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Greece passes Olympic flame on to London
18 may 2012
88 schoolchildren sing “Gold Save the Queen” at event. London Mayor Boris Johnson is on hand for ceremony. British soccer star David Beckham also attended event.
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Uyghur activists march through central Tokyo
18 may 2012
Protest marks end of the World Uyghur Congress. China accused of repressing Uyghur ethnic group.
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3-week old jaguar cubs debut at San Diego Zoo
17 may 2012
Jaguar babies will be viewable behind glass in a cave. Cubs will be moved to an enclosure with a pool. As-yet unnamed siblings are a rarity for the zoo.
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Search are rescue practice in South China Sea
17 may 2012
12-day ‘Max Thunder’ exercise involves 50 US planes . North Korea denounced exercise as provocation.
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65th annual Cannes Film Festival unrolls red carpet
17 may 2012
Journalists and movie executives converge at French resort . Reaction to this year’s lineup has been general positive. Festival to showcase hundreds of films until 27 May.
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South Sudan celebrates its first Army Day
17 may 2012
World’s youngest country shows off its weapons. Sudan People’s Liberation Army founded in May 1983. South Sudan was founded last year on 9 July.
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In Italy first speedflyers descend into Mount Etna
17 may 2012
Mount Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe. Speedflyers use combination of skis and paragliding.
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Chinese troops train for jumps at 800 metres
16 may 2012
Planes can fly twice the speed of smaller crafts. Speed means troops must open chutes in two stages. Leaders: success signals soldiers’ combat readiness.
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British wildlife park names baby camel after Queen
16 may 2012
Park names animals with different letter each year. Park staff initially had to feed Elizabeth by bottle. Bactrian camels usually live in remote parts of Asia .
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Spaceship blasts off to International Space Station
15 may 2012
Soyuz carrying two Russians one American astronaut. Russian-built capsule launch went ahead smoothly. USD 100 billion ISS orbiting about 385 km above Earth.
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New Chanel collection unveiled at Chateau de Versailles
15 may 2012
18th century waistlines gave way to short skirts . Swimsuits featured lace detail and pastel colours.Collection inspired by Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe.
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Manchester City Football Club celebrate UK title
15 may 2012
Man City take UK first football title in 44 years. Title race with rivals Man United went to last game. Squad of players cost nearly half a billion GBP.
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Turin club celebrates Italian football league title
15 may 2012
2012 football title is Juventus’ first in nine years. Football club won the league with unbeaten record.
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Hero’s welcome for Bundesliga champions in Dortmund
14 may 2012
Borussia Dortmund were welcomed home by adoring fans. Victory was the side's first German Cup triumph since 1989.
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Jewels shown at the Shanghai International Exhibition
14 may 2012
Traditional dragon and phoenix inspires many. Show attracts thousands of visitors.
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Sao Paulo bridge becomes beachwear catwalk
14 may 2012
Models in bikinis showcase the latest summer trends. Top models like Isabeli Fontana steal the show.
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30,000 people gather in Taipei’s Liberty Square
14 may 2012
President Ma Ying-jeou joined the celebrations . Over 300 other ceremonies in 34 countries were held.
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Old-made-new promotes recycling in the Philippines
14 may 2012
Vessels made from plastic bottles, milk cartons, tin cans. Boat-building skills useful in flood-prone country.
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‘Beret-Baguette’ event celebrates the interwar years
14 may 2012
The day takes a nostalgic look back at the 1930s. Participants cycle from Paris to Vincennes forest.
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Illegal march is held to test Moscow authorities
13 may 2012
5,000 demonstrators came out in defiance of Putin . Prominent Russian novelists led Moscow march. Activists stage flash mobs to defy police arrests .
