Banker viewing topless women caught out on Australian TV –
A banker was caught logging on to look at pictures of topless women in his office – not realising a television news reporter was speaking live to camera just a few feet away. The worker was sat at his desk at Australia’s Macquarie Bank with his back to the camera as he looked at the images, apparently totally oblivious to the business analyst breaking news about interest rates in front of him. One of the pictures has been identified as actor Orlando Bloom’s model girlfriend, Miranda Kerr. (See Video of the Day) [Daily Telegraph] Miranda Kerr
CIA allows agents to moonlight –
The CIA is allowing operatives to moonlight by selling their espionage expertise to financial firms, according to a new book. In one instance, agents worked at a New York hedge-fund consulting firm that wanted to draw on their skills in “deception detection” – the art of picking up clues in body language and conversation to ascertain when executives might be lying. Officials said that the out-of-hours work did not compromise national security and was only allowed once CIA officers had submitted full details of the work and been granted permission. [Daily Telegraph]
Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter –
Punxsutawney Phil has emerged on Groundhog Day to see his shadow – meaning winter will last another six weeks. German tradition holds that if the hibernating animal sees its shadow in Pennsylvania on Feb 2 – the Christian holiday of Candlemas – winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early. The Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club annually announces Phil’s forecast at dawn on Gobbler’s Knob, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northeast of Pittsburgh. Phil’s announcement came before hundreds of onlookers who huddled as temperatures hovered around 15 degrees (-9 Celsius). The Groundhog Club says since 1887 Phil has predicted more winter weather by seeing his shadow nearly 100 times, but there are no records for nine years. (See List of the Day) [Daily Telegraph]
Video of the Day –
Macquarie Bank Employee busted looking at nude photos of Miranda Kerr live on TV
Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69 –
Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69, his family has said. The star had been suffering from cancer, a statement said. He became one of Britain’s best-loved acting stars thanks to roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling led the tributes, describing him as “a magnificent actor and a wonderful man”. [BBC] Alan Rickman in 2011
Hatton Garden heist: Three men found guilty over £14m jewellery raid –
Three men have been found guilty of involvement in the Hatton Garden safe deposit raid, the largest burglary in British legal history. Jewellery and valuables worth an estimated £14 million were stolen when a gang of thieves carried out the “sophisticated” and meticulously planned break-in over the Easter weekend last year. The group used a drill to bore a hole 20in deep, 10in high and 18in into the wall of a vault in London’s jewellery quarter, before ransacking 73 safety deposit boxes. Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Carl Wood and William Lincoln were found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property, while Hugh Doyle was convicted of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property. [Daily Telegraph] Hatton Garden road sign
10 Highest US Lottery jackpots [See January 13, 2016]
1. $656.0 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)
2. $636 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013, (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
3. $590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one ticket, from Florida)
4. $587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012 (two tickets, from Arizona and Missouri)
5. $564.1 million, Powerball, Feb. 11, 2015 (three tickets, from North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas)
6. $448.4 million, Powerball, Aug. 7, 2013, (three tickets, one from Minnesota and two from New Jersey)
7. $425.3 million, Powerball, Feb. 19, 2014 (one ticket, from California)
8. $414 million, Mega Millions, March 18, 2014, (two tickets, from Florida and Maryland)
9. $399.4 million, Powerball, Sept. 18, 2013, (one ticket, from South Carolina)
10. $390.0 million, Mega Millions, March 6, 2007 (two tickets, from Georgia and New Jersey)
Oscars 2016: Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins Academy Award –
Leonardo DiCaprio has finally won his first Oscar for survival epic The Revenant, after six nominations. He was named best actor at the 88th Academy Awards, with Brie Larson named best actress for Room. Spotlight took home the best picture Oscar with Mad Max: Fury Road picking up the most awards of the night, with six accolades. Mark Rylance won the best supporting actor Oscar, with fellow Briton Sam Smith winning best original song. The ceremony had been boycotted by some Hollywood figures protesting about the lack of ethnic diversity among this year’s nominees, as all 20 nominees in the best acting or supporting acting categories are white. Host Chris Rock addressed the controversy head on as he launched the ceremony, and it was a theme that was returned to several times during the night. Rock commented he had “counted at least 15 black people” in the montage that opened the ceremony, before welcoming people to the “white People’s Choice awards”. Among the winners for Mad Max: Fury Road – nominated for 10 Oscars including best director for George Miller – was British designer Jenny Beavan, for best costume design. The Revenant won three of the 12 awards for which it was nominated. Alejandro Inarritu also won best director and Emmanuel Lubezki won his third Oscar for cinematography in a row, having won in 2015 for Birdman and 2014 for Gravity. [BBC] See List of the Day Leonardo_DiCaprio
