10 METRO Wednesday, October 7, 2009 D Islamic cleric bans head-to-toe veilsBy sarah el deeBEGYPTS top Islamic cleric is plan- ning to ban students wearing the face veil from entering the schools of Sunni Islams institute of learning. The move appears to be part of a government crackdown on increas- ingly overt manifestations of ultra- conservative Islam in the country. Police have verbal orders to pro- hibit girls covered from head to toe from entering al-Azhars institutions, a security official said, insisting the ban was for security reasons. While most Egyptian women wear the head scarf, only a few wear the niqab, which covers the face. Most Islamic scholars say the face veil is a custom that dates back to tribal societies before Islam began. Sheik of al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, announced he would soon issue an order prohibit- ing girls wearing the niqab from en- tering al-Azhar schools. He told a student in a class to take off her niqab, saying it has nothing to do with Islam and is only a custom. On Saturday, female university stu- dents protested outside al-Azhar uni- versity dormitory against the bar on fully veiled women from entering. METROWorld IndonesIa: Health workers doused the city of Padang yesterday with disinfectant over concerns about disease outbreaks six days after a earthquake shook Sumatra. The rescue mission in the city and in nearby areas affected by landslides has turned into a huge relief effort to help thousands who have lost their homes. The scale of the disaster, heavy rains and damage to roads has meant that the arrival of some aid has been delayed. West Sumatra governor Gamawan Fauzi said rotting bodies were a big hazard to health because of the risk of cholera and tetanus. The official death toll is 625, with 295 missing, but the health minister said this could rise to 3,000. amerIca: A woman has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after she let her daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of their minivan on a highway. The 37-year-old told police the box was too big to go inside the van, and that her 13-year-old daughter was inside the box to hold it down, but it was safe because the box was secured to the van with a clothes hanger. Iran: Authorities have closed down three opposition newspapers critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The three daily newspapers had been considered sympathetic toward those protesting the disputed June 12 re-election of Mr Ahmadinejad (pictured). More than 100 independent and liberal newspapers and magazines have been banned in the past decade by the Iranian government. The newspapers closed were Farhang-e Ashti and Arman in Tehran, as well as Tahlil-e Rooz in Shiraz. No official reason was given for their closure. rUssIa: A court yesterday threw out a request by a lesbian couple to force a register office to marry them. Irina Fet and Irina Shipitko had asked the Tverskoi district court to overrule a decision in May by a registry office which refused to endorse their marriage, quoting Russian laws which describe a marriage as a union between a woman and a man. Although the post-Soviet country no longer prosecutes homosexuals as criminals, gays and lesbians remain public outcasts, with Moscow authorities banning gay parades, describing them as an offence and a threat to public order. The couple said they planned to marry in Canada later this month. north Korea: The government has said it is ready to return to international talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme but demanded negotiations first with the US. The latest offer, made during a high-profile visit to the reclusive state by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (pictured), largely repeats Pyongyangs long-held contention that Washington holds the key to its willingness to give up building an atomic arsenal. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il said hostile relations with the US should be converted into peaceful ties through bilateral talks. Visitor Jonathan aubrey stands disembodied in between a mirror installation that makes his body disappear, leaving his head on a plate, at the hong Kong science Museum Picture: Reuters an out-of-body experIence index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html