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  How Sears helped make women, immigrants and people of color feel more like Americans

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, Case Western Reserve University(THE CONVERSATION) Sears did more than pioneer the mail-order catalog over a century ago. The iconic retailer helped make America a more inclusive place at a time when Jim Crow was rampant and women couldn’t even vote. The news that Sears had filed for bankruptcy is a reminder of this history and the important role it played in

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  The lasting impact of Luther's Reformation: 4 essential reads

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Kalpana Jain, The Conversation(THE CONVERSATION) It was over 500 years ago, on Oct. 31, 1517, that a German monk, Martin Luther, initiated a split in the Roman Catholic Church leading to the Protestant Reformation.In his “95 Theses,” nailed to Germany’s Castle Church in Wittenberg, Luther challenged the practice of selling papal indulgences that promised individuals absolution from

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  International election observers evaluating US midterm elections will face limitations

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Judith Kelley, Duke University(THE CONVERSATION) The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, is sending international election observers to the 2018 U.S. midterm election. American voters may be surprised to learn such visits are routine. In fact, this will be the seventh such visit since 2002.This year, with the ongoing Mueller probe about election meddling

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  Marijuana is on the ballot in four states, but legalization may soon stall, researchers say

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Daniel J. Mallinson, Pennsylvania State University and Lee Hannah, Wright State University(THE CONVERSATION) The midterm elections could loosen marijuana restrictions in the United States, as four states put ballot initiatives on legalization to a vote.Voters in Utah and Missouri will choose whether patients should gain access to medical marijuana. In Michigan and North Dakota,

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  Thinking about borrowing against your home to send your kids to college? Think again

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Jacob William Faber, New York University and Peter Rich, Cornell University(THE CONVERSATION) When the time comes to send their children off to college, many parents in the U.S. take out loans, draw from savings and earnings and – as some financial advisors recommend – borrow against their homes.In a study we published earlier this year, we found a hidden danger that parents face

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  Religion and refugees are deeply entwined in the US

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Stephanie J. Nawyn, Michigan State University(THE CONVERSATION) Robert Bowers lashed out at what he believed to be a Jewish plot to bring more refugees and asylum seekers to the U.S. before allegedly murdering 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.Bowers’s claim that HIAS, a prominent Jewish humanitarian organization, was bringing migrants from Honduras, El Salvador

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  Ideologically motivated far-right extremists have killed close to 500 people since 1990 – and 10 percent were targeted based on religion

  October 31, 2018 16:45 IST

  (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Jeff Gruenewald, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and William Parkin, Seattle University(THE CONVERSATION) The mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh exemplifies an increasingly deadly form of domestic terrorism committed by far-right extremists: the targeting of institutions and individuals due to their religious affiliation. Unfortunately, it’s

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  Kvitova, Pliskova to lead Czechs in Fed Cup final against US

  October 31, 2018 16:30 IST

  The Czech Republic will have its top-10 players, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova, available for next weekend's Fed Cup final against the defending champion United States

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  Cello star Yo-Yo Ma to perform at WWI Armistice ceremonies

  October 31, 2018 16:30 IST

  Cello maestro Yo-Yo Ma will perform at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe as part of the ceremonies marking the centenary of the end of the World War I next month in Paris

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  Fire in Tokyo area crowded with Halloween goers; no injuries

  October 31, 2018 16:30 IST

  A fire broke out in a building in downtown Tokyo in an area crowded with Halloween celebrants, paralyzing traffic, but no one was reported injured

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  Sweden says it could host Yemen's warring sides for talks

  October 31, 2018 16:30 IST

  Sweden could host Yemen's warring parties for talks after UN special envoy failed to bring the sides together

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  Eurozone inflation near 6-year high as oil prices spikes

  October 31, 2018 16:15 IST

  Official figures show that inflation across the 19-country eurozone has risen to its highest level in nearly six years, largely on the back of higher energy prices

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  Iran's top diplomat in Pakistan to talk border, key issues

  October 31, 2018 16:15 IST

  Iran's top diplomat in Pakistan for talks on key issues between the two neighbors, including border security

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  Missing girl's family presses Vatican about found bones

  October 31, 2018 16:15 IST

  Lawyers for the family of a 15-year-old girl who went missing in 1983 say they are pressing Italian prosecutors and the Vatican for more details regarding human bones found near the Holy See's embassy in Rome

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  10 Things to Know for Today

  October 31, 2018 16:00 IST

  Among 10 Things to Know: Mourning and protests as Pittsburgh begins victims' burials; Possible seabed position of crashed Lion Air jet located; Trump stokes pre-election fear of immigrants to drive voters

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  Edmunds: How to shave hours off your next dealership visit

  October 31, 2018 16:00 IST

  Edmunds offers some tricks that can save you time on your next visit to the car dealership

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  Czech lawmakers to debate bill to allow same-sex marriage

  October 31, 2018 16:00 IST

  The lower house of Parliament is set to begin debating a bill that could give same sex couples a right to marry

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  World stocks rally on strong US earnings reports

  October 31, 2018 16:00 IST

  World stocks rally as encouraging US earnings calm nerves over rising interest rates

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  Cargo ship collides with crane, sparking fire in Barcelona

  October 31, 2018 15:30 IST

  Barcelona authorities say a city port dock has been cordoned off while firefighters try to extinguish the fire caused in the early hours of Wednesday when a cargo ship collided with a loading crane

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  Okinawa's new leader speaks about US military bases in Japan

  October 31, 2018 15:15 IST

  The U.S. military presence on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has been a point of dispute for decades

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  South Sudan opposition leader returns as part of peace deal

  October 31, 2018 15:00 IST

  For the first time since fleeing South Sudan more than two years ago, opposition leader Riek Machar returned on Wednesday to take part in a nationwide peace celebration

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  South Sudan opposition leader returns as part of peace deal

  October 31, 2018 15:00 IST

  For the first time since fleeing South Sudan more than two years ago, opposition leader Riek Machar returned on Wednesday to take part in a nationwide peace celebration

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  Indian court seeks pricing of Rafale jet deal with France

  October 31, 2018 14:45 IST

  India's top court has ordered the government to provide pricing details of 36 Rafale fighter jets it is buying from France

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  German finance minister advocates steep rise in minimum wage

  October 31, 2018 14:45 IST

  Germany's finance minister is advocating a steep increase in the country's minimum wage as his struggling center-left party tries to reverse a slump in its popularity

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  First flight departs from Istanbul's new airport

  October 31, 2018 14:45 IST

  The first flight from Istanbul's newly inaugurated airport has taken off bound for the capital, Ankara

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  84 Haitian migrants found adrift near Turks and Caicos

  October 31, 2018 14:30 IST

  Dozens of Haitian migrants were found adrift in an overloaded boat near the Turks and Caicos Islands

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  Austria says it won't sign UN global migration pact

  October 31, 2018 14:15 IST

  The Austrian government says it won't sign a global compact to promote safe and orderly migration, citing concerns about sovereignty and illegal migration

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  1 killed, 3 injured in explosion in Russia's north

  October 31, 2018 14:00 IST

  One person has been killed and three injured after a bomb went off at the entrance of the local branch of Russia's main intelligence agency