French cleaners scrub off street art –
Citizens of Reims in northern France have lost a brand new artwork commissioned for the town, after the anti-graffiti squad scrubbed it off. The town hall commissioned a street art mural by the country’s top graffiti artist, C215, showing a sulking boy slumped against a wall. But there was a slight hitch – the town’s cleaning department were not told not to remove it. C215, whose real name is Christian Guemy, seemed quite relaxed about it. The artist told AFP news agency what surprised him was that it was cleaned up by the same city that commissioned him. The town hall had apologised, he said. [BBC]
Video of the Day –
Fastest robot to solve a Rubik’s Cube – Guinness World Records
List of the Day –
Full list of winners at the 88th Academy Awards
Best picture
Winner: Spotlight
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Best actor
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Matt Damon – The Martian
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
Best actress
Winner: Brie Larson – Room
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Best supporting actor
Winner: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone – Creed
Best supporting actress
Winner: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs
Best director
Winner: Alejandro Inarritu – The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson – Room
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
Adam McKay – The Big Short
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Best adapted screenplay
Winner: The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
Best original screenplay
Winner: Spotlight
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Straight Outta Compton
Best animated film
Winner: Inside Out
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Best foreign language film
Winner: Son of Saul – Hungary
Embrace of the Serpent – Colombia
Mustang – France
Theeb – Jordan
A War – Denmark
Best animated short
Winner: Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Best cinematography
Winner: The Revenant
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Best costume design
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
The Revenant
Best documentary feature
Winner: Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Best documentary short
Winner: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Body Team 12
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
Last Day of Freedom
Best editing
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Big Short
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best live action short
Winner: Stutterer
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Best make-up and hair
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Best original score
Winner: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Bridge of Spies
Carol
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best original song
Winner: Writing’s on the Wall, Sam Smith – Spectre
Earned It, The Weeknd – Fifty Shades of Grey
Manta Ray, J Ralph & Antony – Racing Extinction
Simple Song #3, Sumi Jo – Youth
Til It Happens To You, Lady Gaga – The Hunting Ground
Thirty-six people are believed to have died at a coal mine where a methane gas leak triggered three explosions and the collapse of the mine in Vorkuta, Russia. (NDTV)
South Korean opposition lawmakers’ anti-terrorism bill filibuster, which stops all other legislative business, extends its world record to 115 hours Sunday afternoon, easily besting Canada’s 58-hour session in 2011. The major issue is giving South Korea’s intelligence agency powers to monitor private communications. This parliamentary session is set to end March 11, with elections on April 13. (Reuters)
Swiss citizens vote on four referenda, including one, proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, that would automatically expel foreigners who commit two minor crimes. Current law calls for deportation of non-citizens convicted of murder or sexual violence. (BBC)(AFP via The Guardian)
Oscars mistake: Moonlight wins best picture after announcement mix-up –
Moonlight has won best picture at the Oscars – but only after Faye Dunaway initially said La La Land had won. Warren Beatty was handed the previous winner’s envelope, containing a card saying “Emma Stone, La La Land”, resulting in the error. The team from La La Land was in the middle of its acceptance speeches when the mistake was discovered. Stone said backstage afterwards: “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool! It’s going to be history.” PriceWaterhouseCooper, the accountancy firm responsible for counting the ballots, said in a statement: “We sincerely apologise to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. “The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.” [BBC]
Video of the Day –
La La Land as directed by David Lynch – Trailer Mix
Millions of residents in the Chilean capital Santiago are left without access to running water after the Maipo River is contaminated by flooding and landslides. At least four people have died in the floods. (BBC)
16 people dead in northern India after a truck carrying villagers to church overturned on a mountain road. (DW)
Philip Bilden, nominee for Secretary of the Navy, withdraws his name from consideration. Mr. Bilden says his business interests created complications. (CNN)
Miranda Kerr
