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Germany and Turkey agree to train imams who serve Germany’s Turkish immigrant community in Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany and Turkey agreed Thursday to gradually end the deployment of Turkish state-employed imams to Germany and to instead have imams trained in Germany to serve the country’s large Turkish immigrant community. German authorities have sought for many years to increase the number of imams educated domestically to decrease the influence of foreign countries on its Muslim communities.As part of the joint German-Turkish training initiative, 100 imams are to be educated in Germany annually starting next year, while the number of imams assigned from Turkey is to be gradually reduced by the same number.German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the agreement “an important milestone for the integration and participation of Muslim communities in Germany.”“We need preachers who speak our language, know our country and stand up for our values,” Faeser said. “We want imams to get involved in the dialogue between religions and discuss questions of ...

Movie Review: In harrowing ‘Zone of Interest,’ the Holocaust’s evils are cloaked in mundanities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

It’s just a woman trying on a fur coat alone in her room, and sampling a lipstick. It’s just a few friends discussing toothpaste orders over coffee in the kitchen. It’s just a housewife showing off her new garden and children’s pool, or a dad taking his kids fishing in a river.The crucial context is that these scenes are occurring only a stone wall away from the gas chambers and crematoriums of Auschwitz. And it’s their very mundanity that makes them evil — the “banality of evil,” to use Hannah Arendt’s well-known phrase. In his meticulous and harrowing film “The Zone of Interest,” writer-director Jonathan Glazer has found a way to convey evil without ever depicting the horror itself. But though it escapes our eyes, the horror assaults our senses in other, deeper ways.How does one even begin to depict the Holocaust? The question has challenged filmmakers for eight decades. Attempts to humanize the horror often lose sight of the scale of the genocide. And efforts to do justice ...

Statistics Canada reports manufacturing sales down 2.8% in October

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell 2.8 per cent to $71.0 billion, led by a drop in petroleum and coal product sales as well as lower sales in the machinery and computer and electronic product subsectors. The agency says sales fell in 12 of 21 subsectors it tracks.The petroleum and coal products subsector fell 10.3 per cent to $8.4 billion in October as it saw lower prices as well as a decline in volumes.The machinery subsector dropped 6.6 per cent to $4.4 billion, while computer and electronic products fell 15 per cent to $1.4 billion.Sales of aerospace products and parts rose 6.9 per cent to $2.2 billion.Statistics Canada says total sales in constant dollars fell 2.2 per cent in October, indicating a lower volume of goods sold. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

A Navy officer jailed in Japan over a deadly car crash is transferred to US custody, his family says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy officer jailed in Japan over a car crash that killed two Japanese citizens has been transferred into U.S. custody and is being returned to the United States, his family said Thursday.Lt. Ridge Alknois had been serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of a woman and her son-in-law in May 2021. His family has said the crash was an accident, caused when he lost consciousness while returning from a trip to Mount Fuji, but Japanese prosecutors maintained that he fell asleep while drowsy and shirked a duty to pull over.“After 507 days, Lt. Ridge Alkonis is on his way home to the United States. We are encouraged by Ridge’s transfer back to the United States but cannot celebrate until Ridge has been reunited with his family,” the family, based in Dana Point, California, said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that it appreciated the U.S. government’s efforts to effect the transfer.The Alkonis case h...

City council meeting to discuss Chicago's status as Sanctuary city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

CHICAGO -- Alderpeople are calling for a special city council meeting Thursday to discuss Chicago's status as a Sanctuary city.The alderpeople involved want to give power to voters and allow them to decide if Chicago should remain a Welcoming City.In order for the referendum question to be add to the March primary ballot, council members have to approve the ballot by the end of the year.Chicago has been a Sanctuary city since 1985 since former mayor Harold Washington issued the executive order that is made sure to protect undocumented immigrants regardless of their immigration status. Mayor Brandon Johnson faces rising pressure to address migrant crisis following failed Brighton Park site The attempt comes after the arrival of more than 25,000 asylum seekers from the southern border, most from central and South America."This is not a fight of them versus us, but this is a fight for molarity, a fight for doing what's right and a fight for doing what is just," Pastor JeVon Moore sa...

32-year-old man dead in Aurora double shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

AURORA, Ill. — A 32-year-old man died following a double shooting in Aurora Wednesday night.At around 6:45 p.m., officers arrived to the 700 block of Kane Street on the report of shots fired.Police found two men at the scene, a 32-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, both of Aurora, suffering from gunshot wounds.Both were transported to a local hospital and the 32-year-old man died a short time later.The 24-year-old was stabilized, police said. Family of Hinsdale teenager killed in crash outside car wash files lawsuit No one is in custody. Anyone with information can call 630-256-5500.

Dean's A-List Interviews: Timothée Chalamet in 'Willy Wonka'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

Dean Richards sits down with Timothée Chalamet at the 'Willy Wonka' premiere in London to talk more about the film hitting theaters Friday.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Wife surprises husband with 'Nobody Cares' cake after his self-described 'big accomplishment'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Who ordered the cake with extra sass?A Reddit user from Oregon is going viral with a photo of a cake his wife ordered in honor of him finally finishing a website he was building — an achievement he described as a “big accomplishment.”“Nobody Cares!” the cake informed him via a message written in blue icing across the top.A photo of an Oregon man's "Nobody Cares!" cake went viral on Reddit last week. (u/BobbyIke on Reddit) It’s not actually as harsh as it sounds. The Reddit user, who goes by BobbyIke, said his wife is extremely supportive of his endeavors, and the phrase is part of an inside joke between the couple.BobbyIke, a printing company owner from Portland, told Nexstar that he had been working on his business’ website for over three years, during which time he would often share his progress with employees. But over time, some of them began to lose interest, and one jokingly shouted “nobody cares!” after BobbyIke told him of a minor update. Cake's apology message...

Lawsuit alleges ex-Harvard Medical School professor secretly used own sperm to impregnate patient

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A former professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of one of the nation’s largest fertility clinics is being accused of secretly impregnating a patient in 1980 after promising the sperm would come from an anonymous donor, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.Sarah Depoian, 73, said she and her husband first went to Dr. Merle Berger, now-retired professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology, in 1979 to discuss intrauterine insemination. Depoian said Berger told her the sperm would come from an anonymous donor “who resembled her husband, who did not know her, and whom she did not know,” according to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.In this undated handout photo, Sarah Depoian poses with her daughter Carolyn Bester. A lawsuit is being filed by Depoian against Dr. Merle Berger, a former Harvard professor and founder of one of the nation's largest fertility clinics for allegedly using his own sper...

Austin nonprofit offering assistance enrolling in health insurance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — There's a good chance you or someone you know doesn't have health insurance.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas has the highest uninsured rate (17%) in the country.Every year, more than a half a million American families file for bankruptcy due to medical bills. ‘They’re working hard just to get by’: Texas congressman leads push for open enrollment outreach This week, the deadline is fast approaching for people to sign up for 2024 marketplace health insurance through open enrollment.Anyone hoping to have health care coverage by January 1st must sign up by Friday.Open Enrollment technically extends through January 16th, although the start date for your coverage wouldn’t begin until February 1st.In an effort to ensure Travis County residents don’t miss a month of health care, local nonprofit Foundation Communities is offering workshops to help people pick their coverage plan.Dating back to 2013, this free enrollment program has helped over 50,000 Central Texan...