Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes', Iranian cleric claims

Attractive women who snub traditional Islamic clothing to instead wear fashionable clothes and apply heavy make-up, caused youths in the country to “go astray” and have affairs, Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi said.

The hard-line cleric said as a result the country, bounded by several fault lines, experienced more “calamities” such as earthquakes, the reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper reported him saying.

Iran is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been devastating for the country.

"Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes," he told worshippers at a Tehran prayer service late last week.

"Calamities are the result of people's deeds.

“We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers."

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Further reading: Blogger: Show cleavage to test cleric’s quake theory

Caste discrimination against India's 'untouchables' is an international issue

For years, the Government of India has opposed efforts to place the issue of caste discrimination on the agenda of the international community. This attitude is counterproductive as it would be to India's advantage to support such efforts and take the lead in the global struggle against a form of discrimination which affects an estimated 260 million people around the world.

The caste system may be outlawed in India, but legislation is poorly implemented, and the country's 200 million Dalits – formerly known as 'untouchables' – continue to suffer appalling forms of discrimination. Murder, rape and other crimes against them are mostly committed with impunity, while many Dalits experience forced prostitution and other forms of modern slavery.

India has much to gain from encouraging international involvement in this issue. Its endorsement of a UN framework to eliminate caste discrimination would set an example to other countries and strengthen its own unsuccessful efforts to end this human rights problem. Such a framework exists in the form of the draft UN Principles and Guidelines to eliminate caste discrimination, which have been published, but not yet adopted, by the UN Human Rights Council.

Recently, civil society activists and an Indian MP have urged the government to stop opposing the inclusion of caste discrimination in the international human rights regime, and to become a champion of the draft UN Principles and Guidelines in the UN. However, government officials continue to reject such claims based on misguided interpretations of caste discrimination in the context of international human rights law.

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Greek goes to war over image rights

..."I got upset because they were using my image without my authorisation. But I also got upset because they were advertising the yoghurt as Turkish," he told the BBC.

"I am Greek. I feel Greek. I'm from Delphi, which is an internationally renowned location for Greek history."

Mr Karatzoglou has launched a series of legal proceedings in Greek courts against Lindahl's Dairy of Jonkoping in southern Sweden.

A civil suit demands compensation of 6.9m euros (£6m). His lawyers are also pursuing a criminal prosecution against the yoghurt firm's chief executive, Anders Lindahl, alleging misuse of personal data.

"This is not a frivolous case," says Athenian lawyer Mr Dimitris Dimitriou. "It is very serious. I think there is no bigger insult for a Greek than to be called a Turk."

His colleague says a misuse of personal data offence is punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

Lindahl's have rejected the compensation claim as unrealistic, and say they are not concerned about the threat of prison because the image was purchased in good faith. ...

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Tibet Blues in Russia - Loten Namling and Lento

The song of wishing the compassionate seed to all sentient beings

Pakistan holding thousands in indefinite detention, officials say

 The Pakistani military is holding thousands of suspected militants in indefinite detention, arguing that the nation's dysfunctional civilian justice system cannot be trusted to prevent them from walking free, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.

The majority of the detainees have been held for nearly a year and have been allowed no contact with family members, lawyers or humanitarian groups, the Pakistani officials and human rights advocates said.

Top U.S. officials have raised concern about the detentions with Pakistani leaders, fearing that the issue could undermine American domestic and congressional support for the U.S.-backed counterinsurgency campaign in Pakistan and jeopardize billions of dollars in U.S. assistance.

Pakistani officials say that they are aware of the problem but that there is no clear solution: Pakistan has no applicable military justice system, and even civilian officials concede that their courts are not up to the task of handling such a large volume of complex terrorism cases. There is little forensic evidence in most cases, and witnesses are likely to be too scared to testify.

The quandary plays directly into the Taliban's strategy. The group has gained a following in Pakistan by capitalizing on the weakness of the civilian government, promising the sort of swift justice that is often absent from the slow-moving and overburdened courts.

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