Muslims around the world will celebrate the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival this weekend. Depending on the sighting of the moon, Eid will either start on Sunday June 25 or Monday June 26.
What is Eid al-Fitr?
Eid al-Fitr means "festival of breaking the fast" and marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. It is celebrate for three days, and on the morning of the first day, Muslims gather for prayer.
Eid is also infused with different traditions in different countries. Most people use the three days of Eid for visitations. Other traditions include the Eidiyah, money given to kids on Eid and wearing new clothes.
When does Eid al-Fitr begin?
It begins with the first sighting of the new moon, so most of the time Muslims have to wait until the night before Eid to verify its date. The starting day varies every year and from country to country depending on geographical location.
How do people celebrate?
Eid traditionally start with prayers followed by a short sermon. In some countries the prayers take place outside, while others are hosted in mosques or large halls. After the prayers, Muslims wish thoe around them a happy Eid. People then visit relatives, friends and sometimes graveyards to pray for their dead.
Many people wear traditional clothes, give gifts or money to children, and donate to charity. In some countries, the holiday is known as Sweet Eid for its variety of sweets.
How do people dress for Eid?
An important marker of Eid is the clothes. Some would wear clothes from their culture, while others would pick out something new to wear.
This year, social media users were already fretting over Eid clothes mid-way through Ramadan. A few Muslim-owned businesses started trading free Eid outfits for retweets.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Queen's Speech: Brexit takes centre stage as controversial policies dropped
The Queen will set out the Government's two-year blueprint for Brexit in Parliament later - despite talks to build a parliamentary majority appearing to falter.
The Queen's Speech will have Brexit at its core, with the Great Repeal Bill as its centrepiece, in which EU law will be transposed onto the UK's statute book.
The Government also plans to set out the opportunities presented by our departure from the European Union in order to construct a society which "works for everyone".
Image:Last year's Queen's Speech
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister, she committed to work with "humility and resolve", which suggests criticism of her remote response to the Grenfell Tower fire has hit home.
She said: "This is a Government with purpose. Determined to deliver the best Brexit deal. Intent on building a stronger economy and a fairer society. Committed to keeping our country safe, enhancing our standing in the wider world and bringing our United Kingdom closer together.
"Putting ourselves at the service of millions of ordinary working people for whom we will work every day in the national interest," she concluded.
There will be bills to protect consumers by reducing motor insurance premiums, to boost transport infrastructure and turbocharge our space industry.
The Government will also contain details of a proposed Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill and a draft Tenants' Fees Bill, which "sits alongside action to fix the dysfunctional housing market".
But the speech will be remembered for what has been left out.
Image:There will be no carriage for the Queen this year
It usually draws on the winning party's manifesto for its substance, but controversial policy proposals including social care funding, ending free lunches for all primary school children and axing the pension triple-lock are expected to be quietly shelved because of the Government's precarious position.
The speech will also be memorable for another reason: the singular lack of pomp.
Due to its proximity to the Trooping the Colour ceremony, it was considered too great a logistical exercise for the military and the Royal Mews to include the extravagance usually invested in the day.
Rather than the Imperial state crown and ceremonial robes, the Queen will wear a day dress and hat and take a car instead of the carriage from Buckingham Palace.
The last time the Queen's Speech was similarly pared down was in 1974, when Harold Wilson defeated Ted Heath in another snap election designed to give the Conservatives a larger mandate in Westminster.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have started talks on forging a 'confidence and supply' deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has 10 MPs.
The Queen's Speech will have Brexit at its core, with the Great Repeal Bill as its centrepiece, in which EU law will be transposed onto the UK's statute book.
The Government also plans to set out the opportunities presented by our departure from the European Union in order to construct a society which "works for everyone".
Image:Last year's Queen's SpeechIn a statement issued by the Prime Minister, she committed to work with "humility and resolve", which suggests criticism of her remote response to the Grenfell Tower fire has hit home.
She said: "This is a Government with purpose. Determined to deliver the best Brexit deal. Intent on building a stronger economy and a fairer society. Committed to keeping our country safe, enhancing our standing in the wider world and bringing our United Kingdom closer together.
"Putting ourselves at the service of millions of ordinary working people for whom we will work every day in the national interest," she concluded.
There will be bills to protect consumers by reducing motor insurance premiums, to boost transport infrastructure and turbocharge our space industry.
The Government will also contain details of a proposed Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill and a draft Tenants' Fees Bill, which "sits alongside action to fix the dysfunctional housing market".
But the speech will be remembered for what has been left out.
