The Islamic Solidarity Games, due to be held in Iran in April, have been called off because of a dispute with Arab countries over what to call the Gulf.

The games federation in Saudi Arabia said the Iranian organisers had failed to address its concerns, particularly about the planned logo and medals.

These bear the words "Persian Gulf", but Arab countries, who call it the Arabian Gulf, reject the term.

The games had been postponed in October in the hope of striking a deal.

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Muslim women should be banned from covering their faces, Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party has said.

Mr Farage, an MEP and UKIP’s former leader, said wearing a veil had become a symbol of cultural divisions in Britain. He denied the call was motivated by prejudice.

...

"It is a symbol of something that is used to oppress women, it is a symbol of an increasingly divided Britain, and the real worry – and it isn't just about what people wear – is we are heading towards a situation where many of our cities are ghettoised and there is even talk of Sharia law becoming part of British culture."

[size=9]A photo of Bin Laden from 1998 (left) was apparently digitally altered using elements from an image of Gaspar Llamazares (right)[/size]

A Spanish politician has said he was shocked to find out the FBI had used his photo for a digitally-altered image showing how Osama Bin Laden might look.

Gaspar Llamazares said he would no longer feel safe travelling to the US after his hair and parts of his face appeared on a most-wanted poster.

He said the use of a real person for the mocked-up image was "shameless".

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo said an FBI spokesman had admitted the agency had taken a picture from Google Images.

A mother accused of murdering her disabled son has described in court how she told him that she loved him before administering a heroin overdose.

Frances Inglis, 57, of Dagenham, Essex, denies murdering Thomas Inglis, 22, on 21 November 2008 and an earlier attempt to kill him on 4 September 2007.

Mr Inglis was fatally injected with heroin at his Hertfordshire care home.

The Old Bailey jury heard she injected his arm and thighs after saying: "Everything's going to be fine."

She was giving evidence about the moment she allegedly attempted to murder her son Tom in September 2007 in a bid to end his suffering.

'Went to sleep'

The Old Bailey has heard that Ms Inglis went on to succeed in killing the 22-year-old in November 2008.

Police will begin arresting Brian Thompsons
like this one later today

THE government has banned the extremist group Islam4Uk, forcing it to change its name to Brian Thompson.

Following a high-level inquiry by the Daily Mail, home secretary Alan Johnson said he had proscribed the organisation under a series of names it goes by including Al Muhajiroun, Beard Force and Anjem and the Hurricanes.

Mr Johnson said: "We can only keep Britain safe from terror by continually restricting the number of names these organisations have access to.

Thousands feared dead following mag 7 quake in Haiti

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A member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates has been cleared of the torture of a business associate.

Lawyers for Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the president's brother, said the court ruled he had been drugged and so was "unaware of his actions".

The incident came to light when a videotape was circulated showing the violent beating, said to have taken place in 2004.

It was the first reported investigation of a UAE ruling family member.

His lawyer, Habib al-Mulla, said the ruling had "clarified Sheikh Issa's position that he was a victim of conspiracy" over the torture of Mohammed Shah Poor.

Well, the article is about egyptian eye stuff, but I assume it is similar to/the same as surma:

Cleopatra's eye make-up 'had health benefits'

The heavy eye make-up favoured by ancient Egyptians such as Cleopatra may have had medical as well as aesthetic benefits, French research suggests.

The study, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, suggests it helped to protect against eye disease.

The key appears to be lead salts contained in the make-up.

At very low levels, salts produce nitric oxide, which boosts the immune system to fight off bacteria which can cause eye infection.

Three churches in Kuala Lumpur attacked after court reverses ban on Christians using the word 'Allah' to mean 'God'

Three Malaysian churches were attacked with firebombs, causing extensive damage to one, as Muslims pledged today to prevent Christians from using the word "Allah", escalating religious tensions in the multiracial country.

Many Malay Muslims, who make up 60% of the population, are incensed by a recent high court decision to overturn a ban on Roman Catholics using Allah as a translation for God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.

British MP George Galloway has been deported from Egypt, say activists working with him to take an aid convoy into Gaza.

The Bow and Bethnal Green MP had been with international activists trying to take 200 aid trucks into the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Egypt had refused some of the vehicles access and there have been protests and clashes on the Egypt-Gaza border.

The state news agency says Mr Galloway has left Egypt and returned home.

There have also been reports the Respect MP has been declared "persona non grata" and will not be allowed to enter Egypt again, following his criticism of Cairo over delays to the aid convoy.