For months we have tried in vain to get this blog to consistently publish your comments but to be honest we've made little headway. Sometimes it works, plenty of times it doesn't.
We're now advised it will be at least another six months before a new content management system can be introduced, and that's too long for you to put up with.
So, for the moment we're putting this blog on hold and have moved to Wordpress which so far seems to be working very nicely. Please visit us there and hopefully we'll be back here sometime in 2008. But after the year we've had don't hold me to that.
]]>They're talking about Paris. Yes, I know, the suburbs, or banlieue, but still Paris.
High unemployment, strikes, gangs, violence, angry disaffected young people: what's wrong with France?
]]> A TEST FOR SARKOZYAnother night of violent clashes, looting, shops and cars set on fire. This time not only in Villiers-le-Bel, where it all started, but also in other Parisian suburbs and Tolouse, in the south.
What do you think can be done? Is this something we should talk about today? Send us your views, post here on the blog.
Only last week, we were talking about a transport strike that cost the country 400 million euros a day.
President Nicolas Sarkozy survived the strike -- his first real challenge in power. But how will he deal with the latest violence?
He was France's Interior Minister two years ago, when the first wave of violence erupted in the impovireshed suburbs of Paris.
His strong comments at the time made him a much hated figure in those areas. But he went on to win the election.
INTEGRATION
It all started, then, with the accidental deaths of two young men in Clichy-sous-Bois.
A lot was talked about sice about the lack of integration in French society for immigrants and the children of immigrants.
Things don't seem to have changed much.
Two years ago, I said that it would just take a spark for France to blow up. I'm not saying nothing has been done since then, but nothing to the scale it should have.Claude Dilain, Mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois
What has changed in France since October 2005? Is it time for big change in France, in work relations, in the economy, in the police?
Or is this a localized problem that will go if Sarkozy hold firm and challenge the rioters?
You can’t expect things to have changed in two years when the root of the problem goes back 30 years, to when France parked difficult people in estates.Jean-Christophe Lagarde, Mayor of Drancy
Let us know what you think, post on the blog or send us an email.
GOLDEN COMPASS
Moving on to less mundane issues: Philip Pullman, the (atheist) author and the new controversy involving the Catholic Church.
The peg here is the premiere last night of the Golden Compass, a film based on the first novel of Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials.
It features big screen stars Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman. It will open in the US next week and the Catholic League in the US has been calling for a boycott.
The reason: Pullman's rejection of organised religion.
Much of what was on the book was left out of the film, but there's still criticism.
INDOCTRINATION
The fact that this is a film for children and teenagers has led to accusations of anti-religious (or anti-Catholic) indoctrination.
Lots of blogs are talking about this. The problem is all this talk is lending the film and the book extra publicity.
Is Philip Pullman guilty of indoctrinating children against the existence of God?
Karnie has just sent me a very interesting link where Pullman expresses his views on religion, Christianity, faith. Worth checking before you make up your mind.
Send us your comments, post here on the blog or send us an email
]]>Palestinians (at least the Fatah side) and Israelis are talking again. This is the first Middle East summit since 2000.
More than 40 organisations and countries are at the Annapolis talks, in the US, including Syria.
And yet, many say this is a road to nowhere: Hamas is not represented, President Bush and Israel do not want peace, Iran is the priority now, construction goes on in the West Bank's Jewish settlements.
Is there reason for optimism? Do you think Annapolis will lead to serious negotiations and peace or is it just a bubble, ready to burst? Send us your views, post here on the blog.
]]> SETTLEMENTSThe bubble quote is not mine. I got it from an Israeli settler in the West Bank, quoted on a report today on Jewish settlementes.
This Annapolis is just a bubble... It will burst and we will build our new community here.Eilat Cohen-Zada
Eilat is a mother of seven, living in a caravan while she waits for a new house or flat to be built in land occupied by Israel during the 67 war.
