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American Congressional delegation arrives in Cuba

Diane A. Wade
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American Congressional delegation arrives in Cuba

A US Congressional delegation has arrived in Havana in the first such visit since the United States and Cuba agreed to restore ties severed in 1961.

The Democrat politicians plan to meet Cuban officials and civilian leaders to discuss practical measures required for the normalization of relations.

The thaw in relations was announced on December 17 by President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro.

Earlier this week, Cuba completed the release of 53 political prisoners.

The measure was agreed as part of the agreement.

“We have all been to Cuba before, and we strongly support the president’s new direction for our policy towards Cuba,” said Senator Patrick Leahy.

New travel and trade rules between the US and Cuba came into effect on January 16, also as part of the historic deal.American delegation in Cuba

Americans will be able to take home up alcohol and tobacco from Cuba up to the value of $100.

US credit and debit cards can be used there and there will be no more limits on how much money US citizens can spend in Cuba each day.

While ordinary tourism is still banned, the new regulations will allow US citizens to travel to Cuba for any of a dozen specific reasons without first obtaining a special license from the government.

Although the latest moves put a large dent in the US trade embargo against the island’s communist government, only Congress can lift it completely.

The first high-level talks between Cuba and the US will be held in Havana on January 21 and 22.

The US delegation will be led by Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson.

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Charlie Hebdo to print 7 million copies of survivor’s issue

Sonia Pantiss
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Charlie Hebdo to print 7 million copies of survivor’s issue

Charlie Hebdo has announced it is printing a total of 7 million copies of the once-obscure French satirical magazine.

The new total reflects extraordinary demand for what has become known as Charlie Hebdo survivor’s issue.

The latest edition was produced in the days immediately following a terrorist attack at the magazine’s office in Paris. The attackers were apparently motivated by the magazine’s criticisms of Islam and depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

The cover of the new issue has a cartoon of the prophet holding up a sign that reads ” Je suis Charlie” (I Am Charlie).

Customers at newsstands continue to seek copies of the issue – not just in France, where there were long lines observed earlier this week, but also in Germany, where the magazine went on sale on January 17.

There were local reports that the copies quickly sold out in cities like Berlin and Hamburg.

“We could have ordered 500 copies — they would have sold out,” a vendor at the main train station in Stuttgart told DPA, Germany’s main news agency.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

For some, buying a copy is a way to show solidarity with the magazine and support freedom of expression.

Charlie Hebdo‘s French distributor, MLP, has been trying to keep pace with demand.

Roughly one million copies each were distributed on January 14, 15 and 16. Technical problems limited the number of copies available in France over the weekend, so it’ll take several days to reach the 5 million mark.

On January 17, MLP boosted the planned total to 7 million.

Le Figaro newspaper called it “a record in the history of the French press”.

A small number of copies began to reach the US on January 16, and more are expected to go on sale in the coming days.

To put the 7 million figure in perspective, only a small number of US magazines print that many copies – AARP The Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Game Informer Magazine.

While support for the new issue has been widespread, opposition to the Mohammed drawing on the cover has been expressed by Islamic leaders and government officials in a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Charlie Hebdo’s cover has been described as insulting to Muslims and needlessly provocative.

Protests against the new cover were reported in Pakistan, Jordan, Algeria, Niger, Mali, Somalia, Senegal, and Mauritania.

Meanwhile, Charlie Hebdo’s surviving editors of the magazine have said little about their plans for future issues, but they have vowed to keep publishing.

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Charlie Hebdo sells 1.9 million copies of survivor’s issue

Sonia Pantiss
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Charlie Hebdo sells 1.9 million copies of survivor’s issue

Charlie Hebdo has sold 1.9 million copies of its survivor’s edition, which has provoked protests by Muslims around the globe over a new cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

The French satirical magazine’s distribution has been hit by printing problems, with only 230,000 copies ready against the one million that had been expected to ship this weekend, its distributor MLP said.

The technical problem had been resolved and “distribution will resume normally on Monday”, MLP said.

The latest issue was the first since two Islamist gunmen stormed Charlie Hebdo‘s Paris office on January 7 and massacred 12 people, saying they were taking revenge for previous publications of Muhammad cartoons – considered deeply offensive to many Muslims.

Charlie Hebdo defiantly published what it called the “survivors’ issue” on January 14, featuring Prophet Mohammed in a white turban and holding a sign that reads “Je suis Charlie” under the words: “All is forgiven”.Charlie Hebdo survivor's issue

News agents on January 16 received another million copies of the issue, which “is still selling well” but not in the frenzy seen the previous two days after the issue came out, according to the French printing union UNDP.

On January 14 and 15, the 27,000 news outlets in France sold out within hours, with newspaper vendors selling a total of 1.2 million copies.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of copies have been bought by companies, institutions and communities.

Parisian theatres bought 25,000 copies to distribute to patrons and Air France took tens of thousands for its passengers, said MLP.

A further 150,000 are being shipped abroad. Germany is the largest buyer, with MLP to deliver 55,000 copies by January 19.

A total of five million copies of the issue will be printed, with deliveries continuing next week.

Prior to the attacks, the magazine sold around 60,000 copies a week.

