Friday 31 January 2020

Harvard professor slams Trump's lawyer for incorrectly citing him numerous times during Trump's impeachment trial: 'It's a joke'

Harvard professor slams Trump's lawyer for incorrectly citing him numerous times during Trump's impeachment trial: 'It's a joke'Harvard professor Nikolas Bowie said Alan Dershowitz, a member of Trump's legal team was wrong during an interview with CNN.




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Turkey says it will take extra measures against attacks in Syria's Idlib

Turkey says it will take extra measures against attacks in Syria's IdlibTurkey will take additional measures against attacks targeting its forces and civilians in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the national security council said on Thursday, after a nearly 5-hour meeting chaired by President Tayyip Erdogan. Bombardments by Russia-backed Syrian government forces on Idlib have raised concern of a new refugee wave to Turkey. On Wednesday, Erdogan said that Ankara was losing patience with the assault in Idlib and that Russia was violating agreements aimed at stemming conflict there.




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U.S. Farm Chief Presses EU to Throw Doors Open to American Foods

U.S. Farm Chief Presses EU to Throw Doors Open to American Foods(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signaled that a renewed transatlantic trade truce will require more ambitious European Union efforts to ease imports of American foods.Perdue criticized an idea being pursued by the bloc of a piecemeal accord that would scale back European regulatory barriers to individual American products such as shellfish, saying a U.S. farm-trade deficit with the EU of $10 billion to $12 billion was “unsustainable and unreasonable.”Instead, he said, Europe should reject the “political science of fear” over U.S. farm goods and ease market access for them in general.“We’re looking for real substance,” Perdue said from Rome on Thursday during a conference call with reporters. “It depends on recognizing international standards.”The comments challenge Europe’s better-safe-than-sorry approach to food safety -- a stance that has led to longstanding EU bans on hormone-treated beef and “chlorinated” chicken, and to a slow approval process in Europe for genetically modified foods.The remarks also highlight the obstacles to reviving a July 2018 transatlantic commercial truce. A fraying of that deal in recent months prompted U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last week to pledge fresh efforts to reach a trade accord, which she said could also include matters related to energy and technology.Any failure could prompt an escalation in tit-for-tat tariffs that began in 2018 when Trump invoked national-security considerations to impose duties on steel and aluminum from Europe.Perdue described talks he held on Monday with EU officials in Brussels as “very productive.” And, while declining to speculate about the elements of any transatlantic farm deal because it is being handled in Washington by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Perdue held out the prospect of results within weeks.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Nikos Chrysoloras, Peter ChapmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.




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Is This Picture How China Takes Over the South China Sea?

Is This Picture How China Takes Over the South China Sea?The outposts in the South China Sea are a serious threat to demilitarized sea lines.




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Estranged husband accused of killing Jennifer Dulos dies

Estranged husband accused of killing Jennifer Dulos diesFotis Dulos, 52, had been hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning since Tuesday, when he was found unresponsive inside a vehicle in the garage of his house in Farmington, Connecticut. “To those who contend that Mr. Dulos' death reflects a consciousness of guilt, we say no," lawyer Norm Pattis said. Dulos, a luxury home builder originally from Greece, was accused of killing Jennifer Dulos, who has not been seen since she dropped their five children off at school in New Canaan in May. Her body has not been found despite extensive searches.




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The Tesla Model Y is now in production, months ahead of schedule — and deliveries are expected to begin in March

The Tesla Model Y is now in production, months ahead of schedule — and deliveries are expected to begin in MarchThe Model Y was said to start production this summer, but Tesla's already at it and expecting to deliver units in Q1 2020.




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NPR News: Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Key Figure In Impeachment Trial, Retires


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NPR News: After Senate Votes Against Witnesses, Impeachment Trial Final Vote Expected Next Week


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Cecily Strong to Lead Musical Comedy Series at Apple TV+ Produced by ‘SNL’ Boss Lorne Michaels

Cecily Strong

Even though Apple TV+ doesn’t seem too keen to share their subscribers numbers after launching last year, the streaming service from the tech giant is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to creating new content. A new addition to their slate of original programming is in the works from Despicable Me writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and executive producer Lorne Michaels, the mastermind behind Saturday Night Live, and it will feature SNL cast member Cecily Strong in one of the lead roles. So what’s this Apple TV+ musical comedy series about?