Image:There will be no carriage for the Queen this yearIt usually draws on the winning party's manifesto for its substance, but controversial policy proposals including social care funding, ending free lunches for all primary school children and axing the pension triple-lock are expected to be quietly shelved because of the Government's precarious position.
The speech will also be memorable for another reason: the singular lack of pomp.
Due to its proximity to the Trooping the Colour ceremony, it was considered too great a logistical exercise for the military and the Royal Mews to include the extravagance usually invested in the day.
Rather than the Imperial state crown and ceremonial robes, the Queen will wear a day dress and hat and take a car instead of the carriage from Buckingham Palace.
The last time the Queen's Speech was similarly pared down was in 1974, when Harold Wilson defeated Ted Heath in another snap election designed to give the Conservatives a larger mandate in Westminster.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have started talks on forging a 'confidence and supply' deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has 10 MPs.
Man 'wearing explosive belt' shot by police at Brussels Central station
Belgian troops patrolling a major train station in Brussels have "neutralised" a person following an explosion.
Police said they are unable to comment on media reports that the suspect was wearing an explosive belt and had wires coming out of his clothes.
Belgium's federal prosecutor confirmed the incident at Brussels Central, one of the country's busiest stations, is being treated as a terrorist attack.
At a news conference, spokesman Eric van der Sypt said the unidentified suspect was still inside the station, and it is unclear whether he is dead or alive.
Image:Belgian troops and police are at the scene of the terror attack 'in large numbers'
No civilians were injured or killed in the explosion.
Nicolas Van Herrewegen, an employee at Brussels Central station, told reporters that the suspect had cried "allahu akbar" and detonated something on a luggage trolley.
Pictures from the scene showed a fire had broken out inside the station building.
A spokesman for Belgium's railway operator said a crowd in the station panicked and "ran for the tracks" after the incident.
Image:Police in Brussels closed roads following the incident
Brussels Central was evacuated and searched, with rail services from the station suspended. Grand Place, a major tourist site which lies about 200m (656ft) away, was also evacuated.
Train services at two other stations in the capital, Brussels North and Brussels South, were also disrupted.
Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people on the Brussels subway and at an airport on 22 March 2016.
Soldiers have been stationed at railway stations, government buildings and EU institutions since.
Image:Brussels Central is one of Belgium's busiest train stations. File pic
People in the area were pushed away from the scene, and police on Twitter urged the public to follow instructions given by the authorities.
Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel was "following the situation very closely from the crisis centre," according to his spokesman Frederic Cauderlier.
Police said they are unable to comment on media reports that the suspect was wearing an explosive belt and had wires coming out of his clothes.
Belgium's federal prosecutor confirmed the incident at Brussels Central, one of the country's busiest stations, is being treated as a terrorist attack.
At a news conference, spokesman Eric van der Sypt said the unidentified suspect was still inside the station, and it is unclear whether he is dead or alive.
Image:Belgian troops and police are at the scene of the terror attack 'in large numbers'No civilians were injured or killed in the explosion.
Nicolas Van Herrewegen, an employee at Brussels Central station, told reporters that the suspect had cried "allahu akbar" and detonated something on a luggage trolley.
Pictures from the scene showed a fire had broken out inside the station building.
A spokesman for Belgium's railway operator said a crowd in the station panicked and "ran for the tracks" after the incident.
Image:Police in Brussels closed roads following the incidentBrussels Central was evacuated and searched, with rail services from the station suspended. Grand Place, a major tourist site which lies about 200m (656ft) away, was also evacuated.
Train services at two other stations in the capital, Brussels North and Brussels South, were also disrupted.
Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people on the Brussels subway and at an airport on 22 March 2016.
Soldiers have been stationed at railway stations, government buildings and EU institutions since.
Image:Brussels Central is one of Belgium's busiest train stations. File picPeople in the area were pushed away from the scene, and police on Twitter urged the public to follow instructions given by the authorities.
Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel was "following the situation very closely from the crisis centre," according to his spokesman Frederic Cauderlier.
Grenfell Tower residents were promised fire-resistant cladding five years ago
Residents of Grenfell Tower were promised that fire-resistant cladding would be fitted to their building in 2012, before plans were changed and a cheaper, flammable covering was fitted.
Decorative cladding called Reynobond PE was fitted to the outside of the west London tower block during renovations last year.
Made of flammable plastic sandwiched between aluminium sheets, it is being blamed for spreading the fire from one floor to another in the 24-storey block.
It will be a major focus of the investigations into why so many were killed in the devastating blaze last week - with at least 79 people confirmed dead or missing, presumed dead.