Charlie Hebdo has also launched an app that let readers download the magazine.

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Mardom e-Emruz: Iranian newspaper shut over George Clooney’s Je suis Charlie picture

Diane A. Wade
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Mardom e-Emruz: Iranian newspaper shut over George Clooney’s Je suis Charlie picture

An Iranian court has ordered the closure of Mardom e-Emruz (Today’s People) newspaper after publishing a picture of George Clooney wearing a badge backing French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which was attacked last week.

The Mardom e-Emruz newspaper ran a picture of the actor headlined “I’m Charlie too”.

Conservative elements in Teheran were incensed by a catchphrase they regard as “anti-Islamic”.

Charlie Hebdo has published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which many Muslims see as an offensive act.Mardom e-Emruz George Clooney Je suis Charlie

The cover of Charlie Hebdo‘s latest edition, published after the attack in which 12 people were killed, featured a cartoon of the Prophet weeping while holding a sign saying “I am Charlie”.

Seven million copies of the edition are being printed in view of extraordinary demand, distributors announced on January 17.

“The court in charge of cultural affairs and the media imposed the ban on the newspaper for publishing a headline and a picture which it deemed insulting,” Mardom-e Emrouz director Ahmad Sattari told the Irna news agency.

The newspaper was only in its first month of publication, but that its political position was seen as close to that of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.

The court’s ruling is pending a final decision due later, but is unlikely to be overturned.

Said Kouachi Buried in Secret Grave in Reims

Roy Siemens
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Said Kouachi, one of the two brothers who launched a deadly attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last week, has been buried in an unmarked grave.

Said Kouachi, 34, was buried secretly late on Friday in the eastern city of Reims, where he had lived before the attack.

The mayor of Reims said he had opposed the burial, fearing a grave could become a shrine, but had been forced to accept it by law.

Attacks in Paris killed 17 people last week, 12 of them at Charlie Hebdo.

On January 9, two days after attacking the magazine, Said Kouachi and his younger brother Cherif were killed by police at an industrial estate north of Paris.

Cherif Kouachi, 32, is expected to be buried in his hometown of Gennevilliers, outside Paris.

There has been no announcement on plans for burying Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four people at Jewish supermarket HyperCacher in Paris on January 9 and is suspected of killing a policewoman in the French capital a day earlier.

Earlier in the week, Reims mayor Arnaud Robinet said he would “categorically refuse” a family request for Said Kouachi to be buried in the city.

Arnaud Robinet said he did not want “a tomb that could become a shrine for people to gather around or a pilgrimage site for fanatics”.

However, on January 17 he said he had been forced by the government to accept the burial.

“He was buried last night, in the most discreet, anonymous way possible,” Arnaud Robinet told French TV.

The city said in a statement: “Given the risk of disturbance of the peace and in order to quickly turn the page of this tragic episode, it was decided to do the burial quickly.”

A lawyer for Said Kouachi’s widow said she had not attended the burial for fear that journalists would follow her and the location of the grave would be discovered.

Niger Charlie Hebdo protests: At least two churches set on fire in Niamey

Diane A. Wade
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Niger Charlie Hebdo protests: At least two churches set on fire in Niamey

Fresh protests against French magazine Charlie Hebdo‘s cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad have sparked in Niger.

At least two churches have been set on fire in the capital, Niamey.

Saturday’s protests began outside Niamey’s grand mosque with police using tear gas a day after at least four were killed in the second city of Zinder.

The French embassy has warned its citizens to stay indoors.

Last week, Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo‘s Paris offices.

Eight of them were journalists. Subsequent attacks in Paris killed another five people, four at Jewish supermarket HyperCacher.Niger Charlie Hebdo protests

The cover of Charlie Hebdo‘s latest edition, published after the attack, featured a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad weeping while holding a sign saying “I am Charlie”.

Many Muslims see any depiction of Islam’s prophet as offensive.

Protests against Charlie Hebdo were also seen on January 16 in Pakistan, where protests turned violent in Karachi, the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and the Algerian capital, Algiers.

People in Somalia took to the streets on January 17.

In Niger, a former French colony, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Niamey’s grand mosque, shouting “God is Great” in Arabic.

At least two churches were set on fire – similar to Friday’s demonstration in Zinder where protesters also raided shops that were run by Christians.

The French cultural centre in Zinder also came under attack.

The centre’s director, Kaoumi Bawa, said an angry crowd of around 50 people had smashed the building’s door and set fire to the cafeteria, library and offices.

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Eurostar train services suspended and Channel Tunnel closed after truck fire

Nancy Clayson
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Eurostar train services suspended and Channel Tunnel closed after truck fire

Eurostar train services have been suspended after the Channel Tunnel was closed “until further notice” following a fire on a truck.

Eurostar says all its services for January 17 have been cancelled and trains have returned to their stations.

It has told people expecting to travel to postpone their journeys and not go to the station.

Kent Police said the fire happened at the French end of the tunnel and that no-one was hurt in the incident.

The spokesman said the fire had led to the closure of both tunnels, and that there are currently no trains in either.

The truck is being recovered and the fire was being dealt with by the French authorities, he added.Channel Tunnel closed after fire

“Rail passengers are advised to expect significant delays whilst the vehicle is being recovered and fumes are cleared from the tunnels,” the spokesman said.

