Did earth's inner core stop spinning? New study finds it may soon ...

Planet Earth's inner core may have stopped turning and could go into reverse, according to a study published this week.

Earth is formed of three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.

Made almost entirely of metal – specifically, iron and nickel, its inner core rests 3,200 miles below the crust, separated from the mantle by the liquid outer core which allows the inner core to rotate at a different speed from the planet's rotation.

Researchers studied seismic waves from repeating earthquakes that have passed through the Earth’s inner core over the last six decades to infer how fast the inner core is spinning, Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang of China's Peking University published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The study's authors said they found that the inner core's rotation "came to near halt around 2009 and then turned in an opposite direction."

Since then, the authors said, seismic records – which previously changed over time, showed little difference.

"This globally consistent pattern suggests that inner-core rotation has recently paused," they wrote. “We show surprising observations that indicate the inner core has nearly ceased its rotation in the recent decade and may be experiencing a turning-back."

When you look at the decade between 1980 and 1990, Song said, you see clear change but when you look at 2010 through 2020 you don’t see much change.

Spying TVs:Your TV is spying on you, but you can stop it

What effect does the inner core have on people?

There is little to indicate the inner core's rotation has much effect on humans.

But both researchers said that they believed there are physical links between all Earth's layers, from the inner core to the surface.

"We hope our study can motivate some researchers to build and test models which treat the whole Earth as an integrated dynamic system," they wrote.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

Who else has classified documents?

The National Archives asked former presidents to look for any sensitive documents they still have. Five former Memphis police officers were charged with murder. And Earth's inner core may have stopped spinning, a new study suggests.

👋 Hi, it's Julius with Thursday's news.

But first: A look at the "fastest superyacht of its kind." 🚢 An $86.7 million superyacht that can “fly” across water was recently unveiled by Italian company Lazzarini Design Studio.

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National Archives asks ex-presidents, VPs to look for docs

The National Archives on Thursday asked former presidents and vice presidents and their offices – dating back to the Ronald Reagan administration – to look for any sensitive and potentially top-secret material they might have, according to a source familiar with the matter. Many of those former top White House officials already have indicated that they do not believe they possessed any classified documents, after reports that President Joe Biden had such documents in his personal possession from his time as vice president in the Barack Obama administration. Former President Donald Trump and, more recently, his vice president, Mike Pence, also have been found to have such documents, despite federal statutes requiring that they be given to the National Archives and Records Administration. Read more about the request.

Do more former presidents have classified documents?USA TODAY asked them.

Five ex-police officers charged with murder in Tyre Nichols' death

Five former Memphis police officers involved in a traffic stop that preceded the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols have been arrested, records show. The former officers have each been charged with one count of second-degree murder and aggravated assault-acting in concert, among other charges, records show. They were fired on Jan. 20 and accused of violating department policy during the stop of Nichols. Nichols was pulled over on Jan. 7 and after two "confrontations" with officers, he "complained of a shortness of breath," according to an initial statement from police. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died on Jan.10. Memphis police have not explained what happened during the "confrontations" and have not yet publicly released video of the stop. Read more.

Federal officials:Civil rights investigation opened in death of Tyre Nichols.

What everyone's talking about

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Another winter storm looms

As a winter storm that trekked across the country and brought snowflakes from New Mexico to Maine continues heading east, the U.S. on Thursday can expect weather conditions ranging from harsh winds to air stagnation – and yes, more snow. On the West Coast, a wind advisory will stretch across swaths of Southern California, while parts of the Northwest are under an air stagnation advisory that could impact people with respiratory conditions. Meanwhile, meteorologists are tracking the next winter storm that could hit the U.S. after brewing in Canada. See the latest weather updates.

Companies linked to Rep. Santos draw scrutiny

Companies affiliated with Congressman George Santos have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators, and experts as the newly elected Republican faces increasing political pressure to step down for lying about his background. Santos has been under fire for inventing key parts of his education and work history, and building significant wealth virtually overnight that he may have used to finance his campaign. Santos' most recent professional history also leads back to a fund that federal regulators called a Ponzi scheme in a 2021 lawsuit for using new investor money to pay back previous investors. Here's what we know.

Speaker McCarthy:Santos will be removed from Congress if ethics probe finds he broke law.

Real quick

Has Earth's inner core stopped spinning?

Earth's inner core may have stopped turning and could go into reverse, according to a study published this week. The planet's inner core rests 3,200 miles below the crust, separated from the mantle by the liquid outer core which allows the inner core to rotate at a different speed from the planet's rotation. Researchers studied seismic waves from repeating earthquakes that have passed through the Earth’s inner core over the last six decades to infer how fast the inner core is spinning, Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang of China's Peking University published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience. The study's authors said they found that the inner core's rotation "came to near halt around 2009 and then turned in an opposite direction." Since then, the authors said, seismic records – which previously changed over time, showed little difference. Learn more about the study.

A break from the news

'Doomsday glacier,' which could raise sea level by several feet, is ...

CNN —

Antarctica’s so-called “doomsday glacier” – nicknamed because of its high risk of collapse and threat to global sea level – has the potential to rapidly retreat in the coming years, scientists say, amplifying concerns over the extreme sea level rise that would accompany its potential demise.

The Thwaites Glacier, capable of raising sea level by several feet, is eroding along its underwater base as the planet warms. In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists mapped the glacier’s historical retreat, hoping to learn from its past what the glacier will likely do in the future.

They found that at some point in the past two centuries, the base of the glacier dislodged from the seabed and retreated at a rate of 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) per year. That’s twice the rate that scientists have observed in the past decade or so.

That swift disintegration possibly occurred “as recently as the mid-20th century,” Alastair Graham, the study’s lead author and a marine geophysicist at the University of South Florida, said in a news release.

The floating ice edge at Thwaites Glacier margin in 2019. Robert Larter

It suggests the Thwaites has the capability to undergo a rapid retreat in the near future, once it recedes past a seabed ridge that is helping to keep it in check.

“Thwaites is really holding on today by its fingernails, and we should expect to see big changes over small timescales in the future – even from one year to the next – once the glacier retreats beyond a shallow ridge in its bed,” Robert Larter, a marine geophysicist and one of the study’s co-authors from the British Antarctic Survey, said in the release.

Rán, a Kongsberg HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle, near the Thwaites Glacier after a 20-hour mission mapping the seafloor. Anna Wåhlin/University of Gothenburg

The US Antarctic Program research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer working near the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf in in 2019. Alexandra Mazur/University of Gothenburg

The Thwaites Glacier, located in West Antarctica, is one of the widest on Earth and is larger than the state of Florida. But it’s just a faction of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which holds enough ice to raise sea level by up to 16 feet, according to NASA.

As the climate crisis has accelerated, this region has been closely monitored because of its rapid melting and its capacity for widespread coastal destruction.

The Thwaites Glacier itself has concerned scientists for decades. As early as 1973, researchers questioned whether it was at high risk of collapse. Nearly a decade later, they found that – because the glacier is grounded to a seabed, rather than to dry land – warm ocean currents could melt the glacier from underneath, causing it to destabilize from below.

It was because of that research that scientists began calling the region around the Thwaites the “weak underbelly of the West Antarctic ice sheet.”

A workboat recovering the Rán autonomous vehicle in one of the fjords of the Antarctic Peninsula during the expedition to Thwaites Glacier in 2019. Alexandra Mazur/University of Gothenburg

In the 21st century, researchers began documenting the Thwaites’ rapid retreat in an alarming series of studies.

