Culture

November 29 marked the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the anniversary of the 1947 Resolution 181, which partitioned Palestine into two states – Jewish and Arab. Events have been held throughout the week including a non-violent Palestinian demonstration held in Bethlehem on Thursday, the screening of a film, "Voice from the Heart of Gaza" by Popular Committee against the Siege and photo exhibits at the Al Shawa Cultural Center and the United Nations. On November 24, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-

Chicago, Illinois police arrested William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning American actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, on Monday, multiple media outlets reported. Balfour is expected to be charged with three counts of murder for the slayings of three of Hudson's relatives in October. "We have obtained an arrest warrant for William Balfour. He was released to Chicago detectives," Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond told Reuters. Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29 were foun

The online video sharing site YouTube has today hosted the first official "YouTube Live" event, which featured many popular musicians and contributors to the site. Two events took place, one in San Francisco, United States and one in Japan, with the event in the US featuring artists such as Joe Satriani, Akon and Katy Perry. Another performer at the event, which started this morning at 0100 UTC, was will.i.am, who published his song "Yes We Can" on YouTube, with the video receiving millions of views on the site. The song was based on Barack

One week after the eleventh-hour renewal of the American soap opera Days of our Lives, NBC, the network airing the series in the United States, has let it known that the renewal has come at a price, namely a lower one. As a result of further cost-cutting measures to keep the show afloat through September 2010, two of the longest-running actors on the serial have had their contracts severed. Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn, who have played the characters of Marlena Evans and John Black for decades, have taped their final episodes and have been o

Indian filmmaker Baldev Raj Chopra has died of "ailments relating to old age" in his home in Juhu at the age of 94, according a spokesperson for Yash Raj Films. The actor died at 0830 local time. Chopra, who was born in 1914, is most famous for his films documenting issues which were relevant to society at the time of their production. These include Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Waqt (1965) and Naya Daur (1957), Kanoon (1958), Hamraaz (1967), Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980) and Nikaah (1982). The filmmaker won several awards during his life, including Lifet

Wayne Bent, leader of a controversial United States religious group based in New Mexico, the Lord Our Righteousness Church, failed again to accurately predict doomsday. Bent had made a prediction that Judgment Day would occur on October 31, 2008. Bent had previously made a prediction reported on in the documentary film End of a World Cult that the world would end on October 31, 2007. Sarah Montoya, a lawyer representing Bent, said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal that members of the group were disappointed when Bent's prophecy failed

Acting teacher and director Milton Katselas died Friday at age 75, after suffering from heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He began the Beverly Hills Playhouse in 1978 and taught acting classes there to noted actors including George Clooney and Gene Hackman. Katselas is survived by a sister and two brothers. Katselas directed an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, and received a Tony Award nomination for his 1969 direction of Butterflies are Free. Actress Blythe Danner won a Tony Award

The FBI has stated that they believe a dead body found in a white SUV in Chicago, Illinois, is that of 7-year-old Julian King. King was the nephew of American singer and Academy Award winning actress, Jennifer Hudson. King was kidnapped from his home in Chicago on Friday after someone shot and killed Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57 and brother, Jason, 29. An AMBER Alert was issued shortly after the incident, and on Sunday, a US$100,000 reward was offered for his safe return. "[We found a body] who we believe to be the missing victim in

Local authorities in Chicago, Illinois, United States have asked that the FBI help in the murder and kidnap investigation of the relatives of singer and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson. On Friday, Hudson's Mother Darnell Donerson, 57 and brother, Jason, 29, were shot and killed in the Southern Chicago home in what authorities are calling a domestic dispute. A cousin had found the bodies at around 2:44 p.m. (CDT) and called 9-1-1. Hudson's nephew, 7-year-old Julian King, was kidnapped from the scene and has not been seen since. An

In what appears to be a domestic disturbance, the mother and brother of American singer and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson were shot and killed in their home in Chicago, Illinois. Hudson's nephew has also been reported kidnapped from the crime scene and his mother cannot be located. Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason, were found dead at about 2:44 p.m. (CDT) in Southern Chicago. Reports indicate that a relative found the bodies and called 9-1-1. Police say that there is no evidence of forced entry into the hou

Canadian authorities report that a Chinese restaurant in the Chinatown area of Toronto has been closed down by the Board of Public Health for the second time yesterday after investigators saw a video and pictures of a rat in the window. The photos were posted on websites and local TV. Witnesses around the area report that they have seen rats crossing the streets, often going in and out of the restaurant. Jesse Ship, arts editor of Format Magazine, filmed the picture of the rat while on his way to work. "I was just walking past Happy Seven

When 24-year-old Andrew Vactor of Urbana, Ohio, United States was convicted of violating the city's noise ordinance, Judge Susan J. Fornof-Lippencott offered to reduce the normal fine of US$150 to $35 if he agreed to listen to 20 hours of classical music. Fifteen minutes into the sentence the rap music fan changed his mind and paid the full fine in order to end his probation. The sentence would have included selections from Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Claude Debussy. Chief Probation Officer Glenda Runkle s