:: Demand for answers on high-rise fire warnings
Documents submitted to Kensington and Chelsea Council's planning department show residents were consulted in 2012 over the renovations and were asked what cladding they wanted.
They show they chose a fire-resistant product called VMZ Composite which was said to have "many benefits".
A newsletter handed to tenants and submitted with the planning application stated: "Various cladding options have been shown to residents with the composite cladding system being favoured by the majority."
The document clearly stated the cladding had "fire retardancy".
Two years later, a cheaper scheme was agreed and new proposals were approved by council planners.
Instead of the fire-resistant panels chosen by residents, cheaper plastic-filled cladding was fitted.
:: Firefighters' horror as they near Grenfell Tower blaze
:: Fire patients kept unconscious to aid recovery
Decorative cladding called Reynobond PE was fitted to the outside of the west London tower block during renovations last year.
Made of flammable plastic sandwiched between aluminium sheets, it is being blamed for spreading the fire from one floor to another in the 24-storey block.
It will be a major focus of the investigations into why so many were killed in the devastating blaze last week - with at least 79 people confirmed dead or missing, presumed dead.
:: Demand for answers on high-rise fire warnings
Documents submitted to Kensington and Chelsea Council's planning department show residents were consulted in 2012 over the renovations and were asked what cladding they wanted.
They show they chose a fire-resistant product called VMZ Composite which was said to have "many benefits".
A newsletter handed to tenants and submitted with the planning application stated: "Various cladding options have been shown to residents with the composite cladding system being favoured by the majority."
The document clearly stated the cladding had "fire retardancy".
Two years later, a cheaper scheme was agreed and new proposals were approved by council planners.
Instead of the fire-resistant panels chosen by residents, cheaper plastic-filled cladding was fitted.
:: Firefighters' horror as they near Grenfell Tower blaze
:: Fire patients kept unconscious to aid recovery
Grenfell Tower: Thousands of pounds paid out to victims
More than £200,000 of government money has been paid out to 180 families directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
The payments - made up of £500 in cash and £5,000 as a bank account payment - have been coordinated by the Grenfell Response Team (GRT).
It has also been confirmed that 126 hotel places have been given to families while 78 were due to be homed in properties locally or in a neighbouring borough by Monday night.
In a statement, GRT said: "We have endeavoured to keep accommodation as local as possible, and we completely accept residents' wishes to remain close to the community."
Image:Some of those affected by the fire march in protest at the way they have been treated
It comes as hundreds of those affected by the fire - which has killed at least 79 people - marched to the tower on Monday night.
Rochelle Thomas, a local resident, said there is still anger at the lack of help and coordination: "I'm just feeling very let down by the council. I called today but got the phone hung up on me."
She added: "I don't have the words to say anymore. It's just a massive let down. These are human beings, they are families."
Another local resident, called Zee, told Sky News: "There's still confusion, no one really knows what's going on. I think the most shocking thing that is starting to sink in for people in the area is how - how have we been left to this?"
Image:A vigil for the victims of the Grenfell fire disaster was held at Parliament Square
Newly elected MP for Kensington, Emma Dent Coad, was one of those to speak at the march on Monday night.
She says there is total chaos in the borough.
"People have been sleeping in cars and in parks because they don't know where to go and they aren't being looked after," she said.
"Secondly they need to be re-housed permanently and thirdly they need a long-term care package... people who'll always be there for them."
Meanwhile police are continuing to name those who died in the fire as the investigation continues.
Some 250 officers are involved and police say they are looking at all criminal offences that may have been committed by any individual or any organisation.
It came as Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy fought back tears as he warned that some victims may never be identified.
The payments - made up of £500 in cash and £5,000 as a bank account payment - have been coordinated by the Grenfell Response Team (GRT).
It has also been confirmed that 126 hotel places have been given to families while 78 were due to be homed in properties locally or in a neighbouring borough by Monday night.
In a statement, GRT said: "We have endeavoured to keep accommodation as local as possible, and we completely accept residents' wishes to remain close to the community."
Image:Some of those affected by the fire march in protest at the way they have been treatedIt comes as hundreds of those affected by the fire - which has killed at least 79 people - marched to the tower on Monday night.
Rochelle Thomas, a local resident, said there is still anger at the lack of help and coordination: "I'm just feeling very let down by the council. I called today but got the phone hung up on me."
She added: "I don't have the words to say anymore. It's just a massive let down. These are human beings, they are families."