Deadline has news of the Apple TV+ musical comedy series that doesn’t yet have an official title, but it does have a fun premise. A couple heads out on a backpacking trip to help reinvigorate their relationship and they stumble upon a town called Schmigadoon. For some reason, everyone here acts as if they’re in a big studio musical from the 1940s, and very quickly, the couple finds out they can’t leave town until they find “true love.”

That sounds like a lot of fun. It has that feel of a comedic approach to La La Land but with a musical Pleasantville kind of twist. Musical shows can be hit or miss on television, especially when it comes to the quality of the song and dance numbers. The question is whether the couple finds that their true love is for each other or maybe they’ll fall in love with someone else. Perhaps they’ll each learn to love themselves before they can be in a proper relationship. It could go a variety of ways.

Lorne Michaels will executive produce (through Broadway Video) while Paul will be the showrunner. Strong is also producing in addition to her starring role, and Daurio will be a consulting producer. Universal Television is also on board the project.

Apparently this project has been in the works at Apple for nearly an entire year, so they must have been working to get it just right before going into production. Or were they maybe waiting until Cecily Strong decided to leave SNL? Apparently the current 45th season is the last one in her current contract, but she may not necessarily have to leave the sketch series in order to make this Apple TV+ show. After all, it doesn’t sound like it can sustain itself over more than a single season. Plus, SNL cast members Aidy Bryant and Kenan Thompson both have their own shows (Shrill at Hulu and The Kenan Show at NBC, respectively), and they’re not intending to leave SNL anytime soon.

Cecily Strong is one of the more underrated cast members currently at SNL. She’s not always in the spotlight, but when she is, it’s usually hilarious. Since this is a musical series we’re talking about, we’ll leave you with one of her more recent musical exploits on SNL from the holidays last year:

The post Cecily Strong to Lead Musical Comedy Series at Apple TV+ Produced by ‘SNL’ Boss Lorne Michaels appeared first on /Film.



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‘The Last Shift’ Review: This Fast Food Drama Bites Off More Than It Can Chew [Sundance 2020]

The Last Shift review

A good performance from Richard Jenkins can’t save The Last Shift, a languid fast food drama that has aspirations of exploring class and race in middle America, but lacks the tools to effectively do so. Documentary filmmaker Andrew Cohn makes the jump to narrative features here, telling the story of a fast food veteran tasked with training a new hire who possesses a wildly different outlook on life. It has the setup of a heartwarming story in which two mismatched men forge a begrudging respect for each other from their shared experiences in the kitchen, but The Last Shift has no interest in being that kind of movie. Instead, it tries to address some of this country’s biggest and most important issues and bites off far more than it can chew.

Jenkins plays Stanley, a high school dropout who nevertheless still wears his class ring. Pride is a defining character trait for him: he’s been working at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish, a fast food joint in his hometown of Albion, Michigan, for the past 38 years, and he takes his job very seriously. He knows the employee handbook, can accurately predict what kind of sauce a customer wants before they order, and is content with the fact that he’s been making $13 an hour for years. But it’s just about time for Stanley to leave town (seemingly for the first time ever), because he needs to move to Florida to pull his aging mother out of her retirement home. Enter Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie), Stanley’s replacement on the night shift. A former writer for his school newspaper, Jevon is a sharp guy who thinks he’s better than this crappy, court-mandated job – but he’s also on probation for defacing a public monument, and he wastes away his potential getting high with his friends to avoid his girlfriend and his baby son.

In the kitchen, Jevon’s disaffected attitude clashes with Stanley’s insistence that everything be just so. Jevon’s speeches about corporate greed seem to jolt Stanley awake (Jenkins plays Stanley as a guy who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so the revelation that a fast food restaurant might not deeply care about its employees seems genuinely shocking to him), and the two briefly form a bond – the type of co-worker relationship where you keep them at arm’s length, but don’t mind being around them.

