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'A dear friend': Syrian carves model of Cologne cathedral

When Syrian refugee Fadel Alkhudr arrived in Germany in 2015, the first thing he saw when he stepped out of the train in Cologne was the city's majestic cathedral.

Alkhudr, 42, became so fascinated by the famous Gothic landmark on the Rhine river with its twin spires and elaborate ornaments that he spent hours looking at it. He took photos of it, drew sketches, and eventually started carving a wooden replica.

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Juneteenth celebrations emphasize ending racial disparities

After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it's important that people learn the history behind it.

"We need to know so people can heal from it and never let it happen again," said Lee, whose 2 1/2-mile (4-kilometer) walk through Fort Worth symbolizes the 2 1/2 years it took after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the Southern states for the enslaved people in Texas to be freed.

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Russian journalist sells Nobel Prize for Ukrainian children

What's the price of peace?

That question could be partially answered Monday night when Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctions off his Nobel Peace Prize medal. The proceeds will go directly to UNICEF in its efforts to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine.

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Lebanon, Muslim world ban Disney's 'Lightyear' for lesbian kiss

Authorities across much of the Muslim world, including Lebanon, have barred Disney's latest animated film "Lightyear" from being played at cinemas after the inclusion of a brief kiss between a lesbian couple, the company said as the movie premiered.

Lebanon, Palestine and twelve other nations barred the Pixar film that has actor Chris Evans voicing the inspiration for the astronaut hero Buzz Lightyear from the "Toy Story" movies, The Walt Disney Co. said.

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Letters sent to García Márquez to be shown in Mexico City

While reviewing the photo archives left by Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, one of his granddaughters came across a mysterious plastic box with the word "grandchildren" written on its label.

At first, Emilia García Elizondo was afraid to open the box but curiosity overcame her. Inside were 150 unpublished letters that he received from Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Cuban President Fidel Castro and actor Robert Redford, among others.

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Thousands march in Bangladesh over comments about Islam

Thousands of people marched in Bangladesh's capital on Thursday to demand the governments of Bangladesh and India officially condemn comments by two Indian governing party officials deemed derogatory to Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The march began at the country's main Baitul Mukarram Mosque but was blocked by police as it headed toward India's Embassy, a few kilometers (miles) away.

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Moscow raps Israel over Jerusalem church land ruling

Russia said Wednesday it was "deeply concerned" after Israel's top court ruled that a Jewish settler group legally purchased an east Jerusalem property from the Greek Orthodox Church.

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Revered Israeli writer who backed Palestinian rights dies aged 85

Avraham B. Yehoshua, one of Israel's most revered and prolific novelists and a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, has died aged 85, Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital said Tuesday.

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Wreck of 17th-century royal warship found off UK coast

Explorers and historians are telling the world about the discovery of the wreck of a royal warship that sank in 1682 while carrying a future king of England, Ireland and Scotland.

The HMS Gloucester, traveling from southern England to Scotland, ran aground while navigating sandbanks off the town of Great Yarmouth on the eastern English coast. It sank within an hour, killing an estimated 130 to 250 crew and passengers.

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Anger erupts in Bangladesh, India over comments about Islam

Thousands of people marched in Bangladesh's capital and in parts of India on Friday to urge Muslim-majority nations to cut ties with India and boycott its products unless it punishes two governing party officials for comments deemed derogatory to Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The protesters in Dhaka also criticized their country's government for not publicly condemning the comments made last week by the two officials in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party.

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