Youth in Pakistan don't want to marry their cousins

I forgot to post this on the forums when it arose like a week or two ago, but its still recent enough and a topic that is bound to excite conspiracy theorists and deniers that say that the suicide bombings in Pakistan and elsewhere are actually a western led conspiracy:

An al Qaeda "assassin" accused of bombing Christian churches and a luxury hotel in Pakistan was working for British intelligence at the same time, according to leaked files.

Sky News

An al-Qaida operative accused of bombing two Christian churches and a luxury hotel in Pakistan in 2002 was at the same time working for British intelligence, according to secret files on detainees who were shipped to the US military's Guantánamo Bay prison camp.

The Guardian

An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has hit south-western Pakistan, in a desert area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, the US Geological Survey says.

BBC News

A Briton of Pakistani origin has been arrested for faking his own kidnapping with that of his British wife to get a ransom from his family, say police.

The couple were living in Pakistan and were reported missing on 10 January from Gulberg, Lahore.

Police later found Awais Hadier Shah, 28, and his wife Jamie William, 24, hiding in a hotel room.

Mr Shah is expected to be charged with offences, including fraud. Police say his wife is not involved in the plot.

Read more @ BBC News

Dr Mobin Akhtar is on a mission to educate Pakistanis in sexual matters, but his latest attempt to do so has caused controversy.

The release of his book - Sex Education for Muslims - aims to teach people about sex in a way that is in keeping with Islamic instruction.

Dr Akhtar, 81, says the fact that sex is not discussed in Pakistan is having serious repercussions. As a psychiatrist, he says he has witnessed them himself, and that is why he felt the need to write his book.

Read more @ BBC News

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized oil-rich Muslim countries for their slowness and reluctance to send humanitarian aid to flood-stricken Pakistan.

According to the prime minister, member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have pledged to send only $1 billion to Pakistan. “What is the Muslim world, who say they own oil resources, doing? How much of their oil have they sent to Pakistan? I do not want them to get offended. But it was not they who discovered the oil resources. The resources are a blessing,” he stated during a symposium in İstanbul on Sunday.

Read more @ Today's Zaman

Deadly blasts hit Sufi shrine in Lahore

Suicide bombers have launched a deadly attack on a Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.

At least 35 people died in the blasts at the popular Data Darbar shrine late on Thursday evening, officials say.

At least 175 other people were hurt in the blasts, believed to be the first targeting a shrine in Lahore.

Read more @ BBC News

and no, that is not some euphimism.

Pakistani doctor suspended for putting cow in ambulance

A Pakistani doctor has been suspended for using an ambulance to carry home a cow he had bought at a local market, health authorities say.

The doctor had taken the ambulance from a rural health centre near the eastern city of Gujrat, in Punjab province.

He was intercepted by police while driving home from the cattle market.

Read more @ BBC News

Pakistan's Supreme court is set to hear petitions seeking the prosecution of the main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, for murder.

According to documents obtained by the BBC, the court will hear the accusations against Mr Sharif and then decide whether to pursue the charges.

The petitions call for Mr Sharif's arrest and prosecution.

He has denied ordering the murder of an ex-army officer after an alleged political kickbacks deal turned sour.

Nawaz Sharif, twice elected as Pakistan's prime minister, has recently been acquitted of similar criminal charges by the Supreme Court.

The court's decision was made on 21 July but it is expected to begin its inquiries imminently.

Read more @ BBC News