Eurostar, which operates train services through the tunnel between Paris, London and Brussels, said in a statement: “We are sorry but we are unable to run any further trains today because Eurotunnel has been closed due to smoke detected in the north tunnel.

“If you were planning to travel today, we advise you to postpone your journey and not to come to the station.”

Eurostar’s customer care number is 03432 186 186 in the UK, or +44 1233 617 575 for people outside the UK.

John O’Keefe, a spokesman for Eurotunnel which transports freight through the Channel Tunnel, said inspectors were sent into the tunnel after two smoke alarms had been triggered.

“The investigation into the two alarms is going on at the moment so as soon we know more we’ll let [everyone] know.”

Eurotunnel also said that passengers on a Calais to Dover train were evacuated from the Channel Tunnel “without incident”, following the smoke alert.

Oscar nominations 2015: Cheryl Boone Isaacs seeks diversity of voice and opinion

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar nominations 2015: Cheryl Boone Isaacs seeks diversity of voice and opinion

President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Cheryl Boone Isaacs says she would like to see more diversity in Oscar nominations, after a row about this year’s nominees.

All 20 contenders in the main acting categories are white and there are no female nominees in the directing or writing categories.

The Academy, which picks the contenders, has faced strong criticism.

However, Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she was proud of the nominees and that the body was “making strides” towards diversity.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is the first African-American president of the Academy, told AP the organization is “committed to seeking out diversity of voice and opinion”.

“In the last two years, we’ve made greater strides than we ever have in the past toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization through admitting new members and more inclusive classes of members,” she said.Oscar nominations 2015 row

She added she would “love to see” greater diversity among the nominees.

After the nominees were announced, people mocked the make-up of the awards using the “OscarsSoWhite” hashtag.

There has been much focus on Martin Luther King biopic Selma, with director Ava DuVernay and star David Oyelowo both missing out.

At the Critics’ Choice award, another Selma actor, Wendell Pierce, said there would be “amazement” David Oyelowo was not nominated once people saw the film.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs said acclaim for Selma was reflected in its Best Picture nomination, which is chosen by all the academy members.

She said that while the Academy continued to make efforts to become more diverse, the wider industry needed to do the same.

“We hope the film industry will also make strides toward becoming more diverse and inclusive.”

Individual branches of the Academy choose the nominees, with actors choosing the acting categories, for example.

The more than 7,000 members then vote for a winner.

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel lead the race for this year’s Oscars with nine nominations each.

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak: Yemen president’s chief of staff kidnapped in Sanaa

Roy Siemens
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Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak: Yemen president’s chief of staff kidnapped in Sanaa

Yemen president’s chief of staff Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak has been abducted by gunmen, officials have said.

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak and two of his guards were kidnapped early on Saturday in the centre of the capital Sanaa.

Yemeni officials suspect Shia Houthi rebels, who control much of the capital, of being behind the abduction.Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak kidnapped

Yemen has been plagued by instability since mass protests forced former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down in 2011.

Scores of people have been killed in clashes between the Houthis and Sunni militants.

One source told Reuters Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was kidnapped by the Houthis to stop him presenting a draft of the new constitution to a presidential meeting.

The rebels blocked Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak’s appointment as prime minister last year.

Europe on high alert after Belgian anti-terror raids

Roy Siemens
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Europe on high alert after Belgian anti-terror raids

Europe is on high alert over terrorist threat following anti-terror raids and arrests of suspected Islamist militants.

More than 20 people have been arrested in Belgium, France and Germany.

Belgium has joined France in deploying troops alongside police.

Security has been tightened in several countries after last week’s attacks in Paris left 17 people dead.

There are increased concerns about the return of young Europeans who have gone to fight with Middle East militants.

In Belgium, five people were charged on January 16 with “participating in the activities of a terrorist group” following a series of raids that began on Thursday evening and left two suspects dead.

Guns, munitions and explosives, as well as police uniforms and a large amount of money, were all seized by police overnight.

Eric Van Der Sypt, an official at the prosecutors’ office, told AFP that: “The investigation… has shown that these people had the intention to kill several policemen in the street and at police commissariats [police stations].”

Photo AFP/Getty Images
Photo AFP/Getty Images

Thirteen people were arrested in total but only five would be prosecuted, he said. Belgium would also seek the extradition of two suspects held in France.

On January 16, the Belgian government also announced new measures to deal with terrorist suspects.

They include making travelling abroad for terrorist activities a crime and expanding the cases where Belgian citizenship can be revoked for dual nationals who are thought to pose a terror risk.

No link has been established between the terrorist plot in Belgium and last week’s attacks in Paris.

French PM Manuel Valls said on January 16 that, despite this, both countries face the same threats.

Twelve suspects are being held by police in the Paris region over last week’s attacks in the French capital that killed 17 people.

Police carried out raids in five towns, iTele reported. Those arrested are now being questioned about “possible logistical support”, such as weapons or vehicles, they could have given the three gunmen, according to police.

France remains on its highest terrorism alert level and authorities have said that some 120,000 police and soldiers have been mobilized across France.

