Sniper film 'stoking Islamophobia'

25 January 2015 Last updated at 12:21

The release of the film American Sniper has led to an increase in threats against Muslims in the US, according to an Arab-American civil rights group.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has written to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper.

Their film is based on US soldier Chris Kyle's service in Iraq from 2003-09.

The ADC said a "majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper".

The organisation, which describes itself as the largest Arab civil rights organisation in the US, said it had collected "hundreds of violent messages targeting Arab and Muslim Americans from movie-goers", mainly from Facebook and Twitter.

The letter asked Eastwood and Cooper to speak out against such messages "in an effort to reduce the hateful rhetoric".

"Your visibility, influence, and connection to the film would be a tremendous force in drawing attention to and lessening the serious dangers facing the respective communities," ADC president Samer Khalaf wrote.

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Bradley Cooper plays Navy Seal Chris Kyle (Courtesy Warner Bros)

Jack Horner, a spokesman for the Warner Bros film studio, which released the film, told the Reuters news agency that the company "denounces any violent, anti-Muslim rhetoric, including that which has been attributed to viewers" of the film.

He added: "Hate and bigotry have no place in the important dialogue that this picture has generated about the veteran experience."

Spokespeople for Eastwood and Cooper had no immediate response to requests for comment, Reuters news agency reported.

American Sniper has been a major hit in North America, exceeding box office predictions by taking $90m (£59m) in its opening weekend - a record for a January release. It also has six Oscar nominations.

Film controversy

But it has caused controversy. Some have hailed its portrayal of Kyle as a war hero, but others have criticised it for glorifying violence and for Kyle's attitude towards his victims.

Kyle, a Navy Seal, served four tours of duty in Iraq and killed more than 160 people, making him the most deadly sniper in American history.

The film is based on his book, also titled American Sniper, in which he claimed to have no regrets and referred to those he killed as "savages".

Kyle was killed in February 2013 on a firing range in his home state of Texas.

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Director Clint Eastwood said he was "sympathetic to veterans"

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Obama attends India's Republic Day

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:56

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Narenda Modi and Barack Obama watched a "spectacular" military parade, as Sanjoy Majumder reports

US President Barack Obama has attended India's Republic Day parade in Delhi, the first US head of state to do so.

Mr Obama was chief guest at the annual military parade. He arrived on Sunday for a three-day visit seen as a sign of warming ties between the two countries.

After talks on Sunday, both sides announced a breakthrough on a pact that will allow US companies to supply India with civilian nuclear technology.

Indian PM Narendra Modi said it was a "new journey" of co-operation.

Mr Obama will meet the main opposition Congress party leaders later on Monday and will also speak at a business summit.

Trade vow

Republic Day marks the adoption of India's constitution in 1950, three years after independence from Britain.

Uniformed soldiers in colourful headgear marched down Rajpath, or King's Avenue, where Mr Obama watched the parade with Mr Modi inside a bullet-proof glass enclosure.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the ceremony showcased India's military might with soldiers marching in formation and the latest weapons on display, including several made in America.

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"Warm hugs" have set the tone for the visit, as the BBC's Yogita Limaye reports

Helicopters showered petals on the crowds and brass bands and dancers filed past the guests on a foggy, rainy morning.

"The day is all about patriotism and I'm lucky to be a part of it," Ajith Kumar, a student watching the parade, said. "The fact that we have a guest like Obama has made it all the more special."

The US president received a warm welcome on Sunday when Mr Modi greeted him at the airport with a bear hug.

The two men spent several hours discussing defence and trade ties, and then announced the breakthrough on the civilian nuclear deal.

The pact was agreed in 2008 but has been held up for six years because of differences over the liability US firms would face in India in the event of a nuclear accident.

Now a large insurance pool will be set up, without the need for any further legislation.

The two sides have also pledged to increase their bilateral trade five-fold, from the current $100bn (£66.7bn) a year, and build co-operation on defence projects.

Mr Obama's visit to India has been shortened so he can visit Saudi Arabia and pay his respects following the death of King Abdullah. It means he and his wife, Michelle, will not now visit the Taj Mahal.

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Birdman given boost in Oscars race

25 January 2015 Last updated at 08:33

Michael Keaton's film Birdman has been given a boost in the run-up to the Oscars after winning the Producers Guild of America's top award.

The Producers Guild has predicted the winner of best picture at the Oscars for the past seven years.

In Birdman, Keaton plays a washed-up star who tries to revive his career.

Richard Linklater's epic Boyhood has until now been seen as the frontrunner for best picture at the Oscars, which take place in Hollywood on 22 February.

But the Producers Guild of America (PGA) decision means the Academy Awards race is still wide open.

Many of the PGA's 6,700 members are also Oscar voters, and the winner of the top PGA prize has gone on to win best picture at the Oscars every year since 2007, and 18 times in the past 25 years.

Last year, the PGA did hedge its bets, however, by announcing a tie between 12 Years a Slave - which went on to win the Academy Award - and space drama Gravity.