In 2001, satellite data showed the grounding line was receding by around 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) per year. In 2020, scientists found evidence that warm water was indeed flowing across the base of the glacier, melting it from underneath.

And then in 2021, a study showed the Thwaites Ice Shelf, which helps to stabilize the glacier and hold the ice back from flowing freely into the ocean, could shatter within five years.

“From the satellite data, we’re seeing these big fractures spreading across the ice shelf surface, essentially weakening the fabric of the ice; kind of a bit like a windscreen crack,” Peter Davis, an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey, told CNN in 2021. “It’s slowly spreading across the ice shelf and eventually it’s going to fracture into lots of different pieces.”

Monday’s findings, which suggest the Thwaites is capable of receding at a much faster pace than recently thought, were documented on a 20-hour mission in extreme conditions that mapped an underwater area the size of Houston, according to a news release.

Video Ad Feedback See Bill Nye's warning about 'doomsday' glacier 02:30 - Source: CNN

Graham said that this research “was truly a once in a lifetime mission,” but that the team hopes to return soon to gather samples from the seabed so they can determine when the previous rapid retreats occurred. That could help scientists predict future changes to the “doomsday glacier,” which scientists had previously assumed would be slow to undergo change – something Graham said this study disproves.

“Just a small kick to the Thwaites could lead to a big response,” Graham said.

NASA: New evidence finds Pluto was once hot and had oceans

Pictures from NASA's New Horizons space probe confirm that Pluto harbors an ocean beneath its thick, icy shell, researchers report in a new study.

Contrary to the original "cold start" belief that Pluto was once a block of ice that has warmed through radioactive decay, experts now believe the planet was once hot and contained early oceans that are still present today.

Pluto, an icy dwarf planet half the size of the United States, is in the Kuiper Belt about 3.6 billion miles away from the sun. It has a methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide atmosphere. Pluto's surface temperature of minus-378 to minus-396 degrees is too cold to sustain life, according to NASA.

New Horizons, launched in 2006, was the only spacecraft to visit Pluto. It sailed by the distant planet in 2015.

“For a long time people have thought about the thermal evolution of Pluto and the ability of an ocean to survive to the present day,” Francis Nimmo, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California-Santa Cruz, said in a statement. "Now that we have images of Pluto’s surface from NASA’s New Horizons mission, we can compare what we see with the predictions of different thermal evolution models."

Along with Pluto, other large Kuiper Belt objects, such as dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, are thought to have had "hot starts."

“Even in this cold environment so far from the sun, all these worlds might have formed fast and hot, with liquid oceans,” Carver Bierson, the study's lead author and UCSC graduate student, said in a statement.

Shifting tectonics created varying surface textures overtime that allowed experts to recognize whether the ice was melting or freezing and when, which provided a timeline of Pluto's surface changes, Bierson said.

“If it started cold and the ice melted internally, Pluto would have contracted and we should see compression features on its surface, whereas if it started hot it should have expanded as the ocean froze and we should see extension features on the surface,” Bierson said.

“We see lots of evidence of expansion, but we don’t see any evidence of compression, so the observations are more consistent with Pluto starting with a liquid ocean.”

Research such as NH3 (ammonia) sample collections and monitoring of ice thickness has shown that clues to Pluto's extension outweighs evidence of a compression.

“How Pluto was put together in the first place matters a lot for its thermal evolution,” Nimmo said. “If it builds up too slowly, the hot material at the surface radiates energy into space, but if it builds up fast enough the heat gets trapped inside.”

Pluto would have needed energy for its presumed rapid heating. The main potential energy sources that could have produced Pluto's "hot start" are speculated to be gravitational energy released at the time of rapid accretion and heat released through radioactive decay of elements, according to experts.

The new research was published this week in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Geoscience.

Yellowstone's heat may be coming from deeper underground than ...

There's lots of heat underneath Yellowstone National Park, and where it comes from has fueled debates among geologists for decades.

Now, a new study says the volcanic activity at the park could be driven by what's called a "mantle plume," — a 200-mile-wide column of potentially warm, upwelling material — that rises from deeper underneath the Earth's surface than had been thought.

The study was published this week in Nature Geoscience.

Mantle plumes are themselves contentious because seismic images of the Earth’s interior have failed to clearly identify these plume-like features that trace all the way down to the deep mantle.

Geologists Peter Nelson and Stephen Grand of the University of Texas used seismic data to take a look the mantle beneath North America. The authors found a long, thin, sloping zone within the mantle through which seismic waves travel more slowly — and which may indicate the presence of unusually warm material.

The zone extends almost continuously through the mantle, rooted in the core–mantle boundary beneath Mexico and running northeastward up to Yellowstone National Park.

"Our results strongly support a deep origin for the Yellowstone hotspot, and also provide evidence for the existence of thin thermal mantle plumes that are currently beyond the resolution of global tomography models," the authors wrote in the study.

This finding implies the volcanic activity at Yellowstone, which includes hydrothermal springs and explosive geysers like the famous "Old Faithful," as well as super-eruptions in the geologic past, could all ultimately be driven by this deep-mantle plume rising up from above the Earth’s core.

None of this means that an eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is predicted let alone imminent, as at least one British tabloid, the Daily Express, claimed.

It's true that underneath Yellowstone National Park lies a "supervolcano," one that blows its top with a massive supereruption every few hundred thousand years.

There is no indication, however, that such an eruption is imminent, or that the volcano is "due" for an eruption. "The probability of such a large eruption occurring in any given year is 1 in 730,000," Christy Till, an Arizona State University geologist, said last year.

InSight lander detects space rocks slamming into Mars | CNN

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CNN —

The NASA InSight Lander has “heard” and detected the vibrations of four space rocks as they slammed into Mars over the past two years.

It’s the first time a mission has picked up both seismic and acoustic waves from an impact on Mars, and InSight’s first detection of impacts since landing on the red planet in 2018.

Fortunately, InSight wasn’t in the path of these meteoroids, the name for space rocks before they hit the ground. The impacts ranged from 53 to 180 miles (85 to 290 kilometers) away from the stationary lander’s position in Mars’ Elysium Planitia, a smooth plain that’s just north of its equator.

A meteoroid impact formed these craters on Mars in September 2021. This image, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, enhances the displaced dust and soil in blue to make details more visible. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

A meteoroid hit the Martian atmosphere on September 5, 2021, and then exploded into at least three shards, each one leaving behind a crater on the red planet’s surface.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter then flew over the site to confirm where the meteoroid landed, spotting three darkened areas. The orbiter’s color imager, the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, took detailed close-ups of the craters.

Researchers shared their findings about the new craters in a study that published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

“After three years of InSight waiting to detect an impact, those craters looked beautiful,” said study coauthor Ingrid Daubar, assistant professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in a statement.

Data from InSight also revealed three other similar impacts, one on May 27, 2020, and two additional ones in 2021 on February 18 and August 31.

The agency released a recording of a Martian meteoroid impact Monday. During the clip, listen for a very science fiction-sounding “bloop” three times as the space rock enters the atmosphere, explodes into pieces and hits the surface.

Scientists have actually questioned why more impacts haven’t been detected on Mars because the planet is located next to our solar system’s main asteroid belt, where many space rocks emerge to hit the Martian surface. The Martian atmosphere only has 1% of the thickness of Earth’s atmosphere, meaning that more meteoroids zip through it without disintegrating.