In a separate incident on January 16, authorities shut down and evacuated the Gare de l’Est train station after a bomb scare.

The incidents in France and Belgium have had a wider impact on their European neighbors.

Spain has launched an investigation into the visit of one of the Paris gunmen, Amedy Coulibaly, to Madrid just days before the attacks in Paris.

Police in Germany have also arrested two men following raids on 11 properties on January 16, involving some 250 officers.

One of the men was suspected of leading an extremist group of Turkish and Russian nationals.

Police said that the group was preparing a serious act of violence in Syria but that there was “no indication” that the group had been planning attacks inside Germany.

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Tropical Storm Mekkhala cuts short Pope Francis’ visit to Tacloban

Diane A. Wade
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Tropical Storm Mekkhala cuts short Pope Francis’ visit to Tacloban

Pope Francis has arrived in typhoon-hit city of Tacloban in the Philippines to hold an open-air Mass.

Tacloban was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan just over a year ago.

Tens of thousands braved pouring rain and strong winds brought by Tropical Storm Mekkhala to attend the Mass.

Pope Francis was due to meet survivors of the typhoon after the mass but the storm forced the pontiff to cut short his visit.

The Pope said as soon as he saw the catastrophe caused by the typhoon, he had decided to go to the Philippines.

Pope Francis is visiting the Philippines, where there are 80 million Catholics, as part of a six-day tour of Asia.

Typhoon Haiyan, which remains the strongest storm ever recorded on land, created a 23ft high storm surge, destroying practically everything in its path when it swept ashore on November 8, 2013.

Around 90% of the city of Tacloban in Leyte province was destroyed and more than 14.5 million people were affected in six regions and 44 provinces. About one million people remain homeless.

Pope Francis was due to have lunch with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan later on Saturday but he left Tacloban four hours early because of the approaching storm and returned to Manila.

Earlier, he apologized to the crowds gathered at the main cathedral in Leyte province and said: “I am sad about this, truly saddened, because I had something prepared especially for you.”Pope Francis in Tacloban

The Pope said his pilots had told him that the weather was going to get worse.

“We barely have time to get to the aeroplane,” he said.

Tropical Storm Mekkhala, with winds of up to 80 mph, forced the suspension of ferry services to Leyte and stranded thousands of travelers, according to the Associated Press news agency.

One woman was killed after the mass, when scaffolding near the stage collapsed, local media report.

The storm is forecast to hit the shore of nearby Samar Island later on Saturday.

During the Mass in Spanish, with a translation into English, Pope Francis spoke of the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan on people in Tacloban.

He told the faithful that “so many of you in Tacloban have lost everything. I don’t know what to say – but the Lord does… He underwent so many of the trials that you do”.

A national holiday has been declared in Manila for the duration of Pope Francis’ visit.

Security is very tight, with tens of thousands of soldiers and police deployed, after failed attempts to kill two previous popes in the Philippines.

The centerpiece of Pope Francis’ visit will be an open-air Mass in Manila on January 18, which is expected to attract millions.

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Florida police use black suspects mugshots for target practice

Nancy Clayson
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Florida police use black suspects mugshots for target practice

Florida police officers have been criticized for using mugshots of black suspects for target practice.

The images used by North Miami Beach Police were discovered by a female soldier who used the firing range after a police training session.

Sgt. Valerie Deant recognized her brother as one of the target images, according to NBC Miami.

Police Chief J Scott Dennis said that his officers had used poor judgment but denied racial profiling.

He told NBC that using real suspect images was an important part of training for his sniper team and that his officers had not violated any policies.

“There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this,” he said.

A police spokeswoman added that officers use targets of all races and genders in their training sessions.Florida police black suspects mugshots target training

The six targets left behind by police were found last month by Sgt. Valerie Deant, a band member of the Florida Army National Guard.

“I was like, why is my brother being used for target practice?” she told NBC Miami on January 16.

The photo of her brother Woody Deant had been taken after his arrest as a teenager for drag racing. It had been shot several times.

Valerie Deant said he was “speechless” when he heard the news.

“Now I’m being used as a target? I’m not even living that life according to how they portrayed me as. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a career man. I work nine to five.”

Police Chief J Scott Dennis said they were “very very concerned” that one of the targets had been of a man who would be on the streets of North Miami Beach.

He said that the department would no longer use images of suspects they had arrested.

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Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests: At least 4 people killed during Niger violent protests

Roy Siemens
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Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests: At least 4 people killed during Niger violent protests

Three civilians and a police officer have been killed in violent protests against French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Niger’s second city of Zinder, officials say.

A number of churches and the French cultural centre were among several buildings raided and set alight.

Friday saw protests across the Muslim world over Charlie Hebdo‘s publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on its first issue after last week’s attack in Paris.

Twelve people were killed in the attack at the Charlie Hebdo’s offices.

The cover of the magazine’s latest edition, published after the attack, featured a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad weeping while holding a sign saying “I am Charlie”.

Protests against the magazine were also seen on Friday in Pakistan, where protests turned violent in Karachi, the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and the Algerian capital, Algiers.

