COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright AFP/GETTY IMAGES Image caption Shopping for Halloween Canadian schools are wrestling with how to guide students and parents towards Halloween costumes that aren't considered offensive or culturally insensitive. In early October, a Canadian school board emailed a checklist "Is my costume appropriate?" to parents planning their children's Halloween costumes. Fuschia Martians, mythical creatures, and animals got the all clear. On the what not to wear list for 31 October -  cowboy and Indian  costumes,  slaves ,  terrorist ,  gypsy ,  Rastafarian  and " urban ghetto  resident". The checklist from the Conseil scolaire Viamonde, which oversees 51 schools in Ontario, was criticised as an example of political correctness gone haywire. But school board spokeswoman Claire Francoeur said the guidelines, first sent out in 2016, has generally garnered positive reactions from parents. She says complaints mostly stemmed from stresse...

Image copyright WITTENBERG STADTKIRCHE Image caption Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago Five hundred years ago, a young German monk began the Protestant Reformation, shattering the authority of the Catholic Church. Centuries later, there are signs that the churches have put aside their differences. I pray thee… go not to Wittenberg.  (Hamlet Act I, Scene ii). In an early scene from Shakespeare's play, Hamlet's mother Gertrude begs him not travel to Wittenberg. She believes that her son's studies in a provincial German town on the banks of the River Elbe may be a threat to their security and the Catholicism of his upbringing. She had good reason to be worried. For that is precisely what happened when a monk called Martin Luther engaged in the concentrated study of scripture at the University of Wittenberg. It would lead him to some Biblical beliefs - particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone - that would transform Lut...

In an initiative to show solidarity with menstruating women, a bar in Israel has decided to give them a 25% discount on drinks. The two women behind the idea in Jaffa say the "bloody hour" is a recognition that women on their period deserve "a favour". They hope the subject of menstruation will be more openly discussed, including by men. The discount will be given on the basis of trust. The owners of the Anna Loulou bar said that since women menstruated 25% of their lives, they deserved the discount at least for one night. "The whole idea is to give a discount, attention and a treat to someone, to say 'we recognize you, we're aware of the special situation you're in right now, and hey, we want to do you a favour'," Moran Barir told the  Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Ms Barir explained that the idea began at the bar itself when once she ordered wine and the bartender did not remember whether she was asking for red or white. Th...

Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Stone has claimed credit for getting Mr Trump to run for president Roger Stone, a high-profile supporter of Donald Trump, has been suspended from Twitter after using the network to attack journalists. Mr Stone, who advised Mr Trump during his election campaign, said he had been told  he had violated Twitter's rules . His suspension came hours after he used abusive and homophobic language to target journalists, including a gay CNN presenter, Don Lemon. Mr Stone has said he will sue Twitter for blocking his account. Twitter has not commented or confirmed if Mr Stone's suspension is permanent. He was an aide to President Richard Nixon in the 1970s and became a political consultant. He says in the Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone that he got Mr Trump to run for president. While he acted as an adviser during the early days of the Trump campaign, he left his role in disputed circumstances in August 2015 - Mr Stone says he q...