completed with silly faces and several shots with a selfie stick.
“In many cases, you can get health insurance for less than $100 a month,” Barack Obama said, following several instances in which he trips up on the pronunciation of “February”.
The video also shows Barack Obama making sketches of first lady Michelle Obama and donning aviator sunglasses.
The funny video, a follow-up perhaps to last year’s deadpan Between Two Ferns appearance with Zach Galifianakis, is the latest youth-focused effort on the part of the administration to boost sign-ups before the open enrollment period closes at midnight Pacific Time on February 15.