The Jewish settlements are just one of thorny issues in the way of peace in the Middle East.
Security for Israel, the future of Gaza, Hamas, the "right of return" for millions of Palestinian refugees, the Israeli wall, checkpoints, all that.
No wonder President Bush has warned that "difficult compromises" will need to be reached. It might be a matter of managing expectations.
Serious follow-through after Annapolis could produce progress and even limited agreements; belief in peacemaking's ability to actually bring peace may be restored after a too long hiatus. And while not exactly historic, that would certainly be a welcome contribution to the next administration.Dennis Ross, former US envoy to the Middle East.
Will Annapolis succeed? We want to hear from people in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Israel, in the US and round the world? Post your comments here on the blog.
IS PARIS BURNING?
Another night of riots in the suburbs of Paris. Banlieue, Martin would correct me.
It's two years now since the nights of violence and burning cars and clashings between the police and disaffected young people.
In October 2005, it started with the deaths of two boys chasing the police in Clichy-sous-Bois.
This time, a very similar incident in nearby Villiers-le-Bell. Two teenagers were killed, again, running away from the police, on a motorbike.
ANGER
Young people, many of them immigrants and the children of immigrants in the outskirts of the otherwise charming French capital hasve clashed with the police for the second night running.
More than 60 police officers have been injured.
The question for me is: what has changed in the last two years? Are relations between the police and those communities any better? Why so much anger?
Is this about integration in France or just an overeaction to an normal motorbike accident?
Let's hear from people in France, from some of the people we spoke to two years ago.
TEDDY BEAR
A British teacher is under arrest in Sudan for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Gillian Gibbons is in a cell in Khartoum, accused of blasphemy against the Prophet.
Under Sharia law, she can be punished with 40 lashes.
In her defense, Ms Gibbons said it was the children -- not her -- who named the teddy bear. And they did so by asking them to vote.
Twenty out of the 23 pupils decided to go for Muhammad, the name of a popular boy in the class.
SHARIA GONE TOO FAR?
But that's beyond the point. Is there any justification for punishing a teacher with 40 lashes? And for naming a teddy bear Muhammad?
Is this what Islamic law really says? Is this what Sharia law is about?
Or has the religion of the Prophet been distorted beyond recognition here?
Help us understand this one. Post your comments here on the blog.
]]>Now before getting onto today's topic, my colleague James would like to ask you about renting dogs. Please bear with me...
]]> IS RENTING DOGS CRUEL?So two questions: Is renting dogs cruel (to the dogs that is)? And would you be interested in doing it? Email us (or don't as the case may be) on worldhaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Does racism deserve a place in public debate?
A debate at the Oxford University Union scheduled for today has begun well before its allotted start time. Invited guests are Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, and David Irving, the historian who was jailed in Austria for denying the Holocaust. Some people are so outraged that these two men will be given such a public platform, tbhey're holding a demo… and many more are emailing the BBC.
Now, let's be clear, Nick Griffin argues that neither he nor his party are racist. David Irving argues that he is not an anti-Semite. But that is how the two are perceived by many people. I'll let you make your own mind up.
Here's a profile of David Irving and of Nick Griffin.
So if the majority finds an opinion abhorrent, should that opinion still be given a platform? Or should some views be given no help to be heard in the public domain?
YOUR ONE-MINUTE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
Christmas always bring it with plenty of messages. The Queen gives hers here in the UK just as most of us are thinking about retiring to the sofa. And we'd like to record yours. So if you have something to say in sixty seconds that you'd like the world to hear, send me an email and we'll get it organised. With cold logic, we're going to play some of them on Christmas Day.
Speak to you later.
]]>The Oxford students Union has invited for tonight's debate a historian once imprisoned for denying the Holocaust and the leader of a far right political party in Britain.
Protests are expected at Oxford both from Jewish and Muslim groups at Oxford.
Should David Irving and the British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin, be allowed to have their say?
