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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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Swiss franc surges after Switzerland scraps euro cap

Clyde K. Valle
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Swiss franc surges after Switzerland scraps euro cap

The Swiss franc has risen by 30% in chaotic trade after the central bank abandoned the cap on the currency’s value against the euro.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said the cap, introduced in September 2011, was no longer justified.

It also cut a key interest rate from -0.25% to -0.75%, raising the amount investors pay to hold Swiss deposits.

The IMF’s head, Christine Lagarde, called the move “a bit of a surprise”.

Christine Lagarde said she was also surprised that the governor of the Swiss National Bank had not contacted her, and said she hoped he had communicated the plan to his fellow central bank governors.Swiss franc soars

Following the SNB move the euro went from buying 1.20 francs to buying just 0.8052, but it later recovered to buy 1.04.

Swiss shares closed down 9% and stock markets around Europe fell with investors buying “safe haven” assets such as gold and German bonds.

Many investors believe that with the franc so strong Swiss companies will struggle to maintain export levels.

Watchmaker Swatch saw its share price slump 15%. Swatch chief executive Nick Hayek called the decision “a tsunami” for Switzerland’s economy.

Mark Haefele, chief investment officer of Swiss bank UBS, estimated that the move would cost Swiss exporters close to 5 billion Swiss francs, equivalent to 0.7% of Swiss economic output.

One trader described trading after the unexpected announcement as “carnage”.

While the Swiss franc was held at 1.20 to the euro it had tracked the euro’s fall against the dollar.

Many believe the euro will fall even further if the European Central Bank (ECB) starts quantitative easing, buying bonds to push cash into the eurozone banking system to stimulate a recovery.

Keeping the franc at 1.20 to the euro had became increasingly expensive for the SNB as it sold its own currency and bought up euros, sterling, US and Canadian dollars and yen, usually in the form of government bonds.

SNB foreign currency reserves have more than doubled since the cap was started in 2011 making it one of the five largest holders of foreign reserves in the world.

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Pope Francis: Freedom of speech has limits

Diane A. Wade
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Pope Francis: Freedom of speech has limits

Pope Francis has defended freedom of speech but also stressed its limits following last week’s attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The pontiff said religions had to be treated with respect, so that people’s faith was not insulted or ridiculed.

To illustrate his point, Pope Francis told journalists that his assistant could expect a punch if he cursed his mother.

The remarks came as funerals were held for four people killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack by militant Islamists.

Friends and family paid last respects to cartoonists Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous, and Georges Wolinski, as well as columnist Elsa Cayat and policeman Franck Brinsolaro.Pope Francis on freedom of speech

Eight magazine staff, a visitor to the magazine, a caretaker and two policemen died in the last week’s attack. A policewoman and four people at a kosher supermarket died in separate attacks.

Al-Qaeda said it had directed the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Charlie Hebdo was targeted for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. It printed another cartoon of the Prophet on its front page after the attacks, angering some Muslims who say all depictions of the Prophet should be forbidden.

France has deployed thousands of troops and police to boost security in the wake of last week’s attacks. There have been retaliatory attacks against Muslim sites around France.

Speaking to journalists flying with him to the Philippines, Pope Francis said last week’s attacks were an “aberration”, and such horrific violence in God’s name could not be justified.

He staunchly defended freedom of expression, but then he said there were limits, especially when people mocked religion.

“If my good friend Doctor Gasparri [who organizes the Pope’s trips] speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched,” he said, throwing a pretend punch at the doctor, who was standing beside him.

“You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit.”

In a separate development, the government announced that a Malian employee of the Jewish supermarket that was attacked would be given French citizenship.

Some 300,000 people signed an online petition calling for the move after the Muslim employee, Lassana Bathily, hid several customers from gunman Amedy Coulibaly in a cold store.

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Belgium: Two dead in Verviers anti-terror operation

Roy Siemens
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Belgium: Two dead in Verviers anti-terror operation

Two died in an anti-terror operation in Verviers, eastern Belgium, local officials say.

A third person was wounded in the raid, according to Belgian TV. Several arrests were made.

A source in the mayor’s office told AFP news agency that “an operation is under way”. Another official said the raid was “jihadist-related”.