One policeman and three civilians were killed in the protests in Zinder after Friday prayers, a police source told Reuters.Niger Charlie Hebdo protests

“Some of the protesters were armed with bows and arrows as well as clubs. The clashes were very violent in some places,” the source added.

AFP quoted a minister as saying dozens of people had been injured.

Local residents told Reuters that demonstrators had set fire to churches and raided shops that were run by Christians.

“The protesters are crying out in local Hausa language: Charlie is Satan – let hell engulf those supporting Charlie,” a local shopkeeper said by telephone.

The French cultural centre there also came under attack.

The centre’s director, Kaoumi Bawa, said an angry crowd of around 50 people had smashed the building’s door and set fire to the cafeteria, library and offices.

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Critics’ Choice Awards 2015: Full list of winners

Sonia Pantiss
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Critics’ Choice Awards 2015: Full list of winners

Full list of winners at the 20th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards:

Best Picture
Birdman
WINNER: Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Whiplash

Best Director
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay – Selma 
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman
Angelina Jolie – Unbroken
WINNER: Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
WINNER: Michael Keaton – Birdman
David Oyelowo – Selma
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything 

Best Actress
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
WINNER: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin – Inherent Vice
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
WINNER: J. K. Simmons – Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer

Best Young Actor/Actress
WINNER: Ellar Coltrane — Boyhood
Ansel Elgort — The Fault in Our Stars
Mackenzie Foy — Interstellar
Jaeden Lieberher — St. Vincent
Tony Revolori — The Grand Budapest Hotel
Quvenzhané Wallis — Annie
Noah Wiseman — The BabadookCritics Choice Awards 2015

Best Acting Ensemble
WINNER: Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Selma

Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: Gillian Flynn — Gone Girl
Graham Moore — The Imitation Game
Paul Thomas Anderson — Inherent Vice
Anthony McCarten — The Theory of Everything
Joel and Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson — Unbroken
Nick Hornby — Wild

Best Original Screenplay
WINNER: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo — Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
WINNER: The Lego Movie

Best Action Movie
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
WINNER: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Actor in an Action Movie
WINNER: Bradley Cooper — American Sniper
Tom Cruise — Edge of Tomorrow
Chris Evans — Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brad Pitt — Fury
Chris Pratt — Guardians of the Galaxy 

Best Actress in an Action Movie
WINNER: Emily Blunt — Edge of Tomorrow
Scarlett Johansson — Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence — The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
Zoe Saldana — Guardians of the Galaxy
Shailene Woodley — Divergent

Best Comedy
Birdman
WINNER: The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Top Five
22 Jump Street

Best Actor in a Comedy
Jon Favreau – Chef
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
WINNER: Michael Keaton – Birdman
Bill Murray – St. Vincent
Chris Rock – Top Five
Channing Tatum – 22 Jump Street

Best Actress in a Comedy
Rose Byrne – Neighbors
Rosario Dawson – Top Five
Melissa McCarthy – St. Vincent
WINNER: Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig – The Skeleton Twins

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie
The Babadook
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
WINNER: Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Under the Skin

Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER: Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
Wild Tales

Best Documentary Feature
Citizenfour
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Last Days in Vietnam
WINNER: Life Itself
The Overnighters

Best Art Direction
Kevin Thompson, George DeTitta Jr. – Birdman
WINNER: Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock – The Grand Budapest Hotel
David Crank, Amy Wells – Inherent Vice
Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis – Interstellar
Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock – Into the Woods
Ondrej Nekvasil, Beatrice Brentnerova – Snowpiercer

Best Cinematography
WINNER: Emmanuel Lubezki — Birdman
Robert Yeoman — The Grand Budapest Hotel
Hoyte Van Hoytema — Interstellar
Dick Pope — Mr. Turner
Roger Deakins — Unbroken

Best Costume Design
WINNER: Milena Canonero – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mark Bridges – Inherent Vice
Colleen Atwood – Into the Woods
Anna B. Sheppard — Maleficent
Jacqueline Durran — Mr. Turner

Best Editing
WINNER: Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione — Birdman
Sandra Adair — Boyhood
Kirk Baxter — Gone Girl
Lee Smith — Interstellar
Tom Cross — Whiplash

Best Hair & Makeup
Foxcatcher
WINNER: Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Maleficent

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Gone Girl
WINNER: Antonio Sánchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

Best Song
Big Eyes Lana Del Rey – Big Eyes
Everything is Awesome Jo Li and The Lonely Island – The Lego Movie
WINNER: Glory John Legend and Common – Selma
Lost Stars Keira Knightley – Begin Again
Yellow Flicker Beat Lorde – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar

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Michael Keaton falls off stage at Critics’ Choice Awards 2015

Sonia Pantiss
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Michael Keaton falls off stage at Critics’ Choice Awards 2015

Oscar nominee Michael Keaton fell off stage at last night’s Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony.

Michael Keaton, who collected two best actor trophies for Birdman at Thursday’s ceremony, later joked “that I took the Birdman flying thing way too far”.

Boyhood drama walked away with the coveted best picture award.

The Lego Movie – snubbed by Oscar voters earlier in the day – picked up the best animated feature award.

Michael Keaton, who was fine after his fall from the stage, won best actor and best actor in a comedy, while Birdman also collected best acting ensemble and original screenplay among its seven-trophy haul.

