The internet has sparked a revolution in the way some Muslims are meeting potential partners.

Many young Muslims in the UK are now breaking with tradition by turning to online introduction websites to find a suitable spouse.

In Islam, parents were traditionally expected to facilitate marriage, often by suggesting potential partners for their offspring to consider, but some young Muslims are now using modern technology to find partners for themselves.

Bridging the gap between tradition and the modern world

Jason Rahim of the online agency Islamic Faces insists that young Muslims who sign up to his website are serious about making a match that will win their parents' approval.

Skipping sleep 'hardens arteries'

People who scrimp on sleep are more likely to develop hardening of their arteries, a precursor to heart disease, research suggests.

Calcified arteries were found in nearly a third of people who slept fewer than five hours a night.

This dropped to around one in 10 for those who slept an extra hour, the Journal of the American Medical Association study of 495 adults found.

Experts said getting enough sleep was important for good heart health.

In the study, the volunteers underwent two CT scans, designed to assess the build-up of calcium in the heart's arteries, five years apart.

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Discoverymagazine:

Parrots are probably most famous for their ability to imitate different sounds they hear. If you were in the room with your eyes closed, you might find it difficult to tell the difference between a parrot’s "hello" and the "hello" of a human. Unlike humans, parrots do not have vocal cords. Instead, they learn to control the movement of the muscles in the throat to direct the airflow in such a way as to reproduce certain tones and sounds—sometimes even human sounds.

Fascinating.

'No apology' for detained doctor

The Australian government has said it will not apologise to an Indian doctor who was wrongly detained and charged over bomb attacks in the UK in 2007.

Dr Mohamed Haneef demanded an apology after a report on Tuesday found that various mistakes had been made.

But Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the government would not say sorry at this stage, as Mr Haneef's lawyers intended to sue for compensation.

He said an apology now might influence the claim.

'Totally unacceptable'

Mr Haneef was mistakenly arrested, detained and charged over a failed plot to detonate bombs in London and Glasgow last year.