International

Muslims pray outside White House to protest Trump Jerusalem move

Hundreds of Muslims attended Friday prayers in front of the White House to protest President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Responding to the call of American Muslim organizations, worshippers laid out their prayer mats at a park in front of the president’s residence. Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or […]

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Middle East, USA

Motion picture academy outlines new standards of conduct for the post-Weinstein era

As this year’s Oscar season heats up, along with the usual questions about who’s up and who’s down in the Academy Awards horse race, there are likely to be other, thornier questions lingering in the air at cocktail parties and on red carpets. Since its founding 90 years ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Saudi Arabia Allows First Public Concert by a Woman

Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji made history by becoming the first female musician to perform a public concert in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of young women attended the sold-out event on Wednesday, stripping off their abayas—the floor-length robes women in Saudi Arabia are obligated to wear in public—shaking out their hair and dancing to covers of songs

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Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Trent Franks resigns immediately in latest Capitol Hill sex harassment scandal

Rep. Trent Franks, the latest casualty of sexual harassment scandals on Capitol Hill, has moved up his resignation date to effective Friday. “Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C. due to an ongoing ailment,” he said in a statement released Friday. “After discussing options with my family, we came to

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USA

Trump approves California disaster declaration as firefighters battle flames in Ventura and San Diego counties

LOS ANGELES — Wildfires fanned by sustained Santa Ana winds continued to wreak havoc across Southern California on Friday as blazes in San Diego and Ventura counties destroyed more than 500 structures, sent more than 120,000 people fleeing for their lives and left thousands without power. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire continued

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USA

Watch: Aussie ambassador to France proposes after same-sex marriage vote

Following Australia’s vote to legalise same-sex marriage on Thursday, the Aussie Ambassador to France, Brendan Berne, pulled off a surprise for his partner. After cherishing an 11-year relationship, Berne finally proposed to his partner Thomas Marti just hours after the legislation passed and posted the video on social media. “As Australia’s Ambassador to France, I

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International

Middle East Faces ‘Day of Rage’ Reaction to Trump’s Jerusalem Move

Israeli police fired tear gas at Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem Friday as the “Day of Rage” called for by Palestinian factions got underway. Israeli police have called in extra security forces for Jerusalem following U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the U.S. plans to move its embassy there.

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Middle East

Saudi crown prince bought $450 mn Da Vinci: report

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the actual buyer of a painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci that sold for a record-breaking $450 million at auction last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The young and dynamic crown prince, known by his initials MBS, used an intermediary to buy the much-sought-after painting

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International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Hundreds demonstrate in Israeli Arab town against Jerusalem recognition

By TOI staff Thousands of Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Umm al-Fahm protested on Friday against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. At an event organized by the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, protesters carried signs reading “Al-Quds is the capital of Palestine,” and “Down with Trump.”

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Middle East, USA