Birdman, in which ex-Batman actor Keaton stars as a former Hollywood superhero who tries to make a comeback on Broadway, has nine Oscar nominations.

Ralph Fiennes' offbeat comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel also has nine nominations.

Boyhood, which was filmed over 12 years to show one boy's coming of age, has six Oscar nominations and is odds-on favourite to win best picture.

However, the PGA panel has definitely disagreed with Oscar voters in one category this year.

At the PGA ceremony on Saturday, The Lego Movie was named best animated feature - but it has not even been nominated in that category at the Academy Awards.

Life Itself was named best documentary by the PGA, while Fargo, Breaking Bad and Orange Is The New Black were among the victors in the television categories.

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US talk show pioneer Franklin dies

25 January 2015 Last updated at 12:54

US TV talk show pioneer Joe Franklin, whose New York-based programme ran for 43 years, has died at the age of 88.

He said he interviewed 300,000 guests in 21,445 shows from 1950 to 1993.

He is credited by some as having invented the talk show format. His guests over the years included Bing Crosby, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna.

Franklin played himself in films like Manhattan and Ghostbusters but said he only became a star when Billy Crystal parodied him on Saturday Night Live.

His programme began in 1950 on WJZ, which later became WABC, before it moved to WOR-TV, later WWOR-TV.

The host was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world's longest-running talk show show and he claimed not to have missed an episode in 43 years.

He was also proud of having given early exposure to stars like Barbra Streisand, Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, Woody Allen and Bruce Springsteen.

They shared space with lesser-known and more off-the-wall guests. He described his line-ups as being combinations of "the greats, the near-greats, the ingrates, the has-beens and the never-weres".

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US planes targeted by bomb threats

24 January 2015 Last updated at 23:36

Police have searched two airliners at Atlanta's airport after "credible" bomb threats, US officials say.

Airport spokesman Reese McCranie said the threats were received against Delta and Southwest flights coming from Portland and Milwaukee respectively.

He said both planes had landed safely and had been evacuated.

Two US fighter jets escorted the planes into the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The airport later said no bombs were found.

In a tweet, airport officials wrote: "All clear for both aircraft & normal airport operations have resumed. Thank you for your patience. Safety & security are our top priorities."

The bomb threats were made online - reportedly on Twitter.

A bomb squad and sniffer dogs were involved in the police search after the planes landed.

Southwest said in a statement: "Our top priority is the safety of our customers and employees. We cannot comment on the nature of the security situation.''

Reuters quoted the company as saying that 86 passengers were on board the flight, and that they were being re-screened.

There was no immediate comment from Delta officials.

The busy Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is home to Delta, serving nearly 100 million passengers.

This is not the first airport bomb scare in the US this week.

On Monday, New York's JFK was at the centre of another threat, involving at least one aircraft. No bomb was found.

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US court to hear execution case

23 January 2015 Last updated at 23:05

The US Supreme Court is to hear the case of three death row inmates who say the use of the sedative midazolam in executions is cruel.

Their lawyers argue midazolam, one of three drugs used in state executions, presents an unconstitutional risk of pain and suffering.

The drug was used in three executions seen as botched in 2014.

The court had previously decided not to delay the executions of four other prisoners in Oklahoma.

As a result, one execution went ahead on 15 January.

Charles Warner was the first person to be put to death by Oklahoma after the botched lethal injection of Clayton Lockett in April 2014.

On Friday, the court did not say if it would delay the other scheduled executions. Although five votes are needed to grant such a delay, only four are required for the court to take up a case.

In Oklahoma, Lockett's execution was stopped after 20 minutes when one of his veins ruptured, preventing the drugs from taking full effect. He writhed and shook uncontrollably after the drugs were administered, witnesses said.

Ohio has ended its use of the sedative after a prisoner gasped and snorted throughout his 26-minute execution. Another execution in Arizona took two hours.

Surgery

Lawyers for the three Oklahoma inmates argue midazolam cannot achieve the level of unconsciousness required for surgery and was therefore unsuitable for executions.

They say its use amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

Without the coma-like sedative effect, Oklahoma cannot ensure the prisoner does not experience intense pain when other drugs are injected to kill, the lawyers contend.

The US constitution bans "cruel and unusual punishment" but the Supreme Court has previously ruled executions are permissible.

After the Lockett execution, Oklahoma increased the amount of midazolam used in executions.

Executions in the US have also been delayed amid problems finding suppliers for the drugs used in lethal injections as many firms have refused to source them.

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US woman jailed for plotting IS help

24 January 2015 Last updated at 05:36

A young Colorado woman has been sentenced to four years in jail after she pleaded guilty to trying to help the militant group Islamic State (IS).

Shannon Conley, a 19-year-old Muslim convert, was arrested in April while trying to board a flight to Turkey en route to Syria to marry an IS fighter.

Prosecutors offered a reduced term if she helped share information about other Americans looking to join IS.

Conley, who now calls herself Halima, said she deeply regrets her actions.

One-way ticket

Handing down the verdict at a court in Denver, Judge Raymond Moore said the sentence was meant to deter others who wanted to join Islamic militants.