Stanley sees himself as a good person, but he’s also low-key racist. When Jevon comes to work during his first day, Stanley won’t let him inside. “Did you think I was going to rob the place?” Jevon asks, and Stanley maybe protests a bit too much with his denial. Later, when he finds out Jevon is a writer, he’s curious: “What do you write? Raps and stuff?” When discussion of racial tension bubbles over during one scene, Stanley proves the be the type of white dude who claims black people always “play the race card.” He refuses to acknowledge that white privilege doesn’t mean that white people float through life without problems, but just that they move through the world without having to shoulder the extra burden that people of color carry every day. Acknowledging that there are institutional forces which have been oppressing black people for hundreds of years would require a complete overhaul of Stanley’s simplistic worldview, and it’s too late in the game for that level of rewiring. But the formerly docile Stanley now seems to have unlocked the ability to complain about his station in life, and his sudden entitlement and sense of being wronged is not a good look for him. Jevon isn’t having it, and this part of the movie made me think of what Todd Phillips’ Joker would have been like if it had a character who served as an intellectual counterpoint to Arthur Fleck’s half-baked ideas about aggrieved white men.

But there is the tiniest hint of incremental change. When Stanley was in high school, he and his pal (Ed O’Neill) saw a black kid get attacked (and ultimately killed) by some white bullies, and Jevon asks if Stanley did anything to try to stop the attack – or if he even said anything to the police about it afterward. The answer is no on both accounts, but the repressed memory has been brought to the surface and Stanley can’t quite shake it; for the first time ever, he seriously grapples with whether he should have tried to help. Unfortunately, that microscopic arc for his character is far too small to be satisfying, and by the film’s end, Stanley’s transgressions have piled up so high that it feels almost insulting to conclude this narrative without a deeper excavation of his mind. (One particularly dickish action has serious consequences for Jevon.)

The actors acquit themselves well with the material they’re given, but the film’s reach always far exceeds its grasp. The movie never arrives at a place where all of its conversations and provocations feel like they coalesce into a clear thesis, and its frustrating ending leans toward emotional resonance but doesn’t land with the punch the filmmakers were hoping. This one was just a big miss for me, and while Jenkins is solid as usual, the thing I’ll remember most about this film is that it introduced me to Shane Paul McGhie, a promising young actor who I look forward to seeing in something else.

/Film Rating: 4 out of 10

The post ‘The Last Shift’ Review: This Fast Food Drama Bites Off More Than It Can Chew [Sundance 2020] appeared first on /Film.



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Kobe Bryant helicopter firm was not allowed to fly in fog

Island Express Helicopters was restricted to flying in clear conditions, officials say.

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Could you handle the most remote campsite on earth?

Take a look inside an Antarctic campsite and find out how they survive.

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Terry Crews Apologizes To Gabrielle Union For His Contrary Comments On ‘America’s Got Talent’

Terry Crews has apologized to Gabrielle Union for remarks that seemed to “invalidate” her experience with America’s Got Talent by defending the show against charges of racism and sexism. Crews appeared last week on the Today show and said Union’s complaints about America’s Got Talent’s behind-the-scenes operations were never his experience. Crews hosts America’s Got […]

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RLJE Films Acquires Sundance Gonzo Satire ‘Spree’ In Near $2M North America Deal

EXCLUSIVE: AMC-owned RLJE Films is closing a North American deal near $2 million at the Sundance Film Festival for Spree, an edgy gonzo satire that stars Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery, Sasheer Zamata, David Arquette, Kyle Mooney, Mischa Barton and Josh Ovalle. Pic premiered last Friday at the MARC and several entities bid. Keery plays a […]

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VFX Supervisor Robert Legato Breaks Down The Innovations Behind ‘The Lion King’

The VFX wizard behind such films as Titanic and Apollo 13, Robert Legato has made it his mission in recent years to advance the art form of photorealistic computer-generated animation. Winning his third Oscar in 2016 for his work on Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book, Legato then reteamed with the director on a CG remake […]

