ABRACADABRA

Muslims using cyber platforms are sinners: Fatwa
Cairo: Terming the use of networking sites such as ‘Facebook’ as anti-Islamic, a top Egyptian cleric has issued a fatwa against it saying Muslims using such cyber platforms must be considered "sinners".
And the cleric went to the extent of blaming such sites for growing incidents of marital discords in the country. Noted Sunni scholar Sheikh Abdel Hamid al-Atrash, former head of the fatwa commission at prestigious al-Azhar University here, issued the fatwa saying such sites have resulted in the rise of the marital infidelity. "It’s an instrument that destroys the family because it encourages spouses to have relations with other people which break Islamic sharia law," he said in the fatwa. "While one or other of the spouses is at work, the other is chatting online with someone else, wasting their time and flouting the sharia. This endangers the Muslim family," said al-Atrash.
The fatwa came after a study claimed that one in every five cases of divorces in Egypt had been caused after one of the partners started using social networking sites such as Facebook. Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Jumah condemned the practice of using Quranic verses as the mobile ringtones terming it as "improper" as it compromises the sacredness of the religious scriptures.

Employment agency for stone-pelting business!
Srinagar: The police arrested a person, alleged to be the kingpin of stonepelters in Kashmir valley, and claimed to have found documents which suggest this had fast turned into a lucrative ‘business’ for unemployed youths offering their ‘service’ for a price.
The police had launched a massive drive against stonepelters in the valley and their investigations led to a house in Bemina colony on outskirts of the city. They found several documents suggesting his involvement in stone-pelting business for nearly last two years, official source said.
The arrested person identified as Irshad Ahmed was interrogated by the police which recovered dozens of SIM cards, threat letters, fake press identity cards, cheque books and well maintained account registers which state the expenditure for stone-pelting in various parts of the valley.
The first register contained 294 names along with their photographs and mentions the details of money paid to them for their stone-pelting activities in the last one year in downtown city, the sources said.
The police claimed to have recovered sketches of roads leading from Ganderbal to Leh, a route used by army personnel to maintain essential supplies to Ladakh division, they said.
Irshad’s arrest is expected to blow the lid off stone-pelting business in the valley where some youths were operating ‘stone-pelting’ cartels funded by separatist groups and some political parties. Business worth lakhs of rupees is estimated to be generated through this activity. Separatist groups, especially those owning allegiance to Pakistan-terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Taiba, are alleged to have formed several groups comprising a minimum of dozen people, sources said to the interrogation team.
These groups are paid an amount ranging between Rs five to eight lakh, they said, adding a part of this money is handed over to another group known as "initiators" who pick up stones and start pelting on police and para-military forces.

NY museum holds unique exhibition on condoms
New York: An exhibition tracing the life and history of the condom from its creation and quality controlled testing to its integral role in safe sex campaigns is on at a museum here. The museum of sex has launched the exhibition ‘Rubbers: the Life, History and Struggle of the Condom’ detailing the provocative life of the condom. On since February 4, the exhibition takes a fun, functional and fundamental look at the history and progression of the condom from a single object to its role as multidisciplinary artefact. "Influencing everything from science to art to politics and religion, the condom, which has remained at the epicentre of debate since its inception, rose from its humble beginnings to become a barometer of morality and a saviour in the fight against AIDS," the organisers said. The exhibition features artefacts the cover the gamut from vintage photographs of sexually-transmitted diseases to military signage campaigning for the sexual safety of soldiers to a wide array of antique condoms, tins and dispensers.

Pajama outings banned
Shanghai: This Chinese city wants to look its best when it hosts the 2010 World Expo in a few months, so its spreading the word to residents: Pajamas are for inside the house. Concerned about the popular habit of wearing boldly colored PJs on city streets, officials have launched a public campaign to discourage the practice. Boing Boing notes that the trend has been immortalised on Flickr and in National Geographic. The fashion statement began "as a matter of practically because people lived in cramped conditions with no clear line between public space and private place," a Chinese sociologist tells the South China Morning Post.

British jail giving Viagra to hardened criminals
London: Lags freed from Belmarsh Jail, south London, on home leave are being handed Viagra to make sure they perform between the sheets when they visit their loved ones.
A source at the prison said convicts serving long sentences could suffer a loss of libido when faced with the prospect of a nookie after a long stint behind bars.
The 5-pound-a-go little blue pills (one pill costs Rs 372) are being distributed to the hardened criminals freely. "Inmates nearing the end of their sentence or those held at open prisons are eligible for home release. It must be costing a fortune," an insider added. A ministry of justice spokesman confirmed: "We issue Viagra after the prisoner has met with the jail’s GP. A clinical decision based on the prisoner’s health would be made."