Is it right to glamorize extreme thinness?

The French National Assembly has passed a groundbreaking bill which seeks to criminalise the promotion in the media of extreme thinness. That’s everything from pro-anorexia websites that encourage girls and young women to starve themselves, to magazines and advertisers. If approved by France’s upper house, those found to have encouraged severe weight loss could be fined up to 45,000 euros and face three years in prison. Is this the right approach? Or should there be no limits on what can appear on the web?

On Air: Should the US be welcoming the Pope?

He’s received a Presidential greeting like no other on his first official visit to the US, but should he be receiving such a welcome?

During his six-day visit, the Pope, as head of the Catholic Church will address the UN and lead prayers at Ground Zero. Before arriving on American soil he told reporters on board his plane that he was “deeply ashamed” of sexual abuse by US clergy and said “we will absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry”. In recent years, the US Catholic Church, which has around 65 million followers, has paid $2bn (£1bn) to settle clergy sexual abuse cases.

WHYS in Glasgow in June

Here’s some advanced publicity about the WHYS week in Glasgow in June..

Talking points for April 16

Good morning, Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the United States for his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church and received an unprecedented presidential greeting at the airport. He started his six-day tour by telling the media that the sexual abuse scandal involving Catholic clergy in the US caused him shame, but the abuse scandal is only one of several controversial issues likely to come up during Benedict’s trip.