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Harvey Weinstein Defense Jabs Key Accuser Jessica Mann: “You Decided Anything Goes”

Harvey Weinstein defense attorney Donna Rotunno began cross-examining a key prosecution witness Friday afternoon, aiming to portray her to the jury as a careerist scenester and not a victim of sexual assault. “You wanted the benefits of the relationship,” Rotunno said to Jessica Mann, who earlier in the day had detailed multiple incidents of sexual […]

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Hillary Clinton Slams Bernie Sanders for Not Working to Unite Democrats in 2016


By BY SHANE GOLDMACHER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2RM2iF6

Plans for Alabama’s Deadly Prisons ‘Won’t Fix the Horrors’


By BY KATIE BENNER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3aZLFgP

Brexit Has Arrived. But Boris Johnson’s Reign Is Just Beginning.


By BY RICHARD SEYMOUR from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2RNUGC1

Senators say they’ve settled on a schedule that would end the trial on Wednesday.


By BY PATRICIA MAZZEI AND MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2UbLc5b

Battle Lines Quickly Form Over Radical Property Tax Proposal


By BY EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS, MATTHEW HAAG AND JEFFERY C. MAYS from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2tgjTeQ

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‘The Last Shift’ Review: This Fast Food Drama Bites Off More Than It Can Chew [Sundance 2020]

The Last Shift review

A good performance from Richard Jenkins can’t save The Last Shift, a languid fast food drama that has aspirations of exploring class and race in middle America, but lacks the tools to effectively do so. Documentary filmmaker Andrew Cohn makes the jump to narrative features here, telling the story of a fast food veteran tasked with training a new hire who possesses a wildly different outlook on life. It has the setup of a heartwarming story in which two mismatched men forge a begrudging respect for each other from their shared experiences in the kitchen, but The Last Shift has no interest in being that kind of movie. Instead, it tries to address some of this country’s biggest and most important issues and bites off far more than it can chew.

Jenkins plays Stanley, a high school dropout who nevertheless still wears his class ring. Pride is a defining character trait for him: he’s been working at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish, a fast food joint in his hometown of Albion, Michigan, for the past 38 years, and he takes his job very seriously. He knows the employee handbook, can accurately predict what kind of sauce a customer wants before they order, and is content with the fact that he’s been making $13 an hour for years. But it’s just about time for Stanley to leave town (seemingly for the first time ever), because he needs to move to Florida to pull his aging mother out of her retirement home. Enter Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie), Stanley’s replacement on the night shift. A former writer for his school newspaper, Jevon is a sharp guy who thinks he’s better than this crappy, court-mandated job – but he’s also on probation for defacing a public monument, and he wastes away his potential getting high with his friends to avoid his girlfriend and his baby son.

In the kitchen, Jevon’s disaffected attitude clashes with Stanley’s insistence that everything be just so. Jevon’s speeches about corporate greed seem to jolt Stanley awake (Jenkins plays Stanley as a guy who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so the revelation that a fast food restaurant might not deeply care about its employees seems genuinely shocking to him), and the two briefly form a bond – the type of co-worker relationship where you keep them at arm’s length, but don’t mind being around them.

Stanley sees himself as a good person, but he’s also low-key racist. When Jevon comes to work during his first day, Stanley won’t let him inside. “Did you think I was going to rob the place?” Jevon asks, and Stanley maybe protests a bit too much with his denial. Later, when he finds out Jevon is a writer, he’s curious: “What do you write? Raps and stuff?” When discussion of racial tension bubbles over during one scene, Stanley proves the be the type of white dude who claims black people always “play the race card.” He refuses to acknowledge that white privilege doesn’t mean that white people float through life without problems, but just that they move through the world without having to shoulder the extra burden that people of color carry every day. Acknowledging that there are institutional forces which have been oppressing black people for hundreds of years would require a complete overhaul of Stanley’s simplistic worldview, and it’s too late in the game for that level of rewiring. But the formerly docile Stanley now seems to have unlocked the ability to complain about his station in life, and his sudden entitlement and sense of being wronged is not a good look for him. Jevon isn’t having it, and this part of the movie made me think of what Todd Phillips’ Joker would have been like if it had a character who served as an intellectual counterpoint to Arthur Fleck’s half-baked ideas about aggrieved white men.

