Meryl Streep received her 21st Oscar nomination, breaking her own record as the most-nominated performer of all time.

Another year, another round of Oscar nominations announced. As Steven Spielberg knows well, not everyone deserving of an award can be nominated by the Academy, and this year some worthy candidates fell by the wayside. 

At least one person was dead and multiple others were wounded in a shooting at a high school in Marshall County, Kentucky on Tuesday, and the shooter was in custody, Governor Matt Bevin said on Twitter. 

Lebanon is going to the Academy Awards. 

Gary Oldman scores an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Churchill in Darkest Hour. Earlier, Oldman won at the SAG awards, making him the odds-on favourite to secure his first Oscar.

Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena today supported the January 25 release of Bollywood film Padmaavat whose scheduled screening has been stridently opposed by Rajput groups in some states.

The MNS said the protesters should respect the decision of the Supreme Court which has cleared the decks for the release of the 13th Century period drama, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Issuing a statement, MNS' film wing working president Shalini Thackeray said they would not let anybody prohibit the release of the movie in the Mumbai region.

'If anyone tries to obstruct the release of Padmaavat in Mumbai region, they will have to face the wrath of MNS workers,' Thackeray said.

'A movie is not a historical document and filmmakers are bound to take some liberty while making it. MNS had never objected the content of a movie but our objection was on employing actors from Pakistan,' the MNS leader said.

Thackeray said though many organisations had opposed Bollywood movie Bajirao Mastani in the past, the MNS did not obstruct its release.

'We have taken a similar stand in the case of Padmaavat as well,' she stated.

Thackeray also took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Gujarat government's stand that the movie would not be allowed to hit the screens in the state, before the supreme court stayed the ban.

'If the movie is not going to be released in the home state of the prime minister, one can imagine the worse scenario of law and order in other parts of the country,' she said.  -- PTI

The United States has asked Pakistan to immediately arrest or expel Taliban leaders who are carrying out terror attacks across the border in Afghanistan, days after the terrorist group attacked a landmark hotel in Kabul that left 22 people dead.

The terse White House statement came after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a major terror attack at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul on Saturday that killed at least 22 people, including 14 foreigners and eight Afghans.

"We call on Pakistan to immediately arrest or expel the Taliban's leaders and prevent the group from using Pakistani territory to support its operations," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.

"In Afghanistan, where terrorists attacked a hotel in Kabul, such attacks on civilians only strengthen our resolve to support our Afghan partners," Sanders said.

"We commend the swift and effective response of the Afghan security forces. Afghan forces, with our support, will continue to relentlessly pursue the enemies of Afghanistan, who also seek to export terror around the world," she said.

Pakistan is facing mounting pressure from the US to take action against terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.  -- PTI

IMAGE:Afghan policemen keep watch close to the entrance gate of Intercontinental Hotel. Photograph: Omar Sobhani/Reuters

Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury today said his party is reaching out to other opposition parties to discuss the possibility of bringing an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra in the coming budget session.

His statement comes close on the heels of four senior judges of the Supreme Court virtually revolting against Justice Misra, raising questions on 'selective' case allocation and certain judicial orders, an unprecedented development that sent shockwaves across the judiciary and polity.

Opposition parties like the Congress and the CPI-M had then called for a probe into the issues flagged by the four judges.

"The CPI-M is discussing with other opposition parties the possibility of bringing an impeachment motion against the CJI," Yechury told reporters at the Left party's headquarters in New Delhi.

The Budget Session of Parliament is set to commence on January 29 and the Union Budget for 2018-19 will be presented on February 1.

The first phase of the session will be from January 29 to February 9. After a recess, Parliament will meet again from March 5 to April 6.  -- PTI

Rafael Nadal, world number 1, loses to Marin Cilic of Croatia after retiring in the fifth set.

The world number 1 was tied two sets all with Cilic, the world number 6. The final scores were 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 2-6, 0-2.

Cilic will now face Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in the semi finals. 

Prime Minster Narendra Modi meets his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Davos post his keynote address at World Economic Forum plenary session. Photograph: ANI

Calm prevailed along the Line of Control and the International Border today with no fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistan reported since yesterday.

The lull in firing came as a relief for border residents who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety.

12 persons, including five security personnel, have been killed and over 70 others injured in intense shelling by Pakistan along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts last week.

"There is no ceasefire violation reported from anywhere along the IB and the LoC since yesterday," police and BSF officials said.

The situation along the borders is peaceful but tense, they said.

The ceasefire violations by Pakistan started on January 18 and continued unabated all along the 449 km stretch from Kathua to Poonch-Rajouri till 5 am yesterday.

Hundreds of border dwellers have migrated from their homes and are camping in relief centres set up by the government at various places.

Officials said security forces are maintaining a close vigil and patrolling has been intensified all along the border to scuttle any infiltration attempt by terrorists to disrupt Republic Day celebrations.  -- PTI

PM Modi's concluding remarks at WEF plenary:

- Great Indian poet and Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had envisaged a 'heaven of freedom', 'where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls'.

- Let's create such a 'heaven of freedom' where there is cooperation and harmony, not division or fracture. Let's work together to get the world rid of its cracks and unnecessary walls.

PM's address at Davos continues:

- Many societies and countries are becoming self-centred. It seems that gloabalisation, as opposed to its definition, is shrinking.

- Such misplaced preferences can't be considered any lesser threat than terrorism or climate change. We must admit shine of globalisation is fading.

-We in India are proud of our democracy and diversity. For a society with diverse religions, cultures, languages, attires and cuisines, democracy is not just a political system but a way of living.

- In 2014 after 30 years, the 600 crore Indians provided complete majority to any political party to form govt at the centre.

- We took the resolution for the development of everyone and not just a specific group. Our motto is 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.

-Democracy, demography and dynamism together are realising the development dream in India and shaping its destiny.

- For the first time in 70 years of Independence, we implemented a unified tax regime in the form of goods and services tax.

- We're using technology to increase transparency and accountability.

- We have abolished the licence permit raj and improved the ease of doing business in India.

- Change in India's ranking is an indicator that the people in India have warmly welcomed the change in policies as the road to a better future for them.

Excerpts of PM Modi's address at WEF plenary:

The last time an Indian prime minister visited Davos was in 1997, when Shri Deve Gowda came here.

In 1997, India's GDP was little more than $400 billion. In two decades, it has increased six times.

In 1997, only birds tweeted, now humans also tweet. Then if you searched Amazon on Internet, you would have got photos of a river or a forest.

But then two, Davos was ahead of its time and it is so now also.

This year the topic here is 'Creating a shared future in a fractured world'. New powers are changing the balance between economic and political strength.

This is indicating a change in future of the world.

World is facing challenges in maintaining peace, stability and security.

India has always believed in values of integration and unity, 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' which means the entire world is one family. It is relevant to bridge distances.

I will list three major challenges which are posing great dangers to humanity.

The first is climate change. Glaciers are meting, many islands are sinking or have sunk. Let's think what we can do to mitigate climate change.

Care towards environment is part of Indian culture.

The next biggest challenge is terrorism.

All of you are familiar with the dangers posed by terrorism. But more dangerous is the artificial difference created between 'good terrorist' and 'bad terrorist'.