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Divorce 'cool-off' period urged

published by You on 12 July, 2009 - 18:19

Couples should have a compulsory three-month "cooling off" period before they can start divorce proceedings, a Conservative think tank will recommend.

A report commissioned by ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith will also propose a network of family relationship centres to advise before and during marriage.

Mr Duncan Smith said research suggested young people had "incredibly high expectations" of marriage.

He added that the idea of compromise by couples "seems to have disappeared".

'Strong encouragement'

The report - titled Every Family Matters - urges that estranged husbands and wives should be required by law to undergo a three-month period before launching divorce proceedings to reflect on their marriage and examine the possibility of reconciliation.

Israel rejects peace with Syria

published by You on 12 July, 2009 - 17:40

Israel must stay 'deep in Golan'

An aide to Israel's prime minister has said Israel must keep a large part of the Golan Heights, rejecting Syria's major demand for a peace deal.

The previous government held indirect talks with Syria, assumed to be based on returning the Golan Heights, occupied in 1967, in return for peace.

In June, Syrian President Bashar Assad said there was no partner for talks on the Israeli side.

Correspondents say the aide's comments will serve to reinforce this view.

Syria has remained in a state of war with Israel since its 1948 foundation.

Israel took control of the Golan Heights, a strategic mountainous area now popular with Israeli holidaymakers, during the 1967 Six Day War...

Why the #$%! Do We Swear?

published by You on 12 July, 2009 - 16:43

Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief

Dropping the F-bomb or other expletives may not only be an expression of agony, but also a means to alleviate it

Bad language could be good for you, a new study shows. For the first time, psychologists have found that swearing may serve an important function in relieving pain.

The study, published today in the journal NeuroReport, measured how long college students could keep their hands immersed in cold water. During the chilly exercise, they could repeat an expletive of their choice or chant a neutral word. When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer...

Are saudis trying to take over the world?

published by You on 12 July, 2009 - 05:10

May seem a bit sectarian, and even hypocritical of me since I generally avoid such stuff, but...

In chechnya, there were the "sufi Muslims" fighting, then there was an influx of salafis...

In pakistan the "taliban" are also influenced by Salafis (and fighting the locals to "prevent shirk")

In Somalia, the Shabab are fighting the government and also imposing the salafi ways onto a "sufi population".

I do wonder if this is somehow all being funded by Saudistan.

Video on the imposition of Shariah in Somalia which made me ask the question:

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M8KxXG7UFg]

BNP's Griffin: Islam is a cancer

published by You on 12 July, 2009 - 01:18

As the BNP struggles for right-wing support in the European Parliament, leader Nick Griffin tells Cathy Newman he believes there is "no place in Europe for Islam".

The BNP leader Nick Griffin has described Islam as a “cancer” that should be removed from Europe by "chemotherapy".

In an interview with Channel 4 News, Mr Griffin, who has just been elected to the European Parliament, said there was "no place in Europe for Islam".

He added: "Western values, freedom of speech, democracy and rights for women are incompatible with Islam, which is a cancer eating away at our freedoms and our democracy and rights for our women and something needs to be done about it".

Bosnia buries Srebrenica victims

published by You on 11 July, 2009 - 23:00

The remains of 534 newly identified Bosniak Muslim victims of the Srebrenica massacre have been buried 14 years after the event.

Some 8,000 Bosniak Muslims, mainly men and boys, were killed by Bosnian Serbs near the town of Srebrenica in 1995 and buried in mass graves.

About 5,000 of the victims have been identified to date.

Thousands of mourners attended the ceremony, an annual reminder of the Bosniak Muslims' suffering in the war.

Read more and watch video @ BBC News

Identity switch twin flees court

published by You on 11 July, 2009 - 21:31

Police are searching for a man who escaped from custody after switching identities with his twin brother.

Simon MacLellan, 27, from Gosport, has not been seen since Friday afternoon when he was released by magistrates.

MacLellan was on remand at HMP Winchester in connection with a serious assault. His twin, Mark, is also on remand for a less serious offence.

Hampshire Police said a 27-year-old man had been arrested in connection with aiding and abetting an escape.

Mark MacLellan was due to appear at Fareham Magistrates' Court.

It is thought the pair - who are non-identical twins - switched identities in prison and the wrong brother was taken to court.

The mistake was spotted by prison officials shortly after 2100 BST on Friday...

If there's trouble int eh neighbourhood, who you gonna call?

published by You on 11 July, 2009 - 20:24

Not the Ghostbusters.

Saudi 'genie' sued for harassment

A family in Saudi Arabia is taking a "genie" to court, accusing it of theft and harassment, reports say.

They accuse the spirit of threatening them, throwing stones and stealing mobile phones, Al Watan newspaper said.

The family have lived in the same house near the city of Medina for 15 years but say they only recently became aware of the spirit. They have now moved out.

A local court is investigating. In Islamic theology, genies are spirits that can harass or possess humans.

'Get out of the house'

"We began to hear strange sounds," the head of the family, who come from Mahd Al Dahab, told the Saudi daily. He did not want to be named.

Massive phone tapping by News Of The World

published by You on 10 July, 2009 - 15:00

And the police say they will not investigate. Huzzah for freedom and civil liberties.

Stars 'may sue' over phone claims

Public figures who believe they were victims of alleged phone hacking by investigators hired by the News of the World are considering suing the paper.

One lawyer told the BBC he has had two enquiries and that more celebrities and politicians were seeking advice.

It follows claims in the Guardian that the tabloid paid £1m to settle legal cases which threatened to expose the use of illegal methods to get stories.

Scotland Yard has said it will not investigate the fresh allegations.

The dangers of dieting.

published by You on 10 July, 2009 - 14:57

Uncomfortable in his own skin

Paul Thorn lost nearly 16st 13lb (107.5kg) as a result of gastric bypass surgery. He now weighs 11st 5lb (69.8kg), a weight which he says he always dreamed of being.

But he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire programme that he was not prepared for the amount of excess skin which would be left on his legs and stomach. He said he felt better about himself when he was obese.

Watch the video @ BBC News

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