Britain is said to be emerging as the “Western capital” of Sharia Courts, where men are allowed to end their marriages just by uttering the word "divorce" thrice.&nbsp;

In an investigation carried out by The Times, it was discovered that polygamy has been normalised and there is an application in which Islamic wills can be created by Muslims living in England and Wales.&nbsp;

The application has a drop-down menu in which the men fill in how many wives they have, which generally ranges between one and four.&nbsp;

The Sharia court has approved this application, which gives daughters half of the amount of inheritance that is given to the sons.&nbsp;

There are 85 operational Sharia courts or councils in Britain. The first such court was first established in the country in 1982.

Across Europe and North America, a lot of Muslims are seen to be going to these Sharia courts in Britain that work like informal organisations and issue religious rulings on family life and marriage, reported The Times.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-delays-hijab-law-president-calls-it-ambiguous-and-in-need-of-reform-784612">Iran delays hijab law, president calls it 'ambiguous and in need&nbsp;of&nbsp;reform'</a>

As per the report, around 100,000 Islamic marriages have been conducted in the country that are not registered officially with the civil authorities.

Theologian and Professor Mona Siddiqui, in an official review, said that Sharia was defined as jurisprudence on the basis of the opinions expressed by jurists in the classical period of Islam, which is from the 7th century till the 13th century.

Most Muslim countries have modified various aspects of Sharia, however, in the case of marriage and divorce, they have generally observed the classical rulings.&nbsp;

<h2>Experts and women raise concerns over Sharia courts</h2>

The National Secular Society expressed their concern over the existence of such parallel legal systems in Britain.

Society's chief executive Stephen Evans issued a warning that such councils "undermine the principle of one law for all" and the rights of women and children are negatively impacted.&nbsp;

"It should be remembered that Sharia councils only exist because Muslim women need them to obtain a religious divorce. Muslim men do not need them because they can unilaterally divorce their wife," Evans said.

Watch:&nbsp;Iran Pauses Crackdown On Strict Hijab Laws Amid Ongoing Protests

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-pauses-crackdown-on-strict-hijab-laws-amid-ongoing-protests-784639/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Meanwhile, women complained that religious texts were being used to control them and hadiths were being quoted by men to force their wives into sexual relations. 
&nbsp; 
A woman said that an elder had also suggested that she should enter a religiously sanctioned "pleasure marriage".

Radical preacher&nbsp;Haitham al-Haddad, who founded one such court, in an online lecture in 2009 said, “A man should not be questioned why he hit his wife because this is something between them. Leave them alone. They can sort out their matters among themselves.”

Speaking to The Times, Haddad said that he does not preach not questioning men for beating their wives but only explains why marriages should be preserved.

(With inputs from agencies)

Britain is said to be emerging as the “Western capital” of Sharia Courts, where men are allowed to end their marriages just by uttering the word "divorce" thrice.

Britain is said to be emerging as the “Western capital” of Sharia Courts, where men are allowed to end their marriages just by uttering the word "divorce" thrice. In an investigation carried out by The Times, it was discovered that polygamy has been normalised and there is an application in which Islamic wills can be created by Muslims living in England and Wales. The application has a drop-down menu in which the men fill in how many wives they have, which generally ranges between one and four. The Sharia court has approved this application, which gives daughters half of the amount of inheritance that is given to the sons. There are 85 operational Sharia courts or councils in Britain. The first such court was first established in the country in 1982. Across Europe and North America, a lot of Muslims are seen to be going to these Sharia courts in Britain that work like informal organisations and issue religious rulings on family life and marriage, reported The Times. Also Read: Iran delays hijab law, president calls it 'ambiguous and in need of reform' As per the report, around 100,000 Islamic marriages have been conducted in the country that are not registered officially with the civil authorities. Theologian and Professor Mona Siddiqui, in an official review, said that Sharia was defined as jurisprudence on the basis of the opinions expressed by jurists in the classical period of Islam, which is from the 7th century till the 13th century. Most Muslim countries have modified various aspects of Sharia, however, in the case of marriage and divorce, they have generally observed the classical rulings. Experts and women raise concerns over Sharia courts The National Secular Society expressed their concern over the existence of such parallel legal systems in Britain. Society's chief executive Stephen Evans issued a warning that such councils "undermine the principle of one law for all" and the rights of women and children are negatively impacted. "It should be remembered that Sharia councils only exist because Muslim women need them to obtain a religious divorce. Muslim men do not need them because they can unilaterally divorce their wife," Evans said. Watch: Iran Pauses Crackdown On Strict Hijab Laws Amid Ongoing Protests Meanwhile, women complained that religious texts were being used to control them and hadiths were being quoted by men to force their wives into sexual relations. A woman said that an elder had also suggested that she should enter a religiously sanctioned "pleasure marriage". Radical preacher Haitham al-Haddad, who founded one such court, in an online lecture in 2009 said, “A man should not be questioned why he hit his wife because this is something between them. Leave them alone. They can sort out their matters among themselves.” Speaking to The Times, Haddad said that he does not preach not questioning men for beating their wives but only explains why marriages should be preserved. (With inputs from agencies)