But there is the tiniest hint of incremental change. When Stanley was in high school, he and his pal (Ed O’Neill) saw a black kid get attacked (and ultimately killed) by some white bullies, and Jevon asks if Stanley did anything to try to stop the attack – or if he even said anything to the police about it afterward. The answer is no on both accounts, but the repressed memory has been brought to the surface and Stanley can’t quite shake it; for the first time ever, he seriously grapples with whether he should have tried to help. Unfortunately, that microscopic arc for his character is far too small to be satisfying, and by the film’s end, Stanley’s transgressions have piled up so high that it feels almost insulting to conclude this narrative without a deeper excavation of his mind. (One particularly dickish action has serious consequences for Jevon.)

The actors acquit themselves well with the material they’re given, but the film’s reach always far exceeds its grasp. The movie never arrives at a place where all of its conversations and provocations feel like they coalesce into a clear thesis, and its frustrating ending leans toward emotional resonance but doesn’t land with the punch the filmmakers were hoping. This one was just a big miss for me, and while Jenkins is solid as usual, the thing I’ll remember most about this film is that it introduced me to Shane Paul McGhie, a promising young actor who I look forward to seeing in something else.

/Film Rating: 4 out of 10

The post ‘The Last Shift’ Review: This Fast Food Drama Bites Off More Than It Can Chew [Sundance 2020] appeared first on /Film.



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Thursday 30 January 2020

U.S. says first shipments of medicine to Iran delivered via Swiss humanitarian channel

U.S. says first shipments of medicine to Iran delivered via Swiss humanitarian channelZURICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to Iran has started trial operations, the Swiss and U.S. governments said on Thursday, helping supply Swiss goods to the struggling population without tripping over U.S. sanctions. The Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) seeks to ensure that Swiss-based exporters and trading companies in the food, pharmaceutical and medical sectors have a secure payment channel with a Swiss bank through which payments for their exports to Iran are guaranteed, a government statement said. Three shipments of cancer and transplant drugs have been sent to Iran through this channel and the transaction has been processed, U.S. Special Representative Brian Hook told a press briefing.




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Here's what the White House letter about Bolton's book really means

Here's what the White House letter about Bolton's book really meansWhat appeared to be a White House bid to stop former national security adviser John Bolton from publishing his book, which may have explosive claims about his interactions with President Trump, is really just a standard letter regarding classification review, according to legal experts.




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'It's not worth it': Pompeo won't say if Bidens, Burisma on his agenda for Ukraine meeting

'It's not worth it': Pompeo won't say if Bidens, Burisma on his agenda for Ukraine meetingTrump's top diplomat arrived in Kyiv after he caused an uproar by cursing at an NPR host and suggesting Americans don't care about Ukraine.




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North Korea says it has intensified efforts to block virus

North Korea says it has intensified efforts to block virusNorth Korea is intensifying efforts to prevent the spread of a new virus from China into the isolated country by blocking tourists, reducing flights and mobilizing more screening efforts, a health official said Thursday. It has sickened thousands, most of them China, but South Korea has reported six cases.




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‘You know your client is guilty’: Trump impeachment lawyer’s defence accused of being ‘descent into madness’

‘You know your client is guilty’: Trump impeachment lawyer’s defence accused of being ‘descent into madness’Senator Adam Schiff, lead impeachment manager in the Senate trial of Donald Trump, has called arguments made by the president’s defence team a “descent into constitutional madness”.Mr Schiff’s indignation with the president’s defence came in response to comments made by Mr Trump’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who argued his client couldn’t be impeached for an action he thought might get him re-elected.