He was one of the five actors who had earlier learned they would be vying for the best actor Oscar.Michael Keaton falls off stage at Critics' Choice Awards 2015

Julianne Moore, also an Oscar nominee, picked up the best actress for Still Alice, while JK Simmons was rewarded with a best supporting gong for Whiplash.

The Critics’ Choice Awards is a rarity in rewarding the action movie genre, with Guardians of the Galaxy coming out on top in the category.

Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper won the award for best actor in an action movie, while Emily Blunt took the actress title, for Edge of Tomorrow.

There was also recognition for space saga Interstellar in the sci-fi/horror category.

Richard Linklater won best director for Boyhood, while Patricia Arquette won best supporting actress. Both are Oscar nominees.

Ellar Coltrane won the best young actor for his role in the film, which started its 13-year long shoot when he was just five and continued over the course of 12 years.

The best song award went to Common and John Legend for Glory from the civil rights drama Selma.

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Selma to be screened at White House

Sonia Pantiss
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Selma to be screened at White House

Oscar-nominated movie Selma will be shown at the White House during a special screening hosted by President Barack Obama.

Selma depicts the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The movie is a contender for best picture at next month’s Academy Awards, alongside seven other films including Birdman, Boyhood and Grand Budapest Hotel.

Cast and crew, including director Ava DuVernay, are expected to attend the screening on January 16.

Selma picked up just two nominations for the Oscars, the second being a nomination for best original song, Glory, by John Legend and Common.

David Oyelowo missed out on a best actor citation, for his depiction of Martin Luther King, and Ava DuVernay failed to make the cut for best director.Selma White House screening

Had she been nominated, Ava DuVernay would have become the first African-American woman to be nominated in that category.

The Oscar nominations have come under fire from some commentators for their lack of diversity, after it was revealed that all 20 contenders for the acting categories were white.

However, the Academy’s first African-American woman president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, told New York Magazine‘s Vulture blog that the organization does not have a diversity problem “at all”.

Previous Oscar contenders to be shown at the White House include last year’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln in 2012, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln.

The screening will take place in the 40-seat family cinema, part of Barack Obama’s private family quarters, according to Variety.

The first movie screened at the White House was in 1915, when Woodrow Wilson hosted a showing of Birth of a Nation.

The Obamas have also screened Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Julie & Julia (2009), starring Meryl Streep and He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), starring Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson and Drew Barrymore.

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2014 was hottest year on record

James J. Williams
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2014 was hottest year on record

According to US scientists, 2014 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures 0.68C (1.24F) above the long-term average.

The results mean that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the turn of the century.

NASA and NOAA researchers published the report on January 16.

Last month, the World Meteorological Organization released provisional figures that predicted the past 12 months were set to be record breakers.

“This is the latest in a series of warm years, in a series of warm decades,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

“While the ranking of individual years can be affected by chaotic weather patterns, the long-term trends are attributable to drivers of climate change that right now are dominated by human emissions of greenhouse gases,” he added.2014 warmest year on record

NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintain two of the three global datasets of global temperatures. The UK’s Met Office maintains the third. Data from all three are used by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and formed the basis of its provisional figures in December.

Reviewing extreme weather during 2014, the WMO highlighted a number of record-breaking events:

  • In September, parts of the Balkans received more than double the average monthly rainfall and parts of Turkey were hit by four times the average.
  • The town of Guelmin in Morocco was swamped by more than a year’s rain in just four days.
  • Western Japan saw the heaviest August rain since records began.
  • Parts of the western US endured persistent drought, as did parts of China and Central and South America.
  • Tropical storms, on the other hand, totaled 72 which is less than the average of 89 judged by 1981-2010 figures. The North Atlantic, western North Pacific and northern Indian Ocean were among regions seeing slightly below-average cyclone activity. [youtube SstUwTtk6iQ 650]

Pakistan: Charlie Hebdo protesters clash with police near French consulate

Roy Siemens
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Pakistan: Charlie Hebdo protesters clash with police near French consulate

Clashes between Pakistani police and crowds protesting over an image of the Prophet Muhammad published in Charlie Hebdo have erupted near the French consulate in Karachi.

The authorities used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the demonstration.

The protest was part of a nationwide rally called by Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s largest Islamist party.

Charlie Hebdo featured a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad this week, a week after two gunmen carried out a massacre at its offices.

Twelve people were killed in the Paris attack, carried out by two French Muslims angry over earlier depictions of Muhammad in the magazine.

On January 15, Pakistani politicians passed a motion condemning Charlie Hebdo for publishing the latest cartoon.Charlie Hebdo protests in Pakistan

Religious leaders openly called for journalists at the magazine to be hanged, and several religious groups called for protests after Friday prayers.

In Karachi, at least three people were injured during the clashes between police and about 200 protesters, who were mostly student activists from Jamaat-e-Islami.

Three people were reportedly hurt in the clashes, though it was not clear how they sustained their injuries.

One of the injured has since been confirmed as Asif Hassan, a photographer for the news agency AFP.

He was shot in the chest but doctors say he is out of danger following surgery.

Pakistan has denied firing bullets at the protesters, claiming the police only fired shots into the air.

