Round-up

1. Canada is poised to become the first country to significantly distance itself from a major anti-racism conference the United Nations is planning for next year. Insiders say the government feels the new conference is shaping up to be like the anti-West and anti-Israel free-for-all that critics said the initial gathering quickly turned into. Arab- and Muslim-led verbal attacks on Israel at the 2001 conference were so dominant the United States and Israel walked out in protest. Beyond Israel, some Arab and Muslim countries additionally seek the 2009 agenda to focus on "Islamophobia". While that could mean a legitimate study of discrimination against Muslims, UN skeptics say it is actually code to characterize Western anti-terrorism efforts as a plot to subjugate Islam. The 2001 conference also saw Nigeria and Zimbabwe lead African countries in a demand Western powers apologize for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and pay huge reparations.

2. Authorities in Brazil have opened a probe into suspected racism at the Sao Paulo Fashion Week after reports that non-white models were badly under-represented on the catwalk. The Sao Paulo Fashion Week's organizer, Paulo Borges, had defended the small number of minority models by saying there were fewer non-white models available for the designers.

"We're not convinced," the prosecutor said.

Well, you wouldn't be, would you?