More than half of Americans say that the U.S. economy is in a recession or a depression

A Gallup survey found that only 27% of U.S. adults said that the economy is growing. Twenty-nine percent said that the economy is in a depression and 26% said that it is in a recession, with another 16% saying that it is slowing down.

Lands conference awards Safed rabbi who said that Jews shouldn't rent to non-Jews

The rabbi of Safed who encouraged citizens to refuse to rent apartments to non-Jews has won an award at an annual conference dealing with issues of the Land of Israel. The conference, which was founded by the Jewish religious movement Komemiyut (independence), was officially called the "Land of the nation or land of all the nation’s citizens." Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu was one of 18 prominent rabbis who signed a petition that came to be known as the 'rabbis' letter' in October 2010 urging Jews to refrain from renting or selling apartments to non-Jews. Eliyahu reiterated his prior message at the conference held in the central town of Ramle, saying "the Jewish law is clear… Thank God that in Safed, land isn't sold to foreigners." Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hershkowitz awarded Eliyahu with the prize for "his actions, effort and devotion to the Jewish nature of the Land of Israel." Most of the signatories were from Safed, a city that has seen an increase in its Arab student population that is enrolled at the town's local college. The rabbi slammed those who have accused him of being a racist, saying that a survey showed that 74% of the public supports the letter. He added that he believed the letter had backing from God.

A 35-year-old Nigerian woman has appeared in court charged with organizing, directing and running a brothel in Dublin, Ireland

The Nigerian woman was arrested as part of the Garda National Immigration Bureau's Operation Mast, a two-year-investigation into human trafficking and organized prostitution. She was one of 40 people arrested. Over 120 people were interviewed as part of the operation and 11 victims were identified and rescued. The court has heard that substantial amounts of money had passed through the 35-year-old Nigerian woman's bank account, which she no longer has access to.

In Pennsylvania, 52% of voters say that Obama does not deserve a second term

Obama, who won 55% of Pennsylvania voters in the 2008 election, is underwater mostly because of his deterioration among independent voters, 57% of whom disapprove of his performance. One reason for his high disapproval ratings may be his policy on Libya with 68% of voters, including 65% of Democrats, saying that the United States should not be involved in the North African nation.

Four in 10 registered voters approve of Obama's handling of the economy, a new poll has found

According to the McClatchy-Marist Poll, 57% disapprove and the remaining 3% are unsure.

Oral cancer rates are rising among men

The increase could be linked to HPV, a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer among women. Researchers say that the virus can be transmitted through oral sex. That could account for why oral cancer persists among men, even though tobacco use is reportedly down. HPV is becoming more common among sexually-active adults. About 65% of oral cancer tumors were linked to HPV in 2007, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Intentional homicide rates around the world

The highest homicide rates in the world are found in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America while the lowest are found in Europe and Asia.

Mexican police have found 21 more bodies during a search of mass graves in the city of Durango

Officials said that digging would continue at the sites, and have not ruled out finding further remains. The number of bodies unearthed in the state of Tamaulipas rose to 183 after six more remains were found. Durango and Tamaulipas have seen high levels of violence as drug gangs battle for control of smuggling routes. The existence of the mass graves in Durango came to light in early April 2011, when four bodies were found in a car repair workshop. To date, 79 sets of remains have been exhumed from this site, and a further 17 bodies found at another location in the city. Officials say it is believed that the corpses had been buried for at least a year. None of the bodies has been so far identified.

Fat, race and vitamin D

A study has found that while black and white children with vitamin D deficiency both had higher fat levels, black children were more likely to have higher levels of fat just under their skin and white children were more likely to have higher levels of fat between their internal organs. Researchers measured vitamin D levels in 237 children and found that the majority of the study participants were vitamin D deficient. Plasma vitamin D levels were associated inversely with BMI and fat levels and positively with HDL cholesterol in all subjects. Visceral adipose tissue (fat between internal organs) was higher in vitamin D deficient whites and subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat below the skin) was higher in vitamin D deficient blacks compared with their respective vitamin D non-deficient counterparts.

Republicans hold a double-digit lead over Democrats in public perception of which party would do a better job dealing with the federal budget

According to a new Gallup/USA Today poll, 48% prefer Republicans, while 36% prefer Democrats in Congress.

Obama and the birth certificate

Obama has finally released his birth certificate. Personally, I wouldn't care if he was from the planet Mars if he was a good president. Unfortunately, Obama is a bad president regardless of what country he was born in.