The judge also expressed doubt about Conley's claim that she had disavowed jihad.

"Defiance has been a part of her fabric for a long time," he said, adding that Conley needed mental help.

Conley appeared in the courtroom wearing a headscarf with her prison uniform. She had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.

She had faced up to five years in prison.

Conley, who is a nurse's assistant, told her parents she planned to marry Yousr Mouelhi, who she met online and believed to be a Tunisian IS fighter.

The FBI became interested in Conley after she alarmed employees of a church in Denver by taking notes on the layout of the building.

Over the course of eight months, FBI agents repeatedly tried to discourage her from travelling abroad, suggesting she explore humanitarian work instead.

But her father, who had refused to let her marry her Tunisian suitor, discovered a one-way ticket to Turkey with Conley's name on it.

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Abraham Lincoln hair fetches $25,000

25 January 2015 Last updated at 11:18

A collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia has been sold at an auction in Dallas, fetching more than $800,000.

A lock of the assassinated president's hair went for $25,000 but a letter admitting the Civil War was not going well remained unsold.

A letter signed by his assassin John Wilkes Booth sold for $30,000 and his military arrest warrant made $21,250.

The 300-item collection was begun in 1963 by Texas gallery owner Donald Dow, who died five years ago.

His son Greg said it was time "for other collectors to have a chance to enjoy it".

He said his father had started collecting because of his interest in the Civil War and military history "but then he became interested in Lincoln and the assassination".

The auction total of $803,889 was about twice the expected sum, Eric Bradley, of the Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, said.

The lock of hair was removed by Surgeon General Joseph Barnes shortly after Lincoln was assassinated on 14 April 1865.

Don Ackerman, from Heritage Auctions, told the Associated Press that the Booth letter had raised more because "the public was so disgusted by Booth's atrocity that most all letters, signatures and documents mentioning him were destroyed after Lincoln's death, making any that survive 150 years later exceedingly rare and valuable".

Also sold were two separate eyewitness accounts of the assassination - for $27,500 and $14,375.

The unsold Lincoln admission on the Civil War was in a fragment of a letter he wrote to a Baltimore lawyer in 1862.

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US braced for 'historic blizzard'

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:10

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Extreme weather is on the way for cities including New York and Boston, as Ben Bland reports

A "potentially historic blizzard" could dump up to 90cm (3ft) of snow on the US north-east coast, the National Weather Service (NWS) has warned.

New York's mayor said the storm could be the city's biggest ever, telling residents to "prepare for the worst".

Heavy snowfall is forecast from Philadelphia to Maine. More than 3,000 flights have already been cancelled.

A blizzard warning has been issued for New York and Boston from Monday afternoon until Tuesday.

More than 1,800 flights on Monday and more than 1,600 on Tuesday had been cancelled, according to the website FlightAware.

Airports in New York, Boston and Philadelphia have already been affected.

Speaking on Sunday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio showed journalists a list of the city's top 10 snowstorms, dating back to 1872.

"This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city," Mr de Blasio said, telling New Yorkers to "prepare for something worse than we have seen before".

"Prepare to be safe, take every precaution. Now is the time to get ready for this extreme weather."

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BBC Weather's Sarah Keith-Lucas explains the causes behind the coming blizzard

Some residents have already begun stocking up on food, water and other essential items.

New York's biggest snowstorm on record was in 2006, when nearly 70cm of snow fell.

Are you in the north-east USA? What preparations are you making for the blizzard? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number.

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Obama push to expand Alaskan refuge

26 January 2015 Last updated at 12:55

President Barack Obama is to propose setting aside the majority of Alaska's national wildlife refuge as a wilderness area.

This would halt the possibility of fossil fuel exploration in the refuge's potentially oil-rich coastal plain.

The proposal drew an angry response from top state-elected officials.

Some 2.8 million hectares (7 million acres) of the refuge are managed as wilderness.

The new plans would see a further 4.8 million hectares (12.3 million acres) hectares set aside.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain has long been at the centre of a struggle between conservationists and advocates of greater energy exploration.

In a White House video, President Obama said he was seeking the designation "so that we can make sure that this amazing wonder is preserved for future generations".

The US Department of the Interior has also issued a plan that for the first time recommends the additional protections.

If Congress agrees, it would be the largest area set aside under the designation since the passage of the Wilderness Act in the 1960s, the agency said.

However, the proposal is likely to face stiff resistance in the Republican-controlled Congress.

"They've decided that today was the day that they were going to declare war on Alaska. Well, we are ready to engage," said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who chairs the Senate energy committee.

Political leaders in Alaska have supported exploration and production within the coastal plain and have opposed attempts to further restrict development on federal lands, which comprise about two-thirds of the state.

The Republican congressional delegation, along with Alaska's new governor, Bill Walker, has sent out a joint statement branding the action "an unprecedented assault on Alaska".

Mr Walker told reporters in Anchorage that while he did not currently favour litigation, the state is reviewing its options.

He said the federal government was taking Alaska's economy away from it piece by piece.

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