HUNGARY
Students strip in protest
Students at Kaposvar University attended class wearing only their underwear on Thursday to protest against a dress code ordered by the college head. In a letter to students on Wednesday, the university’s rector wrote that a conservative dress code — dark suits and shoes for men; jacket, blouse and trousers or long skirts for women — must be adhered to when attending classes or exams. “From Oct. 1, there is also no place in the university for mini-skirts, flip-flops, heavy make-up, inappropriate fashion accessories, or unkempt fingernails and hair,” the letter continued. The rector did make an allowance for lighter clothing during warm summer days, prompting some students to make the underwear protest. “We were appropriately dressed, but the classroom was so warm we removed some clothing as is permitted,” one student said.
CANADA
Cat cruelty investigated
Police are investigating a case of animal cruelty after six severed cat heads were found in residential locations north of Toronto. Constable Andy Pattenden said on Thursday that the cat heads were placed within a less than 1.6km radius next to curbs in residential neighborhoods in Stouffville, Ontario, about 45km northeast of Toronto. Pattenden says the incidents are not believed to be accidental or the result of a predatory animal. The first incident was reported on Aug. 12 when a head and two legs were found near a daycare center. Five other cat heads were found during the next few weeks, with the latest incident reported on Sept. 13, when a homeowner found her cat’s head. Police are now urging cat owners to keep their pets indoors.
UNITED STATES
Burger offends blogger
A Chicago restaurant has cooked up a controversial burger of the month for this month, garnishing it with an unconsecrated communion wafer and a red wine reduction sauce. Kuma’s Corner, a foodie destination with just a few tables, names its hamburgers after heavy metal bands. For this month, the restaurant chose to name the burger after the Swedish band Ghost. Members of the band dress in religious robes and wear skeleton face makeup. “It’s in poor taste,” said Jeff Young of New Orleans who runs the blog Catholic Foodie. “It’s not, for us, the Eucharist,” Young said. “However this wafer is a symbol. There’s a cross on it. It’s like taking a flag and burning a flag.” Kuma’s Corner director of operations Luke Tobias said the restaurant never wanted to offend anyone. He said reaction has been a “mixed bag,” but more positive than negative.
UNITED STATES
Teen cops sex case plea
A teen accused of having sex with her underage girlfriend on Thursday pleaded no contest — essentially conceding the charges without admitting guilt. Her attorney describes the plea deal as in her best interest. Kaitlyn Hunt was charged in February with having sex with a 14-year-old female schoolmate. Hunt was 18 at the time. A previous plea deal was withdrawn in August following allegations that Hunt exchanged thousands of texts with the girl and sent her nude photos. She was sent to jail. Civil and gay rights groups say that Hunt is being punished for behavior that occurs at schools across the US without resulting in criminal charges. A “Free Kate” Facebook page has generated more than 30,000 followers so far, and an online petition urging that the charges be dropped gained more than 100,000 signatures.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of