The Spanish city of Lleida has barred women from wearing face-covering Islamic veils inside its municipal buildings. The move makes the northern city of Lleida, population of 1,35,000, the first in Spain to regulate the garments that have triggered debate across Europe. Lleida’s town hall passed the ban on Friday with 23 votes in favour, one against and two abstentions. The gesture is largely symbolic, because town hall spokeswoman Inma Martos said only about three per cent of the population is Muslim and only a handful of Muslim women in Lleida actually wear burqas or veils.
***
Pak detains one more in NY plot
Islamabad, May 28: A Pakistani official says another man has been detained in connection with the main suspect in the Times Square attempted car bombing. The latest suspect to be questioned is a Pakistani named Humbal Akhtar. The official requested anonymity because he works for Pakistani intelligence and is not allowed to comment on the record. He gave no other details about Akhtar.
The primary suspect, Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, is being held in the United States. Intelligence officials have said around 11 people have been detained in the case in Pakistan. —AP
***
Court in Pak allows man to change sex
Islamabad, May 28: A Pakistani court has allowed a 32-year-old man to change his gender, court officials said, reports our Pakistan correspondent.
Sami Salim, a resident of Rawalpindi, had filed an application in the Lahore high court through his lawyer Mohammed Shams for a change of sex. In his application, he requested the court to grant him permission for gender change through surgery.
The plea said that the applicant is suffering from gender identity disorder and his treatment is only possible through surgery. The lawyer told the court that experts were available for this kind of operation. But they were not ready to perform the surgery due to legal and social complications.