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Cambodia Unveils Statue of Slain Union Boss

A statue of a Cambodian union boss gunned down on a Phnom Penh street in 2004 was unveiled Friday in a rare public recognition of a champion of workers' rights in the impoverished kingdom.

Government critic and labor activist Chea Vichea was shot dead in broad daylight while reading a newspaper on a street in the capital nine years ago.

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Rhode Island Passes Gay Marriage Law

Rhode Island on Thursday became the 10th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, joining the rest of New England on the controversial issue and turning the region into a haven for homosexual rights.

Governor Lincoln Chafee, a Republican turned independent, was set to sign the bill into law after it passed by 56-15 votes in the state lower house.

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Drug Violence Forces Mexico Journalists into Hiding

Facing threats, murder and kidnappings, many Mexican journalists have been forced to go into hiding, while the country's vicious drug war has driven some newspapers to self-censorship.

Some journalists have gone into self-imposed exile abroad while others, like Luis Cardona, a 53-year-old who reported in the flashpoint state of Chihuahua, have taken refuge elsewhere in the country.

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Russia's Mariinsky Theatre Unveils New Stage

Russia's famous Mariinsky theater in Saint Petersburg was to inaugurate a new ballet and opera house on Thursday in an event coinciding with the 60th birthday of its hugely ambitious and well-connected director Valery Gergiev.

The new Mariinsky-2 theater will open with a gala on Thursday night conducted by Gergiev with star performers from across the world, and with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected in the audience.

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Archangel Gabriel Features in Jerusalem Exhibit

A unique 2,000-year-old stone tablet takes center stage at an exhibition that opened in Jerusalem on Wednesday and traces depictions of the Archangel Gabriel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic scriptures.

In the three so-called Abrahamic religions, Gabriel typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.

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Brazil Art to be Showcased at Sotheby's in New York

Brazilian contemporary art takes center stage at Sotheby's in New York this month in the latest sign of the South American giant's global rise.

The "Brasil Vivido" selling exhibition includes some 50 works by 16 artists and will take place at the prestigious auction house May 10-29.

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Turkish Airlines Bans Bright Lipstick on Hostesses

Turkish Airlines has banned air hostesses from wearing brightly-colored lipsticks such as red or pink, a move which has sparked fierce debate as the government is accused of trying to Islamize the country, local media reported Wednesday.

Numerous women posted pictures of themselves wearing bright red lipstick on social media websites to protest at the measure, part of a new aesthetics code for stewardesses working for Turkey's main airline.

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U.S. Report Warns of Crisis for Pakistan Minorities

A U.S. government-appointed panel urged Washington Tuesday to step up pressure on Pakistan over religious freedom, warning that risks to its minorities have reached a crisis level.

In an annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also raised concerns about what it called a worsening situation in China, as well as problems in Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and other nations.

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Japan's Mount Fuji to Get World Heritage Stamp

Japan's Mount Fuji will likely be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites next month after an influential advisory panel to the U.N. cultural body made a recommendation, officials said Wednesday.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a consultative body to UNESCO, told the Japanese government that the almost perfectly conical Fuji is appropriate for registering as a World Heritage site, the agency for cultural affairs said in a statement.

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U.S. Panel Faults 'Aggressive Secularism' in Europe

A U.S. panel criticized Western European countries Tuesday for "aggressive secularism" as it released a report on religious freedom that took aim at laws banning full-face veils in public.

For the first time, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom -- whose members are appointed by the government -- included a chapter on the region in its annual review of tolerance of other faiths around the world.

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