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Court tries 18 for cross-dressing

Eighteen Nigerian men accused of dressing up as women during a party at a hotel went on trial Tuesday before an Islamic sharia court in the northern state of Bauchi. Dozens of residents shouted abuse and hurled stones at the men as they were escorted into an armored prison vehicle after the hearing, prompting police to fire tear-gas at the crowd. The men, mostly in their 20s, were arrested in a Bauchi hotel on August 4. Police say they were dressed as women, which is illegal under the state's sharia penal code. The offence is punishable by up to a year in prison and 20 lashes by cane. The accused, who tried to hide their faces as they were jeered on their way in and out of court, deny the charge. One of them told Reuters they went to the hotel for a graduation party. Muhammad Bununu of the Hisbah Commission, a body charged with enforcing sharia law in the state, told reporters the accused were "addressing each other as women and dressing themselves as women." "They said they went to the hotel to witness a wedding between a male and a male," he said. The police brought handbags and suitcases containing women's high-heel shoes and clothing to the court as evidence. The 18 are not formally charged with homosexuality, which is illegal in Nigeria and considered immoral by the vast majority of people, both Muslims and Christians. Bauchi is one of 12 states in the predominantly Muslim north that started a stricter enforcement of sharia law in 2000 -- a decision that alienated sizeable Christian minorities and sparked bouts of sectarian violence that killed thousands. Sharia courts have been active for centuries but under British colonial rule their powers were curtailed. In the 12 states, they regained the right to impose strict punishments such as death for adultery or sodomy and amputation for theft. Only one man, a convicted murderer hanged in 2002, is known to have been executed under sharia law since it was reinforced in the 12 states. Nigerian media had originally reported that the 18 men arrested in Bauchi were charged with sodomy and facing death by stoning, raising concerns among human rights groups who sent observers to Tuesday's hearings. But Bununu said the reports were incorrect. Judge Tanimu Abubakar adjourned the case until September 13 to allow time for a Bauchi state prosecutor who is taking over from the police to familiarize himself with the evidence.

Indonesia district drops school virginity test plan

A plan to carry out virginity tests on female high school students in a district in Indonesia's West Java province has been dropped after a public outcry, media reports said. The head of Indramayu district, Irianto Syafiuddin, is reported to have made the proposal for virginity tests after a video showing two high school students having sex circulated via mobile phones. "Because many people oppose it, we cancelled (the plan)," Syafiuddin was quoted as saying by online news service Detik.com. Syafiuddin could not immediately be contacted, but according to media reports he will look for an alternative way to prevent students from engaging in pre-marital sex. Students, parents and activists viewed the planned virginity tests on thousands of high school students in the district as a violation of human rights, the Jakarta Post said. "We can't accept this idea. It's unfair as the porn video was just an isolated case," a female student, Gita, was quoted as saying by the Post. Many in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, place high value on virginity, although pre-marital sex is not uncommon among the younger generation.

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Italian town to pay residents to shed flab

Overweight residents of an Italian town will be paid to lose weight, the mayor said on Monday. Men living in the northwestern Italian town of Varallo will receive 50 euros ($70) for losing 4 kg (9 pounds) in a month, Mayor Gianluca Buonanno said. Women will get the same amount for shedding 3 kg (7 pounds). If they can keep the weight off for 5 months, they will get another 200 euros ($280), he told Reuters. "Lots of people are saying, 'I really need to lose some weight but it's really tough.' So I thought, why don't we go on a group diet?" said Buonanno, who said he was about 6 kg (13 pounds) overweight. The town of 7,500 people started the campaign on Friday and some residents have already signed up, he said. Around 35 percent of Italians are overweight or obese, according to European Union figures, with waistlines expanding as the country's healthy Mediterranean diet has given way to processed foods rich in fat, sugar and salt.

Mayo margaritas? Japan indulges its creamy passion

When Koji Nakamura mixes up a margarita cocktail, he adds a special ingredient -- mayonnaise.

"Mayogarita", a white drink with a hint of the creamy dressing, is one of several cocktails Nakamura serves in his "Mayonnaise Kitchen" restaurant in suburban Tokyo, which features mayonnaise on everything from toast and spaghetti to fondue.

Despite its Western heritage, mayonnaise has become the condiment of choice for many young Japanese, who add it to everything from sushi, noodles and tempura.

While older Japanese might gag at the thought of mayonnaise on rice or savory pancakes, the young are slathering it on. They even have a name for mayo fanatics: "mayolers".

"People keep discovering various ways to cook food with mayonnaise," Nakamura said. "If you put it on raw tuna fish with red flesh, it tastes like medium-fatty tuna fish. That kind of unpredictability makes it interesting and popular."

In 2006, Japanese consumed 1.65 kg (3.6 lb) of mayonnaise per person, down from a peak of 1.90 kg in 2000, according to the Japan Mayonnaise and Dressing Makers' Association.

Nakamura's tiny restaurant, with fewer than a dozen tables and decorated with cut-outs shaped like mayonnaise bottles, also offers "Mayoty Dog", which tastes like the vodka-based cocktail Salty Dog but is served in a glass with mayonnaise on its rim instead of salt.

Patrons of the seven-year-old restaurant can buy their own bottle of mayonnaise for 300 yen ($2.53) -- similar to bars that keep regular customers' bottles of whisky or sake.

"I know it's rich, but I like the taste," said 22-year-old Mayumi Kameoka. "My friends and I used to put a lot of mayonnaise on bite-sized fried chicken at our school cafeteria."

Japanese mayonnaise, first produced in 1925, is creamier and tangier than its Western counterpart, and includes only egg yolks, not whites, with varying amounts of oil and vinegar to alter the taste.

Manufacturers provide a constant stream of recipes that involve the dressing, helping to make it a staple in most Japanese refrigerators.

"It has a good flavor," said Akira Omori, 32, who likes to put mayonnaise on dried squid and other snacks.

Health-conscious Japanese are, however, starting to eat less of the dressing, prompting manufacturers to introduce low-calorie versions, including one that says it reduces cholesterol levels.

Mayonnaise lovers also got some bad news when No.1 Japanese mayonnaise maker Q.P. Corp's lifted prices in June for the first time in 17 years due to higher vegetable oil prices.

Right now, though, Nakamura of "Mayonnaise Kitchen" is more worried about a summer heat wave seems to be dampening customers' appetites than the future. "I see people going into a soba noodle shop downstairs. I can understand that," he said.

Giant Lego man found in Dutch sea

A giant, smiling Lego man was fished out of the sea in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort on Tuesday. Workers at a drinks stall rescued the 2.5-meter (8-foot) tall model with a yellow head and blue torso. "We saw something bobbing about in the sea and we decided to take it out of the water," said a stall worker. "It was a life-sized Lego toy." A woman nearby added: "I saw the Lego toy floating toward the beach from the direction of England." The toy was later placed in front of the drinks stall.