During its time on Mars, InSight has used its seismometer to detect more than 1,300 marsquakes, which take place when the Martian subsurface cracks due to pressure and heat. The sensitive instrument can detect seismic waves that occur thousands of miles away from InSight’s location – but the September 2021 event is the first time scientists used the waves to confirm an impact.

It’s possible the noise of the Martian wind or seasonal changes that occur in the atmosphere hid the additional impacts . Now that researchers understand what an impact’s seismic signature looks like, they expect to find more when they comb through InSight’s data from the last four years.

Seismic waves are helping researchers unlock additional information about the interior of Mars because they change as they move through different material.

The meteoroid impacts create quakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less. So far, InSight’s largest detected quake was a magnitude 5 event in May.

Impact craters help scientists understand the age of a planet’s surface. Researchers can also determine how many of the craters formed early on in the tumultuous history of the solar system.

“Impacts are the clocks of the solar system,” said lead author Raphael Garcia, academic researcher at the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace in Toulouse, France, in a statement. “We need to know the impact rate today to estimate the age of different surfaces.”

Studying InSight’s data can provide researchers with a way to analyze the trajectory and size of the shock wave produced when the meteoroid enters the atmosphere as well as once it hits the ground.

“We’re learning more about the impact process itself,” Garcia said. “We can match different sizes of craters to specific seismic and acoustic waves now.”

InSight’s mission is coming to an end as dust builds up on its solar panels and reduces its power. Eventually, the spacecraft will shut down, but the team is unsure of when that will happen.

The most recent readings have suggested it could shut down between this coming October and January 2023.

Until then, the spacecraft still has a chance to add to its research portfolio and stunning collection of discoveries on Mars.


Quiz of The Week: 21 – 27 January | The Week UK

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine entered its 12th month, a long-awaited decision by Western nations has offered fresh hope to Kyiv.

Following months of hesitancy, Germany this week agreed to send 14 of its sought-after Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and gave allies permission to send theirs too. The US is also sending 31 of its highly advanced Abrams tanks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the announcements, but stressed that the timing of the tanks delivery would be “critical”. After a slight lull in the conflict at the start of the year, battles are raging not only between the traditional militaries but also private military companies (PMCs) enlisted by both sides, with the Wagner Group leading the way in Russian attacks.

With both Zelenskyy and the Kremlin warning that a peaceful resolution is unlikely to be reached any time soon, the world is watching to see how Western tanks may change the course of the war.

To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the news and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week

Need a reminder of some of the other headlines over the past seven days?

Oscar nominated foreign films 2022: Where to watch the Oscar ...

CNN —

The best international feature film category at the Academy Awards could, in some ways, be compared to flying economy. Often, the five films that get a seat aboard the Oscars seem squashed in the back, lest they take up space that Hollywood might want to luxuriate in. You’d like to upgrade to best picture? With twice the room and more prestige, who wouldn’t. But many of those seats still appear to be reserved for English-language pictures.

However, things are changing for the better, with Academy voters finding increasing space for international films in other categories. As the awards continues to ask existential questions of itself, this is cause for celebration.

In the Oscars’ 94th year, there are a few firsts among the nominees for best international feature. “Drive My Car” by Ryusuke Hamaguchi became the first Japanese film to be nominated for best picture, and “Flee” by Danish writer-director Jonas Poher Rasmussen became the first film nominated across best international feature film, best animated feature and best documentary feature. Meanwhile Bhutanese cinema received its first nomination in any category with Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.”

Norwegian nominee “The Worst Person in the World” and “Drive My Car” both made the cut in writing categories – director Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt sharing a nomination for best original screenplay, and Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe for best adapted – while Hamaguchi finds himself only the third Japanese filmmaker nominated for best director.

“Drive My Car” ties Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” (1986) for most nominations ever for a Japanese film, but a “Parasite”-level sweep is unlikely, even if few would quibble with the movie’s brilliance. However, the repeated inroads of non-English language cinema suggests, to borrow a phrase from Bong Joon-ho, that voters are overcoming the one inch tall barrier of subtitles and finding a whole world of movies to celebrate. No doubt the Academy’s increasingly international membership is helping too.

Last year’s resurgent festival scene and a backlog of releases due to the pandemic meant there was even greater choice than usual. As always, each country may only nominate one movie for best international feature, with 93 countries submitting this year. Many big-hitters missed out. France had Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Titane” and Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner “Happening” at its disposal; “Titane” was submitted over “Happening,” only to fail to make the shortlist. Spain submitted Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s “The Good Boss” over Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” only for it to strike out and see Almodovar’s film nominated for original score (Alberto Iglesias) and star Penelope Cruz for best actress. Romania’s Berlin-winner “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” by Radu Jude, two-time Iranian Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero” and Austrian submission “Great Freedom” by Sebastian Meise are all fantastic films that were either not shortlisted or nominated.

There was such an abundance of great international cinema, the question of whether this category should be expanded to 10 nominees, like best picture, must be asked once more. Until then, we have these five. If you need to catch up on this year’s crop, here’s all the details, along with where to watch them.

“The Hand of God”

Filippo Scotti in "The Hand of God." Gianni Fiorito/Netflix

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino is up to his usual tricks in “The Hand of God,” setting them loose on a work of poignant, sometimes bizarre, autofiction.

Set in sweltering 1980s Naples, Sorrentino’s stand-in Fabietto (Filippo Scotti) is an awkward teenager struggling to find his voice among his large, bickering carnival of a family. The talk of the town is the possible move of football megastar Diego Maradona to local club Napoli, but Fabietto is equally preoccupied with his aunt Patrizia (a disquieting Luisa Ranieri). An abused woman with mental health concerns, the director chooses to present this primarily through the medium of her exposed breasts, at which her nephew can’t help but stare. It is not the most conventional sexual awakening committed to screen, and where the film goes from there is eyebrow-raising to say the least (kudos to Sorrentino for his honesty if it’s all true).

That aside, there’s beauty aplenty in how director and regular cinematographer Daria D’Antonio shoot their hometown. Visual flourishes and a Fellini-esque menagerie of larger-than-life characters combine in an elegy to the city and the director’s youth – one defined by a tragedy that set Sorrentino on his path.

“You’ve got to have a story to tell,” a director urges aspiring filmmaker Fabietto toward the end of the movie. Sorrentino, already an Oscar winner for “The Great Beauty” in 2013, hasn’t exactly made a bad fist of telling fictional stories. By returning to Naples and telling his own, he’s come full circle and made one of his richest films to date.

“The Hand of God” is available to watch on Netflix.

“Drive My Car”

Hidetoshi Nishijima and Toko Miura as Yusuke Kafuku and Misaki Watari in "Drive My Car." Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films

Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi had a huge 2021, debuting not one but two critically acclaimed films. “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” enchanted the Berlin Film Festival, but it was his three-hour adaptation of Haruki Murakami short story “Drive My Car” that gained traction after its debut at Cannes.

The adaptation is an expansion of the story of actor Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) grieving the sudden death of his wife. Two years on, he’s hired to direct a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” where Kufuku meets chauffeur Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), with whom he has unlikely kinship. Through chance and his own making, the past surrounds Kufuku, forcing him to confront his loss.

