UTHUKELA: In a not-so-right move to reduce unwanted pregnancy and HIV, a South African mayor has given college scholarships to 16 young women for remaining virgins, to encourage others to be “pure” and focus on school. Introduced this year, the scholarship has been awarded to young women from Uthukela district in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, mayoral spokesman Jabulani Mkhonza said. An estimated 6.3 million people in South Africa are HIV-positive, with more than one in 10 people living with the virus. Several rights groups have condemned the move, saying the conditions of the scholarship were a violation of the dignity of the young girls.
Yoga teachers ask classes if they could stretch to a beer
NEW YORK: A number of American yoga instructors vouch by a newly discovered ancient practice which may help students achieve a perfectly calm state of consciousness. Drink beer. An early pioneer of the “Beer and Yoga” movement, Beth Cosi, 46, said that she had sometimes struggled to persuade friends to come to her classes, but found that they confirmed if she held them inside a brewery. She is convinced that beer prolongs the relaxed consciousness achieved on the mat. “It just allows an opportunity to continue the great feeling and the communion, in a sense, that naturally happens in a yoga class,” she said. Her company called Bendy Brewski operates in South Carolina and Tennessee and the classes have attracted more men. “It's nearly always half and half,” she said.
14,000 Indians overstayed in US last year: Report
WASHINGTON: Over 14,000 of the 880,000 Indians on business or tourism visas overstayed in the US last year according to official figures. Overstaying means a non-immigrant who was lawfully admitted to the US for an authorised period but stayed or remains in the country beyond his or her lawful admission period. The 'Entry Exit Overstay Report' released by the DHS, in fiscal 2015, of the nearly 45 million non-immigrant visitor admissions through air or sea ports of entry that were expected to depart in FY 2015, 527,127 individuals overstayed their admission, for a total overstay rate of 1.17 per cent. In other words, 98.83 per cent had left the US on time and abided by the terms of their admission, the report said.
Pupil thrown out of school for saying ISIS
WASHINGTON: A 15 year old student at a US school has triggered a federal probe after he allegedly substituted ISIS for the 'United States of America' during the morning pledge of allegiance. A minor, the student is said to have committed the act before the Christmas vacation, according to the Connecticut Post. He is currently being educated separately in a Board of Education annex building. Ansonia police said their probe is complete and that it was referred to Homeland Security, per protocol.
China busts 35 restaurants using opium as seasoning
BEIJING: Thirty-five restaurants across China, including a popular Beijing hot pot chain, have been found to be using opium poppies as seasoning, an illegal practice besetting the country's food regulators. While 5 restaurants are being prosecuted, 30 others, ranging from Shanghai dumpling joints to noodle shops in southwestern Chongqing, are under investigation, said the China Food and Drug Administration. Cases of cooks sprinkling ground poppy powder, which contains low amounts of opiates like morphine and codeine, in soup and seafood is a common sight in China. It is yet to be cleared whether it effectively hooks a customer or delivers a noticeable buzz.
Pak SC lifts ban on hunting Houbara bustard
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court has lifted a ban on the hunting of the Houbara bustard, an endangered migratory bird, whose meat is prized by elite Arab Sheikhs for its aphrodisiac quality. Imposed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja on August 20 last year, he also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits issued by the government to Arab rulers. A five-member larger bench headed by chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali lifted the ban in a verdict on the review petitions, although the decision was not unanimous, with one dissenting note by justice Qazi Faez Isa, who opposed the bench's order. The country has good relations with elite Arabs who love hunting the bird, and travel to Balochistan every winter to kill. The Houbara bustard is however, listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals and is declared as an endangered species.
Kerry to seek Asean unity against China sea claims
VIENTIANE (LAOS): US Secretary of State John Kerry has begun his visit to Asia, in which he plans to press China to put more curbs on North Korea after its nuclear test, and to urge Southeast Asia to show unity in response to Beijing's claims in the South China Sea. His three-day stay in Laos, expects him to stress the need for a united front in response to this month's North Korean nuclear test through additional UN sanctions, a senior official of the US state department said. Kerry will head to Cambodia on Monday, and then go to Beijing on Wednesday to hold talks with the leadership there. First though in Laos, Kerry will seek to bolster Asean unity and the bloc's resolve to stand up to China in the lead-up to a summit President Obama has called with its leaders on February 15-16 in California.
Europe to end passport-free travel
Europe is set to suspend passport-free travel for two years after EU ministers have demanded a stop to the inflow of migrants. The European Commission will consider plans that would see the Schengen zone moved north to exclude Greece. Ultimately, it is said that Greece will have its borders sealed off from the rest of Europe, as the country had failed to prevent or register the influx of migrants.
Socialist mayor forced to increase his pay
French mayor, Stéphane Delpeyrat, had decided to set an example by slashing his salary, only to be told that his pay cut was illegal and he had to double his pay. On his election in 2014, the socialist had announced to the 505 villagers of Saint Aubin, Aquitaine, that he would make his monthly income €400 (£303). However, he received a letter which advised him that mayors of villages with less than 1,000 residents cannot be paid less than 800 monthly, under a law that came into force at the start of January.
