Around the world

Bikinis in Bali

It has not been an easy decision for Muslim Indonesia, but after months of in-depth consultations Indonesian lawmakers have decided that bikinis are acceptable attire for beaches in this mainly Muslim country. Though the country is mainly Muslim the island of Bali has been historically a Hindu country and Indonesia's tourists income depends on the limitations placed on beach ware in the country.

But the fight is not over yet; a new anti-pornography bill being pushed by conservative Muslim parties. Politicians, artistes, rights activists and tourism entrepreneurs on the mainly Hindu island of Bali, Indonesia's premier tourist destination, have vowed to launch a campaign of non-compliance if the pornography bill is passed.

"Tourists will be able to wear bikinis in special tourist areas, such as in Bali, so Indonesia's tourism industry won't be hurt by this legislation," Democrat Party lawmaker Husein Abdul Azis said. "We are listening to the protests of stakeholders and people at large," he added, referring to fears the tourism industry would suffer if bikinis were criminalised.

TV's influence on dreams

Do your dreams come in colour or are they in black and white? Researchers in Britain have found that children who are exposed to black-and-white film and television are more likely to dream in greyscale throughout their life.

For almost a century now opinions have been divided on the colour of dreams. Studies between 1915 and 1950 suggested that the majority of dreams are in black and white, while those in the 1960s showed up to 83 per cent of dreams contain colour. Now, it seems that a team at the University of Dundee, led by Dr. Eva Murzyn, has laid the debate to rest.

They first asked 60 subjects under 25 - half of whom over 55 - to answer a questionnaire on the colour of their dreams and their childhood exposure to film and TV. The subjects then recorded different aspects of their dreams in a diary every morning. They found there was no significant difference between results drawn from the questionnaires and the dream diaries - suggesting that the previous studies were comparable, the New Scientist reported.

The researchers then analysed their own data to find out whether an early exposure to black-and-white TV can still have a lasting effect on their subjects dreams 40 years later. Only 4.4 per cent of the under-25s' dreams were black and white.

The over-55s who'd had access to colour TV and film during their childhood also reported a very low proportion of just 7.3 per cent.

Powell on Obama

A BBC report says that US President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has told American voters to vote for Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House.

He is reported as saying that Mr. Obama had "the ability to inspire" and went on to claim that "All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win.

Mr Powell's endorsement carries weight, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Washington.

This is in part because, as a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State, Colin Powell's backing says to undecided American voters "I trust this man as the Commander in Chief and so you should too", the BBC correspondent adds.

Mr. Powell's support will be seen as a significant boost to the Obama campaign a few weeks before voting day. It is reported that this is not a decision Colin Powell has taken lightly.

He has spoken to both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama regularly and watched carefully and he has concluded, he says, that Barack Obama has the style and substance to lead America in the future.

"I think he (Barack Obama) would be a transformational president," Mr. Powell told NBC's Meet The Press.

An Obama victory would "not just electrify our country, it would electrify the world", he said.

Mr. Obama was better suited to handle America's economy, the former Secretary of State said.

President Bush's first Secretary of State criticised his own party for allowing the campaign to turn negative.

"I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the (Republican) Party say... such things as 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim'.

"Well the correct answer is, 'He's not a Muslim, he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian'. But the really right answer is, "What if he is?" Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is 'No', that's not America.

Gurkha Honour Redeemed

For generations, they have shown great courage and loyalty, fighting for Britain in countless wars. And they were greatly respected for this by the British. But a week ago the Gurkhas won a greater battle and that was to defeat a ruling made by Britain which took away their right to settle in the UK after retirement.

The landmark ruling by the High Court was an official recognition of the unswerving service that the fearless soldiers had given to Britain, often at great personal cost. This, said the judge, Justice Blake, earned them "an unquestionable moral debt of honour" from the British people. Decreeing that the ruling was discriminatory and illegal the judge said it needed urgent revision.

The judge's decision was greeted with a roar of approval by Gurkhas and their supporters packed into the court. A few minutes later a cheer went up from several hundred others, including British ex-servicemen, who had gathered outside with flags flying and bagpipes playing.

His decision came at the end of a judicial review of Home Office policy in a test case brought by five veterans and the widow of another. Their solicitor said: "This is a victory that restores honour and dignity to deserving soldiers who faithfully served in Her Majesty's Armed Forces. It is a victory for common sense, a victory for fairness and a victory for the British sense of what is right."

Under present rules, former Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997, when the Brigade of Gurkhas moved its base from Hong Kong to Hampshire when the city reverted to Chinese control, have to demonstrate 'strong ties' with Britain to obtain permission to settle.

- Roving Eye