Border disorder: Palestinian terrorists open fire at IDF soldiers operating within Israeli territory near the security fence with north Gaza. No injuries are being reported
Equal rights: Israel’s High Court rules that the onus is on employers to explain why they pay women lower salaries than men
Listening in: Justice Ministry proposes a bill that would expand the state’s power to tap phones and almost double the number of state agencies allowed to access the data while conducting investigations
Earphone law: Lawmakers are mulling new legislation that would forbid bicycle riders to listen to music with earphones while on the road
Anti-US assistance: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says US military assistance to Israel, including the recent decision to grant Israel an additional USD 70 million for the Iron Dome missile defense system, is encouraging the Jewish state to commit war crimes
Emergency landing: a London-bound El-Al jet makes an emergency landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday after the jet’s flaps malfunctioned and the plane dumped its fuel the sea
Equal rights: Israel’s High Court rules that the onus is on employers to explain why they pay women lower salaries than men
Listening in: Justice Ministry proposes a bill that would expand the state’s power to tap phones and almost double the number of state agencies allowed to access the data while conducting investigations
Earphone law: Lawmakers are mulling new legislation that would forbid bicycle riders to listen to music with earphones while on the road
Anti-US assistance: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says US military assistance to Israel, including the recent decision to grant Israel an additional USD 70 million for the Iron Dome missile defense system, is encouraging the Jewish state to commit war crimes
Emergency landing: a London-bound El-Al jet makes an emergency landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday after the jet’s flaps malfunctioned and the plane dumped its fuel the sea
Global eye
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European Jewish Parliament Convenes for Second Day
In the command center of pan-European politics, the European Jewish Parliament convened for a second day… At the European Parliament, panel discussions were held on the economic crisis in Europe and its impact on extremism, populism and anti-Semitism … Dr. Antonyia Parvanova, a member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria, moderated… Parvanova says she and her colleagues are aware that baseless hatred for Jews is rearing its ugly head again in violent acts, in anti-Israeli sentiment and in politics…
Igor Kolomoiskiy , the President of the European Jewish Union, was the guiding light behind the first-ever Parliament for Jews and forging ties with other European leaders is one of its priorities. The European Jewish Parliament was modeled in some ways after the European Parliament. Its members are elected osein contrast to how other Jewish leaders in Europe are chosen which is usually by those inside existing organizations. The European Jewish Parliament hopes its system can attract young, unaffiliated Jews with fresh ideas.
A Jewish woman from Washington joined the EJP’s meetings…but she’s not an American working for President Obama or Republican candidate Mitt Romney …Her boss is King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain… Hoodah Nunu is the Bahraini Ambassador to the US, a Jewish woman who represents her Muslim country. EJP members also expressed hope that they can help build bridges between Jews and Muslims wherever they clash. Nunu’s colleague – the Bahraini Ambassador to the EU – attended the panel discussions. Tomorrow these new Jewish reps of Europe will head back to their home countries after two days of sharing ideas, solutions and meeting like-minded politicians.
Jordana Miller, JN1 , Brussels
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Sephardic Jewish Cuisine Celebrated in Germany
The gruene sosse or green sauce festival marks the beginning of spring, and celebrates Frankfurt’s most popular dish which in turn is a symbol of Frankfurt ’s Jewish heritage. For more than six centuries Frankfurters have indulged in green vegetables and herbs – a custom that also ties in with the arrival of Sephardic Jews in the Frankfurt region.
About 30,000 Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 came to Germany. The Sephardic kitchen was characterized by the absence of garlic and a very generous use of herbs. The seven herbs found in the Frankfurt green sauce certainly do justice to the old Sephardic cuisine. Nowadays, there are of course countless varieties of the original Jewish green sauce recipe .
Jews not only provided the original recipe for green sauce, for centuries they also made the herbs available to the public. Many became peddlers, buying the products directly from the farmers and selling them in the streets of Frankfurt . At the beginning of the 20th. century in Frankfurt the Jewish peddler were members of the Jewish community living in the East End of the city, the home of about four thousand Jews who immigrated from Russia and Poland.
The East End had the largest synagogue in Frankfurt, boasting 1600 seats. It was destroyed on November 9, 1938, when the Nazis unleashed a wave of pogroms against Germany's Jews . Today in Frankfurt's East End on the site of the destroyed synagogue, the Place of Remembrance documents a facet of National Socialist viciousness: In 1942 a civil defense bunker was erected by French prisoners of war on the foundation of the destroyed Synagogue. The bunker now contains a permanent exhibition on Jewish life in Frankfurt ’s East End in the pre- Nazi period. It’s a place of learning and reflection about the site and it’s past.
Seventy years after Festival the Holocaust Jewish heritage and culture is once again thriving in Frankfurt … and Frankfurters of all ethnic backgrounds are discovering the centuries old Jewish recipe for green sauce.
Wilson Ruiz, JN1 , Frankfurt
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EJP Holds General Assembly in Brussels
The newly elected European Jewish Parliament held its first general session in Brussels… The 120 members were elected last fall in an online vote that drew over 400,000 Jews across western, central and eastern Europe. Now the representatives of 47 countries are meeting to set their agenda…it’s a diverse group of men and women, religious and secular, old and young…
The alarming political gains of far right-wing nationalist parties is one of the newest and most pressing issues. EJP Co-Presidents Vadim Rabinovich and Joel Rubinfeld say the Parliament will build ties with the European Parliament , the EU and others to defend the needs of the Jewish community.
The European Jewish Parliament , for the first time is bringing Jews from the East and West together under one umbrella organization. The hope is that some of the more established communities – like in France and England – can help some of the smaller struggling communities in the east with the challenges they face… After the opening remarks, the Parliamentarians broke into committee groups on topics ranging from foreign affairs to education to culture.
Jordana Miller, JN1 , Brussels