Oxford graduate and novelist Diran Adebayo says we're now living in a culture where people are keen to ban anything, from smoking to free speech. Do you agree with him?
Send us your views, post here on the blog.
]]> HOLOCAUSTDavid Irving was convicted in 1998 in the UK for denying the Holocaust and later served three years in jail in Austria.
But Jack Liebeskind, the son of a Holocaust survivor, has written a letter to The Independent defending the historian's right to speak his mind.
I am the son of a Holocaust survivor. My grandparents, four uncles and aunts and countless cousins were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz. To prevent people expressing their view is fascism; in this case, liberal fascists are as illiberal as the more traditional ones. Let David Irving express his views on the Holocaust and let him show himself for the fool he is.Jack Liebeskind
But many will disagree with Mr Liebeskind. Among those protesting tonight will be the British Green Party: no platform for anti-semites, racists and homophobes!
Will the Oxford Union be giving Mr Irving and the BNP leader a platform for racial and religious hatred? Should there be limits to the freedom of speech?
ANNAPOLIS
The Palestinian-Israeli summit at the American Naval Academy of Annapolis, starting tomorrow, is being seen as President Bush's last opportunity to make a difference.
Palestinians and Israelis have not met in high level peace talks since 2000.
And it's not looking good for president Bush. There's scepticism from all sides.
The Palestinians are divided, with the Hamas "half" not represented at the talks. Ehud Olmert's government in Israel is too weak.
And the Arabs cannot once again speak in one voice.
President Bush is the one who can make it happen, against all the odds. Do you believe he'll succeed?
Will President Bush bring peace to the Middle East?
RELIGIOUS "NUTTER"
One of the politicians who attempted and failed to bring about peace between Palestinians and Israelis was Tony Blair.
He's still at it, as a special envoy. But on the eve of Annapolis, Blair is in the news for a different reason.
He has revealed that he kept his religious beliefs secret during his 11 years as Prime Ministers in order to avoid getting the label of "religious nutter".
Was Tony Blair right to keep his faith to himself?
Should politicians be allowed to express their religious beliefs? Should religion and politics be kept apart?
I just wonder if this is a British thing, or a Western European approach to politics and religion.
It seems to work the opposite way in the US, Latin America and in Muslim countries, where you're expected at least to believe in God.
Send us your views, post your comments here on the blog.
]]>Two big talking points today: the Australian Election and the perils of Taslima Nasreen. We'll get to Taslima a little later but first:
IS THIS THE WORLD FIRST GREEN ELECTION ?
Prime Minister John Howard and his Labor challenger, Kevin Rudd, have set out final campaign pitches as the hours tick down to Australia's election. Mr Howard warned that a Labour victory would fundamentally change Australia, while Mr Rudd said the country was "crying out for new leadership". Opinion polls continue to put Mr Rudd ahead of Mr Howard - the latest % difference was 54 to 46, in the favour of Mr Rudd.
But is this also a "green election", our first, anywhere in the world ? Yes, to paraphrase what someone, somewhere said once "it's the economy stupid" -- but what about the envionment ?
Australians are the world's worst polluters per head, according to data from US think tank Center for Global Development. Some parts of the country are already experiencing record drought conditions, with some groups blaming climate change. That drought has created financial hardship for farmers and forced some people to move away from affected regions. This, combined with rising global concern over climate change, is making environmental issues more important than ever in this election campaign.
So, how have the politicians reacted to this ? What does it teach the rest of us ? If it IS global warming to blame (and yes, we know, the science is still open to question according to some people) does this now mean that politics, and being a politician has changed forever ? Global warming is not about to go away -- so, do the people who want YOUR VOTE not have to change accordingly ?