Britain has 85 operational Sharia courts. Has it become 'western capital' of Islamic councils?

The "Bali Nine" drug ring prisoners are finally returning to Australia after serving time in Indonesia. This marks the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle that has spanned over a decade.

Australia: Men Now Free After Spending 19 Years In Indonesian Jail

The "Bali Nine" drug ring prisoners are finally returning to Australia after serving time in Indonesia. This marks the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle that has spanned over a decade.



External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to attend the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The two-day summit has brought together top leaders from member states, with strict security measures in place. Key routes and businesses in both Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi have been closed due to heightened security concerns surrounding the event.

EAM S Jaishankar Is The First Indian Foreign Minister To Visit Pakistan In A Decade

Scientists have suggested that a tiny black hole is likely to pass through our solar system after every decade and this can be spotted by observing the wobbling of Mars.

Scientists have suggested that a tiny black hole is likely to pass through our solar system after every decade and this can be spotted by observing the wobbling of Mars. This observation was on the basis of the idea that the majority of dark matter in the universe is filled with minuscule black holes. The researchers, in order to determine the truth of this theory, have been closely observing the orbit of Mars. According to a new paper published in the journal Physical Review D, the tiny black holes when travelling through the solar system can make the red planet wobble in a way that it can be spotted from Earth. "Given decades of precision telemetry, scientists know the distance between Earth and Mars to an accuracy of about 10 centimetres [4 inches]," said study co-author David Kaiser, professor of physics at MIT, in a statement. "We're taking advantage of this highly instrumented region of space to try and look for a small effect. If we see it, that would count as a real reason to keep pursuing this delightful idea that all of dark matter consists of black holes that were spawned in less than a second after the Big Bang and have been streaming around the universe for 14 billion years," he added. Also Read: Mega collision with another galaxy 9 billion years ago created Milky Way black hole The researchers in the paper estimated one of these tiny black holes is likely to fly through our solar system one time in every decade. "Primordial black holes do not live in the solar system. Rather, they're streaming through the universe, doing their own thing," said paper co-author Sarah Geller, who is now a postdoc at the University of California at Santa Cruz, in the statement. "And the probability is, they're going through the inner solar system at some angle once every 10 years or so," he added. How do scientists plan to detect the passing of black holes? To detect these black holes, researchers have modelled every large body's orbits in the solar system and discovered that the tiny wobbles in the orbit of Mars can give a hint of the passing of asteroid-mass black holes. "State-of-the-art simulations of the solar system include more than a million objects, each of which has a tiny residual effect," said study co-author, Benjamin Lehmann, who is a researcher at MIT, in the statement. Watch: Astronomers find a rare black hole that defies current theories "But even modelling two dozen objects in a careful simulation, we could see there was a real effect that we could dig into," he added. Such wobbles will be detected by equipment on Earth. "We need as much clarity as we can of the expected backgrounds, such as the typical speeds and distributions of boring space rocks, versus these primordial black holes," said Kaiser. "Luckily for us, astronomers have been tracking ordinary space rocks for decades as they have flown through our solar system, so we could calculate typical properties of their trajectories and begin to compare them with the very different types of paths and speeds that primordial black holes should follow," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

A 'primordial' black hole will pass through our solar system every 10 years. Will it harm?