Another local resident, called Zee, told Sky News: "There's still confusion, no one really knows what's going on. I think the most shocking thing that is starting to sink in for people in the area is how - how have we been left to this?"
Image:A vigil for the victims of the Grenfell fire disaster was held at Parliament Square Newly elected MP for Kensington, Emma Dent Coad, was one of those to speak at the march on Monday night.
She says there is total chaos in the borough.
"People have been sleeping in cars and in parks because they don't know where to go and they aren't being looked after," she said.
"Secondly they need to be re-housed permanently and thirdly they need a long-term care package... people who'll always be there for them."
Meanwhile police are continuing to name those who died in the fire as the investigation continues.
Some 250 officers are involved and police say they are looking at all criminal offences that may have been committed by any individual or any organisation.
It came as Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy fought back tears as he warned that some victims may never be identified.
Personal details of nearly 200 million US citizens exposed
Sensitive personal details relating to almost 200 million US citizens have been accidentally exposed by a marketing firm contracted by the Republican National Committee.
The 1.1 terabytes of data includes birthdates, home addresses, telephone numbers and political views of nearly 62% of the entire US population.
The data was available on a publicly accessible Amazon cloud server.
Anyone could access the data as long as they had a link to it.
Political biases exposed
The huge cache of data was discovered last week by Chris Vickery, a cyber-risk analyst with security firm UpGuard. The information seems to have been collected from a wide range of sources - from posts on controversial banned threads on the social network Reddit, to committees that raised funds for the Republican Party.
The information was stored in spreadsheets uploaded to a server owned by Deep Root Analytics. It had last been updated in January when President Donald Trump was inaugurated and had been online for an unknown period of time.
"We take full responsibility for this situation. Based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked," Deep Root Analytics' founder Alex Lundry told technology website Gizmodo.
"Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access."
Apart from personal details, the data also contained citizens' suspected religious affiliations, ethnicities and political biases, such as where they stood on controversial topics like gun control, the right to abortion and stem cell research.
The file names and directories indicated that the data was meant to be used by influential Republican political organisations. The idea was to try to create a profile on as many voters as possible using all available data, so some of the fields in the spreadsheets were left left empty if an answer could not be found.
"That such an enormous national database could be created and hosted online, missing even the simplest of protections against the data being publicly accessible, is troubling," Dan O'Sullivan wrote in a blog poston Upguard's website.
"The ability to collect such information and store it insecurely further calls into question the responsibilities owed by private corporations and political campaigns to those citizens targeted by increasingly high-powered data analytics operations."
Privacy concerns
Although it is known that political parties routinely gather data on voters, this is the largest breach of electoral data in the US to date and privacy experts are concerned about the sheer scale of the data gathered.
"This is deeply troubling. This is not just sensitive, it's intimate information, predictions about people's behaviour, opinions and beliefs that people have never decided to disclose to anyone," Privacy International's policy officer Frederike Kaltheuner told the BBC News website.
However, the issue of data collection and using computer models to predict voter behaviour is not just limited to marketing firms - Privacy International says that the entire online advertising ecosystem operates in the same way.
"It is a threat to the way democracy works. The GOP [Republican Party] relied on publicly-collected, commercially-provided information. Nobody would have realised that the data they entrusted to one organisation would end up in a database used to target them politically.
"You should be in charge of what is happening to your data, who can use it and for what purposes," Ms Kaltheuner added.
There are fears that leaked data can easily be used for nefarious purposes, from identity fraud to harassment of people under protection orders, or to intimidate people who hold an opposing political view.
"The potential for this type of data being made available publicly and on the dark web is extremely high," Paul Fletcher, a cyber-security evangelist at security firm Alert Logic told the BBC.
The 1.1 terabytes of data includes birthdates, home addresses, telephone numbers and political views of nearly 62% of the entire US population.
The data was available on a publicly accessible Amazon cloud server.
Anyone could access the data as long as they had a link to it.
Political biases exposed
The huge cache of data was discovered last week by Chris Vickery, a cyber-risk analyst with security firm UpGuard. The information seems to have been collected from a wide range of sources - from posts on controversial banned threads on the social network Reddit, to committees that raised funds for the Republican Party.
The information was stored in spreadsheets uploaded to a server owned by Deep Root Analytics. It had last been updated in January when President Donald Trump was inaugurated and had been online for an unknown period of time.
"We take full responsibility for this situation. Based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked," Deep Root Analytics' founder Alex Lundry told technology website Gizmodo.
"Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access."
Apart from personal details, the data also contained citizens' suspected religious affiliations, ethnicities and political biases, such as where they stood on controversial topics like gun control, the right to abortion and stem cell research.
