Malaysian court rules non-Muslims may call God Allah
A court in Malaysia has ruled that Christians have a constitutional right to use the word Allah when referring to God.
The High Court said a government ban on non-Muslims using the word was unconstitutional.
The court was ruling on a lawsuit filed by the Herald, a publication of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, in 2007.
The authorities had insisted that Allah was an Islamic word which could only be used by Muslims.
The BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur said some Muslim groups suspect the Catholic Church is seeking to encourage Muslims to convert to Christianity - a move which is illegal in Malaysia.
Read more @ BBC News
Finally, some sanity!
'World's best job' man stung by tiny, lethal jellyfish
The man who landed what was dubbed "the best job in the world" as the caretaker on a tropical island off Australia has been stung by a lethal jellyfish.
Briton Ben Southall, who beat 34,000 applicants to secure the position, was stung during his last week in the job.
The culprit was the peanut-sized Irukandji jellyfish, whose venomous sting can be lethal.
In his blog, which he keeps as part of his job, he describes the incident as "a little sting on the beach".
But it was his progressive symptoms of fever, headache, lower back pain, chest tightness and high blood pressure that led doctors to diagnose the sting.
"I thought I'd done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home," Mr Southall writes in the latest update to his online diary.
Read more @ BBC News
Mosque burned to the ground by arsonists
A mosque was burned to the ground by arsonists in an overnight attack.
Ten fire crews were called to Cradley Heath Mosque and Islamic Centre in Plant Street, Cradley Heathe, near Dudley in the West Midlands, on Boxing Day.
But they could not save the mosque building, which was completely destroyed in the attack. It is the second time the hall has been targeted in recent years.
The Islamic education centre next door was also burned out during the attack at 10.15pm on Boxing Day. Fire crews said the fire was started deliberately and police are now investigating.
Read more @ Telegraph
Gaza marchers on hunger strike in Egypt
Protesters trying to march into Gaza a year after an Israeli offensive are on hunger strike after Egypt blocked them from crossing the border.
Hundreds of people in Cairo have been prevented from getting close to the border with Gaza.
A group who got as far as the Sinai port of El Arish have been detained by the Egyptian police.
A separate convoy of vans delivering medical supplies is stuck in the Jordanian port town of Aqaba.
At least 38 people of various nationalities were picked up by Egyptian security services in El Arish and held in their hotel rooms, AFP news agency reported.
'Whatever it takes'
In Cairo hundreds of activists are camped outside the United Nations mission in Cairo trying to get them to pressure the Egyptians to let them cross the border with the Gaza Strip.
Read more @ BBC News
Iran protests leave nine dead, reports claim
Opposition leader Mousavi's nephew 'among the fatalities' as Tehran and other cities erupt in protest and violence on holy day
The nephew of Iran's reformist opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was reported to be among at least nine people killed after the streets of Tehran and other cities erupted in violent clashes between security forces and protesters.
Ali Mousavi, 35 and a father of two, was reportedly shot through the heart after police opened fire during disturbances in Tehran's Enghelab Square.
The authorities tonight tried to assert control over Tehran by reportedly declaring a 7pm curfew and outlawing all gatherings of more than three people, a source inside the capital told the Guardian.
The move followed announcements by opposition supporters of plans to meet in some of the city's main squares and parks to mark Sham-e Ghariban, which is part of the Ashura ceremonies.
Read more @ The Guardian
Gaza ceasefire in jeopardy as six Palestinians are shot
Eruption of violence comes as Israelis who opposed the war a year ago say they are being silenced and vilified
sraeli troops yesterday shot dead six Palestinians in two separate incidents, as evidence emerged that an increasingly fragile ceasefire between armed groups loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Israel appeared to be in danger of breaking down.
The shootings, the most serious violence in months, came a day before today's first anniversary of the outbreak of Israel's war against Gaza in which almost 1,400 Palestinians died – and as allegations have emerged from Israeli human rights campaigners who opposed the war that they are facing concerted attempts to silence them.
Read more @ The Guardian
Heavy snow is predicted for Wales
A warning has been issued that heavy snow is heading for much of Wales as soon as Tuesday.
Forecasters predict that up to 30cm, or a foot, of snow could fall by lunchtime on that day across higher ground in mid and south Wales.
There are also warnings that strong winds could cause it to drift.
Paul Knightley, of MeteoGroup, the Press Association's weather arm, said it was "probably the biggest fall of this cold spell, in Wales".
He said a system moving in from the Atlantic on Monday evening would meet colder air, forming snow.
"Across higher ground in central and south Wales, we can expect to see heavy snow - 20cm to 30cm, or up to a foot, by Tuesday lunchtime, with strong winds pushing it higher in drifts," said Mr Knightley.
"Tuesday is going to be a nasty day across much of Wales.
"We can also expect to see falls of 5 to 10cm [2-4 in] in parts of the Midlands. We are not sure how far north or how far south this snow could fall."
Read more @ BBC News
Turkish soldiers held in 'deputy PM assassination plot'
Eight Turkish soldiers have been detained over an alleged plot to assassinate Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, the army has said.
It said the soldiers were taken to the army headquarters in Ankara after being interrogated by a prosecutor on Friday.
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The detentions come amid renewed speculation that there is mounting tension between the governing AK Party, which has its roots in political Islam, and the powerful armed forces.
The Turkish army sees itself as the guardian of the country's secularism.
Read more @ BBC News
Pakistan court orders ears and noses to be cut off
A Pakistani court has ordered that two men have their ears and noses cut off, as punishment for doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them.
The two brothers were found guilty of kidnapping 20-year-old Fazeelat Bibi, one of their cousins, in September.
The judge in Lahore also sentenced them to life in prison.
Sentence was passed on Monday under a rarely invoked Islamic law dating from the 1980s. In the past similar sentences have been revoked on appeal.
'Eye for an eye'
Government prosecutor Ehtisham Qadir said the punishment had been awarded in accordance with the Islamic principle of "an eye for an eye".
Sher Mohammad and Amanat abducted Fazeelat Bibi as she returned home from work at a brick kiln in the Raiwind area of Lahore, the court heard.
"They put a noose around her neck, and then cut off her ears and nose," Mr Qadir told the BBC.
Read more @ BBC News