Russia has been planning to send cosmonauts to the Moon for the first time in history. The cosmonauts are likely to go to the Moon in the next decade and intend to construct a moon base from 2031, as per the Russian corporation which is responsible for manned space flights, as reported by state news agency TASS.

Vladimir Solovyov of RKK Energia presented a draft plan and stated that Russia has been planning manned missions to the moon, which includes the first landing on the moon by a Russian along with building a moon base, &nbsp;stated TASS on Wednesday.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putins-daughter-criticises-laws-adopted-during-fathers-regime-658562">Vladimir Putin’s daughter criticises laws adopted during father’s regime</a>

"Preparations for the deployment of a lunar base - 2031-2040," quoted TASS in the draft plan as saying. The plan further emphasised exploiting the resources of the moon.&nbsp;

<h2>Russia's weakening space programme</h2>

In August, the first moon mission carried out by Russia in 47 years failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft went out of control and crashed into the moon. The failure underscored the problems which have crept inside their once mighty space programme. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Russian space agency's head had stated that the Luna-25 spacecraft had crashed because its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he also held the decades-long pause in the country's lunar exploration for the mishap.

The pilotless Luna-25 was set to land on August 21 while it had aimed to achieve the feat of becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on the moon's south pole, an area where scientists have suggested precious elements and major reserves of frozen water may exist.

WATCH |&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine war: Russian shelling kills three people

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-war-russian-shelling-kills-three-people-658541/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, however, it was the Luna-2 mission of the Soviet Union which was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the moon in 1959, and the Luna-9 mission in 1966 became the first to make a soft landing on the moon. &nbsp;

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space, however, Soviet cosmonauts never did a human landing on the moon.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia has been planning to send cosmonauts to the Moon for the first time in history. The cosmonauts are likely to go to the Moon in the next decade and intend to construct a moon base from 2031, as per the Russian corporation which is responsible for manned space flights, as reported by state news agency TASS.

Russia has been planning to send cosmonauts to the Moon for the first time in history. The cosmonauts are likely to go to the Moon in the next decade and intend to construct a moon base from 2031, as per the Russian corporation which is responsible for manned space flights, as reported by state news agency TASS. Vladimir Solovyov of RKK Energia presented a draft plan and stated that Russia has been planning manned missions to the moon, which includes the first landing on the moon by a Russian along with building a moon base, stated TASS on Wednesday. ALSO READ | Vladimir Putin’s daughter criticises laws adopted during father’s regime "Preparations for the deployment of a lunar base - 2031-2040," quoted TASS in the draft plan as saying. The plan further emphasised exploiting the resources of the moon. Russia's weakening space programme In August, the first moon mission carried out by Russia in 47 years failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft went out of control and crashed into the moon. The failure underscored the problems which have crept inside their once mighty space programme. The Russian space agency's head had stated that the Luna-25 spacecraft had crashed because its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he also held the decades-long pause in the country's lunar exploration for the mishap. The pilotless Luna-25 was set to land on August 21 while it had aimed to achieve the feat of becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on the moon's south pole, an area where scientists have suggested precious elements and major reserves of frozen water may exist. WATCH | Russia-Ukraine war: Russian shelling kills three people In 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, however, it was the Luna-2 mission of the Soviet Union which was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the moon in 1959, and the Luna-9 mission in 1966 became the first to make a soft landing on the moon. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space, however, Soviet cosmonauts never did a human landing on the moon. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia plans to send cosmonauts to Moon for first time in next decade

According to a recent survey by YouGov and The Economist, 43% believe a civil war in the US is somewhat likely in the coming decade.

Why do Two-fifths of Americans believe the US civil war is likely within a decade?

Pics: After over a decade, Japan mourns victims of Fukushima disaster

A new report reveals that deforestation in the Amazon forest has hit the highest annual level in a decade.&nbsp;

Between August 2020 and July 2021, the rainforest lost 10.476 square kilometres, an area nearly seven times bigger than greater London and 13 times the size of New York City, reveals by Imazon, a Brazilian research institute that has been tracking the Amazon deforestation since 2008. The figure is 57 per cent higher than in the previous year and is the worst since 2012.

