Romney fires Big Bird

A notice board causes a political storm. A "mur des cons" or "wall of jerks" has been filmed in the offices of a trade union representing a third of magistrates in France. While the union - the Syndicat de la Magistrature - is known to be left-wing, right-wing politicians are furious because the "wall of jerks" lampoons figures on the right, including Nicolas Sarkozy and a number of his allies. The question being asked is whether French justice is impartial.

French House Speaker Claude Bartolone gets a gunpowder letter telling him to delay Tuesday's vote on same-sex marriage. Continued tension over the vote is also seen in a homophobic attack at the weekend - a couple of guys were beaten up as they were leaving a gay nightclub in Nice. The US publication Mother Jones, meanwhile, argues that there is a Sushi Gap: a willingness to eat raw fish correlates almost perfectly with approval of marriage equality.