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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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Christopher Cornell: Ohio man arrested for plotting ISIS-inspired attack on Capitol

Diane A. Wade
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Christopher Cornell: Ohio man arrested for plotting ISIS-inspired attack on Capitol

Christopher Cornell has been arrested by the FBI in Ohio for allegedly planning to attack the Capitol in Washington in an Islamic State-inspired attack.

Christopher Cornell, 20, is charged with attempting to kill a US government officer, according to court documents.

The man came to the attention of the FBI after tweeting support for extremist groups like Islamic State.

The public was never in danger during this investigation, Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge John Barrios said.

Christopher Cornell’s father says his son may have posted angry messages about violent jihad, but he would not have been capable of carrying out an attack.

John Cornell told ABC that his son was only a recent convert to Islam after becoming “lost and vulnerable ” at high school.Christopher Cornell Capitol plot

He said that there was no way his son “could have carried out any kind of terrorist plot”.

“He never talked about any kind of violence to me or to his mother. He is a mummy’s boy, he tells mummy everything.”

Christopher Cornell was arrested after purchasing firearms on January 14, but had long been tracked by an undercover agent.

He allegedly operated a Twitter account under the alias Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, which came to the attention of the FBI through a confidential source in August.

The source had been co-operating with the FBI in exchange for favorable treatment in an unrelated case, court documents said.

Christopher Cornell allegedly told the source he had not been directly authorized by Islamic State leaders overseas to undertake attacks but wanted to “wage jihad under our own orders”.

The informant and Christopher Cornell – who lives in Green Township in Ohio – first began communicating through Twitter and then through an instant messaging platform similar to Twitter, according to court documents.

“I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves,” Christopher Cornell wrote in an instant message, the documents show.

During a meeting in October, according to the criminal complaint, Christopher Cornell told the source he needed weapons but did not want to share details of his plan.

At a second meeting, Christopher Cornell allegedly told the source they would go to Washington, set off pipe bombs at the Capitol building and shoot employees and officials there.

Christopher Cornell allegedly said that he considered the members of Congress as enemies and that he had plans to travel to Washington and conduct reconnaissance of the security of government buildings before executing “a plan of attack”.

He was arrested by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force after buying two M-15 semi-automatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition in Ohio.

Prosecutors say Christopher Cornell has researched pipe bombs on the internet as well as travel plans to Washington.

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Dozy from 60’s pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich dies at 70

Sonia Pantiss
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Dozy from 60’s pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich dies at 70

Dozy from the 60’s pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich has died at the age of 70.

Trevor Ward-Davies, the bass guitarist and founder member of the band, died in hospital on Tuesday following a short illness.

Between 1965 and 1969, the group spent more weeks in the UK singles charts than the Beatles.

The flamboyant quintet, named after the five friends’ nicknames, formed in Salisbury in 1961.Dozy from the 60's pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich has died at the age of 70

They first entered the UK charts in December 1965 with You Make it Move.

A string of hits followed including Hold Tight!, Bend It! and Save Me and a UK number one single with the whip-cracking Legend of Xanadu, in 1968.

Two of their albums charted – their eponymous debut, in 1966, followed a year later by If Music Be the Food of Love… Then Prepare for Indigestion

Ian Amey, better known as Tich from the band, said: “He was very good fun to be with, a very good friend for many, many years and he will be terribly missed.

“It was his band. It all started off with Dozy before it ever got to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.”

“He was loveable in a lot of ways, was his own person and did what he wanted to do.

“He was a great guy and will be sadly missed.”

In 2009, lead singer Dave Dee died at the age of 65.

Of the other band members, guitarist John Dymond, known as Beaky, currently lives in Spain while drummer Michael “Mick” Wilson and Amey both live in Salisbury.

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Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell: Free climbers reach El Capitan peak after two weeks

Nancy Clayson
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Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell: Free climbers reach El Capitan peak after two weeks

Free climbers Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell have reached El Capitan peak in Yosemite National Park after spending two weeks scaling the sheer face of the 3,000ft rock.

Kevin Jorgeson, 30, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, are the first climbers to do so without aids, except for harnesses and ropes to prevent deadly falls.

They began their historic half-mile ascent on December 27.

During the climb Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell slept in tents suspended from the mountain face.

The men did not give media interviews on completion of their challenge, but are expected to discuss the climb later.

Eric Jorgeson, Kevin Jorgeson’s father, told local media his son had always been a climber and watching him fulfill a long-time dream had made him proud.

“He climbed everything he could think of. It made us nervous early on as parents, but we got used to it,” he said.Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell reach El Capitan peak

Eric Jorgeson and his son had begun climbing the other routes to El Capitan’s peak in California when Kevin was 15, making it a birthday tradition each year.

“I feel like the most proud person in the world right now,” Tommy Caldwell’s sister, Sandy Van Nieuwenhuyzen, said.

During their climb up the notoriously difficult Dawn Wall route, both took rest days to wait for their skin to heal and used tape and even superglue to speed the process.

Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell suffered bruising falls, when their grip slipped, and they would bounce off the mountain face.

Only their safety ropes saved them from further harm.

“As disappointing as this is, I’m learning new levels of patience, perseverance and desire,” Kevin Jorgeson had posted online at one point.

“I’m not giving up. I will rest. I will try again. I will succeed.”

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Twin Peaks: Kyle MacLachlan returns as Special Agent Dale Cooper

Sonia Pantiss
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Twin Peaks: Kyle MacLachlan returns as Special Agent Dale Cooper

Kyle MacLachlan returns to the small screen as Special Agent Dale Cooper in the new series of cult TV show Twin Peaks.

The Showtime network revealed the news at a Television Critics Association meeting in California, where Kyle MacLachlan made a cameo appearance.

“I think you need a damn good cup of coffee,” Kyle MacLachlan said, referring to one of Dale Cooper’s original catchphrases.

“I’m very excited to return to the strange and wonderful world of Twin Peaks,” the actor said.

He added: “May the forest be with you.”Kyle MacLachlan returns to Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks creator David Lynch later announced the news on Twitter with the hashtag #damnfinecoffee.

The third series will be broadcast on Showtime in the US in 2016.

It will come 25 years after the first two series, which were aired in 1990 and 1991. A prequel film, Fire Walk With Me, was released in 1992.

The unsettling drama explored the murky goings-on in a US town after the murder of teenage beauty queen Laura Palmer.

Twin Peaks won three Golden Globe awards in 1991, including best TV drama series and best actor in a TV drama for Kyle MacLachlan.

Kyle MacLachlan went on to forge a successful TV career after Twin Peaks, with credits including Agents of Shield, The Good Wife, Portlandia, Desperate Housewives and others.

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Roman Polanski questioned by Polish prosecutors over US extradition request

Lisa.Felice
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Roman Polanski questioned by Polish prosecutors over US extradition request

Director Roman Polanski has announced he will cooperate with Polish authorities over an extradition request to the US, where he is wanted for a 1977 assault case.

Roman Polanski, who is currently working on a film in Krakow, served 42 days for unlawful s** with a 13-year-old before fleeing Poland.

Polish prosecutors have confirmed they will question the 81-year-old, who has both Polish and French passports.

Roman Polanski said he had “confidence in Poland’s justice system”.

“I will submit myself to the procedure and we will see,” he told a TV news channel.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

“I hope everything will be alright.”

Poland generally does not allow extradition of its citizens, but has an extradition agreement with the US who filed a request at the beginning of January.

Roman Polanski was arrested in 2009 by Swiss authorities after travelling to Zurich to attend a film festival, but avoided extradition.

His movements are restricted by a warrant in effect in 188 countries, but he has avoided extradition by travelling between France, Poland and Switzerland.

Roman Polanski is working on a new film, An Officer and A Spy, about a 19th Century French scandal dubbed “the Dreyfus affair”.

Roman Polanski won an Oscar in 2003 for directing The Pianist, a harrowing story set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw that mirrored his own childhood experiences.

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Avatar 2 will not be released until 2017

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Avatar 2 will not be released until 2017

Avatar 2 has been delayed a year and will not be released until 2017, director James Cameron has revealed.

James Cameron said he is working on three new Avatar films at the same time.

Avatar 2 was supposed to be out in December 2016, but James Cameron said writing the stories had become “very involved”.

“There’s a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films,” he explained.Avatar 2 release delayed until 2017

James Cameron said the goal was to have the scripts for the three movies completed by the end of this month so that filming can begin.

“We’re writing three simultaneously and we’ve done that so that everything tracks throughout the three films,” he told the Associated Press.

“We’re not just going to do one and then make up another one and another one after that.

“And parallel with that, we’re doing all the design. So we’ve designed all the creatures and the environments.”

James Cameron, 60, said he thought it was important that each film linked forward to the next one in a satisfying way, but also came to a resolution that did not leave the audience hanging.

The three films will be shot in New Zealand, where some of the original film was also made.

Avatar is the highest-grossing film in history, with box office takings of almost $2.8 billion.

Texas prison bus crash: 10 people dead after train collision

Nancy Clayson
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Texas prison bus crash: 10 people dead after train collision

Ten people are reportedly dead after a bus carrying prisoners lost control on an icy highway overpass and collided with a train near Odessa, Texas, officials say.

Sheriff Mark Donaldson said the bus skidded off an overpass and slid down an embankment before hitting the train.

Texas officials said the bus was carrying 12 prisoners and three corrections officers from one prison in Abilene to another in El Paso.Texas prison bus crash

Two corrections officers and eight inmates died in the crash, the Corrections Department said in a statement. The five other people on the bus – four inmates and one corrections officer – have been transported to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.

A Union Pacific spokesman said there were no injures on the train, but the railcars have not moved since the crash.

In a statement, the Texas criminal justice department said eight prisoners and two corrections officers were killed.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of those killed and injured this morning in a tragic accident,” executive director Brad Livingston said.

“Their loved ones will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

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