The Huffington Post reports that France’s foreign minister said Tuesday that embattled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is prepared to leave the country. “We receive emissaries who are saying, ‘Qaddafi is prepared to leave. Let’s discuss it,’ ” Alain Juppe said. It’s a piece of long-awaited good news for the many who believe that the only…

The state of Colorado has proposed a long list of new regulations for day care centers, including a requirement that they provide dolls of at least three different races (not to mention other rules governing issues that include the amount of juice and snack served, and providers’ shoulder coverage). Some child care providers in the…

Images of Sudan on the eve of the country’s division: New York-based freelance photographer Tim McKulka’s We’ll Make Our Homes Here is the first book to include photography from all 25 Sudanese states. Thanks to South Sudan’s decision in January to secede on July 9, it will also be the last. Foreign Policy has collected…

In his new book, Who Are We — And Should It Matter in the 21st Century?, author Gary Younge examines the enduring legacy and obsession with identity in politics and everyday life, explaining how the way we define ourselves informs every aspect of our social, political and personal experience. And he doesn’t anticipate that changing…

As part of the Washington Post’s “Under Suspicion” series’ examination of the lives of American Muslims since the Sept. 11 attacks, Eli Saslow has profiled Abdirizak Bihi, whose story is another example of just how complicated those lives and our perceptions of them can be. The Somali-American man is the founder, director and sole employee…

About a month after giving birth to her son, Cree, Tia Mowry Hardrict of The Game has another related announcement: She’ll be writing a book about her experiences with pregnancy and motherhood: “Great News!!!!! I am now an AUTHOR!!! I am writing a BOOK! So excited about this new adventure! More news to follow!!! xoxo…

Strip club sued for discriminating against African-American employees: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against a Houston topless bar for allegedly forcing African-American waitresses and dancers not to work when the club was visited by a certain racist company executive. A manager says he’s shocked by the suit because the club markets…

There’s another book out, containing more brand-new “truths” about the president and his family. This one, focusing on his father, claims that Obama was (maybe, possibly) almost given up for adoption. From Madamenoir: According to the book, The Other Barack: The Bold and Reckless Life of President Obama’s Father, written by Boston Globe reporter Sally…

Less than two months before the Aug. 28 dedication in Washington, D.C., of a major memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., controversy is surrounding the sculpture. No, not from people who don’t think the late civil rights icon deserves the honor. Rather, the criticism is coming from those who question the decision to use a…