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Erdogan Warns Russia Risks Split With Turkey on Syria Attack

Erdogan Warns Russia Risks Split With Turkey on Syria Attack(Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced rare recent criticism of Russia for its conduct in Syria, saying his “patience is running out” over the ongoing bombing of opposition Islamist forces in Idlib province.“As of now, Russia is loyal to neither Astana nor Sochi” agreements, Erdogan told reporters on his way back from a visit to African countries, according to Anadolu Agency.He was referring to accords struck by the two countries in recent years to curtail fighting in northern Syria. Russia and Turkey have stepped up their cooperation in the Syrian conflict while finding themselves on opposite sides of other Middle Eastern conflicts, such as the one in Libya.“If we are loyal partners, Russia will make its position clear,” Erdogan said. “Either it will have a different process with Syria, or it will have a different process with Turkey. There’s no other way.”The comments follow reports that Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have taken control of Ma’arrat al-Nu’man, the biggest town in Idlib province. The strategically important area last changed hands in 2012, Anadolu reported on Wednesday.Russia responded to Erdogan’s comments by saying it’s committed to strictly implementing its obligations on Syria, the state-run Tass news service reported, citing the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.Millions of Syrians fleeing fighting in Syria over the years have headed for Turkey, and officials there have long warned of another major exodus as combat escalates in Idlib.(Updates with Russian Foreign Ministry in sixth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Firat Kozok in Ankara at fkozok@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.




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Gunman fires at Indian protesters after threatening 'final journey' live on Facebook

Gunman fires at Indian protesters after threatening 'final journey' live on FacebookA gunman went live on Facebook to warn he was taking his "final journey" before firing at a protest against India's new citizenship law in Delhi on Thursday, wounding a student. The shooter, dressed in a black jacket, brandished a single-barrel weapon as he stood meters away from dozens of policemen outside Jamia Millia Islamia University, where more than 1,000 protesters had gathered for a march. "He was in front of all the people - protesters and policemen who were standing nearby, but he jumped in from this side, brandished the gun and said 'Come I will give you freedom'," a witness who gave his name as Aamir said.




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NPR News: White House Moves To Formally Decriminalize Accidentally Killing Birds


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Manufacturers urge clarity on post-Brexit trade

As Britain prepares to leave EU, businesses say the future trading relationship remains unclear.

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Theme Park Bits: Galaxy’s Edge Sporks, Pokemon in Universal Studios, and More

Greatest Pokemon Movie Moments

In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

  • Buy a spork at Galaxy’s Edge.
  • Get ready for the Food & Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure.
  • Pokemon may be coming to Universal.
  • And more!

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo galaxys edge

If you have a hankering for merchandise, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has you covered. Yes, they’ve got everything from puppets to droids to lightsabers to…sporks. Yes, you read that right, there are sporks that you can now buy at Galaxy’s Edge, if you’re so inclined. Now, here’s the interesting twist: these sporks used to be at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, for free before they were discontinued. Now, you can buy one…for 11 dollars. If you’re the kind of person who would take the sporks back home with you when these were still a free utensil, well, you’re probably the reason why they cost over 10 bucks now.

Speaking of Galaxy’s Edge, there’s a big change that’s arrived in Orlando for Rise of the Resistance. The attraction currently requires every rider to hold their place in a virtual queue, with guests separated into numbered groups. Originally, boarding groups would be notified of their return and get a two-hour return window. Now, however, Disney is changing things up a bit and giving some groups just a one-hour return time instead of two. Not that you should be dawdling anyway, but you need to keep a careful eye on your mobile device to make sure you’re not missing out on your window to experience this ride.

Back in the Disneyland Resort, they’re preparing for some good food and drink over at Disney California Adventure. That’s because the Food & Wine Festival is returning, from February 28 to April 21. And you should make sure now to set aside some time for the special events going on during the festival, from the Jammin’ Chefs (the singing and dancing show that’s pictured above) to a limited-time menu of beer and wine at Sonoma Terrace, to cooking along with none other than Goofy. That last event is in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and really just for the kids in your group, but talk about a memory they won’t forget. Getting to cook with Chef Goofy is the kind of thing I wish I could’ve done when I was a kid.