Carlos Souza, a researcher at Imazon, was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "Deforestation is still out of control."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/powerful-storm-threatens-us-east-coast-407347">Also read |&nbsp;Powerful storm threatens US east coast</a>

“Brazil is going against the global climate agenda that is seeking to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Souza further urged for the urgent resumption of government actions to stop the destruction. This includes measures like the enforcement of illegal agriculture-led deforestation in the region.

Marcio Astrini, the executive-secretary of the organisation Climate Observatory, said, "The data shows that it didn’t work".

“No army operation will be able to mask or reverse the attacks of the federal government against the forest.”

A new report reveals that deforestation in the Amazon forest has hit the highest annual level in a decade. Between August 2020 and July 2021, the rainforest lost 10.

A new report reveals that deforestation in the Amazon forest has hit the highest annual level in a decade. Between August 2020 and July 2021, the rainforest lost 10.476 square kilometres, an area nearly seven times bigger than greater London and 13 times the size of New York City, reveals by Imazon, a Brazilian research institute that has been tracking the Amazon deforestation since 2008. The figure is 57 per cent higher than in the previous year and is the worst since 2012. Carlos Souza, a researcher at Imazon, was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "Deforestation is still out of control." Also read | Powerful storm threatens US east coast “Brazil is going against the global climate agenda that is seeking to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Souza further urged for the urgent resumption of government actions to stop the destruction. This includes measures like the enforcement of illegal agriculture-led deforestation in the region. Marcio Astrini, the executive-secretary of the organisation Climate Observatory, said, "The data shows that it didn’t work". “No army operation will be able to mask or reverse the attacks of the federal government against the forest.”

Deforestation in Amazon forest hits the highest annual level in a decade

The ''Word of the Decade'' was just announced by the American Dialect Society.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/non-binary-they-becomes-2019-word-of-the-year-merriam-webster-267587">''They''</a> has been voted as the ''word of the decade'' by United States language experts. The winning gender-neutral pronoun has gained usage all over the world by non-binary identifying individuals, who choose to not be referred as either ''he'' or ''she''.

The other contenders for the coveted title included ''climate'' and ''meme''.

Used primarily by non-binary individuals (who identify neither as male nor female), ''they'' is preferred to bypass the traditionally gendered dictates of ''he'' or ''she''.

Ben Zimmer, head of the American Dialect Society, said, "When a fundamental part of language like pronouns becomes a vital indicator of trends in society, linguists prick up their ears".&nbsp;The 131-year-old society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students and scholars.

In a statement released on Friday, he added how the selection of ''they'' as word of the decade indicated "how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse."

Earlier, the American dictionary Merriam-Webster had named ''they'' its word of the year in November 2019.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/non-binary-they-becomes-2019-word-of-the-year-merriam-webster-267587">Non-binary "They" becomes 2019 Word of The Year: Merriam-Webster</a>

Non-binary individuals are coming out in larger numbers than ever, and have found representation on television and in pop culture. Sam Smith, a famous British singer-performer recently revealed that he identifies as non-binary and prefers the pronouns ''they/them'' "after a lifetime of being at war with [their] gender."

Recently, the technology giant Apple had added gender-neutral emojis to its roster.&nbsp;

In 2015, the American Dialect Society had named "they" their word of the year.

<img alt="''They''" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8deeb5d8-9141-4fe6-9da1-4c66830f8bf5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/119560-untitled-design-1.jpg" /> 
Image: Earlier, ''They'' was voted word of the year by Merriam-Webster

Even though it's referred to as the ''word of the year'', the category is not limited to a single word. According to the Society, other words that were almost chosen include #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, climate, emoji, meme, the opioid crisis, and woke.

The 131-year-old society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students and scholars.

The words of the past two decades were ''google'' and ''web''.

(With inputs from agencies)

The ''Word of the Decade'' was just announced by the American Dialect Society. ''They'' has been voted as the ''word of the decade'' by United States language experts.

