London: Afghanistan has enacted a new legislation empowering men of Shia sect of Islam to deny their wives food and sustenance if they refuse to obey their husbands' sexual demands, a media report said on Saturday.
The new final draft of the legislation also grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers, and requires women to get permission from their husbands to work, The Guardian reported.
"It also effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying 'blood money' to a girl who was injured when he raped her," the report said quoting US charity Human Rights Watch.
In early April, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined an international chorus of condemnation when the earlier version of the law legalised rape within marriage.
Although Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared to back down, activists said the revised law still contained repressive measures and contradicted Afghanistan's constitution and international treaties it is signed up to.
According to the report, the new law has been backed by the hardline Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohseni, who is thought to have influence over the voting intentions of some Shias, who make up around 20 percent of the population.
Karzai has assiduously courted such minority leaders in the run up to next Thursday's election, which is likely to be close, a poll indicated today.
Chinese cops catch identical triplets using one driving license!
The case came to light after Su Wei, one of the three brothers, was caught last Tuesday driving an overloaded truck with a suspicious driving license, which belonged to his older brother.
His lack of confidence prompted traffic enforcers to continue their initial line of questioning.
With his hands shivering, Su immediately confessed that he was carrying his brother''s license.
He also described how he and his brother Si Haiyong always used their elder brother Su Haichang''s license, reports the China Daily.
All three are said to have similar physical appearances.
'Dead' baby wakes before funeral
A premature baby declared dead by doctors at a hospital in Paraguay was found to be alive hours later when he was taken home for a funeral wake.
Jose Alvarenga said he had discovered his son was alive after he heard crying from the box in which he was placed. The baby is now back at the same hospital's intensive care unit and reported to be in a stable condition.
The head of paediatric care at the hospital said a doctor had not properly checked the infant's vital signs.
"This is a very unusual case," Ernesto Weber told the AFP news agency, adding that an investigation into the incident would be carried out.
A doctor who works at the hospital's maternity unit said staff had tried to revive the baby for an hour before declaring him dead.
"His pulse was so low that it was undetectable," Aida Notario said.
According to medical records, the baby weighed only 500g (17.6oz).
The smallest on record was an American baby who weighed just 280g (10oz), born at less than 22 weeks.
Kamloops yoga instructor told his shorts are too short
Mohd Abdullah in a pair of his short shorts, which have led to complaints.
Photograph by: Handout photo, The Province
Mohd Abdullah, a pilates and yoga instructor who also teaches computer science at TRU, says he's been warned twice by officials at the Tournament Capital Centre that the shorts he wears when working out there are too short.
But the 48-year-old has refused to heed the warnings -- and says he'd rather rescind his membership at the centre than toss out the six to eight pairs of short shorts he owns, one of them purchased from a Montreal Wal-Mart in 1997 for $5.
"I think it is discriminating and at the same time, I think it is a double standard," he said. "Here you have women that are wearing shorts that are half my size and with, excuse my lingo, the boobs half falling [out] -- and that's acceptable."
Clint Andersen, sport development supervisor with the City of Kamloops, said there have been a series of attire-related complaints lodged about Abdullah since he began working out a year ago.
They have centered on the length of Abdullah's shorts, as well as their "looseness" and revealing nature, he said.
Andersen said Abdullah keeps wearing them despite the warnings, the most recent on Wednesday.
When asked what actions the centre will take if Abdullah continues to ignore the requests, he said: "I'm not going to speculate on something that is not a reality."
Andersen said a "user guidelines sheet" posted inside the centre offers a rough outline of what's acceptable to wear.
"It definitely doesn't get into specifics, nor do we want it to get into specifics -- because the last thing we want to be is attire police," Andersen said.
Meanwhile Abdullah, who said he's getting moral support from his wife and colleagues at the university, is prepared to take his shorts elsewhere if necessary.
"I'm not going to change my style, not when I'm half a century old," he said. "I'm just going to keep wearing what I wear."
How Fat Is Your State?
Learn the obesity rates in your state—and how they affect your life expectancy
By Kimberly Fusaro Posted July 29, 2009 from WomansDay.com
Plenty of factors contribute to your life expectancy, including your family medical history, habits (ahem—smokers), and even your race. But no matter how you stack up in other categories, if you don’t keep your weight in check, you’re setting yourself up for a host of life-threatening ailments. Want proof? The numbers below tell a scary story: The states with highest percentages of obese adults—including Alabama (31.2%), Louisiana (28.9%) and Mississippi (32.5%)—have some of the lowest life expectancies in the country—74.6, 74.4, and 73.7 years, respectively. Compare those states to Colorado—where only 18.9 percent of adults are obese and the life expectancy is 78.4 years. Where your state falls on the fit-to-fat spectrum shouldn’t be your only health concern, but it’s certainly worth keeping tabs on.See the map below to learn the obesity stats for each state, and to find out the life expectancy in the five states where it’s highest and the five where it’s lowest.
*This data is based on the Census Bureau’s data, which they compiled most recently in 2000.
7 Year Old Steals Car, Leads Cops On Wild Chase (VIDEO)
Police in Weber County, Utah discovered an unusual culprit behind the wheel after a car chase last Sunday.
The car was swerving on the roads and passing through stop signs. When it finally stopped, a 7-year-old boy jumped out.
The boy told cops he had taken the family car to avoid going to church.
Watch:
The car was swerving on the roads and passing through stop signs. When it finally stopped, a 7-year-old boy jumped out.
The boy told cops he had taken the family car to avoid going to church.
Watch:
Germany Closes Two Flat-Rate Brothels
Police raided four flat-rate brothels in Germany on Sunday and closed two of them due to poor hygiene. The brothels, a new trend, are especially controversial because they offer unlimited sex for a flat rate of between €70 and €100. That breaches the prostitutes' right to dignity, say politicians.
DPA
The "Pussy Club" near Stuttgart is no longer open for business. Massage beds and other furniture were found to be heavily soiled and one whirlpool was very dirty, said Christoph Palm, the mayor of Fellbach. The way food had been stored had also broken hygiene regulations, he said. In one case police had found evidence pointing to forced prostitution, he added.
A total of 12 people were detained in the Fellbach raid and the 25-year-old woman who managed the brothel was remanded in custody, together with an associate.
"Sex with Every Woman, As Long as You Want"
The other two brothels raided, in Berlin and Wuppertal, were allowed to remain open. The brothels in Fellbach and Heidelberg, both located in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, advertise with the slogan: "Sex with every woman, as long as you want, as often as you want and how you want."
DPA
Police conducted ID checks on men and women in the flat-rate brothel in Fellbach near Stuttgart on Sunday. "Pussy Clubs" charge €70 during the day for unlimited sex, drinks, food and access to saunas and other "wellness" facilities. The price rises to €100 in the evenings.
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