Let us know as usual via the normal routes :-)
]]> IS INDIA NOW BECOMING MORE INTOLERANT ?The controversial Bangladeshi feminist writer Taslima Nasreen has been moved out of the western Indian city of Jaipur to an undisclosed destination - she had flown from Calcutta to Jaipur on Thursday after violent protests by Muslims. The increasing storm surrounding this woman became so bad during the week that the police in Calcutta used tear gas and baton charges to control crowds calling for her Indian visa to be cancelled. Rioters blocked roads and set cars alight. At least 43 people were hurt. More than 100 arrests were made.
DEATH THREATS
Critics say she called for the Koran to be changed to give women greater rights, something she denies. Ms Nasreen fled Bangladesh in the early 1990s after death threats and has spent the last three years in Calcutta after a long stay in Europe. Wednesday's trouble in Calcutta began after the predominantly Muslim All-India Minority Forum called for blockades on major roads in the city.
This is the punch-line: the group said Ms Nasreen had "seriously hurt Muslim sentiments".
Many Muslims say her writing ridicules Islam. The army was called out and a night curfew imposed. The All-India Minority Forum says Taslima Nasreen's Indian visa should be revoked and she should be forced to leave the country.
To quote directly from one blogger on this subject:
"This is a tragedy of colossal proportions. Since when is it the government's responsibility to evict law abiding residents of the territory, simply because a bunch of hooligans - Muslim or Hindu - decide to burn the city ?. The biggest tragedy, however, is that this country's moderate Muslims and Hindus remain silent - again. The political parties - rather than uniting behind Taslima, rejecting calls for her visa to be canceled, and denouncing the AIMF for the fundamentalists that they are, all parties have remained largely silent. They worry, perhaps, about disturbing their Muslim vote bank. So why does the Muslim vote bank not speak up?"
What do you think ? What does this say about modern India ? What does it say about Ms Nasreen and her writing ? What does it say about any voice that moves off the path chosen by what is afteral a vocal majority ? Can Ms Nasreen voice still be heard from wherever she ends up ?
As ever:
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]]>Pakistan has been kicked out of the Commomwealth - the government has brandished the move as "unreasonable and unjustified". Commonwealth members says democracy needs to be restored before Pakistan's accepted again. So how relevant is the Commonwealth in today's political climate? Is it better to be "in" or "out"? ...
]]> ...A controversial author is under police protection after Muslims rioted in the streets of Calcutta, demanding her expulsion for blasphemy. Taslima Nasreen was put on a flight to Jaipur but was then told she couldn’t stay there either, for fear of further violence. Extremist Muslims have been calling for Ms Nasreen’s execution ever since she wrote her debut novel “Lajja” or “Shame” in 1994 depicting violence against minority Hindus by Muslim fundamentalists in Bangladesh. The outspoken feminist has also stirred anger with trenchant descriptions of the oppression of women in male-dominated Bangladesh, calling religion and patriarchy “the causes of women’s suffering. Should people be persecuted for what they write?...Lebanese MPs are facing a midnight deadline to appoint a new President. But mediators fear rival camps will fail to reach a deal, plunging the country into a deeper political crisis. Repeated attempts to elect a new President over the past couple of months have been scuppered by rivalries between Western-backed and pro-Syrian factions. If a deal isn't reached, some fear a civil war. Would you like to sample the mood in Lebanon today?
What's going on in Senegal? The country's worst riots for almost two decades have broken out in the past couple of days. It's all down to a decision to ban hawkers (street traders) from the capital Dakar. The city is often held up as an example of peace and stability in the region. So what's gone wrong here and would you like to hear about the troubles?
Australia goes to the polls on Saturday. Polls are signalling a swing to the opposition. There are a few key battlegrounds - labour laws, Australian involvement in the Iraq war, economic growth and perhaps most interestingly - climate change. Aussie PM John Howard has poured scorn on the idea of global warming, while his main challenger Kevin Rudd says he will immediately ratify the Kyoto Protocol and has nominated a loose goal of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. There's a definite split but are Australians concerned? And is this the world's first climate change election?