Hamaguchi’s intricately woven story contemplates the disconnect between inner turmoil and outward stoicism. He brilliantly uses Chekhov’s play, with its thematic overlap, as a safe space for characters to wrestle with their real lives. By casting the play as a multilingual production (actors perform in Korean, Tagalog, Mandarin and Korean Sign Language, among others), Hamaguchi steers the audience’s attention towards language and the body. Like Kafuku, we become attuned to when the two fail to tell the same story. His frustrations become our own, his direction of his actors a proxy for what he desires for himself: self-knowledge, and perhaps through that, catharsis.

This is intellectual filmmaking that offers no concessions to the audience. It demands your attention and offers rich rewards in return. Hamaguchi may be surprised by the Academy’s love for the film, but that comes off the back of topping multiple critics’ best of year lists. The film has already won a BAFTA and must be considered red-hot favorite to take the Oscar on Sunday.

“Drive My Car” is available to watch on HBO Max (like CNN, a WarnerMedia company) and Amazon Prime Video in the US.

Read more: Ryusuke Hamaguchi is as surprised as anyone by the Oscar love for ‘Drive My Car’

“The Worst Person in the World”

Herbert Nordrum and Renate Reinsve as Eivind and Julie in Joachim Trier's "The Worst Person in the World." courtesy Mubi

The capstone of Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy, “The Worst Person in the World” refuses to stick to the rom-com blueprint in its portrait of the Norwegian city and its inhabitants.

Julie (Renate Reinsve) is approaching 30 and is coasting. Her older boyfriend Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie) is looking to get serious, but Julie has reservations; thoughts that crystallize when free-spirited Eivind (Herbert Nordrum) walks into her life, setting off a charisma bomb that will go down as one of cinema’s great meet-cutes.

Trier has no interest in fairy tale endings, however. His and Eskil Vogt’s rich and textured script drills into the ideation and idealization of modern living, and the life that happens while you’re making – and breaking – plans.

Julie something of a paradox, riven by impulsiveness and indecisiveness (and she’s privileged enough that she can be). The writing is strong, but this is a film propelled by a star turn. Reinsve’s iridescent performance won her the best actress award at Cannes (remarkably, she’d been about to give up the industry before being cast) and as Julie she’s nothing short of a marvel; a muddle of inconsistencies and equally beguiling and infuriating. In other words: deeply human.

“The Worst Person in the World” paints a portrait that’s so arrestingly real, it recasts much of what came before in the genre as synthetic. For romcoms, this is a corner turned.

“The Worst Person in the World” is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV in the US.

Read more: Joachim Trier ripped up the romcom script with ‘The Worst Person in the World’

“Flee”

Amin (right), the subject of Jonas Poher Rasmussen's "Flee." Final Cut for Real

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s international animated documentary represents an impressively original triple threat at the Oscars this weekend.

The Danish film debuted at Sundance in 2021 where it won the world cinema documentary award and it’s been attracting high-profile admirers ever since. It centers on Amin, a gay Afghan who as a boy fled Kabul in the 1990s. Now an academic in his thirties living in Denmark, he narrates the story of his perilous flight, dredging up myriad horrors that are written and rewritten before our eyes as what was once suppressed breaches consciousness and finds form.

The choice of animation allows Amin (a pseudonym) anonymity, but what it affords Rasmussen is dazzling scope for creative expression, utilizing a variety of styles from smooth rotoscope to scratchy sketching in stylistic collusion with the tone of the moment. It’s truly beautiful, impactful filmmaking that’s not quickly forgotten.

“Flee” is available to watch on Hulu and Apple TV in the US.

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”

Sherab Dorji as Ugyen in "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom." Kinley Wangchuk/Jigme Thinley

This year’s surprise contender, “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” is only Bhutan’s second entry to the Academy Awards and its first nominee.

Writer-director Pawo Choyning Dorji’s mild-mannered addition to the “city-slicker-goes-to-the-countryside-and-learns-what’s-important-in-life” canon follows Ugyen (Sherab Dorji), a government employee and wannabe singer whose dreams of Australia are put on hold when he’s sent to teach in the remote mountain community of Lunana. Initially dismissive, his petulance gives way to an appreciation of rural life and the culture he was so ready to leave behind, helped by cute kid Pem Zam (Pem Zam) and singer and local beauty Saldon (Kelden Lhamo Gurung).

It’s familiar story, but perhaps one shouldn’t hold that against the film. “Lunana’s” trump card is its stunning setting and window into an underexposed part of the world. Handsomely shot by Jigme Tenzing, we see both bustling capital Thimphu and the majestic foothills of the Himalayas, an idyll if ever there was one. The guileless turns of the film’s real-life highlander cast also grounds the film nicely and act as an effective foil to Ugyen.

Academy voters have plucked from relative obscurity a film that debuted at the London Film Festival way back in 2019. Dorji beat out giants of world cinema to bag a nomination – and with a debut feature, no less. All this considered, “Lunana” represents a landmark in Bhutanese cinema.

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” is available to watch on Kanopy and Amazon Prime Video.

The 94th Academy Awards takes place on Sunday March 27.

Here's every film that won the Oscar for best picture | CNN

"It Happened One Night" (1935): "It Happened One Night" was one of the great underdog winners. Its studio, Columbia, wasn't considered one of the majors at the time, and neither Clark Gable nor Claudette Colbert, its stars, were excited about the project. But it became the first film to sweep the five major categories of picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay. To this day, only two other films -- "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) -- have pulled off the same trick. Columbia Pictures Corporation

Academy Awards 2022: 'CODA' wins Best Picture, but Will Smith ...

CNN —

“CODA” won best picture, but that historic breakthrough for streaming service Apple TV+ at the Oscars was overshadowed by one spontaneous act, as Will Smith delivered a viral moment that will be remembered and talked about for years.

The most memorable exchange on the film industry’s biggest night wasn’t the kind anyone would have anticipated or wanted. Before winning his Oscar for “King Richard,” Smith seemed upset about a joke that Chris Rock told about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, marching to the stage and appearing strike him across the face. Rock looked genuinely stunned, while Smith returned to his seat, shouting words that were bleeped out at Rock.

Wiping away tears, Smith during his acceptance speech referenced that the character he played, Richard Williams, protected his family, then said, without specifically mentioning Rock or what happened, “I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.” He added, “Love will make you do crazy things.”

The best-picture suspense between two streaming nominees perceived as frontrunners lasted throughout the night. “CODA’s” Sian Heder won for best adapted screenplay, but “The Power of the Dog’s” Jane Campion, the first woman to be nominated twice as best director, later became the third woman ever to claim that prize. (Heder was overlooked in that balloting.)

Based on results from other awards leading up to the Oscars, this was already viewed as a landmark year for streaming services, which, led by Netflix, have steadily chipped away at industry resistance to seeing them as full competitors with major studio releases.

For all its hard work, though, Netflix didn’t catch the bouquet, as voters went with Apple’s more uplifting story, about the hearing child of deaf parents. Including this year’s contenders “The Power of the Dog” and “Don’t Look Up,” seven Netflix movies have now been nominated for best picture, but thus far none have won.