The file names and directories indicated that the data was meant to be used by influential Republican political organisations. The idea was to try to create a profile on as many voters as possible using all available data, so some of the fields in the spreadsheets were left left empty if an answer could not be found.
"That such an enormous national database could be created and hosted online, missing even the simplest of protections against the data being publicly accessible, is troubling," Dan O'Sullivan wrote in a blog poston Upguard's website.
"The ability to collect such information and store it insecurely further calls into question the responsibilities owed by private corporations and political campaigns to those citizens targeted by increasingly high-powered data analytics operations."
Privacy concerns
Although it is known that political parties routinely gather data on voters, this is the largest breach of electoral data in the US to date and privacy experts are concerned about the sheer scale of the data gathered.
"This is deeply troubling. This is not just sensitive, it's intimate information, predictions about people's behaviour, opinions and beliefs that people have never decided to disclose to anyone," Privacy International's policy officer Frederike Kaltheuner told the BBC News website.
However, the issue of data collection and using computer models to predict voter behaviour is not just limited to marketing firms - Privacy International says that the entire online advertising ecosystem operates in the same way.
"It is a threat to the way democracy works. The GOP [Republican Party] relied on publicly-collected, commercially-provided information. Nobody would have realised that the data they entrusted to one organisation would end up in a database used to target them politically.
"You should be in charge of what is happening to your data, who can use it and for what purposes," Ms Kaltheuner added.
There are fears that leaked data can easily be used for nefarious purposes, from identity fraud to harassment of people under protection orders, or to intimidate people who hold an opposing political view.
"The potential for this type of data being made available publicly and on the dark web is extremely high," Paul Fletcher, a cyber-security evangelist at security firm Alert Logic told the BBC.
Monday, June 19, 2017
US student detained and released by North Korea dies
A US student who was held in a North Korean prison for more than a year has died just a week after his release.
Otto Warmbier was medically evacuated from the country after it emerged he had been in a coma since he was jailed in March 2016.
His parents confirmed he died on Monday.
In a statement, they said: "It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home.
"Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2.20 pm."
US President Donald Trump said on hearing the news that "bad things" happened in "brutal" North Korea but at least he died at home with his parents.
Doctors from the University of Cincinnati Medical Centre said last week that the 22-year-old was suffering from injuries related to cardiopulmonary arrest and was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness.
Image:Mr Warmbier broke down as he was jailed in March 2016
The University of Virginia student was medically evacuated from North Korea and flown to Cincinnati late last Tuesday.
His parents said they were only informed of his condition a week ago.
The college student was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour in 2016 after he admitted trying to steal a propaganda sign from the staff-only area of a hotel he was staying at.
Warmbier told reporters he was offered a used car worth $10,000 (£7,840) if he could obtain a sign, adding that $200,000 (£156,860) would be paid to his mother if he was detained and didn't return.
:: US professor held in North Korea
Image:The propaganda sign Mr Warmbier attempted to take from his hotel
Following his death on Monday afternoon, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said: "The awful tumultuous treatment of our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today...
"It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost - future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds.
"But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person.
"You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched - Wyoming, Ohio and the University of Virginia to name just two - that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family."
Otto Warmbier was medically evacuated from the country after it emerged he had been in a coma since he was jailed in March 2016.
His parents confirmed he died on Monday.
In a statement, they said: "It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home.
"Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2.20 pm."
US President Donald Trump said on hearing the news that "bad things" happened in "brutal" North Korea but at least he died at home with his parents.
Doctors from the University of Cincinnati Medical Centre said last week that the 22-year-old was suffering from injuries related to cardiopulmonary arrest and was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness.
Image:Mr Warmbier broke down as he was jailed in March 2016The University of Virginia student was medically evacuated from North Korea and flown to Cincinnati late last Tuesday.
His parents said they were only informed of his condition a week ago.
The college student was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour in 2016 after he admitted trying to steal a propaganda sign from the staff-only area of a hotel he was staying at.
Warmbier told reporters he was offered a used car worth $10,000 (£7,840) if he could obtain a sign, adding that $200,000 (£156,860) would be paid to his mother if he was detained and didn't return.
:: US professor held in North Korea
Image:The propaganda sign Mr Warmbier attempted to take from his hotelFollowing his death on Monday afternoon, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said: "The awful tumultuous treatment of our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today...
"It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost - future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds.
"But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person.
"You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched - Wyoming, Ohio and the University of Virginia to name just two - that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family."
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