]]>'A town in Canada recently voted in favour of making it illegal for parents to smoke in the car while minor children are present. I think it's a great law and would love to see it extended to include smoking in private homes (when children are present). Could make for an interesting discussion.'
If you'd like to come on air and counter or support Lydia's argument, please email me with your comment and phone number.
WAS AFRICA BETTER UNDER COLONIAL RULE?
I'm sure most of you saw that the former Zimbabwe leader Ian Smith died on Tuesday. Since then, thousands of people have been getting in touch... Many of course to talk about the man, but others are raising the issue of whether Zimbabwe was better under Smith than under black African rule. Others have gone further still suggesting that this applies to many other countries in the continent.
We'd like to hear from those of you in Africa... Is your life better than it would be under colonial rule?
SHOULD WE HAVE INCLUDED THESE DEBATES?
Here are some ideas (all tied to news stories and debates this week) that didn't quite make the cut today. If you'd like to hear them on later editions let us know.
- Should we take more care of the elderly?
- Is being an honest and successful politician impossible?
- Is Afghanistan going to fall to the Taliban again? And are the efforts of the British and Americans coming to nothing?
- Is the world too obsessed with sport? (England went out of the football European Championships yesterday and the reaction is certainly not understated.)
Peter's back at the controls tomorrow. I'll speak to you later and again on Monday.
]]>I finally got the hang of getting here a little before I'm due to start..just get up really really early and plant yourself at a train station so you have so many options that you have NO chance of getting stuck on a delayed train into London! Well that method worked today at least! Hope you are all well..
]]> England are out of the European championships! The country that "sold" football to the world failed last night to qualify for a major tournament. The country's coached has been sacked. Is English football just not good enough? And where does it all go wrong?Middle East Peace talks, Condoleeza Rice says talks at Annapolis (next week) represents a big step forward..politicians can talk all the want but are they really listening to what the people in the Palestinian territories and Israel really want?
In South Carolina in the United States political consultants will go to great extremes to smear the the character of political campaigners. Flyers appeared on cars calling Obama a muslim extremist, a theory he was forced to deny during his campaign tour. An anonymous email claims Hillary Clinton was having a lesbian affair with her aide, Huma Abedin...Rob Shealy a Republican consultant says: We're going to see new lows in dirty politics that would have been unthinkable." Outrageous or just simply...an essential political tool?
"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad behaviour is dangerous for Iran". These are comments coming from a hardline newspaper within the country. Such a direct personal attack against President Ahmadinejad is rare in official media in Iran. Is this criticism reassuring and does it take away the feeling of apprehension about Iran's nuclear development programme?
Marriage in the UK is at the centre of political debate. With the politicians agreeing that stability is hugely important for children. A columnist here in the UK talks about: "Why we all need to commit". Have we lost the way in relationships and is stability too boring?
]]>Write your comments here.
DO YOU TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT WITH YOUR DATA?
It's the main talking point in Britain today: in Parliament, in the streets, in the pubs. Two discs with personal information -- addresses, bank details, names etc. -- about some 25 million people in the UK have gone missing from government offices. Or have been stolen, no one knows.
It contained information about virtually every family in the country with children aged under 16. That includes the Prime Minister himself, Gordon Brown, who was forced to apologize to in Parliament today...
]]> ...The CDs had information on all the families who receive child benefits. They were sent on ordinary post from the Department of Revenue and Customs to an auditor, but never reached the destination.The data of millions of people can now be stored in two small discs and lost in the post.
Do you trust anyone with your data, especially your government? Have you been a victim of data theft? Is that something that concerns you, or just an one-off incident that wouldn't happen if normal procedures had been followed?
Email: worldhaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk or leave a blog comment: www.worldhaveyoursay.com
Speak to you later.
Cheers,
Leonardo
Up to thousand displaced Iraqis are returning home to Iraq each day. This is an indication that things are getting better. Does this mean the Bush administration was right to invade Iraq after all?