Best picture: "CODA" Apple TV+ Best actress: Jessica Chastain, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" Searchlight Pictures Best actor: Will Smith, "King Richard" Chiabella James/Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Best director: Jane Campion, right, "The Power of the Dog" Kirsty Griffin/Netflix Best supporting actress: Ariana DeBose, "West Side Story" Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios Best supporting actor: Troy Kotsur, "CODA" Apple TV+ Best original screenplay: "Belfast" Rob Youngson/Focus Features Best adapted screenplay: "CODA" Apple TV+ Best animated feature film: "Encanto" Disney Best animated short film: "The Windshield Wiper" ShortsTV Best live action short film: "The Long Goodbye" ShortsTV Best international feature film: "Drive My Car" (Japan) Bitters End Best production design: "Dune" Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures Best costume design: "Cruella" Disney Best makeup and hairstyling: "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures Best cinematography: "Dune" Chia Bella James Best original song: "No Time to Die" performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell for the film "No Time to Die" Nicola Dove/EON Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Best original score: "Dune" Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures Best documentary feature: "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures Best documentary, short subject: "The Queen of Basketball" The New York Times Best sound: "Dune" Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures Best film editing: "Dune" Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures Best visual effects: "Dune" Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures Photos: Oscars winners 2022 Prev Next

The global pandemic, which forced the entire entertainment industry into streaming mode for a time, has helped hasten streaming’s acceptance, with last year’s winner, “Nomadland,” having been directed to a rival streamer, Hulu.

Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." Searchlight Pictures

In addition to Smith, Jessica Chastain nabbed her first Oscar for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” playing Tammy Faye Bakker, which was also recognized for makeup and hairstyling.

In her acceptance Chastain spoke of “discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country” against the LGBTQ+ community, citing Bakker’s compassion toward those groups, which was depicted in the film.

With a third of the Oscars being handed out before the live telecast officially began, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bet that people would watch the 94th annual Academy Awards as much to be entertained as to find out who won what.

The Academy, which presents the awards, implemented a controversial plan to hand out awards in eight categories prior to the main telecast, then edit those selections into the show. Despite that decision, the telecast still ran more than 3 ½ hours.

"Dune" won multiple Oscars on Sunday, including best cinematography Chia Bella James

The other big winner of the night was the science-fiction epic “Dune.” Dominating the technical categories, the Warner Bros. film claimed six Oscars for sound, film editing, production design, cinematography, visual effects and Hans Zimmer’s musical score. It was the prolific composer’s second win out of a dozen nominations, the first coming for “The Lion King” in 1995. (CNN and Warner Bros. are both part of WarnerMedia.)

The televised show underscored the emphasis on bringing more entertainment into the telecast, opening with Beyoncé performing the nominated song from “King Richard” outside the venue, before turning it over to hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, who gently roasted some of the nominees (“House of Gucci” was referred to as “House of Random Accents”) and taking aim at Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, promising, “We’re gonna have a gay night.” Sykes later directed a joke at Texas over its voter-registration laws.

"Encanto" won best animanted feature film. Disney

Disney’s “Encanto” was honored as best animated movie. Although the film performed reasonably well in theaters, it (and its music) appeared to particularly catch on after making its debut on the studio’s streaming service, Disney+, symbolic of a year viewed as streaming’s awards coming-out party.

Supporting actress and actor represented perhaps the night’s least-suspenseful selections, but were among the most emotional, with Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur winning for Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and “CODA,” respectively. Kotsur becomes only the second deaf actor to be honored, following his co-star Marlee Matlin, who was recognized for “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987.

Steven Spielberg, from left, Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose arriving at the Oscars. Jae C. Hong/AP

After thanking Spielberg and co-star Rita Moreno (who originally played the role), DeBose spoke of being a queer Afro-Latina woman, quoting the movie in saying to those who might be questioning how they fit in, “There is indeed a place for us.”

Questlove tearfully accepted an Oscar for his documentary “Summer of Soul,” and Japan’s “Drive My Car” earned best international film, with the three-hour drama having garnered a best picture nomination as well.

Kenneth Branagh, an eight-time nominee in various categories, received his first Oscar for writing “Belfast,” the deeply personal look at his homeland that he also directed and produced.

Although the Grammys and Tonys employ a similar format in time-shifting awards, many Academy members have complained about the perceived slight to those nominees. Nevertheless, there was a heightened sense of urgency to streamline the presentation after the Oscars slumped to record-low ratings last year, as did many major award shows.

The switch only saved a bit of time, which was used on lavish musical numbers – including a colorful rendition of “Encanto’s” song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – comedy bits like dropping Schumer from the rafters dressed as Spider-Man, and showcasing “fan favorites” as unscientifically voted on via Twitter.

The broadcast also incorporated its share of nostalgia, including a 60th-anniversary James Bond movie tribute, cast reunions from “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Juno” and “Pulp Fiction,” and a 50th-anniversary celebration of “The Godfather,” bringing director Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro out for a standing ovation.

The latest Bond film, “No Time to Die,” garnered best song for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, one of the few awards handed out to a box-office blockbuster, as the industry increasingly splits between popular and prestige fare.

Photos: The 2022 BAFTAs | CNN

Actors Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose hold the BAFTAs they won for supporting roles on Sunday, March 13. Kotsur won for his role in the film "CODA." DeBose won for "West Side Story."

The British Academy Film Awards, aka the BAFTAs, were handed out in London on Sunday.

The BAFTAs are traditionally considered to be the film industry's last big stop before the Academy Awards. This year, the show was held on the same day as the delayed Critics' Choice Awards.

Actress and comedian Rebel Wilson hosted the BAFTA ceremony from the Royal Albert Hall. The sci-fi film "Dune" won the most awards (five) and received the most nominations (11).

The Western drama "The Power of the Dog" won the BAFTA for best film, and its director, Jane Campion, won best director.

Oscars 2022: 'Spencer' star Kristen Stewart leads as Princess Diana

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Awards season is officially underway with the one-two punch of the Venice and Telluride film festivals, which kicked off last week with sold-out screenings and starry red carpets. Sean Baker's "The Florida Project" follow-up "Red Rocket," starring Simon Rex, continued to win over critics after its Cannes Film Festival debut in July, while the black-and-white Joaquin Phoenix dramedy "C’mon C'mon" and animated "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" proved to be heartwarming escapes for movie lovers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the largely in-person Toronto International Film Festival launches Thursday with the premiere of movie musical "Dear Evan Hansen," here's where the state of the race stands on the long road to the Academy Awards next March.

Review:Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic 'Dune' is a mixed bag

Kristen Stewart vies for the crown with 'Spencer'

Like her "Twilight" co-star Robert Pattinson, Stewart has proven to be one of the most fascinating actors working today: deftly juggling haunting independent dramas ("Personal Shopper," "Clouds of Sils Maria") with lighter fare ("Happiest Season," "Charlie's Angels"). But "Spencer" (in theaters Nov. 5) could finally be her ticket to the Oscars: Stewart has been hailed by critics as "impeccable" and "inspired" for her transformative performance as a luminous Lady Di, tracing three agonizing days in the reluctant royal's life.

Stewart gamely rubbed shoulders with journalists and festival-goers at both the Venice and Telluride premieres of "Spencer" this past week, with Toronto next on her campaign trail. The academy loves a British royal – just ask past best-actress winners Olivia Colman ("The Favourite") and Helen Mirren ("The Queen") – and Stewart is long overdue for an Oscar coronation.

First 'Spencer' footage:Kristen Stewart stuns as Princess Diana, clashes with Prince Charles

'The Card Counter' could be a tough bet

If video views counted for Oscar votes, then Oscar Isaac would already be a winner. The "Star Wars" actor had Twitter weak in the knees this past weekend with a now-viral red carpet clip that has been watched more than 11 million times, in which he makes eyes at his "Scenes From a Marriage" co-star Jessica Chastain and kisses her arm. Onscreen, Isaac's Oscar chances are a little dicier. In the Martin Scorsese-produced “The Card Counter" (in theaters Friday), he plays a soldier turned compulsive gambler seeking redemption after torturing prisoners in Iraq.

