International

Russia, Iran and Turkey push for Syria peace plan without US or UN

Russia, Iran and Turkey have said they are ready to help broker a peace deal for Syria. After talks in Moscow, the three countries’ foreign ministers expressed confidence they could revive the stalled peace process. They also plan to try to expand a ceasefire. The United States was notably absent from the meeting. Russia’s Foreign […]

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International, Middle East

Mall of America pulls PETA anti-wool ads posted inside

MINNEAPOLIS — Animal welfare activists say their advertisements in the Mall of America opposing the wool industry’s treatment of lambs were taken down by mall officials. In response to the mall’s actions, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA, staged a protest in downtown Minneapolis early Tuesday afternoon, with three nearly

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The World We Share, USA

Cross border cooperation for music, dance and the arts

By Mimi Pollack Makeda[/caption]SAN DIEGO –Makeda “Dread” Cheatom believes the world would be a better place if people took the time to learn about and respect other cultures. She believes there would be less prejudice and a greater understanding among people. Learning about different cultures and promoting unity in diversity have been lifelong passions for

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International, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Sylvester Stallone Says He Will Decline Trump’s Art Commission Offer

Responding to media reports that suggested that the President-elect Donald Trump advisory team has nominated Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone for the position of chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the 70-year-old actor said Sunday that while he is flattered, he will not be taking up the job. The Hollywood star best remembered

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USA

President Obama Signs Law to Aid Recovery of Nazi-Looted Art

Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder Praises Obama and Congress for Delivering Overdue Justice to Holocaust Victims and Their Families WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On Friday evening, President Barack Obama signed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act into law. The new law ends an era where victims of the Nazis and their descendants were

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International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Germany contacts Pakistan over Berlin attacker – diplomatic source

Islamabad (dpa) – German authorities contacted Pakistani officials Tuesday over the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack, a Pakistan Foreign Office source has said. A lorry rammed into a Christmas market in a busy shopping district in western Berlin late Monday, leaving 12 people killed and around 50 injured. According to German security sources,

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International

Across North America, seeds of a religious rebound

My grandparents, immigrants from Poland and Romania, were Orthodox Jews and deeply observant. My parents, born here, joined a Conservative shul (mixed seating), and kept a traditionally Jewish home. My husband and I joined a Reconstructionist synagogue (liturgically traditional, theologically agnostic, anchored in Jewish “peoplehood”), and mainly express ourselves Jewishly through community volunteerism and Zionism.

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International, Jewish Religion, USA

Tom Arnold claims Donald Trump said “every offensive, racist thing ever” in outtakes of “The Apprentice”

Tom Arnold is telling-all about what he’s seen in outtakes from “The Apprentice.” According to Mediate, footage of president-elect Donald Trump using racially offensive language during his time on “The Apprentice” has surfaced just months after audio of Trump’s “Access Hollywood” hot mic incident made waves in the media. A producer from “The Apprentice” has

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USA

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, defends Trump meeting: ‘You don’t change things by just yelling’

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday defended his attendance at President-elect Donald Trump’s tech summit last week in New York, telling employees that the best way to influence policy is from within, not by yelling from the sidelines. Mr. Cook made the comments on Apple’s internal employee info service Apple Web, TechCrunch reported. “Personally, I’ve

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USA

Judge rejects former Rep. Fattah’s attempt to stay out of prison during appeal

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge denied former Congressman Chaka Fattah’s bid to remain out of prison while he appeals his conviction on racketeering conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and other crimes. The Pennsylvania Democrat must now report to begin serving his 10-year sentence on Jan. 25, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III wrote in a 10-page

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USA

Merkel says must assume Berlin market carnage was terrorist attack

Berlin (dpa) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she assumes the deadly truck assault on a crowded Berlin Christmas market was a terrorist attack. “This is a very difficult day for Germany,” Merkel said on Tuesday after 12 people were killed, including a Polish passenger found shot dead in the lorry, and around 50

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International