Should we feel resentful about caring for our elderly parents? An article here in the UK has sparked a debate about caring for parents when they get old. A very frank statement was made by a writer saying. "I resent her (her parent) for still being alive." Should children have an absolute duty to care for their parents? Can children ever justify this resentment?
]]>Write your comments here.
Hi there. Heather Mills is known for a few things - her husband, their divorce and TV dance shows come to mind. Having one leg as well, and that's something she's making light of in a new campaign to get us to stop us eating meat. She wants us all to adopt a plant-based diet. They give various reasons, we want to know if you're convinced...
]]> 1. Methane produced by livestock contributes to global warming (eighty per cent of global warming comes from livestock and deforestation is the claim).Have a read of this for more details of their argument:
The case they've made this week is that if you're not convinced by the moral argument, then think of climate change and at least reduce your dairy and meat consumption.
IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS 'IMMORAL'?
That was the word used by the EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg .... And echoed by the British fisheries minister with reference to the practice of fish dumping. This is where healthy edible fish are being caught, left to die and then thrown overboard as EU quotas don't allow them to be brought to land.
Is this an example of our relationship with animals and nature becoming perverse and detrimental? Or is this simply about EU politics?
CENTRAL SOUTHERN AFRICA IN 2008. THE DREAM LIVE ON.
Chawezi and Isaac started the campaign to get us to to Malawi and Zambia. Now Mwiza joins in...
'my dear Ros,
I totally agree with isaac. you should come to zambia so that u can really experience the real africa. we have the best weather on the continent and on top of that we are a very peaceful nation and we are the friendliest people on this planet. i so look forward to welcoming you at Lusaka International Airport!'
Mwiza we don't tend to choose venues for the show on beauty and friendliness (that'd start sounding dangerously like a holiday) but you're offer is tempting none the less. Let's see what happens in the New Year. We'd love to meet all of you listening in that part of Africa.
Speak to you all later.
Another late train but thankfully I got here just in the nick of time! It's quite a rush getting in earlier than usual..more people, more cars, buses...congestion and delays. All typical of city life. The weather in London is slightly..only slightly better i.e. it's not raining..yet :)
]]> A week later and workers in France are still on strike. They are protesting at pension reforms proposed by President Sarkozy. Are strikes still valid? Do they still serve their purpose? And how effective are they?Students at oxford University are against rightwing speakers at the Oxford Union. Should there be a platform for racists?
Heather Mills has launched Viva's drive to promote a vegan lifestyle with a call to start drinking rats', cats' and dogs' milk...Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for all plastic bags to be banned from the high street..Environment friendly ideas gone mad? Or can little suggestions make a big difference?
The Queen and the Duke of Edingburgh are flying to Malta to celebrate their 60th anniversary..60 years is a long time and indicates a strong relationship..so what are the secrets to a long marriage?
Ahead of the Middle East talks in the US next week..we ask is there a way forward and is peace in the middle east achievable? How about creating our own Middle East panel on WHYS?
Archbishop Desmond Tutu says the Anglican church is obsessed with the issue of gay priests. He said it should be focusing on global problems such as Aids. Do you agree with him?
An American therapist says, "we should always tell the truth no matter how unpalatable!" He claims radical honesty will change your life. Do you agree with him? Are you able to tell your friend the absolute truth even if he/she looks older? Tired? Is drinking too much? Is honesty really the best policy?
We hear their opinions on climate change, global obesity, genetics..Do scientists now rule the world? How much of influence do they have on our lives?
]]>You can write a comment here.
Unusually I have very little to mention bar today's subjects. But rather than fight it, I'll let you enjoy this rare moment of calm... Here they are... remember you can post your comments here...
]]> The issue of when to speak to children about sex is long been discussed, but when to talk to them about alcohol is rapidly becoming just as important to parents in the UK.A report has found that one in twenty 10 and 11 year-olds say they've drunk heavily in the past four weeks. The knock-effects of this can be seen in the drinking stats of 14 and 15 year olds. SO what to do?