Universal Epic Universe Theme Park

Let’s hop back to Orlando, over to Universal Studios. They’re still in the early planning phase for the Epic Universe park, with a Nintendo area already promised. But rumors abound that there might be another specific video-game world arriving in the park: Pokemon. These are just rumors, to be clear, but with an unknown section of the park yet to be identified, people are starting to wonder if that’s where a Pokemon Gym will be built for guests to play and explore. For those of us who never got into Pokemon, and only know any details from stuff like that Detective Pikachu movie from last year, this all sounds a bit foreign. But hey, if you love Pokemon, cross your fingers that they’ll be at Universal Orlando soon enough.

We’ll end today’s column back at the Disneyland Resort, and specifically at the Disneyland Hotel. This hotel has been around in the resort for decades, having opened its doors soon after Disneyland Park did in 1955. But the hotel is getting a big upgrade, in light of the fact that the plans to build a fourth hotel got scuppered. Instead, there will be a Disney Vacation Club tower built as part of the overall hotel, and if you look above this paragraph, you can see the first concept art for the new tower. Seeing as it’s just concept art, and the tower won’t be scheduled to open until 2023, it’s hard to know what this will all end up looking like. But with the other Disneyland Hotel towers themed to different lands in Disneyland, we can only hope this will take on a Tomorrowland theme (that’s the only major land un-accounted for so far in the hotel). The outside looks…nice enough, just not too distinctive yet.

The post Theme Park Bits: Galaxy’s Edge Sporks, Pokemon in Universal Studios, and More appeared first on /Film.



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Dan Trachtenberg Serving Up ‘MILK’ (‘Mother I’d Like to Kill’) at Lionsgate

Dan Trachtenberg to Direct Mother I'd Like to Kill

Dan Trachtenberg made his feature directorial debut with the outstanding 10 Cloverfield Lane, but somehow, no studio has picked him up for another feature yet. Sony Pictures tried by bringing him in to direct their long-gestating adaptation of the video game Uncharted, but that fell through. Thankfully, it sounds like Lionsgate is smart enough to give him another crack at the big screen.

In a report about Disney producer and development executive Kristin Burr heading to Lionsgate with a new multi-year overall deal, it was revealed that one of the first projects she’s bringing to the studio is MILK (aka Mother I’d Like to Kill), an action comedy that puts a motherly spin on Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

The Hollywood Reporter has the news on Mother I’d Like to Kill heading to Lionsgate. Dan Trachtenberg will direct the movie and also came up with the idea himself. But writing the screenplay will be Patrick Aison (Wayward Pines, Jack Ryan). So what’s the movie about?

The logline describes MILK as being about a former assassin that must manage the pressures of being a new mom while avoiding her former co-workers who have been sent to kill her. It’s easy to picture this as a goofier comedy at first, but in the hands of Dan Trachtenberg, this could be more of a dark comedy with some strong action.

As for Burr, she has a long history of success with a variety of films like The Prestige, The Muppets, Sweet Home Alabama, Mary Poppins Returns, and much more. She was an executive at Disney for 20 years, and she’s wrapping up there by producing the 101 Dalmatians spin-off Cruella. At the same time, she’s also working on the Netflix musical Jingle Jangle featuring Forest Whitaker and the music of John Legend. She can obviously juggle a lot of projects, and she knows where to find good stuff, so we’re very much excited to see how MILK turns out.

It’s a shame the studio system is so reluctant to take risks on original ideas most of the time. I have a feeling that Dan Trachtenberg would be one of the most prominent filmmakers working today if they weren’t so reliant on established intellectual property. The filmmaker seems to thrive with original ideas, which is exactly what 10 Cloverfield Lane was before Bad Robot decided it should be part of the Cloverfield franchise. So hopefully MILK finds success and Trachtenberg can start making movies more often.

The post Dan Trachtenberg Serving Up ‘MILK’ (‘Mother I’d Like to Kill’) at Lionsgate appeared first on /Film.



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