International Events February 2013

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resident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became on 5 February, the first Iranian head of state since the 1979 revolution to pay an official visit to Egypt , a step which could

quoting an official from the Presidential office that Mr. Ahmadinejad was participating in the OIC meeting as the current chairman of the Non(NAM) a grouping of more hundred countries.Significantly, the Iranian President is slated to meet the Grand Sheikh of alAzhar Ahmed alAligned Movement than

this meeting as part of an

effort by Iran and Egypt to heal the

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between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam, exacerbated by the crises in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.Before his plane touched down in Cairo, Mr. Ahmadinejad advocated unity among Sunnis and Shias. In an interview with Lebanese satellite channel al- Mayadeen, Mr. Ahmadinejad slammed the Sunni-Shia rift as a colonial plot. He also pledged to provide

Tehran has provided to Afghanistan and Iraq.According to Iranian media reports, Mr. Ahmadinejad could hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during

work together to liberate Palestine entirely. Mojtaba Amani, head of Irans interest section in Egypt said that Tehran is willing to hold consultations with Cairo for reaching a political

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settlement of the Syrian crisis.

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his three-day stay. Ahead of his arrival, the Iranian President said that Iran and Egypt should

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security cover to Egypt and Saudi Arabia against any attack, similar to the support that

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become a game changer in defining the regions power hierarchy.Irans Press reported,

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months following talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London aimed at the withdrawal of western

ensuring regional stability after troops from Afghanistan President Afghan Hamid to Karzai all to the Asif Ali

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Cameron said the agreed to

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level of cooperation. The Afghan-led peace process

talks centred on the strengthening of cooperation

peace talks with the Taliban. It was the third round of trilateral talks in less than a year but it was the first time that military leaders and intelligence chiefs of the two countries were also present.

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he United States of America on 5 February 2013 filed a civil lawsuit

against Standard and Poor's (S&P) the credit rating agency alleging that the agency lied the nations objectivity

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independence by the way it rated the mortgage bonds. The lawsuit have claimed that LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Zardari said that Pakistan wanted to help Kabul in

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akistan and Afghanistan on 4 February, pledged to have a peace deal in place within six

next year. Pakistan Zardari and his counterpart promised

unprecedented

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necessary achieve region. Mr. sides

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as a result of the ratings issued by the S&P, which misrepresented the securities true credit

risks the investors, even those who were federally insured financial institution lost billions of

be held in Chennai on February 15-16, 2013. This was stated by Smt. Jayanthi

Natarajan, Minister for Environment & Forests while briefing the media in New Delhi on 5 February. Smt. Natarajan said that BASIC Group is a platform of the four countries for coordination on issues

related to climate change. BASIC has emerged as an important grouping in the climate change

negotiations, and has acted as a key voice of developing countries. BASIC countries meet four times in a year and

once a year in each of the

four countries by rotation. Typically, the first meeting of the year takes place in India. At the Chennai meeting, the BASIC Ministers are expected to review the decisions taken at Doha and plan the future steps for taking the global process for an ambitious and equitable agreement under Durban Platform, she added. The important issues that will engage the attention of the BASIC Ministers are principles under the Durban Platform, the role and relevance of independent international initiatives including sectoral actions in promotion and achievement of global ambition, and the steps needed to ensure means of implementation to

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parties for enhancing their efforts. Smt. Natarajan further stated that in line with the BASIC Plus approach; representatives of other important members of G-77 and China have also been invited. Bhutan (SAARC and Mountain), Mali (LDC and Africa), Argentina (Latin LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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ndia will host the next meeting of BASIC Environment Ministers. The meeting will

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dollars on collateralized Debt Obligations.

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America), Fiji (G-77 Chair), Nauru (SIDS) and Qatar (CoP-18 Presidency) have been invited. India is a member of like minded developing countries who are meeting in Geneva

deliberations in the BASIC meeting will help India and other BASIC countries in formulating their approach to the future issues in the negotiations and plan help build ambitious and equitable architecture for post 2020 arrangements.

he Indian government has permitted former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed to stay in Indian Mission in Male. Nasheed entered into Indian High

Commission on 13 February soon after an arrest warrant was issued against him by a

noon to evade arrest warrant issued by a court in a case concerning the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court during his Presidency in January last year. Later in the day, as

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Maldivian court. The 45-year-old leader turned up at the single-storey Indian mission around