The protesters had tried to get inside the French consulate.

Protest leaders said they wanted to hand a written complaint to consulate officials, but were stopped by police near the main entrance.

Witnesses say the police used batons, water cannon, tear gas and shooting in the air to disperse the protesters.

The area is now quiet, and protesters have been forced away from the consulate.

Pakistan also erupted in protests in 2006 over publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoon images of Muhammad.

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Verviers raid: Belgium on high alert after two suspected Islamists die in anti-terror operation

Roy Siemens
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Verviers raid: Belgium on high alert after two suspected Islamists die in anti-terror operation

Belgium is on high alert after Verviers anti-terror raid in which two suspected Islamist militants were killed.

The suspects were shot dead after they opened fire on police with automatic weapons on Janaury 15.

Officials say they had returned from Syria and planned imminent attacks on police targets. Another suspect was wounded before being arrested.

Searches were also carried out overnight in the Brussels area.

Speaking after yesterday’s raid in Verviers, near the German border, Prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said the terror threat level had been raised to three – the second highest.

Referring to the raid itself, he said: “The suspects immediately and for several minutes opened fire with military weaponry and handguns on the special units of the federal police before they were neutralized.”

After the operation, four Kalashnikovs, bomb-making equipment and police clothing were found, according to local media. Security forces remain in the Verviers area.

Police are expected to provide more details at a briefing on January 16.

“Operations on the ground are now over. We are now exploiting the information [from the overnight anti-terror operations],” Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told French TV station iTele.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Some Jewish schools in Antwerp and Brussels were closed on January 16, after they were informed that they could be potential targets, Belgian newspaper Joods Actueel reported.

Anti-terror raids also took place late on Thursday in the capital Brussels and surrounding towns, including Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Anderlecht and Schaerbeek.

Earlier that day, two suspected Islamists were arrested in the Brussels suburb of Zaventem, Belgian media reported.

Belgian officials say more than 300 people have left Belgium to fight with Islamic militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

Belgium is thought to have the highest number of foreign fighters per capita in Europe who have taken part in fighting in Syria.

Prosecutors said the suspects in Verviers were believed to have been plotting to attack a police station and cause a large number of casualties.

The area around the train station remains sealed off.

Belgian PM Charles Michel said the security operation “shows the government’s determination to fight those who want to spread terror”, his spokesman said.

Verviers is in the province of Liege, close to the German border, and has a population of about 56,000.

The incident comes a week after attacks in neighboring France that killed 17 people. Belgian media has reported that some of the weapons used in those attacks were bought in Brussels.

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Paris shootings: French police arrest 12 people linked to terror attacks

Roy Siemens
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Paris shootings: French police arrest 12 people linked to terror attacks

Twelve people have been arrested in the Paris region over last week’s attacks that killed 17, reports say.

They are being questioned about “possible logistical support”, such as weapons or vehicles, that they could have given the gunmen, a judicial source told AFP.

Police conducted raids in five towns in the Paris region, iTele reported.

Last week’s violence began with an attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Twelve people were killed at the Charlie Hebdo offices by two gunmen, and four by another gunman at a kosher supermarket. The following day a policewoman was shot dead while responding to a traffic accident.

All three gunmen were later shot dead by police.

In the latest development, police carried out raids in the towns of Montrouge, Grigny, Chatenay-Malabry, Epinay-sur-Seine and Fleury-Merogis overnight, iTele reported.

On January 16, the Gare de l’Est train station in Paris was evacuated for an hour over a bomb threat. Services resumed at 09:00 AM local time, SNCF said, without giving further details.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

Spain has also launched an inquiry after it was revealed that one of the Paris gunmen, Amedy Coulibaly, had visited Madrid days before the attacks.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris to pay tribute to those killed in the attacks.

He hugged French President Francois Hollande, saying: “We share the pain and the horror of everything that you went through.”

Francois Hollande said: “You’ve been victims yourself of an exceptional terrorist attack on September 11 [2001]. You know what it means for a country.”

“We must find together appropriate responses,” Francois Hollande added.

John Kerry laid wreaths outside HyperCacher supermarket and the Charlie Hebdo offices.

Later on Friday, John Kerry will meet Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo for a remembrance ceremony.

US media had criticized the American government for not sending a high-profile representative to last Sunday’s unity march in Paris, which was attended by more than 40 world leaders. The US ambassador to France did attend the rally.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that John Kerry had “apologized” for missing the unity march, AFP reported.

John Kerry said that he had been unable to attend because he was visiting Bulgaria and India at the time.

Meanwhile, German police say they have arrested two men following raids early on Friday.

One of the men was suspected of leading an extremist group of Turkish and Russian nationals, police added.

The group was suspected of “preparing a serious act of violence against the state in Syria”, police said, but there was “no indication that the group was preparing attacks inside Germany”.

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Eddie Raymond Tipton: Hot Lotto jackpot winner arrested for fraud

Nancy Clayson
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Eddie Raymond Tipton: Hot Lotto jackpot winner arrested for fraud

An Iowa lottery employee has been arrested after he was named as the mystery winner of a multimillion-dollar jackpot at Hot Lotto.

Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51, has been charged with two counts of fraud after a four-year investigation.

