Mocking sermon criticised by Obama

Barack Obama has said he is “deeply disappointed” at a supporter’s sermon that mocked Hillary Clinton, his rival in the Democratic nomination.

Rev Michael Pfleger (photo) said Hillary Clinton felt “entitled” to win because she was white, and that now she was forced to realise that there was “a black man stealing my show”.

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Court victory for Sect parents in Texas

Children taken from the ranch of a polygamist sect, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, must be returned to their parents, has ruled the Supreme Court in the US state of Texas.

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Ex-EADS chief under investigation

Noel Forgeard (photo), former head of Airbus owner EADS, has been placed under formal investigation by French judges, for insider trading.

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Ban treaty approved on cluster bomb

More than 100 nations have gathered to reach an agreement on a treaty that would ban current designs of clusters bombs.

Following 10 days of talks, diplomats meeting in Dublin agreed to back an international ban on the use of the controversial weapons.

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George Clooney praises blue helmets

The 60th anniversary of UN peacekeeping, on Thursday, will be marked by George Clooney, in a public service announcement praising the soldiers who wear the distinctive blue helmets.

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Bush attacked on Iraq by former press secretary

Bush administration has been accused of carrying out a “political propaganda campaign” in order to make the case for the Iraq war, by Scott McClellan (photo), the former White House press secretary.

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Persecuted gay remembered in Germany

A 600 000 euro concrete memorial has been inaugurated in Germany, to honour the thousands of homosexuals that were persecuted by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

Unveiled in Berlin, the monument (photo, from metronews.ca) is four-metre high and shows, through a window, a film of two men kissing.

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Mournings turn into protests in China

Mourning ceremonies have turned into protest events in recent days, for parents whose children were crushed to death in their classrooms during the earthquake in Sichuan Province.

The protest forced officials to address a growing political backlash over shoddy construction of public schools.

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Suu Kyi detention extended

The house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi has been extended. According to officials she is the country’s foremost democracy leader.

Ms Suu Kyi has been informed of the decision to extend her confinement by the authorities, on Tuesday, during a meeting at her home in Yangon.

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Peacekeepers sexually abusing children

A leading UK charity said that children as young as six are being sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers.

In post-conflict areas, children are being abused by the very people drafted into such zones to hep look after them, says Save the Children.

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