"Two factory bosses were arrested in Bangladesh on Saturday, 72 hours after the deadly collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands, as the death toll rose to 325 and angry workers protested on the streets of the capital."

"The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 workers was still on the run."

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Bangladeshi police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of protesters demanding better working conditions after a garment factory collapsed, killing hundreds, earlier this week. M Asaduzzam, a police officer in the control room, called the protests "volatile." Asaduzzam said police used “rubber bullets and tear gas” to disperse the crowd. Meanwhile, the death toll in Wednesday’s deadly building collapse has risen to 300, with authorities expecting to find even more bodies as they search the building. A total of 50 people were found alive Friday, raising the hopes of thousands of relatives. The collapse came just months after a fire in November at a factory that makes clothes for Walmart and other Western labels.

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France approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage and gay adoptions -- and Socialist President François Holland is expected to sign it -- despite those in the country who remain fiercely opposed to it and attacks against gays rising as the debate has raged. Polls show a majority of the French favor equal rights for same-sex couples, but center-right politicians have embraced the protests as a way of opposing Hollande. Anti–gay marriage protesters have begun calling their movement the “French spring,” with about 45,000 marching in Paris in a mostly peaceful protest that included some wrapping themselves in the French flag and others carrying children or pushing baby carriages with the sign “All born of a mom and dad.” Meanwhile, there have been several high-profile attacks against gays in the country, including the beating earlier this month of a Dutch man who was walking hand-in-hand with another man in Paris.

NYT:

Opponents shouted slogans against Mr. Hollande and wrapped themselves in the red, white and blue of the French flag. Some carried children or pushed baby carriages under a slogan that read, “All born of a mom and dad.” Opposition leaders condemned any targeting of homosexuals. The numbers on Sunday were down considerably from the 300,000 who marched last month.

But on Monday, Manuel Valls, the interior minister, accused protesters and political opponents on the right of “unleashing homophobic speech.” Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Mr. Valls conceded that opponents of the bill were “numerous,” but said they represented “a minority compared to the millions” who voted for Mr. Hollande as president a year ago, when he promised to pass a same-sex marriage bill in his first year in office.

Also on Monday, the president of the National Assembly received a letter threatening “war” and attacks on Socialist lawmakers if the lower house approved the legislation, the French news media reported. The letter was said to have contained gunpowder.

In general, politics has come to overshadow the moral and religious questions around the bill, which Roman Catholic, Muslim and Jewish leaders oppose. The bill promises “marriage for all” and more contentiously, polls show, would legalize adoption by same-sex couples. The bill does not mandate state aid for artificial insemination or other assistance in procreation for same-sex married couples, however, which many French oppose. Such a bill may be proposed separately.

France has had a "civil solidarity pact" -- a form of civil union -- since 1999, which gives couples some rights and protections, but falls short of marriage and is more often used by heterosexual couples who see it as a form of "marriage light."

Over half of the countries in the European Union have either some sort of civil union, if not marriage, that is open to same-sex couples.

Something a little different to end the day with, and it's my birthday, so please indulge me a little. In case you aren't familiar with the story: Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. the film opens with Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a peasant in 19th-century France who has served 19 years in a prison-work camp for stealing a loaf of bread, and a few escape attempts. He’s done so under the supervision of the rigid Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), who possesses a borderline phrenological view toward criminality. When his parole comes up, Valjean—or “prisoner 24601,” as he’s known—becomes a pariah. The Bishop of Digne (Colm Wilkinson, who originally played Valjean on Broadway) provides him food and shelter but in return, Valjean steals the bishop’s silver. When the police catch Valjean, the bishop lies to the authorities, telling them he gave Valjean the silver, and to release him. He then tells Valjean he bought his soul for God, and to use the gifted silver to make a better life for himself.

Eight years later, Valjean has assumed a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine, a wealthy and benevolent factory owner. One of his workers is Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a beautiful woman who sends every last franc she makes to the swindling Thénardiers (played by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen) to pay for the care of her young daughter, Cosette(Amanda Seyfried). When Fantine is fired from the factory because of her co-workers’ petty jealousies, she is forced to sell her hair, her teeth, and ultimately prostitute herself to provide for her daughter.

Here is where Hathaway, after giving herself to her first client, rises and sings “I Dreamed A Dream.” She really makes this song her own, and it's a breathtaking performance! I can hardly wait for the Christmas season opening to watch the entire film, and hoping this will be Hathaway's first Oscar.

Hope you enjoy the clip. Your late night open thread begins below.

Protests against electoral fraud are ongoing as shown in this video, which is made up of protests in 23 cities in Mexico, and other countries. Many more protested in solidarity, around 50, but were not included in this video. Protests are censored by the media in Mexico, and only through the internet are the people able to get their message out to the world.

There is also a message from "Anonymous," and a full transcript of that message follows:

This is a message from the Global revolution to politicians,dictators and plutocrats all over the planet.
Surprised by the global disobedience?

Let us explain to you your delicate situation: Thousands of years ago, human beings started to evolve.
Since then, our species has walked a dark bloody road, which isolated people condemned to live in fear caused by ignorance.

Knowledge, ethics and technological development have always been conditioned by the elite and their wars, which as in the Orwellian metaphor, haven't done anything but perpetuate vertical and obscurantist social schemes.

We have arrived at the 21st Century of our era, after two World Wars,
endorsing the possibility of nuclear conflicts with assured mutual destruction.
Their so-called economists and intellectuals, having announced that it was "the end of the story",it seemed, more than ever, that looking for a fairer order was meaningless.

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From the director of "No End In Sight" comes a documentary on the financial meltdown of 2008 and the ways in which it could have been avoided.

"Inside Job" provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

Academy Award winner Matt Damon narrates this unflinching look at the deep-rooted corruption that has left millions of middle-class Americans jobless and homeless as the major corporations get bailed out while paying millions in bonuses.

[Length: 1 hour 48 minutes]

Via:

Yesterday, people from across France converged in Paris ahead of French national elections. Seizing upon the elections as an opportunity to demonstrate alternatives to a party system that merely serves the interests of bankers and the European financial elite, Réelle Démocratie Maintenant occupied public space to declare, ¨They do not represent us!¨

Paris is the first French city to re-occupy. Les Indignés have established an encampment at the Trocadéro and have experienced major police harassment. At least two people have already been arrested. The Occupiers are planning a communal meal, general assembly, and discussions on debt and other topics today. Tous à Paris sont invités à participer!

Follow on Facebook and Twitter: @AcampadaParis, #PrintempsFrancais.

The rest of Europe will be re-occupying during twin days of action on May 12th and May 15th. For more information, see here and here.