Unconfirmed reports said raids were also taking place in Brussels and elsewhere in Belgium.

In Verviers, witnesses reported hearing heavy gunfire for several minutes and at least three explosions.Verviers Belgium anti terror operation

The area around the train station has been cordoned off and reports on social media say there is a heavy police presence in the town centre.

Media reports suggested those targeted were suspected jihadists who had returned from Syria.

Verviers is in the province of Liege 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 the attacks in Paris were bought near the Midi train station in Brussels.

The attacks – on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a kosher market and a police officer – have heightened security fears in several European countries.

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Target Canada to close all 133 stores two years after launch

Clyde K. Valle
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Target Canada to close all 133 stores two years after launch

Target will close all of its 133 stores in Canada two years after launching there.

On current trading performance, Target Canada, which employs 17,600 people, would not be profitable before 2021, its US parent said in a statement.

Target Canada, which has filed for bankruptcy protection, faced tough competition from Walmart and Costco, which opened in the country years ago.

The US discount store said the closure was in the “best interest of the business”.

Target chairman and chief executive Brian Cornell said in a statement: “After a thorough review of our Canadian performance and careful consideration of the implications of all options, we were unable to find a realistic scenario that would get Target Canada to profitability until at least 2021.”Target Canada closes all stores

Brian Cornell said the focus now would be on “driving growth” in the US, where it has 1,801 stores.

There had been criticism that Target’s launch in Canada was inept, with uncompetitive pricing and poor range of stock in the stores.

Shares in Target rose 8% in early trading following the news it was leaving Canada.

Brian Cornell, named chief executive six months ago, said: “It was a difficult decision but it was the right decision for our company.

“We have determined that it is in the best interest of our business and our shareholders to exit the Canadian market and focus on driving growth and building further momentum in our US business.”

It is Brian Cornell’s first big move following the resignation of Gregg Steinhafel last year.

Target is not the only US discounter to suffer across the border. Big Lots and Best Buy have both closed stores in Canada.

Target said it expected cost of the exit to be between $500 million and $600 million.

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Pope Francis loses papal hat at Manila airport

Nancy Clayson
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Pope Francis loses papal hat at Manila airport

Pope Francis has lost his papal hat as he arrived in windy Manila, the Philippines, on January 15.

The Pope was beginning his five-day visit to the nation’s 80 million Roman Catholics.Pope Francis loses papal hat in Manila

Huge crowds were gathered for the pontiff’s arrival, and are expected at each stage of the tour which will include a Mass in the capital and a visit to typhoon-hit Tacloban.

Pope Francis is the fourth pontiff to visit the Philippines.

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Pope Francis arrives in Philippines for three-day visit

Diane A. Wade
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Pope Francis arrives in Philippines for three-day visit

Hundreds of thousands of cheering people who waited several hours in steaming heat have greeted Pope Francis at his arrival in the Philippines.

People lined the streets of the capital Manila to glimpse his motorcade.

Millions more are expected to come out to see him over his five-day visit to the nation’s 80 million Catholics.

Pope Francis said that a priority of his visit would be to send a message to the poor who face “social, spiritual and existential” injustices.

“The central nut of the message will be the poor, the poor who want to go forward, the poor who suffered from Typhoon Haiyan and are continuing to suffer the consequences,” the pontiff said while travelling to the Philippines from Sri Lanka.

Typhoon Haiyan killed or left missing more than 7,300 people, razing villages to the ground in the centre of the Philippines in 2013.

Leyte province was especially badly affected, and it is there where Pope Francis will seek to console survivors on January 17.

The Pope said that also prominent in his mind were some Filipino workers at the Vatican who had left their families for jobs overseas.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

The Philippines is one of the world’s largest exporters of labor – it is estimated that about a tenth of the population has left the country in search of work – and reports of their abuse and exploitation are commonplace.

President Benigno Aquino has also spoken of his determination to eradicate poverty, although he has been at loggerheads with the local Roman Catholic Church over a 2012 reproductive health law that promotes artificial birth control.

After leaving the airport, Pope Francis boarded an open-sided Popemobile to travel the 7 mile route to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, where he is staying.

