Jerusalem - A Shas TV campaign commercial which casts aspersions on the state conversion system has been labelled as “racist” by several politicians. In the ad, a tall blonde woman named Marina, who is speaking Hebrew with a thick Russian accent, punctuated with phrases in Russian, dials “star conversion” on a fax machine while standing under a wedding canopy with her...

Texas - Attention, bread shoppers: A Texas company could have the answer to some consumers' unwelcome discovery that just-purchased loaves contain mold. MicroZap Inc. claims its technology allows bread to stay mold-free for 60 days. The bread is bombarded with microwaves for about 10 seconds, which kills the mold spores, said chief executive officer Don Stull said. The process could...

Pyongyang - Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says his delegation is pressing North Korea to adhere to a moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests and allow more cell phones and an open Internet for its citizens. Richardson told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview in Pyongyang on Wednesday that the group is also asking for fair and humane treatment of an American citizen...

New York - The group that equated Muslim radicals with savages in advertisements last year has put up another set of provocative ads in dozens of New York City subway stations. The American Freedom Defense Initiative purchased space next to 228 clocks in 39 stations for ads with an image of the burning World Trade Center and a quote attributed to the Quran saying: "Soon shall we cast terror...

Chicago - The year 2012 was the warmest on record for the contiguous United States, beating the previous record by a full degree in temperature, a government climate agency said on Tuesday. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the average temperature in 2012 in the contiguous United States was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit (12.94 degrees Celsius), 3.2 degrees above...

Albany, NY - Here's a used car salesman most everyone in Albany can feel sorry for. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has hammered out negotiations with legislators, unions, and most recently with the Buffalo Bills, just put an upstate used car dealer through his paces for a 1996 Ford Bronco. The car advertised on eBay as being in mint condition is for the governor's daughter who just earned her driver's...

Jerusalem - Israel faces the prospect of a new Palestinian uprising because of despair over the gridlock in peacemaking, a former head of the Israeli internal intelligence agency who is standing in the January 22 election said on Tuesday. Yaakov Peri, running for the centrist Yesh Atid party, told Reuters in an interview that the next government must make peace negotiations with the...

Albany, NY - Powerful New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon will serve another term negotiating with his fifth governor. The lower Manhattan Democrat was chosen by the Democratic conference in closed-door session Tuesday. He said there was no opposition. Silver was first elected to the Assembly in 1976 and easily won re-election in the fall. As speaker, he must gain a consensus in the...

Caracas - Venezuela will postpone the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez for a new term due to health problems, the government said on Tuesday, another sign the socialist leader's cancer may be bringing an end to his 14 years in power. The 58-year-old former soldier who has dominated the South American OPEC nation since 1999 has not been heard from since surgery on December 11 in Cuba - his...

New York - Floodgates for tunnels, subways and airports as well as a network of safe havens like old Civil Defense shelters should be among quick, simple preventive measures that New York installs ahead of future storms, according to the full report by an expert panel examining Superstorm Sandy's effects in the state. The 205-page report obtained by The Associated Press also calls for two more...

Washington - Planners of President Barack Obama's second inauguration are making an unprecedented solicitation for high-dollar contributions to help pay for the celebration. They're asking for individual donations of up to $1 million to help fund the events surrounding the inaugural on Jan. 21. Such donation packages, which come with special access, are a far cry from the policy of Obama's...

Washington - Unemployment rates fell below 7 percent in a majority of U.S. cities in November, suggesting steady job gains are benefiting most parts of the country. The Labor Department said Tuesday that rates fell in November from October in 215 of the 372 largest metro areas. Rates were unchanged in 33 and rose in 124. Rates dropped below 7 percent in 192 cities. That's the first time...

Washington - Two years after a hostage video and photographs of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson raised the possibility that the missing American was being held by terrorists, U.S. officials now see the government of Iran behind the images, intelligence officials told The Associated Press. Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in 2007 on the Iranian island of Kish. The Iranian...

New York - Target Corp. said Tuesday that its pledge to match prices of select online rivals this past holiday season is now a year-round promise. The nation's second largest discounter behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will match prices that customers find on identical products at top online retailers, all the time. The online list includes Amazon.com as well as the websites of Wal-Mart...

New York - As Republicans and Democrats continue to spar over the nomination of former Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel for the Secretary of Defense post, Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn is calling on the United States Senators from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to oppose Hagel’s nomination and prevent his appointment. “Senator Hagel said Washington is fearful...