If you're a parent, what's your experience? Have you raised the issue of drinking and if you have, how did it go and do you think it has had the desired effect? And should these kind of lessons be joined up with sex education, or are there entirely separate matters?
THE FUTURE FOR BANGLADESH
The official death toll at the moment is around 3000 but I don't anyone thinks that is where the figure will stay. There are of thousands of people missing. Of course many people are concerned with the immediate needs of people affected by the cyclone, but discussions about Bangladesh's future have already begun and we'll hear some of them.
Cyclone Sidr comes just a few months after floods devastated the north of the country.... And go back further into Bangladesh's past and there are numerous examples of the elements hindering the efforts of this country and its people to pull themselves above the poverty line.
So how can it be done? What can Bangladesh do to protect its development from the sea and the sky? Or is it simply an impossible task because of its geographical postion and its past?
WHERE TO GO IN 2008
Carrying on from Chawezi's campaign to get us to Malawi.. Isaac repeats that we should broadcast from what he's calling central south Africa (there must be a regional title better than that)...
Hi Ros, Chawezi is partly right I had loved you to have visited Zambia the real Africa with its beauties, the land where milk, honey and sugar flows. Especially at the Victoria Falls the border to Zimbabwe when reports had it that Zimbabweans were lining up for visas to enter Zambia. It’s very fascinating to ready that Africa countries are still imposing such restrictions movements to each other. I would also be very interested to see how the Malawian health sector is doing since most medical personnel have been poached by Britain. Come and visit Central South Africa. Isaac
I'll pass it on to the powers that be Isaac.
Speak to you all later.
What do you think? Do you agree with him? Critics says that sanctions imposed by the west do not work..what should ASEAN do to resolve the crisis in Burma?
This caught my eye this morning...US ELECTIONS
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2896710.ece
The US campaign has been tainted by a "dirty tricks scandal" agents of Hilary Clinton say they have obtained unspecified "scandalous information" about Mr Obama. His campaign have challenged Mrs Clinton to make the information public Is this a desperate attempt to smear the campaign of a strong candidate? OR if the allegation is true..should it be disclosed? Dirty tricks or simply the way the world of politics operates?
Fisher Island
America's wealthiest area (once home to stars like Oprah Winfrey, Jula Roberts, Robert De Niro) has come under the spotlight...Fisher Island, better known as Fantasy Island is in the midst of a racial segregation row...Workers who are employed by wealthy residents on the Island say they are being discriminated against.
Http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2896782.ece
In 2007 should these workers made to feel like second class citizens just because they are not as wealthy? Or is this kind of divide inevitable because of the wealth divide? Is Fisher Island being left behind the rest of America because of it's racial practice?
Love...
Is love over rated? In a week when Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edingburgh celebrate their 60 weeding anniversary we look at the subject of love! 60 years is a long time..is this just good old fashioned love..It's definitely stood the test of time. Marriage these days is very fragile. Divorce rates are on the rise in many countries.. A BBC documentary screened later this week will claim that love iS over rated and your family has the best judgement in deciding who your life partner should be...Do you agree
Http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2212886,00.html
Bangladesh
We looked at Bangladesh on friday. The BBC's Mark Dummet in Dhakka gave us an account of the situation there. We also spoke with Alex Whitney from World vision (the organisation offering shelter to thousands of people affected by the cyclone...BUT the death toll is said to rise...many countries have pledged aid to Bangladesh. Should we revisit Bangladesh?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/19/wcyclone119.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox
Whaling...
21 years ago japan halted it's commercial whaling industry..but continues to whale, claiming it does this for scientific reasons...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7099720.stm
Tokyo agrues, whaling is an ancient Japanese tradition..Do they have a right to practice their tradition?
The Balkans
We'll also look at Kosovo and Bosnia..
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2212854,00.html