The unnerving film has received universally strong reviews (97% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), although director/writer Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull") hits many of the same beats as his superior "First Reformed" in 2017, which starred Ethan Hawke in a career-best performance that was ignored by the academy. Factor in an already competitive best-actor race – led by Will Smith ("King Richard"), Peter Dinklage ("Cyrano") and Jamie Dornan ("Belfast") – and Isaac could very well get lost in the shuffle.

Venice Film Festival:Jessica Chastain replies to that viral moment when Oscar Isaac kissed her arm

'Dune' faces an uphill battle

"Dune," the $165 million sci-fi epic from Denis Villeneuve ("Arrival"), was always going to be a gamble. The film is adapted from Frank Herbert's influential 1965 novel, which last hit the big screen in 1984 with David Lynch's critical and commercial misfire. Early reviews have been disappointing, to say the least, with critics such as USA TODAY's Brian Truitt taking issue with the movie's half-baked storytelling and anticlimactic finish, despite eye-popping visuals and committed performances.

"Dune" is a guaranteed player in technical Oscar categories such as best production design, costumes and score. But with a still-uncertain box-office performance – "Dune" is being released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max Oct. 22 – the movie may not have the spice to land one of the 10 best-picture slots (let alone a planned-for sequel).

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas:Hollywood faces theater owners after streaming new movies during pandemic

Netflix looks to clinch an elusive best-picture win

You've got to hand it to Netflix: The streaming service has consistently had superb movies nominated for best picture in the past few years, including "Roma," "Mank" and "The Irishman." But the Oscars' top prize has always eluded the media giant, whose biggest awards to date have been for best director (Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma") and supporting actress (Laura Dern, "Marriage Story").

That could change this year with a slew of new offerings that were rapturously received by most critics at Venice and Telluride: Maggie Gyllenhaal's arresting "The Lost Daughter,” Paolo Sorrentino's Italian coming-of-age film "The Hand of God,” and Jane Campion's sexually charged Western "The Power of the Dog." The latter should also be a heavyweight acting contender, with a trio of jaw-dropping performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

What's on Netflix in September:The chilling 'Midnight Mass,' 'Lucifer' and 'Money Heist'

Oscar winners 2022: See the list | CNN

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Oscar 2019: 500 essential Academy Awards photos to get you ready

The 91st annual Academy Awards are happening Sunday. Are you ready?

To help you prep, we've compiled this cheat sheet of Oscar trivia, fashion photos, nominations info and other essential tidbits that will help make you an informed viewer of the host-less soiree that is going to show all 24 Oscar categories live, after all. That's in the wake of scrapped plans to award a "most popular" Oscar and a short-lived decision to present four categories during commercial breaks.

Below, browse more than 500 photos illustrating every aspect of Oscars night, from actors who have been nominated and never won to the red carpet's all-time best and worst dresses to the iconic movies that were snubbed by the awards.

Could you name them all? All 90 best pictures

Brush up on your best picture trivia with all the category's winners, from "Wings" to "The Shape of Water."

The faces to watch in the night's key categories

Get acquainted with the Hollywood stars nominated for the night's biggest awards.

Looking back: History's best Oscar dresses

The Oscars red carpet is as much a spectacle as the actual awards. Here, take a trip down memory lane with iconic Oscar looks from years past with these two galleries.

The worst Oscar dresses of all time

Not every Oscars look is a success. From Bjork's infamous swan dress to Cher's nude getup, revisit the shocking Oscars looks that made history for the wrong reasons.

And here's what they wear under it all

Silicone, strapless and smoothers are a star's best friend on the red carpet.

What’s in that gift bag for Oscar nominees?

From international trips to cannabis edibles, big-name nominees get more than $100K worth of giveaways.

A winner at any age

From Tatum O'Neal to Christopher Plummer, see which Hollywood stars made history with their early and late-in-life Oscar wins.

The most memorable political speeches

Will politics be a topic at the podium this year? It has been in the past.

How is it even possible these movies didn't win?

From "Psycho" to "Gangs of New York," many of history's acclaimed films got completely shut out at the Academy Awards.

And these actors haven't won either

No Bradley Cooper? No Johnny Depp. They're both empty-handed.

But these actors? They've won their share

Though nearly no one has more than two.

See photos from the Oscar nominees’ luncheon

Every year, Oscar contenders gather before the ceremony to celebrate their nominations and practice their red carpet smiles.

And all the other pre-parties

Hollywood has been warming up for the big night all week.

What won't be captured by the Oscar cameras

From the expensive bar to the seat fillers, take a peek behind the scenes of the Oscars telecast.

All the best photos from the 2018 Academy Awards

Relive all the drama of last year's awards from backstage.

By the way: Who is 'Oscar'?

Here's a look at why the Academy Awards go by that name, and a few other fun facts.

Contributing: Maeve McDermott

Oscar swag bag: Nominees get these (unofficial) gifts

Congratulations, Margot Robbie and Timothée Chalamet. Not only are you nominated for Academy Awards, but you are being gifted a bunch of random trips and products.

Thus is the Oscar tradition. Actually, it's not an Academy-sanctioned activity at all— the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences filed and resolved a lawsuit against company Distinctive Assets over the extravagant gift bags they annually give to nominees. The company now calls their unofficial swag bags the "Everyone Wins" gift, instead of using Oscars in the branding.

For 16 years, the L.A. marketing company Distinctive Assets has delivered the directing and acting Oscar nominees a collection of freebies, which goes to each person's home or hotel the week leading up to the show.

What's in the bag that goes out to 26 stars and directors this year? A bounty of gifts that are worth at least $100,000. (Distinctive Assets won't get more specific about the value of their giveaways, but they say that a number of brands pay to be a part of the bag. And, yes, stars are taxed for the physical gifts.) Here are the "Everyone Wins" goodies and trips that range from mildly bizarre to truly extravagant:

Edible jewelry from Chocolatines

Underarm sweat patches from Dandi Patch

Lemonade-flavored moonshine from Southern Wicked Lemonade

A 12-night Tanzania trip for two from International Expeditions

A 7-day Hawaii trip at Koloa Landing Resort in Poipu

A stay at Avaton Luxury Villas Resort in Halkidiki, Greece

A week-long spa retreat at Golden Door

Pepperface, a lightweight pepper spray

Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation dental procedure

23andMe genetic service

A Luxura Diamonds "conflict-free" necklace

NeverMissed dating app, available pre-launch

A 10,000 bowl donation to an animal shelter of their choice and bags of pet food from Halo, Purely For Pets

MZ Skin firming eye cream and golden treatment mask

A lifetime supply of Oxygenetix foundation

Locally-grown oranges, courtesy of delivery app EpiFruit

A memoir by Esther Fairfax about her mother, Lotte Berk, innovator of Barre

Healing Saint's skin serum and follicle stimulant

Jarritos, the Mexican soda

10 sessions with personal trainer Alexis Seletzky

A one-year supply of ALLÉL's skincare program

Bangarang's Positive Cube, a wooden box filled with 199 cards of positive action and quotes

