Barack Obama has bowed before the UN over Arizona immigration law By Nile Gardiner World Last updated: August 31st, 2010 Obama has kowtowed to the UN (Photo: Reuters) There can be few sights more humiliating for the American people than that of a US president kowtowing to a foreign leader or to supranational institutions. Continental Europeans are used to this sort of thing after decades of dominance by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, and have grudgingly accepted over time the gradual and undemocratic erosion of their freedoms. But most Americans fiercely defend their national sovereignty, and find the idea of giving international organisations a say over their laws and lives completely unacceptable.The Obama administration however has submitted a report to the UN Commissioner on Human Rights, South African judge Navanethem Pillay, which makes direct reference to a popular Arizona immigration law aimed at tackling illegal immigration, which is fiercely opposed by the White House, and is the subject of legal action by the Justice Department. The report referencesA recent Arizona law, S.B. 1070, (which) has generated significant attention and debate at home and around the world. The issue is being addressed in a court action that argues that the federal government has the authority to set and enforce immigration law. That action is ongoing; parts of the law are currently enjoined.The highly controversial reference to the Arizona law serves only one purpose – to gain UN and international support for the Obama administration’s position in the face of mounting opposition from Arizona legislators and a majority of the American people. A recent Rasmussen poll showed 61 percent of Americans backing Arizona-style laws for their own states, and just 28 percent supporting a Justice Department challenge .By doing so, Obama officials undoubtedly hope to stir up international condemnation of…

 Little is known about Israel’s own nuclear programme, developed with French aid in the 1950s. Some analysts believe the warheads are not permanently fitted on the Jericho missiles designed to carry them to their targets, in order to reinforce Israel’s assertion that it would never be the first to deploy them. But in October 1973, when Israel was struggling to fight off its Arab neighbours who had launched a massive attack, it did wheel its nuclear-capable missiles out of their silos. It is believed that the deployment was picked up by US spy satellites, prompting Washington to send huge shipments of conventional weapons to Israel to turn the tide of the Yom Kippur war. Read Article

 Travel like a rock star Guitarist tells how bands really tour and shares travel tips that rockers have refined: Where to stay, what to pack, who has the best rock clubs and more.  Mike Herron, one of the founders of the Incredible String Band, takes a notebook and fills it with photos of all the stuff he likes like Indian food and with photos of things he may need, like a pharmacist or doctor. When he needs something, he just points to a picture. It's actually very clever and works in places like Iceland."
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Can sleep deprivation be the cause of mental illness? New research from scientists suggests that sleep deprivation can actually drive you mad.   By Fiona Macdonald-Smith
Last Updated: 7:33AM GMT 02 Mar 2009 Insomnia has long been linked to mental illness, but only as a side-effect Photo: GETTY “The first thing I knew about it was from the woman downstairs, who was banging on the door of our flat and asking about the water pouring through her ceiling. I went into the bathroom, and saw that the bath was overflowing. I’d forgotten to turn it off, and, even worse, had no recollection of ever running it,” says Louise, a copywriter and mother of two, who has been an insomniac since the age of seven. You would normally put Louise’s erratic behaviour down to a case of extreme forgetfullness due to lack of sleep, rather than a sign of mental illness, but a recent article in the New Scientist now raises the possibility that insomnia could actually cause mental illness. Insomnia has long been linked to mental health problems, but they were always considered a side-effect. Now studies by American scientists suggest otherwise.“It was just so easy to say about a patient, well, he’s depressed or schizophrenic, of course he’s not sleeping well – and never to ask whether there could be a causal relationship the other way,” said Robert Stickgold, a sleep researcher at Harvard University. A whole host of psychiatric problems including depression, post traumatic stress and attention deficit disorder could be caused by sleep problems, the new research suggests. Louise, now 38, from north London, is convinced there is a connection. “I’m sure the insomnia was the cause of my mental state, not a side-effect,” she says. Louise had become used to coping on four hours…

  Inside Rod Blagojevich's jobs machine SPECIAL REPORT | Declaring a hiring freeze while doling out jobs based on clout, former governor carried on business as usual from day 1 of his term, files revealOctober 16, 2009
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