A Turkish Muslim actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy

Sila Sahin has been branded a whore and a western slut after appearing topless on the cover of the skin magazine and Islamic fanatics have posted threatening Internet messages. Her parents are said to have reacted with horror at the 12-page coverage, and her mother has apparently cut off all contact. Sila, 25, claimed that the shoot was a reaction to the slavery of her youth. Islamic Internet sites are being monitored after threats were posted about her shaming Muslim womanhood and prostituting herself for money. A kebab shop owner, asked what he would do if Sila were his daughter, replied: "I would kill her. I really mean that. That doesn't fit with my culture."

Pro-Taliban Islamist cleric Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini has threatened to wage jihad if the Bangladeshi government passes any law banning child marriage

He said that two hundred thousand Jihadists of his group are ready to sacrifice lives if any such law, which goes against the Koran is passed by the current government in Bangladesh. Mufti Amini said, "Banning child marriage will cause challenging the marriage of the holy prophet of Islam, who also married minor Ayesha, when she was just eight years old. The new law initiated by the current government will put the moral character of the prophet into controversy and challenge. Islam permits child marriage and it will not be tolerated if any ruler will ever try to touch this issue in the name of giving more rights to women." Islamic Sharia law gives lesser rights to women. It also allows men to marry any infant girl child. Such laws are prevalent in most of the Islamic republics, while in Iran, even forceful sexual relations with the married infant is allowed. In Bangladesh, especially in rural areas, child marriage is very common, where hundreds of child mothers die due to lack of medical facilities as well as pre-mature pregnancy. There are even cases of deaths of child wives being virtually raped by their husbands. Child marriage is prevalent in rural Bangladesh.

At least 35 Islamic terrorists incarcerated at Guantánamo Bay were indoctrinated by extremist Muslim preachers in Britain

Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza, two Islamic preachers who lived off state benefits after claiming asylum in Britain, were responsible for sending dozens of Muslim extremists from throughout the world to Pakistan and Afghanistan via London mosques. For two decades, Britain effectively became a crucible of Islamic terrorism.

A black couple have been arraigned on charges that they stomped an elderly man to death amid a domestic dispute

Quintin Guerrero, 61, was killed when he rushed to aid one of his black attackers, Tosheba Alford, 20, after she jumped out of a moving cab in front of his Bronx house to escape a beating from her boyfriend, Alford's mother, Queen Smith, said. Alford told cops that she never raised a hand to man who tried to help her, insisting she attempted to stop her boyfriend, Kendall Major, 35, from killing Guerrero. Witnesses, including the cabbie who drove the black pair to the Bronx, claimed that Alford was as responsible as Major for the beat-down. "It was very horrifying to see," said livery cab driver Angel Ruiz, 47, who called 911 and helped cops track down the black pair. Major and Alford have been arraigned in Bronx Supreme Court on second-degree murder charges. They were ordered held without bail.

What happened to the Hispanic and Asian voters in the 2010 elections?

About 31% of eligible Latino and Asian voters cast ballots in the 2010 congressional elections, compared with 49% of eligible white voters and 44% of eligible blacks, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center that shows that the nation’s fastest-growing minorities are largely failing to exercise their right to vote. The absence of so many Latino and Asian voters at the polls means that the political influence of these minority groups will fall short of their demographic strength by years, if not decades. The snapshot of minority voting comes on the heels of a poll showing that support for Obama among Latinos is down by more than 25 percentage points compared with the start of his administration — cause for serious concern among Democrats since Obama needs Latinos to show up in force for him in 2012, as they did in 2008, political analysts say.

A new Rasmussen poll has found that 58% of whites believe that America’s best days are in the past

Just 18% of white voters believe that America is headed in the right direction.

A holy war has erupted at a Sikh temple in Queens - where worshipers wielding swords interrupted a prayer session to attack their rivals in a vicious power struggle

Rival factions at the Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center in South Richmond Hill have been bickering for months over control, authorities and members said. The dispute reached a bloody climax when the infighting turned violent, accompanied by screams, taunts and death threats. The attackers - armed with at least two swords, according to a witness - were part of the old guard that had been recently voted out of power but refused to accept the decision. Seven people were arrested, including Harinder Singh, 47, who was charged with assault after punching a man in the eye. Others were charged with unlawful assembly, resisting arrest, rioting, and disrupting a religious service.

Of those American voters who see gas prices as a serious financial hardship, just 39% approve of Obama’s job performance, and only 33% say that he is handling the economy well

Some 60% of independents hammered by gas prices say that they definitely won’t be voting for Obama in 2012 and when matched with Republican, Mitt Romney, Obama loses a hypothetical election by 24 percentage points among independents struggling with gas prices.

A majority of Egyptians believe that laws in their country should observe the teachings of Islam's holy book, the Qur'an

A poll shows that 50% of Egyptians think it is "very important" for Islamic parties to be part of a future government and that as much 37% have a "very favorable" view of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest and best organized Islamic group. Another 62% of Egyptians believe that laws in their country should strictly follow the teachings of the Qur'an.