Color-changing lipstick from Blush & Whimsy

Charleston & Harlow soy candles

Danish cookbook, Cook Yourself Happy

Curlee Girlee children's book

Organic, vegan and small-batch Delicacies lollipops

Face It and Eye Love It facewash and makeup removers

Happiest Tee's American-made T-shirts

Weight loss supplement Hydroxycut Organic

10-piece Inception of Beauty makeup set

Justice for Vets symbolic coin

An 18-minute phobia-relief session with Kalliope

LE CÈLINE eyelashes products

Liwu jewelry from Ireland

Look Fabulous Forever makeup specially formulated for older women

My Magic Mud toothpaste, which combines activated coconut shell charcoal and bentonite clay

M.Y.O cosmetic clutch

99 Creative WOWs creativity kit

Nurse Gigi skin rejuvenation procedures

Oumere anti-aging skincare

Paiva Aloe cleanser and mask,

PETA's cruelty-free bath bombs

2 gourmet pretzel gift boxes from Posh Pretzels

A.I. beauty startup PROVEN's personalized skincare products

Quincy Herbals detox tea

Quip's oral care kit

Commissioned work from Reian Williams Fine Art

Rouge Maple syrup

Safi Kilima bracelet with oval tanzanite stones

Shop Modern Innovations' levitating bluetooth speaker

The Green Garmento's multi-use Gigantote

Vaya's Tyffyn lunchboxes

Totalee hair care products

Wetsleeve on-the-go hydration sleeve

Youthblast anti-aging supplement and 24k Gold Facial

Think Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington will appreciate the presents?

BAFTA Awards 2022: See the full list of winners


Nadhim Zahawi: the former chancellor with a 'careless' tax problem ...

A Conservative peer has joined a growing list of voices urging Nadhim Zahawi to consider “standing aside” while Parliament’s watchdog investigates his tax affairs.

Lord Hayward told Sky News that “we don’t know what the timescales are for the inquiry” into the Tory party chair’s finances, “and I think that’s key”.

Hayward is the latest in a string of senior Tory figures to call for Zahawi to quit after the former chancellor admitted paying a penalty over “errors” in his tax affairs that were deemed “careless but not deliberate” by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Zahawi and his allies insist that there was no deliberate wrongdoing, but speculation is rife about whether he can survive this latest “political pickle” to hit the Conservatives, said the BBC’s Chris Mason.

Baghdad to Downing Street

Born in Baghdad to Kurdish parents, Zahawi came to the UK at the age of nine, after his family fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime in the 1970s. Unable to speak English when he arrived, Zahawi has spoken of the prejudice and bullying that he faced at school.

After training as a chemical engineer at University College London, he worked for a time in the oil industry, and co-founded pollsters YouGov. A self-made millionaire, Zahawi is “one of the UK’s richest MPs”, said The Guardian’s Peter Walker. He entered Parliament in 2010 as the MP for Stratford-on-Avon, which remains his constituency, and backed Brexit during the 2016 referendum.

Political rise

Zahawi began climbing the political ladder after being appointed to a junior ministerial role in the Department for Education in 2018. He bagged his first cabinet role, as education secretary, in September 2021 – more than a decade after becoming an MP.

Less than ten months after joining the cabinet, however, he replaced Rishi Sunak as chancellor of the Exchequer, one of the great offices of state. “Zahawi’s rise is at the same time epically slow and amazingly fast,” tweeted The Times’s associate political editor Henry Zeffman following the appointment.

According to The Guardian’s Walker, the “key” to Zahawi’s rise was his “stint” from 2020 to 2021 as undersecretary of state in the health department – otherwise referred to as the minister for vaccines – during which he gained “huge credit” for the UK’s rapid rollout of Covid-19 jabs.


Sunday Geekersation: The year of the Cumberbatch

Brian Truitt

USA TODAY

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in %22Sherlock%2C%22 %22Star Trek Into Darkness%22 and %22The Hobbit%3A The Desolation of Smaug%22

Also%2C %2212 Years A Slave%2C%22 %22The Fifth Estate%22 and %22August%3A Osage County%22

He%27ll tackle %22Hamlet%22 on the London stage

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2013 was the Year of the Snake. But in Hollywood, it was the Year of the Cumberbatch.

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch raised his status from cult star of TV's Sherlock to a favorite for a massive amount of new Cumberbabes and Cumberbros in a string of big-screen fare, especially as bad guys.

He proved a worthy foe for Chris Pine's Captain Kirk as the new Khan in the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek Into Darkness and makes things doubly difficult for the heroes of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (in theaters Friday) as the evil Necromancer and the antagonistic talking dragon Smaug.

Cumberbatch's presence also graced The Fifth Estate (in which he starred as real-life WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange), the Oscar-buzzworthy 12 Years a Slave and the upcoming August: Osage County (opening Christmas day), but in those he worked with his fellow actors. For The Hobbit, he mainly spent time with director Peter Jackson doing motion-capture and voiceover work for his baddies and didn't hang out with many of his cast members until this past week at the Los Angeles premiere.

"I've never even met Cate Blanchett and apparently I've got a scene with her coming up, so there you go," Cumberbatch says with a laugh. (He and Blanchett will be in the final film The Hobbit: There and Back Again in 2014, which also brings a new three-episode season of Sherlock and Cumberbatch as World War II code-cracker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.)

Cumberbatch talks with USA TODAY about his Hobbit roles, his 2013 highlights and who's he taking to the movies on his Christmas break.

Q. How much motion-capture did you do for 'Smaug'?

A. The most bits I recognize are when it's square on, where it's face to face with Bilbo (played by Martin Freeman) or Thorin (Richard Armitage) in the Hall of Kings at the end. That's where I can definitely see my gestures.

There's a temperature and pace to some of the movement of the dragon before he obviously flies and does the fantastical things he can do that no human can. Those guys at (digital-effects company) WETA are extraordinary, but they were really receptive to the idea of me characterizing him first in the flesh and moving around the mo-cap studio — "the Volume" as they call it — and give an anthropomorphic quality to this reptile who can breathe fire and fly.

It was also important for me to physicalize where the voice was coming from and not just be a bodiless voice. It fed into the stuff we then did on the soundstage.

There were certain characteristics, eye movements and facial expressions layered underneath this extraordinary creation that came from me.

Q. That must have been a challenge.

A. It's a completely different way of acting. I completely loved it. It gave me total and complete freedom. There wasn't a mark to hit, there wasn't a costume or makeup issues to keep in continuity, there wasn't all the amazing amount of hours that the dwarves and everybody else in that production puts in.

There's no way I can be a serpent of that size who breathes fire and flies. Even if it was profitable for me to interpret that somehow, I'm a biped. It was up to me to completely imagine being a dragon. It's child's play. It's the most enjoyable fantastic and freeing kind of moment of reinventing what it is to be an actor on camera.

I was really enthralled for that process. And it's a lot easier than having to spend hours acting opposite a ping-pong ball in front of a green screen. You are the effect — everything you do is being manipulated into the effect.

Q. What was the biggest difference between playing the Necromancer and Smaug?

A. The Necromancer was much more ethereal and disembodied — he's this sort of formless spirit that's not found a real physical realization yet. He's getting there, he's becoming the all-seeing eye as we know from Lord of the Rings and that's really exciting. He's Sauron. It's a slow evolution for him, so that quality was brought about by movement I did as myself just as a human form and not trying to ape any reptilian behavior. I was walking toward the cameras in the Volume but with a bungee — I had this sensation of being pulled back.

