Free Republic

Fear not Sharia in Ontario The ongoing brouhaha surrounding Ontario's possible approval of Sharia law as a basis for legal arbitration of family disputes reflects the suspicions many Westerners harbour toward Islam in the wake of 9/11 and other terror attacks. With activists fearing any validation of Sharia in Ontario may lead to similar moves elsewhere, the issue has attracted international attention: Yesterday, protest marches took place not only in Toronto and Ottawa, but also in 10 other cities among them Montreal, Ottawa, Paris and London. " But while critics are correct to guard against the validation of extreme religious...

If you were driving down the road and saw a black man carrying a Confederate flag, what would your reaction be? Many of us would have to admit that we would be surprised to say the least because the sight of a Confederate flag is likely to spark strong emotions. To some, the symbol represents a part of the honorable history of people who held high principles. To others, the flag represents only hatred and oppression. At times, these opposing viewpoints reach the forefront of discussion such as in the case of whether clothing depicting the Confederate flag is appropriate...

BERLIN (Hollywood Reporter) - The Berlin Film Festival has gotten a much-needed shot of levity when Robin Williams turned the news conference for Omar Naim's sci-fi thriller "The Final Cut" into a free-association comedy routine. Williams got the biggest laughs from the packed room of international journalists and critics on Wednesday when he started taking shots at the Bush government and its search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "Bush is complaining about a lack of intelligence, which seems sort of redundant," Williams joked. "They say they don't know if Iraq had any WMDs -- well, all they have...

Ice on Mars: Americans Pour Cold Water on 'Eureka Moment' By John von Radowitz, Science Correspondent, PA News American space experts today poured cold water on Mars Express scientists' "eureka moment" - the first direct evidence of Earth-like ice on the Red Planet. Excited European Space Agency controllers said their orbiting space craft had detected frozen water at the Martian south pole. The scientists described the find as a "eureka moment" and said it confirmed the possibility that Mars once harboured life. But there was a cool reception among experts at the American space agency, Nasa, to the claim. They...

Nation also bans military overflights   PARIS Austria on Friday lined up with other European Union countries opposing U.S. plans for a possible war in Iraq by saying it would not allow American troops to cross its soil on the way to the Middle East unless the UN Security Council approved a resolution authorizing military action. Citing the country's neutrality, the defense minister, Herbert Scheibner, said the troops would not be allowed to cross the country by road or rail, and military overflights were also banned. "Should there be a new UN mandate, we would have to reconsider," he said....