He bought the Hot Lotto ticket in 2010, despite being legally prohibited, according to Iowa officials.

Eddie Raymond Tipton was caught after allegedly trying to claim the ticket through intermediaries.Eddie Raymond Tipton Iowa Lottery fraud

In 2010, Eddie Raymond Tipton had been working as the Director of Information Security for the Multi-State Lottery Association. Employees are banned from buying tickets or winning prizes.

The ticket Eddie Raymond Tipton bought was worth over $14 million.

Suspicions were raised after a lawyer tried to claim the prize for an unnamed person in 2011.

Iowa Lottery President Terry Rich said the case was one of the strangest in lottery history.

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Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell talk about Dawn Wall climbing

Clyde K. Valle
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Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell talk about Dawn Wall climbing

American climbers Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell, who spent 19 days clinging to the Dawn Wall of the El Capitan rock formation in California, say they hope their achievement will inspire others.

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson became the first free climbers to scale the sheer Dawn Wall of the El Capitan peak in Yosemite National Park.

They are the first climbers to do so without the usual aids, relying sometimes on fingertip grips.

Kevin Jorgeson said it should show people the importance of teamwork and persistence.

He said the experience “recalibrates your perception of what you can do and what’s possible. Now that we’ve done this, who knows what comes.”

His fellow record-breaker Tommy Caldwell told the New York Times: “I would love for this to open people’s minds to what an amazing sport this is.”Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell talk about Dawn Wall climbing

Both men said they had been touched by the number of people who had been inspired by their achievement.

The task began on December 27 and while scaling the 3,000ft rock, they had even climbed in darkness, when sweat was less of an issue.

They took rest days to wait for their finger cuts and grazes to heal and used tape and even superglue to speed up the process.

Tommy Caldwell said support climbers had provided them with fresh fruit and vegetables every five days, plus they had burritos, chocolate and even coffee.

In spare moments, Tommy Caldwell said, he read the autobiography of legendary climber Barry Blanchard.

Kevin Jorgeson said the Dawn Wall “personifies dreaming big and making it happen”.

He added: “It’s just a super-concrete example and an iconic, beautiful place with amazing images and a great story of perseverance and teamwork and making it.”

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Ma Jian: China’s intelligence chief placed under investigation for corruption

Diane A. Wade
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Ma Jian: China’s intelligence chief placed under investigation for corruption

Chinese authorities are investigating powerful intelligence chief Ma Jian for corruption.

The Communist Party’s discipline watchdog said Ma Jian was suspected of “serious violations” of the law.

Ma Jian is the latest high-ranking figure to be targeted in an ongoing crackdown on corruption among party officials.

He is vice-minister in the Ministry of State Security, which oversees foreign and counterintelligence operations.

No further details were given in the one-line statement on the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s website, but the wording used typically applies to a corruption probe.Ma Jian arrested over corruption

Reports of the investigation into Ma Jian emerged earlier this month, with a South China Morning Post report linking it to a corruption probe involving a technology conglomerate.

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to eradicate corruption amongst party and government officials when he took power in late 2012, calling it a threat to the party’s survival.

In recent months multiple officials have been toppled, the most senior being Zhou Yongkang, the former head of the Ministry of Public Security.

Earlier this month, an investigation was also announced into Zhang Kunsheng, the highest ranking of four Chinese assistant foreign ministers.

“In dog we trust” rug removed from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office

Nancy Clayson
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“In dog we trust” rug removed from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office rug has been removed after it was noticed that it read “in dog we trust” instead of “in God we trust”.

The $500 mat lay at the entrance to the office in Pinellas County, Florida, for two months before someone noticed, a spokeswoman said.

A deputy standing in the lobby spotted the error on January 14, CNN reported,

The error was made by the rug’s manufacturer and it is being replaced.In dog we trust rug Pinellas County

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said they were looking at auctioning it for charity, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There have been several offers to buy the misprinted rug.

Pinellas County includes the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

“In God we trust” was adopted as the national motto of the US in 1956. It is also the official motto of Florida.

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Josh McNary charged with rape

Clyde K. Valle
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Josh McNary charged with rape

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Josh McNary has been charged with rape.

Josh McNary, 26, faces charges of rape, criminal confinement and battery. The NFL player denies all the charges.

Peg McLeish, a spokeswoman in the city prosecutor’s office, confirmed the charges but gave no details.

In 2013, the army graduate joined the Colts, who play New England in Sunday’s AFC Championship game.

In a statement, the Colts said they were trying to establish the facts in the case.Josh McNary

The NFL has faced criticism recently for its handling of serious allegations against players, and penalties have subsequently increased.

There was uproar when Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was initially given a two-match suspension for attacking his girlfriend, now his wife.

That was increased to an indefinite suspension but the harsher penalty was overturned in arbitration.

On Thursday morning, Josh McNary’s lawyer issued a statement on behalf of his client.

“Joshua McNary unhesitatingly denies all accusations made against him.

“Following the public release of these allegations, Joshua immediately reported to law enforcement officials in a respectful and peaceful manner.

“The charges and affidavit publicly disseminated on Wednesday afternoon are not evidence of wrongdoing, but simply one side’s story.”

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