Erstellt am: 30. 7. 2012 - 15:15 Uhr

Offending sensibilities

Reality Check: Romney in Jerusalem and Pussy Riot in court in Moscow

It may not be immediately obvious what Mitt Romney has in common with Pussy Riot - the Russian all girl punk band - but both are in the headlines today, both upsetting people with their politico-religious sentiments.

First up, Romney. He wouldn't be the first US Presidential hopeful to open his mouth and put his political foot in it. While on a visit to Israel, Romney referred to Jerusalem as the capital. Although most Israelis would like it to be the capital and consider it so, most countries, and the United Nations, recognise Tel Aviv as the capital and have their embassies there. Initially, it looked like a gaffe, but on closer inspection, this is quite a common stance for Republican candidates to take, according to our Jerusalem correspondent, Irris Makler.

Meanwhile in Moscow, members of the girl punk bank Pussy Riot appeared in court today on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred or hostility".

The charge relates to a performance in one of the city's cathedrals in which they sang to the Virgin Mary, asking her to remove Vladimr Putin from power. Their performance not only upset the politicians, it also upset the Russian Orthodox Church, which has been having problems of its own, as our Moscow correspondent, Anya Ardeyeva explains.

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