NEWS - ~ Spanish bank bailout request welcomed

Spain's decision to request a loan of up to 100bn euros ($125bn;
£80bn) from eurozone funds to help shore up itsstruggling banks has
won broad support.
The International MonetaryFund (IMF) said the bailout was big enough
to restore credibility to Spain's banks.
Washington welcomed the measure as a vital step towards the "financial
union" of the eurozone.
The move was agreed during emergency talks between eurozone finance
ministers on Saturday.
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said the plan for Spain should
provide "assurance that thefinancing needs of Spain's banking system
will be fully met".
"I strongly welcome the statement by the Eurogroup, which complements
the measurestaken by the Spanish authorities in recent weeksto
strengthen the banking system," she said.
"The IMF stands ready, at the invitation of the Eurogroup members, to
support the implementation and monitoring of this financialassistance
through regular reporting."
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner welcomed the latest movesas
"important for the health of Spain's economy and as concrete steps on
the path to financial union, which is vital to the resilience of the
euro area".
Crisis jargon buster
Use the dropdown for easy-to-understand explanations of key financial terms:
Capital
Capital
For investors, it refers to their stock of wealth, which can be put to
work in order to earn income. For companies, it typically refers to
sources of financing such as newly issued shares.
For banks, it refers to theirability to absorb losses in their
accounts. Banks normally obtain capital either by issuing new shares,
or by keeping hold of profits instead of paying them out as dividends.
If a bank writes off a loss on one of its assets - for example, if it
makes a loan that is not repaid - then the bank must also write off a
corresponding amount of its capital. If a bank runs out of capital,
then it is insolvent, meaning it doesnot have enough assets torepay
its debts.
Glossary in full
France's Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said the deal would
"contribute to restoring confidence in the eurozone".
'Not a rescue'
Earlier, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos announced that his
countrywould shortly make a formal request for assistance.
He said the help would be for the financial system, not the economy as
a whole. "This is not a rescue," he said.
Mr De Guindos said the aid would not come with new austerity measures
attached to the economy. Spain has already imposed strict economic
reforms in a bid to tackle its debt problems.
The loan will bolster Spain's weakest banks, left with billions of
euros worth of bad loans following the collapse of a property boom and
the recession that followed.
Some banks borrowed large amounts on the international markets to lend
to developers and homebuyers, a riskier strategy than funding it with
deposits from savings.
The exact amount that Spain will receive will be decided after the
completion of two audits of its banks, due to be completed by the end
of June.
The money will come from two funds created to help eurozone members in
financial distress - the European Financial StabilityFacility (EFSF)
and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which enters into force
next month.
Investors have recently demanded higher and higher costs to lend to
Spain, making it too expensive for the country to borrow the money
needed for a bank rescue from the markets.

Tips for - Independace Day

Those who expect to reap blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo
the fatigue of supporting it. Happy Independence Day
@
Life is ful of vibrations,not of bombs But of harmony n happiness njoy
vth ful masti,spirituality n rhythm. Happy Independence Day
@
God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to
guard it and defend it.
@
we live in a funny nation, where pizza reaches homefaster than the
ambulance or police.. . . . . . Happy Independence Day
@
CARRIED VTH CARE. COATED VTH PRIDE. DIPPED IN LOVE. FLY IN GLORY.
MOMNTS OF FREEDOM P R OU D 2 B Indian Happy Independace Day
@
On Independence Day Here`s wising our dreams of a new tomorrow come
true for us... NOW AND ALWAYS!