The highlight of Pope Francis’ visit will be a huge open-air Mass in Manila on January 18 and a visit to Tacloban to meet survivors of a devastating typhoon in November 2013.

Security will be tight after failed attempts to kill two previous popes.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed.

Pope Francis is the fourth pontiff to visit the Philippines – 80% of its 100 million people are Catholic.

A three-day public holiday has been declared in Manila to clear the traffic.

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Charlie Hebdo cartoonists funerals held in Paris

Diane A. Wade
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Charlie Hebdo cartoonists funerals held in Paris

Funerals of four people killed in last week’s Charlie Hebdo magazine attack are being held in Paris.

Friends and family paid last respects to cartoonists Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous, and Georges Wolinski, as well as a columnist and a policeman.

At Tignous’ funeral colleagues said Charlie Hebdo would stay alive and they would not be afraid.

Seventeen people died in the attacks, including eight magazine staff.

Three police officers, four people at a Jewish supermarket, and a visitor to the magazine and a caretaker died. Al-Qaeda said it had directed the three militants involved to carry out the attacks.

Earlier President Francois Hollande vowed to protect Muslims who, he said, were the main victims of fanaticism, along with people of other religions.

Speaking at the Arab World Institute, he said anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic acts should be condemned and punished.

Meanwhile Pope Francis condemned the attacks, saying it was an “aberration” to kill in the name of God.

However, the pontiff said there were limits to freedom of expression and the faith of others should not be insulted.Charlie Hebdo Tignous funeral

A private funeral service was held for Tignous, 57, in the suburb of Montreuil, ahead of his burial in Pere Lachaise, Paris’ best known resting place for writers, artists and composers.

A ceremony was held at Pere Lachaise for Georges Wolinski, who is to be cremated.

Meanwhile friends and family are also attending funerals for Charlie Hebdo columnist Elsa Cayat and Franck Brinsolaro, a policeman assigned to guard the magazine’s editor Stephane Charbonnier.

Crowds in Montreuil applauded Tignous’ coffin as it arrived for the ceremony at Montreuil town hall covered in drawings and messages from well-wishers.

In a tribute at the ceremony, Tignous’ colleague Corinne Rey described him as the “king of jokes”.

“Our magazine will live, it will be a different magazine,” she said.

“You were never afraid, my Titi and be assured, we won’t be afraid either.”

Also speaking at Montreuil, Justice Minister Christine Taubira said the dead cartoonists were the “guardian angels, those who watch out to make sure democracy was working” and the “face of France, obnoxiously assassinated”.

“You were dreaming of being free, we will continue your dream.”

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Cuba embargo: US loosens travel and trade restrictions

Clyde K. Valle
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Cuba embargo: US loosens travel and trade restrictions

The US has loosened Cuba travel and trade restrictions starting with January 16, US officials say.

Measures include allowing US citizens to use credit cards in Cuba and for US businesses to export some technologies.

Americans will be able to take home up to $100 in alcohol and tobacco from Cuba. Correspondents say it means the US ban on Cuban cigars is over.

The move comes after the US and Cuba countries agreed last month to restore diplomatic relations severed since 1961.

Although the latest moves put a large dent in the US trade embargo against Cuba, only Congress can lift it completely.US loosens travel and trade restrictions on Cuba

Earlier this week, US officials said Cuba had completed the release of 53 political prisoners agreed as part of the historic deal.

“Today’s announcement takes us one step closer to replacing out-of-date policies that were not working and puts in place a policy that helps promote political and economic freedom for the Cuban people,” said US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in a statement.

Under the new regulations, US citizens will be allowed to travel to Cuba for any of a dozen specific reasons without first obtaining a special license from the US government.

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.

US companies will also find it easier to export mobile phones and software to Cuba, as well as provide internet services there.

A change in the regulations will also allow US investments in some small businesses and agricultural operations.

The thaw in relations between the two countries was announced last month in simultaneous televised speeches by President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro.

Later this month, US Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson will lead a delegation to Cuba to discuss migration issues.

They will be the first high-level talks since the easing of relations was announced.