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Maldivian High the arrest against him

his application for stay on the arrest was rejected by the Court,

Nasheed stayed put in the Indian mission. "Following warrant by issued the

Hulhumale Magistrate Court, Nasheed, who is a candidate for the Presidential elections in Maldives scheduled for

September 2013, is in the Indian High Commission and has sought India's assistance. "We are in touch with the relevant Maldivian authorities to resolve the situation," official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi. India has expressed concern over the ongoing political instability in Maldives and called upon the Government LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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on 27-28 February, 2013 to review the decisions at Doha and plan the future steps. The

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and all political parties to adhere strictly to democratic principles and the rule of law, thereby paving the way for free, fair, credible and inclusive elections. Nasheed became the first

ago after weeks of public protests against the judge's arrest. His deputy, Mohammed Waheed, succeeded him. Immediately after his resignation, Nasheed claimed that he was ousted in a coup; a claim was dismissed by an inquiry commission last year.50

ope Benedict resigns, became the First Pontiff in Six Centuries to Resign : Pope Benedict XVI

surprised the world by saying he is going to Retire. The spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics announced his decision to step down in a speech in Latin yesterday (Monday, 11th February

cardinals,

saying

longer had the vitality to perform his duties. Only two top Vatican cardinals were

informed beforehand. and becoming the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages (600 years).

"Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately

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fulfill the ministry entrusted to me," said Benedict, 85, according to the Vatican.

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2013) to a small group of he no

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democratically elected president of the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2008. He resigned a year

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iuseppe Orsi, head of an Italian defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica was arrested in

charges of his alleged involvement in the bribery activity to secure an Indian defence helicopter deal of 3600 crore rupees. He was arrested in relation to the probe of the international corruption. The contract

signed with Italian defence giant Finmeccanica in February 2010 involved supply of 12 VVIP three-engine AW-101 choppers from AgustaWestland for the Indian Air Forces elite Communication Sqadron. By now, three choppers have already been delivered to India. As

to about 10 percent of the final deal was given back to help the Italian firm in winning the contract. The Finmeccanica is an Italian defence Giant company that entered into a deal to supply 12 three-engine AW-101 helicopters to India in February 2010. Giuseppe Orsi, now the CEO of Finmeccanica and the then head of its Helicopter Unit was arrested on the charges of the bribe scandal that surfaced.

Russia on

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bout 1200 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central 15 February, to

crashing

Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms. Residents their way to work what

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inChelyabinsk heard

sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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per the reports on the bribe scam, its expected that about 362 crore rupees that is equivalent

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Milan on 11 February 2013 on the

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shockwave, according to a media correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles)

east of Moscow. The meteorite raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its

went off, windows shattered and mobile phones worked only intermittently. Chelyabinsk city authorities said about 1200 people sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass. The Emergencies Ministry described the event as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic. Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 metres (32,800 feet), apparently signaling it occurred when the meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere.

Test. The country cleared that the miniaturized nuclear device was detonated

successfully and it announced that the test was an act of self-defence from the US Hostility and threatened stronger steps in future. This was the third test conducted by the country since

conducted in the North Hamgyeong Province nearby the Punggye-ri nuclear complex, the place where the tests of 2006 and 2009 were conducted. Due to the past two nuclear tests of 2006 and 2009, North Korea is already facing many sanctions over it imposed by the United Nations Security Council. This is the first test conducted in North Korea under the leadership of Kim Jong-un. The Western Nations termed this act to be highly provocative act of North Korea and claimed it to be a threat to the stability of the region. Whereas Asian countries like, China, Japan and Russia criticized the test and announced it to be a threat beyond tolerance. The international bodies like UN and NATO claimed this test as

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irresponsible and threat to the world peace.

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2006 that had defied the UN regulations in existence. The test is reported to have

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orth Korea on 12 February 2013 announced success of its underground Nuclear

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wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms

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argeting highly skilled talents from India and China, the US lawmakers have introduced a new bill in the Congress on 15 February, to create more than

125,000 new visas to attract global talents to America. The bill called Startup 3.0 proposes to help increase America's access to talent by creating a new set of conditional visas for 75,000 immigrant entrepreneurs and 50,000 foreign STEM (Science technology, engineering and math) graduate students. This will create half a million new American jobs. Startup 3.0 allows qualified companies to apply research and development tax credits to their payroll tax liability, up to $250,000.For small startups, it also makes permanent the 100 per cent capital gains tax exemption on investments that are held for more than 5 years, in addition to the 28 per cent exemption on qualified small business stock. These provisions will unlock over $7.5 billion in new investments which will result in more innovation and jobs. Finally, the bill helps cut red tape, by requiring a cost-benefit analysis of any significant

research has demonstrated the positive impact of immigrants on American job creation: more than 40 per cent of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant. Research shows that startups create three million jobs per year, on average.

