London's Metropolitan Police faces racism claims

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

April 6, 2012 -- Updated 1308 GMT (2108 HKT)

General view of the sign for the New Scotland Yard building in Victoria on January 27, 2011 in London, England.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Eight officers and a member of staff are suspended, the Metropolitan Police says
• About 20 officers and a member of staff are under investigation, police say
• "There is no room for racism in the Met," says the force's deputy commissioner
• The force, which has 32,000 officers, has faced accusations of racism in the past

London (CNN) -- London's Metropolitan Police was under fire Friday after 10 cases involving alleged racism by police officers were referred to the independent police watchdog for investigation.

Eight officers and a staff member have been suspended while allegations that they used racist language are reviewed, the Metropolitan Police said.

The 10 cases involve about 20 police officers and one staff member, a police spokesman said.

Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said Thursday that the force, known as the Met, was taking the matter very seriously.

In Spain, Women Enslaved by a Boom in Brothel Tourism

Marta Ramoneda for The New York Times

A prostitute waits for customers on a road in La Jonquera, on the border with France and Spain on December 11, 2011.More Photos »

By SUZANNE DALEY

Published: April 6, 2012

LA JONQUERA, Spain — She had expected a job in a hotel. But when Valentina arrived here two months ago from Romania, the man who helped her get here — a man she had considered her boyfriend — made it clear that the job was on the side of the road.

NYT: Caring, Romantic American Boys

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Caring, Romantic American Boys

By AMY T. SCHALET

Published: April 6, 2012

Amherst, Mass.

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Sophie Casson

WHY are boys behaving more “like girls” in terms of when they lose their virginity? In contrast to longstanding cultural tropes, there is reason to believe that teenage boys are becoming more careful and more romantic about their first sexual experiences.

For a long time, a familiar cultural lexicon has been in vogue: young women who admitted to voluntary sexual experience risked being labeled “sluts” while male peers who boasted of sexual conquests were celebrated as “studs.”

No wonder American teenage boys have long reported earlier and more sexual experience than have teenage girls. In 1988, many more boys than girls, ages 15 to 17, told researchers that they had had heterosexual intercourse.

Should God be obeyed? Should the government?

By Robert A. Burt, Published: April 7

Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly doubts humanity’s worth. We see these misgivings in the book of Genesis, when God decides to kill nearly all of humanity in a great flood because of our evil proclivities. Or when He destroys Sodom and Gomorrah because of their residents’ sinfulness. Or in Exodus, when God resolves to kill the Israelites, whom He has rescued from slavery in Egypt because of their idolatry of a golden calf, until Moses persuades Him otherwise.

The biblical narratives also record doubts on humanity’s side — doubts about the worth of obeying God and about his plans for us. By highlighting this aspect of humanity’s relationship with God, the Bible reveals itself in an unexpected light: as a guidebook for confronting authority — secular political authority as well as religious authority.

Người Việt và quá trình dân chủ hóa ở Việt Nam

Hòa Ái, phóng viên RFA

2012-04-06

Đại Hội Quốc Tế Học năm 2012 với đề tài “Người Việt và Việt Nam” vừa diễn ra trong ba ngày đầu tháng tư tại San Diego, thuộc tiểu bang California, Hoa Kỳ.

AFP PHOTO

Linh mục Nguyễn Văn Lý tại phiên xử ở Thừa Thiên Huế hôm 30-3-2007.

Đại Hội Quốc Tế Học năm 2012 do Tổ chức International Studies Association, gọi tắt là ISA, là một tổ chức hàng đầu trong lãnh vực quốc tế học, chủ trì. Tổ chức ISA này có hơn 5000 thành viên tại hơn 30 quốc gia và là thành viên của Hội Đồng Xã Hội Học Thế Giới. ISA cũng đóng vai trò cố vấn cho Liên Hiệp Quốc. Qua đề tài “Người Việt và Việt Nam” được tổ chức năm nay, tiếng nói của người Việt và quá trình dân chủ hóa ở Việt Nam sẽ như thế nào? Hòa Ái tổng hợp thông tin và trình bày trong phần sau.

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