The ''Word of the Decade'' was just announced by the American Dialect Society. ''They'' has been voted as the ''word of the decade'' by United States language experts. The winning gender-neutral pronoun has gained usage all over the world by non-binary identifying individuals, who choose to not be referred as either ''he'' or ''she''. The other contenders for the coveted title included ''climate'' and ''meme''. Used primarily by non-binary individuals (who identify neither as male nor female), ''they'' is preferred to bypass the traditionally gendered dictates of ''he'' or ''she''. Ben Zimmer, head of the American Dialect Society, said, "When a fundamental part of language like pronouns becomes a vital indicator of trends in society, linguists prick up their ears". The 131-year-old society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students and scholars. In a statement released on Friday, he added how the selection of ''they'' as word of the decade indicated "how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse." Earlier, the American dictionary Merriam-Webster had named ''they'' its word of the year in November 2019. Also read: Non-binary "They" becomes 2019 Word of The Year: Merriam-Webster Non-binary individuals are coming out in larger numbers than ever, and have found representation on television and in pop culture. Sam Smith, a famous British singer-performer recently revealed that he identifies as non-binary and prefers the pronouns ''they/them'' "after a lifetime of being at war with [their] gender." Recently, the technology giant Apple had added gender-neutral emojis to its roster. In 2015, the American Dialect Society had named "they" their word of the year. Image: Earlier, ''They'' was voted word of the year by Merriam-Webster Even though it's referred to as the ''word of the year'', the category is not limited to a single word. According to the Society, other words that were almost chosen include #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, climate, emoji, meme, the opioid crisis, and woke. The 131-year-old society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students and scholars. The words of the past two decades were ''google'' and ''web''. (With inputs from agencies)

Climate, they, or meme? Word of the Decade revealed

Authorities will plant 18 million trees in Mexico City and its surrounding suburbs as part of efforts to combat air pollution, the government said Monday. 
 
Environment Minister Rafael Pacchiano dubbed it a &quot;historic reforestation&quot; to reinforce the &quot;green belt in the megalopolis&quot;. 
 
The greater Mexico City area was hit by the worst air pollution in more than a decade in March, prompting authorities to restrict traffic for the 5.4 million vehicles that circulate daily. 
 
Pacchiano said that the lack of wind and record high temperatures in March contributed to an increase in ozone levels. 
 
Other new measures announced by Pacchiano include replacing 1,000 taxis that are more than 10 years old with hybrid cars and stepping up a program to renew cargo and passenger transport vehicles.&nbsp;Anti-pollution rules will also be tightened in industry. 
 
The government imposed temporary car restrictions between April and June 30, forcing all vehicles to stay home at least once a week. Normally, older vehicles and those that fail emissions tests have traffic restrictions. 
 
Last month, the environment ministry unveiled new rules to prevent corruption at emission inspection centres that have allowed polluting cars to remain on the road. 
 
(AFP)

The city will also restrict traffic to combat air pollution, which is at its worst levels in a decade

Authorities will plant 18 million trees in Mexico City and its surrounding suburbs as part of efforts to combat air pollution, the government said Monday. Environment Minister Rafael Pacchiano dubbed it a "historic reforestation" to reinforce the "green belt in the megalopolis". The greater Mexico City area was hit by the worst air pollution in more than a decade in March, prompting authorities to restrict traffic for the 5.4 million vehicles that circulate daily. Pacchiano said that the lack of wind and record high temperatures in March contributed to an increase in ozone levels. Other new measures announced by Pacchiano include replacing 1,000 taxis that are more than 10 years old with hybrid cars and stepping up a program to renew cargo and passenger transport vehicles. Anti-pollution rules will also be tightened in industry. The government imposed temporary car restrictions between April and June 30, forcing all vehicles to stay home at least once a week. Normally, older vehicles and those that fail emissions tests have traffic restrictions. Last month, the environment ministry unveiled new rules to prevent corruption at emission inspection centres that have allowed polluting cars to remain on the road. (AFP)

Mexico City to plant 18 million trees in massive reforestation effort

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