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icos Anastasiades Won Cyprus Presidential Elections With 57.5 Percent Votes Nicos Anastasiades, the centre-right DISY (the Democratic Rally) party leader won the presidential elections of Cyprus on 24 February 2013 with 57.5 percent votes. The term of his office starts from 28 February 2013. Nicos Anastasiades had a very easy-going victory over Communistbacked Stavros Malas who secured 42.5 percent votes in the election.

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rule being proposed by a federal or independent agency. According to the authors of the bill,

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Objective : The agreement may lead to the establishment of a special UN intervention brigade in eastern Congo, along with political efforts to bring peace.

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irst Female President of South Korea - Park Geun-Hye : The 61 year old Park Geun-Hye of the conservative Saenuri party became South Koreas first woman president on Monday, 25th February 2013 vowing to secure the nation against the threat of an increasingly hostile North Korea, while simultaneously signaling a new drive for greater engagement with Pyongyang.

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icos Anastasiades Elected as Cyprus new President On 24 February the centre-right DISY (the Democratic Rally) party leader Nicos Anastasiades, has won the presidential elections of Cyprus with 57.5 percent votes.Nicos Anastasiades had a very easy-going victory over Communist-backed Stavros Malas who secured 42.5 percent votes in the election.He is the leader of centre-right DISY (the Democratic Rally) party since 1997.

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ulgarian Prime Minister Borissov Resigned On 20 February Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borisov announced the resignation of his government , after mass protests against high power prices and falling living standards, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity during four years of debt crisis..Borisov worked as Bulgarias Prime Minister from 27 July 2009.

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unisias prime minister Hamadi Jebali resigns On 19 February 2013, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali submitted his resignation to President Moncef Marzouki, after failing to form a new government aimed at ending a political crisis.

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Leaders from Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Republic and South Sudan attended the signing. The deal was signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

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emocratic Republic of Congo: African leaders sign UN-backed peace accord Regional African leaders have inked a UN-brokered accord which aims to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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BAFTA Film Awards 2013

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History of BAFTA Awards : The British Academy Film awards hosted by BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) which was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy. In 1958, the Academy merged with The Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form The Society of Film and Television, which eventually became The British Academy of Film

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ritish Academy Film Awards (BAFTA Film Awards) 2013 : The 66th British Academy Film Awards (also know as the British Oscars) took place on 10th February 2013 at The Royal Opera House in London, England. Director-producer-star Ben Afflecks historical drama Argo won 3 categories including the Best Film Award. As expected, Daniel DayLewis of Lincoln fame won the Leading Actor Award. While Emmanuelle Riva of Amour named as the Best Leading Actress. Check complete details below...

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"North Korea's recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and future of the Korean people, and there should be no mistake that the biggest victim will be none other than North Korea itself," she said. "I will not tolerate any action that threatens the lives of our people and the security of our nation," Ms Park said, while promising to pursue the trust-building policy with Pyongyang that she had promised in her campaign. "I will move forward step by step on the basis of credible deterrence," she added.

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She is the daughter of late military strongman Park Chung-Hee. Taking the oath, Ms Park called on the regime in Pyongyang to "abandon its nuclear ambitions without delay" and rejoin the international community.

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BEST FILM Winner: Argo Also nominated: Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Zero Dark Thirty OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM Winner: Skyfall Also nominated: Anna Karenina The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Les Miserables Seven Psychopaths LEADING ACTOR

Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Ben Affleck - Argo

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

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Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables Joaquin Phoenix - The Master LEADING ACTRESS LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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Also nominated:

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Here is a list of all the winners.

and Television Arts in 1976. In addition to high profile awards ceremonies BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events including film screenings and tribute evenings.

