Paris pool bans Muslim woman in 'burqini' swimsuit

PARIS: A Paris swimming pool has refused entry to a young Muslim woman wearing a "burqini," a swimsuit covering most of the body, officials said Wednesday, adding to tensions over Muslim dress in France.The incident came as French lawmakers conduct hearings on whether to ban the burqa after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the head-to-toe body covering and veil was "not welcome" in France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority.Officials in the Paris suburb of Emerainville said they let the woman swim in the pool in July wearing the "burqini," designed for Muslim women who want to swim without revealing their bodies.But when she returned in August, they decided to apply hygiene rules and told her she could not swim if she insisted on wearing the garment, which resembles a wetsuit with built-in hood.Pool staff "reminded her of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed," said Daniel Guillaume, an official with the pool management.Le Parisien newspaper said the woman, identified by her first name Carole, was a French convert to Islam and that she was determined to go to the courts to challenge the decision."Quite simply, this is segregation," the newspaper quoted her as saying. "I will fight to try to change things. And if I see that the battle is lost, I cannot rule out leaving France."The newspaper ran a photo of the woman sporting her three-piece "burqini" which she said she purchased in Dubai during a recent holiday."I bought it thinking that I could enjoy swimming without having to uncover myself," she said.Local mayor Alain Kelyor said "all this has nothing to do with Islam," adding that the "burqini" was "not an Islamic swimsuit; that type of suit does not exist in the Koran," the Muslim holy book.

Govt scraps parliamentarians Hajj quota

ISLAMABAD: The Hajj quota of the parliamentarians has been ended for the first time in the country’s history.Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi said the quota has been scrapped in line with the decision of the Cabinet.The parliamentarians’ quota of 6500 persons has now been included in the general draw.The Federal Minister said action will be taken against unregistered tour operators and Hajj organizers.The Governor has issued instructions for submission of applications under Hajj Scheme up to August 15. It has also advised the potential Hajj pilgrims to submit their applications only at Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Gaza white flag deaths probe call

Israel must investigate the "unlawful" killing of 11 civilians carrying white flags during its Gaza operation earlier in 2009, Human Rights Watch has said.

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Five women and four children were among those killed in seven incidents detailed by the US-based rights group.
Researchers said the soldiers at best failed to protect civilians, and at worst deliberately shot at them.
Israel has launched investigations into five "white flag" incidents, but says Hamas exploited civilians with flags.
In one incident, east of Jabalya, HRW said Israeli soldiers fired at two women and three children, three of whom were holding pieces of white cloth......more

China scales back screening plan

China has scaled back its plans to install controversial net filtering software on its citizens' computers.

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In June, the government said that all PCs would have to have the "Green Dam Youth Escort" software installed to filter out objectionable material.
The announcement caused an outcry in China and further afield.
The government has now said that citizens can choose whether they use the program, although installations on public computers will still go ahead.
"Installation is intended to block violent and pornographic content on the internet to protect children," said China's minister of industry and information technology Li Yizhong.....Full Story

Titanic artifacts in New York

NEW YORK: Hundreds of people waited in line to see mirrors, hairbrushes, cuff links and other items that survived the sinking of the Titanic.The "Titanic: Treasures From the Deep" traveling collection of 50 artifacts is on display through 4 p.m. Sunday outside St. Clair Square in the Dillard's parking lot.The artifacts were recovered from the debris field on the ocean floor surrounding the Titanic, including pieces of the ship, a spittoon and personal items from passengers, such as documents, clothes and a gem-encrusted tie pin.The White Star Line passenger ship was on its maiden voyage from Southhampton, England, to New York City when it struck an iceberg April 14, 1912, and went down in the Atlantic Ocean early in morning on April 15, 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people. Fewer than half that many people survived... GEO