Peter's great note about the Necromancer was that he should be like a black hole, with energy sucked in and toward him while Smaug is much more confrontational and a huge animal. That was much more forward and investigative and there are articulations at the neck and the head and the shoulders. I would clamp my elbows into my body and push myself around like a worm with my feet bound together on the mo-cap stage, as to not use them as feet but just as a thing I was lugging behind.

They are very, very different energies and they both fed into the voice. Smaug had to really be rich and deep and come from the same bowels that create all that fire.

Also, I wanted it to be worn — not necessarily old but I wanted there to be an element of it that sounded like hot air being blown over flaming coals rather than a crisp, clean, delicate or fresh voice.

I shredded my vocal cords to bits trying to do very weird things. Some guys came and they said, "You've already added effects to this, right?" And they went, "No, no, that's just him on his own in front of a microphone." They went, "Wow." That was great. I was pleased to impress that crowd.

It was such a thrill to please both J.J. and Peter Jackson in the same half of a year. I worked hard to give them what they needed and tried to surprise them as well.

Q. Smaug's definitely got a personality, too. He doesn't just haul off and fry Bilbo to a crisp — they have a proper conversation.

A. He's smart. He doesn't want to just kill the mouse — he wants to know who set the mouse into the lair. He's got an intelligence and a charm about him that soon degenerates into a venal, terrible vanity and dead-end rage. He's a psychopath, he can empathize as long as it gets him what it needs. He's an utterly self-serving and greedy destructive force, but his failings all have a human character. It wouldn't work as a creation at all if it was just, oh, there's a beast in a lair.

What's beautiful about the book is he has a personality and if anything his personality is a metaphor for capitalism gone wrong and that stretches across the age, no more so in the last couple of decades in our lifetime.

The thing I learned from him is know your limitations. He's someone who thinks he's invincible because of how locked into his own majesty he is, and he's not at all. He's very vulnerable.

All of that is in the original Tolkien text completely, and my dad read this book to me when I was a kid so that was the first seed of it. He did a great Smaug but I really remember his Smeagol, his Gollum, to be honest. That was a character he used to bring out every now and again to amuse me. He was really good at it — he'd give Andy a run for his money.

I told Dad the first time I knew I got this job for sure. I rang him and said, "You'll never guess what I'm doing." He went, "Oh, that's fantastic. Why aren't they seeing me?"

Q. Has your dad seen The Hobbit yet?

A. No, he's waiting in line like everyone else. We'll probably go and see it together as a family when I get back to London.

Q. Has dealing with, say, paparazzi while filming Sherlock or having your Star Trek character overanalyzed on the Internet changed the way you look at your career?

A. To be honest, I'm so happy to be given an opportunity to play these parts. The reflections that happen in retrospect on me playing them, I try not to get involved because it's kind of scary.

I always just primarily worry about pleasing the director and the person in front of me and the rest of my cast. Whether it's a radio studio or a rehearsal amongst the team with biscuits and scripts in hand, it doesn't matter what scale it's at — it's about being true to your intent to being truthful in the moments.

I've worked with some of the greats. I'm just very, very grateful. (Pauses) I'm sure it makes boring copy — hey, here's another actor telling you how grateful he is! But look at the work I've been doing the last year. How can I not be grateful?

Q. You mentioned child's play before. Does a lot of acting for you come down to having a youthful enthusiasm to pretend, even with a serious character such as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate?

A. There is no simple formula for it. Every job requires a completely different approach. (The Fifth Estate was) getting under the skin and understanding Julian and also the moral responsibility of being a storyteller about an issue and a man and many men and women whose freedom and personality are going to be perception-shaped by what we do. That there are real lives we might affect for this story was a huge burden. It was something that was very important for me to get right. That was another consideration that's well beyond a sense of play.

The only thing that may unite all forms of acting in a sense is no matter what preparation you do, no matter what transformative process you go through, you are always yourself. You are always inside your own skin — you are who you are no matter what the actions of the movement or the effect.

You have to have an essential element of you and that is also what is in the present. Once you're in the present and you're not worried about the wig or the special-effects suit or the dialogue or the accent or the moral responsibility, when you are lost in the moment and you're in the present is when the stuff that's really good comes on screen. Until that point, you've put in a lot of hard work to then let go, and all of us experience moments — and they're rare in every job I find — where you feel free of any kind of self-consciousness.

Q. Your fans probably enjoyed your recent gigs. What's it been like on your end?

A. It's been incredible, and such a variety of work. Overexposure is always the thing I'm frightened of but it's just the way it happened. My workload exploded over the last couple of years, but they've all come home to roost this autumn. That's just chance — that's just how the movie industry harvests, I guess. I remember Jessica Chastain having this kind of a moment two years ago where all that brilliant work she did came out in one sudden moment.

It's an embarrassment of riches, but it's kept me very, very busy. I'm heading off into Christmas now and getting ready for a nice long break just to regroup and see where to go next. I cannot wait to be on my time and be impulsive and move at my own pace.

And the third season of Sherlock is coming.

Q. Last thing we saw of that show was everybody thinking your ace detective was dead. Anything you can tease about what's happening when it returns to PBS Jan. 19?

A. There's a reunion and there's an explanation and there's a marriage and there's a new villain on the scene. There's an awful lot to enjoy in the three films we've made of it. And trust me, they're films — they are really richly detailed and you don't go away feeling unsatisfied. There's so much in all of them.

I've seen the first two and they're terrific. I haven't seen the third yet, but I knew when we were doing that one it was going to be really special. They're all very different and they all hold their own.

Q. Do you have a next project yet?

A. I know for certain I'm doing Hamlet sometime in autumn on the London stage, and before that there are all sorts of film projects flying around, but the one that looks most real at the moment is Lost City of Z with James Gray.

Q. What was your best day in 2013?

A. Oh, that's a good question. It's been a long year to flip back through since there's been so many moments. I've met some extraordinary people and had some amazing experiences. I've had some wonderful moments of calm and isolation as well amongst all the circus and hype. I've met some wonderful fans, I've had some fantastic relationships, I've been with some extraordinary comrades and fellow workers.

Days on set of The Imitation Game playing Alan Turing was an amazing experience and wrapping the third season of Sherlock was a rather emotional and proud moment.

Q. I'm sure you live for the quiet times, too, though.

A. Being home in London's great when people respect my privacy. You can just take a beat or a moment or two and find there's still islands of calm in your day anywhere you are. Everyone does that in their own way in work and any kind of life that involves other people.

It could be anything. It could be drinking at a sunset for a second or two, it could be going on a holiday to some far-flung place and getting away from it all, and it could be dissolving into a book at bedtime.

Or it could just be bedtime. Bedtime's always nice. (Laughs)

Q. Who's the coolest person you met this year?

A. I would say Harrison Ford's up there. I didn't actually meet him this year, we'd met before but he was so lovely to me on The Graham Norton Show. That was very, very cool.

Oh, who else? God, this is embarrassing. Who am I forgetting?

My mind always goes blank at things like this. Somebody said, "What's your favorite place on Earth? Tell us about a place you've been to the last couple of years." My mind went blank, and then I stepped out of the room and went, "(Expletive)."

Being 15,000 feet up in a plane in New Zealand was pretty (expletive) fantastic as was landing after the parachute jump. Going to Big Sur. Stepping on the Star Trek bridge for the first time. Seeing people's homes that are fantastic. Walking into my own flat for the first time after it was finished. Seeing someone that I know and love very well get better from a terrible illness was one of the great moments of this year, to be honest.

It's life, isn't it? It's what everyone experiences. I guess sometimes ours is more extreme.