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Also nominated: Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook Dame Helen Mirren - Hitchcock SUPPORTING ACTOR Winner: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained Also nominated: Alan Arkin - Argo Javier Bardem - Skyfall Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables Also nominated:

Amy Adams - The Master

Dame Judi Dench - Skyfall Sally Field - Lincoln

Helen Hunt - The Sessions DIRECTOR

Winner: Ben Affleck - Argo

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Also nominated: Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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Winner: Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

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Ang Lee - Life of Pi Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Winner: Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino Also nominated: Amour - Michael Haneke The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Also nominated: Argo - Chris Terrio

Beasts of the Southern Wild - Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin Life of Pi - David Magee Lincoln - Tony Kushner

Winner: Bart Layton (director) and Dmitri Doganis (producer) - The Imposter Also nominated:

James Bobin (director) - The Muppets Dexter Fletcher (director/writer) and Danny King (writer) - Wild Bill

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Tina Gharavi (director/writer) - I Am Nasrine David Morris (director) and Jaqui Morris (director/producer) - McCullin ANIMATED FILM LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

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Winner: Silver Linings Playbook - David O Russell

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Michael Haneke - Amour

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Also nominated: Frankenweenie Paranorman DOCUMENTARY Winner: Searching for Sugarman Also nominated: The Imposter Marley McCullin West of Memphis

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Winner: Amour Also nominated: Headhunters The Hunt Rust and Bone Untouchable

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Also nominated:

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Anna Karenina

Les Miserables Lincoln

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Winner: Life of Pi

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Winner: Brave

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COSTUME DESIGN Winner: Anna Karenina Also nominated: Great Expectations Les Miserables Lincoln Snow White and the Huntsman EDITING Winner: Argo Also nominated: Django Unchained Life of Pi Skyfall Zero Dark Thirty

MAKE UP AND HAIR

Winner: Les Miserables Also nominated: Hitchcock

Lincoln

Anna Karenina

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ORIGINAL MUSIC Winner: Skyfall LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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Skyfall

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Anna Karenina Argo Life of Pi Lincoln PRODUCTION DESIGN Winner: Les Miserables Also nominated: Anna Karenina Life of Pi Lincoln Skyfall SOUND Winner: Les Miserables Also nominated: Django Unchained

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Life of Pi Skyfall

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS Winner: Life of Pi Also nominated:

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The Dark Knight Rises The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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Also nominated:

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Prometheus SHORT ANIMATION Winner: The Making of Longbird Also nominated: Here to Fall I'm Fine Thanks SHORT FILM Winner: Swimmer Also nominated: The Curse Good Night Tumult The Voorman Problem RISING STAR (public vote) Winner: Juno Temple Also nominated: Elizabeth Olsen

Andrea Riseborough Suraj Sharma

Alicia Vikander

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Marvel Avengers Assemble

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85th Academy Awards (Oscars) Winners List for the year 2013 Best picture: "Argo" Best director: Ang Lee, " Life of Pi" Best leading actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln" Best leading actress: Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook" Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz in " Django Unchained" Best supporting actress: Anne Hathaway in " Les Miserables" Best foreign language film: "Amour" (Love) Best animated feature: " Brave" Best original screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained" Best adapted screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo" LIKE our facebook page www.facebook.com/Gr8AmbitionZ for Daily Updates |

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Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi' stood in top place with four awards namely Best Direction, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Whereas 'Argo' and 'Les Miserables' followed with three Oscars each. 'Lincoln' stood in 3rd place with two awards. But this film had received 12 nominations. Here is the Complete list of Oscar Awards winners for the year 2013.

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he 85th Oscar Awards ceremony for the year 2013 (also known as Academy Awards) the worlds BIGGEST set of awards annually given for excellence of cinematic achievements, held on Sunday, 24th February 24 2013 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The ceremony was hosted by Seth MacFarlane. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) presented its annual Academy Awards to honor the best films released in the year 2012 in the United States.

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Oscar Awards 2013

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Best original score: "Life of Pi" Best original song: "Skyfall," music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth Best production design: "Lincoln" Best cinematography: "Life of Pi" Best costume design: " Anna Karenina" Best documentary feature: "Searching for Sugar Man" Best documentary short: "Inocente" Best film editing: "Argo" Best makeup: "Les Miserables" Best short animated film: "Paperman" Best short live action film: "Curfew" Best sound editing: "Zero Dark Thirty" Best sound mixing: "Les Miserables" Best visual effects: "Life of Pi"

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