Tell the truth and watch your relationships shine

"O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with the
true ones." – Quran 9:119
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
"You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and
righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth
and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allah
as a Siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Beware of telling lies, for lying
leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep
telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah
as a liar." (Muslim)
Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) said: "The truth teller achieves three things:
trust, love, and respect."
You know the expression, "The truth shall set you free?" It might be
amended to say, "Telling the truth shall set you free."
Being honest is liberating. It might be difficult or emotionally
uncomfortableat times, but it's so much more freeing to the spirit
than lying, or living a lie. We don't have to remember what lies we
told to whom, or whether someone will uncover something from our
pasts. We don't have to feel like hypocrites for speaking words we
don't really mean.
The Body Tells the Truth
Did you know that a liar is betrayed by his own body?We all know about
the obvious signs that are monitored by lie detectors, such as
increased body temperature (manifested visually as sweating), and
raised blood pressure. But there are many other signs that are
detectable visually.If you live in the USA you may have seen the
television drama "Lie to Me", about a scientist who acts as a human
lie detector by studying body language and facial "micro-expressions".
This is based on real science.
For example, when people are lying, they generally avoid eye contact.
Frequently, liars will gaze downward and to the right. Another sign is
that liars often fidget, moving hands or feet, drumming fingers, or
adjusting clothing. Also, liars may subconsciously try to "hide" the
lie by covering their mouths, or making a motion that is symbolic of
covering the face, such as touching the nose or an eye. These are all
attempts to cover up the lie, and are a subconscious expression of
shame. Lastly, the liar may fold his arms or cross his legs, which are
defensive gestures, as if he is trying to cover himself up.
SubhanAllah. Even when a person's mind is willing to lie, the body is
not. It's as ifa part of him is adhering to fitra , the pure nature of
every human being, and is unwilling to go along with the sin.
After all, the body is alwaysin a state of submission to Allah. The
heart beats as Allah made it to do, the blood flows, the nerves fire,
the cells generate energy, carry oxygen or process waste, white
bloodcells attack invaders… all these autonomous processes go on
without conscious thought, obeyingthe imperatives given to them by
Allah. This is an expression of Islam at the most basic level. So even
when a person's tongue may commit a sin by lying, on a deeper level
the body is still in submission.
In fact, everything in existence submits to Allah and praises Him, and
functions as a sign of His power. Allah says,
"Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the
heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in
flight]? Each has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and
Allah is Knowing of what they do.
And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to
Allah is the destination.
Do you not see that Allah drives clouds? Then He brings them together,
then He makes them intoa mass, and you see the rain emerge from within
it. And He sends down from the sky, mountains [of clouds] within which
is hail, and He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom
He wills. The flash of its lightening almost takes away the eyesight.
Allah alternates the nightand the day. Indeed in that is a lesson for
those who have vision.
Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of them are
those that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on
two legs, and of them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what
He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent." ( Quran 24:
41-45)
All of the things described in these verses exist in submission to
Allah. Only we, children of Adam (and the jinn), have been given the
ability to disobey. When we rebel – and that includes lying – we come
into conflict with Allah, with society, with all other living
creatures, with the weather that surrounds us, and even with the night
and day!
Last but not least, we comeinto conflict with our own bodies. How
could that be anything but harmful? Isn'tit a sign to us that lying is
wrong on a very deep level?

The Word “Muslim” – What it Means to Me

The word alone triggers such different reactions in different people.
The literal definition of the word Muslim is "one who submits,"
meaning one who submits to Allah, believing in Him and obeying His
commandments.
More specifically, the word Muslim is the participle of the same
Arabic verb of which Islam is the infinitive. The feminine form is
Muslimah , though afemale Muslim is often referred to as simply a
Muslim.
There are many false stereotypes about Muslims in the West, or one
might say in the non-Muslim world in general, and also many
misconceptions among Muslims themselves; but I will not go into those
in this article.
Instead, I'd like to share mythoughts and feelings on hearing the word
Muslim and contemplating its meaning. I am using the word in a
gender-inclusive sense.
Muslim
Faithful. Allah is his Master,and the Quran is the wellspring of his
life. Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh) is his beloved Messenger, and all
the Sahabah * (see glossary at bottom for explanations of many terms)
are his guiding stars. Tawheed is his creed, taqwa his garment, imaan
his cool summer rain, and ihsaan his aspiration.
Muslim
Harmonized. She has chosen to live as Allah created us to live, in
harmony with all around us, including nature, human beings, and the
earth itself. She is plugged into the reality of the universe.
Muslim
Peaceful. His manner is gentle. He is not angry or violent. He would
never raise his hands except to defend himself, his family, or other
innocents.Muslim
At home in Allah's house. He can walk into a masjid anywhere in the
world andfeel at home. He can perform wudu' , prostrate himself to
Allah, take a copy of the Quran off the shelf and read it, stand
shoulder to shoulder in prayer with strangers, and feel a sense of
rightness and belonging.
Noha Abd Rabo of Egypt reacts after her fight against Sarah Stevenson
ofBritain in their women's + 68 kg taekwondo bronze medal match during
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 23, 2008.
Muslim
An Islamic worldview. Sheshares my world view and cultural
understanding, no matter her nationality or race. She knows that this
life is only a test, a moment of frenzy betweena sleep and a sleep,
like a desert flower blooming and wilting in a single afternoon. She
knows that the aakhirah is the home that calls; her heart is filled
with hope and fear of Judgment.
She steps out of her door each day and does the right thing, because
that is her covenant with Allah, and because she loves to do good. She
sees the signsof Allah in the miracle of a hummingbird or the majesty
of Mt. Kilimanjaro; in the swirls of her fingertips, and in the
knowledge of Allah that lives in her heart.
Muslim
Pursuing excellence. Doctor, teacher, farmer, engineer, human rights
worker, taxi driver, tour guide, seamstress, Olympic athlete. Striving
for excellence in all things as a matter of worship and a way of life.
Truth-telling, fair, sincere in business andin love.