Oscar nominations 2015: Full list of nominees for 87th Academy Awards

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar nominations 2015: Full list of nominees for 87th Academy Awards

Full list of nominees for the 87th Academy Awards:

Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Producers
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best actor
Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper in American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

Best supporting Actor
Robert Duvall in The Judge
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
Edward Norton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

Best actress
Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon in Wild

Best supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood
Laura Dern in Wild
Keira Knightley in The Imitation Game
Emma Stone in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Meryl Streep in Into the Woods

Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess KaguyaOscar nominations 2015

Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper Written by Jason Hall
The Imitation Game Written by Graham Moore
Inherent Vice Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything Screenplay by Anthony McCarten
Whiplash Written by Damien Chazelle

Original Screenplay
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Boyhood Written by Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler Written by Dan Gilroy

Cinematography
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel Robert Yeoman
Ida Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner Dick Pope
Unbroken Roger Deakins

Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice Mark Bridges
Into the Woods Colleen Atwood
Maleficent Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive
Mr. Turner Jacqueline Durran

Director
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher – Bennett Miller
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson
The Imitation Game – Morten Tyldum

Documentary Feature
CitizenFour Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Finding Vivian Maier John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Last Days in Vietnam Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester
The Salt of the Earth Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier
Virunga Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Joanna Aneta Kopacz
Our Curse Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki
The Reaper (La Parka) Gabriel Serra Arguello
White Earth J. Christian Jensen

Film Editing
American Sniper Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
Boyhood Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game William Goldenberg
Whiplash Tom Cross

Foreign Language Film
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Wild Tales – Argentina

Makeup and Hairstyling
Foxcatcher Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard
The Grand Budapest Hotel Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Guardians of the Galaxy Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White

Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat
The Imitation Game Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar Hans Zimmer
Mr. Turner Gary Yershon
The Theory of Everything Jóhann Jóhannsson

Original Song
Everything Is Awesome from The Lego Movie
Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
Glory from Selma
Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
Grateful from Beyond the Lights
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
I’m Not Gonna Miss You from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
Lost Stars from Begin Again
Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois

Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
Into the Woods Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Mr. Turner Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

Animated Short Film
The Bigger Picture Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
The Dam Keeper Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Feast Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Me and My Moulton Torill Kove
A Single Life Joris Oprins

Live Action Short Film
Aya Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
Boogaloo and Graham Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak) Hu Wei and Julien Féret
Parvaneh Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
The Phone Call Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

Sound Editing
American Sniper Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar Richard King
Unbroken Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro

Sound Mixing
American Sniper John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Interstellar Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
Whiplash Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Interstellar Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

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Oscar nominations 2015: Birdman and Grand Budapest Hotel lead nominations list with 9 nods each

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar nominations 2015: Birdman and Grand Budapest Hotel lead nominations list with 9 nods each

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

The Theory of Everything, Boyhood and American Sniper also have multiple nominations.

Among best actor nominations are Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper and Michael Keaton.

There are eight films in the best film category:

  • American Sniper
  • Birdman
  • Boyhood
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Imitation Game
  • Selma
  • The Theory of Everything
  • Whiplash

Meryl Streep is nominated for her 19th acting Oscar, breaking her own Academy Awards record. She is up for best supporting actress for Into the Woods alongside Keira Knightley, Patricia Arquette, Laura Dern and Emma Stone.Oscars nominations 2015

Nominated alongside Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike in the best actress category are previous Oscar winners Reece Witherspoon and Marion Cotillard, alongside Julianne Moore, who recently won the Golden Globe for her role in Still Alice.

Those who missed out in the category included Jennifer Aniston who was nominated a Golden Globe for her role in Cake and Amy Adams who won the Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy for Big Eyes.

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel have nine nominations apiece, while The Imitation Game is up for eight and American Sniper and Boyhood are up for six each.

The Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher and Whiplash have five nominations each.

Rita Ora is nominated for best song for Grateful from Beyond the Lights. John Legend, who won a Golden Globe for his song Glory from the film Selma, is also nominated along with Tegan & Sara for Everything Is Awesome from The Lego Movie.

The Lego Movie was a surprise omission in the best animated film category.

The nominations were announced in Hollywood by Alfonso Cuaron, who won best director for Gravity last year, alongside actor Chris Pine, Star Wars director JJ Abrams and Oscars boss Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Neil Patrick Harris will host the ceremony of the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on February 22.

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